"How much longer do we have to walk?" I grumbled and readjusted the bandage on my neck. I took some more painkillers, but I want to rip it off and scratch it desperately.

"The robot says we're almost there." Theo shoved his phone into my face, showing me the direction app he's using.

I swatted his hand away and looked around. We're surrounded by buildings and darkness, and even though we're approaching a dangerous place, everything still looks... Rich.

"Are we sure this is- oh, never mind." I started, but the moment two tattooed men with guns tucked in their pants passed us, I stopped.

Definitely the right place.

The three of us watched silently as they walked through a door just a few steps from us.

"Okay, let's run this down again." Ares jumped in his place, warming up. "We get in, try not to catch too much attention- are you seriously pulling your shorts up?"

I glared at his unamused face and put my hand on my hip. "I'm not pulling my shorts up to show my ass, dickface. It was uncomfortable."

He eyed me suspiciously before opening his mouth again, and I rolled my eyes. "We don't want too much attention, got it? We need to ask people about Axe. Once we find him, we get information. Copy?"

Ares looks at Theo and I like we're some troubled kids who will one hundred percent mess up.

Well, it's probably true but kinda rude if you ask me.

"Oh, come on!" Theo whined and pushed us towards the door. I could hear the music coming from inside, and my body was both excited and wary.

"We get in, discover who Viktor boy is, get drunk. Copy?" He mimicked Ares, who only rolled his eyes dramatically before nodding.

"What about you, our beautiful target?" Theo smirked and opened the door, letting the smell of alcohol and weed cloud my brain.

For the entire half an hour walk here, Theo has been more annoying than usual, and decided to call me a target. "Fine. Stop calling me that." I deadpanned.

He merely smirked and moved past me, entering the bar. "Don't kill him here, we need to do it with no witnesses." Ares whispered in my ear and reopened the door, gesturing for me to get in.

I took a deep breath and tried to calm my nerves down. There's a chance we won't run into Adam. It's fine.

The moment Ares and I walked through the door, a sense of nostalgia hit me. It might look fancier than the bars we used to go to, but the vibe stayed the same.

Let's start with that this place is big. Really big. There are booths by two walls, with many other regular tables in front of a large stage.

And right now on that stage was an almost naked brunette stripper. "Would you look at that." Ares whistled while looking at her with a smirk.

"You're sixteen, man." I sighed and started to walk to the round bar in the middle. There are a lot of people walking around and sitting by the tables or the bar, so at least Ares doesn't need to worry about us catching someone's attention.

"So women and Theo are allowed to think older dudes are hot but men can't?" He asked and jogged to my side with a raised eyebrow.

I looked towards him to answer, but Theo butted in before I could. "First of all, I'm as much of a man as you are, if not more."

A snort from Ares.

"Second," he shot him an angry look. "You can think she's hot all you want, but there is no way that chick will even look at you, much less kiss you."

Ares narrowed his eyes at the challenging smile and the hand Theo held out. Oh God.

"You're on." he shook it. The two of them have a serious betting problem. Especially when it comes to Ares' capabilities of landing him a girl.

It once ended with Ares getting beaten up by some girl's boyfriend, and ever since then, Theo hasn't missed a single opportunity to potentially see that happen again.

"Okay, we need to focus." I broke their hands apart and climbed over one of the stools by the bar. They followed shortly after, Theo sitting on my right and Ares next to him.

The bar is in the form of a circle, and the three bartenders are walking around and making all kinds of drinks. I want that too.

Focus.

"Okay, see the one there?" I jerked my head subtly to the bartender on our left. He looks around thirty, and is flirting shamelessly with a girl who looks anything but interested. "We need him to come here."

"Not again." Ares groaned and banged his head on the bar. I squinted my eyes at him but continued to pull my top farther down.

"You seem way too annoyed for someone who used to get free drinks because of this method." I commented, looking at him from the corner of my eyes as Theo messes my hair up a bit, giving me the drunk but not too drunk look.

"Because-" Ares started, but Theo stopped him.

"Shut it."

They had no time to argue, because right at that moment, I locked eyes with the bartender I wanted. One sly smile and a wave was enough to make him leave the poor woman alone and come here.

