I stumble down the stairs and almost trip over my own feet. 'Cataleya!'

Whoever is on the other side of the front door, is going to wish they were dead.

It's barely six in the morning and someone decided to wake me up by slamming on my door.

'Cataleya!' The closer I get, the more I recognize the voice.

It's Noah.

But why the fuck is he slamming on my door at six in the fucking morning. 'Open up sleepy head!'

He continues to knock on the door, making me groan as I stretch a little. 'I know you're up already!' 'If you don't shut your mouth, I'm going to fucking-' I trip over a pillow laying on the floor and slowly get back up.

Why the fuck- Isabelle is laying on the couch. I don't remember her going down before I went to bed, but she's laying on the couch, sleeping peacefully even though Noah is banging on the door like a maniac.

I head to the little panel on the wall and type in the code, before heading to the door.

'Finally! Why are you not ready yet?' He asks, brushing past me and looking around the place as if he has never seen it before. 'Noah, get the fuck out and let me sleep.'

I walk back to the stairs and climb back upstairs.

But Noah runs ahead and shakes his head when he's on top of the stairs, looking down at me.

'You said you were going to run with me if I couldn't find Hunter, so come on.' I shake my head and walk past him, straight to my room.

But, Noah being Noah, he follows me and heads towards my closet while I climb back into the, now cold, bed.

'Can you just-' 'You said you would go on a run with me, don't leave me hanging.' He says, throwing some leggings and a shirt my way. 'It's not even six in the morning, please go back to bed.'

He shakes his head and pulls me out of bed, making me drop on the floor, and sighs deeply. 'Get your lazy ass up.'

'I'm going to fucking kill you.' I groan as I climb onto my feet, glaring at Noah.

He smiles proudly and points at the clothes he placed on the bed. 'Put those on. I'll be waiting downstairs.'

'I'm still going to kill you.' I say, grabbing the clothes as I head towards the bathroom. Noah chuckles and heads to the door, 'You have to catch me first.' he says, before winking and leaving me to change.

I quickly jump into the clothes he picked out and brush my teeth, before tying my hair up and looking at myself in the mirror.

Day four.

The last day of staying on Blue Island.

Unless it's not safe yet, which I still have to talk to Hunter about, or unless I don't want to go.

But I want to go.

If that's even an option.

If not, I just might stab Hunter again.

If I can even find him.

He's been out of my way since we arrived, leaving whenever I entered a place, not even looking at me as he walked past me.

He has been avoiding me, exactly like I told him to.

I decide to head down the hall, since Noah is waiting and all.

'Took you long enough.' He says as I step out the front door. I put my middle finger in the air and smile at him, 'Shove it up your ass.'

'That's not a nice thing of you to say.' He says, pouting a little as he starts stretching his legs a little. 'I should kill you for waking me up this early.'

The sun is already shining, but it's not as hot as it has been the past few days. But that's because it's morning. I think.

'Let's see if you can keep up, shall we?' Noah grins as he starts walking backward, towards a trail that circles around the island.

'I'm going to fucking kill you.' He laughs and starts running, making me run after him as if this is some kind of game.

I know that's what he was trying to do, and I can't even blame him for it. Because I'm falling right for that trap.

'Keep up.' He shouts over his shoulder, moving faster and faster as I try to keep up.

I follow him through the forest, jumping over stones and branches on the ground, almost tripping over my own feet.

But I almost catch up to him and he spontaneously turns to the left, away from me.

I grunt and run after him, up a hill, until he suddenly stops and turns to me. 'We're going to run up there and jump, keep up!' Jump?!

I stop to catch my breath and keep my eyes on the still running Noah.

If he's really going up that mountain and jump, he's going to die. 'Noah, what are you-' I can't catch my breath because of the distance we already ran and try to keep up a little.

'Noah!' He ignores me and continues to run up the mountain, finally stopping at the end. 'Noah, do not-' 'Come on, it will be fun!' He moves to the edge, facing me, and smiles widely.

'Do you want to die!?' He rolls his eyes, winks at me, and leans back, freefalling down.

'Noah!' My heart starts racing and I almost scream for help. Not that anyone will hear because everyone is still asleep. I run up to the edge and look down, watching him as he lands into the little pond down there.

He swims up and starts shouting before swimming to shore. 'I'm going to kill you!'

