Thank you to @CrazySenior99 for requesting me to vote. Readers like you make me want to continue writing. Thank you.

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"Get your fucking hands OFF of me!! Explain to me what the hell happened." I whisper, with the knife still to my throat.

Alejandro's hands dropped. Both males stepped away from each other and me.

I point to Alejandro. "You! What did you mean Mafia Queen? And How did you meet Issy?"

"I meant what I said. I am the mafia leader, King, if you will. Mel was my bride. She was the Mafia Queen. She was my Queen. She killed herself because they were coming after your family if she didn't give herself up to our enemy. If she did, however, she would have been tortured and she would never have been the same person. So now she's dead...," Alejandro finally broke down and crumbled.

Both Soren and I raced forward and caught him and sat him down on the lounge.

"Your turn. Don't think you get off scottfree because we are dating. Or were. I still haven't decided yet." I looked to Soren.

He sighed dejectedly. "I knew what she was getting into. I never stopped her because.... because I was part of this too. I'm lucky I got away without scathing. They let me go and leave because I couldn't handle anything after Melissa died. Since I was just an errand boy, they let me leave. I fell into such a depression, but the moment I saw you, I felt my world light up again. I realized I missed you and that I liked you." Soren whispered.

"I'm sorry you found out this way... I do like you and I never wanted anything like this to happen... but you weren't happy and that's what I want. I want your happiness so I told you about this," he waves his hands around, gesturing to Alejandro and what the Leone family really does.

"How touching, but now that she is here," Alejandro points to me, "she can't leave. She couldn't keep the secret. She'd tell her parents and the cops. She's a little too trigger happy when it comes to tattling. She either joins us, or dies. She knows some things that we can't let the Russians get ahold of. They also most likely already know about her, too, so it would be unwise of her to go home to her parents. They could show up bag her, and kill Regina and Robert." Alejandro states.

"No please. We can't let her do this. What will happen if they ask for her? We either hand her over or go to war. We can't afford to go to war, but we can't let the Russians have Kyra. They'd torture her or sell her off as one of their whores. Please." Soren starts to beg.

"I don't tattle, thank you. I want to see what I can do to help you," I turn to Alejandro. "I want to avenge Melissa's death. She didn't deserve to die and she definitely didn't deserve to be caught up in this bullshit."

Alejandro smiles. "Meet me here tomorrow. Bring your lap dog," he points to Soren. "Or not. Training starts at 9 AM. Be here at 8."

Soren looks terrified.

"Let's go." I turn to walk out.

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By the time we leave the club, it's empty. The people have left.

"Please tell me you aren't actually serious?! You could end up dead or raped or tortured. If any of those ever happened to you, I'd never forgive myself. Please reconsider. Please go tell him you don't want to do this." Soren begs me as I start the car.

"Don't tell me you're worried now. You should have been worried when you guys even considered joining. Now my sister is dead and I feel half empty without her. I feel like a piece of me is missing." I put the car into reverse and start to back out of the parking lot.

Before I can get out of the parking lot, a van pulls in, blocking the exit.

Two men pull the side door open, with guns in their hands.

They start shooting at my car. I shove Soren out his side and crawl out on his side. We hide behind the car. When the bullets stop raining down, we jet for the doors.

The moment, we reach the doors and try to open them, we realized they were locked behind us. The men realize that and start coming closer. One shoots his gun and misses his true target, but grazes my arm. I gasp and start banging on the door with my arm that wasn't shot.

Soren moves his body to cover mine and starts to bang on the door with me. I'm assuming the noise we were making finally got Alejandro's attention because he rushed into the lobby area of the club and pulled the doors open, after quickly unlocking them.

Suddenly he pulls a handgun out if his waist band and starts to fire at the men who were still advancing on Soren and I.

Once we were inside the building, Alejandro pulls both doors closed and  closes the curtains to block the mens' view.

"Go upstairs. Don't come out till I personally come and get you," he pulls out another gun and hands it to Soren, "you go with her. Make sure she stays safe. Both of you need to stay safe."

"We can't leave her. She has a wound. It could get infected."

"Well thank God we serve alcohol. Go grab some vodka. Take her upstairs. You need to stitch her up."

Soren races behind the bar, grabs a bottle and comes back around and pulls me upstairs.

The strain from going up the stairs quickly and losing blood had me passing out.

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When I wake up, it's because there is a searing pain in my arm and there is horrific screaming.

It takes me a second to realize that that screaming is me and the stinging pain is the alcohol being poured onto my bullet graze.

I open my eyes and see Soren with tears in his eyes and the vodka in his hand.

He hands me the bottle and tells me to drink.

"It will numb the pain."

I take a rather large gulp with no hesitation.

I pass out again.

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X Dani