"Okay, you both need to shut up. Got it?" I looked specifically at Ares. After we get two drink, Ares has a tendency to threat the bartenders and sometimes even crossing the bar and throwing a punch.

I can't afford it now, because for once, I don't do it to get free drinks. I do it to find out where Andreas is.

Ares nodded once just as the man approached us. "Hello sweetheart."

He was leaning against the bar with a small smile, giving me full view of his face. His dark, short hair was pulled back, and his green eyes roamed around my upper body, lingering for a second on my cleavage.

He's pretty good looking, so at least it won't be torture. I've done it too many times, and let me tell you, ugly bartenders are the worst.

"Hey." I giggled, letting my hair reveal my neck as I push it to the side. Theo's pretending to be on his phone, while Ares is bluntly staring at us.

I ignored him and continued to look at the guy, who was now looking at my face with a smile. "Do you have a name, beautiful?"

Okay, maybe I don't do it just to get free drinks. Maybe it's for the free compliments too.

"Maybe, do you?" I placed my chin in my palm, my elbow resting against the bar. He smirked and pointed at the name tag on his shirt. "I'm William, but you can call me will."

"Okay, Will." I flashed him a white smile. "What does a girl need to do to get a drink around here?"

"Well," his eyes slowly traveled down, and I leaned even closer to him. "What about being over twenty one?"

I know I don't look twenty one, which is one of the biggest obstacles in getting free drinks. I can show my fake ID, but that's not fun.

Will's eyes returned to mine, and the smirk he had didn't go away. I matched it and licked my bottom lip, loving the way his eyes follow the movement.

"What about giving you my name?" I whispered. He looked at me for a moment before nodding, causing my smile to grow.

"I'm Regina."

What? I watched too many 'friends' in the last month, okay? Regina Phalange was the first thing I came up with.

"Well, Regina," Will snatched a glass from under the counter, pouring some red drink from a bottle to it. "I might lose my license for it."

I laughed, and he chuckled too. "I promise I won't tell."

Lose his license? Please. All it took was one flirty talk and uncovered skin. This guy has done it countless times before.

"So," He handed me the glass, and I casually brought it to my lips.

Thank God for alcohol.

"What a pretty girl like you doing here alone?" Will's palms are on both sides of the bar, caging me in.

"I was just looking for an old friend, but then I stumbled upon you." I let my eyes travel all the way up his arms, and once they reached his own, I saw they turned darker.

This guy looks older than my brothers, and even though he knows I'm nowhere near legal age, he still wants to fuck me?

Ew. Why am I thinking about my brothers?

I shook my head and put my hand on his. "The sooner I find him, the sooner I can focus on... other things."

Will nodded and leaned closer, unaware of the murderous looks Ares sends his way. "Then I better help you find him. What's the name?"

"Your boss, Andreas." I answered, and he raised his eyebrow. "Why are you looking for such a dangerous man?"

I giggled and ran my fingers through my hair. "I can tell you all about it after I find him, when we're alone."

He looked like he was trying to hold himself from giving me directions to his boss, so I sighed.

"Well, if you don't know where he is, maybe I can find someone else who might know." I sent a smile and a flirtatious wave to nobody behind his back, but he didn't know that.

"No, I know where you can find him." He held my chin gently and turned my face so I'd look at him. "Make a turn there, and you'll see a door down the hall. That's his office." he pointed to my right.

I saw from the corner of my eyes how Theo and Ares are both leaving their seats silently. If they left with me, he'd realize we're all here together and might do something to stop us.

I can't have that.

I leaned closely to his ear, while my right hand took the glass. What? A drink is a drink.

"I'll see you soon."

And with that, I left my seat. I could feel his eyes on my back until I left his sight. Just as I was about to make a turn, a face I thought I recognized made me look back.

I squinted my eyes, trying to find the dark hair I felt like I knew from somewhere, only to give up and start walking again after a few moments.

"What the fuck took you so long?" Ares grumbled and snatched the glass from my hand, downing it in a second.

"Hey!" I punched his arm. "That was my drink, I worked hard for it."

Theo snickered, and Ares' scowl only deepened. "Yeah, I saw. I want to rip the fucker's eyes out of their holes."

