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(Arie's POV)

Leo's hand was firmly intertwined with mine, but his mind was clearly elsewhere with eyes glued to his phone. He started making calls and barking orders one after another regarding the girls who had been rescued. They were going home which was a massive win for us, but I couldn't feel entirely happy about it because the man behind the dirty business had most likely escaped. I couldn't rest until I killed him myself.

          I stared down at the woman sitting at the other end of the limo who exchanged a look with me. The chaos I had come from was too disconcerting for me to notice her when I first got in. I couldn't quite make out her features in the unlit area. Her face was only visible when we passed a streetlight, but her silver dress sparkled even in the dark. She certainly wasn't one of the girls up for the auction.

"It isn't kind to stare," the woman spoke in a raspy voice that carried a heavy accent that I couldn't place. "They call me Mehjabin Begum. I helped Mr. Bonferroni reach you."

          There had been an unsettling tension in my chest when I first laid eyes on her, but that feeling dissipated immediately. "I don't think I can thank you enough." I showed my gratitude with a kind smile.

          She waved a casual hand. "Don't worry about it, darling."

          Leo's thundering voice concluded my conversation with the lady as he continued shouting into his phone with fury. Putting my free hand over our interlocked ones, I made an attempt to calm him down. I knew I couldn't do much in the current situation, but I couldn't sit here and watch him hurt when all his pain was gruesomely tangible. Most of it was guilt as usual when none of this was his fault. We all knew the price we paid in this world. Even some of Leo's closest men would say he was angry, which he was, but none of them could see how much Athena's tragic death was killing him inside. He'd never let it surface, but it was there. His eyes couldn't hide it from me.

          "Hey," I whispered whilst scooting closer to him and squeezing his arm. "Listen to me."

          "Let the show go on for another hour and then surrender." With those final words, Leo hung up and gave me his complete attention. His blue pearls of ocean released the rage for a moment and gazed into mine so lovingly that I almost forgot what I needed to say. "What are you looking at?" he whispered softly and rubbed my hand that clutched his arm.

          "You," I muttered whilst tracing my fingers over the worry lines on his forehead. He frowned further and peered down with a sigh. "Hey." I lifted his head to make him look at me again. "It's not your fault, Leo. Stop blaming yourself for everything that happens."

          "I can't when it's my family who's responsible for all of it." Leo's features immediately became stiff. His lids closed for a few seconds as he breathed slowly. "A lot has happened since they took you. I will explain everything when we are in a safer environment, but I need you to tell me whatever happened to you first. Give me names if you know any. We can't delay this. It'll only give them time to retaliate."

          "Lawrence Kane." I didn't need to be told twice. The sooner Leo found him, the sooner I'd get my hands on that fucker. "He's the one behind that business."

          "Did he touch you?" The question was pushed out through gritted teeth as Leo's hold on my hand tightened slightly. "Tell me what he did."

          "He didn't rape me if that's what you're wondering, but he did touch me."

Something dark swirled in his eyes at once that almost scared me. The last time I had seen that look was when he brutally tortured Lina's rapists. Lawrence was going to be dragged through hell and back by Leo himself considering the fire of death he had burning down the cool color of his irises.

"Do you have any idea of the location he kept you at?"

"I only know that it was an island and that it's impenetrable from what he said."

"Impenetrable," Leo scoffed as if it was the silliest thing he'd ever heard. "He won't know what hit him."

"Whatever happens, I get to kill him. I'm the one he wronged."

Leo clenched his jaw, wanting to deny my request but he swallowed his pride and said, "He's yours to kill, but I may bring him to you a bit bruised."

"Not too much 'cause I'd like to get my hands a bit dirty too."

"Of course, you do."

A hint of a smile danced at the corner of his lips, but he didn't allow it to surface in front of the company we were in. Even showing the slightest bit of emotions in front of strangers was a lot coming from a man like him. He was an alpha male, a king born to rule, and the leader of the deadliest criminal organization on this planet. Any emotion other than anger for someone in his position was considered a weakness in the eyes of his enemies and soldiers. He couldn't permit that.

