His Bella

SEVENTEEN

The clatter of empty plates was the only sound in the kitchen. Wade faced the sink, washing the dishes with his back turned to me. My gaze rested on the kitchen counter as I pondered on everything, I had learnt from him. I looked up at him and at that exact moment, he glanced back with a blank stare on his face.

He turned back to face the dishes. The sound of running water from the sink's tap filled the room.

Michael Grace was the head was the head of a group of drug dealers in southern California known as the Raiders. He took over from his own father as the head around the same time Axel was born and the danger, he put their family in caused Wade's mom to run away with her sons. They hid in Michigan and were safe until she got sick with cancer and died. When Michael finally found his sons, he took custody of them.

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat as Wade turned off the tap and moved to sit next to me.

"Are you okay?", he asked and I shook my head. If Michael Grace took over from his father after his death then Wade did the same thing.

"After your father's death..."

"We moved to North Carolina and when we got back to California, I had to become the new head", he sighed, "it took away what little freedom I had and it took you as well"

"That's why you stopped contacting everyone"

He nodded.

"A couple of days ago, we noticed a group known as the rivals are in Michigan, which is suspicious", he said.

"Who are the rivals?"

"An organization like ours in California as well", he frowned, "so we tracked them down to find out what they're doing here"

"What are they doing here?"

He shrugged, "we're not sure exactly", he trailed, "so we tried to find out for ourselves-

-we tracked them down to a night club and a shootout started then the police got involved and that's where I got shot"

"And you came here..."

"I wanted to at least see you before I die", he smirked, "plus I didn't have anywhere else to go in my condition.

I frowned to myself and he noticed, "I'm sorry. This must all be too much"

I shook my head, "it's not that", I said, "you could have died"

"I didn't"

"But you could have", I looked up at his hazel eyes.

He could have died just like his father.

I sighed, "you could have said no", I said, "when they asked you to join"

"I didn't have much of a choice. As the son of Michael Grace, even if I didn't accept, his enemies were sure to find me, come after me- ", he paused, "-and they don't spare lives Bella. I needed to protect myself and Axel"

"Axel. He's really in Italy?"

"He is, under protection, I can't risk him being close to me and I also can't risk him being unwatched as well", he replied.

"This is all so scary"

Wade chuckled. With the tense atmosphere in the kitchen, it was refreshing to see his smile. He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration and stared at me.

"I missed you', he said.

I missed him too- but I couldn't tell him that.

"I missed you so much Bella", he added, "I know I was too late but that last thing I want is for you to be scared of me", he snorted and muttered, "although he might be a little too late for that"