⚠️ Warning - this chapter contains mentions of domestic abuse ⚠️

Enjoy ✨

~ Daniela's POV ~

Every single sound made me jump.

Even the sound of my printer printing out some documents caused me to flinch I was that on edge.

So far it had been 21 hours and nothing had happened. I guess I still I had a few more hours to go though, so I shouldn't really expect anything to happen yet. That's if anything was going to happen, Fox might have been right - Ayden could have just been bluffing.

Letting out a breath I gathered the papers into a stack, pushing my chair back as I stood up. Heading out of my office, I made my way down the hallway towards Carson's office before I knocked on the door waiting for him to call me in.

"These are for you." As I walked into his office, I was met with the sight of Carson and Grey who seemed to be deep in conversation when I interrupted them. "What are they?"

"The forecasts you asked for." When I put them on his desk, I felt their eyes on me clearly noticing my frown and the way I barely spoke to them as I turned to leave. "What's the matter?"

"Oh nothing, I'm just waiting to be shot, or blown up or maybe even sucked into the ground through a portal or-"

"You're being ridiculous." When Grey cut me off, I sent him a glare while Carson just shook his head in amusement, looking over the documents I gave him. "No I'm not, we all know what they're capable of."

"But a portal? Really?" This time Grey gave me a teasing smile as he gestured for me to sit down next to him, which I begrudgingly did. "Dani this place is on total lockdown, nothing is going to happen. I told you about my plan, I guess he's getting desperate a lot quicker than I expected but we still stick to the plan. If we want it done right, we have to."

Although Carson's soothing tone was obviously his way of attempting to ease my anxiety, I only let out a nervous breath nodding my head. For a moment it fell silent while Carson read over the documents I brought him, before I stupidly opened my mouth, again.

"What are you guys working on?"

When I asked that very stupid question, Carson lifted his head to give me a weird look making me realise my mistake instantly.

"Never mind."

Maybe I should leave before I say anything else that's so stupid? I mean, nothing could have been as stupid as asking your boss, who also happens to be the boss of the mafia, and his underboss what they're working on. But, I'm sure I could think of something.

I really thought doing something like this could get you killed, just as a way to remind you that it was none of your business. Everyone here knows you don't ask the boss what he's doing, I guess that's rule number one of being in the mafia.

"It's just something to do with a Brazilian cartel, we've already had a deal in place with them for a year but now they're trying to change it." When he muttered the words, he looked down at all the papers covering his desk while I just sat there staring at him with wide eyes.

Honestly it actually took me a moment to comprehend the fact that Carson had so openly told me about his business, something that I never thought would happen.

"Change it to what?"

I guess by this point I was just testing to see when he'd tell me to mind my own business. I mean, if Carson didn't kill me for questioning him then I'm sure in a few hours Ayden would kill me anyway.

Either way I was a dead girl.

"They want more money." When Grey spoke from his place next to me, I turned to look at him noticing the glare on his face. "They're getting enough as it is and now they're asking for ridiculous amounts of money."

"We can't afford to lose those shipments, they're too important to us. Most of our drugs come from the cartels in South America, especially this one." When Carson spoke, I turned to look at him noticing the frustrated frown on his face. He looked so stressed and it just hurt to see him like that.

He was so stressed about this and yet it felt like we still had a billion other problems outside this office waiting for us.

"Can I help?"

"What could you possibly do to help Trouble?" Despite how stressed out he looked, he flashed me a small smile. "I don't know, teach me. Show me your ways, wise one."

This time Grey chuckled next to me. "Watch out or she'll be coming for your job next."

"No, I don't want his job. I'm just saying, if you need any help then I'm here." When I quickly jumped in, Carson nodded his head while Grey only gave me an amused smile. "I'm not sure there's much you can do but you can stay if you want. Maybe it'll help to take your mind off the portal that might come and suck you into the floor."

"Very funny." My response caused him to crack a grin before he continued his conversation with Grey about how he wanted to try and convince the Brazilian cartel to stop asking for money that just didn't make any sense.

"It's because they know how important these shipments are for us. If we miss one shipment, our whole system will get screwed up."

"What system?" When I questioned Grey he turned to look at me, his eyes lingering on my feet that were now stretched out on Carson's desk since I was trying to get comfortable. "We have quite a few in place to distribute drugs internationally. The cartels in Mexico and Brazil sell the best quality product, so we buy it and ship it ourselves across the US and to Europe and Asia."

"How many different cartels do you buy from?" I guess I should have already known this, especially since I'm sure Carson had taught me this when he taught me all about the different drugs they bought and sold. But still, he didn't seem bothered that I was asking questions.

"Two, 60% of our supply comes from this one in Brazil and the other 40% comes from one in Mexico."

Nodding my head I chose to stay quiet for the rest of their discussion instead just leaning back in my seat with my feet resting on his desk. Carson was so cute that he didn't even tell me to get my feet off his desk, instead he just moved some papers out of the way.

"Give them one last chance to take the extra money we're willing to add on. If they don't want it then we'll have to find someone else to buy the drugs from."

As much as that made sense just to find someone else, it wasn't the best solution for them. Right now they knew they had the best quality and they were working with a cartel who they knew. From what I understood when they discussed it, they were worried switching cartels would change entry points of the drugs being shipped across the border into the US. That would then mean they had to create new routes to distribute the product across the USA and internationally too.

Once Carson gave Grey the final decision, they started talking about a few other problems that they were having before the most interesting part of the conversation came up.

"Have you got any leads on Christopher? Or anyone that worked with George?"

"Not yet." When Grey muttered those words keeping his eyes focused on his laptop, I looked between him and Carson, noticing the frown on my boyfriend/boss's face.

"You still haven't found him?" When he heard the concern in my tone, his gaze shifted away from Grey and towards me. "We've been trying, I thought we were getting close to something but then...nothing."

"Don't worry, I have a few more ideas. I have men on it, they just need a little more time." It had already been over six months since we were kidnapped by George and five since we escaped. I kind of thought they would have found Christopher by now.

"Did you check the place in the woods in Washington State where they held us?" When I turned to look at Grey, he turned to look at me for a second before shaking his head. "Do I look like an amateur to you? That was the first place we checked."

"Well, maybe you should have looked harder." When I gave him a rather childish response, he just cracked a smile shaking his head. "My men tore that place apart, no one was there. But don't worry, we're close, we'll find them."