          Royalty and mafia coursed through Leo's veins. That's what his blood was made of. That's what he was bred for. He was born a killer who saw no mercy for the ones who ever crossed him. Murdering, maiming, torturing, and ripping limbs from bodies of men were all second nature to Leo. He was a predator, a lion among humans. It was a part of who he was. Sometimes I found it difficult to believe that I fell for a man like him. A man so ruthless. A man who enjoyed blood and gore. A man who had no conscience or heart according to the world. But no one knew the man I saw in him; a man who cared deep down and would burn down the entire world for the people he loved. Of course, he couldn't admit it openly, but everyone knew of the words that I had heard before. Family first. It was like an oath to them.

          Behind all the stony and rough edges of this magnificent beast was a lion that had willingly bowed to me with that crown of invaluable riches on his head. He surrendered his heart to a girl who didn't come from a noble household, a girl who certainly didn't match his royal caliber. Yet I was the girl he laid completely bare for. I knew there were old wounds that dug too deep for him that he never got the chance to divulge. Those were memories that haunted him. I'd never force him to disclose those to me. A man like him needed time and the right mindset to talk about such scars. All I could do was stay by his side patiently and walk through hellfire with this man, for my heart was a slave to his as his was to mine.

          Leo was a predator who met me when I was nothing but a broken little mouse. The image of the girl from all those years ago seemed foreign to me now. That girl died the moment she pulled the trigger and ended a man's life. Now I was far from that girl. I had become something else, something stronger. I had become his leonessa (lioness), a predator myself.

          I tightened my fingers around Leo's strong, rough hand, beyond ecstatic to be at his side. I knew the path ahead was difficult with enemies all around that needed to be dealt with immediately, but I couldn't help but wish for a break from all this even just for a day.

          I allowed my eyes to wander off and rest on Robyn who had been staring out the window. She had seen too much for her age, but she remained calm through it all. I needed to speak with her regarding this, but now wasn't the right time so I remained quiet and laid my head on Leo's shoulder as he informed his team about Lawrence over the phone when the limo suddenly came to a halt.

          "You both stay in," Leo ordered Robyn and Mehjabin Begum as he put on his mask once again and exited the limo, pulling me out with him into the rain. I grabbed my gun on my way out just in case since we were probably still in enemy territory. We were parked by a dark, narrow road with houses lined up on either side of the street. I had no idea of the country we were in. It was definitely not America.

"Here." Leo retrieved a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to me. "I'm going to get a call from some very important people and I need you to look less bloody for it."

          "Leo, I'm not in the state to look or act presentable for anyone right now, and I look like a wet cat," I said as he led me toward a much less fancy car parked behind us.

          "I know, my love, but these people are too important and they need to have a word with you. Even I can't defy them."

          Who the hell could it be? It couldn't be Federigo or Amelia. Leo respected them, but he could tell them no. The only person I could think of was his maternal grandmother, Marsilia fucking Drago. She was someone who could force him into doing things which was why I disliked that woman. It was probably more than dislike at this point.

          Leo shot the door handle of the car and unlocked it. The vehicle began blaring almost immediately. Leo got in quickly and hotwired the car in less than a minute while I got into the passenger's seat. I had no idea what he had done, but he got the car to start up which ceased the loud racket.

          "You stealing a car like this seems really wrong when you can buy a hundred of these," I snorted, wiping the droplets of rain from my face with the handkerchief. "Where did you even learn how to do that?"

          "Training," he answered simply, taking the handkerchief from my grasp and removing his mask. "I've been trained to do a lot of things. I'll tell you all about its brutality someday."

          The limo began driving away which left me uneasy. Robyn was still in that limo with the other lady and I didn't know how she must be feeling.

          As if Leo read my mind, he said, "Don't worry. We're going to be right behind the limo."

          "Okay."

