THE THREAT

And we'll never be friends like this.
God couldn't forgive like this.
Way I went in like this.
Thank God I ain't been like this.

Since you been like this,
Baby, I don't really wanna be in like this.

***

CHAPTER XXIII

*****

I DIDN'T EXPECT to fall asleep that night due to the fact that I had slept so much already. That being said, when the drowsiness hit me and I felt myself dozing away. I knew my sleep was going to be anything but rejuvenating or refreshing.

I wasn't sure whether it was the different, unfamiliar surroundings or the events that had taken place earlier that made me toss and turn so much, but I suspected it was a mix of the two. Either way, I suffered through the restlessness, anxiety and nightmares until I could open my eyes the next morning to see the sun beaming through the curtains.

Instead, I was met with grey storm clouds and the sight of Daniel sitting in the armchair opposite me with his phone in his hands. I frowned and sat up, but didn't say anything as I took in his appearance.

Unlike most days, today he was wearing a pair of grey sweatpants paired with a black t-shirt and his signature chain around his neck. And by his chain, I mean the chain I gave him. I couldn't help the slightest flutter of my heart once I noticed it.

His hair was way curlier than I remembered it normally being. Usually it bordered wavy, but today his curls were much tighter and more defined. It only took me a couple minutes of staring before I realised it was because he put no effort in his appearance today. His 'usual' look was his attempt at taming his hair. This look must've been his 'just got out of bed' look.

I couldn't help but frown even more at the fact that we had seemingly been in a relationship, but I had never seen him this dressed down before. What kind of a relationship was that?

“Who's Travis?” The sound of his voice was like sweet honey to my ears and I would've taken the time to bask in it if it wasn't for the fact that the implications of his question had finally dawned on me.

He hadn't even said goodmorning and he was already interrogating me? And that was when I noticed.

“Is that my phone?”

For the first time since I had opened my eyes, Daniel had finally taken his eyes off my phone to look at me. His expression was blank, almost as if asking me if I was stupid but I was too busy trying to fit the pieces together to be pissed at him.

I knew I left my phone in the car wreck along with my bag and everything in it, so how the hell did he have it? It was only after I looked down to where his feet was did I see the rest of my get-up. My bag was there, on the floor, intact with all of the things I left in it still in it. He must've retrieved it somehow.

“I asked you a question.” His voice was like a bucket of cold water was being spilled over me, no longer having the ring like honey as it came with every intention to ruin my happiness.

I looked away from my bag and into his eyes instead only to cringe back at the dead serious look on his face. He wasn't playing and if I gave him an answer he didn't like, he'd make sure I wouldn't be able to play too.

Only problem was I didn't know what answer he didn't like, so I settled with the truth. It's not like I did anything wrong anyways.

I think.

“He's nobody important,” I began, making my way out of the bed to take my phone from him. “He's just my boss, that's all.”

Daniel had surprisingly willingly let me take the phone out of his hand without much of a fight, but when I attempted to take a step back, I gulped nervously as I watched him get up out of his chair and take a step towards me.

I took my chances and took another step back only to have him take another step towards me. That's how I knew that this was far from over. I remained in the same spot and let him approach me until he was right in front of me, his toes almost touching mine as I looked up into his cold brown eyes.

The seriousness was still there, but I could also see that he was enjoying this. The obvious affect he had on me satisfied him.

“Hmm,” he hummed, his chest almost seemed to vibrate against mine despite us not even touching. “You have eighteen missed calls and twelve messages from him.”

My heart sank at the possibility that he had read the messages. Travis was probably waiting for a response in regards to the trip and he may have mentioned it in the messages several times. I wasn't even scared for myself if Daniel found out because there was very little he would do to actually hurt me.

It was the guards I made keep it a secret. If he found out they knew Travis and I met and they didn't tell him, especially after the attack, God knows what Daniel would do to me. Best case scenarios, they would lose there job but even then, I couldn't have someone lose their job because of me.

“You didn't read them, did you?” I knew he was going to start analysing every inch of my face so he could find something, anything to feed off but I turned my attention to my phone instead and breathed out a sigh of relief when I realised the messages were unopened.

“No. Should I have?”

“No,” I responded almost instantly, snapping my head up to glare at him. I didn't understand why I was so nervous. I had done nothing wrong. He was the one asking me a bunch of unnecessary questions that he wouldn't have even had if he minded his own fucking business like he was supposed to. “And don't go snooping through my phone. I shouldn't be the one to have to teach you to respect people's privacy.”

I remained glaring at the nonchalant yet slightly amused look on his face before I kissed my teeth and turned around to walk away. I hadn't made it very far when he had grabbed my arm and turned me back to him, this time yanking me so close into him our chests were flush against each other. I was sure he could feel the way my heart was beating rapidly in my ribcage.

