Take Me Home

thirty- five

Gaia's POV

Oh shit!!

Am I actually so fucking stupid.

I kissed him... alright yeah on the cheek. But still.

What the hell was I thinking?

He probably thinks I am so dense... I mean I am a kept woman in a few weeks.

What the hell am I chatting I don't care. But I made the move... I kissed him. Thinking about it, I don't regret it. How could I?

Ilya is so beautiful. Like effortlessly so.

He brings me comfort, the way just him holding my hand calms me down- it turns my sour moods just that tad more brighter. I like the way those stormy eyes are always looking at me, silently reassuring himself I'm safe and that I'm there. It sometimes shocks me how easily we can communicate with no words.

That's got to mean something.

"Gaia!! Hurry up I don't have all day!!" Valerius' harsh tone snaps me out of my daydream. I would much rather be back in the garden than anywhere with Val. But apparently, my life isn't that simple anymore.

I scoff, not picking up my pace- I can really be a petty bitch- I trail behind him all the way towards his fathers office which was at the back of the estate away from the staff who could pry into their extra-curricular activities.

When we get inside, Vito was hunched over his desk reading through paperwork, in one hand was his fancy pen and in his other was a glass tumbler filled with a rich, amber liquid. When he hears the intrusion he snaps his head up, his eyes narrowed to a glare and he seems ready to rip the intruders a new one.

Welp.

I'm in for a world of fun.

Valerius and I stand adjacent to Vito, whose glare is now fixed on me, I could feel Valerius staring down at me and I felt so uncomfortable I was begging for the devil to burn a hole in the floor below me and swallow me up.

"Don't think your antics will go unpunished. It's highly inappropriate to be wanting to spend alone time with another man while being engaged." He pauses, as if collecting his thoughts. "And to propose as such in front of your future husband." He stops to finish the contents of his glass.

"Ilya is a friend."

"The only man that should be in your life is your husband." Valerius spits out, his hand comes up to grip my head. His hand pulling on my hair pulling me closer to his face.

"What about my father and my brothers... or the rest of my family." I wince as he pulls me hair tighter around his fist.

If he keeps this up I won't have any hair left on my head.

"They aren't important anymore. They are no longer a fixture in your life Gaia. You need to come to terms with that. Sooner rather than later."

"Fuck that."I mutter under my breath. Although, Val obviously hears me as his had comes up to grip my jaw. "I'd stop querida. I don't mind proving to you who you belong to." I down respond, honestly I couldn't. With the way he was holding my jaw I couldn't move a single muscle.

"We are sending you out on a job tonight." Vito swiftly changes the subject.

"What job. Fucking one of your business partners into accepting a deal- or are you past that? Oh, maybe it's testing your product on me and then sending me out to sell your products. How about the time you-" A hand is clamped over my mouth and partially my nose, I suck in a harsh breath.

"Shut the fuck up!" Valerius whispers harshly against the shell of my ear.

"Your alliances have changed girl. So to prove your loyalty to us, you will meet with our distributor, Alejandro. He has been stealing product, he owes us $25,000. Collect the money, get your ass back here and then you will live a peaceful life here."

I internally scoff. Nothing about living here is peaceful. It never will be.

"I have no choice in the matter, do I?"

"No."

That's where I found myself several hours later, stood in a dingy alley on the city, waiting for this Alejandro character to make an appearance. I watch crowds of people queuing for the club next door to me.

Valerius decided for me that if I wore skimpy clothes it'll entice Alejandro to hand the money over more easily. So I was stood there with a skirt that barely covered my ass, a top that just about covered my boobs.

I hate my life.

A shadowed figure walks into the alleyway, the streetlights on the main road highlighted his hooded tall frame. He walks closer and I get increasingly more nervous. I always get nervous on these types of jobs.

There was always a possibility of getting my ass beaten, raped and god knows what else. So when the man steps in front of me I was shocked by his calm posterior. His hands are buried in his pockets. He was wearing all dark clothes so he could fade into the dark corners if necessary.

"You Alejandro?" He nods. "Tienes su dinero?" (You got their money?) He nods again. He digs his hand into his pockets pulling out a roll of money.

"Esto no es todo." (This isn't it all) He doesn't say anything in response he just looks over his shoulder towards the mouth of the narrow alleyway. "Vito no aceptará esto." He is still looking away.

(Vito won't accept this)

"Puedo tener el resto para el sábado." (I can have the rest by Saturday)

I sigh. I hate this so much.

"No es suficiente. Prometiste que lo tendrías todo esta noche." (It's not enough. You promised to have it all by tonight). He steps closer to me, he reaches into the back of his trousers and pulls out a small knife.

I wasn't alarmed by it at all, this became a regular occurrence when this was my life.

He lunges himself towards me and jump back out of his way, his knife lashes through the air as he tries to swipe for my face. I narrowly miss the edge of the knife as he goes for my face again. Both of our heads snap towards the end of the alleyway as we hear sirens incoming.

In the moment of being distracted, Alejandro raises his hand again and slices the knife across my upper arm. I wince in pain when it registers in my brain. I angle my body away from him so I his attacks are concentrated towards my more dominant side.

I throw my fist towards his jaw but like I planned he caught it just in time, I swipe my leg so it catches around the back of his knee and he stumbles forward. As he falls forward, the knife comes dangerously close to my torso. As it goes to make contact I grab the hilt of the knife which is still wrapped in his hand and move it away from both of us.

I pull away from him kicking him away so there was a safe distance between the pair of us.

Another disturbance at the end of the alley alerts me of the police, with their bright torches and their wailings of dropping the knife. But neither of us listen. While Alejandro is on the floor from where I pushed him away. I find the knife discarded only inches from him, I go to reach for it at the same time he does and I'm caught in a fight between me and the edge of a knife.

However, when the police officer steps up behind us- effectively sandwiching us between them we are forced to drop the knife. I glare at Alejandro.

This wasn't the fucking plan.

I'm fucked.

The officer behind me grabs my hands tightly, securing the cuffs around my wrists before tugging me towards the car.

Yeah.

I'm absolutely fucked.

================================

This book has 10-12 chapters left :(((

Word Count: 1345 Words

--M <3