I'm so confused that if you put a rubber duck in front of me, I wouldn't be able to tell what it is.

I don't know what rattled me more. Acker's words and I quote: "If what happens in San José stays in San José,". Or a woman who definitely has something to do with the mafia from what she was saying.

Yeah, it was Acker's words for sure.

What was I thinking? I almost kissed him! Something is wrong with me. I shouldn't be attracted to him like this.

I'm always in control of my emotions. So why not a few minutes ago? Why not when it comes to Acker?

"Ackers and their rule that no one touches your family. You're getting annoying with it." I heard her coming out of the bathroom, Acker hot on her heels.

He didn't look very enthusiastic.

"So Maya." She smiled at me and walked over to the table where she jumped up and sat down.

"Don't start Nyx." Acker interrupted her. "Don't believe a word that comes out of her mouth." He pointed his finger at me.

"Oh Sebbie, you insult me." She clutched her chest.

"Look, I don't know what's going on between you two." I pointed between them. "But whatever it is, I want no part in it." I went back to the travel bag.

"Oh, she's too smart for you, Sebbie." She laughed.

"Jesus." Acker grabbed his head and hid his face. It almost looked like he was ashamed.

"So what are you doing in this hole by the way?" She took a piece of pizza.

"I have to make a call." He ignored her and went to the door. "And Nyx, shut your mouth, she already knows more than she should. We don't need to put her in more danger than she is."

"Asshole," I whispered as he closed the door behind him, but probably not enough as Nyx laughed.

"Now seriously, what are you doing with him?" She pointed behind her.

"My father had a wedding." I looked at her and only now did I take a good look at her. Shorter brown hair, dark eyes, sharp cheekbones, and small dimples on her cheeks when she smiled. Why do I feel like she's exactly Acker's type?

"Uuh." She took a bite of the pizza. "How did that go?"

"I kicked him in the balls." I shrugged my shoulders.

Nyx burst out laughing. "I did not expect that." She wiped away imaginary tears. "I knew I liked you."

"Thank you?" I frowned with a small smile.

"You're welcome." She winked at me, which startled me slightly and I'm pretty sure she noticed. Is she flirting with me or am I just imagining it? "And what kind of trouble did you get yourself into since he's following you like a lost puppy." She nodded her head towards the door.

"I have a stalker and Acker is playing a hero. Theo was here from the beginning, but then he had to leave to deal with something in New York. I can take care of myself, but no one noticed that."

"Maybe you should treat them like your father. Maybe they would realize then." She shrugged.

"Huh, I can try." I laughed.

"Uuuh, I'd like to see that. Someone kicking down Sebbie's thirty feet ego."

"Do you know him well?" I sat on the bed.

"I lived with him and his family at one time so I know enough. Sebbie isn't bad, but Kai has a special place with me. But shh."

"Jeez, how many siblings does he have?" I frowned.

"Killian, Kai, Finn, and Valentina.

"Oh wow, I didn't know he had a sister." I didn't even know he had so many siblings. I basically know nothing about him when I think about it.

"Don't worry, those people have trouble talking about family. They're afraid someone will use it against them." She shrugged. "A year ago it would have been me." She said more quietly, but not with shame.

"So what are you doing here? Work?" I tried to keep the conversation going.

"I was looking for someone, but they found me. But I have it under control. I think."

"You can find people?" I frowned.

"Of course." She smiled. "I'm the best."

"Really?" That's when it occurred to me. "Would you be able to find someone through messages?"

"Do people breathe oxygen?" She snorted. "Who do you want to find?"

"My stalker. Acker said Theo couldn't find him." I took out my cell phone from my back pocket. "Do you think you could find something?"

"Oh please, easy." She jumped off the table and sat next to me. She took the phone from my hand and didn't even ask for the password, she just opened it in seconds.

"The police have already gone through the texts and Acker bought me a new card. I don't know if..."

"If it was in this phone, it didn't just disappear." She interrupted me while clicking something.

My mobile screen was suddenly black with some white characters and letters on it.

She was so focused that I just stayed silent and let her work.

"Huh." She frowned. "That's strange."

"What's strange?" I tried to find out from the screen, but I can't understand anything.

"Those messages were sent from this phone."

"What?" I looked at her in shock.

"Exactly. It's not possible." She turned the phone over and took it out of the case, which she threw on the bed. She took it apart as if she was looking for something. "There must be something here." She looked through it carefully, but in the end, she found nothing.

"How could those messages have been sent from my phone?" I'm getting more and more confused.

"I thought you'd have some kind of chip in your phone, but you don't, so those messages would have to be sent through about a hundred servers. It's impossible to determine the exact location, where were they originally sent from."

"So you can't find who it is." I let out a disappointed breath.

"I didn't say that." She pointed at me with her finger and got back to the phone. "I can't tell you exactly where the messages were sent from, but..." She started clicking something again. "If he gets your number again and texts you." She picked up her phone to show me the screen. "You will know his approximate location." She smiled. "I set your phone to do it automatically for you, so you just read the message right away and send Sebbie after him." She handed me her cell phone. "See? Not hard."

"Oh my God." I looked at my phone in disbelief. "Are you serious?"

"Yes." She laughed. "But whoever it is, he knows how to handle technology, you should be careful. Oh, I also made sure he didn't have a chance to hack into your phone. So far he could have done it without you noticing, so if you had any pictures there... you should accept that he may have them."

"Good to know." I laughed, but without any worries. If he wanted my half-naked photos, he just had to go to my socials. "I can't thank you enough for this. I really can't."

