{TRIGGER WARNING! EXPLICIT CONTENT! DO NOT READ IF YOU CAN'T HANDLE IT, THANK YOU! Otherwise, enjoy!}



I enter the room and hear someone hit something time and time again.

When I look around the room, my eyes fall on a big figure who's hitting a boxing bag.

Strike after strike, fist after fist, muscles moving in absolute perfection.

As if every muscle was carved by God's hands himself. And he didn't even have to try.

I remember seeing Hunter fight in that cave on the island. He looked good, and I didn't think anyone else would look that good while working out.

I was fucking wrong.

Hunter is nothing compared to the man in front of me. He could never compare.

I could watch him do this for hours, days even, and I would never get tired of it.

I move closer, wanting to take a look at every detail on his skin.

His muscles tense before he looks over his shoulder, taking a quick glance at me, before hitting the bag again.

'What are you doing here?' He asks, suddenly putting less power in his fists. 'Am I not allowed in here?'

Rio is not wearing a shirt, his body glistening because of his sweat, and I don't take my eyes off his abs.

'I didn't know you even knew about this place.' He admits as he heads over to the little bar and grabs a towel to wipe his sweat away.

'I've been in here before.' Just once though.

When we got here the first time, Veah and I took a look around and ended up in this crooked place, but that's it.

I honestly almost got lost trying to get here.

He tilts his head a little, watching me as I walk around the room a little, keeping my eyes on his abs.

I don't care that he can see me basically drooling over him.

'What are you doing here, Valentina?' My heart skips a beat when he chugs on a bottle of water, and the water spills down his jaw.

Slowly dripping down his neck, onto his chest and... Fuck.

'Everyone said you wanted to be alone.'

He nods and makes his way over to me. Even though he was just sweating like a maniac, he doesn't stink like Hunter did.

He smells... Good? Masculine?

I don't fucking know.

All I know is that I don't mind.

'And you decided to come anyway?'

'I wanted to see if you were okay.' I don't know what happened earlier, but everyone was tense after the meeting they had earlier.

And since not even Leonardo or Marco wanted to tell me what was going on, I have to go to him for answers.

And he really seemed upset.

I walk up the steps and enter the ring, watching him as he enters it from the other side.

'I am, I just needed to blow off some steam.'

I take a step forward, closing the gap between us, and fight the urge to put my hands on those perfect abs of his.

'Well... are you done?' Something sparks in his eyes and I almost lean forward to kiss him. 'Do I look done to you?'

I shake my head and give in to the urge, placing my hand on his warm chest.

I can feel his heart racing underneath the palm of my hand, keeping my eyes on his the entire time.

'You don't.' Something snaps inside of him and he takes my hand in his, making my skin burn with desire.

'So help me out here.' Help him... Oh, I'll help him...

I break out of his grip and try kicking him, but he grasps my leg right before it touches him with just one hand.

All while the other one lifts my chin up to meet his gaze. He's smiling proudly. 'Almost.'

Both his hands aren't covering his face, so I shove my fist into his cheek and he lets go of me entirely.

I jump back on my feet and watch in shock, as Rio rubs his cheek.

'Almost, huh?' As soon as Rio looks up, as soon as our eyes meet, I can see the fire blazing in his eyes, mirroring my own.

I start circling around him to find a weak spot I could attack, but I don't see any. 'What are you doing?'

He turns around to face me and swiftly grabs my arm. I struggle to get out of his grip and groan when he spins me around before pulling me against his chest.

My hands are behind my back, unable to break free from his firm hold, and I can hear him chuckle because of it.

'If only you didn't waste your time walking around me like a maniac.' Maniac?

I jump up and use every muscle in my body to curl myself up over his head, but he pushes me back down, all the way to the ground.

'You're too short.' He grunts as he struggles to keep me in place. I look into his eyes and smile, because he's hovering over me without making sure my legs won't be a problem.

I pull my leg in and push straight into his chest, launching him less than four inches into the air. It's enough for me to get up and ready myself for his next attack.

He groans and stays on the ground for a second, a smile still plastered on his face.

I move over and look down at him, enjoying my short victory.

'Ready to give up?' He tilts his head my way and inhales sharply, 'Fuck no.'

Before I can even blink, he grabs my leg and pulls me down, right on top of him.

I don't see how this could help him and make sure to watch his legs, but I'm too high up for his legs to reach me.

I'm basically sitting on his chest at this point.

He grabs my wrists and pulls me down, our faces barely inches away from one another. 'Are you?'

I could flip us around and kick him again, but I think he'll expect it this time.

'Did you lock the door?' His question startles me and he instantly uses that to his advantage, flipping us around so that I'm the one underneath him again.

And this time, he uses one of his hands to press my legs down. As if it's the easiest shit ever.

'I didn't, but why-' I groan when he puts more pressure on my legs, wondering why the door needs to be locked if we're only fighting.