          With a gentle touch, Leo began wiping the specks and smears of blood from my face that hadn't faded with the rainwater while I allowed myself to be entranced by his oceanic eyes. After he was done, Leo slowly cupped my face and kissed me softly like a feather against my lips that woke up my butterflies once again. My entire existence was melting against him again, and I just couldn't stop. I didn't want to stop. Every moment I spent with him was precious, even the ones when we didn't see eye to eye in Italy. This world of mafia was never going to be left behind. I was right in the middle of it with danger lurking around me constantly, but Leo's mere presence brightened up this gloomy world for me.

Leo's kiss turned hard, demanding, and breathtaking. He sucked on my lower lip and then drove his tongue into my mouth, and I gladly let it pass. My insides began knotting and searing with desire. My skin tingled, yearning to be touched by his masterful hands that always gave me what I needed. I wanted nothing more than him at the moment. We could've fucked in this stranger's car and I couldn't have cared less, but Leo pulled away and left me silently begging for more.

          "Fuck," he growled under his breath, licking his lips and staring into my eyes. "I want you so fucking bad right now, but—"

As if on cue, his phone began ringing with an incoming video call from a number I didn't recognize.

Of-fucking-course!

I groaned with displeasure. "You can answer it, but don't expect me to speak to anyone at this time."

          Our emotions were heightened and we both needed to release the pent up feelings inside. Leo had often found solace in a hardcore fuck when he was in a bad headspace, but he had managed to change his ways after Verona's demise. I knew he was trying to distract himself from the pain of losing Athena with me. As much as I wanted him myself, it wasn't the right time or place for that.

"As you wish."

We both straightened our spines as I distanced myself from him to look out the window and began drowning myself in the thoughts of all the shit that was yet to come. However, the moment I heard the little chirp of a child, my eager eyes shot toward the phone.

"Hi, daddy!" Lucian's voice was cheery and filled with curiosity. "Are you with mamma now? You promised."

          "Hey, kid." Leo pushed aside all other emotions and masked it effortlessly with a smile for our son. "Your mamma is here, but she doesn't want t—"

          I snatched the phone from Leo's grasp. The second I laid my eyes on Lucian, my face lit up immensely. "Hey, baby!"

          "Mamma!" The phone began shaking on Lucian's end as he began jumping up and down with excitement. "Ana, Mamma's here!" he screamed at the top of his lungs while Leo began driving and caught up with the limo. The roads were eerily empty now that I paid a little attention. Where the fuck were we?

          Ana's tiny footsteps could be heard against the marble of Leo's mansion along with the thunderous paws of Zeus. My guess was they were in the estate in New York where he had his precious pets. It was one of the safest locations away from any other civilization, so I knew my babies were secure.

"Arie mom!" Ana stumbled into view. Her hair was pulled back by two high ponytails that made her the absolute cutest. She proceeded to pepper the phone with tiny kisses that she believed could reach me.

"That's yucky, Ana!" Lucian grimaced.

"Yucky, yucky, yucky," Ana mocked her brother and then swatted his shoulder. "Your face is yucky, fart-boy."

"Hey! Be nice."

It could never be put into words how much I missed them; their faces, voices, and banters. Motherhood was never easy when I was forced to face it, but I learned to handle it slowly. Raising three wild kids was never easy. Ana was the craziest and the hardest to tame. Lucian was a mamma's boy with a terrible temper at times. Considering who his father was, it all made perfect sense. He was a smaller version of Leo. And Alon, he was my sweetest boy. I blamed his calmness on his illness. He would've been another Leo otherwise. Each one of them was my lifeline. I lost one and I had felt something break inside me that day. Now I'd bring the devil to his knees before I allow Ana or Lucian to be harmed in any way. It was a vow I made to myself.

"Why didn't you call, Mamma?" Lucian wondered. "We miss you and we miss home."

"Yeah!" Ana pouted. "I miss you. I miss Auntie Harry. I miss Nani. I miss Auntie Sofa. I miss Baby Renna."

I giggled. "Auntie Sofa isn't there with you?"

