Without You [Daniel Ricciardo]

8. but what is love with no pain, no suffer?

Daniel was the first one to wake up in the morning as the sun shined through gaps in the curtains. He looked down at Zoe still cuddled up to his chest, her blonde stands spread all over it. He smiled to himself, adoring the way her body fitted so perfectly into his as if they were parts of the same puzzle. One of his hands reached out to her head, his fingers entangling into her hair as the other one caressed purple bruises on her forearms. Daniel never looked for a relationship neither suspected something like true love could happen to him. As the member of the crew he could count only on hookers, but what he had with Zoe was the whole new level. He never thought that he'll be able to care about somebody the way he cared for her. She was his world, his heart, his soul. They shared a profound bond reserved only for chosen ones. Zoe stirred in her sleep, feeling his warm touch on her skin. She breathed in his scent, while nuzzling her cheek more into his chest. Daniel leaned towards her forehead to put a soft kiss on top of it. "Good morning, gorgeous". He greeted her, his voice hoarse after the night. Zoe moved her eyelids a couple of times, before she could open her eyes properly. "Good morning". She smiled at the sight of him next to her under the duvet. "My Prince Charming". She added, stretching her arms a little bit. Daniel chuckled at her remark, remembering one of their first conversations at the lake. "I wish to stay in bed forever with you, princess, but I'm afraid there's some unspoken things between us". Daniel stated carefully. Zoe gnawed on her lower lip, raising herself from his chest to sit up against the headboard. "Are you ready to talk about it?". She asked with concern hearable in her voice. "No". He shook his head. "But you deserve to know, so I can swallow it. What did Romain tell you when you were with him?". "Not much. He wasn't that interested in me, more in what I could do for him. I think he wanted to intimidate me. He told me this story about four men who came to New York City and carpenter who sold them a wooden box. Romain has now the box and expected me to open it, but I don't have that key". Daniel nodded slowly, processing her words. "Those four men were first mob bosses from different parts of the continent. One of French origin came from Canada, the second one from Mexico, third from area of Sierra Nevada and the last one was from New York. They functioned separately until prohibition when most of resources gained from alcohol were in danger. All four gathered on East Coast to form an alliance and since then crews formed one big family, though business stayed independent. Me, Nico and Romain were members of East Coast Crew before he got excommunicated". He explained at the beginning. "For killing my father". Zoe added and Daniel gazed at her in surprise. "He told me. Romain said Louisiana is a neutral ground, so murder it's forbidden here". Daniel sighed, even if Nico figured it out partially. But it wasn't relevant in this moment. "I'm so sorry you had to find out about it the worst way possible". He said with apologising tone. "Don't feel guilty. It's beyond your control". Zoe comforted him, while intertwining their hands over the duvet.

"What happened to your crew?". Daniel bit on the inside of his cheek, memories from the wedding flooding his mind. "Romain Grosjean happened". He replied with bitter tone, looking at their hands connected on white sheets. "We weren't allowed to marry. Members who did had to leave the crew or bury their beloved. The other three crews don't have such harsh rules. One day my friend Sebastian stood up to our boss as if he wasn't afraid of anything. He said that he wants to marry the love of his life and he'll do it, with or without his permission. We were in shock, but ultimately our boss gave up". Daniel smiled briefly. Sebastian's disobedience was like a new hope for them. "What was her name?". Corners of Zoe's mouth rose up too. "Hanna. He loved her like there was no tomorrow". Small giggle escaped her lips. "It's kind of your thing. Bad boys love till they die and one day longer". She noticed, leaning on his shoulder and resting her head in the crock of his neck. "There's something about it. Anyway, they planned the wedding. Everyone was kind of anxious, because it was new to us. The ceremony was beautiful". He continued. "They were about to kiss when Romain entered the church with his men. He started shooting around, not bothering who gets killed. Hanna died as one of the first. Fatal wound to her stomach. Sebastian hold her in his arms and cried like a baby before Romain shot him too. Everybody spread all over the place. Nico and I split. But what Romain didn't know was that some members were away for business and suppose to join us after the ceremony. Among them was our sister, Alessandra. When they entered the church the true massacre begun. Everyone stood up. Bullets were flying above our heads. Friends and brothers dying all around". Zoe's arms embraced him as if she wanted to give him strenght to relive those moments. "When Alessandra got shot I saw everything. She lost a gun and fell between benches. I took her gun and pointed it at him. I pulled the trigger, thinking that it will kill him, but it just left a bruise on his face. Then I wanted to come back for her, because I had this feeling she's still alive, but suddenly Nico grabbed me and took me outside through the back door. I protested, I screamed... He said that everybody are already dead and it's too dangerous. So we left".