'You should've never let her do that in the first place!' A woman shouts, making my head explode into a billion pieces. 'Don't you think I know that?'

I try opening my eyes, but instantly shut them because of a bright light shining right onto my face, and just keep laying down for a few seconds.

'Veah?' Victoria's sleepy voice burst into my head, making me groan as I slowly turn to my right, where her voice is coming from.

'Yes?' I open my eyes just a little and come eye to eye with her, watching as she basically jumps on me. 'I thought you were dead!' She shouts, making me cringe because it's making my brain bang against my skull.

'I told you she wasn't dead, she just fainted.' I fainted? I open my eyes and look a the person saying it.

It's Brandon.

'You should've stopped her, you're the one in charge, are you not?' The woman continues to sneer. I recognize the voice and feel my brain trying to associate the voice to a person.

'Celine, I don't think you should-' Celine? 'Shut the fuck up Marco, he shouldn't have let her go in there without back up and you know it!' She continues as I sit up, trying to find them.

But they're not in this room.

Or this side of the plane apparently.

'Wow, Neveah. Calm down.' Brandon says, keeping me from getting up at all. 'You should rest.'

'Where are we?' We're in a plane, but we're not flying. And I don't remember anything at all.

'We're in Paris.' He says, tucking me in as if I'm a little kid. What? Despite wanting to get up to find them, I let him tuck me in. My body hurts and I feel a little dizzy already.

The last thing I remember, we were heading to kill Zachary Warner, and now we're in Paris?

'Wait here, I'm going to get Celine.' He says, pulling Victoria with him. Oh god...

I try to keep my eyes open, despite wanting to sleep for at least two hours. I'm exhausted.

Just as I turn around and crawl into a ball, trying to stay warm underneath this thin blanket Brandon wrapped me in, Celine rushes into the room, almost falling over her own feet.

Her belly grew even more, something I honestly didn't think was possible.

'Neveah! For fuck's sake, what the fuck is wrong with you!?' Marco and Rio follow behind, looking me up and down for a second. 'Can you please stop shouting and tell me what's going on?'

She jumps into my arms, squishing me because of her belly. But I find the energy to somewhat hug her back.

'You fainted, you idiot!' She says, letting go of me so she can glare at me.

I prefer her hugging me to death.

'I get that part, but why are we in Paris and why did I faint?' I ask as I rub my temples, hoping it will help with the headache.

Celine grabs something from the table on her right and hands it to me. Pills. She's giving me pills again.

'Swallow them.' Marco hands me a bottle of water and smiles at me, before heading out as well. I quickly take the pills and gulp down on the water, enjoying the feeling of it flowing down my throat.

It's as if I haven't had water for years.

'You don't remember what happened, do you?' Rio asks, taking a seat across from us. I shake my head and sit up so that Celine can sit next to me. Properly, instead of on the edge.

'You hit your head pretty hard, look.' Celine grabs her phone, opens the camera, and hands it to me so I can look at myself.

I look fine. Apart from the part where I look like I haven't slept in months, and the stitches on my brow.

'Shit.' Rio chuckles lightly and I actually want to join in, but Celine glares at me in pure rage.

And concern.

'You can't be so reckless, Neveah!' She gives me a little shove and I look at her. 'How did that happen?'

'You guys were after someone named Zachary or something and, out of nowhere, you fainted.' Celine says, still glaring at me. 'Why did I faint?'

'Because you haven't been taking care of yourself!' She shouts, almost making me cover my ears. 'What do you mean?'

I've been taking care of myself just fine.

'Neveah, you lost twenty kilos.' What? 'That's probably because of this shit that happened with the Steels, they didn't-' 'No.' Celine interferes, grabbing my hand, 'You lost twenty-four kilos in total ever since all of this happened.'

I shake my head, instantly regretting it. 'You haven't been eating, you've barely been sleeping, and you've been running around, killing people.'

'I have been eating and sleeping just fine.' Her lips turn into a thin line as she looks at me, not buying any of my words. But I've been fine.

Right? Well, apparently not if I'm fainting.

'What's the last thing you ate before we went after Zachary?' Rio asks, making me look at him again.

'I don't know.' I answer honestly, feeling my brain go crazy when I'm trying to think back to that moment. 'I just remember cutting an apple for Victoria, but I just gave her half of it, and when... I wanted to eat the other half but I gave it to... I don't know who I gave it to, but you told me to hurry so I did.'

'Don't blame this on me, you could've eaten the apple in the car.' I nod and keep my eyes on his. 'I never said it was your fault.'