“Now tell me,” he began, his voice low and sultry, “why he's been calling you and texting you so urgently throughout the night.”

“It's only because—”

“Look me in the eyes when you lie,” he said, cutting me off as he grabbed my face and forced me to stare into his smoldering eyes.

I couldn't help the shocked look that appeared on my face but quickly got a grip.

“I'm not lying to you,” I said making sure to look him in the eyes, but I knew he didn't believe me still. I didn't blame him. I wouldn't believe me either. “He's just worried, that's all.”

Daniel remained staring right into my relentless eyes for a couple of seconds before he let out an unamused chuckle and leaned in closer to my ear. Before I could back up, his hand had snaked around my neck tightly while the other hand took a firm grip of my arm because he knew the kind of effect he had on me when he grabbed my neck the way he was doing.

“Lying by omission is still lying.”

“I'm not lyi—”

His grip around my neck tightened, making me let out a small whimper, cutting myself off.

“All the little things you forget to tell me, sweetheart,” he continued without missing a beat, “I will find them all out sooner or later. And you better be far away from me when I do.”

“Are you threatening me?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at him. I made to pull away but he only laughed and pulled me back into him.

I didn't like this anymore. I didn't like the idea of being threatened because truth be told, I wasn't being completely honest with him. There was something that had happened years ago that I swore I would take to the grave with me. Something that only I knew about even though I had forgotten for a while.

If Daniel found out, he would never forget it. He would kill me.

I tried to keep a neutral expression, but Daniel knew me better. He could practically smell the fear rolling off me in waves and I knew a part of him liked it. I could see it in his eyes. The guilt he felt for making me feel so scared.

He didn't like scaring me. He didn't like being the thing that I ran from. Yet he did.

It was in his nature to bask in the fear of other people. That was how he was raised because fear equaled power and as long as I feared him, he had power over me.

Whether he actually liked it or not, I was still trying to figure out.

“I would never do that to you.” In his voice held some form of sincerity and the cold look in his eyes had softened, but I couldn't take it at face value because his hand was still around my neck and the glint was still in his eyes. “That was just a warning. Now get ready. Pablo and Teo have landed in New York and they're waiting for us.”

He said nothing else and left, not feeding the look of confusion or surprise on my face with any sort of an explanation. I fell onto the chair where he had been sitting and placed a hand over my racing heart to try calm it.

He was dangerous. At some point, I must've forgotten. Maybe I had learnt that he actually didn't sell me to a prostitution ring and I got too comfortable. I didn't necessarily know what was happening between us, but I knew I needed to be cautious.

Daniel was too dangerous.

***

Daniel was an asshole.

I didn't understand how his mood could just change. It was like he had an identical twin and everyday they would swap so I got a different attitude with the same face. How had he been so sweet and concerned literally the night before, but all cold now?

Clearly he didn't like the idea of Travis, but was that enough to put him in a bad mood? I didn't think so. Unless he was jealous.

I needed to get the thought out of my head. Even if he was jealous, there was no need for me to feel happy about it since we weren't together. Plus, I didn't like the way he acted when he got jealous. Instead of being all protective, and possessive (the cute kind), he demeaned me and put fear in my head.

Hell, I wasn't even sure if he was really jealous so there was no point in dwelling on it. Especially when we weren't even together. It didn't make sense. That didn't stop me from blurting out the first thing that came to mind.

“I don't like the way you treat me.”

We were in the car. Just the both of us in a tight confined space that we were going to be sharing for the next three days. Turned out flying to New York was high risk but driving was going to take a while.

I didn't mind much. I always appreciated a good road trip, but I was only now realising good was the last thing this road trip was about to be. Especially after I had made it awkward with my declaration.

The air around us was tense and silent. I wasn't afraid. I didn't want anyone to think that. Contrary to popular belief, Daniel only scared me when he threatened me.

Instead, I was nervous because I was so sure I was about to either get shut down or embarrassed and if I got shut down, that would be embarrassing, so it was just shame no matter what route it went.

I desperately fumbled for a way to take my words back. I couldn't run and hide. I couldn't even blame it on the accident yesterday because he had got a doctor to see me before we left and she gave us the all clear.

I had to sit and live with my bad decisions.

“I know.”

His voice was soft - softer than usual. Almost remorseful. Was he? I didn't doubt it, but I wasn't going to believe it.

I didn't know whether I should push it or not. I wasn't anticipating that response, because it didn't shut down the conversation, but it wasn't necessarily continuing it either.

He said he knew. Did that mean he agreed? What was the point of knowing something and not acknowledging it? If he knew, why did he treat me bad? It wasn't because he wasn't aware. It was because he didn't care.