'Jump down!' He shouts, looking up at me. I take a deep breath and shake my head, no way am I jumping down. 'No thanks.' 'You'll be fine!'

I walk down the path, run towards his side of the pond, and catch my breath again. 'You know, you're really out of shape if you're tired already.' We've been running for fifteen minutes!? 'You know what, I wish the pond was empty.'

His eyes widen as he shakes his head, making me wet because of his hair. 'Remind me to never do this with you again.'

'Oh, we're not done yet.' 'What?!' He starts running again, smiling at me. 'Keep up Leya!'

Instead of heading back to the house, instead of taking a shower and never trusting Noah with stuff like this again, I follow.

Not because I don't have any other choice, but because I kind of like the feeling.

The feeling of running free, the feeling of getting to a certain point on my own.

The thrill of running after him.

It's fun.

This is fun.

And it feels kind of wrong that I'm liking it so far.

'So you're not as lazy as I thought.' Noah says, running backward, almost crashing into a tree. 'Wait till I get my hands on you, you asshole!'

'Catch me if you can!' He's running towards the other side of the island. The side has only one building with a mountain behind it.

The cave.

Isabelle told me that this is where they train. She wouldn't let me go inside, because Hunter and Noah were going to fight something out or something, but it made me curious.

'Noah!' He's too far to hear me and runs as if something is running after him.

Technically, I am running after him, but I'm not actually going to hurt him. I try running faster so that he can at least hear me. 'Noah!'

Noah stops and continues to run in one place.

He turns around and wipes the sweat off his face. 'Can we go in there?' I point at the building that I wasn't allowed in before and wait for him to answer.

'Why would you want to go in there? It reeks of sweat and blood and it's the most horrendous place on the island.' I ignore him and head towards the building anyways.

He didn't say I wasn't allowed to go.

'Cataleya I truly don't think that it's a good idea to-' I run towards the big door and pull on them, almost falling when they finally open.

Noah rushes after me as I peek inside, taking in the indeed disgusting scent that flows into my nostrils.

A mix of sweat, urine, and rust, which is probably blood.

'Cataleya!' His voice echoes through the empty hall that I'm walking through, leading to another big door. I open it and notice all the sunlight shining through the windows on the roof.

The entire room is filled with workout equipment, from boxing rings to weights, boxing bags, cross-trainers, and all kinds of shit you find in the gym.

'Why do you even go for a run when there's this?' I take a good look, feeling something wash over me as I step further into the room.

It doesn't seem to end, as if it's carved into the mountain behind it, which it probably is.

'This place is huge!' 'It's also not a place where you go for fun.' He says, trying to get me back to the door by blocking my way forward.

I roll my eyes and swiftly move past him to see someone hitting a boxing ball.

Each punch is hard and calculated. As if he's trying to break the ball. As if he's picturing his worst enemy's head as his target.

As if he's ready to kill.

But it doesn't scare me away. It pulls me closer in a way. A way I can't describe.

The man doesn't look afraid. And he shouldn't be.

He could kill someone in a second with those punches.

I want that.

Not the killing part, but I want to be able to defend myself like that.

I want to be able to live my life like a normal person, without having to fear for my life or the people around me.

I want to be able to walk around and defend myself when needed. To feel free.

The closer we get, the more I realize that the guy is seriously hitting the bag with all the anger he has.

And I also start to recognize the guy. Because it's Hunter.

Sweat drips down his back, making his back muscles shine in the sunlight, and I keep my eyes on him.

On his arms as his muscles tense every time he hits the bag with pure rage and perfection.

Punch after punch after punch, pure accuracy.

'You have an audience, Hunt.' Noah chimes as he walks closer himself. I stay put and watch as Hunter continues to punch the bag with all his strength, not caring about a thing Noah just said.

Not caring about his audience.

And I feel a bit of jealousy creep up inside of me.

He doesn't care. Because he can.

He's allowed to not give a shit because he can take care of himself. He can protect himself from whatever it is that will block his way.

Most of it.

'You like the view, little bee?' Hunter says, pressing a towel against his sweaty face.

I shake my head and watch a bit closer as he unwraps some kind of fabric from his knuckles. 'I thought you said you couldn't find him?' I ask, turning to Noah. He shrugs and smiles as he throws a bottle of water my way.

I catch it and take a quick sip, feeling the ice-cold water running down my throat.

It's exactly what I needed. 'I didn't know he would be here already.'