'That's not the point. An apple isn't enough to go through an entire day. Plus, after what happened to you, you need more rest Neveah.' After what happened?

Wait... They were arguing about sending someone in before... Was that me? Does she know?

'Celine...' Rio says warningly, making me turn to him again. 'You told her?' I ask a little confused why he did.

He's the one who always wants to keep things from people, but he told her about my stuff?

'She's your friend, is she not? Plus, she was going to find out anyway, you still have that bruise on your stomach and she wanted to do a full check-up when we got to the house.' He says as if that makes it alright.

'I know, but it's not your place to tell.' I say, making him roll his eyes at me. 'You didn't want me to know?' Celine asks, I can hear the hurt in her voice.

'No, I just didn't want you to treat me like a child again.' She frowns as if I'm talking complete bullshit right now. 'You do tend to do that.' Rio chimes in, keeping his eyes on Celine.

'I do not.' 'You do.' She rolls her eyes and crosses her arms, before looking at me again. 'I won't this time.'

'We all know you will.' I mumble, rubbing my temples again. The pills still haven't kicked in yet.

'Okay, I probably will, but I'll try not to. Plus, that's not the point we're trying to make here, you need to take better care of yourself Neveah.' She continues, grabbing my hand again.

'I will, I just didn't realize how bad it was.' Until now...

She looks into my eyes, trying to see if I'm telling the truth, which I am, before turning to Rio.

'You'll take a few days off, make sure you're ready, and we'll handle the rest of the stuff.' He says. For a second I think he's talking to Celine, but when she doesn't respond, I look at him and realize that he's not talking to her.

He's talking to me.

'Wait, what? No.' Celine sighs deeply and shakes her head in disbelief, while Rio simply looks at me.

'Yes North, you're going to the hotel and have a day off with Celine and Brandon.' He states, his tone hard and firm, leaving no time to debate as he jumps up and sighs deeply.

'I'm going to carry you to the car now, I don't need you fainting again.' He slowly steps closer and I move all the way back, pressing myself into the couch.

'No, she can walk herself.' Celine says, probably noticing that I'm not ready for that yet, and trying to get her point across.

'She'll fall down the stairs in this state and you know it.' Rio groans, staying in front of me. 'I can walk just fine-' 'She wanted to be treated normally, let her walk.' She says, jumping to her feet and heading to the door.

Rio looks at me for a second, debating if he shouldn't just pick me up and carry me to the car. It would be a lot faster, we both know that.

'I want to help.' I groan as I climb out of the couch I was sitting in. He rolls his eyes and heads to the door as well. 'Everyone is going to kill me if something happens to you, so no. You're going to rest.'

'You won't give up right?' I ask as he's already halfway down the stairs and I hold onto the railing, trying not to fall like he said I would. 'You're still on about that, I was drunk and I wasn't actually going to give up .' Yeah right...

We haven't talked about his confession ever since it happened, because there's nothing to talk about. And I honestly don't want him to remember he said a thing, just in case.

'If you say so.' I say as I follow him down the steps. 'Can you please leave Quinten to me?' I ask as I rush after him towards the cars.

All the others already left.

There are just two cars left. One where Brandon and Celine are already sitting in, and one where Marco is talking to Victoria.

'How do you know we're going after him?' He asks, turning to me with a curious look on his face. 'I remember something about him not being in England, because he went on a trip with his wife.' I say as I head to the car meant for me.

A trip to France.

Meaning they're here.

And I know that's the reason we're here. That or we had to leave because it was getting suspicious.

The Curzio's in England, owned by the Steels, and people being found almost every day.

Otherwise, Rio would've just put me in a hospital or something. It's just convenient that Celine lives in France.

He's one of the last on our list. And according to Rio's sources, he was also on the boat Leya was on.

So he knows. Quinten James knows where Hunter is.

'We'll see, North.' He says as he gets into the other car. I climb in as well and look at the two people sitting in the front.

'Let's go enjoy the next twenty-four hours as much as we can, okay?' While the others search for Leya... Right.

'Can't we just-' 'No, go.' Celine says, making Brandon race away from this place instantly.

We get to the hotel and enter the lobby, met by a smiling Louis.

His hair turned grayer than before and his back isn't as straight as it was before, but he's smiling nonetheless. 'Bonjour!' He chimes, his smile brighter than before. 'Welcome back!'

'Louis, it's so good to see you again!' The old man hugs me tightly, before hugging Celine and Brandon as well. 'Back to work again?'

'The opposite.' Brandon answers in my stead, handing him a note he pulled from his back pocket. 'Curzio's orders.'