To Daniel, my wellbeing meant less to him than whatever big goal he was working towards. Then what did that make me then? He said it himself. I was a liability at times, so why did he keep me around?

As something he acquired? As a pretty little trinket for his colleagues to stare at covet? As a trophy?

I had overthought myself into a state of melancholy, so instead of pushing it, I turned my gaze out the window and kept to myself.

I didn't even want to look at him because I knew if I did, I wouldn't find what I would be looking for. I wouldn't find the guilt or the sadness or the slightest bit of concern for me because he wasn't concerned for me.

Forget yesterday. He didn't care.

***

We had been driving for some hours and were in some town in Las Vegas. I wasn't sure which one. I assumed Daniel knew, but then maybe I put too much faith in Daniel.

I trusted him too much. I did. He had my child in a place where I wasn't sure the location of and as per his words, he was with his uncle. I couldn't confirm that. Allegedly, we were driving to them even though he coul've been driving to any place he wanted to to kill me.

He had every opportunity to lie to me; to fool me. He could literally lead me off a cliff and I would follow him because I trusted him too much.

I was an idiot.

The car came to a stop and I found we were parked in front of some food place. It wasn't a five star restaurant, but it wasn't a fast food joint either. I didn't think Daniel went to fast-foof joints anyway. It was instead a nice mix of both. For people with a decent enough paycheck every month. They type of people that took the family out for a 'treat' over the weekend.

It didn't matter because I didn't feel like leaving the car. My mood had flipped and I didn't feel like doing much of anything really. I just wanted to wrap myself up in my blanket and cry.

“Araceli.” His tone was soft as if cautious as he called my name. He had spent the whole five hours not uttering a word to me. I knew if I tried to speak, my voice would be croaky and dry from lack of use. “Come on, let's get food.”

“I'm not hungry,” I told him without missing a beat.

He remained silent, but I could feel it in him. I could feel the want he had to argue with me and tell me that I was hungry because he knew my body better than anyone else did.

He wouldn't be wrong anyway. I was starving.

Instead, he wordlessly slipped out of the car and slammed the door shut behind him, leaving me alone in the silence he allowed to linger. I watched him as discreetly as I could as he made his way into the restaurant. There was no point really, I knew he knew I was watching. I didn't care.

Once he completely disappeared into the shop, I leaned my head against the window and fluttered my eyes shut. The sun was beginning to set and with it, my patience with the situation.

I didn't even know what I was being patient for. What was I waiting to happen anyway?

I thought Daniel was going to take a while. I thought he would find a suitable table and enjoy a nice dinner with some garlic bread or maybe breadsticks or spring roll appetisers and for a moment, I considered going in after him.

But then his tall figure appeared in the open doorway of the restaurant a few minutes later and in his hand was a plastic bag. It was only then I noticed the "takeaway available" sign on the front window. As he was making his way back to the car, our eyes met but I didn't avert my gaze like I usually did.

But I didn't smile like I usually did either. I didn't even scowl at him. I couldn't because no matter how much Daniel hurt me, it was never something that surprised me.

I knew I was going to get hurt. I knew he would never be good for me, yet I decided to stay anyway. Daniel may have been a jackass, but I was the one who kept going back.

This was all my fault.

***

Daniel had pulled up in front of a dingy looking motel and left me alone in the car while he went to speak to the owner. I wasn't sure where he was, but in that moment I wished he would hurry up and come back. What with that creepy old man sitting out front that was staring unbreakable at me.

I thought these windows were tinted.

Daniel soon came back into sight, but instead of making his way round to the driver's side, he made a beeline straight to my door and held it open for me. I took a minute to process what he was silently asking me to do before I realised and let myself out of the car.

He slammed the door shut and grabbed my arm. Not in a tight way but his grip was strong enough. Instead of walking me to whatever room we shared, he pulled my side into him and leaned down to my ear.

“Why is he staring at you?” he asked, to which I just shrugged because I didn't know. In all honesty, I didn't even think that he realised the old man was staring. He didn't act like it affected him.

He placed his hand on top of his gun in the waistband of his pants. A small movement that seemed innocent, yet I know the true warning behind it. Careful not to hold me too tight, he lowered his grip so he was holding my elbow before he began to lead me to our room.

It was the last room in the row even though the other ones seemed empty. I assumed it was per Daniel's request. It was also the room furthest away from where the man was sitting, but by the time I looked back, he was no longer there.

“Come in,” he said, tugging me gently into the warm room as three other jeeps rolled in one by one into the parking lot. I waved to them, because they were our guards but I didn't stop to check if they waved back.

Inside the room gave me old vibes. Like one of those old suburban homes from the seventies that you'd see on TV. With its sofa made from cloth with a weird floral design on it and a brownish-beige background.

