Chapter 15 at your service :)

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The day's events flew by very quickly. After finally being granted the much needed shower, albeit with the door wide open and patrolled by Carter, with little but the shower curtain to cover her womanly features, Stephanie felt like a new woman. Her golden hair glowed and draped softly over her shoulder, curling at the ends. Not to mention she smelt fabulous, the work of a soft sponge and the summer coconut body gel being put to good use. Her skin had never felt more smoother, and her face glowed from the good cleansing.

After a time consuming lesson with Mike, who tried to teach her how to answer more mathematical problems, her brain had finally given up with an almighty headache.

The few times she'd seen Drake, he'd been smoking to his hearts content. The toxic clouds of smoke reminded her of her father, and memories she wished not to relive had flashed before her eyes.

Protests for her to be un-kidnapped had fallen on deaf ears, with Drake muttering, "Smettila, bellissima."

The horrible sound of Justin Bieber's 'Baby' singing promptly cut off more attempts of begging.

Night had fallen rather quickly in the peculiar household. After a fine dinner of lasagne, Mike had ran to the toilet, his stomach protesting loudly as he went. Luna was putting a sleepy Archie in his crib, Drake was God only knows where, and Carter sat with his head buried in a Harry Potter book, the sounds from his earphones bouncing off the four corners of the walls.

So it was no surprise to her when Carter didn't notice her cradling what she hoped was an Italian dictionary, which she found nestled between a recipe book and a Hunger Games book.

The television flashed brightly across from her, an Italian woman speaking at the pace of a cheetah the only other sound in the room. Stephanie flicked page after page, her brows scrunching in determination as she searched for the word she was looking for.

It took her a while to find the section she desired. She had no clue how to pronounce most of the words she read. Her mother had understood enough Italian to watch countless series of her favourite show in the language, but Stephanie had been too young to learn it.

However, she was fluent in sign language, which her mother had taught her when she was older. The corners of her lips tugged into a small smile as memories of her loving mother flashed before her.

Stephanie's finger trailed down the page, her lips forming the word as she determinedly searched for it.

Her eyes scanned the list of words, slowly creeping closer to its inevitable destination.

She turned the page. There, at the top of the page, stood the translation she had so desperately wanted to know-

"Stephanie Cain!"

She nearly leaped out of her body, the call startling her. She looked behind her, her eyes roaming the room, but not one thing had changed. Carter still sat happy as Larry with his book and music. She half expected Drake to be leaning against the doorway like he always did, but she could only see darkness as far as her eyes could travel.

Her brows knotted in confusion. Who had called out her name so loudly?

She slowly turned around, a chill running down her spine. She looked down at the dictionary again, this time with disinterest.

Out of the corner of her eye, the television screen flashed its bright light. She peeked under the hood of her dark eyelashes, and what she saw quite literally whipped the breath out of her.

There was no trace of the Italian woman that had stood speaking just a few moments ago. Her heart beat faster as she peered at the bright screen, for what appeared before her very own eyes was a picture of herself.

It was an awful picture of her, taken about a year ago when she had first started in a new school. The weather in the morning had been awful, and the traffic hadn't been much better. This resulted in the make-up she had so delicately applied to be peeling off her face in spots, her wet foundation running down her neck. Her newly dyed blonde hair wasn't left out in the torture, as it stuck up in all the wrong places and was wet to the scalp. The teachers had insisted on taking the photo, informing her it was completely necessary.

She glanced at her eyes, tinged with redness that slipped through the remnants of black eyeliner. Dull blue specs, filled with a thousand secrets and so full of sorrow that she was taken back.

To her surprise, she wasn't the only person on the screen. She gasped loudly, locking onto the person who's clothes she was dressed in, the person who had heartlessly kidnapped her from her apartment, the person who constantly took every moment to step on her toes, who smelled so gloriously of coconuts.

It was a grainy photo, most likely taken years ago. Drake's features were barely recognisable, but the dark locks gave him away, as well as the subtle smirk. He appeared so young and innocent, that she almost thought she was hallucinating.

There was no question about it when she saw his full name, Drake Costello, beneath his photo. If it was any other moment, she would've danced in delight for finally figuring out his second name, but her thoughts were elsewhere, jumbled up, wired, and about to detonate.

A deep voice was reporting in Italian, which she clearly wasn't fluent in. However, someone had so epicly added a sentence she understood below the Italian headline.

Drake Costello, notorious Mafia leader, suspect in the kidnapping of Stephanie Cain.

The sentence sent her mixtures of great warmth, and great dread. Hope budded in her veins and blossomed like a spring flower, images of being saved flashing before her eyes, as well as kicking Drake where the sun surely doesn't shine as he's arrested.

This hope quickly died, as she read over the statement again. Goosebumps dotted across her skin, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up as her blood ran cold. Drake Costello, a man she lived under the same roof with, was not only apart of the Mafia, but also the leader! She shivered from the thought. He was heartless, cold and ruthless, and yet sometimes a caring side poked out, like when he bandaged her foot.

Perhaps the news had it wrong? What would the leader of the mafia want with a mere sixteen year old?

The screen was suddenly engulfed with blackness, causing her to jump in her seat.

She slowly turned around, her eyes locking onto the one person she didn't want to see. Fear coursed through her veins, her heart pumping harder and hands beginning to dampen with sweat.

♡

Now have 1.11K reads. Thank you so much to everyone who read, voted, commented and added this book to a reading list!

^ This is past me! I really appreciate how far this book has gone.

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Anyway, have a lovely day!

Later alligators!

A xxxx