'I guess we just have to hope that no one comes to look for us.' He says as he pins my wrists above my head, slowly leaning closer.

If he leans down just a bit more, he'll lose his balance and I could easily get out of this position.

I lean up a bit, trying to lure him in by staring at his lips, and it works. He leans in for a kiss and I lean back down, pulling him closer right before I shove him to the side and get back on my feet.

He groans and jumps back on his feet as well.

'Valentina...' My knees suddenly feel weak, but I fight the thoughts creeping in my head and ready my fist to hit him again. He blocks every strike and pulls me closer instead.

I'm unable to move in his arms, enjoying the feeling of his hands sliding underneath my shirt to grace my skin. 'Give in.'

'No.' I hook my leg around his ankle and pull, making him drop onto the floor.

But since he doesn't let go of me, I end up falling on top of him again. My knees hurt like crazy as I drop with him.

His hands are still on my waist and he slowly pulls up my shirt.

When I try to move away, he removes one of his arms from underneath my shirt and takes my wrists into his hands again.

I hate that he's bigger and stronger and faster.

But at the same time, I don't.

Because I see the desire in his eyes and I wonder what he's going to do with it. What he's going to do with me.

'Stop moving.' He says and just because he told me not to, I move more, trying to break free from his grip.

I can feel him getting hard underneath me and stop for a second. He looks up at me and grins when he realizes I can feel him, and I can't help but feel something warm rush through my entire body.

He pulls my shirt over my head, leaving it around my wrist instead, and flips us around again. I try fighting back, but his hands and the shirt around my wrists aren't helping at all.

With one hand he unzips my pants and pulls them down, slowly teasing his way to my panties. I bite back a moan and try to lock his hand between my legs.

He chuckles and simply extends his fingers, putting more pressure on my panties. A wave of shudders rushes through me and when I meet Rio's eyes, I can tell that he's enjoying this.

I shake my head and try moving away, but his grip is too tight. 'You want this, don't you?'

I shake my head again and slowly turn my face back to his. 'Some parts of you are telling me something entirely different, Valentina.' Fuck.

I hate that my body responds to him like this, especially in times like these. Because I want to beat his ass first.

'Fuck you.' I sneer right before he pinches my clit through my panties.

A shock goes through me and it takes a few seconds for me to pull myself together again.

He swiftly pulls down my jeans, my body scraping on the matt as he does, and lifts me up before I can even say or do anything.

'What are you-' We move over to the side of the mat and he takes my right hand out of my shirt, before wrapping it around the pole, and wrapping it around my wrist again.

'Idiot.' I mutter as I try kicking him again. He groans when I put all my power into my kicks and I can hear it echo through the empty room.

Now that he doesn't have to worry about my hands, he presses both his hands on my legs, making sure they're spread just for him.

'Untie me.' He looks me in the eyes as he lowers his shorts. I can't stop myself from peeking down, gasping as he pulls his dick out and strokes it with one hand. 'I'm not done blowing off my steam, Valentina.'

'I don't-' He shoves himself into me, making me moan loudly. 'Just like that.'

He traces his hand towards my clit and starts rubbing hard. I almost fold forward as he thrusts himself in and out of me, our bodies slamming together the best way possible.

He's going fast and hard, getting rid of all the tension that has been building up inside of him.

And god does it feel good.

It doesn't take long for the knot in my stomach to expand and explode into a billion pieces, sending my body into the most heavenly state as my orgasm washes over me.

But he doesn't stop.

He simply pulls back and tries to turn me over.

My body feels too heavy and I'm still trying to catch my breath, but I can feel his hands trying to position me the right way.

He slightly bends my knees, propping me up on my elbows to keep me from faceplanting onto the mat, before shoving himself back into me, making me groan at the sensation rushing through me.

He leans over me, sucking on the skin between my neck and shoulders, while swiftly slipping off my bra.

'You looked so good.' He mutters, his voice deep and warm, filled with... Love... 'So fucking good.'

Pride washes over me as he slams himself into me time and time again, his words echoing through my mind.

I arch back into him and let the moans escape, unable to keep anything in at this point.

My body scrapes over the mat, my knees hurting like crazy, but I don't want him to stop.

I want him to continue until I can't breathe, until I collapse, until all his anger is gone. 'Fuck-'

I try to focus on our bodies, and the way they connect, but it's impossible.

When I look up I notice that the door is right in front of us. If anyone would actually come to look for us and open the door, this is what they would see.

And that makes me enjoy this even more.

It's just something about the thrill of someone catching us doing this that makes it so much more exciting.

Rio takes his hand and moves it to my breast, pinching my nipples to send another wave of heat through my body.

My body tenses before another orgasm washes over me, making my arms give in, and I drop onto the mat.

He tries to pull my upper body up as much as possible, all while continuing to fuck me like a beast.