"Not anymore," Leo answered and continued the conversation in a low whisper as the kids started arguing among themselves over something. "Zachariah took her and Renna with him back to California a couple of days ago after finding out she had come to New York with the kids. He said they'd be the safest with him when there was no news of you. He was worried."

"I find it hard to believe that Soph didn't protest her father's decision."

"She did, but he took her anyway. We don't have much say in the matter at the moment. She isn't a Bonferroni. She's still his responsibility. There's a lot about this world you still don't know yet. We can't meddle in their business. I left Gus to work on that because of Renna. Getting you home was my priority."

          I took the next few minutes talking to the kids and promising them that I'd be home soon before I hung up and returned the phone to Leo.

          "The day you went missing, you said you had something important to talk about. What was it?"

          Verona's cryptic message.

          "It was an address Verona had left for me."

          Leo's brows furrowed. "Verona left you an address?" He seemed beyond confused. "What address?"

          "I don't remember the address exactly, but it was written at the bottom of the antique jewelry box Verona had sent her letters in. I could only see it with the red light."

          Leo became stiff, his eyes glued to the wet road as rain poured. The wheels in his brain began turning. His knuckles grew pale the tighter he gripped the steering wheel. His breaths were calm, but I knew there was an even bigger chaos inside.

          "Whom did you tell?" he asked in a low voice that sent a chill down my spine which wasn't good.

          "I didn't tell anyone anything. I only showed Zee the address because I thought she might know since she was close with Verona."

          "How convenient for you to go missing the same bloody day!" Leo forced the words through gritted teeth without sparing me a glance. "By now you should know not to trust anyone."

          "Zee has been with me for months. I didn't think sh—"

          "Well, you thought wrong," Leo cut me off frustratedly. "You need to tell me before anyone else if there's something wrong, and this could've been everything I needed to draw out the traitors around me. No one plays by the rules in this world, Arie. Not a single fucking person. Everyone is out on the hunt. You let your guard down for even a second and your entire world can turn upside down just like that. They killed Athena and took you away from me to be sold like a worthless whore."

          His harsh words settled in my chest with a daunting feeling. It felt heavy and filthy. I took a deep breath and decided to look out the window to avoid an argument. I understood where he was coming from. In his position, you could never trust anyone fully. People always had ulterior motives. I knew that I still wasn't aware of how everything in his dangerous world worked, but trusting Zee and having her as my guard with Zaya may have been a mistake. I was going to gut her myself if she had a hand in this, and I was fairly certain that she did.

          Leo's cold hand wandered over to my thigh a moment later and squeezed my flesh gently. "I'm sorry, love," he mumbled. "Everything just has been piling up. There's too much going on."

          I rested my hand over his and rubbed it with a deep, tired sigh. "I get it."

          His agitation was understandable. He did say a lot had happened since I was gone and I wondered what it could be. Once we were in a safer environment, he could explain what I'd missed.

          He took my hand and brought it up to his lips. The gesture was small yet it managed to make my stomach flip with giddiness. "Do you remember anything about the address?" he pressed for information. "Maybe the city."

          "Yeah." The city was the easiest bit about the address. Verona was named after the city herself. "It's—"

          "Cazzo (Fuck)!" Leo cursed and abruptly swerved the car onto a different street which killed my voice in my throat. I realized what was going on the moment I saw a car follow us through the side mirror. "Get your gun out now and don't shoot until I say so," Leo's voice turned to a firm tone that he used with his men.

I cocked my gun and waited. Once we raced out of the small street onto the broad and empty roadway, Leo gave me the signal. I extended my hand out the window, pointing the gun at the car behind us. The men in it drew their weapons, but before they could shoot I fired a few shots. It was unbelievably hard to shoot in a moving car and under the pouring rain, but I managed to hit the front tire which sent their car spiraling uncontrollably and brutally smashing right into a building nearby.

          As I retreated my arm back in, Leo grabbed the back of my head and gave me a hard and desperate kiss. A smirk played on his wondrous lips when he pulled back. "You have no idea how badly I want to tear your clothes off and fuck you right here, right now, but that'll have to wait until we get rid of this other one." Another car whipped onto the road behind us and began firing. They were a lousy shot, but I still ducked a bit, not wanting to give them the chance to get lucky today. "Hold on."