I keep my eyes on Louis, who carefully reads the note Brandon gave him, and try to peek at the note, but he looks at us with wide eyes.

'Bien sûr! You guys should go to the restaurant to eat something, I'll make sure everything is set!' Before I can even ask him what's going on, Brandon and Celine push me towards the restaurant.

'What's going on?' Celine takes a seat at one of the tables near the window and smiles at me. 'They're just making sure our room is ready, that's all.'

'They have a million rooms, why would they have to get one ready?' They look at each other, before looking at me as if I'm insane. 'We're staying in the presidential suite.'

Oh my god... 'You guys do know that we could be searching for Leya right now, right?' I mumble as they take the menus from the waitress.

I recognize her from when we worked here before, and smile politely, before taking the menu Celine is trying to shove into my face.

'You need to rest, Neveah.' I know. But resting now won't get us any further. 'I can rest on my own, you guys could help the search while I rest.' 'Rio said we're not needed and if we were, he would text us.' Brandon says, smiling as he points at something on the menu.

'This is so stupid.' I mumble, looking at the menu as well. I'm just going to order a sandwich and keep begging them to let me go. Because they have to let me go at some point.

'So are you,' Brandon chimes, smiling at me, before looking back at the menu, 'Do you know what you want to eat.'

'Yes, but can we just go back to the house after lunch?' If Rio finds something on Leya, I want to be there. I'll stay in my room, I just don't want to be here right now.

'No.' Celine says, staring me dead in the eyes. 'Listen Neveah, can you just, for once, listen to us.'

I don't want to, my heart is screaming at me to just get up and leave, but my brain is mushy and I'm actually pretty tired of all of this shit. But I can rest at the house.

'We don't have to be here.' She rolls her eyes before looking at Brandon for assistance. She's done with my shit, and I get that. 'Neveah, please don't do this right now.'

The waitress comes back to fill our glasses with water and takes the rest of our order. We all order our food and as soon as she leaves, they both look at me again.

'You need to rest for just one day, especially after everything you've been through.'

'I'm fine, I just need to eat a bit more and take it easy,' They smile at my words, 'but I can do that at the house as well.'

'We all know you won't rest at the house.' Celine says, her tone more annoyed than before.

She's right. I probably won't. But I won't rest here either. Because it's useless. 'I can rest as soon as we get Leya back.'

'I told you she's too stubborn.' Brandon mumbles, looking at Celine. What? 'So what if I am?'

'Let's not do this here.' Celine mutters, taking a sip of her water. 'There's nothing to talk about, I'm going back to the house and you can either come with me or stay here for the rest of the day.'

They both roll their eyes and wait for our food to get served. After finishing our food, we all head back to the lobby and they don't even stop me from walking to the front door.

I call a taxi because I know Rio won't allow any of the others to pick me up, and get to the house.

'Neveah?' I turn to the voice calling my name and take a deep breath, before walking further into the house. 'Where are the others?'

Kai follows me through the house and frowns at me. 'I'm not allowed to tell you, but shouldn't you be at the hotel?'

God... 'I'm not telling you shit unless you tell me shit, so go ahead.'

'Did something happen?' He asks, stepping in front of me, blocking my way to Rio's office. 'What are you-' 'Is Celine okay?' I can hear the panic in his voice and can't help but feel something warm rush through me.

He cares about her.

'She's fine.' I say, trying to look past him, 'Now tell me where they are.'

He takes a deep breath and steps back, leaning against the wall, 'I can't tell you.'

'Can you at least tell me where Victoria is?' He looks into my eyes, debating if he should, 'Please?'

'I can't.' I roll my eyes and look around for a second. The house sounds empty and it's not that late yet, so she shouldn't be asleep just yet. 'Did they go to a club again?'

'What?'

'Rio went to a pub when he wanted to give up, did they go and drink together?'

'You think he's giving up?' I hate that I'm even talking to him, but he's the only one here right now. 'I honestly don't know.'

I know Rio said he wouldn't give up, but he said it before. And he almost did.

He might say he wouldn't actually give up on the search, but I saw the determination in his eyes. He really wanted to quit. He got tired, hopeless.

And he might still be. Or he might get demotivated again.

'He won't give up, now go back to the hotel before I tell them you're here.'

'You would, wouldn't you.' I say, laughing at it.

I can't believe he's still here. After all the shit we give him, he's still here.

'You do need to rest, so it's best if-' 'Not you too.' It was more meant as a thought, but it came out with words, making him look at me with a frown.