My head starts spinning and my body hurts like crazy, but I still don't want him to stop.

Because the pleasure he's giving me right now is better than any pain he's causing me.

'Please- fuck!' His kisses turn into bites, marking me all over, and I can already feel another orgasm forming in my stomach.

I wrap my hands around the shirt and pull on it in order to perk myself up a bit more. Because I want more.

I want more of him. I want more of his lips. I want more of his words. I want more of his pleasure.

'Come with me.' He grunts. It's not a question, it's more of a command, but I don't think I'll be able to come that fast again. 'I can't-' 'You will.' He slithers his hand back to my clit and presses two fingers into me as well.

'Feel that?' I feel like I can't breathe. Like my brain malfunctions. Like every cell in my body just stops working for a good ten seconds.

'Mhm.' Is all I'm able to bring out as he pumps his fingers in and out of me as well. 'You take me so well, baby.' Fuck.

'More.' I moan while trying to force myself up. He chuckles as he goes harder and deeper, making my body tremble again.

I'm close and I can't wait to explode with him, listening to him moan as he hovers over me again. 'Right there, Val- Fuck.'

My vision blurs again and I have to gasp for air as we both explode into a billion pieces, fire rushing through my entire body as my skin bursts into flames.

I feel him buried deep inside me, waiting for him to let me go, but he doesn't.

He unties my wrists and pulls me up, leaving kisses all over my shoulders, all over the marks he left, and whispers, 'Thank you.'

I can't help but chuckle, because I feel like I should be the one thanking him.

My wrist will probably have some burns from me pulling on the shirt, but I don't care about that right now.

'I love you.' I breathe, feeling him tense for a second. He's still weirded out by it sometimes, but I know he enjoys hearing me say it.

His lips linger on my neck as he caresses my skin, trying to calm me down.

'I'm glad you came to help me with this.' He says as he wraps his arms around me and just holds me in his arms.

'Me too.' I mumble as I kiss his jaw and melt into his touch. 'Text me next time.'

He chuckles, his chest rumbling as he does, and brushes some loose strands out of my face before kissing me deeply. 'Let me help you get dressed.'

I nod and cling to him as he gathers my clothes, or at least what's left of them because he almost ripped off my jeans, and the shirt got stretched out because of me pulling on it.

'I'll go grab something else to wear.' I mumble when he looks at the big neckline. 'You probably should.'

He carries me to the door and opens the door without struggling for a second.

'You can put me down.' I say when he starts walking towards his place. 'I know.' He replies, not caring about my eyes on his.

I nestle in, letting him carry me back to the house because he kind of wore me out back there.

Only when we make it to the front door, do I ask him to put me down again. And this time he does.

I open the door and feel his eyes burn holes into the back of my head, having a hard time containing my smile.

'Did he tell you?' Neveah asks as I walk back into the house. I frown as Rio walks in after me, wondering what it is he was supposed to tell me.

'You told her?' Rio asks, looking at Leon who appears behind Veah.

'I told her to pack her stuff.' Leon answers, pulling Veah into his arms. 'What's going on?' I ask, turning to Rio for answers.

He sighs deeply and looks at me, debating if he should tell me or not. 'Rio?'

'We're leaving for Spain.' Veah answers instead, making both of the Curzio's look at her.

Rio looks at her as if he's ready to strangle her and Leon just looks as if he warned her a thousand times already.

'Already?' Rio keeps his eyes on Veah, probably waiting till Leon takes her out of here, but Veah stays put. 'Apparently, there's something they have to deal with there.'

'Cara,' Leon warns, his tone suddenly very dark and intense, 'We should leave.'

'But-' 'Right now.' He pulls her out of the door, leaving me with a completely silent Rafael.

'What was that about?' I ask as I take his hand and take him to the kitchen. 'I swear to god, I'm going to kill her one day.'

'No you won't.' I state as I grab a glass and fill it with water. He watches me contently as I take a sip, enjoying the cold water running down my throat.

'Are you going to explain?' I ask when he doesn't continue to say a single word. 'We have to go to Granada to check something out.'

'And why didn't you tell me?' His lips curl up and he slowly makes his way over to me. 'We were kind of busy with something else, don't you think?'

I roll my eyes and place my glass in the sink before turning back to him, 'When are we leaving?'

'Ten minutes.' What?

'I have to go and pack my bags, why didn't you-' He grabs my arm and pulls me back before I can walk away, smiling like crazy. 'Everything is already set, no need to worry.'

I press my lips on his and melt into him. 'I should still get changed.' I whisper against his lips, pointing at my shirt.

'Right.' He lets go of me so that I can change into another shirt, and stays in the kitchen.

When I return, he's gone already, so I grab my phone and text Veah:

𝚆𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞?

It takes a few minutes for her to respond as I head to the driveway:

𝚃𝚒𝚊𝚐𝚘 𝚠𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚖𝚎 𝚐𝚘

𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝚠𝚎'𝚛𝚎 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚠𝚘 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚝𝚎𝚜?

