The bedroom door opens and I turn around, to see who it is. Isabelle would've knocked, but Noah wouldn't be able to get in without the code, so it must be Isabelle.

It's not.

It's a male.

A tall male I thought I would never see again.

'Rio?' He presses his index finger against his lips and slowly closes the door, gentler than ever.

'What are you- how did you get in here?' He rushes to the bed and looks at me, almost touching me, but quickly deciding not to. 'Come with me.'

I climb out of bed and follow him to the balcony.

He came back... He came to rescue me...

'Where's Neveah?' He rolls his eyes, almost making me laugh because it's so typical of him, and slowly opens the door.

It shouldn't be able to open. It should be locked because of the safety system, but somehow it opens.

'How the fuck did you do that?' I ask as I follow him outside, into the cold night air.

The moon shines bright, making almost everything gleam in the dark.

'I have my ways.' He says, slowly climbing down the edge of the house. I look back, take a deep breath, and follow him down, feeling the cold wind brush against my exposed legs.

'Follow me.' He runs out the back, towards the unoccupied side of the island and I simply follow him.

He searched for me...

Rio suddenly stops and turns around, taking me all in with those hungry eyes. 'We have to g-' He pulls me closer, wrapping his arms around me, and kisses me deeper than ever before.

Something rushes through me and I let my arms wrap around his neck, with my hands entangling in his hair.

Instantly regretting it.

He slept with Molly...

'Fuck.' He groans as he tries to lift me up, but I push him away.

We have to talk, but in order to talk, we have to get the fuck out of here first.

'We should go.' He doesn't like that. He doesn't like the fact that I still won't give him what he wants, even now.

'Cataleya, I-' Cataleya... No.

I knew this was too good to be true.

Rio wouldn't call me Cataleya unless he wanted to calm me down or... No...

I wish this shit would just stop.

'Wake up.' I say, to myself, making him frown at me. 'What?'

Wake up... Wake up... Please just wake up...

'Valentina, come here.' It's like my mind is playing tricks with me.

There's no way he could've gotten into the house unnoticed. There's no way he's here.

Because he doesn't care. He told me that the day I left.

And he meant it. He meant it with every part of his messed-up soul.

'You're not real.' I whisper, slowly stepping away from him.

He grabs my arm and pulls me closer, making me panic a little. 'Let go of me.'

'Tell me what's going on? Did they brainwash you or something?' Oh god...

I pull my arm away and take a few steps back, looking at the gorgeous guy in front of me.

'Valentina, it's me.' No... It's not.

It's what I wanted the first few days. For him to save me from this hell.

But it's not as bad as I thought.

'You're not real though.' He frowns again, looking at me as if I'm talking complete bullshit.

'What the fuck are you talking about?' He asks, raising his voice a little. We're too deep in the forest for anyone to hear, but loud enough to make my heart beat faster.

I hate dreaming about him, because it makes me think about him for a few days. Just as I'm trying to forget him.

Because he's not worth it.

The last time I dreamed about him, he killed Neveah and Leon, and then acted like nothing ever happened.

I woke up sweaty and threw up, but that was a while back.

And now, just when I thought it would be over, here we are.

The Rio I know wouldn't talk to me if we were still on the island. He would probably ignore me until we were in the air, or maybe until we got to land. He would certainly not risk staying here any longer than necessary to get me back.

Would he even look for me?

Probably not.

Or maybe he will, but not willingly.

Maybe Neveah forced him too. Or Leon.

'Look, Valentina, I'm not going to risk it. Get moving, or I'm leaving you here.' He snarls, before heading deeper into the forest.

That is something he would do.

But I know it's not real, it can't be.

I mean how- Wait.

'Is this a dream?' I know it's a stupid thing to ask my consciousness if it's playing games with me, but it's worth a try. 'Valentina, just start moving.'

Suddenly this doesn't feel like a dream. Suddenly this feels like reality. Like it's actually happening.

I run after him, almost losing him because I stayed behind for so long, and feel the urge to hug him from behind. Just because I can. Because he's here.

He's fucking here.

It's not like these people have been treating me like shit, I hate to admit it, but I had fun here, but I want to go. I need to go.

And Rio is my way out. He came to get me.

'Keep up.' I try my best to not lose him in the forest, it's dark and cold and wet, meaning it rained last night.

The ground is muddy and slippery as hell, making me slip as I try to keep up with him. When I climb back up, he's too far ahead, heading towards the beach.

I take a shortcut and run towards him, seeing the helicopter behind him.