"I thought you guys were supposed to be the best of the best?" As I spoke, I stood to my feet causing them both to look at me, the pair of them looking rather offended by my tone. "We are the best."

"Then find him."

"You're not the boss yet Dani." When Grey spoke in a teasing tone I let out a laugh. "Clearly, otherwise it would have been done by now."

Although I was only joking, the look on Carson's face told me he definitely didn't find any amusement in my comment, whatsoever. In fact he looked pretty angry.

"So I'm going to go now." Taking an awkward step away from his desk, I flashed him a sheepish grin while he just glared at me. "I'll see you later baby?"

"Get out."

Nodding my head I quickly rushed to the door, feeling both of them watching me as I struggled to open it. "Just one second and I'll be gone."

Usually I knew how to use a door, but just like that time when Grey pressured me to unlock my office door, whenever I had people watching me I just messed it up.

Just when I finally thought I'd done it, the door suddenly swung open hitting me in the face. "Ow!"

"Oh crap."

Fox.

As I stepped back I lifted my hand to my forehead, rubbing the sore area while listening to the laughter in the background.

"Are you okay Little One?" Once I was finally done rubbing my throbbing forehead, I turned to glare at Fox who clearly felt bad for what just happened, at least a little bit anyway. "Leave me alone."

"I can kiss it to make it feel better?" When he flashed me a grin, I just rolled my eyes, resisting the urge to do it again when Carson's laugher suddenly cut off. Of course he'd only stop laughing when Fox offered to kiss it better, how about checking to see if I was okay?

Bitch.

"Do it and I'll kill you."

"It's just her forehead, it doesn't mean anything." When Grey muttered those words, now turning his attention back to his work since he couldn't afford to spend more than thirty seconds away from it, Fox quickly jumped in.

"But you see, that's how it starts, just with an innocent forehead kiss and then suddenly you walk in on them getting frisky in the closet."

"Are you trying to say that you're going to get frisky with my girlfriend in a closet?" This time when Carson spoke, in a much colder tone than before, Fox's eyes widened when he realised how badly his words had been interpreted. "N-no, not me, it was a general observation. It could be anyone, a man or a woman - if she swings that way."

When he finally finished his awkward ramble, this time I was the one glaring at him. "I'm not going to cheat on him! Not with a man or a woman."

"That's good then, see Carson you have nothing to worry about." This time when Fox turned to give him a grin, Carson was now glaring at him as if he was absolutely ready to kill him.

To be honest so was I. First he hit me with the door and now he's assuming I would cheat in a closet.

I'm much classier than a closet, thank you very much.

"I'm leaving now." Shaking my head, I made an attempt to pass Fox when he quickly stopped me. "I forgot, I was coming to tell you that your sister is here."

"My sister?" When I gave him a frown, he nodded his head. "Yeah, Carson was in a meeting with Grey so the guards at the gate called Aviana but she was busy so she sent me and-"

"Just get to the point." When I cut him off, he sent me a glare as Carson stood up from his desk coming over to where we were standing. "I was getting there. Anyway, so I went to the gate to see what all the fuss was about and there she was, your sister and her little baby boy in the car."

"And you didn't tell me?" Giving him a glare of my own, I stepped towards the door as he spoke. "I was going to but you hit yourself with the door."

Woah. Back the hell up.

"No, you hit me with the door you son of a-"

"Shh, let's just go." When Carson quickly cut me off, he let out a laugh as he guided me out of the door. As we walked down the hallway and away from his office, I turned back to send a smirking Fox one more glare. "He's the one who hit me with the door Carson."

When I let out an irritated huff, Carson nodded his head as we walked.

"I know baby." I could hear the amusement in Carson's tone as he held my hand, walking with me down the hallway towards the stairs. It was only then in those few seconds of silence that it actually dawned on me that she was here, again. "Don't leave me alone with her Carson."

When I whispered the words to him as we descended down the stairs, he gently squeezed my hand in his. "Never baby."

When she came into view, I noticed she was looking around the entry hall with an anxious expression, gripping her son's hand tight in her own.

And her husband was nowhere in sight.

"Eleanor?" As soon as I said her name, her eyes snapped in my direction as we came down the stairs watching as she rushed over to me. The moment I was on the ground floor, she let go of her son's hand to pull me in for a hug.

"Oh Dani, I'm so so sorry."

Her actions caused me to stop dead in my tracks as she hugged me in a tight embrace, although I couldn't bring myself to hug her back.

"What are you doing?" When I spoke she pulled away from me, stepping away to give me some space. "I need to talk to you. Can we talk somewhere? Please?"

When she gave me a pleading look, I glanced over at Carson who had his default cold expression on his face before I nodded my head. "Fine."

Without another word I led her to one of the meeting rooms that were free since all the other rooms including the living room, were all being used for mafia business.

Closing the door behind himself, Carson stood to the side while she looked around the room clearly not expecting to be brought into a meeting room. But, still she turned to look at me after she helped her son sit down on one of the chairs.

"Can we talk alone?"

"No." When I gave her my response, she frowned for a moment her eyes shifting towards Carson before she let out a sigh nodding her head. "I know you're upset with me but you don't understand."

"Understand what?" Although I was I was still mad at her, my tone softened when I spoke to her this time. "Sit down."

When she gestured to the chairs, I reluctantly sat down across from her and her son, my eyes lingering on the quiet little boy. I hadn't heard him say anything yet, I didn't even know his name. "I don't know how long I can stay so I need to make this quick...I don't know how to do this..."

"Just say what you need to say Eleanor."

"Um...well, I-"

"How long?" When Carson suddenly cut her off, both Eleanor and I turned to look at him while he kept his gaze on my sister.

"H-how long what?"

"How long as he been hurting you?" My eyes widened at his question as I looked between the two of them noticing that they were having some kind of stare down. "Carson you can't-"

Before I could get my words out, Eleanor spoke up.

"A while after we met. He's the reason I left Dani." When she shifted her attention back to me, she gave me a frown. "I never wanted to leave you but...well he's very controlling and demanding."

"So he made you leave?"

"I met him in Paris when you first went to college. His family is very...traditional - he wanted me to get married to him pretty quickly, apparently there was no dating period allowed. So, I was young and stupid and said yes. After that he made me cut off all ties with my old life and here I am."