I rolled my eyes at his reaction. I'm so used to it by now. "It's not like I enjoyed every second of it, alright?" I walked past them, spotting the door he mentioned.

It's creepy and a little bit uncomfortable, but it was the fastest way of finding Andreas. "Sure, flirting is fun, but he looks thirty. That's just weird."

"You are still better at this than Ares, he fucking sucks." Theo taunted as we walked down the hallway, the music slowly fading.

"Do I need to remind you I landed Keyla's girl?" Ares raised his eyebrows, and Theo huffed in annoyance.

"Do I need to remind you it started a destructive chain of events?" He questioned, causing Ares to roll his eyes and cross his arms over his chest.

"Exactly." Theo smiled victoriously. "You suck."

"Besides," I chirped in, trying to contain my smirk. "Keyla is a 5'5 bald dude. Everybody would jump on you if their boyfriend looked like him."

"Bunch of haters, I swear." he mumbled as we got to the door. Two big guards stood by it, rifles in hands.

Well, that's not good.

"The party is in the other direction, go." One of them said in a deep voice, and it suddenly made me wonder if that's what the guards in my house are saying to people who walk by.

Well, without the whole party thing.

"William sent us here, we're his cousins and he told us Andreas is looking for some new workers." I smiled sweetly.

Both of the guards switched their eyes to Ares, who was smiling as well like a good boy. "I'm adopted."

"Yeah, our family doesn't see race." Theo added, and the three of us looked at them with big eyes.

"Raise your hands up." The other guard said after a few moments, and we silently complied. He searched for any weapon we might carry, and nodded to the other when he found nothing.

"Go straight. There are more guards inside. You try something, you get shot. Understand?" He opened the door.

"Thank you, sir." I smiled and entered the room, Ares and Theo right behind me.

It looks like a cozy living room, with two white couches and a wooden coffee table. There are another few doors, but we need the one that is in front of us.

We passed silently four guards until we reached the final door. I took a deep breath as Ares knocked, and when a gruff 'come in' was heard, he opened the door.

"Motherfu-" Theo jumped back after we all got in, and I was so close to having the same reaction.

Andreas' office was big and had the same brown-black-white color scheme as the room we just came through. It was decorated nicely, with a wooden desk and chairs, but I mostly liked the black rug.

Too bad there are three unmoving bodies of grown men on it.

Andreas was sitting behind his desk, but his head shot up the moment Theo spoke. He furrowed his eyebrow for a moment, but when he looked at our faces recognition showed on his.

"And I thought I was done with surprises today." He dropped the pen he was holding and walked around the desk, looking at us with a raised eyebrow.

"Not that I'm implying anything, yeah?" Theo chuckled and pointed down at the three bodies. "Were they a surprise too?"

Ares elbowed him, but Andreas only shook his head with a small smile. "You three are not like those three."

His eyes scanned each of our faces, trying to figure out why on earth are we here, seven months after we last saw him.

"How'd you get here?" he asked, and even though I knew he meant 'this side of the state', I decided to give him another answer.

"I flirted our way to your office. You got some really moral bartenders here." I chuckled and stepped over the men on the ground, coming to stand right next to him.

"Hey Andreas." I smiled softly and looked up at his face. For the entire time we've been with him, I felt like he was the father figure I've never had.

"Hey, kid." he wrapped his metal arm around my shoulder, ruffling my hair. "How are y'all doing?"

"We're alright, but actually there's something I need to ask you." I glanced sheepishly at Ares and Theo, not really sure how to say it.

'Hey, do you know someone who might want to kill me who goes by Viktor? Oh, you do? Great. How can I find him?'

Yeah, no.

"Adam's not here." He pushed himself off his desk and walked towards a cabinet, pulling a bottle of whiskey out.

Ares snorted at the sound of Adam's name, causing Andreas to look back at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Your son is a dick, I'm not apologizing." He held his hands up, palms facing forward.

Theo's eyes and mine widened, and I blinked at Ares a few times. He thought we're going to mess things up, but he's absolutely winning that contest.

Luckily, Andreas didn't shot him in the head. Instead, he sighed and poured himself a glass.