'I'm getting my money.' He mumbles as I put one leg in, making me look at him strangely. Money... Is he talking about- 'What?'

He rolls his eyes and quickly tries to push me all the way in. 'Rio what are you-' 'Get in and shut up for once.'

'Let go of me!' I try pushing him away, but he's too heavy, too strong for me. 'Stop being a pain in my ass and just-' I hear him talk, but I have no clue of what he's saying.

Because I don't want to hear it.

I don't want to believe that he would sell me, but by the look in his eyes, the need, he will.

I pull my leg back and push it right in his stomach with all my power, making him fall in the sand, far enough for me to get the fuck out.

And I do.

I run back to... the house I was trying to escape from.

'Valentina get back here!' Rio shouts, running after me.

I can't hear or see him, but I know he's behind me.

I can feel him running after me.

As if I'm escaping something warm, something deadly that's ready to kill me the moment I stop running.

'Valentina!' I ignore the pain in his voice, the betrayal, and continue to run back.

Back to Steel. Back to his fucking enemy.

'Help!' I shout, praying that he didn't kill anyone, that they'll wake up and hear my screams for help, that they'll come out here and help me. 'Shut up!'

He's getting closer, it's as if I'm running in the same spot for hours, the exhaustion hitting me like a truck. 'Stop running!' He pushes me down, basically body slamming me onto the sand.

My chest hurts like shit and I have to gasp for air in order to not faint this second. He flips me over and reaches for his back pocket. No, reaching for his gun.

'Twenty million is a lot,' He says, cogging his gun, before pressing it against my forehead, 'But ten million is just what I need.'

I should be scared shitless, he's holding a gun to my head for fuck's sake, but I'm not.

The only thing I feel is pain.

It hurts to see him like this. Like he wants to kill me.

'Rio-' 'You left when I told you not to.' He shouts, pressing the end of the barrel of his gun harder against my head.

It hurts so much, but not as much as my heart hurts right now.

It's breaking, shattering into a million pieces, just to be broken even more, and burning. Burning in a fire that he made me feel every time he would look at me.

'You don't have to do this.' I say, trying to fight against the pathetic tears that are trying to escape.

'Why couldn't you just listen to me?' I want to scream, but I see his finger around the trigger, eager to pull if I even try to open my mouth.

He'll probably shoot me before I could even get a sound out of my throat.

I can see it in his eyes. The hatred he feels towards me.

'You were going to let Neveah die, I couldn't-' 'And you were supposed to stay in your room.' What?

A smirk grows on his face. The most perfect, yet sinister thing I've ever seen.

'None of this would've happened if you just stayed in your room.' Locked up.

None of this would've happened if I stayed locked in that room. Not a single thing.

It's like something in me switches, giving me the power to kick him again, making him fall back and drop his gun.

I jump to my feet and look at him,

'I am not letting Neveah die.' I say, keeping my eyes on him as he groans, trying to stand up. 'But she wouldn't hesitate to kill you.' Wha-

Something sharp slices through my back, impaling my skin in the most painful way, before a soft gasp leaves someone's lips.

Neveah's lips.

It's a dream... It's a fucking nightmare...

I drop to my knees, feeling defeat wash over me, ready to wake up again, as she pulls the knife out of my back and steps around, standing next to Rio.

They both look down at me, smiling like they just won the biggest prize ever. The money.

It takes Rio two seconds to pull his gun again, pointing it at my chest this time, as I slowly bleed out through the deep cut in my back.

The cold night wind is making this unbearable, and tears slip through my lashes as I try to keep looking at them.

When I wake up, I want to remember their faces. Because they still look the same, they look real.

And this is the closest I have to them. A dream.

A fucking nightmare.

'Do it.' I grunt, waiting for him to finally pull the trigger. Or for Neveah to stab me again. But they just stay put and start laughing.

It's them. It's so real.

'Do it!' I repeat, wishing the wind and their laughing would stop.

And it does.

It finally stops when Rio pulls the trigger, shooting me straight through my chest.

Just as the bullet flies through, just as it breaks my skin and the pain hits, I wake up.

I'm sweating like hell and realize that I messed up the sheets, but I'm all alone. And the sun is about to come up.

But I'm all alone in this big room, trying to catch my breath, still feeling the bullet in my chest and the wound on my back.

All of it.

It felt so real. But it was just a dream.

They- I run to the bathroom and get there just in time to throw up above the toilet, letting everything flow out, wishing that the pain would go as well.

But throwing up only made it worse.

Fuck...