'Everyone is right you know, you're insane.' Now I'm the one frowning, wondering what insanity has to do with me not wanting to rest. 'I know, I need to rest, I get that. But I can rest as soon as we get Leya back.'

I know we're close. I just know it.

'Or you can leave the search up to Rio and the others, since they're professionals and all, and rest so when you two reunite, you'll be at your full potential?'

'I'll be fine.' He chuckles at my response and walks back to the door. 'I don't doubt it, but you need to rest.'

'If you say that one more time, I'm going to kick you so hard, you'll feel it for the rest of your life.' I say as I stay right in the middle of the hall.

'You know that everyone thinks you're going to drive yourself insane, right?' They do?

'How so?' I ask curiously, taking a step closer. 'You're acting as if nothing happened.'

'I have no idea what you're talking bout.'

'Neveah, something traumatic happened to you and you're not even acknowledging it.' Kai states, making me look at him again.

My head is starting to spin, but I frown at him nonetheless. 'What are you talking about?'

'You know exactly what I'm talking about.' If he's talking about what happened at the club, then he's wrong. I have acknowledged it. I'm just trying to move on.

'They think that you're denying it until we get Leya back, and that's not a healthy way to cope.'

'Good thing I didn't ask for a good coping mechanism, right?' I sneer, making him sigh deeply. 'So you are doing it?'

Am I?

Maybe.

Does it matter right now?

No. It doesn't matter how I cope with what happened right now, because all that matters is getting Leya away from that brainwashing monster.

'No.' He looks into my eyes, my fucking soul, and I hate it, 'I'm not.'

'Are you sure?' I nod and head into the living room, going to the drawer where they store the car keys, before heading back to the hall. 'Yes, I am.'

I came all this way for nothing.

'Don't tell them I came by.' I mumble as I head to the front door. He smiles at me and nods. 'As long as you head straight back to the hotel.'

'Fuck you.' I say as I walk over to the garage. As I get in the car and drive away, I can see Kai still standing in the door, watching me drive away.

Despite wanting to sleep somewhere away from all of this just for one night, I decide to go back to the hotel.

Brandon and Celine don't say a word as I get to the suite and go to my own room. For the rest of the day, I just lay in bed and watch some tv, hearing a lot of murders going on around the world.

Probably some corrupt shit going on.

When I wake up the next morning, Celine and Brandon surprise me with breakfast in bed. They ordered it from downstairs, of course, but still.

'I'm sorry for running away yesterday.' I say softly, looking at the delicious breakfast they ordered.

Toast, eggs, bacon, tea, waffles, pancakes, fresh fruit, orange juice, all the things I didn't know I wanted, but it's too much for the three of us.

'And we're sorry for pressing you about it.' Brandon chimes as he climbs in bed with me. He wraps his arms around me and hugs me tightly. I smile and look at Celine, who takes a seat on the bed.

It's too big and we actually have to crawl over to her in order to touch her.

'Do you have a hard time talking about it?' She asks, looking at me with a small smile on her lips.

I shrug, not knowing if I even want to talk about it at all.

But I guess that means I do have a hard time talking about it. 'I guess.'

'Do you think therapy will help?' Brandon asks, making me look at him. 'It helped with me.' Celine says, still smiling a little.

No. Therapy and I don't go together. It never did and it probably never will. But maybe it will with this?

'It might.' I'm willing to try. But not now. I don't have time for therapy right now.

'Maybe we can find you a therapist and-' 'Not now.' I say, grabbing Brandon's hand.

'You can't keep it bottled up.' He says and I nod. 'I know, but I can manage for a little longer.' I think.

'Neveah...' Celine says warningly, making me smile a little. 'I promise, as soon as we get Leya back, I'll go to a therapist.'

Not that they'll have any way to check if I actually will.

But maybe I should? If I'm even ready for it then.

'Until then, you tell us if it becomes too much for you, understood?' She says bossily and all I can do is nod. 'I promise.'

'Good, now go brush your teeth, before these waffles get cold.' Brandon chimes, pushing me off the bed.

I rush into the bathroom and quickly brush my teeth, before running back into the bedroom.

We enjoy the breakfast they ordered and hang in the suite for a while, before going for a swim in the pool downstairs. By the time we head back to the house, it's almost time for dinner.

Killian opens the door, only looking at Brandon, while Celine and I slip inside and give them some privacy.

It doesn't take long for Vincent to scoop Celine away as well, leaving me alone in the hall.

Not that I mind, because I need to see Victoria.

I missed her. A lot more than I thought I would.

I head down the hall, straight to my room to see if Victoria survived the entire day with the others.

