*

"I'm so glad to get to leave the house. It's only been 48 hours and I'm already dying!" I cried when we stepped out onto the sidewalk outside the hotel in low-key clothes and our black winter coats. I purposely didn't bring a purse, but had a gun tucked into my coat as well as my wallet and phone. The others had brought their least-expensive purses and we all wore clunky winter boots despite the sidewalks having been plowed.

"I feel bad. I don't know what I would do if I couldn't leave the house." Nina agreed as a taxi pulled up to us instead of pulling up to the man who had been waiting longer further down the sidewalk. He grimaced, but didn't yell or try to snag it from us. It was a common occurrence for us to get the first taxi just because we were a bunch of girls. It happened even more when we were all dressed up nice and in Miami we made a game out of trying to see who could hail a taxi the quickest when we were drunk in our clubbing outfits.

"Where to?" the smiling taxi driver called when the four of us had climbed in. Lena had taken the front so the guy wouldn't be able to look at me too closely, but I had to lean forward to give him the address off my phone. "Oh, that's far." He said in surprise.

"We're meeting a bunch of friends that live over there." Lena shrugged as he stepped on the gas and the taxi went flying back into traffic.

The car ride was awkward and quiet until Lena had the guy turn on some music and I was glad he didn't start asking our names or questions about who we were. Even an innocent taxi driver could be a threat if the right people found him and questioned him. Fortunately, he was focused on the road and we arrived on the West side without too much trouble. It was crowded on the street and we were barely able to keep from hitting jay-walkers rushing across the cramped streets.

"We'll just get out here and walk the rest of the way." I decided, glancing out the window to see Niko's car had followed us and ended up close behind us despite the long drive through traffic.

"Are you sure? It's only a little bit farther." The taxi driver said in surprise.

"Yeah, it's fine. Here." Lena said brightly, handing him the money for the ride as the car came to a halt behind a car stopped for more people crossing the road. "You can keep the change. Thanks for the ride." Lena gave him a brilliant smile as we all rushed out of the car onto the cold bustling street. There weren't as many street lights, but the shops and restaurants were all lit up enough that it seemed like we were surrounded by life.

"Damn, I'm cold." Nina complained as soon as we left the car.

"Oh, don't be such a baby!" Lena insisted. I could tell she was a bit nervous because she always lashed out at her sister when she was anxious about something.

"It's this way." I told them, feeling my gun hitting against me as I walked. It was like peace of mind for me to have it even if I didn't think I'd need to use it. The other three had only shot a gun a few times in their lives. They probably guessed that I took one. My jacket was thick and puffy so it was well-camouflaged. I didn't want Dwayne to see it so I was less worried about Lena and the others and more worried about Dwayne realizing I wasn't who I said I was.

The restaurant was one of the more crowded ones on the street and the only words on the sign that weren't another language said 'Chinese Restaurant'. I wondered what the sign said in the boxy Chinese script in big red letters on the dark black sign. I hoped it wasn't Chinese triad. I guessed their restaurants were more likely to be high-end ones that were well known. I spotted a familiar stature under a thick coat and Dwayne's face swung around and lit up to see me, leading my group down the street toward Dwayne who stood with a couple other guys in front of the restaurant.

"Heeey!" Dwayne and I said at the same time as we embraced each other in a friendly hug. When we let go after a polite three seconds, I glanced to the two dark-skinned guys that accompanied him. They both looked about as handsome as Dwayne and one looked like a shorter, younger version of the other.

"Let's snag this table before it gets taken. I want to be by the window." I insisted, before the awkward silence ensued as we tried to make introductions. While we piled into the large booth, I reminded myself to use aliases.

"You brought a lot of friends." Dwayne laughed.

"They're family. These are my cousins Lisa and Nicole and our friend- uh- Elle." I paused as I realized how dumb Elena's alias was. "Haha, sorry. I swear I know your name." I laughed off my discomfort.

"That makes one of us." Elena joked, making a quiet wave of laughter go over us.

"Who'd you bring?" I asked with a polite smile at the two boys. The older one looked impressed with a glint of desire in his mischievous brown eyes while the younger one looked almost shocked as he looked us all over.

