Rage. The common feeling they were all feeling. It happened right under their noses, right in 141's territory. Price was mad, his blood boiling. When Ghost announced it to him and Gaz and Soap came back, confirming it, he lost it. How could this happen?

"We're going now." His voice was sharp, a dangerous edge to it.

König stepped up in front of him. His gaze was strong and firm. "You have no idea where they went to and who did this. We need intel before going in without thinking."

Price glared up at the leader of the KorTac group. He knew he was right but he did not have time to be rational when it involved an innocent citizen such as you. His jaw tightened, his lips pursed into a thin line and his eyes were dark, hooded with anger. "And now's not the time to waste it by searching for information. We have to act fast before they do something bad to them."

Another man stepped into the conversation, his arms crossed over his chest. "I agree with Price. We don't know who took them but we can only imagine one of our enemies. If they took them, they might try to torture them for information."

While the leaders of the three allied mafia groups talked, the anxiety within Gaz rose. He felt the responsibility on his shoulders getting heavier each time. He had always blamed himself for involving you into this business and then this happened. He took it all on him and would blame himself if something was to happen to you. He could not bear waiting here while they tried to find a solution to find you the quickest way possible. He needed you safe and sound with not even a single wound on your beautiful face.

Then, he saw you. When they barged into the room you were held captive in, he almost threw up. Your stomach was burned because of the taser, your right cheek was swollen and your lips were tainted by your own blood. The very thing he was scared of ever since he met you again happened. His heart was squeezing so painfully. It hurt more than any torture he had dealt with before. He could not imagine how it felt for someone like you who was never trained to resist. It was a sickening sight.

Alejandro's voice brought him back to reality. There were still Valeria's men lingering around, shooting at them. The group had what they wanted, they needed to run before someone else got injured. You were the priority. Your wounds needed to be treated as soon as possible.

The time for regret would come later once everyone was out of danger.

Everything was quiet. There was not a single noise within the villa despite how many people were around. Everyone was waiting. They were waiting for you to wake up. They had a trusted friend and doctor to look at you. Luckily, you had no major injuries but the burns on your stomach would take time to heal and they might leave a scar. The news was enough to turn everyone's blood cold. They never had wanted that for you. They had scars themselves and they did not care but you were not them. They did not deserve what came upon them.

Time felt frozen in place while you were asleep. You opened your eyes painfully, a groan escaping your lips as your senses came back to life. The first thing you felt was the throbbing pain on your stomach. You tilted your head down to look at yourself but only saw a blanket which was covering most of your body. Your head fell backwards onto the pillows. Your eyes studied the unknown ceiling above you. It was high and white with small details sculpted in it. Definitely not your ceiling. The feeling of confusion expanded. You could not remember what led to this or what started it. You closed your eyes again to recollect your thoughts.

Were you in danger or not?

You forced your mind to remember everything which occurred after the shopping trip with Roach and Soap. You remembered the wonderful party you went to. Everyone was so well dressed and you met new faces: Alejandro and Horangi - thought the latter never came to talk to you. You remembered laughing and smiling, then the anxiety and exhaustion. Ghost was there for you. He had been so kind and patient, listening to your fears and making sense out of them with you. You had been so grateful to him. But then...

Your eyes widened as flashes from that moment passed through your mind. You were hyperventilating and sweating. The pain made sense then. The taser. Your body suddenly remembered all the pain. Your jaw, your stomach, your hair, your wrists... It hurt so much.

"Hey, hey! It's okay, it's okay! You're safe!"

You felt a pair of hands on you and started to panic and thrash about. "No!! No, please! I told you I knew nothing! Please! Stop!" you shouted. The sharp pain in your stomach made you stop and whined in pain. You were lost in a complete panic state. You looked around, searching for a way out. You needed to escape. They would come for you. They had to. They needed to. They-

"It's me, Kyle!"

You gasped. The voice was clearer then and your thoughts stopped being so loud. Your eyes finally landed on the person standing next to the bed. There he was. His chocolate eyes were looking right at you. You noticed the similar panic as yours but well hidden by walls he had built in over the years. He was in better control of his emotions due to experience and most likely his work requirement. His lips were slightly parted with words hanging on the edges as he patiently waited for you to breathe properly again. The next thing you saw was the pain and exhaustion. Heavy dark bags were drawn under his eyes and his usual neat appearance looked more disheveled. But it did not compare to the pain you saw deep in his eyes. You knew him. Even if it had been years, you knew him by heart. You came to learn how to read him and read between the lines of his sarcastic replies. He could not hide anything from you and you could not hide anything from him. The pain on his face... You knew it was because of what happened.