She's laying in bed, whispering to a stuffed animal I bought her in England

As I move closer to her, I realize that it's not a stuffed animal she's talking to.

It's a... Kitten.

'Hey Victoria, where did you get that from?' I ask as I take a seat on the other side of the bed.

She smiles as she shows me the cat proudly and rambles on about how cute she is.

'Her name is Night because she's black, like the night. And she has those sparkly eyes like the stars and-' I smile at her and gently pet the tiny animal in her arms.

'Be careful with it, okay?' She nods proudly and tells me about her day with the boys in the city. Apparently, they took her with them while they were searching for Quinten, or whatever it is they did.

She seems to enjoy hanging out with them. Especially Rafael.

'Okay, wait here. I have to talk to Rio.' She doesn't care and puts all her attention into Night.

A cat.

I run down the hall and into the kitchen, hoping to find him there, but he's not.

'Rafael!'

'Office!' He shouts from down the hall. I head to his office and throw open the door.

Thank god he's alone.

'Do you want to tell me something?'

He frowns and lowers the papers he was going through.

'About what?' He asks curiously.

'You bought her a cat?'

He shrugs, as if it's nothing that he bought Victoria a cat, and continues scanning some papers. 'So what?'

'Why?' I ask as I close the door behind me. 'Because she really wanted it.'

'You have to be kidding me.' I start laughing, making him look at me as if I'm insane.

'What's so funny?'

'You're telling me you bought her a cat because she wanted it?' He nods and frowns again, making me laugh even harder.

'I don't get what's so funny.'

'You're the one who kept talking about not wasting time, who's going to take care of that cat? Because I'm not.'

He rolls his eyes and turns back to the papers. 'You will.'

'I am not cleaning up after that cat, Curse.'

He sighs deeply and continues to read. 'Then I'll ask Brandon to do it.'

'Brandon will tell you to shove that shit up your ass, and you know it.' I laugh, Rafael, one of the most feared men on this earth, bought a little girl a cat because she wanted one.

'Then I'll ask Marco. Someone will take care of that cat.' He sneers, smirking a little.

'You didn't think this through, did you?'

He places the papers on his desk and fills two glasses with some liquor from his collection. 'Of course, I did, we leave Victoria and Night with Celine before we head back to England to see what's going on there.'

He did think this through.

'We're leaving them here?' I don't like being away from her and Celine, especially after we just got back together.

He nods and moves one of the glasses my way.

'It's safer that way.'

'Fine. But I still can't believe you bought her a cat.' I giggle as I take a seat across from him.

He smiles proudly and clings his glass against mine. 'I guess I'm just full of surprises, North.'

He truly is.

'Anything you have to inform me about?' I ask, trying to read what's on the papers he just read. 'Nothing important.'

I look at him for a second and nod, waiting for him to say anything else. But he stays silent, reading the papers.

'Go eat with the others and go to bed, tomorrow is going to be packed.' I nod and walk back to the door, stopping before I head out. 'What about you?'

'What about me?' He asks, a little confused, not taking his eyes off the paper once.

I'm actually happy that he's not quitting on the search, he's determined to get her back, but he needs to eat as well.

'You need to eat, you know?'

'Unlike you, I eat at a normal time.' He says, taking his eyes off of the paper for just a second, so he can look at me. 'I already ate and I appreciate your concern, but don't do it again.'

I frown at him, tilting my head a little. 'Who says I- Why not?'

'It's not like us to care about each other's well-being.' He states, placing a paper to the side, just to grab a new one.

It's not. It's really not.

'If you're going to marry Leya, it might be.' His eyes widen for a second, and I can see a small smile form on his lips, before I head out to the kitchen to grab something to eat.

After barely finishing my plate, I feel like I haven't slept in years, and head to my room.

Victoria is already sleeping peacefully, and I take a quick shower, before climbing in as well.

When I get back, Rio is sitting on the bed, brushing Victoria's hair out of her face.

'Look at you.' I mumble as I climb next to her, 'to think that you wanted to kill her at first.'

'Shut up.' He whispers, glaring at me before he rolls his eyes and gets up to leave.

I feel super tired, but he's not gone just yet.

'Rafael-' I try to keep my eyes as open as possible, not wanting to sleep just yet.

'Go to bed North.' He mumbles, basically shoving me on the bed.

'Can I ask you something?'

I can hear him sigh as he turns to me. 'You need to rest.'

'When was the last time you cried?' I have no idea where this shit is coming from, but I can't help it.