"I'm not justifying anything my boy did, but he's killing himself over it. He's sorry, you know that, right?" He said, looking at me as he drinks.

I rolled my eyes and clenched my jaw. He can actually kill himself for all I care.

"As much as I enjoy talking about the guy who broke my heart, there's something else we need to talk to you about." I sat on one of the chairs.

Theo sat next to me, but Ares decided to continue standing. His hands are on my shoulders, giving me the support he knows I need.

"And what is this?" Andreas crossed his arms and leaned over the wall. "Somebody giving you trouble?"

"Well, yeah." I played with the watch on my hand. The same one Amadeo gave me. The one that was my father's.

"It's a long story, but I guess it can be summarized into one word. A name, actually."

"Give it to me, and I'll make them disappear." he encouraged, and I could tell he wasn't pleased with the idea of someone bothering us.

Suddenly, doubt started to rise in me. What if a name isn't enough? Or maybe there are hundreds of Viktors, or-

Okay, fuck it.

"Do you know someone named Viktor? I don't have a last name or-" I stared to rumble nervously, but the squeeze Ares gave me on my shoulder made me look up.

Andreas was looking at me dead in the eye, and a chill ran down my spine. "Did you say Viktor?" he asked harshly, and the three of us tensed.

"Who is he?" Theo shifted in his seat, looking at Andreas sharply. But he didn't look back at him.

He kept his eyes trained on me, a crease forming between his eyebrows. "Where did you hear that name?"

"Why? Who is he?" I repeated Theo's question. I don't like his reaction. Not at all.

I was hoping he won't recognize it, or at least be all like 'Viktor is all bark' or something. But Andreas looks like he definitely recognizes him, and judging by his serious demeanor, Viktor is not all bark.

"He used to be someone a long time ago. Are you saying you heard his name come up? Now?" he emphasized, and I narrowed my eyes.

He was someone a long time ago. When he kidnapped me. Was he laying low until now?

Is he back because I'm back?

"I did." I answered, and Andreas took a deep breath.

"I heard rumors about him crawling out of his hole, but I didn't know if it was true. It can still not be." He pointed a metal finger at me, but I shook my head.

"No, It's true. And I need you to tell me about him."

Andreas' eyes flickered to Ares and Theo. Theo nodded in confirmation, and I could only imagine Ares doing the same.

He clenched his jaw and sat on the opposite side of the desk, across from us. "Viktor Balakirev. Used to be a hotshot, but completely disappeared in the last decade."

"What happened?" Ares asked from above me.

"Power games. He had an empire, but lost all control he had withing NYC. More powerful guys took him out, but that doesn't change the fact that he still has some control. Is he after you?" He leaned forward on the table, looking at me with narrowed eyes.

"What'd you do?"

"Nothing!" I defended myself. "I'm literally just... living. How can I make sure he won't?"

"Luckily for you, Viktor pissed off a lot of other people, me included. I'll try my best to look for him, but you need to be smart." he squinted his eyes, looking between the three of us.

"Whatever stupid plan you might have had until now, drop it. He's not like others you've met."

I swallowed the lump in my throat and looked away from him. He just told me Viktor is even worse than I thought, and then told me to back off?

"How can I just sit back and relax while I know he's capable of doing the same to me?" I gritted out and pointed back at the three bodies on the floor.

"Because you have my word. I'll join the others who are looking for him, but in return you have to promise not to do anything stupid that will get you killed faster."

I clenched my jaw. Having Andreas' gang after him is by far the best thing I can hope for, and I know he'll do much better than us.

I nodded.

"Good." He relaxed in his seat. "Why won't you kids go have some fun? Get everything off your mind for a little."

He opened one of the drawers near his table and held out three black cards. "You show it at the bar, they give you free drinks. But don't drink too much, alright?"

We all nodded. Ares and Theo took one card each, but when I reached to grab the last one, Andreas pulled it away.

"I hear one of my workers even looks at you, I kill him, yes?"

I chuckled and took the card. "I promise I won't flirt with your dumb bartenders, dad." I joked, and he seemed satisfied.

"I mean it." He called the moment Ares opened the door. We looked back to see him standing behind his table, eyes on us.

