▪︎ ᴍᴀʏ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴀɪɴ ᴛʀɪɢɢᴇʀɪɴɢ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ ▪︎



— ᴀ.s.

I looked at Xavier seeing him tense at Dante's words. His sudden change of demeanor brought a bunch of questions to me. 'What is happening? Did something happened?'

"There is another letter." Dante's voice snapped my attention back to him. His eyes diverted from Xavier to me and he sends me a soft smile. "Tesoro, you don't mind if I borrow him for a moment."

"N-no." I stuttered feeling my already warm cheeks get hotter. "I don't mind." I added after clearing my throat.

From the corner of my eyes, I caught Xavier rolling his eyes at Dante and stood up from his seat. Planning a kiss on Emiliano's he turned towards me.

"I'm gonna go with him. If you need anything yell or call me. We are gonna be in my office." Kissing my forehead he left the room with amused looking Dante trailing behind him.

"Mama.." Emiliano's little hands grabbed my face turning me to face him. "I.. I boom." His big blue eyes looked at me while his other hand rubbed his head.

"You hit your head when you fell?" He nodded leaning his head on my chest. Giving a light peck on his head I wrapped my arms around him leaning on the couch myself.



— x.ᴅ.ʀ.

_ _ _ _ _

Dear Pidaras, You can't keep her safe. You can't keep anyone safe. If you couldn't let me be happy neither will I let you. You took my happiness away from me and I shall take yours. And when I take it you will be on knees in front of me begging me to take you to, to kill you like a bliatz you are. But let me tell you, I won't end your suffering. Instead, I will kill everyone you ever loved right in front of your eyes, so you could feel at least a quarter of the pain I felt that day.

_ _ _ _ _

Squinting my eyes I looked at the letter in my hand feeling my teeth ground against each other. "Who?" I hissed switching my eyes on Dante in front of me.

"One of Aleksei's men." "Did you catch him?" "Yeah, we did. He's in the warehouse." He answered making my eyebrows shot up.

"Bene. I'm gonna go there now you stay here with Antea and Emiliano. The sooner we end this the better." I said turning to exit the office but got stopped by Dante's voice.

"I already called Moreno. He is waiting for you there." He said making me a nod before exiting.

. . .

"Where." Punch. "Is." Punch. "That." Punch. "Bastard." Punch. "Hiding."

I looked as Moreno beat the shit out of a guy who fell face-first on the floor from received punches.

"Do you need any help?" I asked pulling a chair closer to me so I could sit while watching him already knowing the answer.

"Nahh, I'm good." He hissed as he flipped the guy on his back and kicked him in his ribs. The guy hissed while grabbing his side with his broken fingers.

I have been here for almost three hours and the guy still didn't open his mouth. He received beatings, breaking bones but yet he still keeps his mouth sealed.

Unfortunately, I didn't bring any spare clothes so Moreno is the one doing all work. I'm in fear of Antea seeing me covered in blood, God knows that that's how it all started the first time. I'm scared of causing her to fear me and then losing her.

So instead of me inferring I'm just watching. Not my idea but Moreno's. Even if he doesn't say it I know that he cares for Antea and regrets the past, however, I also know that this beating gives him the satisfaction that he craves.

"Are you gonna speak?" Moreno said in an almost calm voice while grabbing an ax from the table in the corner of the room. The guy's almost closed eyes widen at his move and he started to push himself away towards other side of the room.

"I know that that bastard of yours loves to play games. So why don't we start one? Eh?" He asked as a sinister smile played on his lips.

"You love to cut people in pieces, right? So why don't we play something like.." he said and I knew exactly what he was referring to or better who.

"..umm I will ask you a question and in case you don't give me a good enough answer or I'm not impressed with it one of your parts must go. With what you usually start? Fingers right?"

I watched as the guy's face went paler and paler with every word that fell from Moreno's mouth and with every flip of a shiny ax in his hands.

"What is your name?" He asked giving the guy time to answer but after almost a full minute of silence, he squeezed the guy's arm under his boot and swung the ax cutting the whole palm off.

The guy screamed in pain and started to hit Moreno's leg trying to push him off of himself. Stepping back from his arm he watched as blood gushed out from his cut and hand hanging on little of his skin.

"Scusate, his sight these days isn't the best. When he sees Russian his eyes got blinded with... rage. This should've been only one finger but.. ehh mistakes happen." I said looking at guys rolling on the floor in a pool of his own blood.

"Exacly. For a second all I saw was red and boom you don't have a hand anymore." Moreno said sarcastically sending an apologetic smile guy's way.

Looking at the watch I stood up. "Are you alright by yourself here?" I asked on which Moreno gave a curt nod still looking at now unconscious body on the floor.

"I'm gonna head out then." "Okay. I'm gonna finish here, you can go to your wife." He said smirking my way. My brow shot up at his statement.

"Wife. My wife." I tried to taste the words on my lips, "That doesn't sound bad at all." I mumbled more to myself than to him but he heard me.