The floors were a carpeted brown with the parts that were walked on more frequently being a darker shade. In the corner of the room was an ambiguous dark spot with a small side table and vase set placed on top of it - perhaps to help hide it from people. From me.

In the middle of the room was a double bed with white covers and a beige duvet and pillow set. I appreciated the white. It made it easier to inspect.

Daniel made his way to the window and opened it, letting some much needed air into the warm, stuffy room. It didn't open very wide, but the little it did would suffice.

He took a seat at the edge of the bed and watched me silently as I wandered the room. There seemed to be a door that led to an ensuite and I appreciated the fact that I didnt have to step out of the room to use the toilet, but I made no effort to go check if it was clean enough for my picky-self to use in the first place.

“Come,” Daniel said, getting my attention in the silence of the room. It's not like there was anything else I could possibly focus on. I turned to him from my position in the middle of the room and raised an eyebrow in question. “Come,” His voice was lighter, his lips clear of the frown that had set them the entire day. “Show me your tattoo.”

Even I couldn't help the smile on my face at the thought of my tattoo. Without much hesitance, I walked over to him between his legs where he was sitting and gathered my (or his) shirt up into a bunch just under my breasts, revealing to him the ink that decorated my skin.

His sweatpants were low on my hips, but none of that mattered. He kept his gaze respectfully focused on the dark writing scrawled against my skin.

“Seas quién seas, se bueno,” he read out loud. He placed his hand at the curve of my waist to draw me closer, unaware of the zap of electricity that ran up my spine. His thumb traced up and down my waist as he stared silently at the words traced on my ribcage; thoughtfully.

“I do care.”

His words were so soft, I almost missed them. I hadn't really heard them. I only felt the way they lingered in the air after he had spoken.

I looked down at him, but he wasn't looking up at me so I couldn't meet his eyes. Instead of saying anything, I let my fingers run through the mass of curls on his head; my silent way of letting him know that it was okay.

Because it was, really. At the end of the day, he was only doing what he felt he needed to do. I was the one getting hurt. And I was the one letting myself get hurt. If I didn't like it, I wouldn't stay.

I think he and I both knew I wouldn't stay the second I felt I couldn't. It was only a matter of time. One day he would wake up and I wouldn't be there anymore. He knew that.

He knew because he had lived it already.

He let out a soft breath, fluttered his pretty eyes shut and placed a lingering kiss just above my navel.

Seas quién seas, se bueno. The words of my tattoo appeared in my head again.
Daniel was a mob boss and he was a damn good one too. But he wasn't just a mob boss anymore. Now, he was a father too. And if I was to judge, I'd say he was a good father. But then what else.

What else was he to me?

*****

A few formatting issues delayed this coming out but anyways how are yall doing???

So basically, a lot of you might be wondering why I suddenly went MIA especially after having such a good track record with His Woman. Well, basically the short answer is I ran out of pre-written chapters and kind of forgot how to write.

The long answer is... much more complicated. Before I stopped publishing, I had actually stopped writing long before but you guys didn't notice because... well I pre-wrote chapters. I thought I would get my shit together, but I don't really know what happened.

My mental health just took a sharp plummet. I wasn't meeting all the goals I had set for myself and because of that I was facing a lot of insecurities with all aspects of my life. I was also facing a few health issues and because of that, the insecurities were about my body as well as about my writing and my academics.

I fought a lot with the people I cared the most about and distanced myself even though I FULLY KNOW that I get depressed when I go some time without talking to people. On top of that, I was getting some rude comments. Not a lot. Definitely not enough for you guys to start worrying about it, but in that state it had a huge impact on me.

I started having depressive episodes, ful mental breakdowns and panic attacks more often. So, the obvious thing I decided to do was...

Get a fucking job.

Where I was overworked and underpaid (because I'm still a minor unfortunately) but I liked it because I met a lot of people my age who were like me and they were really nice. The only reason I went into work everyday was to talk to them. Even if I wasn't getting paid for it, they were worth it.

Anyways, along the way I developed a crush on someone I knew I could never have (let me know if you want to know the whole story) that gave me more insecurities but thankfully I got over it. And now we're here.

That isn't the full story, but it is most of it so I hope it explains everything. I'm still not fully better so therefore I'm not going to say I'm 100% back, but I will try my darn hardest to get a chapter out to yall at least every week. Please understand that if I don't though, its only because my health came in the way.

Anyways, peace and love guys. Also, if you don't remember what the "thing" is that Ara is hiding from Danny, go back to the first book and look at the prologue again.

ALSO, I know I'm gonna get these comments again 🤦🏾‍♀️ Travis is her manager/boss. Don't forget it 🤬

See you guys in the bonus chapter that's literally posted right now. Bye, love youuuuu