          Leo veered the car around abruptly as my fingernails dug into the seat to keep me in place as much as possible. Now we were facing our agitators who came toward us with complete force. Leo put the car in reverse and let it go in full speed down the vacant, straight road while he retrieved his gun and began firing. I followed his lead and shot at them, but Leo's aim was much better than mine. He managed to kill the driver which sent their car haywire and flip into a building. There was no chance for any survivors considering the horrendous impact.

"You're too good at this," I remarked, meeting his gaze briefly. The smirk on his face reminded me of the time when our romance first bloomed. The smug smirk that I hated yet loved dearly. It was enough to send a wave of tingles throughout my body.

          Leo reached for my hand and squeezed. "I love you so fucking much."

          A toothy smile grew on my face with his confession. "And I love you."

          Just when I thought I could take a breath, a powerful collision to the back of our car spun us out of control. The world slowed as everything started to turn upside down. The airbags inflated. Glass shattered and pierced my skin, my body thrashing up and down inside the car as the sky and the small buildings coiled together. Sudden numbness dissipated any pain I would've felt due to utter shock of what was happening before my very eyes. For a second, I managed to turn my head to the side where Leo was supposed to be but wasn't anymore before my head struck against something and turned my world dark and my mind paralyzed.

***

(Leo's POV)

          It all happened too quickly for me to comprehend. The forceful impact to the rear of the car launched me through the windshield and onto the ground. I hadn't registered anything until rain pattered on my face and brought me back to reality. The metallic taste of blood pooled in my mouth. As I coughed it up, an unbelievable sense of pain suffocated my insides. My hand reached for my face where I found a shard of glass embedded below my cheekbone. I yanked it out whilst holding my breath and turned my face to not drown in the rainwater. That's when I noticed the car busted horribly and upside down, smoke rising from its destroyed engine.

          Arie.

          The pain in my body was immediately replaced with a sudden surge of adrenaline that rose me to my feet. Three men were cautiously approaching the car. They weren't good samaritans who had come to help, they were the bastards who had hit us.

          Retrieving a knife from around my ankle, I began running toward them as quickly as I could despite my injuries. Their back was to me, their eyes solely focused on the one they'd come for. Two of them knelt to pull Arie out while the third one watched. From a distance, I flung my knife that rammed itself into the back of the man who was idly standing. His shrill scream alerted the other two who had pulled Arie halfway out.

          I twisted the knife in the man's back when I got closer, then forcefully slid it toward his spinal cord and wrenched it out. He dropped paralyzed until I fiercely slammed my foot down on his neck and ended his life. The other two drew their guns and aimed the barrels at me. I slashed the hand of the one closest to me who dropped his weapon. The other one began firing at me, but I shielded myself with the man whose hand was already bleeding. Once he was out of bullets, I released the dead man and finally noticed one bullet that had wedged itself in my left shoulder.

I reached into my flesh and yanked the deadly metal out with a huff. Later this would be proven to be the wrong move, but I didn't give a fuck. The last man watched me in a panic as he tried to reload his gun, but the fucker was too scared and too slow. I snatched the gun from his hold and tossed it away.

"What do you want with the girl?" I asked, towering over the frightened man and he didn't dare move.

"She secured the biggest bid ever. We cannot let her die without giving her to her owner."

Stepping forward, I pressed the tip of my knife behind his head to the nape of his neck. "My name is Leo-fucking-Bonferroni," I spoke by his ear harshly. "And it is my woman you dared to put your unworthy hands on." Shoving my knife upwards, I forced it through his tough skull and into his useless brain.

As much as I would've liked to torture them one by one for even being near Arie, I had to get her home first. Besides, they weren't the main culprits behind this big conspiracy.

I knelt and picked up Arie in my arms before the car could blow up. Her face was scrunching up with pain. She was still partly awake. I took us toward the building under which we could be shielded from the rain. Placing her down, I began patting her cheek and alerting my men simultaneously. "My love, please open your eyes."