Slowly, you raised a hand and placed it on his soft cheek. "Kyle..?" Your voice was raspy. You did scream and cry a lot that night, no wonder your vocal chords took a tool.

His hand joined yours and he gently placed it on top. His thumb moved across your skin just as his eyes closed. His shoulders dropped, a sign that he was more at ease but not completely. "Hey, sunshine," his voice was calm. He seemed scared to hurt you again by raising it too much. "How are you feeling?"

You thought about his words for a brief moment to come up with an answer that would not put more weight upon his shoulders. "Could be worse," you said with a small smile. "Where are we..?"

"Price's home. In his room to be more precise. Your wounds have been taken care of already. We.. couldn't exactly take you to a hospital so."

Before he could finish his explanation, you cut him off. "I know. It would be hard to explain this situation." A sigh left your lips. Sounds of guns echoed in your ears when you tried to remember when they saved you. "What about the ones who captured me?"

Kyle swallowed nervously at that. "They.. got away. They had too many men protecting them and we preferred securing you before pursuing them."

Yet, that only made you more anxious. They were still out there. They could still hurt you. Your hands were shaking. "They.. They'll come back for me then. They'll come back and torture me again. I- I can't- I don't want that again!"

Kyle opened his mouth to speak but someone stopped him. "It won't happen twice."

The two of you turned to the door to see Price with Ghost right behind him. You never saw Price that serious before. His brows were furrowed and his whole body tensed up. Ghost had the same look but it was more normal in his case.

"Boss," Kyle stood up to face him. "Give them a bit of time, they just woke up."

"I'm not going to harass them, son. Relax." He placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a small smile. Then, he turned to face you again. "Think we have a lot to talk about, love. How do you feel?"

"I think we need to do more than just 'talk'," you stated. Your voice was stern, yet trembling. What you wanted was answers.

"I know you have lots of questions and I think we owe you answers. But I can't guarantee you will get them all. We'll talk once you're ready."

"I'm ready. We'll talk now," you said sternly again. You tried to stand up but Kyle held you back.

"No, right now you need rest. We have time to talk after, sunshine. Don't-"

"Don't stop me, Kyle." You had a frown on your face yet your eyes were almost looking pleading. You needed this and he could see it. He gave in. The man could never say no to you after all.

"But you need to know, love," Price caught your attention again. He pursed his lips before he found the right words. "The more you know, the more valuable you are to our enemies. I hope you are aware of that fact."

You had to swallow the saliva in your mouth. It sounded like you were just an object to be passed around and played with. Yet, you knew he was correct and you should not make this decision on an impulse. The consequences could very much lead to your downfall.

"Tell me everything."

Kyle helped you get downstairs where you were led to the dining room which had been transformed into a meeting room. The long table was filled with each of the men you had met in the last couple of months. They were rather quiet, except for the occasional conversation. But any word which filled the room disappeared the moment you arrived. All eyes fell on you before smiles followed.

"Ye're awake, Bonnie face!" Soap hurried over and tried to throw his arms around you but Gaz stopped him.

"Give them space. They're still healing." He was treating you as if you were fragile. You usually did not mind much but it was not what you needed at the moment.

"I'm fine, Kyle. Stop babying me," you tried to sound gentle but you could not hide how annoyed you were deep down.

The man did not like that but, thankfully, did not push you further. Your attention turned to the others, still looking at you. You could see it. The guilt. Pity would have angered you. They were right to feel guilty. Technically, all of this was their fault and you were not feeling nice enough to try to ease the guilt off of their shoulders.

You sat down around the table at a free seat next to Soap and Roach. Gaz stood behind you, leaning forward with his forearms on the back of your chair. Your gaze followed Price as he sat at the head of the table, Ghost right behind him. It felt so formal. The usual pleasantry and warm ambiance disappeared. It was almost chilling.

Price cleared his throat once he was sitting down, rolling back the sleeves of his shirt to reveal his string hairy forearms. "So, we can start with your questions if you-"

"Who were they?" You did not waste time. You knew what answers you were searching for and you would get them.

Price nodded with a low hum. He did not seem surprised by your question. The leader's eyes left his sleeves but they did not search yours, but opposite to you. You gazed at the same person, seeing Alejandro and Rodolfo sitting there.