Shrugging her shoulders, her eyes filled with tears as she took me in, almost as if she was analysing everything about me. "I messed up Dani, I was angry and hurt after our parents died and I...I made a stupid decision but I swear, I never intended to leave you."

As much as I wanted to be angry and hurt for what she did, I knew in my heart that I couldn't be. There was no way to justify me being upset.

I did the same thing with Ayden.

"So he...he hits you?" When I nervously asked the question, unsure of what her response would be, I could tell she was about to speak before another voice beat her to it.

"Daddy says it's because we need to learn who is in charge." Her little son said those words so innocently, his big brown eyes meeting mine as he spoke.

My eyes widened when it fell deadly silent while he just continued stare at me before going back to admiring the table in front of him, tracing his finger along the wood grains.

"El..."

"I'm so scared Dani. I've been so cut off from the rest of the world for the last few years, I have no idea what to do. When you told me that you used to be in a similar situation I thought that maybe..."

She needed help.

"Of course I'll help you, Carson can help you, right?" When I turned to look at my boyfriend, he no longer had the emotionless expression on his face. Instead he was frowning as he looked at the little boy who seemed so oblivious to what was actually going on.

"Yes. You just need to tell me everything first."

As he spoke he came and sat down next to me across from my sister and my nephew, while she nodded her head before launching into the story. There wasn't much to say, just like my experience with Ayden they met and he treated her like a queen until they were finally married and she had no one else to turn to.

Then he completely changed, cutting her off from the rest of the world and keeping her under his control. She said he didn't waste any time in becoming abusive and violent if she didn't do as he said and as soon as their son Noah turned three, he started taking his anger out on him too.

"The real estate agent called him when you put the house up for sale and he decided maybe I'd finally be useful to him, so he brought me here to try and get as much money from you as he could."

That's why she looked so relieved when Carson offered them the five million dollars.

"Where is he now?" Glancing over at me, she let out a nervous breath her fear easily showing in her eyes. "We've been in New York for a few days for his work, when he went to a meeting I snuck out."

When neither Carson and I said a word for a moment, she continued speaking, her desperation seeping into her tone. "I know he's only a few minutes behind me, he knew exactly when I left the hotel. Please Dani, I can't go back to him. He'll know exactly where I am, he's not stupid. But if I go back he'll..."

"It won't happen, don't worry. He can't get in here, you're safe." Surprisingly it was Carson who spoke up, giving her a reassuring look before he shifted his attention to little Noah. I could tell he was about to say something to him, but before he could, the door to the room opened.

"Carson, there's someone at the gate asking for..." When Grey's sentence trailed off, we all turned to look at him while his gaze was firmly focused on my sister.

For a moment he just stood there, staring at her before he very quickly averted his gaze towards Carson, clearing his throat.

"He's looking for his wife and his son." While Grey was busy listening to Carson who told him to send Eleanor's husband away, I was busy looking between Grey and Eleanor who couldn't take her eyes off him.

The moment I looked between them, I could just imagine little Sara and Noah being siblings and Grey and Eleanor being together and happy - as a family.

I think it's time to play Cupid. If I live long enough, that is. Any second Ayden's portal could open up in the floor.

Once Grey left the room to go and deal with Eleanor's husband, Carson took out his phone to reply to some messages when Eleanor whispered to me. "Who was that?"

"That was Grey, he's Carson's under-"

"Friend." When Carson quickly cut me off, my eyes widened when I realised what I was about to say. Quickly nodding my head in agreement I ignored the look Carson was giving me as I awkwardly smiled at her.

So maybe I forgot she didn't know about the mafia.

"His under friend?" When she gave me a weird look, I kept the smile on my face scrambling to try and make some sense. "Yeah....like a friend...who is under..."

That sounded so messed up.

"Wait, as in like friends like, top and bottom?" It took me a second, but the moment I understood what she meant when she whispered the words to me, I burst into laughter unable to hold it back.

She thought they were gay.

As I laughed I turned to look at Carson who was glaring at me, causing my laughter to falter before I eventually cleared my throat, looking away from him.

"Not like that, they're not..."

Oh God, this is too funny.

"Carson's my boyfriend. He's not gay, and neither is Grey." Despite the fact I was trying to keep a serious face I couldn't stop the chuckle escaping my lips when I said it out loud.

"We're done here." As Carson spoke, he stood up sending me another glare, clearly having had enough of my laughter while walking over to the door. "You can stay here Eleanor, for as long as you need."

"Thank you." When she gave him a smile he only nodded his head before he leaving the room, leaving me alone with my sister for the first time in years. Once the door closed she turned to look at me, flashing me a small smile as she spoke.

"So..."

Huh, so that's where I got it from.

Her awkward attempt at starting a conversation with me, something that Carson really hates, caused me to crack a smile too. "So..."

"What is this place?" When she gestured to the room around us, I obviously knew she was referring more to the guarded mansion that we were currently sitting in. "They're just very protective of their business...they're businessmen."

"Right." Nodding her head, she let out a sigh as she leaned back in her chair. "So, do you want to tell me what happened with you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well I told you my story, so now it's your turn baby sis." This time she gestured for me to speak, showing that bossy streak that she used to have when we were younger.

I guess it's nice to know some things haven't changed.

So for the next half an hour I ended up sitting there talking her through everything that I'd been through with Ayden - how we met, how things in our relationship changed and how I ended up leaving him for Carson. Of course I couldn't tell her that I was kidnapped, so instead I just told her that Carson found me when I left the club that night instead of the full truth.

By the time I'd finished the story, she was busy using a tissue to dab her eyes without smudging her make up while I just sat there waiting for her to say something.

"Are you safe now?" When she asked me that question, I couldn't help but glance at the room we were currently sitting in feeling the guilt rise up inside me. I was lying to her about where we were and who these people were, of course I felt guilty.

But I couldn't tell her yet, not until I had Carson's permission.

"I am. Carson is...absolutely nothing like Ayden." At this she nodded her head, sniffling as she put her tissue down. "I can tell, just from the way he looks at you."

"How's that?"

"Like you're his light." As she spoke she gave me a soft smile, standing to her feet. "Can I use a bathroom?"

"Sure, there's one just down the hall - the third door on the left."

"Could you watch him, please?" When she gestured down to my nephew next to her, I nodded my head cracking a smile when he grinned at me. "Of course I can."