          Dread clawed its way into my chest as I scanned her wounds. A gash was on the right side of her forehead. Her arms were scratched up and bleeding as well. For as long as I remembered, blood never bothered me. Hell, I could bathe in it without a concern, but seeing Arie bleed tightened my chest. I had seen worse scars. I had inflicted much worse injuries on others, but seeing the woman I dearly loved in such a state almost made me queasy.

          "Hey, I need you to look at me. Just open your eyes."

          A small cry escaped her bloody lips which was a stab right to my heart. She moved a bit, grimacing as she did so. Her lids fluttered open slowly. "Leo." My name was uttered as though it pained her to endless extents.

          "My love, just keep your eyes open and you will be fine."

          "Ev-Everything hurts," she croaked out and coughed out some blood that had pooled in her mouth.

          "You're my leonessa (lioness). You can get through this, and I'm not leaving you."

Mathias screeched the limo to a halt by us and immediately hopped out. Mehjabin and the little girl who I had saved with Arie exited the vehicle too.

"Oh, my God!" the little girl grew pale instantly upon seeing me and Arie bloody and then proceeded to throw up by the tires.

"I lost the ones that were behind me, Sir," Mathias informed me as I lifted Arie in my arms once again. "Paul and the others are taking them out, so we might be in the clear."

"I'm not taking any chances on might," I barked at the man. "Take every single one out. Burn them all if you have to. If anyone survives, bring them to me."

"Yes, Sir."

Mathias held the door to the limousine open for me when two cars halted a hundred feet from us. The little girl and Mehjabin immediately dove into the vehicle, probably knowing it was bulletproof after their encounter with their own aggressors. Mathias drew his weapon and started firing, but their cars were bulletproof as well. I shielded Arie and myself inside while Mathias ducked low and reloaded.

"I'm here to talk," I heard a male British voice, loud and bold despite the rain. "I'd like to have a word with the man carrying out this rescue mission. Just a word. No guns will be drawn on my end. You have my word. If you kill me, the damsel dies too. Don't risk it without hearing me out."

Mathias waited for my orders and remained ducked by me when four cars came to an abrupt stop around us. Mike, Ashton, and Eros exited the cars along with my men who trained their guns at the enemy vehicles.

          I left Arie in the limo and began to back out when she grasped my hand. "Don't go." Her voice was brittle and weak, and it was nothing like my Arie who was anything but that.

          I pecked her forehead and let it linger for a second longer. "I'll be right here. You needn't worry."

          When I stood back out in the rain, I looked at the man emerging from one of the fancy cars. He had worn a mask that covered half of his face.

          "I'm unarmed." He removed his suit jacket and patted himself down to make us see that he was indeed without a weapon, but I didn't believe the bastard.

          With a fist raised in the air, I gave the silent order to not shoot and faced head on. "What do you want?" I seethed.

          "You're the one in charge?" he wondered.

          "I am."

          "You're badly bruised, my friend. I can't even decipher what you look like under all that."

          I spat blood onto the ground and quickly took in my surroundings to discern any additional threat. "You're Lawrence Kane, I presume."

          "And you must be one of Leo Bonferroni's soldiers. I'm certain a man like him wouldn't risk himself for even his favorite whore."

My jaw clenched with his words. If I was impulsive enough, I would've given him a taste of my gun right away, but I refrained. Kane slid his hands into his pockets as Mike walked over to me. He regarded me uneasily upon seeing my bloody condition and the numerous wounds.

"Why don't you come closer so that I can have a good look at the man who came to rescue his boss' damsel in distress."

          "Come closer if you want to have your throat ripped out by my bare hands. Trust me when I say I've done it before."

          "Oh, I don't doubt that at all. You all are some sadistic lads I'm sure, but I have the upper hand here, ya see." He cautiously pulled out one hand from his pocket, holding something small that I couldn't make out very well. "It's just a remote. There's a device that is implanted in every girl that I auction off which paralyzes them and also acts as a tracker. But Ms. Arie Noelle was a bit too special so I had to take some extra precautionary measures to ensure my safety in case of a rescue mission like this."