After throwing up my entire soul, I climb back up and quickly brush my teeth.

My reflection isn't as bad as I feel. I mean, aside from the part where I look I bit tired and like I just finished crying for twelve hours straight, I look fine.

But my body still hurts.

For some reason, I check my back and chest, still feeling the cut and the bullet there. As if it's trying to weigh me down, my mind still playing games with me.

I hate it.

I absolutely hate it.

I should shower... Maybe the water will help?

I wait until the water is warm enough and wash my entire body, somehow trying to rub away the pain. And it works.

Because it's just all in my head. I know it is.

Twenty days.

Twenty days passed since I last heard from any of them and they still didn't get me back, making me wonder if they're even trying.

I know Neveah wouldn't stop looking, but I expected them to get me back already, meaning someone isn't helping. And I can't tell if it's Leon or Rio.

When I get back to the bedroom, I realize that I left the room a mess. I quickly clean it up and grab a swimsuit, wanting to chill by the pool until lunch or something.

Just to clear my head.

Isabelle is already hanging by the pool, making me wonder if she has been up for long, but I throw my towel on one of the sunbeds and grab one of the floaties so that I can float beside her.

'Hey girly, you okay?' I look up, feeling the warm sun against my skin. 'Not sure, why?'

She props herself up a little, pressing her sunglasses down so she can look me in the eyes. 'I heard you screaming this morning,' Oh... So she heard all that? Great... 'You kind of woke me up, otherwise, I would still be sleeping, but it sounded pretty... Painful. So I just wanted to see if you were okay.'

'It was just another nightmare.' She nods and lies back down, taking in the sun as much as she can.

'Isabelle, can I ask you something.' She nods and looks at me again. I know asking her personal questions might be too soon, but it has been eating at me for four days.

'Hunter said something about you not being able to leave the island, what did he mean by that?'

She looks at the clear sky, before taking a deep breath and letting her hands hang in the water. 'If I tell you, you have to tell me about your nightmare, okay?'

'Sure.' She sighs again and slowly turns around, almost falling in the water, before looking at me.

'The Steels and my family have been friends for a long time, five generations if I'm correct, so it was inevitable for Hunter and me to avoid each other, even though we hated each other in the beginning.'

The picture.

The two little girls looked like they were bullying him.

'The older we got, the more we got along.' She smiles, thinking back on their friendship. 'My parents decided that it would be a good thing to... make me useful.' What? Her tone changes, making me cringe a little.

'They were going to sell me to one of their associates because it would be beneficial for our business.' What the fuck? I stay silent, even though I want to tell her to stop, I need to know more.

But maybe I shouldn't be- 'They didn't listen when I begged them not to do it, but they went through with the deal. I was in Russia for a month, not long if I'm being honest, but still. After that month, they decided that I wasn't what they expected...' I frown, trying to unpuzzle what she means, but she simply chuckles at my confusion, 'I couldn't give them children, because I didn't get my period yet.'

I honestly don't know what to say and feel nauseous again.

'They almost beat me to death, thinking that I would die eventually. I almost did. Almost. But one of the other girls there helped me to the hospital. They called my family's house, but Hunter picked up. Apparently, they were celebrating something, and they invited the Steels. Hunter came as quickly as he could, lied to his parents about where he was going.'

He did that for her...

'And he made up this story. He told everyone that I had died that day, that I was no longer alive, and that it was all my parent's fault. My father couldn't handle it, he went insane and ended up dead because of it, but my mother... My mother didn't care. Not at all. She's the owner of the club you were sold at, that was her club.' Wait so- 'Your mother is Justine?' I ask, looking at her strangely.

Isabelle nods shamefully, hating that she even has to say it. 'Yes, I came out of that witch.' She says, meaning every word.

And I honestly don't blame her.

'So Hunter bought an island for me to stay on. After a year or two, that island got bored. I begged him to move us, and he did. He owned almost every island in the Bahamas once, just to keep me somewhat entertained, but it's not enough.'

'You need more.' She nods and turns around again, taking a deep breath before throwing some water on her stomach. 'I did.'

'How old were you when that happened?' She thinks about it for a second, making me wonder how long she has been away from the mainland. 'Eleven when I heard about it first, twelve when it actually happened.'

Oh god... 'How old are you now?'

'Twenty-two.' Ten years...

She's been on islands for ten fucking years.

No wonder she wants to go back.

'He kept you on this island for ten years?' I ask, sitting up straight so that I can look at her since she's floating the other way. 'Something like that, but he did it so that I could be safe.' Right...