𝙾𝚖𝚠

Marco and Vincent are putting the last bags into one of the cars while Celine puts Leroy in one of the cars, followed by an anxious Kai.

'Do you need any help?' I have no clue how to work that baby seat whatsoever, but I can tell he needs some help. 'Can you tell Kai to stop breathing in my neck?'

'I just want to make sure everything is set for when we leave.' We?

Celine said that she was going to visit her family in France for a few days, before joining us back in Spain, but I didn't know Kai was going with her.

'You're going with her?' I ask as I try to take him away from Celine before she murders him.

'Where else should I go?' He answers as he moves to the other side of the car, helping Celine again.

Now that I think about it, it wouldn't make any sense for Kai to stick with us while Celine takes their son to meet her family.

'You could go with them and leave me the fuck alone!' Celine sneers. And I honestly think I have never heard her this annoyed before.

'I want to stick with my son.' Kai replies, making Celine stop what she's doing and turn to him.

I honestly think she is waiting for him to choke and drop to his knees, but he's just enjoying the fact that she's even talking to him.

'I don't think that's the only reason you want to go with her.' Neveah says as she walks up to us. Kai looks at her for a second, before shaking his head. 'You're right, Neveah.'

'What's the other reason?' I curiously ask, smiling as Victoria almost jumps in the car next to Leroy. 'Some people still want to rip my throat, so I don't see the point in staying when I should be with my son.'

'Because you are the reason the past three months have been a living hell for some of us.' Celine adds as she makes sure Leroy's seat is secured. 'I-' 'We're good to go, I'll see you guys in a week.'

She gives all of us a hug and jumps in the car, followed by Kai who takes a seat in the passenger seat.

'He follows her like a lost puppy.' Neveah chimes as we watch her drive off into the distance.

'As he should, she deserves the world.' Brandon says as he drags us both to one of the other cars, 'Now Isabelle, get your ass over here!'

'What are you-' Brandon shoves Neveah into the car and moves to the side so that Victoria can get in as well, before looking at me. 'Can you please get in this car before Rio hijacks you again?'

'He won't hijack me.' I say, moving to the other side of the car.

Isabelle walks over to the car as well, hopping in the back next to Victoria.

'Trust me, he will.' Brandon says as he jumps into the passenger seat.

'What are you doing?' I freeze on the spot and look at the house, watching as Marco, Vincent, Killian, Leonardo, and Rafael walk down the steps.

'She's taking our car!' Brandon shouts through the window.

Leonardo shakes his head, smiling as he heads to one of the other cars, 'Stay safe, we'll meet at the airport.'

'See you there!' Veah shouts through the window as well, waving at the others.

I keep my eyes on Rio and watch as something sparks in his eyes.

Something like a challenge.

As if me getting in the car is something I should genuinely think about.

And it's making me want to do it even more.

'Leya, If you don't get your ass in this car right now-' 'He's going to fuck you in front of all of us.' My heart skips a beat when he takes a step forward, and I quickly hop in the car and insert the keys.

'I hate you two so much.' I shake my head as I race out of there, quickly glancing back to see them getting into their cars as well.

Brandon puts on a bright smile and turns on some music before he looks back at the others.

Baby by Justin Bieber starts playing and Veah and Brandon shamelessly start singing like idiots.

The entire drive to the airport goes by quickly and it doesn't take long for the others to get there too.

We all enter the black plane waiting for us and take a seat. As soon as we're in the air, everyone changes seats and goes on with their own stuff.

'Are you mad at me?' I ask when Rio still hasn't said a word to me. 'Do I have a reason to be mad at you?'

I stare straight into his eyes, noticing the same challenge as before. 'I'm asking you.'

'I don't know.' He replies, leaning back in his seat.

If only there was no table between us, I would get closer and mess with him more. But I can't.

'Okay, so I wanted to go over some wedding stuff with you guys.' Veah starts as she drops down next to me, stopping my mind from driving me mad, 'One thing actually.'

'And what might that thing be?' I ask, watching her as she gets up again.

'The guest list.' Right. 'Marcello told me that at least two hundred people couldn't make it, but he is going to try and fill those places but he suggested we started looking for smaller venues.'

'Two-hundred?' Rio told me Marcello was dealing with the guest list, but I didn't think he would invite that many people.

'There's a lot of people you'll have to meet.' Rio mutters as he looks at me. 'On my wedding?'

'Girl he invited over eight hundred people, I told you about that yesterday.' Eight... Hundred...

'Can't we do something small?' I always wanted this big wedding stuff, but I only want to invite people I know.

'You're going to have to meet all those people eventually.' Veah says with a soft smile playing on her lips, 'But I get that you don't want to meet all of them at your wedding, so I'll see what Marcello can do about that.'