'Already done running, Noah?' Hunter asks, moving closer to us.

He leans against the bands, circling the big mat he's on, and smirks at Noah, before quickly glancing at me.

'No, but your little bee didn't want to go for the other half of the run and decided to run in here.'

I roll my eyes and look around again, hearing them bicker about something that happened yesterday, before turning back to them.

'Noah, could you leave us for a second?' I turn to Noah and look at him with a warning look. He knows I don't want to be left alone with Hunter. 'I can't. Sorry.' He says, smiling at Hunter, who rolls his eyes and steps back to the bag.

'But I'll sit over there, so you two can talk.' Noah says as he walks to the other side of the room.

Just as I'm about to run after him, Hunter throws something onto the ground, making me look at it.

It's the exact same thing that he was just wearing around his knuckles, but they look new. 'Put those on and get up here.'

'No. I'm not doing that.' I want to though. I really do.

'Just come up here, Cataleya.' I stand my ground and keep my eyes on his.

This is actually the first time he's talking to me in three days and this is how he wants to start our first conversation? By forcing me up there with him?

'You want to, admit it.' 'Fuck off.' I walk to a bench near the platform and take a seat, keeping my eyes on Hunter as he starts hitting the bag again.

Fist after fist after first, perfect hit without making a mistake.

'Did I do something wrong?' He asks after a few minutes, before hitting the bag again. 'Yes. Lots of things actually.'

He grunts and hits again, before turning to me. 'Like what?'

'Do you really want me to list all the things again?'

He goes silent and takes a seat on the edge, his feet dangling in the air as he looks at me. 'What's your problem?'

If he really wants to go there, we could go there.

'You.' He rolls his eyes and jumps onto the ground, walking over to me. 'Really?'

'Yes, really.' The closer he gets, the more I want to lean back.

He stinks.

As if he hasn't showered in weeks.

But I stay put. Watching as a single droplet of sweat rolls down his face, onto his hard chest. 'Eyes up here, little bee.'

'Shut the fuck up.' I tilt my head to look up at him and slowly stand up, realizing that he's closer than I thought.

'What's your deal with me then?' He asks, stepping back a little. 'I don't trust you.'

'But you trust my men,' He says, folding his arms across his chest as he looks at Noah, who's watching something on his phone, not even paying attention to us, 'you trust Noah.'

'I don't trust anyone.' I say, trying to sound as honest as possible.

I trust people, just not his people. And the people I do trust are not here.

'Good to know.' He walks past me and takes a sip of a bottle of water that he grabbed from god knows where.

I walk over to Noah and push him a little, almost making him drop his phone before he looks at me. 'Are you two done eye-fucking each other?'

'I should still kill you.' He smiles proudly while shaking his head.

'Noah, train with her for a few hours. See what she can do, only if she wants to, and then come have breakfast at my place.' Hunter says as he grabs a bag and walks past us, towards the door, 'And little bee, you should come too. We could talk about your... Decision.'

'We can talk about that right now-' He turns around and shakes his head. 'Fourteen more hours, little bee.' And he's gone.

He's so annoying.

Without saying another word, Noah jumps to his feet and walks over to the mat, climbing on top of it as he grabs one of those knuckle wrappers.

'I know you want to at least try.' He chimes, waiting for me to get on there as well. This time I do, grabbing the wrappers to take a good look at them. 'How would you know?'

'Because I know that look in your eyes.' Look? He steps closer to me and unfolds the wrappers, before grabbing my wrist, 'I was like that as well.' Oh?

I let him show me how to do it because I actually want to do this. 'You're hungry for protection.' He looks into my eyes as he wraps the fabric around my hand effortlessly.

It's just something to protect my knuckles a bit, to make sure I don't break something that easily, but it feels so empowering when he's done.

'So let's teach you how to protect yourself, right?' He steps back, grabbing some pads, before putting them on.

I step closer, keeping my eyes on him, my heart racing like crazy. 'No gloves?' 'You don't need them.'

He slaps the pads together, letting a loud noise echo through the room, before he looks at me again, smiling a little.

'Hands have to cover your cheeks at all times,' He almost smacks himself with the pads as he shows me what to do, 'Never stop moving, especially with a bigger opponent. You're small, use that to your advantage.'

He lunges forward, bumping straight into me, almost making me fall back, but I find my balance and glare at him.

Noah simply chuckles as he slams the pads against each other again. 'Keep moving.'

