The low hum of my phone vibrating, wakes me out of my deep sleep. I start to get up but a tattooed hand holds me in place. I follow the tattooed images up the wrist but stop as the white dress shirt covers the rest of the arm.

I peel the arm away from my body, slowly. I sit up, turning around to face a sleeping Sean. I lean over and grab my phone as it starts to vibrate again; Topo's name flashes on the screen. I groan quietly as I walk out into the balcony, to answer the call.

"Hello?"

"You haven't checked in and we thought something awful happened!" Topo breathes into the phone heavily. I laugh quietly.

"Did I wake you up? Isn't it like ten there? You're usually up by seven."

"Um yeah, late night." I bite my lip, knowing what's coming next.

"So did you get it done? How did it go?"

"Not exactly...there's a...bit of a problem." I start to explain.

"Are you hurt? What happened?" His worried voice eats at me. 

"I know him. I can't kill him, Topo." I sigh deeply, before I begin recounting the events of last night after we came back to Sean's hotel room.

"Stella, I'm sorry but...Cristian won't care, you know that. He's going to lose his shit if you don't do it." He tries to persuade me. I rub my head, feeling the effects of the alcohol from last night.

"He allowed it when Enzo was supposed to kill me." I tell him. But he tries to argue that it was different.

"I'll call him. There has to be another way." I decide to change the subject. "How was the wedding?"

He laughs lightly. "It was good actually, they seem like a good match. Very happy. Both families know how to throw a wedding." I ask how it went for Annalisa.

He tells me it was a shaky start, but Annalisa did great. He informs me she went out to eat with Joey but should be getting back soon.

"Well, that's good. I can just talk to her when I see you guys tonight. I gotta go. And please don't call Cristian." He tells me he won't say anything but I better do it quickly.

I sigh as I contemplate what happens next. How am I going to explain this to Cristian? I have to figure out a way for this to benefit him in the long run? Would he really kill me, after everything? I rub my temples as I feel the headache getting stronger.

I close the door behind me as I walk back in the room. Sean stirs as I walk to grab my shoes. "Hey, you okay?" His voice thick from sleep.

"Yes, I just need to get going."

"Another kill to do?" He chuckles. I purse my lips. "No, jackass."

"I'm kidding, gees." His unbuttoned dress shirt is wrinkled. He stands and stretches his arms over his head, groaning. I didn't really pay attention last night but he has a large Celtic labyrinth tattoo on his right peck, intricately swirling and weaving down over his right side down to his waist. 

He yawns and rubs his hair, making it stick out, every which way. I laugh as he looks around. "What's so funny?"

I point to his bed head.

"Looks who's talking, I don't think you've looked in the mirror yet, lovely." He chuckles. I walk to the bathroom and groan quietly. My hair is a tangled mess and I have raccoon eyes from the make up, with mascara streaks, dried on my face from all my crying. I wash my face, removing as much of the makeup as I can.

Using water, I pat my hair down, trying to tame some of the wildness down. I shrug when I'm finished, that's as good as it's going to get.

I walk back out and Sean's changed into a T-shirt and jeans. The tattoo on his right side runs down to his forearm, too. His left arm is littered with other random tattoos. "Took you long enough and you don't look any different." He smirks, his blue eyes shining with humor.

I pick up his shirt on the floor, from the day before and throw it at him. "Shut up." He laughs as he pulls it off his face.

"If I use the bathroom are you going to be gone when I come back out?" He asks me, smiling. I remind him I need to go and that my flight leaves soon, which prompts him to ask what time my flight is.

"That's not soon. And it gives you plenty of time to eat breakfast with me." He grins. He walks towards the bathroom. "Don't leave." He says before closing the door. When he comes back out his hair is brushed and styled.

"I really should go, Sean. It's past breakfast time anyway. And I'm way overdressed as it is." I look down at my wrinkled dress, the slit is torn, going up higher on my leg, from our sparring last night. He asks me where I'm staying.

"Good, it's not too far from here. I'll drive you there, so you can change." I put my shoes on, gathering my phone and clutch, following him as he picks up his bag and hotel key.

"Gotta tell you, Stelz. This is a first for me." He says as the door closes behind us.

"What?" I ask, not sure I like how he shortened my name.

"Doing the walk of shame, with the girl I spent the night with." He laughs. I elbow him and he grunts as we walk into the elevator.

