Finding Her

C H A P T E R - O N E

Into My Open Arms

V A L E R I U S ' P O V :

The streets seem to whisper to me, the cars fly past, their tires splashing against the rain. It's much lighter than it was before.

A sense of relaxation strikes through my body. The rain can be peaceful. The damp, sticky weather, relaxing. The memories it holds for me all weigh bad or good.

I've called off my driver for the night in hopes of finding peace alone. They dropped me off just twenty minutes ago.

My feet hit the pavement as I walk. I swipe my thumb over my watch, clearing it from the small raindrops. I check the time.

My house is only a short five minute walk from here.

This moment feels like peace, a feeling I haven't felt since— a feeling I haven't felt in years. The meeting with the Spanish mafia went well. Marco agreed to give us more pay if we hand over more protection at one of their bases in Italy.

Though, while I am calm, I dread going home to a place that doesn't feel like home. I dread going everyday. It's much different than Italy.

A sound pulls me out of my thoughts, something much louder than the sounds of the cars or the light rain. It sounds almost like running.. my hand begins to reach for my gun, heavy breathing and—

I halt to a stop when I felt something crash into my legs. It takes me a split second to realize it's a body. The small body slams backwards and onto the cold, wet pavement. My hands reach out instinctively to catch it but I am too late.

Long brown hair, bruised legs and no shoes is the first thing I notice.

Something rises in my chest. I may be cruel but a child is something very different compared to a guilty man. A sort of panic flushes through me.

A scream racks through the crying child's body when the thunder cracks.

I bend down quickly, reaching my hand out to help the girl up but she flinches back, screaming. Terror strikes my chest.

Am I really that terrifying?

"I won't hurt you." I say, just a few inches away.

I reach out again and this time she does nothing. So, I pick the small girl up and hold her to my chest. Confusion stammers through me.

I can hear her staggered breathing. I feel her shaking body. Though, as soon as I hold her, she screams. Loud.

"Fuck!" I hiss when she kicks against me, sobbing and screaming all at once. My eyes widen. I let her go for a moment out of pure shock. "What the hell!?" I mutter.

The girl starts to run away from me but I catch up to her and grab her again. I'm not stupid enough to let a hurt child run off. Clearly she's seen some shit.

She wails against my arms, kicking as hard as she can. I think this kid can kick harder than some of my men. I hold the girl tight to my chest while I kneel. My right arm keeps her head laying to my chest and my left wraps tightly around her waist.

I hush her, brushing back her hair slowly. How do you stop a screaming child? My mind starts to wonder back to how my mother would stop tantrums when I was young. Though, my mother was never good at discipline, so I did the opposite.