It just sounds wrong.

But she needed to play dead, I mean the entire world thinks she's dead, so I guess he did do it to protect her.

'He had the biggest crush on me when we were younger, but I didn't like him like that, and I never asked him to do any of it. But he did, because he's so stubborn and annoying and sometimes even scary, but he's also kind and caring and very loving. Sometimes.' She chimes, making me laugh a little.

'Now that I told you my secrets, how about your dream?' She sits up as well, letting her legs hang off the sides, into the water, and looks at me, 'Why were you screaming at five in the morning?'

I tell her about the dream and how real it felt. And all she does is smile.

'That sounds gruesome, but can I ask you something?' I nod and look at the sky, soaking in the sun again, 'Ask away.' I mumble, waiting for her to start.

I can tell that she's searching for the right words, she wants to be as polite as possible, but I've seen how she talks to others. She doesn't have to be formal with me.

'Do you... Care, as in love, Rafael?' Do I?

I mean, I know I did. I did love him, yes. More than I wanted to, but do I still love him?

He's been on my mind a few times ever since I left, but not in a good way. In a way that makes me hate him more. Because I know he's not looking for me. He's probably fucking that bitch Molly or someone else because he's too childish or angry to come and save me.

'I'm not sure.' I admit, not wanting to lie to her after her painful story.

'You shouldn't, he's not even looking for you.' Both Isabelle and I almost fall in the pool because of Noah's sudden, dark and creepy voice coming from the side of the pool.

'You scared the shit out of me!' Isabelle shouts, splashing water at him. He rolls his eyes and looks at me, crossing his arms. 'I hate to bring it to you, Cataleya, but they're not worth it. The Curzio's are trouble.'

'And you're telling me that your boss isn't?'

'No, not really.' He says, tilting his head a bit. 'Really? Because, last time I checked, he kind of got someone to put money on me, alive or dead.' I say, folding my arms as well.

He rolls his eyes and quickly looks at Isabelle, before turning to me again. 'Trust me, they're much worse. Now come on, lunch is ready.'

'Hunter probably told you to tell me that, didn't he?' I ask, paddling to the side of the pool. 'He didn't, I'm being entirely honest with you here.'

Bullshit.

'Yeah right.' 'If they would be searching for you, Hunter would've known and told me already, but they're not. So I suggest you stop wishing for them to save you, because you don't need them to save you if you keep training for a while.' He says, heading back to the door.

I look at Isabelle, a little shocked at Noah's annoying mood today, and roll my eyes.

'I don't know what's up with him either.' She chimes as she throws a towel my way. I catch it and wrap it around my waist before we both head inside.

'We'll leave in ten?' I nod and follow her up the stairs, before heading to my room and changing into another dress.

When we get to the mainland, I'll go shopping for myself. I am not going to keep wearing dresses all the time.

Just as Isabelle and I get to the house, everyone else is leaving already.

'What's going on?' Isabelle asks, frowning because there's no more food on the table. 'Took you two long enough-' 'We had to change and we came as quick as we could.' I say as I glance around the almost empty room.

There are two plates, but they're entirely empty.

'I send Noah your way about an hour ago,' An hour ago?! 'so you had enough time.' Hunter says, looking at us as if all of this is our fault.

Isabelle and I both turn to Noah, who slowly walks into the room and drops onto one of the empty chairs. 'You didn't tell them, did you?' Hunter asks, smiling a little. 'I went out for a walk first, needed to clear my mind.'

'You piece of shit!' Isabelle lunges at Noah and starts hitting him, while I slowly turn back to Hunter. 'Where are we going anyway?'

'We're going back to the real world.' He says, mocking me with his childish tone, as Isabelle gasps for air and looks at him. 'What?' We say in unison, making him chuckle for a second.

I look at him as he answers a bunch of questions, mostly Isabelle's questions. 'Wait. All of us?' He nods at my question and smiles. 'We'll all be around to protect you and-' 'What about Isabelle?' I ask, not caring about myself for now.

If she goes, they'll know. And I doubt Hunter wants that. So if he's keeping her here, I'm staying as well. Because it wouldn't be fair- 'She's going as well.'

Her eyes widen and she starts screaming, as she runs up to Hunter and hugs him tightly, before running back out the door, probably going to pack her bags.

'I don't get why she's so excited, it's way better here.' Noah grunts, looking at me with a red cheek. It looks like that one hurt a lot. 'I told you you could stay if you really wanted to.' Hunter says, stepping closer to his friend.