"This is my friend James and his brother Louie." Dwayne explained, gesturing to the older one that was about his height and then the younger slightly pudgier one second.

"Are you guys from New York?" James asked like he couldn't get his question out fast enough. Lena and Nina both seemed to turn to me and I smiled for a split second as I thought of my answer.

"We're all from Miami, visiting family in New York for the holidays." I answered smoothly.

An Asian man came over with menus and we all focused on what we wanted to order before he came back with a tiny pot of hot bitter tea and a stack of tiny ceramic cups. He took our order in broken English with impatience and then took our menus and bustled off towards the kitchen. I took a moment to check the place after pouring my tea while the others focused on pouring their tea. I spotted Niko and Lion right away both dressed in black and sitting quietly with one facing the door and the other facing the back with a wall to their left. The rest of the patrons looked relatively normal and none of them seemed interested in us as far as I could tell.

"Do you guys have plans to do anything fun over the holidays?" I asked before they could start pointing questions at us. My eyes detached from the big hulking Chinese cook that appeared in the window to the kitchen for a moment. They looked like they couldn't think of what to say as my eyes slid over them.

"Uh, well I'm just spending it with my mom and my grandma comes over." Dwayne didn't sound happy about 'grandma' coming over and I must've made a face at his tone. "Don't get me wrong, she's family, but she's cray-cray. My mom has to have everything to her specifications or she starts getting into a funk and being mean." He explained, shaking his head. "One year she used a star instead of an angel on the top of the tree and grandma made her change it. We're not even religious..."

"That's so weird." Nina laughed.

"Yeah, I'm glad we don't have any old people losing their mind in our family. Our grandma's fun." I smiled wistfully as I wished my whole family was coming for the holidays.

"So, it's just you and your mom? Did your dad leave?" Lena asked with a note of sympathy in her voice. I saw the look James had like he knew something bad and Dwayne looked like he was trying to phrase his answer.

"You don't have to tell us if you don't want to." I muttered.

"No, it's fine. My dad... He didn't leave us on purpose. He- He was accused of something he didn't do and has been in jail for three years now." Dwayne explained, shaking his head with his eyes on the table. My first thought was, my family could definitely get him out. Lena gave me a look that she was thinking the exact same thing. "He sends a card every year for the holidays. It almost makes it worse to be reminded where he is. We used to be in contact with his side of the family and have bigger gatherings, but my uncle is a creep and he was the one that got my dad involved in something so my mom and I moved and changed our phones. My mom's an only child so it's just her and her mom. My grandpa died almost ten years ago."

"Maybe you could join our giant family." Nina grinned, making me breathe in as I got prematurely anxious about Dwayne finding out who I was. Nina noticed, but maintained an innocent expression on her copper-toned face.

"Yeah, they let me join." Elena joked.

"Maybe there's something we could do to get your father out. We have a few family members who are lawyers. I'm sure they'd be happy to help a friend." I spoke up even though I knew it would be a strange thing to say. Dwayne looked shocked and James looked suspicious.

"Your family would help us just like that?" Dwayne asked skeptically.

"Yeah." I shrugged. "That's what family does. We help each other out. Part of the reason our family's so big is because some are friends we've pulled in by helping them out. There's no catch. We just like to be there for each other." I explained.

Our food was dropped off and I was glad it distracted them so I didn't blurt out anything else that might give something away. I peered around the restaurant again while hovering my hand over my plate. It was harder to check certain things for poison like wontons or dumplings so I had to cut them up or wait to see if anybody else ate them and was fine. I always checked restaurants for people watching me as I was given my food, because most murderers watched as their victim died. The only ones I found watching were Niko and Lion, but they were stealthy about it even though I totally caught them, making Lion smirk.

"Do you girls have plans for Christmas and New Years?" James asked with his eyes intently on me. The others all turned to me too. Nina and Elena had their mouths full of fried rice as an excuse not to speak and Lena looked blank like she was trying to come up with a plausible answer.