He places his right foot first, and jumps onto his left foot, before jumping back onto his right, continuing the same movement to show me how to keep moving.

'Jumping?' He nods, lunges at me again, but this time I step out of the way. 'Think quick, little hops, swift movements.'

I try mimicking him, but fail miserably, and keep my fists near my face as he lunges again. I keep moving, bouncing from left to right like some idiot, but he doesn't touch me.

'Good, keep moving.' He stops and watches as I keep hopping like some stupid bunny.

It must look weird, but it feels... Good.

'One is a straight right.' He punches the air with his right fist, putting power in it even though he's not touching anything. 'Two is a straight left.' He makes the same movement as before, just with his left arm.

I stop hopping around and watch as he does them one after the other. 'One, two, one, two.'

He suddenly stops and looks at me. 'Who told you to stop moving?' He asks, frowning a bit.

'It's exhausting.' I admit, my legs feel like they're about to give in already and I hate them for it, but I'm not giving up yet. 'Start jumping.'

He looks at my feet and waits for me to move again. I decide to do it, to keep moving as he said, and leap from left to right again.

'Every time you strike, make sure to keep your thumb outside, otherwise, you might break it.' He does the fists again. One, two, one, two. 'Put all your power in your wrist and arm, not your fingers.'

I nod, taking in all the information as I leave my thumbs out of my fist and keep moving from left to right. 'Try it.'

He holds the pads in the air and nods at me. 'Two.' I shove my left fist against the right pad and feel something rush through me.

Strength.

'Move back.' He says, lunging forward as I step back a little. 'Keep moving.'

And I do.

'One, two.' I shove my right, then my left fist into the pads with all my strength and keep moving when I pull back.

'Keep your hands at your head, but good.' He lowers his hands and keeps walking around, keeping his eyes on my feet. 'Lighter.'

'What?' I ask, panting like crazy.

'Keep your hands,' He pushes his pad against my hand and gives it a little shove, hard enough to make me stumble to my left, 'at your head.'

I nod and keep my hand close to my face. 'Three is a right hook, four is left.' He moves quickly punching the air again, his arms angled to hit someone from the side instead of the front.

'Keep your elbows out, and quickly pull back in.' I nod and try mimicking him again, but he has to correct me, pushing my arm in the right shape. 'Ninety-degree angle. Power.'

'Now five is up right, six is up left.' He punches the air again, this time hitting it up, first right then left. 'Seven is kicking right, eight kick left.'

He steps back, keeping his hands covering his face, and kicks the air, before leaping back and forth. He doesn't kick straight forward, no, he kicks diagonally. As if he's trying to slice someone across their body, from waist to arm.

I stare at him with wide eyes and wonder how he didn't fall, before leaping around. He chuckles to himself and keeps his eyes on me. 'Now last. Nine is your right knee, ten is your left.'

'Okay.' He smiles and smacks the pads against each other before placing his feet firmly on the ground. 'Ready?' I think so.

I want to see what I can do, I want to feel how strong I can be.

'Yes.' We both start moving around, circling around each other like predator and prey.

And for the first time, I don't feel like the prey.

Because I'm not.

I'm the one who's going to hit him, hurt him as much as I can, not the other way around.

'One, four, five, eight.' One. I shove my right fist against the left pad and try to keep moving around. Four... What was-

He steps forward, bumping into me with all his power, making me fall onto the ground since I wasn't expecting it.

'You asshole!' I sneer, groaning because my ass hurts. He smacks the pads together and continues to circle around me. 'Think fast.'

I jump back on my feet and start leaping around again, keeping my eyes on the asshole in front of me. 'Again. One, four, five, eight. Go.'

I shove my right fist against the left pad and draw my hand back to my face, before angling my left arm at a ninety-degree angle and shoving my fist against the right pad.

He slams me in the face, making me stumble back as the world starts spinning for a second. 'Hands at your head.' He sneers, making me want to spit on him.

'You're a piece of shit.' I say, trying to get my balance back.

'Keep moving. Try again.' I grunt as I start leaping around again, jumping around him for a while, before readying myself.

'One,' I shove my right fist into the pad and immediately pull my hand back, keeping my eyes on his hands. 'four.' The left hook with less power than before, but faster than last time, this time covering my face before he tries to hit me again.

He nods proudly and smiles before stepping closer, making me jump out of the way. 'Five.'