'Thank you.' I grab her hand and squeeze it, 'And thank you for helping me with all of this.'

I honestly don't think I would be able to do this without everyone's help.

'I honestly enjoy it, it keeps me busy.' She chimes, squeezing my hand back.

'Also, since there will be a lot of people, what about your family?' Shit.

'I don't want them there.' I say instantly, feeling fear creep up, 'I mean, I want them there, but I don't want them between...'

'A bunch of criminals, obviously.' Veah adds jokingly, even though it's the truth, 'So no family?'

'I don't know.' Not inviting my family would be wrong, they would hate me for the rest of my life, but if something happens- no.

I can't risk it.

'You can't get married without your mom, Leya.' Right...

'You could only invite your mom and... Never tell the others? But knowing Tina, she would find out and hunt you down. Or you could say you eloped?'

'I don't want to lie to them, Veah.' I really don't. They don't deserve it, but I don't want to risk it either, 'Can't we just up the security?'

'There would still be a risk, but I'll see what we can do about that.' I nod and just pray to god that I can get my family to attend to my wedding all while keeping them safe as well.

'Anything else I need to check up on?' She asks as she adds all the other stuff to the list on her phone. 'I don't think so.'

'Anything else you want, Rio?' Veah turns to him, but when I look at him as well, I notice his eyes on me instead of her and I wonder if he even picked up a single thing we just talked about.

'Rio?' He inhales sharply and quickly glances at Neveah. 'What?'

'Is there something you want?' She asks, smiling even though he's clearly not liking her being here for some reason. 'I want you out of here.'

'Rafael.' His eyes shoot back to me and I frown at him. I know he's still trying to warm up to Neveah, but she's just trying to help.

'What do you want?' I ask, looking at Rio now.

'What I want?' He tilts his head a little, leaning over the table to get closer to me. 'Mhm.'

'Quiero llevarte atrás y que todos los que están aquí te oigan,' He says, making my heart beat a million times faster, 'a ti rogar por mi.'

'I will take that as a sign and let you guys handle it for now.' Neveah says as she heads over to the others, joining them at the front of the plane.

'Why did you do that?' I ask, feeling my cheeks heat up. I know that I'm blushing and I hate it.

'You mean why did I answer your question?' My eyes move to his lips like a magnet and I have to fight the urge to lean in and kiss him.

'Fallo.' He says, his breath brushing against my face as I frown. 'What?'

'I can see you're temped so just do it.' He continues, making my heart stop for a second. Does he think I'm giving in? 'Kiss me.'

'No.' I say right before getting up and walking over to the others.

I can hear him mutter something, but completely ignore him as I drop down next to Isabelle.

'Are you okay?' She asks, trying to get me off of her. 'Yes, just tired.'

They all look at me as if I'm insane, which I might be, but I don't mind at this point.

I don't want Rio to do anything in front of all our friends.

The rest of the flight goes by quickly as well and we're on the ground before we know it.

We all get in the separate cars again and I decide to stick with the girls and Brandon, following Marco in a car.

We drive up a hill that's gated away from all the other houses around, leaving acres of trees and grass between the houses on the hill and the houses in the town nearby.

'This place is huge.' Victoria says, pressing her face against the window. 'We'll check it out after dinner, okay?'

'No.' Brandon says, dramatically turning to me, 'You should ask your fiancé to give you a tour.'

'I like the sound of that.' Isabelle chimes in, making Victoria frown. 'What is a fiancé?'

'A fiancé is a future partner.' Veah explains as she gives Victoria a quick hug, 'But I agree, you should let him give you a tour.'

I sigh deeply and look ahead, my heart dropping at the houses in front of us.

There is a huge fountain in the middle of the driveway with six houses around it, all almost exactly the same.

A few are a little smaller than the others but still bigger than a normal house should be.

They all look like mansions.

After debating for at least twenty minutes on what I should do next, I decide to follow Brandon's advice and just go into the house I'm supposed to stay at with Rafael.

I knock on a door when I hear him on the other side, probably on the phone, and wait for him to respond.

He sounds... Angry?

'I told you to handle it three months ago, without outsiders involved.' He goes silent for a second, before sighing deeply, 'So why am I getting so much backlash from your mistakes?' What is he talking about?

'I swear to god Felix, you better fucking fix it.' I open the door just a little to peek inside, peeking inside a dark office.

'If I have to come down there myself, I will kill you with them, do you understand?'

The more I try to peek inside, the further the door opens. And Rio notices.

His eyes meet mine and I hold my breath for some reason, afraid that he's going to explode or something.

But he stays silent and takes a deep breath.

'I have something to deal with right now, but if you don't fix it within an hour, I'm going to kill you.' He hangs up the phone, not giving the other person any second to respond or oppose, and throws his phone on the desk.

'What was that about?' I ask as I walk over to the desk, secretly trying to look at the name on his phone.

