AMARA

I kissed him.

He went stiff.

I waited. He didn't kiss back.

He didn't melt.

He remained still.

I finally pulled away. His eyes were still wide and he was still frozen from the shock of my sudden action. I quickly got up and left. I heard him call my name from the store. Luckily, my siblings' house was not very far away, so I decided to go back there.

"Amara, wait!" Sage grabbed my wrist as he caught up with me.

"I'm-" I interrupted him.

"Don't say you're sorry. I'm going to my siblings'. Please don't try calling me, until tomorrow." He looked down and let go of me. I went my way and decided not to look back at him. What surprised me was that I didn't feel embarrassed, I felt heartbroken.

-------

"And then I came here." I finished telling Genieve what happened. She stayed silent for some time.

"Well, maybe you should try talking to him-" She didn't get to finish. Ace and Romeo burst into the room.

"I knew it! I told you it wasn't a good idea!" Ace exclaimed.

"I told you guys he was bad news!" Romeo chimed in.

"Can you guys calm down for a bit? It's really not that big of a problem, geez." I said, which made Carter giggle, who was listening to me as well.

My two brothers rolled their eyes. "She's right, they can sort this out with a talk. And please, don't call an attack on him."

"Wasn't planning on it." Romeo mumbled.

"So you guys were eavesdropping? Or did you just happen to have heard our conversation while passing by?" Carter asked them with her eyebrows raised.

I laughed at their flustered expressions as they went out of the room mumbling excuses. Gen closed the door behind them, shaking her head.

"As I was saying, maybe you should try talking to him, sort this out. You have to get married after all." She paused at that.

"I'm so sorry you have to do this. An arranged marriage without love, just because of some stupid fu- freaking promise." I smiled slightly at her correction. Carter did not like it when she swore, and Gen tried to minimize her swearing keeping that in mind.

Suddenly, I was pulled into a hug by Genevieve. Carter joined us. We stayed like that for a couple of moments. I took in the fact that I wasn't going to stay with my siblings anymore after a couple weeks. I took in a deep breath and broke the hug.

"It's alright, you don't need to apologize. I got myself into this, remember?"

"Yeah, you're still an idiot for that."

I chuckled. "Yeah I know."

"Just don't decide anything without talking to him, alright? But take your time before you do that. And if anything goes wrong, we are always here for you, remember that." Carter said and I nodded.

"Let's hope those two don't do anything irrational." Gen checked her watch. "Come on, let's go downstairs, it's almost time for dinner." And we followed her to the dining room.

------

Dinner was filled with stupid jokes, random"Good morning everyone." Amara said as she sat down next to me at the breakfast table.

"Morning 'mara." I replied. "So, are you going back today?" I asked, munching on some cereal.

"Nope." She said, drowning her waffles with syrup. I narrowed my eyes on her.

"I thought you said it wasn't a big deal?"

She rolled her eyes at my question. "It's not."

"Then why aren't you going back?"

"Why are you questioning me so much? What are you? FBI?"

Luca, who was sitting on my other side, started snickering. I quickly shut him up with a glare, then turned back to Amara.

"No, but I am your brother. It's my duty to protect you."

Amara scoffed. "Protect me from what? It's not like I'm under an attack or something." An attack.

"Of course you're not. My bad." I said as I exchanged a glance with Romeo, who was listening to our conversation, two seats from Luca. Amara shot me a weird look but I pretended not to see it and continued with my breakfast. I knew what I had to do.

After breakfast, I heard a knock on my bedroom door. "Come in." I said.

Romeo poked his head in. "Lucas said you called?"

"Yes, I did." He came in and closed the door behind him.

"I think we both agree we gotta do something about Sage?"

"Yeah, I don't trust him with Amara's hand in marriage. Or anyone's in that case."

I nodded. "So, I came up with a little plan to keep him in place."

He raised his eyebrows. "I'm listening."

Once I was done explaining, I asked Romeo what he thought. He looked at me with a smirk plastered on his face. "That's perfect."

One moment later he asked, "Do Gen or Amara know about this?"

I rolled my eyes at his stupid question. "What do you think? Of course not!"

He grinned. "Even better. Now let's get our plan in action shall we?"

"We shall."

Romeo and I sneaked behind the car. Sage hadn't noticed us following him and he was completely unaware of what was about to happen. I tightened my mask over my nose and slightly rubbed my eyes, contacts were itching, but I couldn't take the risk of someone finding out.

The place we were in was one of the smaller warehouses of the Korean. I looked at Romeo who replaced his bullets with the ones that we made. They were exact replicas of the one's the Mexican use, we had put their symbol on it and everything. I smirked and nodded and Romeo moved forward.

Sneakily moving behind the two guards, both of us knocked them out. I shot them both, we can't risk them waking up. Walking and shooting the other guards before they could contact or shout, I nodded appreciatively at the silent engineering of my gun.

"Who-who are you?" Someone said shakily behind us, I turned to look at one of the guards whom I didn't shoot.

I scoffed. "Te dije que dispararás a este idiota, ¿por qué no lo hiciste?" [I told you to shoot this idiot, why didn't you?: Spanish] I turned to Romeo and asked. 

Romeo shrugged, "Me estaba sintiendo generoso."

He said shrugging and flicking his gun is the guard's direction.

I snorted, Yo hablo español, el jefe está en camino." [I speak Spanish, boss is on his way: Spanish.]

I rolled my eyes. "Is he now?"

He nodded and I looked at Romeo. "Hear that Jayden. Boss is on his way." I addressed Romeo with his fake name, so as to not raise suspicion.