He tilts his head a little, studying me as he moves closer and pulls the covers over me, making sure I'm all warm when I fall asleep.

I feel like absolute shit and I should sleep. And he's right, this is so unlike us, yet here we are.

But I want to talk.

I want to talk to Rafael Curzio, the monster who turned soft for my best friend, who is now held captive by our biggest enemy. A man who turned into my... Friend.

'Why is that important?' He asks as he takes a seat on the edge of the bed.

'Just answer the...' I yawn and turn to my back, looking at the ceiling, 'question, you idiot.'

If the lights were on, I know it would keep me awake.

But it's dark since he already turned the lights off.

He chuckles and pulls the covers down a little, undoing what he just did, and looks at me. 'And I'm trying to be nice to you.'

I pull the covers back up and roll on my side again, facing him.

'I'm not going to lie, you're doing a pretty good job at it.' I say, having a very hard time fighting the exhaustion.

'I know.' He says proudly, as he should be.

Because we hated each other at the beginning of this.

And look at us now.

Damn...

'When I found my mother dead in our house.' He whispers as he stands back up again. 'That's the last time I cried, now go sleep.'

My heart stops as I look at him.

He starts walking to the door, one straight line to get the fuck out of here.

'How old were you?' I ask, knowing this shit will be touchy, maybe even over the line.

He stops at the door and takes a deep breath, before turning around.

I'm tired as hell, but somehow find the energy to push myself up, moving to the edge of the bed.

The look in his eyes says enough, one wrong word and I'm back to square one...

But I'm willing to risk it.

Because he pushed my buttons too most of the time.

And because I want to know.

I want to get a better perspective on the man in front of me.

The man that might marry my best friend someday.

If they even end up together...

I truly wish they do.

'I was twelve' He says, with no emotion at all as the words float into the air.

Twelve... He was twelve.

I can't imagine tiny Rio, barely seen anything, finding his mother dead.

Tears form in my eyes and I don't even bother to blink them away. 'Don't you dare cry.'

'I'm sorry.' I say, letting the tears escape, slowly rolling down my face. 'I'm so sorry.'

'Why are you apologizing?' He asks, moving back to the bed, 'It's not like you could've done anything about it.'

That's not it.

I just can't phantom the fact that he was twelve.

Just twelve.

'I know, but I can't imagine-' 'You can.' He interferes, pressing me back in the bed and covering me up again. 'You can because you did.'

And that fact hits me like a truck.

Running me over in the most painful way ever, but just like Rio, I stay still.

'Now go to sleep, tomorrow we'll talk.' He groans, pulling the covers over me again.

'Goodnight Rio.' is all I'm able to bring out.

He stops in the frame of the door and looks at me for a second, before softly smiling. 'Goodnight North.'

The next morning, I'm all alone in bed. I get ready for the day and head to the kitchen, quickly grabbing something to eat.

So far I'm eating better already.

But I know Celine will be watching me eat from now on. Just like she is right now. 'Can I help you?'

'Just checking.' She chimes, turning around to quickly kiss Vincent, before looking at me again. I smile at her and turn to the door, where Nico and Marco walk through.

They look sweaty and tired, yet energetic at the same time.

'Hey Veah, you feeling better?' Marco asks, smiling brightly at me. I nod and grab two water bottles, before throwing them at them. 'Much better, so don't ruin it with that smell.'

'It's called natural perfume, Zayka.' Nico chimes, moving closer to me.

He doesn't smell that bad, but still. 'If you don't get away from me right now, I'm going to-' 'Leave her alone!'

We all look at Victoria who's pulling at Nico's leg, and I can't help but smile at the sight of it.

She's wearing a cute little blue dress, and her hair is half up half down, probably Brandon's doing, and she has this adorable bag where the cat is sitting in.

'You're supposed to be on my side, you little devil.' She glares at him and tries to push him away from me.

He sighs deeply and smiles at me as he heads out of the kitchen, probably to take a shower and change.

I hadn't realized that Marco left the room until Killian and Brandon walk in. 'Goodmorning everyone.' They chime as they grab their own food.

'What's on the agenda for today?' I ask, looking at Brandon and Celine since they're probably going to keep my company for today. 'I need to go shopping for some baby clothes, but Rio wanted to talk to you after breakfast, so finish your food and go meet him in his office.'

Oh... He did? I nod and quickly finish my yogurt, rinsing my bowl, before putting it in the dishwasher, and rushing towards Rio's office.

'You wanted to see me?' He frowns at me, before getting up from his seat. 'I don't think I've ever seen you this excited to see me.'

