Clayton POV

"Hey," Spencer says as he enters my office and sits across from me. I nod my head at him as I stare at the papers in front of me.

I had been staring at them for a while but hadn't been able to focus.

My mind kept going back to Scarlet and the fear in her eyes when we were at the beach.

I scared her without meaning to when I asked her to move to Italy. I don't know why I did it yesterday, but it just slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it.

"I have to talk to you about something, you have a second?" He asks and I place my pen down, knowing I wasn't going to get anything done anyway.

"What's up?"

"Joyce called last night," He says and I stare at him blankly on why that involves me. "About Scarlet."

"Is she okay?" I ask leaning forward. If someone hurt her I will personally kill them with my bare hands.

"She's fine, just frightened..."

"What happened?" I spit out while my anger rises. "Who hurt her?"

He was quiet for a few seconds while he stared at me.

"Apparently you did," He says and I feel my heart stop. "Joyce said you scared the shit out of her by asking her to move to Italy. She was ready to cut and run as far away from Italy as she could. Joyce had to nearly tie her down to get her to stay. What the hell were you thinking man? You could have ruined the whole plan..."

"I get that but they are after her and the more compliant she is the easier this will be!" I spit but don't believe my own words. I knew in my gut that wasn't the reason I wanted her to willingly stay here.

"I know that, but she doesn't realize how close they are to finding her and she doesn't know who you are and why you want her to stay. Think of this from her side. You just met her for the first time and asked her to move in with a stranger. You have to understand how crazy that sounds!" He yells at me, which fueled my anger more.

I give him a warning glare and he leans back in his chair.

"I'm saying this as your friend, maybe you should just let her go, man. You just met the girl for fottuti sake! I have never seen you so worked up about anything and now you are going crazy over some girl," He spits at me with a shake of his head. "Is this even about the plan anymore or just about a fuck?" (**translation- fucking sakes**)

"You better shut your mouth before I shut it for you," I groan at him and his jaw clenches closed tightly at my threat.

We stare each other down for a few seconds before he releases a deep breath.

"Fine! Just let me know what the plan is because it's obvious the plan has changed," He says with a huff.

I was quiet for a moment as I stare down at my desk.

I didn't even know what the plan was anymore.

"Tell the men the plan is thrown away," I say and he nods. "We are no longer going to use her against them. We will protect her as long as she is in Italy. I will convince her to stay."

I watch him from underneath hooded eyes as he nods his head with a thinking expression.

"What is it?" I ask and he looks up at me.

"We have taken so much time and used so many resources to find her. What makes you so sure she would want to stay? I mean think about it. She never stayed in one place long enough for us to find her but she stayed in California for a while. Maybe she has given up."

The thought had occurred to me but why spend all that time covering your tracks just to give up?

Maybe she was tired of hiding.

"I will figure it out when we get there. But for now, I will try to convince her to stay," I tell him but see the concern in his eyes. I arch an eyebrow in question.

"You kind of freaked her out by asking her to stay in Italy. There is no doubt in my mind that she is already suspecting who we are. What makes you think she will just sit and listen to you?"

I had never been so worked up over something in my life and I didn't know why but something about Scarlet just drove me closer to her. She made me want to protect her.

Maybe it was the feelings of the scars under her tattooed skin, or the blank look in her eyes even when she smiled.

Underneath her exterior, she was broken. She had given up.

I will give her a reason to keep fighting.

"Ask Joyce to meet you at the diner tomorrow night and to bring Scarlet."

"Do you want me to tell her that you will be there?" He asks and I shake my head. "Okay. I'll let you know later what she says."

I nod my head and gestured for him to leave. When I hear the door close, I run my hands over my face.

I need to get closer to Scarlet and make her want to stay of her own free will.

But how do I make her stay?

I need a plan B in case she doesn't want to stay.

At that moment, an idea came to mind.

* * *

Serena POV

"Serena, are you ready?" Joyce asks entering my room.

It had been two days since the day at the beach, and tonight Joyce 'convinced' me to go out to dinner with her and Spencer. We were only going to be here for three more days then on the fourth, we would be on our way back to California if things went according to plan.

She thought going to dinner with them would make up for the shit with Clayton, but I just wanted them to go together and enjoy the time they had left with each other.

I needed a night alone to rethink my plan.

I also had a feeling that Spencer was bringing Clayton without telling Joyce. But I refused to fall for that shit anymore. I knew his plan even if he thought I didn't

I was going to enjoy my vacation before the shit hit the fan and my life was turning upside down again.

This may be the last few days I get to make my own decisions and I would take full advantage of that. Because I truly had given up running from my problems. After these next few days, I would face reality and face whatever life throws at me head-on.

But for now, I was going to embrace my freedom with no bullshit, even if that meant avoiding Clayton like he was a fucking virus.

Joyce walked into the room while putting an earring in. She was dressed in a beautiful skin-tight dress with high heels that showed off her awesome legs. She had a simple necklace around her neck that went perfectly with her makeup and curled hair.

She looked like a fashion model.

Her eyes landed on me and they widened.

"What are you doing?" She asks in shock while looking over me. I was in a night dress and my hair was up in a messy bun. My laptop rested on my lap with a movie playing and a bag of chips beside me. "Spencer is going to be here soon."

"I know, and you look gorgeous," I tell her with a smile as I pause my movie and look at her. "He won't be able to keep his eyes off you."

"Well thank you, I did try and," She pauses and narrows her eyes at me. "Don't distract me. Get your ass out of bed, we are going to a nice dinner."

"No, you are going to a nice dinner."

"Serena," She whines but I shake my head.

"You're not going to change my mind. You are going on a nice date with Spencer and you're going to have fun. He will treat you like a queen and take you for a ride around Italy. Maybe you will go for a walk in the park like you always wanted and then watch the stars as you lay in the grass."

"Are you sure?" She asks with a careful expression, trying to hide her happiness. I nod my head.

"This is what best friends are for. Now go have your nice romantic dinner."

She smiles at me before her phone dings.

"He's here. I will text you if I am not coming back," She says with a wink and I nod at her.

"Have fun!" I yell as she leaves my room with the door closing behind her.

I turn my laptop off and pull my hair out of the bun before heading to my bag.

I quickly change into a loose maroon boho-style dress that went down to my ankles with a slit in the leg.

The best way to spend the last few days was a night walk on the beach alone. It would clear my mind and give me time to enjoy the beautiful ocean.

I quickly grabbed some sandals when there was a firm knock on my door.

"Shit," I mutter under my breath. Joyce must have forgotten something.

I look around for a second for a way to hide that I was going out but gave up when another knock filled the room.

"I'm coming, give me a second," I say and walk towards the door. "Now before you get mad, I am going for a walk on the beach and not going out to party..."

My voice stops when I opened the door and saw the large form in the doorway.

"Clayton?"