Rom snorted mockingly, "Ohh shiver me timbers, I'm shaking in my boots." The guard took two steps back as I laughed loudly, clearing my throat I looked him dead in the eye.

"While we're waiting, let's get rid of you shall we?"

"No, please don't kill me, i- I have a wife and two kids."

Romeo sighed. "Why the fuck are you still here then?" I spat.

Needless to say, he did eventually run away.

"씨발? Who are you?" [The fuck: Korean] I've got to admit, the kid had courage.

"Your worst nightmare." I said, smirking.

"Why are you here? My men did nothing to harm you." I shrugged.

"Maybe you did, or maybe we just wanted to have a little fun and your men were the perfect targets."

He narrowed his eyes on us. "I did nothing to harm you, my men aren't just bodies you can kill, they gave fucking families they had to support."

I shrugged again. "Guess they were just here at the wrong time then."

"Look kid. We're going to let you go tonight, but remember, we don't tolerate people who repeat the same mistake twice."

With that, we sauntered out of there. teasing, and other stuff. At that time, I almost forgot I had a little problem on hand. Almost. The only thing that kept it on my mind were the little secret discussions Ace and Romeo were having. I signaled that to Genieve, who quickly shut it down by elbowing Ace in his stomach, which I thought was pretty funny.

After dinner, I went over to my room and jumped straight in bed for some good night's sleep. Then, I remembered what I told Sage.

"Please don't try calling me, until tomorrow." And then Carter's words. "But take your time before you do that." I sat up on my bed and picked up my phone and sent a quick text to Sage.

Don't call me tomorrow.

-------

ACE

"Good morning everyone." Amara said as she sat down next to me at the breakfast table.

"Morning 'mara." I replied. "So, are you going back today?" I asked, munching on some cereal.

"Nope." She said, drowning her waffles with syrup. I narrowed my eyes on her.

"I thought you said it wasn't a big deal?"

She rolled her eyes at my question. "It's not."

"Then why aren't you going back?"

"Why are you questioning me so much? What are you? FBI?"

Luca, who was sitting on my other side, started snickering. I quickly shut him up with a glare, then turned back to Amara.

"No, but I am your brother. It's my duty to protect you."

Amara scoffed. "Protect me from what? It's not like I'm under an attack or something." An attack.

"Of course you're not. My bad." I said as I exchanged a glance with Romeo, who was listening to our conversation, two seats from Luca. Amara shot me a weird look but I pretended not to see it and continued with my breakfast. I knew what I had to do.

After breakfast, I heard a knock on my bedroom door. "Come in." I said.

Romeo poked his head in. "Lucas said you called?"

"Yes, I did." He came in and closed the door behind him.

"I think we both agree we gotta do something about Sage?"

"Yeah, I don't trust him with Amara's hand in marriage. Or anyone's in that case."

I nodded. "So, I came up with a little plan to keep him in place."

He raised his eyebrows. "I'm listening."

------

Once I was done explaining, I asked Romeo what he thought. He looked at me with a smirk plastered on his face. "That's perfect."

One moment later he asked, "Do Gen or Amara know about this?"

I rolled my eyes at his stupid question. "What do you think? Of course not!"

He grinned. "Even better. Now let's get our plan in action shall we?"

"We shall."

------

Romeo and I sneaked behind the car. Sage hadn't noticed us following him and he was completely unaware of what was about to happen. I tightened my mask over my nose and slightly rubbed my eyes, contacts were itching, but I couldn't take the risk of someone finding out.

The place we were in was one of the smaller warehouses of the Korean. I looked at Romeo who replaced his bullets with the ones that we made. They were exact replicas of the one's the Mexican use, we had put their symbol on it and everything. I smirked and nodded and Romeo moved forward.

Sneakily moving behind the two guards, both of us knocked them out. I shot them both, we can't risk them waking up. Walking and shooting the other guards before they could contact or shout, I nodded appreciatively at the silent engineering of my gun.

"Who-who are you?" Someone said shakily behind us, I turned to look at one of the guards whom I didn't shoot.

I scoffed. "Te dije que dispararás a este idiota, ¿por qué no lo hiciste?" [I told you to shoot this idiot, why didn't you?: Spanish] I turned to Romeo and asked. 

Romeo shrugged, "Me estaba sintiendo generoso."

He said shrugging and flicking his gun is the guard's direction.

I snorted, Yo hablo español, el jefe está en camino." [I speak Spanish, boss is on his way: Spanish.]

I rolled my eyes. "Is he now?"

He nodded and I looked at Romeo. "Hear that Jayden. Boss is on his way." I addressed Romeo with his fake name, so as to not raise suspicion.

Rom snorted mockingly, "Ohh shiver me timbers, I'm shaking in my boots." The guard took two steps back as I laughed loudly, clearing my throat I looked him dead in the eye.

"While we're waiting, let's get rid of you shall we?"

"No, please don't kill me, i- I have a wife and two kids."

Romeo sighed. "Why the fuck are you still here then?" I spat.

Needless to say, he did eventually run away.

"씨발? Who are you?" [The fuck: Korean] I've got to admit, the kid had courage.

"Your worst nightmare." I said, smirking.

"Why are you here? My men did nothing to harm you." I shrugged.

"Maybe you did, or maybe we just wanted to have a little fun and your men were the perfect targets."

He narrowed his eyes on us. "I did nothing to harm you, my men aren't just bodies you can kill, they gave fucking families they had to support."

I shrugged again. "Guess they were just here at the wrong time then."

"Look kid. We're going to let you go tonight, but remember, we don't tolerate people who repeat the same mistake twice."

With that, we sauntered out of there.