I roll my eyes and step to the side as he heads into the hall, before following him. 'I don't like being around you.'

'Likewise, North.' He says, walking through the hall. I silently follow him and start getting a little impatient. 'We have Quinten.' What-

I abruptly stop walking and look at Rio, who's heading to the basement. 'He's here?' I ask as I rush to keep up with him.

All he does is nod as he sighs deeply, mumbling something under his breath. 'Isn't that what I said?'

'Yeah, sorry.' He rolls his eyes and types in a code, before looking at me. 'You're so slow sometimes.' 'Shut up.'

The door opens and he steps in first, making me feel a bit creeped out. This is where Celine chipped us.

Or chipped me. She never really chipped Leya. 'I'm giving you the opportunity to do as you please, just get the info out of them first.' Them?

'Okay.' I take a deep breath and watch as he opens another door. Marco's standing in the hall and his eyes widen when he realizes I'm here as well.

This is the fourth time I'll be doing this, and so far, we've got something out of it every time.

And just like the three times before this one, something washes over me, taking control of me again.

'I don't think this is a good idea.' Marco says the closer we get. 'She needs to rest, remember?' 'I'm perfectly fine, Marco.' I say, smiling at him.

He shakes his head and looks at Rio, begging him to stop this.

They stare at each other, but Rio is getting impatient as well. 'Marco, let me through.'

'No. He can go, but you're not going.' He says, standing in front of the door. 'Move out of my way.' I sneer at Marco, but he stays put.

He looks over my shoulder, waiting for Rio to respond, 'Lasciala.' he'll let me do this because I have to, so Marco steps aside.

I open the door and step inside, before looking at the couple tied to chairs around the room.

The woman, dark, wavy hair, with clear blue eyes and full lips, barely has a scratch.

Her husband, on the other hand, the man who's going to wish he would've died before, looks all fucked up.

He has blue eyes, a cut running from his left cheek to the top of his forehead, an obviously broken nose, and his lips are busted.

'Please!' I look into the lady's eyes and smile, feeling so powerful that her husband is at my disposal.

'Please help him! Please!' I can't help but laugh a little, she sounds so desperate. 'You think I'm here to save him?'

She gulps and stares at the door behind me, watching as the others keep their eyes on me.

I walk over to the husband, Quinten James. The man who was there that night. The man who killed my family.

'Let me show you how wrong you are.' I chime before striking my fist against his cheek.

It hurts, I can feel pain shoot through my hand like firework, but the pain he feels is way worse.

Splashes of blood shoot of out his mouth and he groans out of pain.

'What do you want from me!?' He shouts desperately.

The fact that he's still shouting shows how much fight he still has left.

'Give us the information we need.' I sneer, shoving my fist into his cheek again. He grunts and tries to fight back, but he's too weak, and the restrain around his arms is stopping him.

'Please don't!' I turn back to his wife and sigh deeply. Does she know what type of man he is?

Does she know what he did?

Well, it's obvious she does. She kept her mouth shut while the boys tortured him, because she knows what he'll do to her if she doesn't.

'You're going to tell me where to find my friend, or I'm going to kill her.' I state close to the man I want to kill.

He moves his head, pushing me by pressing his disgusting skin against mine. I push him back and hit him again, making him whine like a little kid.

'Tell me, or I'll shoot her!'

He doesn't budge, he probably thinks this is a joke. But it isn't.

I pull the gun out of my back pocket and point it at the crying woman.

Fear fills her eyes as I hook my finger around the trigger. 'Ready to say your loved one goodbye?'

'I don't love her.' He snickers, enjoying this a little too much.

At first, I debate if he's lying, but the way he stares at me says it all. He's not lying.

He doesn't give a single shit about the lady in front of him, but she's smitten about him.

She would give her life for him and he doesn't give a single shit.

'Well,' I cog the gun and press it against his temple, 'I hope you love yourself.'

'No please don't!' Despite Quinten saying that he doesn't give a single shit about her, she still doesn't want him dead.

I step behind Quinten and smile at her.

She's willing to do anything for him, even if it meant dying. Not because she's forced to, but because she's in love with him.

Despite him not giving a shit about her.

She's willing to do anything, meaning she's willing to tell us all she knows.

'Tell me where my friend is.'

'What friend?!' She shouts, trying to break free. I just watch as the ropes almost cut through her skin.

It's a feeling I'm all too familiar with.

'Cataleya Velez.'

Quinten starts squirming and keeps his eyes on his wife. The wife he married without love.

'Shut the fuck up you stupid bitch!' This bitch! I hit him in the back of his head, making his head snap back to me. 'Talk to her like that again and I'll shoot you without warning.'