Because so far, he has been doing amazingly at keeping mafia-related stuff from me.

And I want to know.

I want to know everything, even the tiny things that shouldn't matter, because it's what makes him Rafael Adriano Curzio.

'Nothing important.' He mutters as he massages his temples before slowly lifting his gaze to mine. 'It sounded important.'

Something shifts in his eyes, as if it's weird that I'm asking questions, and I can't help but smile a little. 'What?'

'Why so curious?' Well...

'Because I want to rat you out.' I joke, walking over to his side of the desk. His lips curl up and he grabs my hand, slowly but surely pulling me closer.

'You could try, Valentina.' He tugs at my arm, making me fall onto him, and forces my face closer to his, 'Just know that most of them work for me.' What?

'Even the police?' I feel stupid to even ask, but I don't know about any of this shit. 'Even the police.'

I knew this man had power, but I didn't know he had this much power.

'What was that phone call about?' I ask softly, hoping that he'll tell me about it. 'It's not important.' He repeats, leaning in to place kisses on my neck.

As much as I want him to continue, I want to know who he was talking to.

'Don't do that.' I mumble, keeping him at distance, but still staying on his lap.

'Don't do what?' He asks with a hint of amusement hidden in his tone. 'Don't shut me out again, don't keep stuff like this from me.'

'Valentina, it's not important-' 'It's important to you, it's a part of your life, so it's important to me.' He blinks a few times, before turning his face towards me again.

'We're going to get married in a few months and I barely know anything about your job.'

'You know about the hotel.' He says as he lets his hand trail down my waist. Piece of... 'Your other job.'

He inhales slowly, holding his breath for a few seconds, before letting it all go. 'Fine.'

My heart skips a beat and he notices my excitement immediately, smiling a little because of it.

'There's this local gang called El Cráneo,' The skull... 'And they ordered a bunch of stuff from us to distribute to some big companies in the city.'

'What type of stuff?' I ask, trying to get it all down in one go. 'Files on people and a lot of pills.'

I nod and wait for him to continue, wondering why he's answering all my questions so openly this time.

'Apparently, they sold all of it already, but they haven't been paying us the percentage we agreed on.'

'Do you really need that money though?' I don't know how much we're talking about here, but last time I checked, they didn't need the money. 'I mean, maybe they have some stuff to deal with?'

'That shouldn't be an issue for me. It's about the principle.' I can't help but ignore his thumb circling on my thigh, 'They said they would give us forty percent, and we barely got twenty.'

'So they need to pay up.' He nods and smiles proudly at me, 'But are you really going to kill them?'

'If they don't pay, yes.' Well...

'The guy I was just on the phone with, Felix, told me that they lost most of the money due to some mistake, but I need that money to get to Barcelona and divide it again.'

'Divide between who?'

'Technically it's Blanco's job, but he's busy with the distribution of pills in Portugal right now.' He says as if I'm supposed to know who Blanco is, 'And because you and North have been helping with the hotels, I decided to deal with it.'

He pulls me closer and leans his head on my shoulder, closing his eyes, 'Turns out people are lacking in every aspect lately.'

'And you think killing them is going to help?'

'If I kill them, I can find someone who does do what they're supposed to do.' He answers as if it's the only way. 'Now enough talk about work, please.'

'But I want to know more.' He tilts his head a little and smiles. 'I'll tell you more when I'm not as exhausted as I am right now, okay?'

'Promise me you'll tell me everything from now on.' He nods and buries his face in my neck again, making my entire body heat up instantly.

'Rio!' Someone shouts from down the hall, making both of us groan deeply. 'Rio! Where the fuck are you!'

I try to get off his lap, but he keeps me close for a good ten seconds, before letting go of me slowly and getting up.

'What do you want?' He asks as Marco bursts through the door.

Marco looks at me for a second, before turning back to Rio. 'Shooting at EC.'

EC?

'Go get Leon and tell him to meet us upfront.' Rio commands, his tone hard and cold, making me wonder how he changes so quickly.

They both walk out of the room as if I'm not even here, but it seems urgent.

I quickly walk after them, following them to the front door. 'What's going on?'

'Stay on the grounds, more security is on the way.' Is all Rio says, before he walks out of the front door.

I want to stumble after him, but stop when he's heading towards the garage.

'Marco-' He strides past me, towards one of the other houses, making me want to know what's going on even more.

'What the fuck is going on?' Killian asks as he walks out of a house on the other side with his phone in hand. 'I have no clue.'

He looks around, stopping as the garage door opens and a range drives out. 'I need you to keep an eye on everyone in here, if anything happens I will make sure to cut your throat, do you understand?'

Jesus- 'Rio, what the hell is going on?' He walks over to me and takes another deep breath, making me panic even more. 'El Cráneo.'

Oh... They're going to deal with that.