As she left the room I got up from my place going around to sit next to Noah.

"So..."

"So..." When he imitated me I gave him a smile as I leaned in closer to him. "How about when your mama gets back we go and get some cookies?"

"Cookies?" Nodding my head I moved some hair away from his eyes as I spoke. "You like cookies right? Every little kid likes cookies."

"Chocolate chip?" This time when I nodded my head, the cutest smile stretched across his face. "Yes please."

"You're going have to give me a hug if you want some though. We have three years of hugs to catch up on." Holding my stare for a moment, he nodded his head before he very awkwardly pushed his chair away from the table standing up so that he could face me.

Without another word he opened his arms for a hug, standing there waiting patiently for me to hug him.

He's the little cutest thing on the planet.

Letting out a laugh, I lifted him up into my lap wrapping my arms around him in a hug. "You're kind of heavy Noah."

At this he only shrugged his shoulders, resting his head on my chest. "I eat my vegetables."

<<<<<<< >>>>>>> <<<<<<<

"Your sister seems nice."

"How nice?" When I rose an eyebrow at him, Grey gave me a weird look in return as he stood across from me at the kitchen island, resting his elbows on the counter as he leaned on it. "Huh?"

"How nice on a scale of one to ten?" Still he looked super confused by my question, shaking his head as he watched me prepare the salad for dinner tonight. "Uh...I still don't know how to answer that."

"Oh come on Mr Mafia Man, you're smart." When I flashed him a grin, he rolled his eyes at the name I used. "I haven't even met her properly Dani, how am I supposed to know?"

"Okay, was it love at first sight then?"

"Love? What the hell are you talking about?" This time when he gave me an incredulous look, he stood up clearly becoming defensive over this whole thing. "I'm just saying, I thought I sensed some tension there."

"Because a stranger was sitting in the house while we're supposed to be on lockdown, that's why."

"Okay so we both know that's not why." When I shook my head in disagreement, he fell silent for a moment as I finished cutting up the cucumber, tossing the pieces into the huge bowl of salad. "So anyway...now that we're talking about her...what's she like?"

When I heard the tentative tone he used, I flashed him a teasing smile. "She's funny and caring and kind and she has a little boy the same age as Sara."

"Oh?" At this he only rose an eyebrow, casually leaning against the counter again. "So her husband..."

"Is a jerk." Nodding his head, he stayed quiet for a moment before he spoke again. "Carson said she's staying here?"

"For now, I guess. Her husband is rich and abusive and controlling, she needs somewhere she can be safe. She doesn't know though - about the mafia."

Before he could say anything else, our attention was taken away by Fox who walked in holding Noah and Sara both in his arms. "I found these little people."

"And you just took them?" When Grey rose an eyebrow at him, Fox only grinned in response, putting the two three year olds down on the kitchen counter. "They were having some little people conversation on the stairs, it didn't seem very safe."

"Oh so you were being responsible for once?" This time he only nodded as he focused his attention on Sara and Noah who were sitting quietly the entire time. "You want ice cream?"

Responsible my ass.

"We're having dinner soon." When I sent him a glare he shook his head dismissively while they smiled excitedly. "Little people don't care about all that stuff, look how happy they are."

"Well I'm sure my sister will care and so does Grey, so no ice cream."

"But-"

"No." When I sent him a glare, he let out a sigh. "We'll have ice cream together later then."

As he spoke he reached out to do a pinky promise with each of them while Grey just shook his head, reaching out to pinch Sara's cheek. "I missed you Apa."

"I missed you too my baby. You made a new friend?" When Grey shifted his attention towards my quiet little nephew, Sara nodded her head with a grin introducing him. "Noah."

"Hi Noah."

I see what he's doing. This sneaky bitch is getting close to her son so that she'll marry him - smart, very smart. I should have thought of that...so much for playing Cupid.

For the next ten minutes Grey was busy getting to know Noah while I finished making the salad and then heating up the dinner with Fox. It's important to note though that the only reason he stayed to help was because I forced him.

By the time we'd finished getting all the food heated up and laid out on the table, Carson returned from whatever work he was doing in his office and Aviana and Eleanor had also joined us in the dining room.

Unfortunately Aviana wasn't much of a fan of my sister, I could tell from the constant glare she was giving her despite the number of times I'd kicked her under the table.

For most of the dinner we sat in silence, which only made me more anxious since I was very much aware that my 24 hours were now up.

That meant any second something could happen and no one was saying a word to try and take my mind off it. It's like they didn't even care or they'd all forgotten.

"So..." When I awkwardly tried to start a conversation while we all sat there in silence, Carson was the only one who responded to me. "Shut up."

"I don't understand why you hate that so much, I'm just trying to break the silence."

"Then say something instead of just saying 'so' like that." As he spoke he lifted his gaze away from his plate of food to glare at me while I just rolled my eyes. "You're annoying."

"So are you." As soon as he shot back his response, he flashed me a wink causing me to bite back my smile. "There's children around Carson."

When Fox muttered the words we both turned to look at him as he shook his head in disgust. "That's rich coming from you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" When he gave me a glare, I just shrugged my shoulders asking him the same question he gets asked so frequently. "What is it tonight?"

"Brunette."

"You're addicted." When I let out a laugh at the fact he knew exactly what I was asking, he shook his head in disagreement with my words. "No I'm not, I just know how to have fun."

"So you're saying you could go a month without it?" This time it was Grey who spoke up as he fed Sara a bite of her food. It was cute actually, she knew how to feed herself but she refused to do it if Grey was around.

"Bitch please of course I could."

"Watch your language." Surprisingly it was Eleanor who jumped in, flashing Fox a hard glare while he just sent her an apologetic grin before Grey spoke again. "Okay, so do it then. Let's see if you can go a whole month without it."

"Fine, we'll start tomorrow."

"Nope, tonight." This time Fox's confidence faltered as he glared at a very amused Grey. "Not tonight."

"Why not?"

"Because she's a French model. Everyone knows the French are the best." He said that as if we should feel sorry for him that he might be missing out on it. "No, you start tonight."

Finally he just let out a huff, choosing to glare at Grey from across the table probably hoping that the intensity of his glare would make him combust or something. Honestly, it was one of the coldest I'd ever seen on Fox.

