OFF-LIMITS

19.

Chapter nineteen | Adrian
"Layla!" I yell as I hear her scream, "get inside." I order as I guide her in the car, her face full of fear, as tears form in her eyes, "but-" she starts but I shake my head as I grab my gun from the front seat, "stay here Layla, please, I trust my men, they'll take you home." I say and tears spill down her cheeks, my fingers itching to wipe them away.

"But you Adrian—where are you-" she asks and I hold a hand up, "I'll be okay, as long as you are." I say and shut the door, not waiting for her reply, I don't have time, even as pain cuts through my chest at the thought of leaving her, fuck, "how many are they?" I ask Ezekiel, the AirPods connected, "I killed 4 of them, and far along, I've spotted 10 men, be careful, they're goddamn professionals." He says and I curse under my breath as I take a place behind a building, it doesn't take long before I spot two bodyguards talking, earlier when he told me that the Italians are here, I knew it was about to get ugly, it's not the first time this happens, but this is the first time it involves Layla, however the last time they decided it'd be a good idea to blow us up was about five months ago.

Fuck it, I'm way too close to them, I hear some of them cursing in Italian before they speak again, "L'unico modo in cui possiamo ottenere Adrian, Damien è di questa principessa" the only way we can get Adrian and Damien is by that princess, the fuckers will die a painful slow death for saying that, the other guy grunts and wipes his bloodied nose, as my finger Hoovers over the trigger,

"questa è l'unica cosa che abbiamo contro i russi,".
that's the only thing we have against the Russians,they are so clueless it is cute, my finger clicks on the trigger, the man drops dead in an instant and the other punk doesn't get to process what's happening before he follows his friend's fate, I've known about this for a while, they wanted to use me and Damien against the Russians, well since we were supposed to take out father's position in the bratva, or at least one of us was, but they hadn't really found anything against us, but they found her, they're the same people who kidnapped her earlier, but she doesn't need to know all this.

I hear some yells and string of curses but I don't see anyone, three guards appear and one of them spots me, "Guarda!" Look! He yells as I drop back again, hiding from them, I hear footsteps and I turn around to see Ezekiel, the fucker is either too bold or wants to get himself killed, he shoots one of the guards, and the other two pull up their weapons, Jesus Christ, each one is holding two guns, I aim again at him, but he's faster, he shoots in the same moment I do, he drops dead but I feel it as pain explodes through my shoulder.

"Fuck." I curse as I fill the bullets, "come on!" Ezekiel whisper-yells, he shoots the third guy then faces me, "we have exactly five minutes before the other men arrive, I know you hate doing this, but we'll have to run away, and I mean literally." He says and I raise a brow as we start walking away, "the hell do you mean?" I ask a frown itching on my brows, "the princess took the car, right? The amount of time it'll take your other drivers to arrive here is much more than us going there, and well we can't take a cab or a taxi." He hisses as he wipes the blood off his busted lip.

He has a fucking point, but walking till there with a bullet in my fucking arm, didn't seem like a good plan, yes I had to deal with that shit before, and it succeeded, but I'm  older now, I don't  know how far I can go "here." He places a cloth in my hand, and I stare at it cocking a brow "I know I know." He mutters rolling his eyes, "it'll make an infection and shit." He says and I frown, "but healing an infection is better than burying you." He deadpans, and I start wrapping the piece of cloth around my wound, the pain cutting right through it, I grunt as I finish wrapping it hoping that'll actually work.

After two hours | Layla
"Is he okay?" I ask the moment Ezekiel steps a foot into the house, "where is he? Why isn't he with you??" I ask, question slipping after one without my permission, he holds up a hand, "he's okay." He says and I instantly relax, "but—he was shot though." He shrugs, his tone so casual and I cover my mouth with my hands, "where is he??" I ask swallowing down the hard knot in my throat.

He sighs and his rough gaze softens a little, "he'll kill me but—he's in the garage bathroom." He says and I frown, "where is it?" I ask, he motions at somewhere and I nod, "right there, take the stairs and you'll supposedly find him." He says and I nod, muttering a quick thank you before walking towards the entrance, my steps turn into jogs, and I slowly step inside the garage, my breath hitches as I take in the beautiful sight in front of me.

I'd have stood here memorizing the number of cars in front of me but my heart is way too worried for this, way too broken, "Adrian?" I ask when I hear a groan from somewhere, I follow the sound and sure enough, I find a bathroom, it's just as well designed as the others, he looks up the moment I step in, his eyes clashing with mine, "Layla." He breathes out like he's been holding his breath, for a while, I take two steps until I'm standing right in front of him.

His hand comes up, brushing the hair away from my face, and tears form in my eyes, "I'm sorry-" I whisper as I notice his wound, it's bloodied and wrapped in some dirty cloth, "let me." I start taking the wrap off, and his body stills, and so does his breath just for a moment, as if he's surprised, when the cloth is completely off, I grab the first aid kit beside him as I start cleaning it up.

"Are you okay?" I ask stupidly, he's clearly not, but it's become a habit to ask anyone this, and even when they say that they are, I'm sure as hell they aren't, he lifts my chin up, his face sharper than before, "I told you I'll be okay as long as you are." He says, as he presses a finger to my heart, "as long as this is beating, I'll be okay." He whispers and I swallow hard, focusing on the wound and not his words.

I'm almost finished with cleaning him up when I feel his other hand on my neck, caressing the skin there, and I lift my face, his brows are dipped and his expression seems as if he's in—pain, "you're so beautiful, Layla." He whispers, leaning down, as my breath hitches but I don't turn away this time, "please." He says rubbing my bottom lip, I let out a breath and his hands drop to my hips, nails digging into them, as he pulls me closer,

"Please Tell me to stop." He warns, his voice throaty, lifting his face and waiting patiently for me to utter the words, "don't." I say, the word coming out easy, he grips me by the waist, and leans down, his lips brushing my ears, "once I put my hands on you, Layla, no other man will be allowed to do so, unless they are wishing to be buried six feet deep." He whispers and shivers run down my throat.

His words should scare me, make me turn and run away, I've always thought I liked the soft treatment, or maybe that's the way most men were with me, so I just got used to it, however, I never truly enjoyed any—sexual activity, and for a long time I thought that the problem was in me, but maybe—I just haven't found the right man yet, or maybe I crave things that I'm too scared to admit, too scared to even think of.

Adrian suddenly lifts me up, before he drops me on the counter, I gasp as his lips meet mine in a hard shove, while Adrian has always been soft while treating me, as if I'm a delicate flower, this is a totally different person, and the thing I come to realize is that I like them both, I kiss him harder, drowning in his scent, raw, masculine, and beautiful, so fucking beautiful, "Adrian." I whisper when we break apart, he breathes heavily, "say it again...my name," He says, his voice rougher than it had been in a second as his breath shudders, "Adrian." I do as he says and he caresses my cheek as my hand travels up his hard muscles, "fuck, Layla, you're gonna be the death of me." He says before grabbing my hair with one hand as the other travels up my ass.

Finally.
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