After he drove me to the hotel, I rush to get changed and wash my face more thoroughly and put on some mascara. I changed into some grey skinny jeans and a tan halter crop top tank. I put on a jean jacket and pull my hair into a high pony tail and slip on my vans. I grab all my things and head back out to his waiting car.

"Wow, didn't think that was possible." He says as he backs his car out of the stall. 

"Hmm?"

"That you'd look just as amazing in casual clothes than the formal look you had going on yesterday."

I look over at him and blush when he smiles back at me. I punch his shoulder lightly. "You're such a flirt, Skid-mark Sean." He cringes at the nickname and I laugh out loud.

"Do you know how long that stupid name followed me? I finally had to beat the shit out of pretty much all the guys in the ninth grade." He shakes his head. "That was probably the worst day in the 4th grade, when I got up to turn that test in and everyone started laughing at me."

I bite my lip, to keep from laughing, remembering that day perfectly. "Well, you weren't exactly the nicest classmate, Sean. Someone was bound to get back at you..."

We pull into a parking lot of a French looking cafe and he turns the engine off. "It was you?" He questions, his eyebrows raised. I laugh shaking my head and step out of his car.

"No, it wasn't but I know who did. And I crossed my heart and swore to secrecy I would never tell." I gesture zipping my lips, smiling at him. He snorts. "Well, it isn't hard to guess who then, you and Enzo were joined at the hip."

"Fucking asshole." He mutters. I chuckle as we walk into the cafe.

"So you prefer your current nickname, Sunny?" He shrugs, telling me his grandfather called him that, and soon everyone in his family started using it, especially after his grandfather passed away when he was fourteen.

As we wait for our food, he questions some rumors about Cristian. "I don't get it, I mean, Cristian's supposedly one of the richest men in the world and he has you staying in run down, sketchy hotels. I bet your place in Chicago is no better."

I shrug my shoulder. "Most of the people he employs live in Italy, so staying in these hotels or types of places is just temporary. He's big on the whole, blend into your surroundings, don't stand out or draw attention to yourself." 

"You could never blend in, even if you wanted to, Stella." He says. My face heats up, I peek up at him as I take a drink of my water. He's watching me, thoughtfully.

I laugh shaking my head. "Trust me, I'm pretty good at it. Did it all through middle school, high school and even college."

"Doubt that." He leans forward resting his elbows the table. "So what did you graduate in?" I tell him what I got my degree in and what my plans were before everything went to down the drain.

"What about you? Do you really freelance? Or was that just your fancy way of describing your type of work for your family." 

He laughs and takes a drink of water. He only started being part of his family business recently after what happened with his sister. He was serious about the work he does as a Freelance Editor. He majored in English and graduated from Princeton.

"Princeton? So fancy..." I smile.

"Says the girl who went to and graduated from Columbia, with a full-ride scholarship." He smiles back at me before his face turns serious. 

"You know, I almost didn't finish. The first semester, of my last year, was when everything happened to Jessie. I came home, but my dad told me to focus on school, but I couldn't concentrate. I wanted to find Cassian or Jimmy as you knew him and rip him apart, kill him.

My family's life completely changed after that. Jessie isn't who she used to be. I mean, she had her quiet moments but was always talkative and social. Loved to dance and just be around people. Liked being the center of attention.

She hardly talks now. Prefers to be alone. My parents have taken to her to several shrinks and doctors; she's been prescribed on every type of medication for anxiety, depression, insomnia, anger, anything you can think of." His eyes glisten and I reach across the table and squeeze his hand.

Hearing the damage that Jimmy has inflicted on someone else and their family, solidifies the need to find him, he has to be stopped. He can't keep hurting people.

The waitress returns with our food. As we eat, we continue to converse more about what we do. He tells me he started his training young as well, but not as intense as I have, according to him. And he never killed anyone until he started going after the people protecting Jimmy.

"My father actually never wanted me involved in the family business. That's why he pushed me to get good grades, study and focus on school. But I couldn't let it go. I know a part of the reason Jessie is not better is because she fears he'll come back." I nod in understanding, completely empathizing with how she must feel. 

We get up to leave and head to the cash register, to pay for our meal. "I still can't believe, you're here, we're sitting here all these years later. I remember everyone wondering what had happened to you and then we realized Enzo was gone, too. It was just weird, you know. But now that I know, it all make sense."