"Don't worry about it." She nudged my shoulder. "You're more fun than Sebbie, so you saved me."

"He's usually not that uptight around pretty women." I put my hands behind me and leaned on them.

"Pretty women?" She raised an eyebrow and scanned my face with a smaller smile.

Oh yes, we are officially flirting.

"If I was sure that Sebbie wouldn't rip my head off..." She shook her head with a laugh but didn't finish her thought.

"No, no, go on. What did you want to say?" I couldn't help a smile.

This is probably a bad idea, especially after I was wet for Acker a few minutes ago.

"You like pissing him off, don't you?" She laughed.

"It became my hobby." I shrugged my shoulders.

"He's definitely excited."

"You can't imagine." I shook my head laughing at the memory of kissing a woman in a club after he told me not to touch any guy.

"But he's a little different since I last saw him." She looked at the door and narrowed her eyes.

"In what way?" I straightened up.

"Well, first of all, more protective. Second, he doesn't have ten women hanging on him, which is really strange because the only time I've ever seen him like that was when he was being shot at." She laughed and stood up. She walked over to the pizza and took another slice. "And he's still here."

"Why should it be strange that he's still here?" I frowned.

"You said Theo was here, didn't you?" I nodded, not knowing where she was going with this. "He went to New York to solve the problem." I nodded again. "So why didn't he come back?"

"What?" I frowned.

"Since everything is settled, they don't need him there anymore. And if you have a problem here, he should be here, not Sebbie." I stopped at her words.

"What do you mean it's all settled?"

"You didn't know." It wasn't a question.

"Oh wow." I snorted. "Assholes." I shook my head. "Of course, Theo didn't come." I stood up. "It's only me, after all. Not anything that matters."

"Maya..." Nyx started.

I turned around and zipped up my travel bag, at that moment the door opened and Acker was standing in it. I didn't even look up at him because if I looked at him I would explode and kill him.

"Are you okay?" He closed the door behind him. "Maya?"

I clenched my jaw but didn't say anything to him.

"Nyx, what the hell did you say to her?" Out of the corner of my eye, I caught him approaching her.

"Probably something I shouldn't have." She murmured.

"Maya..." He walked up to me and reached out his hand as if to touch me.

"Don't you dare." I pulled away from him. "Fucking liar." I looked at him with disgust.

"Really Nyx." He turned to her. "What did you make up?"

"Make it up?" I snorted. "Where's Theo huh?" I crossed my arms over my breasts.

"What?" He turned back to me, guilt all over his face.

"In New York, right? Solving a problem, right? What problem, Sebastian, since the one he went there for in the first place is already solved."

"Thank you, Nyx." He gave her a fake smile.

"Yeah, blame her for being the only one who told me the truth. What's so hard to say?" I approached him. "Your brother doesn't give a fuck about you Maya, he doesn't care what happens to you." I threw my bag over my shoulder. "It's not that hard to say." I slipped past him. "It was nice to meet you Nyx and thanks for everything," I said honestly. "If you ever stop in Seattle, find me."

"With pleasure." She smiled back at me.

I opened the door and left the room. After a few seconds I heard the door open again and I heard my name. "Maya, wait!" It was Acker.

"Leave me alone, Sebastian. I have nothing to tell you." I walked on. If I have to, I will walk home.

"Maya please." I heard his voice get closer and closer until I felt his hand on my shoulder.

"What you want!" I shook his hand. "Are you deaf? Leave me alone."

"I need you to hear me out." He grabbed my wrist as I turned around.

"I have nothing to tell you," I said between my teeth.

"It's not what you think."

"Bullshit." I snorted.

"Theo's not here because I told him not to come."

"And why the hell would you tell him that?" He's lying, again.

"Because he said I had to leave!"

"Then why is it a problem!" We were yelling at each other in the middle of the parking lot.

"Because I don't want to!"

"Oh for fuck sake, Sebastian, I don't understand you." I threw my bag on the ground and grabbed my head.

"That makes two of us." I looked up at him. "Stop looking at me like that. Stop looking at me like you hate me."

"I hate you, Sebastian, maybe that's why I'm looking at you like that."

"You don't mean that."

"Like you know anything about me." I snorted. "You know nothing."

"I know more than you think."

"Just..." I shook my head and exhaled heavily. "Leave me alone. Go back to New York." I hugged myself. "And tell Theo I have it under control. I don't need anyone. Not him. And definitely not you."

That hurt. Why did it hurt to say?

"Too bad."

"What?" I frowned.

"I said," he walked up to me, "too bad. You want to get rid of me because you're afraid. You're afraid you'll get hurt. I understand that."

"You don't know what you're talking about," I said between my teeth. "You don't know me."

"That's what you're afraid of. That I'll get to know you, right? What do you think I'll do? Run away because you have your demons? News for you Maya, I have them too." He dug his finger into his chest.

"Just leave me alone." I tried to step back, but he wouldn't let me.

"Oh no, you're not going to run away from this one. You're going to stay here while I go get my bag." He pointed behind him at the motel. "When we're on the plane, you can hit me, scream, do whatever you want, but don't you dare run away from me, Maya. Don't ever run away from me." There was something in his eyes. Something I couldn't put into words. His voice was suddenly soft in the last sentence.

"I still hate you." I don't know who I wanted to fool with those words. Him? Or me.

"So I'll try to change that." He kept looking between my eyes. "I don't care what I have to do to get you to forgive me for one little lie."

And the only thing in his eyes that I saw? He was determined to make it happen.

"Then you'll tell me everything. And I mean everything."



Third update today because I'm crazy. Enjoy. <3