'Killian, go tell Vincent to keep an eye on the cameras.' Killian nods and runs over to another house, leaving me with Rio.

I can hear a few doors open and close in the distance, but I can't take my eyes off of Rio. 'Stay safe, okay?'

He nods and quickly wraps his arm around me as he pulls me closer.

'Come back to me.' I whisper against his lips, watching as a frown forms on his face. 'Why would I-' 'Just be safe and come back to me, okay?'

I don't know why or how, but something feels off.

I don't want him to go, I really don't, but I know I can't keep him here.

He's going regardless and I just want him to be safe.

'Everything is going to be fine, we're just going to check something out.' With some local gang...

'I know...' I sigh and give him a quick kiss, 'I know.'

'Little one, I solemnly swear to bring him back in one piece.' Leon jokes, quickly walking past us towards Veah who's apparently standing by the fountain.

I roll my eyes and look back at Rio, who's still focused on me. 'I'll be careful.'

'Come back to me.' I repeat, watching as his lips curl up this time. 'Always, Valentina.'

He quickly kisses my forehead and steps away, dragging Leon off of Veah, before heading to the car waiting on the other side of the fountain.

'Everything okay?' Veah asks when I stay right where I am.

I shake my head and make my way over to her, feeling something screaming at me that shit is about to go down.

And I don't like it at all.

'What's wrong?' I shrug before I place my head on her shoulder and grab her hand. 'Something just feels off.'

'They're going to be fine.' She says as she gives my hand a squeeze. 'I hope so.'

I can hear the front door open and look up, staring straight at Victoria.

'Where did they go?' Victoria asks as she walks down the steps. 'They went to... work.'

'At this time?' She asks, referring to the sun that's about to set. 'Yes, at this time.' Please stay safe...

'How about we go and eat dinner and head to bed?' Veah asks, pulling Victoria onto the fountain as well. 'I'm not tired yet.'

She leans over and dips her hand in the water, a smile forming on her face. 'It's warm.'

Veah dips her hand in as well, frowning before doing it again and splashing some water on Victoria.

Victoria squeals and falls into the fountain, laughing like crazy. 'Are you okay?' Veah asks basically jumping into the fountain herself.

Victoria splashes some water at us, making me laugh as well. 'You need to get out of there.' Veah says, trying to get Victoria out of the fountain.

But Victoria, being the smart girl she is, runs to the other side of the fountain, trying to get out of Veah's reach.

'Leya, help me here!' I look at Veah, before turning to Victoria. She's grinning at me, making me smile even wider.

'I'm on her side with this.' I say as I jump into the fountain as well.

The water is indeed warm as if it's heated at the exact temperature the entire day. 'You two are-'

I run over to Victoria and turn to Veah. 'Should we splash her?'

Victoria nods and instantly starts kicking water toward Veah and I don't hesitate to do the same.

Neveah's soaked in less than five seconds, glaring at us with all she has.

'I'm going to kill you both!' She hops in the fountain, not caring about getting herself wet since she's soaked already, and pulls us down with her, making all of us laugh hysterically.

'You thought you could just soak me and get away with it, huh?' Veah asks, splashing some more water at Victoria and me.

'You have to be fucking kidding me!?' Brandon shouts from the house Killian disappeared in. Isabelle walks out after him, her eyes widening before a smile appears on her face.

They walk over to us, Brandon keeping his distance, and frown. 'What are you guys doing?'

'Having fun!' I shout as if Brandon's on the other side of the world, trying to throw some water at him.

He takes a big step away from the fountain while Victoria tries to make him wet as well.

'Stop that!' Veah grunts and moves to the edge of the fountain, staring at Brandon. 'Just hop on in, it's warm!'

'I am not jumping in a fountain if we have a pool.' Brandon says while keeping a safe distance from all of us. 'Oh come on, don't be such a baby!'

Isabelle kicks off her shoes and jumps in the fountain, waiting for cold water to touch her, but just like we said, it's warm.

'I don't want to ruin my shoes!' Brandon groans, taking a step forward. 'So take them off!' Victoria shouts, before throwing some water his way.

He barely steps away in time and sighs deeply, before taking off his shoes and running towards the fountain as well.

After splashing water at each other like little kids for what feels like hours, which it might've been since it's already dark out, we decide to all take a quick shower and have dinner together.

As soon as we're done, everyone heads to their own house, getting ready for bed. Because it's almost midnight already.

But I know Veah won't be able to fall asleep. And neither will I.

Because the others haven't returned yet.

I perch up when Vincent finally closes his laptop and sighs deeply. 'We should probably head to bed, it could take some time for them to return.'

I nod and follow him to the front door, thanking him for sticking with me for a while.

When I close the door behind him, I feel sick again. As if something's about to happen and it's about to break all of us.

Dear god... Please let them be safe...

I decide to go to the master bedroom and read something off the shelf to pass some time.