He starts laughing. "Man, do you remember the day you stood up for Robby Miller after I was picking on him—which wasn't okay, I know—but you got me good, Stelz. Knocked my ass out!"

I laugh along with him as we walk out to his car. "Well, serves you right for picking on us, the way you did."

"I didn't pick on you, I just teased you a little." He tries to defend himself.

"Please! You'd pull my hair and then you'd throw spit wads in my hair and made fun of my accent because I couldn't enunciate things well, back then. And you always called me a teachers pet or goody goody." I remind him of his awful behavior.

He opens the car door for me, but stops me from getting in. "Okay, so I was an idiot back then but I was like seven, when I started teasing you."

The wind whips my hair from my pony tail into my face. He brushes it away and then runs his fingers down the side of my face, tracing my jawline. "But...how else was I supposed to get your attention? Enzo was always around you and forget about trying to approach you." He laughs.

"You thought being mean to me was the way to get my attention?" I laugh, remembering how awful he was towards me.

"You were so different and you didn't look like anyone else, with your black hair, and hazel eyes, pretty tan skin and yes, you sounded different, too at first, until you lost your accent." His dark blue eyes, look down at me intently.

"Well, I hope that's not what you resort to now, to get a girls attention." Shoving him playfully.

He grabs my hand and brushes his lips on the back of my hand. "No, I learn from my mistakes and I think I've picked up a thing or two since then." He responds playfully, wiggling his eyebrows.

I laugh as I get in the car. He drives us back to the casino where I left the rental.

"So, what now?" He asks.

"I need to talk to Cristian, there's gotta be another way. But I don't know if he'll end up sending someone else, Sean. I'll think of something though." I furrow my eyebrows as I contemplate my thoughts.

"What?"

"It's nothing. None of my business really, but you don't live that far from here so why get a hotel room?" I ask him.

He blushes slightly as he looks out the windshield. "It's probably ridiculous, but when I want to unwind...sometimes on the weekends, I get pretty wasted. It's not healthy obviously, but I only started doing it after I got focused on finding Jimmy.

I don't know about you, but I feel like I'm losing a part of myself. Anyway, when I relax I try to forget everything I've done and pretend I'm just a regular, twenty two year old, living it up." He shakes his head, embarrassed.

"I get it." I tell him. "Well, looks like I ruined your usual weekend plans then." I smile.

He shakes his head. "No, it's exactly how I planned it." He smiles over at me. "Win some money, make out with a beautiful girl, almost get killed by said beautiful girl, watch her break down and then fall into my trap, of cuddling with me, all night."

I burst out laughing. "Right you planned, all that."

After our laughing dies down, he turns to me. "Will I see you again?"

"I don't know." I answer honestly. "I can let you know how it goes after I talk to Cristian or at least warn you if he plans to send someone else, if you want to give me your number..."

He hands me his phone, I can feel his eyes watching me as I plug his number into my phone. "I typed in my email, in my contact for you. I change numbers frequently so chances are you might not reach me again on this number, but I do check my email."

"Well, I better get going, to make my flight." I say opening the door and step out of his car. He gets out of his car as well, following me to the rental.

"Thanks for listening to me last night." I tell him as I throw my bag in the passenger seat.

"You'll get my bill." He jokes. "Thanks for not killing me." He adds.

"Can't make any promises next time, Seany" I wink at him.

"Is that my new nickname?"

"That or Sean-Sean. I'll think of more." I tell him.

"Well, I look forward to hearing them." He pulls me in for a hug, squeezing me. "I really am sorry for everything you've gone through, Stella."

"Thanks, Sean. I'm sorry for what happened to Jessie, and what you and your family have gone through...still going through." I lean back and look up at him. "You need to be more vigilant, they have a surveillance team on you. Take care of yourself."

"You too," he places a soft kiss on my head and we let go.

I get in the car and wave as I pull away. Watching him through the rearview mirror as he gets smaller, the further I drive away.

Out of everything that could have happened this weekend, this was nothing that I would have thought possible. I need to think of a way to buy him some more time to find Jimmy. I just hope Cristian will be reasonable and willing to hear me out.

But the little that I do know about Cristian, tells me I should expect to never see Sean again.

********

Thoughts on Sean????

There's a surprise POV next chapter, any guesses on who it will be???

Stay tuned!!!!!