Noah dramatically leans back, whining like a little kid, and shakes his head. 'I told you, I'm not staying if Cataleya's leaving.'

'And why the fuck not?' I ask, looking at Noah as he jumps up from his chair and smiles at me. 'Because I like you.'

Without giving me a second to say something about it, he leaves. Leaving me alone with Hunter.

'Where are we going?' I ask, turning back to him. 'England. My uncle is leaving, so we need to watch his place and keep everything running while looking after my little cousin, and I have to meet up with my council. Plus, you said you wanted to go back to the real world, so that's where we'll be going.'

'Are you ever going to drop that?' He shakes his head and heads to the front door, waiting for me outside. 'Go pack your bags and meet us back here?'

I head back to Isabelle's house, without answering, taking one of the jeeps that are parked on the driveway.

When I get to the house, I notice that there's another car there already.

'You told her?' I hear Noah ask as I get inside the house. I gently close the door, not wanting to disturb whatever it is that's going on upstairs. 'She's a friend.'

'She doesn't trust us yet.' Noah says a little harsher than I expected. 'She has every right too if you're going to keep lying to her!'

Lying about what?

I mean, I know I can't fully trust them, but I didn't realize that they're lying about something that should apparently make me trust them more.

'We're not lying! At least I'm not.' What are they talking about?

'Hunter said that there was nothing with the Curzio's, no sign of them trying to find her yet, so I wasn't lying when I said that earlier. Okay?' I head for the stairs, trying to not make any sound while listening to their conversation.

It feels bad, but I need to know what they're talking about.

'For some reason, I have a hard time believing you.' Isabelle sneers, making Noah sigh deeply. 'When are you going to get over that incident?' He asks, groaning because of it. 'When you're going to own up that you cheated and ruined it with her, before blaming all of it on me!' Wait-

'I didn't know Brooke would come by, so I had to come up with a lie and it happened in your room and the girl didn't even-' 'You lied to her and you used me as an excuse, so I don't trust you, now get out of my room.' Isabelle states, leaving him no time to debate as she shoves him down the hall.

I put on a straight face, acting like I just came up the stairs as I head to my own room.

Noah rolls his eyes and walks after me, leaving me no time to react as he shuts the door.

'I wanted to apologize for what I said earlier.' He mumbles as I throw some clothes in a bag that was laying in the closet. 'It was stupid and irrelevant, but I wanted to be honest with you.'

Honest... He wanted to be honest with me.

'I guess you're right. I shouldn't be waiting for them to save me, because I hate to admit it, but it's not that bad.' He starts smiling and drops on the big bed, still looking at me. 'But I still don't want you talking to me like that, it's disrespectful and I might kick your ass next time.'

He nods and chuckles lightly, 'Noted.'

'Good.' I close the bag and throw it over my shoulder as I glance around the room one more time. 'So you're not mad at me anymore?'

'I was never mad, you were just-' 'Good, so that means you are going out with me tonight.' He chimes, pulling me back into the hall.

The entire way back to the main house, he's talking, trying to convince me to go out tonight.

Even in the helicopter, he's still talking, begging me to come with him, but I'm not sure.

We'll have to see how it goes first because it might be a stupid thing to do.

But the way he's talking about it sounds amazing. Really making me want to go out again, which is a first, but I guess it's because I've been inside most of the time.

And maybe I could slip out when they're not looking at me.

So when we finally got back to the US, to catch our next flight, I roll my eyes for the thousandth time. 'Fine! I'll go with you, just stop talking.'

He hugs me tightly and hops back into the plane, leaving me with a laughing Hunter and Adam, and a surprised and disoriented Isabelle.

She's looking around as if she's never set foot on other land but the islands, living her biggest dreams, after ten years.

'We're going out before we get to the house.' Noah shouts as we all head to the plane. 'Shouldn't we go to the-' 'No! We'll get there around ten and we can't waste any more time!' Noah exclaims, looking at me with an annoying look on his face.

'What are we talking about?' Hunter asks, taking a seat, next to Isabelle, across from me.

'I want to take Cataleya out to-' 'And you agreed to that?' He asks, not letting Noah finish because he's looking at me, waiting for an answer.

'Let's just say I can be very convincing.' Noah chimes, smiling sheepishly at me. 'More like annoying as hell, but yes.' I say, looking back at Hunter again.

'Unless you advise against it.' He shakes his head, smiling a bit, and leans back in his chair. 'I didn't take you as someone who goes clubbing, little bee.' I'm not.