When it fell silent again, I looked around the table waiting for someone else to speak but when no one did, I felt my irritation grow. I just needed someone to talk so that I could take my mind off stupid Ayden and his stupid threat.

"Why is everyone so quiet?"

"Dani baby, have you ever head of a peaceful silence?" When Aviana spoke, she flashed me a teasing smile while I just narrowed my eyes at her when Carson spoke up.

"Of course she hasn't. She can't go five minutes without talking." This time I turned to look at Carson with a frown while he just continued to eat his food until Fox spoke up. "I means it's kind of true, when was the last time you sat in silence?"

"I know how to be quiet."

"I don't think so, sometimes I can hear you talking to yourself whenever I pass your office." This time it was Grey who jumped in causing me to turn to look at him with an incredulous look. "I don't do that! I'm probably just on the phone or something - you know how many people I have to call."

"Sure." When he nodded his head, speaking in a sarcastic tone he turned to face Sara helping her to eat another bite of her food while she sat happily in her chair swinging her legs as she chewed.

"Why are you all picking on me?" When I pouted my lips, looking around the table, Eleanor was the one who answered me. "They kind of have a point Dani, I grew up with you and you always used to talk even back then."

She's lying, that never used to happen.

"No I didn't! You're making it sound like I have a talking problem, I don't-"

"The beach in California, the woods, the walk from the farm to that stupid town, our walk a few weeks ago in the garden, all those stupid questions you asked me in that room, when you were sedated, the-"

"Okay I got it." When I cut Carson off with a glare stopping him from listing all the times I'd irritated him with my talking, he flashed me a smirk shrugging his shoulders.

"Just accept it Dani."

"But I..." As I looked around the table I was met with five amused faces and two little ones who had no clue what was going on, before I let out a sigh. "Fine, I'll be quiet. But just watch, in five minutes you're all going to want me to talk."

With one last glare I turned my attention back to my food, stabbing my fork into my chicken with a little more force than necessary.

All I wanted was a distraction, and they all knew what was going on, even if they didn't care. I wasn't used to these kind of threats, I just wanted to try and take my mind off them.

"So what shall we talk about?" When I heard Fox's voice I glanced up to see him looking around the table waiting for someone to respond.

"A vacation. I was thinking we should go away maybe after Christmas, we can take mama somewhere." This time when Carson spoke, I turned my head to look at him to find him already looking at me with a smirk. "Maybe Mexico? I heard they have really nice beaches."

If looks could kill this bitch would be a billion feet underground right now.

"We haven't been on a vacation in a long time, that's a good idea. What do you think Sara? Do you like the beach?" When Grey turned to look at Sara she nodded her head. "With the sea?"

"Yes baby, the sea, sand, ice cream."

"Ice cream?" This time Noah was the one who spoke with wide eyes, looking around before he looked at my sister. "Mama we go ice cream?"

"Uh..." When Eleanor looked around awkwardly before letting out an awkward laugh, Grey quickly jumped in, his eyes meeting hers. "Of course you can, everyone is invited."

"Ignacio told me that you can rent a huge villa on this island near Cancun. He's done it before, I can ask him for the details if you want?" When Avi spoke, Grey and Carson nodded at her idea. "That sounds good."

"But we need to leave one person here to make sure everything is still running smoothly." As he spoke through the food he was chewing, Fox turned to look at Carson. "The accountant is too important, right? We need to make sure the money is still coming in and being paid on time."

"Yeah you're right, we can't all go at the same time, one person has to stay." When Carson nodded in agreement, he didn't even glance in my direction as I sat there looking at him with a sad frown.

But I love the beach too.

And Mexico was my idea.

"Oh well at least there will be more space on the plane and we can bring more bags too if we're one person down. So when are we going?"

And this bitch calls herself my best friend.

"Before New Year's definitely. We can spend New Years Eve on the beach, somewhere much warmer than New York."

"That's too bad for Dani though, she'll be on her own over the New Year." When Fox said those words he feigned sadness, shaking his head as Grey jumped in. "But she talks to herself so she'll be fine."

"And she has Pablo."

What a bitch.

This time Carson looked at me when he spoke, his eyes shining in amusement while I just sat there glaring at him while Eleanor let out a laugh. "Her imaginary friend? She told you about him?"

Carson only nodded while a few chuckles sounded around the table. "That's so cute, Little One has an imaginary friend."

"He's a better friend than any of you." Sending them one last dramatic glare, I pushed my chair back as I picked up my plate, leaving the dining room without paying them anymore attention.

I could hear the sounds of voices in the background as I walked to the kitchen, putting my plate down on the counter as I let out a breath, running a hand over my face.

So maybe I shouldn't have overreacted since I knew they were only joking - at least I hope they were only joking, but I still just wanted to talk to distract myself from what was going on.

I wasn't like them, I wasn't used to being threatened. I just wanted to talk and forget about what was going on and instead they used that as an opportunity to make fun of me.

"You didn't finish your food."

The sound of footsteps behind me caused me to turn around to see Carson eyeing my plate which still had a little food left on it. "I'm not hungry."

When I shrugged my shoulders averting my gaze away from him, he let out a sigh as he came over to me, leaning against the counter next to me. For the next few moments I could feel his eyes on me although I just focused my attention on the view out of the kitchen window.

"You're not actually mad, right? It was only a joke." As expected his tone wasn't soft, instead it held an ounce of irritation which only made me feel more embarrassed of how I left. "I know that."

"So then what's the matter?"

"Nothing." Shaking my head, I let out a sigh as I picked up my plate heading over to the table so that I could finish my food. I wasn't the type to waste food, even if I really didn't have much of an appetite anymore.

"It's obviously not nothing Daniela, so talk to me."

Oh so we're using the full name now.

For a moment when I didn't say anything in response I was aware of his eyes on me while I silently forced myself to finish my food, not even looking in his direction. That was until he went over to the door, closing it before he came over to the table, standing across from me.

"What the hell is your problem?"

He was never the most patient person.

"What do you think? It's been the full 24 hours since Ayden said-"

"Dani how many freaking times do I need to tell you nothing is going to happen? This damn building is on lockdown, all my businesses and warehouses are on alert, Kai is in Chicago and my mom and Poppy are safe too. Nothing is going to happen."

He was so sure, all of them were so sure, and yet something was still telling me that they were wrong. Something inside me was telling me something bad was about to happen and no matter how many times he shouted at me, I couldn't shake that feeling.