"El Sin Nombre," Alejandro spoke up. He looked disgusted just by saying her name. "Valeria by her real name. She's a snake." That far you figured. "She owns a cartel and is responsible for almost all of the drug service within the city."

You gave him a nod, letting that piece of information sink in. "Alright for that." You took a deep breath. "She.. talked to me about you. Not much just.. names. 141, Vaqueros and KorTac. What does it all mean?"

"That's our families," Rodolfo continued. "Alejandro leads Los Vaqueros. All the people you see working in our restaurant are part of Los Vaqueros."

It was hard to believe an entire restaurant was led by a mafia group. People were blind to it, enjoying the delicious Mexicans without knowing what the owners and workers were doing during close hours. No one would suspect such a warm and welcoming place would be owned by dangerous people.

"Then you got us, KorTac," König said, raising his hand to get your attention. His voice did not sound as shy as usual and his eyes were more certain, staring at you without a doubt in those blues. It took you by surprise since you were used to seeing shyness and anxiety in his eyes. "Horangi and I are the only ones here in London. We've got men and women in many places in Europe mainly," he explained briefly without giving too much detail.

"Then you have 141," Price was the final one to speak. "Gaz, Soap, Ghost, Roach, and I."

After listening to all of them, you opened your mouth to react to the pieces of information you were given. "141 but you are five? I think you skipped math class, Price." You decided to lighten the mood with a light joke. It made Gaz chuckle behind you. The sound warmed your heart.

The corners of Price's lips turned upward into a smirk while Soap held back a laugh by biting his bottom lip. "Funny thing, aren't you?" He straightened up. When his eyes met yours again, they looked softer. You liked that look on him. "We were four when we started this team and the meaning wouldn't be the same if we made it '151'."

"Ah, make sense." You nodded with a small smile. " You have quite the diversity in your group but I guess I won't be told more than that."

"Smart, ain't ye?" Soap said teasingly and wiggled his eyebrows at you. You answered by rolling your eyes. Still the same. It was hard to stay mad at them.

However, you were far from finished from the serious conversation. You had one more question you required an answer from. "Why did you want my bakery?"

The room was quiet for a bit. Eyes were on Price, hoping he would be the one to open up about it. You also watched him. The British man was staring at the table before him and he passed his tongue over his front teeth while he was thinking. "At first, to keep an eye on you."

Your jaw dropped when you heard that. They had been spying on you without your knowledge all that time. "Wha-"

"Understand that in this line of work, spies and traitors are always around the corners. The people here are ones I would trust my life with but you," he paused. He shifted his positions so he could rest his elbows on the table before him. His gaze did not falter. His eyes held no lies, you could tell he was sincere. "You could have been a threat to our families. Kyle knows you but it was years ago and I didn't want to take the risk."

You frowned. You understood but it did not make it any better. They had eyes on you this whole time. How much did they see? What did they see? Were they even looking at you when you were home?

"Donnae worry, Bonnie. We kept yer privacy. Never watch ye home or durin' more private moments," Soap assured you with a gentle hand on your shoulder. His smile always made you more comfortable.

"Would have beaten your ass if you did anyway." It was not just an empty threat. You would have. "So, you wanted to keep an eye on me, okay, but why go as far as sending them to work with me or trying to gain ownership of this business and building? It doesn't make sense to me."

König spoke up, catching your attention. "It.. wasn't supposed to go that far. Horangi was charged with keeping an eye on you but Gaz..." His eyes shifted to the man behind you.

"He's stubborn and continued to come to your shop again and again and eventually he dragged everyone with him." To your surprise, it was Horangi who gave the explanation. You had never heard his voice before. It was deep and sharp. He almost sounded angry but not towards you or anyone, just... angry in general. Even Ghost sounded nice next to him. You wondered if his face matched the angry tone, yet, he was one of those masked men with glasses on top which made it harder to even see his eyes.

You felt Gaz shifting behind you so you looked up to watch his facial expression. You noticed the red in his cheeks and the way his lips were pursed. You knew that expression, he was embarrassed. "Oh, shut up. 's normal I want to spend time with my childhood friend, yea? Been years. And that stubborn ass planned to build that bakery all by themselves like a bloody idiot."

You crossed your arms over your chest and puffed. "Idiot? Sorry if I want to do everything according to my head! I know how to handle myself thank you!"