I mean, I don't mind going out, but I don't mind staying in either.

'But if you want to go, I think I can arrange some security around us.' Us?

'Wait, what do you mean us?' He smiles and inclines his head towards Isabelle, Adam, Ben, Damian, and Jordan, before pointing at himself.

'We're all coming of course.' Noah shakes his head and throws his arm over my shoulder. 'No, I want to go with her. Alone.'

'That's not going to happen.' Isabelle says, smiling at him. It's a fake smile of course, but he doesn't get it and looks at her a little weirded out.

'Why not?' I ask, a little confused why I can't be left alone with Noah at a club. It's as if they're afraid something is going to happen.

'You don't want to go clubbing with Noah, little bee,' I turn back to Hunter and tilt my head a little, 'Especially if he's drunk.'

'Hey, I'm not that bad!' Noah shouts defensively, making me laugh a little.

Everyone else joins in, laughing like we've known each other for years, and Hunter keeps his eyes on me, chuckling when everyone stopped already.

I listen to them bicker about a lot of stuff for the rest of the flight, ending with Hunter telling me why I shouldn't trust Noah with a drink.

Apparently, he'll finish it for me.

'I actually thought you were going to say something else, but okay.' Hunter frowns, before laughing hysterically as if it's the funniest shit he has ever heard.

When we finally get to the ground again, we all head out, one after the other, with Hunter behind me, still talking to me about something Noah did when he was drunk.

There are a few cars parked outside, while people load our bags into them, and a few other people.

Old men in suits and a couple standing close to one of the cars.

'Wait here, I'll be right back.' Hunter slips away from me and heads towards a lovely-looking couple, near one of the cars.

The longer I look at them, the more I'm starting to think they're related in some way, but they're standing really close.

'Hunter, my love!' The woman shouts, before wrapping her arms around Hunter and basically jumping into his arms.

Oh? She kisses him on the lips and can't stop touching him.

'That's Melinda Rosewood.' Noah chimes from beside me.

I nod while I take in her beauty. She has a light tan, dark hair, and bright green eyes. She's absolutely gorgeous.

'She's Hunter's fiance.' Wait- what? I turn to Noah with a curious face and watch as he bursts out into laughter. 'Are you playing with me?'

He shakes his head, but can't stop laughing. 'Hunter is engaged?'

Noah takes his time, but when he's finally able to look at me without laughing, he nods.

'They have been for years and they were supposed to get married last winter.' I turn back to the engaged couple and take in all the information.

'What happened?' I ask, not caring about my nosiness right now.

'Let's just say that someone else preoccupied his mind.' Someone else?

'Why is he still engaged to her then?' Noah sighs deeply and looks at the ground. 'He has no other choice.'

Forced marriage...

He said that he hated most of his family, was this why? Because they forced him to marry someone he doesn't want?

'They're also distant cousins, so that's a big turn-off for him.' What the-

'What is he telling you?' Isabelle asks as she walks over to my other side. 'Don't listen to a word he says, most of it is bullshit anyway.'

I hope so...

'We should get to the car.' Isabelle says, pulling me away from Noah before he tells me more about the Hunter being engaged stuff, and waves at Melinda.

I nod and smile since she's smiling at me as well, and look at the car. I can't even look at the brand or anything, because Isabelle seems eager to get me out of here.

After a few minutes, Hunter jumps next to me, with Isabelle up front and Noah behind the wheel.

'Let's go to the club!' Noah shouts as he starts racing out of the place.

Hunter rolls his eyes and wipes his lips as if he's disgusted by the fact that Melinda kissed him.

I can faintly hear Isabelle and Noah bicker about something, but I keep my eyes on Hunter. He seems annoyed, absolutely disgusted, and for some reason, it pleases me to see him so miserable.

'So you're engaged?' He looks up at me and softly smiles at me. 'I tried breaking it off a million times, she's persistent as fuck.'

I roll my eyes and look out the back, watching as they all stay standing there like statues, and we drive off, back to the city.

'I want to ask you something.' Hunter says, lowering his voice, making it almost unable to hear because of Noah and Isabelle's bickering.

I simply look at him and wait for him to ask his question, which takes longer than necessary.

'Federico Lorence, does that name ring a bell to you?' My heart stops for a second and I almost gasp for air, but I manage to keep myself composed and smile at him. 'Why?'

'Because he's going to be at a party in Russia next month, I wondered if you wanted to go.'

Federico Lorence... I have a few questions I want to ask him, yes, but am I willing to risk going with Hunter Steel to a party in Russia?