"I have a really bad feeling about this Carson."

"Don't, you're stressing about nothing. I took his threat seriously and I did everything I could to make sure everything and everyone was safe." This time when I realised I wasn't going to be able to get through to him or convince him of anything, I just nodded my head. "Fine."

"There's no reason for you to be in a pissy mood."

"I'm not." When I narrowed my eyes at him, he only shook his head, leaning against the wall while I finished my food. When I finally stood up, I went to put my empty plate in the sink before I walked over to him.

"Were you serious about going to Mexico for New Years?" When I asked the question, I had to hide the hopefulness in my tone as best as I could.

I really did want to go, if I was invited of course, I loved the beach.

"No." When he shook his head, I just nodded my head before I went to take a step towards the door until he quickly grabbed my hand to stop me. "We're going somewhere else."

"What? Where?" When I turned to give him a frown, he just shook his head stepping closer to me. "That's none of your business."

"Oh." So it was just a mafia business trip.

"You'll be gone for New Year's Eve? It's our first one together, don't you want to spend it with me instead of working?" When I gave him a frown, he only shook his head as he let out a chuckle. "You're so slow sometimes. I meant me and you are going somewhere else."

"So how is that none of my business?" Am I the only one getting a headache from this conversation?

"Because it's not, all you have to do is pack your things and get on the plane." As he spoke he pulled me into his arms, nuzzling his face into my neck as he pressed a kiss to my skin. "But-"

"Sometimes you really do talk too much Dani."

"Not all the time." When I mumbled my response he lifted his head to give me a smile, pressing a kiss to my cheek.

"Come upstairs with me, I want to show you something."

"Now?"

"Mhm, let's go." Without giving me a chance to question him, he took my hand and pretty much dragged me up the stairs and to his room which we barely ever slept in anymore since we now had our own home.

"Why are we here?" Ignoring my question, he guided me over to the bed sitting me down on the edge before he disappeared into the closet.

"Why are you going into the closet? I asked you a question Carson." Of course he just ignored that too, instead rustling around in the closet before he finally returned with something behind his back and a smirk on his face.

"Guess what I found the other day?"

"What?" When I rose an eyebrow at him he finally revealed the bag that he was holding behind him, giving me a second to realise what it was.

Oh.

"You went through my things?" When I decided to go with anger instead of embarrassment, he just let out a laugh coming over to me. "You asked me to pack up your things, it's not my fault you forgot about it."

"Well, put it back."

"But then we'll miss out on all the fun." Flashing me a grin he looked inside the bag, taking out a few of the items.

"Carson stop, I didn't buy those." Standing up I tried to grab them from him but all he had to do was step away from me as he continued to look through them, commenting on them as he did.

"Carson stop!" This time when I tried to grab the bag he suddenly pulled me into him, pressing his lips to mine before he mumbled his next sentence against my lips. "You wanted a distraction? How about you let me do that for you."

I guess that works?

Holding his stare, it took me a moment before I gave him a smile as I reached out to take the bag from his hand. "Sure."

<<<<<<< >>>>>>> <<<<<<<

"You're leaving?"

"Oh...crap." When he heard my voice Carson stopped in his tracks, turning to face me in the dark room. "You were asleep and Grey texted to say he and Fox were having a drink and playing some video games so..."

"Go, it's okay. I'm going to take a shower anyway." Giving him a smile I sat up in the bed, holding the sheets to my bare chest as I watched him finishing getting dressed by putting his hoodie on. "I'll be downstairs in the basement then."

"Okay." Giving him one last smile when he came back to press a kiss to my cheek, I watched as he left the room before I finally got out of bed, grimacing when I felt the soreness between my legs.

Deciding to pick up all the toys first that ended up thrown on the floor, I tidied them up putting them safely away in the closet before I headed into the bathroom to take a shower.

Taking some time I had a peaceful shower, washing away the stress and the anxiety that I'd had all day whenever I thought about Ayden. I guess he was right, I was just overthinking it.

Once I was finished taking a shower, I changed into some comfy clothes and dried my hair before I left the room, heading down to the kitchen to get some water. The entire house was quiet as I walked through the hallways and down the stairs, stepping into the dark kitchen.

The moment I turned on the light a mixture of a scream and a gasp left my lips as I held my chest, feeling my heart pounding in my chest while I kept my eyes focused on the figure sitting at the table.

"What the hell are you doing in the dark?" When I pretty much shouted the words at her, Aviana turned to look at me with a frown while I flicked on the lights. "Hiding?"

"Yeah I kind of got that part, idiot. I meant, why?"

"Because I'm freaking the hell out Dani." When she said those words with wide eyes, I gave her a frown as I stepped inside noticing the way she was sitting with a huge tub of ice cream and a bottle of vodka.

"What happened?"

"Close the door." Holding her stare for a moment, I let out a sigh before I shut the door, heading over to where she was sitting at the table. "What's going on?"

"Ignacio asked me to marry him."

Holy crap.

Her words hung in the air as I stood there staring at her with wide eyes and an open mouth, definitely not expecting her to have said anything like that.

"Give me that." Reaching out I took the bottle of vodka, taking a gulp of it before I even had time to process what I was about to do. It was actually only when I felt the burning sensation in my throat that I realised it was the first time I'd ever drank vodka.

Well I guess this was a good enough time to do it.

"What do I do Dani? He told me over the phone that he needs to get married urgently before his grandma dies, it's her last wish to see him married. But Carson...he'll never let it happen."

"You have to talk to him Avi, you can't just hide it from him." Taking a seat next to her, I placed my hand on her back rubbing it soothingly when tears filled her eyes. "I don't know if I want to marry him Dani. I think I might love him...maybe, but I'm not ready for that kind of commitment and my head is telling me it's the wrong decision to even try to convince Carson that I want to do this."

"What is your heart telling you?" When I asked her the question in a soft tone, she gave me a frown, shaking her head. "It's telling me not to do it. That he's not the one."

"But, I thought you liked him? At least enough to get into a relationship with him knowing what the reaction would be from the guys." At this she only let out a sigh, twirling the spoon around between her fingers. "Can I be honest with you?"

When I nodded my head, she took a moment before she finally spoke. "Most of the guys I go for are scared of me, or at least of my affiliation with the mafia and with Carson. Ignacio is the only man who's ever made me feel like an idiot."