The Brit above you laughed then his brown eyes met yours. "You are. If I hadn't been there, you would have broken an arm by then. You're too clumsy."

"You better shut your mouth, Kyle Garrick, or I'll put poison in the next cookies I bake for you," you threatened him, pointing your finger up to his face.

"Droppin' the full government name on ye, eh? Ye in big trouble, pretty boy." Soap snorted but was quickly slapped at the back of his head by the black man.

Price cleared his throat loudly to get your attention back. "To get back on the topic, we decided to extend our branches. We own a few businesses but yours was commonly placed between our other businesses. So, we decided to work with you."

You squinted your eyes to look at the man. You believed him but you still had the feeling there was something. A secret which you would probably never know. Maybe it was better this way. Like Price said, the more you knew, the more valuable you were. Meaning, the more in danger you were.

"Got other questions, cariño?" Alejandro's voice brought you back down to Earth. His dark brown eyes were watching you with worry. Those eyes which lived with danger, death and blood, yet, which could still look at someone with such tenderness and adoration. You felt privileged to be able to see those softer sides from all the men around you. You felt special.

You shook your head. Your shoulders were more relaxed and your frown had disappeared. You should hate them for what they did. You should resent them for making you go through that torture because you kept their secrets - which you did not know until then. Yet, somehow, your heart was drawn to them in ways you could not explain rationally. You wanted to stay with them and wanted to see if you could build a solid relationship based on trust and respect. You wanted to continue moving forward with them. However...

"Then, we need to tell you something," Alejandro continued. His voice seemed more distant. You felt the hairs on your arms raise as goosebumps coursed through your body. You had a bad feeling.

"We'll back down from that bakery." Price was the one to make the announcement.

The information took minutes for you to let it sink in. You stared at the leader of 141 with big round eyes, your jaw dropping in disbelief. Were they leaving you? Already? Your fears were becoming real. Just after you admitted how much you wanted to maintain a close relationship with them, they told you that? "What..?"

"We never meant to drag you this far into this," Roach said, catching your attention. He placed a hand on your thigh while his soft guilty eyes were staring at you.

You refused.

"We only wanted tae help her business first but then we got too involve. Better if we keep our distances."

You couldn't accept this.

"We won't see each other too much so you don't get involved in another kidnapping."

They couldn't do that.

"We'll keep an eye on you, Schnucki. We'll protect you until everything calmed down."

Why would they do this to you?

"It's for you we do this, love."

You raised from your chair and made haste. You stood before Price with clenched fists, eyes darkened with anger and your jaw tightly shut. The voices around you were muffled. You met a very calm Price who looked back into your eyes with patience. He seemed to have expected anger from you as your reaction did not make him flinch away. Then, you saw it in his eyes. Something close to pity. You lost it.

The loud sound filled the room. Everyone turned quiet in an instant and seemed to be holding their breaths. It was almost chilling how silent it all became. All because of you.

You just slapped John Price in front of all his men and allies. John's cheek turned red at the impact and it was sure to sting the next couple hours. You did not care who he was. It did not change how much you hated what they did to you. If you feel injustice, you would let the person know, no matter who they were.

You glared at him and took a deep shaky breath to control your anger. "You said you'll help me so you better keep your word, old man. You're strong, right? So do whatever you're doing and keep me safe. I'll never find better workers so get your shit sorted, Boss."

You were disrespectful and rude but you could care less. He deserved that. They all deserved one. You knew you should not have done that and you probably signed your death contract right here, but you had to wake them up from their disenchantment.

The man before you raised a hand and you quickly closed your eyes and prepared for impact, yet, nothing came. Slowly you opened one eye and your jaw dropped. John Price was smiling before you, a knee on the ground, one hand extended for you to place yours in. John Price, the most dangerous man you knew, was on his knees before you, for you. The tension was at its climax as you looked at each other with a strong intensity.

The atmosphere in the room had changed. Guilt and pity left to replace them with sickening adoration. Something in that man's eyes changed after that simple action. No one ever dared to touch Price the way you did but you did it without a second thought.

"You have my words, sweetheart. No one will ever touch a single hair from you. You have our entire protection. No one will go unpunished for touching you."

You could not describe what his words did to you. Your heart was beating loudly in your ears and your body's temperature became higher.

Mafia families were devoting their lives to yours. You were not just anyone anymore. Your life would never be normal anymore.