"We usually have a big dinner and maybe a party at our place or we have a few friends that have big gatherings. This year is a little different. Most of our family isn't in New York so I'm guessing we'll just have a small dinner?" I looked back and forth between Lena and Nina and Lena looked disappointed and Nina looked surprised.

"That sounds fun." Dwayne nodded. "I'd love to have a real party for the holidays."

"Hey, do your parents let you guys drink?" James asked with a smirk.

"Yeah, is that weird?" Nina asked, turning to me with a look on her face as if she was asking me if it was okay she answered that.

"We're not uptight about alcohol. As long as nobody drives drunk..." I shrugged.

"I'd love to spend the holidays with you guys instead of my boring-ass family!" James laughed, glancing at Louie who looked equally interested.

"At least you guys have people that come over." Dwayne complained. I wanted to offer to let Dwayne and his family come over to join us, but I worried about how he'd figure out who I was when everyone called me by my name because they'd forget to use my alias. I almost wanted to figure out a way to tell him the truth. I could tell by the way Nina was pressing her lips together like she wanted to invite him too.

"Boring assholes and annoying kids." James insisted to Dwayne.

"Yeah, our cousins are like babies and five-year-olds." Louie added.

*

I had tuned out their conversation as I peered out the window into the dark streets and someone caught my eye. I felt my breath catch in my throat and yearning built up in my chest when I noticed a man that looked like Alexi. I wished Alexi was with me, but it would be too strange. Dwayne would probably recognize him since he was at the winter dance and the social at Bartholomew's. I blinked when the man on the street lit a cigarette and the flame danced across his handsome face. It was Alexi! How was he there? I had ceased breathing as I felt like my heart was pulling me to go throw my arms around him and kiss him in the street. My eyes strained to look at him through the darkness where he stood outside a bar and a few others joined him. He hadn't noticed me.

"Cort." Lena murmured, getting my attention. I swung around with slight alarm since she hadn't used my alias and she realized her mistake, but Dwayne and the others were still talking to Nina and Elena.

"Is that...?" she whispered and I shot her a don't draw attention look. She looked disconcerted at Alexi's presence and I figured I'd be disconcerted too, if I wasn't so happy and conflicted about seeing him and not being able to run to him.

"I'm just going to head to the bathroom." I said, even though I hadn't made my mind up about chancing going to grab him and pull him into a dark alley to make out with him like I desperately wanted to.

"I'll come." Lena insisted, sounding constipated. She followed me as I considered grabbing my coat so I wouldn't leave my gun at the table. I didn't want to look strange so I didn't, but I felt the pull to take it strongly as I made my way to the back of the restaurant without it.

"Cort, you can't." she murmured as we stepped into the bathroom and I took a deep breath.

"I knooooww." I complained, running my hand through my black hair in frustration.

"Why's he here? He doesn't look like he saw you." She whispered after checking that no one was in the small dirty bathroom. I frowned miserably back at her.

"I don't know. It's like the universe is torturing me." I grumbled, seeing the upset look on my face in the mirror before I turned back to her. She looked concerned and sympathetic.

"I know this is crazy, but I actually wish Ferenz was with him..." she smirked and I was surprised she was interested in him.

"Apparently, he hasn't stopped talking about you since your night together." I laughed, making her hold back a grin. She looked down and her smile faded suddenly.

"It would be too dangerous..." she sighed in disappointment. My eyebrows pressed down and my lips pouted.

"I know." I agreed with a painful ache in my chest at the thought of not getting to go run to Alexi.

"Should we leave? If he has any of Adrian's men with him..." she sounded nervous and I was so conflicted.

"Probably..." I grimaced. "He didn't notice me. Let's just go back. I'll be good. I'm dying to go see him, but it's not a good idea. Dwayne might recognize him so I can't let him notice him either."

We went back to the table and I couldn't help but search the street for Alexi as I took my seat. He had disappeared and I was both disappointed and relieved about it.

*

When we said good bye to Dwayne, James, and Louie, I still had my thoughts on my boyfriend.

"Why are you so quiet, Cortana?" Elena asked as we stepped out onto the streets with our coats to hail a taxi.

"Shh. Kate." I corrected in a harsh whisper. Elena wore an apologetic expression.