Noah nods proudly and holds his hand out with the pad downward, allowing me to shove it right up there.

I ball my right fist and slam up, almost hitting myself in the process, but quickly pull my hand back to cover my face.

'And eight.' He angles his arms in a way that would catch the hit when I kick him, but I hold back for a second, finding the right way to place my feet.

I saw how he did it, but there's no way I'll be able to do that without falling on my ass again.

He notices I'm struggling and smacks the pads together. 'Fast, Cataleya.'

I roll my eyes, keep my hands at my head and kick, almost falling when he pushes my leg back down.

He lunges at me, making me move around again and keep my eyes on him.

We're back to circling around each other like animals. Predator and prey.

'Another one,' He smacks the pads together and stops moving, 'Eight, two, three, nine.'

I kick with my left leg, trying to stay on my feet as I keep my hands at my face and keep moving as he said. My left fist clashes against the pad that he's already keeping in the right place and I immediately pull it back, ducking under his arm coming for my face.

'Well well, look at you.' I roll my eyes and go for the right hook, slamming it so hard that my hand hurts, but not in a bad way.

'Now nine.' Just as I'm about to shove my knee into his stomach, he grabs my leg and keeps me on one leg, almost making me fall. 'Try again, quicker, and pull my head closer so that I won't be able to move.'

He lets go of me and places the pads on his stomach, smiling at me. 'As hard as you can.'

I nod and shove my knee against his stomach, pulling his head down, and putting all my strength on my knee.

He grunts when my knee touches the pads, as if they're not there at all, and tries to push me away, but I keep him close, making him grin.

Just as I'm about to ask him why he's smiling, he licks my shoulder, making me push him back as I look at him. 'What the fuck-' 'Don't hold someone for that long, they could bite.'

'And you had to lick me?!' He nods proudly and smacks the pads again, before leaping around again. 'Another one.'

He gives me a bunch of combinations and it doesn't take me long to keep moving and keep my hands near my face.

The only problem is that I'm not as powerful as I thought I was. I mean, it feels amazing to do this, to fight back with all I have, but I can tell that Noah is holding back. He could still destroy me if he wanted to.

But when he finally decides that he hit me, shoved me, and made me fall on my ass enough times, I am so grateful for the cold bottle of water that's stored in a tiny fridge on the other side of the room.

'Was it fun?' He asks, basically laughing at me while I almost chug the entire bottle in one go. 'I didn't know you could be such an asshole.' I say between gulps. 'In here I'm an asshole, outside I'm nice, and in the sheets, I'm a monster.'

I throw the empty bottle at him and roll my eyes. 'You're so full of yourself.' 'And you smell like shit, so I suggest we go take a shower before we head to breakfast, okay?'

I shove him to the ground and climb off the mat, heading straight to the door. 'Remind me to never talk to you again!'

'You love me already!'

I make my way back to the house, feeling something rush through me.

Some kind of power or something. Rushing through my veins like blood.

I want to do that again, even though I'm ready to collapse any second now, I want to learn more.

My stomach starts rumbling as I make my way back into the house, seeing Isabelle still sleeping on the couch.

I sneak up the stairs and undress, before taking a quick shower.

I put on a blue dress, that has a deep cut and a skirt that will certainly flare in the wind.

My reflection in the mirror looks different than it did this morning, but that might be my imagination. As if my mind is playing games with me.

I head down the stairs and bump into Isabelle on the way. She's already dressed, wearing a pink skirt that's tight around her waist and thighs, with a white top.

'Let me guess, Noah dragged you out of bed this morning?' She asks, pulling me to the front door. 'How the hell did you sleep through all of that?'

'It takes years and years of practice.' She chimes as she heads towards her white Range on the driveway. 'But you look exhausted.'

'I just want to eat and hang by the pool the entire day.' I sigh as I climb into the passenger seat. She chuckles and starts the car, driving down the road headed towards one of the other houses on the island. 'Then that's what we'll do.'

When we make our way to the other house, I take it all in again.

I've only been here when Isabelle gave me the tour on the second day.

It's the same house as the one I'm staying in, just bigger. The last time we walked past it. Today we're going in.

'They don't bite.' She jokes, waiting by the door for me. I smile and walk after her, straight to the dining room, which is already filled with people.

'Adam, Jordan, Damian and Ben.' Isabelle chimes as she points at the other men in the room. They all look at me and smile. All except the second one.