'Didn't you say that I had to lay low?' He nods and looks at his watch, before looking at me again. 'I did, but I thought you might want to talk to him after so long.'

Of course... He knows who Federico is to me.

'You probably have lots of questions you want to ask your father, right?' Piece of shit...

'Who else will be going?' I want to go and if he's willing to take me, I think I'll go. Just not alone with him.

'I thought it would just be us two, but if you want the others there as well-' 'Isabelle and Noah. Then it's a deal.' I say, tilting my head as I wait for him to answer.

He thinks about it for a second and nods, before smiling softly. 'Fine with me.'

'Won't that be a little hard, since Isabelle can't be detected and all?' He shrugs and grabs his phone. 'I'll handle it.'

Because I want to go.

Because I want to talk to my father.

The man that created me and left, without ever meeting me.

I'm going to meet him next month.

If Hunter is willing to get everything in order, but I doubt it won't work. He'll find a way to make it work because he wants me to like him.

But he might not get it done. Because it will endanger Isabelle.

'Actually,' He lowers his phone and looks at me, 'Isabelle won't be safe there, right?'

'She's never safe if she's in the real world, little bee, but I doubt she wants to stay behind either.'

I glance at her, while she's still shouting at Noah to drive like a normal person, instead of a maniac, before looking back at Hunter.

'But then there's the fact that it's Russia... So we'll see.' I nod and look out the window, wanting to not look at his pretty blue eyes for too long.

Because it feels wrong.

It feels like he's reading me or something and I hate it. I hate him because he's a monster.

Especially after what he did to Neveah.

I wonder why he's not doing all of that to me... Why did he torture Neveah like that, but not me?

'Are you coming?' Isabelle asks because we're apparently standing still again.

I jump out of the car and follow them inside a building, debating if I should just run now.

'I need a drink after everything that happened in the past weeks!' Noah exclaims. 'As if you haven't been drinking for years.' 'It feels that way!'

'Let's go dance!' Isabelle chimes as she pulls me towards a bar, letting the boys bicker about Noah's drinking habits.

I don't remember him drinking alcohol while we were on the island, but I wasn't with him the entire time, so he might have.

We walk down the steps and walk straight into the crowd, people press against each other and dance around, barely enough space to move.

We instantly catch some eyes, mostly men, and some jealous women because of it, but Isabelle dances like it's the last night of her life.

I follow her through the crowd, not wanting to lose her for some reason.

If I have to trust someone out of this group, it's her. Because she's been on that island for years, she's just as clueless as me when it comes to stuff like this. I think...

So we dance, we dance for hours, drink something, just to go back to dance in the middle of the crowd.

It's the most fun I've had in a while, feeling free and simple again.

It's amazing.

I decide to head back to the bar, since Isabelle seems to be flirting with some tall guy she met five minutes ago and feel everyone's eyes on me.

I'm wearing a dress that does not fit in at all, but somehow people like it.

'Can I get you something to drink?' A tall, dark-haired, man asks. I blink before shaking my head and emptying my glass before I head back to Isabelle.

Just as I walk past a group of girls, someone grabs my arm and pulls me down a hall. I scream, but the music is too loud, and just when I ball my fist to hit this bitch, I realize it's Hunter.

'Why were you dancing like that with all those men around you?' He asks annoyed as he pushes me into a private room.

'Jealous much?' Our eyes lock and I can't help but grin.

Hunter Steel is jealous because I was dancing.

'I don't like to share what's mine.' Mine?

'I'm not a thing, I'm a person. And I'm definitely not yours.'

If he thinks he has some claim on me, he's wrong. Terribly wrong.

We might've bonded a little, but that doesn't mean I like him.

I know what he did to Neveah, I saw how they treated her. I'm not stupid.

He looks at me and sighs deeply, before leaning against the wall near the door.

The only door. The only way out.

'Why were you dancing with strangers?' He asks calmly.

'Why not?'

My tone is annoying him, I can see it in his eyes, but he keeps himself composed.

'I don't want you to dance with strangers, Cataleya.'

'Good thing you can't tell me what to do now, can you?' I say as I step towards the door.

I reach for the handle and feel his hand press on mine, stopping me from opening this door.

'Let go of me.'

His eyes pierce through me and he leans closer.

'If you want to dance with a man, dance with Noah, dance with one of my men, dance with me.'

What? He brushes a piece of hair out of my face and grins. 'I don't trust people around you.'

I stare at him for a second, not knowing what to say.