"Don't do anything stupid, let me and the others handle it. And if you need something, come here."

I bit the inside of my cheek and nodded. "Thanks, really." Once again, Andreas takes me under his wing. He and the others, whoever they are, will try to find him.

I just hope they'll do it fast enough.

"Are we really not going to do anything stupid?" Theo whispered as soon as I closed the door behind us.

"I don't know." I answered truthfully. We always do something stupid eventually.

"I think we can start by doing something slightly less stupid than going after Viktor." Ares wrapped his hands around our shoulders, pulling Theo and I into his chest.

"Let's get fucking drunk."

°°°

"I can't hear you!" I yelled up at Ares, and he jumped down from the table both he and Theo were giving a free strip show to the entire bar.

"I said I'm going to make out with the stripper!" He yelled back, but didn't realize he was standing right in front of me.

"Are you going to make out with Theo?" I smiled teasingly while rubbing my ears, and he punched my shoulder lightly.

"I was talking about the other stripper and you know it." He smiled tightly and pushed his way past me, trying not to stumble as he walk through the crowd of people.

I returned my gaze to the shirtless Theo, who was swirling his pants above his head while drinking something unknown straight out of the bottle.

"I'm the king of the world!" He threw his hands up, and the drunken crowd around the table screamed with him.

The two of them decided to get wasted immediately, so I decided to take it slow and watch over them.

But now I want more than feel tipsy.

Even if I'll scream my plans, he won't hear, so I just gave Theo one last glance before retreating to the bar.

My phone buzzed in the back pocket of my shorts, and I took it out with a groan. Alessandro is calling me for like the thousand time, and the rest are flooding me with messages.

'Where the fuck are you?' Guess who?

Rivo is fucking stupid if he thinks I'm going to respond to anything but 'I'm sorry I was being an asshole'.

Santo's message was the only one that didn't make me roll my eyes.

'Are you dead or just ignoring everyone? Either way, that's cool."

I looked up to push myself between two people before answering.

'Tell them to fuck off my phone or I'm drowning it in the toilet and getting myself kidnapped again.'

That way, they know I'm not dead and that I'm tired of declining calls. Fucking annoying.

I saw the typing bubble, but I didn't get to see his response because someone's shoulder bumped into mine, and my phone fell from my hand to the ground.

"Sorry I-" He started and dropped to his knees, picking up my phone. I stared at him with narrowed eyes, and I blinked a few times when he looked up at me.

"Blondie?" He blinked too, getting up. I knew I saw someone familiar!

Right in front of me was the same guy I bumped into the first day of school, and the guy who grumpily gave me an advice on how to escape my principal's wrath.

"Carter?" I made sure, and he nodded with a smile, sitting on one of the bar stools.

Every time I saw him in school, he looked ready to kill everyone and then himself. Kinda like me.

Why all happy and smile-y now?

"I'm slightly drunk." He stated after he saw my confused face, and I'd be weirded out by the way his dark eyes traveled across my body if I wasn't doing the exact same thing.

He's wearing black cargo pants and a black T-shirt, with the same leather jacket he always has on.

There's a silver chain around his neck and some rings on the fingers of his left hand, and over all?

Fucking hot.

"Me too." I returned the smile, climbing to the seat next to his. "What are you doing here?"

I was genuinely curious. This place is full of criminals, so what does a rich boy doing here?

"Just hanging out with some friends, you?" He tilted his head towards a group of men, who immediately looked away when they realized I'm looking at them.

I smirked and brushed my hair out of my face, watching how his eyes snapped down to my lips for a second.

"Yeah, here with friends as well." I pointed lazily at Theo, who was still dancing on the table.

I returned my gaze to Carter when he started laughing. "I may be drunk, but definitely not that drunk."

I chuckled, and right then the last person I wanted to see decided to show up, breaking our eye contact.

Willam leaned against the bar, giving me a big smile. "I see you're back, sweetheart." I glanced at Carter who was now furrowing his eyebrows, looking like his usual self.

I gave him an apologizing smile and turned to look at William with a sigh. "Yeah, I found Andreas."