          "And I'm supposed to believe anything that comes out of your mouth?"

          He laughed. "Why don't you bring out the little girl that's inside the limo and I'll show you? I believe her name is Robyn, isn't it?"

          Mike immediately dragged the girl out of the limo and forced her to stand beside me when I heard Arie protest, but we had to do what was needed to be done. Robyn was in tears and shaking uncontrollably with fear, trying to claw Mike's hold off her. "Please, don't send me back with him. Please! I thought you were good people."

"We are mobsters so we are far from good, darling," Mike said.

          I stared straight ahead at Kane who pulled out another remote and pressed down on a button that forced Robyn to grow limp in Mike's hold.

          "She's just paralyzed momentarily to show you that I'm not here to play any games," Kane declared. "Now give me the one you came to rescue."

"Or else you're going to paralyze her?" Mike scoffed.

"As I said, I had to take extra measures with the special lady, so she not only has the paralyzing chip but with a press of a different button, poison will be released in her body which will kill her in an instant."

          My hand immediately snatched the gun from Mathias' grasp as my entire body flamed with anger.

          "If you kill me, she dies," he spoke up immediately whilst raising his hands in the air. "There's another remote that can kill your damsel and my lads have it with them in the car. The moment you take a shot at me, he'll press the button and your boss's favorite little whore dies. The car is bulletproof so you won't be able to take us all out at the same time to ensure her safety."

          "You're bluffing," I spat.

          "Why don't you take a shot at me and risk it?"

          We both stared each other down in silence for a minute. I couldn't give him Arie no matter what, but I also couldn't let her die. Kane could be lying, but the risk was too dire. It was Arie's life at stake. I couldn't play Russian Roulette with that.

          "What do you want?" I asked, lowering my gun.

          "You can keep all the other girls that you got out of there. Consider them a gift for your boss." He took an exaggerated bow as if he was doing me a favor. "All I ask for is Arie Noelle and the paralyzed girl."

          "The girls are out of question," Mike announced. "Name your price and you will be paid."

          "You see, I would've taken you up on that offer if you'd made it earlier before all this, but I've lost too much now." He shrugged. "You all killed the majority of my men, tainted my business, scared my clients. You've hurt my ego and pride, and money will not satiate my revenge for it. Even if I took you up on the offer, you would've still killed me, so I will be taking the girls instead."

          "You're not getting the girls," Ashton suddenly snarled.

          "Is that your final decision?" Kane waved the remote. "If you wish death for the girl then death you shall have."

          "Stop!" I roared at once.

          I was torn between pride and the life of my woman. I was the one who always gave ultimatums. Never would've thought that I'd find myself on the receiving end with something so precious in jeopardy. I could lower my pride without a fuss and accept defeat, but that'd mean I'd have to give Arie up in order for her to live.

          "It's okay, Leo," Arie whispered as she came up behind me. "It's okay."

          I turned around and held her up. Her lids were heavy, her stance wobbly due to her injuries. Blood trickled down her face with the rainwater. Fuck! I couldn't let her go.

          "Keep an eye on him," I ordered Mike and Mathias.

          I made Arie sit on the edge of the seat in the limo while I knelt by her outside in the rain with a wince, hidden from all eyes. "I'll be okay, Leo." Her fingertips traced my face weakly. "I'll find my way back to you no matter what."

          I leaned into her touch, my eyes growing sad and defeated at once. "I can't lose you again."

          "You won't." She pressed her forehead to mine with a soft whimper. "Lawrence won't hurt me, and I'll use that to my advantage to get out, but you will have to let me go for a little bit."

          "You're killing me, my love."

          Tears pooled in her reddened eyes and dripped down effortlessly. "It's killing me too, but we must do what's necessary. He's weak now. Even his defenses are fragile. I know you will find me. You're the smartest and the most powerful man I know."