"Yeah, you got quiet all of a sudden. Is everything okay?" Nina asked quietly with a glance at the few people passing by. Dwayne and his friends were still in the restaurant as Dwayne focused on getting an Uber.

"I'll tell you when we get home." I insisted with hesitation as a taxi pulled up and we got in quickly out of the cold. I analyzed the taxi driver and he seemed uninterested in looking at me as he focused on Lena in the passenger seat. My eyes wandered to the bar on the other side of the street as if I was waiting for Alexi to step out. I took out my phone with the desire to text him, but I decided it would be smarter not to. If he was working and then a text pops up from me, the others might bug him about who I am or ask why my number is blocked. That or he could get shot if his phone starts ringing in some crazy stake out or whatever, but I doubted he was dumb enough not to put his phone on silent or leave it somewhere else in those situations.

*

I was laying in bed absolutely aching to have Alexi with me. Miguel, Nero, and Lena had gone out to one of our clubs and most of the others had gone to bed. It was close to midnight. I was studying the tray ceiling where the only light in the room was a dimmed led strip along the square of the molding. My gold phone was tight in my hand while I laid flopped on top of the covers after drinking a few shots with Miguel, Nero, and Lena before they left. I was annoyed that Alexi couldn't call me. He could only reply to the text chain that I had started a while ago when I asked him to go to breakfast when we were together around Thanksgiving. The way the security program worked, I was able to delete the thread and then he'd have no way of contacting me, but I still had his number and could call him.

"Cazzo." I huffed as I gave in and pressed his contact, which I had labelled Lexi M to throw anybody off if they looked at my phone. It rang a few times before he answered cautiously.

"Hello?" I guessed from the solemn tone, he wasn't quite sure if it was me or not.

"Aleexiii." I whined, hearing him let out a weak chuckle. "I miss you. Where are you? Can you come over?" I pouted, hearing him sigh.

"I'm in bed. I can't sleep. I miss you too." His deep voice was so sexy I wanted to moan in desire at just the sound of it.

"Come sleep with me." I begged.

"Aren't you staying with family?" He asked with meager hope.

"It's fine. I just need you." I pouted.

"Hm, I think they'll probably shoot me if they find me in your bed, Kate." He sighed in disappointment.

"I'll shoot them first." I joked, when my phone sent me a notification and I looked to see he was requesting a video call. The idea of other people there and it being a trap crossed through my mind, but the need to see him outweighed my caution and I pressed accept. The screen was loading for a moment while I held it up and the first thing I saw was his smile. "They'll be good. They already know. Pleeeaase?" I put on my best innocent begging face and I could see the lust in his eyes as he licked his lips like it was working on him.

"It's too dangerous." His eyebrows had furrowed under the weight of my expression and I abandoned it with pursed lips.

"Can I come to you? Are you alone?" I asked as a last ditch effort. I could tell by the alarmed expression on his face that that was 'no' before he even spoke.

"Nooo, baby, that's worse." I bit my lip and squirmed with yearning and saw his eyes move down the screen like he was watching me with his own desire. "What are you wearing?" he sounded sly and I smirked as I moved the camera back to show my skimpy tank top and shorts. I wasn't wearing a bra. Miguel had given me shit about it earlier, complaining about having to see my nipples while I was downstairs drinking with them. It was even warmer in the upstairs since the heat rose. It had to be like 74 degrees in my room since my Aunt had upped the thermostat downstairs.

"Mm, you are so friggin' sexy." He approved in a deep purr, that made me smile. I purposely aimed the camera at where I caressed my breast before sliding my hand down my body to between my legs.

"I want you to touch me." My voice was seductive and had gone all high and squeaky with need. Even over the video call, I could hear his breathing get deeper and faster.

"Touch yourself." His voice was dark with lust and it had darkened his grey eyes that were looking intently at the screen where he sat back against an upholstered headboard in a dim room.

"I'll show you mine if you show me yours." I laughed with a devious grin on my face. He was smirking as the camera ran down his toned body clad in a black t-shirt and down to where the obvious shape of his erection pressed up against the material of his black sweatpants. I breathed out in desire as his hand moved down to grip it through his pants and just the sight of it made me wet. He chuckled at my reaction and I showed him my hand slipping into my shorts as my hips made an erotic circle.