I wanted him to go away and get the hint from my uninterested tone, but he completely missed it. "So, Regina. How 'bout we go somewhere quiet, get to know each other?"

I racked my brain for a way out, but it's really hard while slightly drunk.

Oh, what if-

I gave him a wide smile and started to leave my seat, but then I placed a hand on his.

"Oh, by the way," I chuckled, causing him to look at my face. "Andreas had my STD's test results, and it's positive. That's actually why I was looking for him. You're cool with that, right?"

He quickly yanked his hand out of my grasp, and the flirtatious smile he had completely disappeared.

"I... Uh-" he blinked and glanced over his shoulder. I looked at him with big eyes, fake hurt in them.

"I'm sorry, I actually have to stay here and, uh, work."

I internally rolled my eyes and mustered a sad expression, one that wavered the second he turned around.

"I don't really have STD." I smiled sheepishly at Carter and waved to get the other bartender's attention.

"I figured, Regina." he leaned on his elbow and looked at me with a smirk. One curl fell down onto his face, and for some reason I felt my cheeks warming up.

"My name's Olive, by the way." I said after a few moments of silent, and he nodded, looking towards the bartender coming our way. "Yeah, I know."

"So why calling me blondie?" I raised my eyebrow at him, trying to fish out of my back pocket the black card Andreas gave me.

Carter shrugged, but his eyes never left mine, even as I ordered two bottles of something I couldn't even pronounce correctly.

"You're getting right into it, huh?" He laughed as I chugged down the drink straight from the bottle, feeling it burning my throat.

"Want some?" I left my seat and held out one of the bottles for him. He quickly left his seat too, following me and taking it from my hand.

"You sure, blondie? Seems pretty expensive." he eyes both me and the bottle as I lead us to the crowded area.

"It's free, I know the owner!" I yelled through the music, and with one last long look at me, he opened it and started gulping it down.

"Yeah!" I laughed and raised my bottle to my lips, drinking with him. The music is blasting through my ears, and the people dancing around me making me want to join them.

So I do.

Carter is right next to me throughout the entire time, laughing and singing along the horrible band on the stage that ruins every song the DJ plays.

Ares walked past us once, practically eating the stripper's mouth. He didn't let that stop him from giving me a thumbs up behind her back, nor throwing a middle finger to Theo's direction.

I have no idea where Theo is now, though. The last time I saw him was when he threw himself off the table, letting the people carry him like a rockstar.

"How come I've never seen you before?" Carter yelled, smiling down at me. We're both pretty drunk right now, each holding their own bottle.

His free hand found its way to my waist, pulling my closely from behind so I lean against his solid chest.

I smiled to myself and turned around, throwing my hand over his shoulder. I'm a tall girl, okay? I stand proud at 5'8, but somehow I still need to tilt my head up to look at him.

"You saw me when you bumped into me, on purpose." I grinned as he looked away, confirming my suspicion.

"You actually did it on purpose!" I laughed, and he brought his eyes back to me.

"So what if I did?" he leaned down, his lips brushing my ear. It sent chills down my spine, but I had no intentions to move away.

"I saw a pretty girl walking around with her face buried inside her phone, and I just had to have a better look at her." He whispered, and his words caused me to lean even closer.

"Is that so?" I breathed heavily, feeling his breath on my neck. I've never been this close to a guy after Adam, but everything about this moment feels right.

"Because you acted like a true asshole after doing that." My smile grew taunting and he leaned back, looking at my face.

"People often describe me as one." his eyes flickered down to my lips. "But I can try to resist it, if that's what you want."

I smiled. "No, I like them grumpy."

"Perfect."

And then his lips found mine.

Chapter 34!!!

Goddammit how long did I wait for a loving scene, even if it's a drunken one. There is no bet or something like that, I absolutely hate this trope. Let's not even go there.

All of you funny people who comment, just know that I see every comment and giggle in my bed.

Don't forget to vote! We reached the insane number of 103k reads, but unfortunately very few of you are voting :(

This chapter is the longest yet, at the magnificent number of 5.2k words. If it's too long please comment and tell me, because I did had to rethink it.

Love you so much and I'm literally going to write the next chapter rn because oh my God I fucking enjoy this shit.

See ya soon babiessss <3