"You thought about that?"

"No." Shaking my head "I mean I did, but not in that context, I must admit I didn't think about it like that.." I said grabbing a handle and opening the door.

"Maybe you should." Was the last thing I heard from him as I stepped out of the room and closed the door after me. 'Maybe I really should.'

. . .

I leaned on the doorway of our bedroom and looked at Emiliano sleeping on Antea's chest while she lightly rubbed his back.

She didn't notice me at first because of the phone in her hands. However, soon enough she pressed the phone on her ear and lifted her gaze on me.

"Oh, you are here, I was just about-" she whispered pulling the phone from her at the same time my phone rings and her name popped out.

"Calling me?" I finished her sentence causing her to send me a shy smile.

"Yeah." Her voice came out as a whisper "You weren't home for a long time so.. I, umm.."

"Got scared for me." I said teasingly while bending over to pick Emiliano up in my arms.

"N-no." She shoots quickly "Umm, maybe. A-A little." She stuttered bringing a smile to my face.

"You really don't know how to lie, do you?" With that, I took Emiliano to his room. Getting back I took off my shirt but couldn't shake the feeling of eyes on me.

Turning towards Antea I watched as she pulled a comforter over herself and laid on the side waiting for me to get in. Smiling I slipped into the bed and slid closer to her.

"What happened?" She asked after a couple of moments of silence. Letting out a heavy sigh I pulled away a little so I could look at her face.

"We had some.. problems." "What kind of problems?" "Technical problems?" I said however that came out as a question causing a bubbly laugh to climb out of Antea's lips.

"No, really. What kind of problems?" "I don't know do you remember anything about that kidnapping that happened to you?"

"I remember only what you told me. Nothing else. I mean, how everything is going right now, I'm gonna probably remember, but later.." she trailed of scanning my face.

"Well, I told you that you were kidnapped but I didn't tell you anything else, did I?"

"No, you didn't. You told me only short lines, you didn't explain anything about that event."

"Do you feeling exhausted? If you don't I can tell you about that story now." I asked on which she nodded her head quickly.

"I'm not that tired I could listen to a story." She smiled at me.

"Bene. Well, I don't know where to start. The guy that kidnapped you was the guy my father was friend with. Our families were long-time friends and 'business partners'."

"I can't remember, what was his name?"

"Aleksei." I said feeling bitter flavor in my mouth only by saying his name out loud.

"I should start from the beginning." I said causing her to hum in response while sliding closer to me and putting her head on my shoulder.

"He had a daughter 20 years ago." I sighed as I slowly started to rub Antea's back.

"Had?" She asked curiously tilting her head upwards to look at me.

"Yeah. Aleksei and my dad were good friends back then, but after Izidora died.. he went crazy." "Izidora?"

"Mhmm.." I hummed bringing my other hand to run it through her dark hair. "She had a beautiful name. What happened to her?"

"She.. she had a car accident. We were best friends and would always spend time together. Izidora, Moreno, and me. One day.. we were only eight, we were still kids who want to play. So we decided to go to the park near home. Aleksei was at the time on some business meeting in Bulgaria and he ordered Izidora and her mother Natasha to stay in the house. However, we were dumb enough to somehow convince Izidora that she will be safe with us and that she doesn't need to be scared that we will protect her, just to come to play with us... so she snuck out. On her way to our secret place, where we would usually play she.." I stopped myself clenching my jaw then with a groan continued.

"Ugh, a car hit her. It was hit and run. She never came to us. When Aleksei came to know about that he immediately returned back and after seeing her body, he.. he just lost it. He burned his wife alive while sitting and watching her scream in agony. He blamed her for not taking good care of Izidora. Then he turned against us. He blamed me and Moreno for what happened. And to be honest I blamed myself also. He wanted to kill us, both of us, for what we caused, but my dad stepped in between us. He protected us and that was a moment when Aleksei swore that he will never let me be happy. After some time he blew one of our warehouses on the north side. Since then he.. he makes my life hell. Not just mine but Moreno's also. Moreno had a baby sister-"

"Had? Is she also.." Antea trailed off.

"Sh-she is dead. Aleksei killed her. He likes to play games. He was able to kill a person without even touching him, he will break you from inside that you will.. just want to die." I said looking at her remembering everything that I put her through because I was dumb. Because I didn't look at the whole picture.

"How's that he didn't do anything to me or Emiliano?" She asked but if only she knew. If only she knew that his game was far bigger in her case.

"He wasn't there with you guys the whole time. He just met you and the rest was a game to make me go insane." I said kissing her forehead.

After that, we fell into silence yet again which wasn't broken until a couple of minutes later when I heard soft puffs coming from beauty next to me.

Softly not to wake her up I put my hand on her stomach feeling the little kick on my palm. That little movement brought a smile to my face faster than anything.

"I'm gonna protect you, all three of you. I'm not gonna let anyone neither anything hurt you." I said placing another kiss on her head before I myself closed my eyes drifting into a sleep.