          Her life was my concern and there was no other option. What feared me the most was the mere thought of what Kane was going to do to her, but I knew my Arie was stronger than ever. She was also a smart one who could possibly manipulate him. That's where I was going to put my hope until I got my hands on him.

          "I will find you. It's a promise."

          I rose back up and pulled her out of the limo carefully. She swayed but I immediately fixed her footing. With a hand on the limo for support, she began walking past me slowly. Without anyone looking, I forcefully poked my thumb through the few recent stitches on my wrist where I had implanted a small tracker after the incident with Orel Pavlov. Putting the bleeding wrist to my lips, I sucked the small tracker into my mouth.

          "Wait." I turned Arie around and kissed her hard. I did so not only because I didn't know how long it'd be before I kissed her again, but also to transfer the tracker into her mouth with my tongue. "That's a tracker. Keep it in you no matter what," I mumbled against her lips and then pulled away.

          She nodded and began limping away with Mike who carried Robyn toward Kane.

          "Arie, don't!" Ashton rebelled, trying to head for his sister, but Eros held him back.

          "Would you rather have her dead?" Eros jerked him to his side frustratedly. "Just stay put."

          Arie ignored her twin and kept walking. Mike handed over Robyn to one of Kane's goons who had stepped out of the car for her while Kane grabbed Arie himself. He turned her around so that she faced us with her back pressed against his chest. A jolt of possessiveness fired up inside me upon seeing how he held my woman. Mike trudged back over and joined my side once again.

          "What will your boss say about you kissing his whore?" Kane laughed, slowly running his fingers up and down Arie's side which infuriated me, but I had to refrain once again. Arie tried to jerk his dirty hands off, but she was too weak and in pain at the moment. She still had a fight in her that I admired. "I need to make sure she doesn't have any weapons."

          Without a warning, he ripped the top portion of Arie's dress and revealed her breasts. Instinctively, I stepped forward but Mike immediately held me back with a lowered gaze. My men had seen the worst of the worst yet they knew not to dare look at my woman whose clothes were being ripped off. My blood boiled with utter fury at what the cunt was doing. I was going to bathe in this fucker's blood very soon after I ripped him limb from limb.

          "Motherfucker!" Ashton bellowed in rage and took a shot before any of us could react. As much as I wanted it to pierce Kane's skull, the man's aim was terrible and missed everything.

          "Careful," Kane warned. "The girl will die if I do."

          Ashton was impulsive and erratic. Hell, I was beyond livid, but I had to keep it in for now. Eros shoved Ashton into one of the cars and locked him in.

Lawrence spent another few seconds groping Arie in all her crevices in hopes of finding a weapon, but he found nothing. He put Arie in his car and gave me one final look before slipping in and racing away with his goons.

"Paul, follow them," Mike ordered one of the men and stood in front of me. "You need to get to the hospital now before you lose any more blood."

"No," I protested and began walking toward one of the smaller cars. "I need to get her home first. Don't lose sight of them."

Mike didn't say anything in return but kept walking behind me until I felt a needle jab the side of my neck. This motherfucker!

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Hello, beautiful people! I know it's been a while but I had TOO much going on. I'm gonna save you the sob story. Those of you who follow me on Instagram already have an idea. I have finals in less than two weeks so I gotta focus on that now.

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter despite the long ass wait.

Who enjoyed seeing the kids back for a bit?

Will Gus be able to get Sophie and Renna back from Zachariah?

Do you think Zee is the traitor who leaked the secret about the address?

Do you think Lawrence was bluffing about the device causing death for Arie? Why or why not?

What do you think Lawrence is gonna do with Arie now?

How long will it take Arie and Leo to recover from their injuries? And how will it affect them?

What did Mike do at the end there and why?

Thoughts on Leo?

Or Arie?

Further comments and questions are always welcome ❤️

HIT ME WITH THE THEORIES!

Follow me on INSTAGRAM @reetilicious for sneak peeks of the future chapters and fun question times.

Much love ❤️
~Reet