"You're attracted to him because he made you feel like an idiot?" When I gave her a weird look she quickly shook her head out of frustration. "No, I'm attracted to the fact that he didn't care who I was. He's nice and sweet and caring and he's good in bed, but I just don't feel a spark with him."

"Have you ever felt a spark before?" When I rose an eyebrow at her, she shook her head with a sad frown. "No, that's how I know he's not the one. It might sound stupid to you, especially because I'm always so tough on the outside, but I want a whirlwind romance. I want a guy to make me fall in love him within seconds, I want to know as soon as I meet him that he's the one. That he's my one."

A ghost of a smile tugged at her lips as she stared at the table, a longing expression crossing her face. She really was just a sweet girl at heart, even underneath all that mafia bitch facade that she so often hides behind.

"Like love at first sight?" At this she nodded her head turning to look at me. "Yeah, like that. Was it like that for you?"

"No, definitely not." When I shook my head I let out a laugh at the memory of Carson and I waking up in the van.

I still can't believe he told me to get off him, I really just love cuddling.

"When I first saw him I knew he was the most beautiful human being I'd ever seen, but it wasn't love at first sight. That developed over time - for me anyway." All she did was nod her head as it fell silent while she took another bite of her ice cream. "I can't tell you what to do Avi, but my advice would be to listen to your heart. Your mind is unreliable, one minute it'll tell you it's okay and then next it will tell you it's not. Your heart...those are your feelings, it's about how you feel - not the rest of us."

Nodding her head she sniffled a little as she brought the bottle of vodka to her lips, drinking a lot of it before she finally put it down.

"But who is the one then? Because I never thought I'd meet anyone and now...I'll be alone again Dani." Her voice broke as she spoke, resting her head on my shoulder as I rubbed her back. "You're not alone, you'll never be alone. Trust me when I tell you that the one, he'll come when it's time. Maybe he's already here, you don't know."

Of course she only scoffed at that.

"We both know he's definitely not." Shaking her head she pulled away from me, taking a few bites of the ice cream while I watched with a frown.

Didn't this girl ever hear of a brain freeze?

"I'm going to call him and tell him it's over then I'm going downstairs to drink away my sorrows."

"Avi are you sure now is the right time do that? Maybe you should wait until you're completely sober and maybe do it in person?"

"Why? He didn't ask me to marry him in person and, I'm completely aware of what I'm doing Dani. I'm not a baby like you, I can handle my drink."

Forcing a smile onto her face, she patted my arm before she left me in the kitchen sitting at the table with her bottle of vodka and the huge ice cream tub.

Letting out a sigh, I stood up with the intention of clearing up when the door to the kitchen opened again this time revealing Dallas.

"Oh...sorry..." When he came in his eyes were focussed on the odd combination of items on the table, before he gave me a weird look. "They're not mine, don't worry."

Flashing him a small smile I picked up the ice cream tub, heading over to the freezer to put it away while he kindly put the vodka away for me. "Thanks."

"No problem. Hey, have you seen Carson anywhere?" When he spoke I glanced over at him as I grabbed a glass to fill it with some water. "He's in the basement with Fox and Grey, why?"

"Oh, I was texting him and he didn't respond."

"He probably left his phone upstairs or something." When I shrugged my shoulders, my mind going back to all that we did earlier upstairs after dinner, he only nodded his head. "Oh okay, thanks. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Wait." When I stopped him from leaving, he turned to look at me again waiting for me to speak. "How are you?"

"What?" When he gave me a weird look he let out a laugh, stepping closer to me. "We haven't spoken in a while."

"Oh, I've been busy, but I'm good. How are you? I heard about what happened yesterday." When he gave me a small smile, I nodded my head letting out a breath. "I'm hanging in there I guess."

"Dani nothing is going to happen, everything and everyone, is secure." This time he gave me a reassuring look leaning against the counter. "This isn't the little leagues, when someone makes a threat we take it seriously and we make sure the security is tighter than Fort Knox. As long as everyone sticks to what they've been told, nothing will happen."

"Can we talk about something else? I know you're busy but just for a few minutes can-"

"Sure, what do you want to talk about?" When he gave me a smile cutting me off, I let out a sigh shaking my head. "Anything. Tell me how you met Carson."

"Oh you're going in deep, huh?" When he let out a laugh, I nodded my head while he jumped up onto the kitchen counter gesturing for me to do the same. Once we were both sitting down he let out a sigh.

"When I was 16 years old, I was involved with this street gang in New York. It was an accident, I got caught stealing from a shop that they were apparently going to rob themselves before I got there. The leader found me the next day and told me I owed him for all the money he lost when the police turned up before they could rob the store to get the money."

"So you ended up working for them?" When I asked the question he nodded his head. "Yeah, for a year I was 'in debt' to them. I did whatever they told me to do, which is kind of why I do the same here. I learned a lot, I guess on a smaller, less sophisticated scale in a gang instead of the mafia. But it was experience nonetheless."

When he said that I couldn't help but laugh. "What's so funny?"

"You got work experience before you joined the mafia." When I continued to laugh he took a second before he cracked a grin, nodding his head. "Anyway, one night I was told to go and sell a bag full of drugs - if I didn't they told me they would kill me. Of course I couldn't sell the whole lot in one night so the leader decided to pay me a visit in the alleyway I was working in. When he tried to kill me, Carson and Fox were passing by."

"They saved you?" At this Dallas nodded his head, letting out a breath. "I was so close to dying, he had a knife to my throat ready to slit it before Carson shot him. Once I told him what was going on and how old I was, he took me in. I came here and Fox pretty much turned me into his protégé. I can shoot someone without even looking now."

When he flashed me a proud grin I let out a laugh, nodding my head. "That's impressive."

All he did was shrug his shoulders just as his phone buzzed in his hand catching his attention. "I have to go, but we'll do this again sometime."

When he flashed me a grin he jumped down off the counter, helping me down too. Giving me a small smile, he left the kitchen probably to go and deal with whatever he just got texted about while I headed back upstairs now with the glass of water that I came down to get. Once I finally reached the bedroom again, I put the glass down when I heard the sound of a phone buzzing somewhere in the room.