The master bedroom has a huge window and I decide to drag a couch to the other side of the room to get a good view while I read, taking at least ten minutes of my time.

After skimming through at least four books, I wonder if he has any fun books in here. But they're all business-related and I'm really not in the mood for any of that shit right now.

I almost doze off out of boredom, but instantly wake up when I hear a door downstairs.

'Valentina?' It's Rio. And he sounds... Okay to say the least. At least not hurt. 'Bedroom!'

I place my feet on the floor, ready to walk out this door to see if he's indeed okay, but he's faster.

'We have a problem.' I turn to the door and meet Rio's eyes.

I look at him as he enters the room, a weird look on his face. A look I've never seen before.

Not panic or worry, but not calm and collected either.

'What's the problem?' I ask, waiting for him to continue.

It's past midnight and I was simply sitting in the lazy chair, near the open windows, until he bursts through the doors.

With that weird look on his face.

'Rafael?' I get up and walk over to him, a little worried because he won't tell me what's going on.

'Hunter is somewhere in Spain.'

My heart drops and I almost fall out of fear.

He's here. Hunter Steel is here.

He's here to get me back, to ruin my life and take me with him until the day I die.

'Where exactly?' I ask curiously as the lump in my throat only increases.

Spain is big, meaning he could be everywhere.

'That's the thing, we don't know yet.' No.

'So what now?'

'There are a lot of risks, but I won't let anything happen to you.' I can't help but feel relief wash over me, even though I doubted he would hand me over after everything that happened.

'What about Neveah? What about my mom? What about my family?' What about you?

Everything was going good, we were dealing with the wedding stuff and now this?

'We're working on it, don't worry Valentina.' He says, trying to convince me even though he sounds uncertain himself, 'Nothing will happen to any of us.'

'We should cancel the wedding.' I state, trying to hold in the fear that's trying to creep out.

'What? No. Unless you're getting cold feet?' He asks jokingly, but serious at the same time.

I roll my eyes, not believing that he's so at ease with all of this. 'But you said-' 'I know what I said.' He states, looking at me with a pained look.

Rio turns around and looks out of the window, the window I was just sitting in front of, taking in the beautiful moonlight and night sky.

'Rafael...' I step closer to him, gently touching his shoulder. 'We might need to postpone the wedding.'

He takes a deep breath and grabs my hand, slowly pulling me closer.

'No, there's no way.' My heart melts at the sound of his voice.

He sounds afraid. Afraid that I don't want to marry him, that I won't be here if we cancel the wedding now, that I'll leave him if we wait a little longer.

'I'm not leaving you, Rafael.' I whisper as he pulls me even closer, gently helping me on his lap.

And I mean it. I mean every word of it.

We've been away from each other for too long and I don't want to be away from him ever again.

'I'm not risking anything.' I look into his bewitching eyes and finally see the true fear.

Not only is he afraid that I'll leave him, but he's also afraid that something else will happen, that someone will take me away from him again.

Even if that's the case, I know he'll find me again. And I'll do the best I can to get back to him again.

'So what do you suggest we do?' I ask, wanting to relieve him a little.

I want him to not be afraid anymore.

His perfect lips slowly curl up and he wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me as close as he can, but in a way he can still look at me. 'We'll marry next Friday.'

Friday. He wants to marry me in six days.

'But what about the guests, we invited-'

'We'll send out new invitations, I'll let Brandon handle it.' He states as if he already has everything planned.

Ready to change our plans.

'I don't have a dress yet...' I admit. I know I told him I did, but I don't.

Every dress so far was fine, but it wasn't enough. It wasn't the dress of my dreams. And I've seen over a hundred dresses already.

'You don't need a dress, Valentina. I would marry you even if we would be wearing underwear only, I don't care.' I can't help but let a soft laugh escape my lips.

He's so eager to marry me that he's willing to get married in our underwear.

'No.' He looks at me and sighs, 'Valentina-'

'If I'm going to marry you, we're not going to go naked.' He chuckles and leans back, pulling me on his chest.

I can hear his gentle heartbeat as his chest rises and shut my eyes.

This.

If we get married this is what we'll do most of the time.

Lay in each other's arms. Work all day, just to get back to each other at night.

He takes another deep breath and wraps his arms around me tightly, before jumping to his feet. I almost shout at the sudden movement but smile when he gently places me on the bed.

'Then I suggest you go find the perfect dress, Valentina. Because you have six days.'

Six days... I have six days to find the perfect dress.

----

A/N: OF COURSE HUNTER ISN'T DEAD TF!

What do you guys think will happen???? I bet you already know but I just like being mysterious, I like keeping you guys on edge... ANYWAYS!

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter because it took long ass hell, not that you guys would notice anyway!

I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH, LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THOUGHT IN THE COMMENTS AND DON'T FORGET TO VOTE MY LOVES!

I'll see you guys in the next chapter, have an AMAZING day/night!