Jordan.

'This is Cataleya, now stop staring and continue with whatever you were doing.' Isabelle says as she jumps into one of the chairs.

I stay by the door and look at all of them. The first one, Adam, has black hair and pale skin. He looks like he is more of a silent watcher, unlike the others.

'We don't bite.' 'Unless you want us too.' Noah chimes, smirking at me. 'You are still a piece of shit.'

'At least you don't smell like one anymore.' He says, smiling as he looks at the empty chair on his left.

Since I only really know him and Isabelle, I move towards the empty seat and lower myself into it.

Jordan, who's still looking at me as if he's ready to burn me alive, doesn't respond when Isabelle asks him a question.

His eyes are pierced to mine, dark and devouring, with his bleached hair.

'Where is Hunter?' He asks, still keeping his eyes on me. As if I'm supposed to know.

'He should be here any second.' Noah chimes, gently nudging his leg against mine, before smiling at me.

I quickly glance at the others, Damian and Ben, who seem to discuss something about a package that got highjacked last night.

Damian has dark skin, short curly hair, and dark eyes, while Ben is the exact opposite. White skin, blue eyes, and blond hair.

They seem closer than the others and remind me of some friends I had in high school.

It was always Neveah and me, and those idiot dorks that got too popular to hang with us at the end of freshman year, Callum and David.

'Goodmorning everyone,' We all turn to the door as Hunter steps into the room, wearing an all-black outfit, and heads to his seat on the end of the table. Right next to... Me, 'good to see that everyone is up already.'

He smiles at everyone and ends at me. 'Let's eat, you all must be starving.'

Everyone starts grabbing their food, before talking about some stuff that I don't understand.

Shipments, weapons, places, people I've never heard about before. Not even trying to hide anything while I'm here.

I grab some fruit and a piece of bread, before slowly eating some of it, all while listening to their conversation.

'How was training?' Hunter asks, letting the others talk as he keeps his eyes on me. I sigh and try to ignore him, but his blue eyes are basically drowning me with his stare. 'Fine.'

'Did you like it?' 'Stop talking to me.' He sighs deeply, glancing at Isabelle who's trying to keep in her laughter.

'What is your problem with me, Cataleya?' He asks, this time not caring about the loudness of his voice, making everyone else stop talking.

I take another bite out of my bread and suddenly don't feel as hungry anymore.

'You know exactly what my problem with you is.' I say, looking at him. He shakes his head and looks at the others for help, but they all stay silent. 'You tortured Neveah, you killed her family-' 'How many times do I have to tell you, I didn't kill her family.'

'You expect me to believe you?' I ask with a frown. He nods and looks at me like I'm crazy. 'Yes, because the last time I checked, I'm the one keeping you safe.'

Keeping me safe?! 'It's your fault I'm in this mess in the first place!' I shout, shoving my chair back as I get on my feet.

'How is this my fault?' He asks, looking at me with a questioning look on his face. 'You're the one who got me here in the first place! You should've just left me in Europe with-' 'With the people that aren't even searching for you?'

A gasp leaves my throat and I hate myself for it.

'They're not looking for you, little bee.' I want to stab him so badly right now...

'Again, you expect me to believe you?' He tilts his head a little, looking at my clenched fists, and smirks. 'You already do.'

No.

I shake my head and head to the door, 'You wish.'

And just like that, I'm on my way back to the house. On foot. Which takes about sixty minutes.

When I get back to the house I eat an apple and change into a swimsuit that was hanging in the closet.

I head to the pool and take a seat on the edge, wishing I could drown Hunter Steel.

I chill for a couple of hours, let it all sink in before I decide to tell him that I'm leaving.

Today was fun and I wish it could last forever, but I need to get out of here.

I don't want to be here. I need to leave.

Sure, I want to learn more about fighting, about kicking some ass, but not here. Not with Hunter Steel.

He's too annoying and a pain in my fucking ass.

They are searching for me... Right?

I know Neveah is. And I know Leon will help her.

But if Rio's not in on it, then maybe... No.

I won't let Hunter get into my head. I won't let him get to me.

They're searching for me. Neveah and Leon are searching for me.

I don't care if Rio's in on it or not, they are looking for me.

Neveah wouldn't leave me hanging. She won't.

After hours, I hear the door open behind me, realizing that I've been hanging around the pool for the entire day since the sun is already setting. Damn...