Looking around, my eyes finally landed on Carson's jacket that was on the floor at the end of our bed. Letting out a sigh, I grabbed his jacket tossing it on the chair after taking his phone out, frowning when I saw the number of missed calls on his phone.

It was only when I went to check the rest of the notifications that it started ringing again, an unsaved number flashing on the screen. Letting out a breath I answered the phone as I made my way through the living room with the intention of taking his phone to him.

"Hello?"

"Hello?" When heard the female voice on the other side, I responded to her as I walked. "Who is this?"

For the next few moments I was aware of her speaking on the other side of the line, but the longer she went on, the more I felt like I was zoning out as I walked through the house. When she finally finished, I think I might have given her some kind of response to let her know I heard what she said, hanging up the phone as I reached the door to the games room in the basement.

For a second my movements faltered as I listened to the sound of the TV and their laughter through the door before I finally opened it, stepping into the room.

My eyes instantly landed on the three figures sitting on the couches, the three of them staring at the video games on the TV while Fox was the one with the remote control and some kind of headset on to talk to the other players. They had a couple of glasses of alcohol on the table, but it didn't seem like any of them were drunk.

"Dani come here." When Grey noticed my presence, he turned to look at me as gestured for me to come over to the couch with a smile. "Fox is getting obliterated by some kid who keeps swearing at him in Chinese."

"It's so freaking funny." When Carson let out a laugh, I stopped in my tracks taking in the scene in front of me.

They all looked so relaxed, so carefree. So happy.

"It's not funny, he's like 12 years old and he's calling me all sorts of things in Chinese." Of course Fox's words made them laugh again but all I could do was focus on him. "Carson..."

"Come here baby." When he gestured for me to come over to him, he gave me a smile which just broke my heart completely.

He should have listened to me.

"I just broke up with him and I'm ready to drink." When Aviana suddenly walked into the room, the three of them turned to look at her while she went over to get a bottle of alcohol. "You broke up with Ignacio? Why?"

When Fox spoke in confusion, turning his attention back to the game he was playing, she let out a sigh. "He's a bitch."

Shaking my head at the way she'd just taken all their attention, I turned back to look at Carson feeling the floods of emotions start to build inside me.

"C-can you turn that off?" As I stopped next to him, I didn't sit down on the couch instead turning to look at the TV screen. "Why? Babe sit down, it's just getting to the good part, Fox is going to beat that bitch and-"

"Carson please, I need to tell you something." This time when I spoke the desperation came through in my tone causing him to frown before he eventually nodded, grabbing the remote to turn the TV off.

"Hey what the hell man? I almost had that little Chinese bitch." Ignoring the way Fox was shouting behind me, I kept my eyes firmly focused on Carson who seemed more and more concerned by my silence as every second passed while I gripped his phone tight in my hand.

"Dani what's the matter?" The room was silent as they all looked at me, but I still just focused on Carson.

"I need to tell you something baby." As I spoke he stood up from his place on the couch reaching out to take my hand. "What is it?"

"Carson..." Standing there I couldn't find the words to say to him, every fibre of my being was telling me not to do it. Everything was telling me not to hurt him.

But I had to, I had no choice but to be the one to tell him.

"Carson I just got a call from the hospital...your mom and sister were in a car accident."

My words lingered in the air as a frown formed on his face while he sat there processing what I said. As each second passed a different emotion passed through his eyes, first confusion, disbelief, shock, worry, sadness, pain.

A pain that I knew better than anyone...a pain that would create a wound in his heart that would never heal after I told him the next few words.

"They died Carson."

My voice broke when those three words left my mouth as I stood there watching him slowly crumble to pieces in front of me. He didn't say anything at first, instead just dropping back down on the couch as he struggled to process what I said to him.

The rest of them were also silent in the background, but in that moment all my attention was on Carson. Dropping down to my knees in front of him, I felt my own tears well up in my eyes when I saw his eyes become glassy as he looked at me.

"They're dead?" His words came out barely above a whisper as I nodded my head, getting between his legs so that I could pull him into my arms. He didn't say anything else as I held him in my arms, feeling my tears silently fall down my cheeks as he remained still.

It took him a minute or so until he finally wrapped his arms around me, pulling me in tighter to his chest as he buried his face into my shoulder. Just by the way he was so tense I knew he was trying to control his emotions, something he was only doing because his friends were still there.

"Can you guys..." When I turned to look at them for the first time my sentence trailed off when I noticed they all had glassy eyes as they stared Carson and I in shock.

Of course I knew it would hurt them too, but my only concern was him.

Without a word Grey stood up from his place on the couch leaving the room when my eyes met Aviana's. I gave her a pleading look which seemed to cut through her shock when she turned to look at Fox who had his jaw clenched, staring at the floor straight ahead of himself.

"Fox let's go." She whispered the words to him as she stepped towards him catching his attention. It didn't take him long until he walked out, not even sparing her a glance while she followed close behind him closing the door behind herself.

The moment we were finally alone, I turned my attention back to Carson who was still holding so tightly on to me. There was nothing I could do except hold onto him, tightening my grip when his body shuddered with a sob followed by another and then another although he barely made a sound at first, until a moan of pain left his mouth.

My tears only flowed faster when I heard the pain in his cries as he slowly let go of the control he tried to hard to hold onto.

"They're dead Dani...my mama...my sister...Poppy is gone..." As his sentence trailed off it seemed like he was slowly starting to realise that it wasn't just his mother, but his sister too.

She was only 21 years old, she had so much life ahead of her. She was so young.

For the next few minutes he just sat there crying into my shoulder as I held him, burying my face into the thick material of the hoodie he was wearing. It could have been ten minutes, maybe longer, until he finally loosened his grip on me, pulling back just enough to see my face.

"Don't leave me Dani."

The look on his face when he whispered those words to me broke my heart when I saw the pain in his eyes that were red and puffy from the crying.

"I'm not going anywhere baby." For a moment he averted his gaze, seeming as if he'd lost himself in his thoughts before he let out another sob, this time much quieter than the last ones.

"I can't believe they're gone." And just like that his cries started all over again as I pulled him back into my arms wishing I could do something - anything to take away his pain.

But there was nothing I could do.

This chapter makes me so sad. I also can't believe I'm writing the epilogue right now but let me know if you want me to add a bonus chapter 👀 maybe I'm not so ready to let go of this book yet heh

Thank you for reading! Don't forget to vote and comment ❤️