'Fuck you!' He sneers, spitting fire at me with all he has. He knows that he won't make it out alive.

'I'm feeling very gracious today.' I smile, turning back to his wife while I press the gun harder against his head. 'Please-'

'I'll give you five seconds to tell me where she is before I shoot your husband and help the world a little by ridding it of this filth.'

'I don't know!' Lies. She knows exactly who I'm talking about, otherwise, she wouldn't have been here.

'Five.' Panic flashes through her eyes and I watch as she starts trying to break free again. 'Four.'

'I don't know anything, I swear! I-'

'Three.' I wrap my fingers around the trigger, ready to fucking pull. 'Please!'

The urge to stop counting and just get this over with is huge, heavier than anything I've ever felt before. But we need to know this.

'Two.' 'No. No. No! Please!'

Just tell me... 'One-' 'She's at the manor!' She shouts, gasping for air as fear consumes her whole.

'Josephine!' Quinten is angry, fuming at his loving wife for telling us something she shouldn't have.

'What manor?' I ask, lowering my gun just a little. 'Don't say another word.' She's trembling like crazy, but I need to know what she's talking about. 'What manor?' I repeat, pressing the gun against her husband's head again.

'Skull's manor near Blackpool!'

A smile forms on my lips and I turn back to the door, looking at the others.

'Tell the others we're having a meeting in five minutes, make sure everyone's ready.' Rio states before stepping into the room.

Marco stares at us for a second, a little afraid of my current state, but rushes towards the others, probably doing as Rio demanded.

Rio walks up to me, just close enough to pull me away from here, but he doesn't. He stays put and turns back to the hostages. I do too.

Josephine is crying, begging us to let them go, but Quinten knows. He knows that we won't let them go. Not him at least.

'Give us an address.' Rio smirks at Josephine, who's more scared of me than him right now. 'Whitegate Manor!'

'I'm still feeling gracious though.' I chime before pulling the trigger.

The bullet shoots through his head, splattering blood all over the place, including my clothes, including Josephine.

Her eyes widen and she screams at the top of her lungs, filling the room with the most horrifying sounds ever.

Rio pulls his gun and rushes over to her, pressing it against her temple gently.

'I don't get why you're so broken, he treated you like shit Jo.' He whispers loud enough to get over her whimpers.

'I- I loved him.' She cries, trying to break free from the chair again.

I take a quick glance at the dead body sitting in the chair. He deserved it, so I don't feel an ounce of remorse.

Quinten treated women like shit, he killed Andrea, he killed my family, he works for the devil himself. He knew he wasn't going to make it out of here alive. He knew what he signed up for. And he finally got it.

Rio brushes his fingers against Jo's face, trying to calm her down a little.

To my surprise, even with a gun pressed against her face, she calms down a little.

Probably because Rio's up close and he's using his soft voice right now.

'Pathetic if you ask me.'

I can't help but smile, because he would do the exact same.

Leya could shout at him, hit him, tell him how much she hates him, and he would still run back to her like a lost puppy. He would still be weak for her.

'Go to hell.' She sneers, trying to move away from him as much as possible. 'Maybe someday.'

She has no time to respond as he pulls the trigger and watches as her body falls onto the chair.

'Was that really necessary?' I ask as he wipes the gun clean on his pants.

'No, but I don't care.' He chimes, throwing his arm around me as we head back to the door.

We walk past Quinten's dead body and I take one last look at him.

Five. The fact that I don't feel sorry for killing him doesn't bother me anymore.

He's number five. The fifth person I killed.

I know all of them by name, which is weird, but I'll never forget this one. He deserved every single thing that happened to him, including his death.

'All that blood looks good on you.' He chimes, poking in my arm, 'It really brings out your eyes.'

'You're worse than I thought.' I laugh, pushing him away from me a little. He rolls his eyes at me and steps back into the creepy hall.

'You have to tolerate me if I marry Valentina.' He chimes, smiling at me as we walk up the stair. 'I guess I do.'

As long as she'll be happy.

----

A/N: AGAIN! They're not going to have anything romantic going on so don't even start with me! But they finally have a location!!!!

Thank you guys for all the love and support!! AND THANKS FOR OVER 800K ON CRISIS OF DESIRE AND CRISIS OF WAR IS ALSO LIKE DOING GOOD AND AAAHHHH!!!

Anyways! I hope you liked this chapter, let me know what you think in the comments, and don't forget to vote!

I hope you have an amazing day/night and I hope I'll see you in the next chapter!