'Hello, you.' It's Isabelle.

She slowly lowers herself into the water and sighs deeply as she swims to the edge, looking at me. 'How are you feeling?'

'Like I'm ready to leave as soon as the time runs out.'

She laughs but stops when she realizes that I'm not kidding.

'So you're really leaving?' I nod and take a deep breath, enjoying it while I can. 'I don't want to be here.'

'But it's not safe.' She says, climbing next to me, 'Now I know Hunter said he would keep you safe, but here you can be free as well. You wouldn't have to walk around with security following your every move. Wouldn't that be nice?'

It would. But I can't stay here. I don't want to stay here.

Even though the island is the best place I've ever been. I just can't.

Not with Hunter Steel.

'And I honestly don't think Hunter's men will do much if they get a share of the cut.' She chimes, splashing a bit of water on me.

'What do you mean?' I ask, frowning a bit. 'I'm not supposed to tell you, but Justine wants to put a bounty on your head. Whoever brings you back to her gets a lot of money.' What?

'How much money are we talking about?' I gulp and wait for her to answer, which takes a while. 'Twenty million alive, ten million dead.'

My heart stops and I feel like I'm about to throw up.

'Since when is this-' 'She asked Hunter to give you back, but he refused. So if he doesn't give you back by the end of the week or repay for the damage you did to her club, she'll tell the whole world.' And I'll be screwed...

'I'm screwed, aren't I?' My heart is racing and for once, I'm glad that I stayed away from my mom. 'I must admit, you kind of are.' Shit.

'How long have you known about this?' I ask, keeping my eyes on hers. She takes a deep breath and looks at the pool. 'He told us when you left. And he's going to kill me when he finds out I told you.'

'How long did he know?' She looks back at me and shrugs. 'He didn't say.' That son of a bitch.

'Where is he?' I climb off the edge of the pool and grab a towel, drying my legs. 'Cataleya-' 'Where is he?' I repeat, turning back to her.

'He's not in a good place right now, so please just give him-' 'Isabelle, tell me where he is.' She sighs and lowers her gaze again. 'We're both going to die because of you.'

'Isabelle, tell me-' 'He's at the gym building.' I don't thank her for the information and run towards the gym building and rush through the doors.

Load grunts echo through the space and I slowly look around, watching as he shoves his fist against another boxing bag.

His anger makes it seem like the bag is about the fall off the hinge, but he seems controlled nonetheless.

Still stealthy and calculated with every blow.

'You liar!' I shout as I climb onto the platform he's on this time. He continues to hit the bag, harder than before, and ignores me. 'I'm talking to you!'

Still no answer. I push him away, and he lets me. I know that he's letting me because he would never stumble like that if he tried to stay put.

He looks at me and frowns. 'Tell me what it is I did now.' He groans, undoing the wraps around his knuckles again.

'You know about the price on my head and you didn't tell me.' He chuckles and thinks about it for a second, before throwing the wraps on the floor. 'She told you.' 'You should've told me!'

He climbs down and heads to the fridge, probably wanting to grab some water, but I slam it shut, almost smashing his fingers in the process, and look at him. 'Why didn't you tell me?'

'Because you ran out of the house and I didn't want to go after your ass.' He sneers, stepping away from me.

He's angry and I like him angry.

I like to annoy him, it will probably get me killed if I continue, but I hate him.

'So what should I do about it?' I ask, crossing my arms as I look at him.

He glances at me, not even hiding the fact that his eyes linger at my waist.

I'm still wearing the red swimsuit and it certainly doesn't hide much. 'Hunter, I swear to god-' 'It depends on you, little bee.'

'Stop calling me that and tell me what to do, because all of this is your fault!' I shout, slowly walking closer to him. He steps back and slams into the wall behind him, keeping his eyes on me.

'It depends on the choice you make. Are you staying or do you still want to go?' I want to...

I should leave. I know I should.

But people will come after me.

'Why won't you just turn me in? Take the money?' He sighs deeply and shakes his head. 'You don't want to be there, why would I do that to you?' 'Because keeping me will cause you trouble and honestly I don't mind that it will cost you a lot, but I just don't get it. Why go through so much if you could just give me in and take the money?'

'I need you for the environment, little bee.' I roll my eyes and take a seat on one of the benches, leaning back against the wall on my right. 'If I go, will your men protect me?'

'I will make sure they are stationed at your place twenty-four-seven until all of this is solved.'