'Okay?' I nod and try opening the door again, but he still won't let me go.

'How many drinks did you have?' He asks, turning my face a little so that I have to look at him.

'None of your business, now let me go.' I sneer, trying to open the door again

And this time he lets me, watching as I step back into the crowded space where I was just dancing.

Just as I get back into the crowded space, I see Noah looking for something. More someone, because when he sees me, he rushes over to me and pushes me to the door.

'We have to go.'What? I barely have time to react when people start shooting.

This again...

Every time I've been to a club since the internship, someone starts shooting.

I've only gone out twice, but still.

The last time I didn't know how to react, I feel like I kind of do now.

So I run after Noah and follow him to a parked car outside. He basically throws me inside, before jumping behind the wheel.

'Are you okay?' I nod and watch as he races out of this place, leaving everyone behind. 'What about Isabelle?'

Hunter isn't here either, but I honestly don't care if something happens to him.

'She'll be fine, she's been on the island for too long, so she'll manage, trust me.' Something in him saying that makes me angrier than before.

I know why she needed to stay on the island, but I don't like it. It's not fair.

We drive towards some old building and rush inside, locking all the doors before looking at each other.

'What now?'

'Now we wait.' He sighs, drops into a chair, and grabs his phone, waiting for some kind of sign.

After an hour, his phone finally rings. When he picks up, I can hear Isabelle screaming at him. She doesn't sound hurt, she sounds furious.

'I'll tell her to stay in the meeting room.' Noah says after a while, looking at me, before hanging up.

'Why do I-' 'Hunter wants to talk to you, if you want to, you could go to bed. I won't snitch.' He quickly says.

I tilt my head and keep my eyes on him. He's helping me again, and that's weird to me.

He works for Hunter.

Yet he's helping me.

'I'll talk to him.' He nods, jumps to his feet, and heads to the door. 'Be careful.'

And with those words hanging in the air, he leaves, leaving me alone in a silent room.

The only sound is the ticking of the clock while I wait for Hunter to get back here.

Tik. Tok. Tik. Tok.

I wonder what he wants to talk about?

I walk towards the windows in the room and look down, seeing a beautiful forest, but nothing else.

'Good to see that you're safe.' I almost gasp for air at his sudden voice, and slowly turn around. He has blood all over him, but he seems fine.

'You said it wouldn't be a risk.' He nods and heads to a little side table, to pour himself some water. 'This didn't happen because of you, this happened because of me.'

Again, I want to ask, but I won't.

I won't show him any interest after what he pulled tonight.

Thinking he could claim me... Idiot.

'I wanted to-' I shake my head, already knowing what he's going to say.

He wants to apologize for saying that shit earlier. But right now is not the time. It never will be. Because it won't happen and it won't make a difference.

'I'm not a thing, I'm a person, and I'm no one's property.' He nods apologetically and takes a sip of his water, before looking at me again.

'When I saw you dancing, the way people looked at you it was just-' His tone turns a bit darker again, just like the first night. The night he killed Thomas.

'You shouldn't care in the first place. I'm not with you.'

'But you are, you're here with us. With my people.' He says, almost throwing his glass on the table.

'That's because you said it wouldn't be safe to leave. But apparently, it's not safe to stay either.'

He nods, pouring himself another glass while storing in what I just said.

'But you trust me enough to stay, right?' He asks, a little too desperate for my liking.

The fact that he's still covered in blood is not helping at all.

It's making all of this a lot scarier than necessary.

'I don't trust you-' 'But you trust Isabelle, you trust Noah, you trust my people?' I frown at his statement and step around the table, ready to head for the door, because I don't owe him anything.

All of this is happening because of him. Because of what he did.

'I don't trust them.'

'You seem to like them.' He says as if that's supposed to be the same thing.

'Just because I like them, does not mean I trust them.' He nods and empties his glass, before looking at me again, his eyes dark and... Untamed.

'And you need to stop acting as if you own me. I'm no one's property.' He rolls his eyes and closes his eyes for a while, allowing me to get to the door and gently open it.

When he hears the door open, he instantly opens his eyes and looks at me. 'We're not done-'

'Oh, yes we are.' I close the door behind me and hear him laugh before glass shatters somewhere in the room.

I bet he threw his glass across the room, but I couldn't care less as I head down the tiny hall, leading to a lot of doors.

Maybe staying here, letting them train me, was not such a good idea...

----

A/N: I hope you guys still like the story! Let me know what you think in the comments and please don't forget to vote!

Have a blessed day and I'll see you in the next chapter!!!