"Take off your clothes." His voice was strained and it made me smile. I propped my phone on a pillow and stripped for the camera. I was on my knees as I looked over at his expression and could see his chest rising with his quickened breaths. His camera briefly showed the dark grey room he was in before focusing back on him. He'd taken off his shirt and had his erection pulled from his pants. I bit my lip at the sight of it before opening my legs to the camera. I'd never had phone sex before, but the video was a lot better than I had pictured. I made sure my body was in the frame including my face and was careful not to disturb the precarious perch of my phone as I reclined back. I could hear his ragged breathing as his camera showed his hand start to pump his erection. I writhed on the bed in frustration, wishing to god he could be in me instead of so far away. He pumped faster, making a sexy groan at the sight of me and even though I felt weird about it, I slipped my hand down between my legs to circle my clit.

"I want you in me so bad." My voice was a quiet moan as I caressed my slit.

"Pretend I'm in you." He breathed as he slowly ran his fist up and down his dick and the look of his tip made more warmth and wetness seep to my core.

"Mhm." I moaned back as I put two fingers down into my wet pussy slowly and I heard him breathing hard in anticipation. I moved my fingers slowly and coated them in wetness so they'd slide in and out easier and he was matching his hand's movements to mine. I could barely see his tip dribble precum, but I saw him swipe his tip and spread it down his long straight shaft. The look of it made me move my fingers faster in and out as my other hand gripped my breast as I tried to pretend he was in me and touching me. He sped up his pumping in time with me and my hips bucked against my own hand as I struggled to reach the spot that would let me orgasm. I almost had to contort to get to it. I could feel all the folds and ridges inside of me when I finally reached the spot and let out a desperate whimper.

"Ah, fuck." He murmured as he continued and his hips thrusted slightly against his grip. "I'm so close." He breathed as I focused on hitting the spot again and again and could feel the desperation on my face as my pleasure was building warmly and quickly.

"Unh." I let out a wavering sound as my pussy throbbed around my fingers and I watched as he paused and his cock was quirking before he stroked it a few more times. The look of it spurting out cum always made me hot, like I wanted to feel the wet burst of pleasure in my core. I never understood why some porn didn't show guys finishing. My pussy was still throbbing rhythmically and I was still breathing heavily as he moved his camera back up to his face after panning over the strings of cum over his ripped abdomen. His eyes were hooded as they watched me and he had a sexy serious expression. I took my fingers out of me slowly and was grossed out by the pungent slime that coated them- as usual. I could never be a lesbo... I crawled towards the camera to perch on my stomach in front of it. I felt like we both had disappointment on our faces like we both knew that was nothing compared to the real thing.

"I can't go a month without touching you." I insisted, feeling the pain of not being with him like my heart hurt. My lips ached to be on his. It was like when I was younger and I wanted to kiss a boy so bad that I kissed a pillow just to feel something on my lips. He looked sympathetic.

"I have some work to do..." he sighed. "Maybe we could get a hotel room after Christmas?" I perked up with hope.

"Okay." I murmured. Christmas was still a week away. It would be a week of torture. "I hope you know, you're torturing me." I insisted, making him laugh. I loved the sound of his laugh and the smile on his handsome face.

"I'm dying too. It's nice to see your pretty face." He said wistfully. I smiled, but my smile was short lived as I still didn't feel quite satisfied. Stupid fingers! Where was my damn vibrator?

We talked for a few hours and then I heard Miguel stumbling up the stairs with a girl giggling softly. I made a face and wanted to die. Nothing worse than hearing your brother fucking some bimbo... I could stand hearing Lena or Lizara, but something about brothers just made me sick.

"I have to go. I'll call you later." I murmured with a sigh as I heard the door open next door.

"Bye,baby. Call me whenever. I'll try to keep my phone on." He answered. I blew hima kiss before hanging up and flopping back into my pillows, wishing the softmaterial would keep from having to hear Miguel's girl screaming all night.