'And what about if I stay?' I look at him and watch as something gleams in his eyes. I can't tell what it is exactly, but he seems... Pleased?

'You want to stay?' 'I'm asking what it would be like, don't get your hopes up.' He shuffles my way and takes a seat on the other side of the bench, leaning against the wall just like I am, only with both legs on either side.

If I would sit like that, he could see some parts of me that I'll never show him.

'You would... Be free like you have been for the past few days. I'll stay out of your way if that's what you want and you'll be safe.' He says, taking a deep breath. 'And you would keep me updated on what's going on with the Justine stuff, right?'

I look at him as he nods and places his hand on his heart, 'Yes. I'll keep you updated. If you stop walking away when I'm telling you the truth.' The truth...

My friends aren't looking for me.

That's the truth according to him.

'We'll see if it is.' He smiles, knowing I'm staying already.

'So what will it be?' He asks after a moment of silence. I look around the room, thinking about all the stuff I learned with Noah earlier today.

'I have a few conditions.' I say, turning my face to meet his gaze. He nods and waits for me to start.

But I take my time, slowly walking around the place first, before turning back to him. 'You'll train me until I'm good enough to stand on my own, no bullshit, and then you'll let me go.'

He frowns and slowly gets up, inching closer to me. 'You want me to train you?'

'Yes. That way I won't need you to send your men with me, I'll be able to take care of myself.'

He seems... Impressed.

'Deal. I'll teach you all you need to know.' He says, folding his arms across his chest. 'How long will it take?'

'Depends on you again, little bee. But I'm glad you're-' 'Again, don't think I want to stay here. Because I don't.' He takes a deep breath, as if to make sure he doesn't kill me on the spot, and nods.

'Again, I'm not the enemy.' He says, finally grabbing one of those cold bottles of water and drinking some of it. 'Yes, you are.'

'How am I your enemy?' 'You killed my best friend's family,' He opens his mouth and I simply have to look at him for him to stop, 'Don't try to talk your way out of this, even if you had nothing to do with her parent's death, you tortured her. So you're still the enemy here.'

'Was I not allowed to take revenge?' He asks, slumping down on the bench again. 'No, because what did she ever do to you?' 'She left, which lead Leonardo to do some messed up shit.'

'That doesn't mean you get to-' 'They killed my mother, after torturing her for over a month, and sent her head, with her ring and other jewelry, to our front door. I didn't kill Neveah. I only tortured her for what? Barely a week?' He sounds annoyed again. But then again, I couldn't care less.

'That doesn't make you any better.' I say, still not letting it go. He tortured Neveah, he let his men smack her around like she's trash.

'My sister found the box, Cataleya.' He says, his voice sounding more tired than ever before, 'She's still going to therapy for that. She didn't deserve any of it. She's innocent.'

I saw the pictures from when they were kids. She looked pretty innocent back then.

'Neveah had nothing to do with it.' I say, slowly stepping back to head to the door. I don't want to have this conversation with him.

Not now. Not ever.

He's going to try to get into my head, he's going to try to change the narrative of what happened and I can't let him. I won't.

'Neither did Brooke.' He says, slowly getting up. 'Where is she now?' I ask, a little curious about his sister.

I can't imagine what it must've been like for her and I wish she didn't have to, but that doesn't give him the right to torture Neveah.

But it's his sister... No. That doesn't mean he had the right to do that to Neveah.

'Somewhere safe.' He says, not giving away anything else.

This is the first time he has ever been so secretive about something.

'Good.' I walk towards the door and reach for the handle. 'Cataleya.' I stop at the gentle tone and slowly turn around. 'What do you want Hunter?'

'I wish... I wish you could see that I'm not the bad guy here. I just... Forget it.' You just what? I want to ask him what he wanted to say, but I won't show any more interest in him than I already have.

I won't give him the satisfaction.

'I'll see you tomorrow morning I guess.' He nods as I head through the door, back to the house I now share with Isabelle.

I just hope I won't regret this...

----

A/N: So she's staying huhhhhh... She'll turn into a KILLING MACHINE, finally able to defend herself huhhh...

What will Rio's reaction be when he finds out about the bounty? If there even is a bounty...

THANK YOU GUYS FOR 500K ON CRISIS OF DESIRE I FUCKING CAN'TTTT!!!! <3

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Love you all and see you in the next chapter!!