Zara had underestimated the antibiotics that Marvin had given her that day. She asked him what his actual job was, which made him chuckle. "Being a trusted member of the Cardenas will only make me learn everything needed." He had told her.

She slept through the day, giving in to the final stages of healing through the pain from the wounds. A month had passed by and she was finally able to stand up on her own feet without help. Her hand started to feel better and she could now walk without staggering. She cursed those goons mentally for coming after her when she had done nothing wrong.

She couldn't blame Adrian no matter how much she tried. It wasn't his fault that he chose to stay behind at the bar, even though she did wonder why he did it. He never did anything without a reason.

The clock on her phone said that it was way past midnight and her stomach grumbled, telling her that she had missed dinner. Zara wondered what she should do because Marvin would have gone to the house at the perimeter after work.

Seeing no other choice, she went to the kitchen on the ground floor of the house. She had to search for it because there were four doors in the basement, but only one of them led to the kitchen. She scoffed looking around. Even the kitchen was huge, and it had all the latest appliances. She noticed the refrigerator that her aunt had shown her in a magazine that was going on in a sale and the burner that was eco-friendly.

She opened the fridge and searched for something to eat. She had to be silent because she didn't want to hurt her own ears with loud noises of the clangings of the utensils. Seeing a loaf of bread and milk, Zara decided to make herself a sandwich.

As she left the milk to boil, knowing exactly how long it took to form foam, and knowing herself, she wanted to know what could be behind the locked doors. Lowering the flame in the burner to the minimum, she walked out of the kitchen to look at the other doors. She was able to open one of them but it only led to the supplies that she had heard Melanie talk about one day, complaining about how they couldn't store the sauces needed without it heating up.

One down. Two more to go.

Her heart was beating against her chest. Silence fell across the mansion making Zara feel like she was the only one there. Every step she took made her heart race faster. What would happen if the house was haunted? But that was only her horror-movie fan talking.

Checking on the milk in the kitchen and seeing that it was yet to boil, Zara turned the T-shaped hallway and looked at the two doors on either end. She could choose to turn right or left but she had time only for one.

Instead, she chose to turn around.

She couldn't snoop around.

But as she walked back towards the kitchen, her leg slipped against the cold floor, making her lose her balance. She searched for the wall and fell against it.

Or did she?

Warm hands held her arms as she found her balance again. She looked up at the soft eyes of the leader. "Thank you." She whispered and pulled away from him, still keeping a hand on the wall nearby, her legs still wobbly.

"Sorry." Adrian said. "I know you don't want to be touched but-"

"It's fine." She smiled politely. "I'm getting used to it."

He nodded. "What are you doing here? It's really late."

"Uh...." She walked past him to enter the kitchen. She pointed to the milk that was boiling as she leaned against the smooth mosaic kitchen counter. "I was hungry."

"I thought Marvin had left a tray by your door." He walked inside and he really did look like he owned the room. He was wearing dark grey joggers and a black tee, which made her think of the first day that they had met.

"He must have missed it. He has a lot on his mind anyway." She said. "Did I wake you up?"

Adrian's side of the mouth twitched into an almost smile. "I was awake." He walked towards the fridge and opened it to get a bottle of water out. "I was working on a few papers. Mafia dealings, you know?"

She chuckled. "Yeah right." 

She switched the stove off and looked around the kitchen, wondering where she could find a mug. Almost as if reading her mind, Adrian opened the cupboard in front of her and handed her a ceramic mug. "I should make you something to eat." He set the water bottle down and pulled out a knife from the stand. "It's only fair. I did leave you standing with food in your hand."

Zara wanted to argue but this was his kitchen after all. She saw him cut four slices, which indicated that he was making one for himself. "Why did you leave anyway?" She asked. "And why did you sit by the counter? Aren't dealings supposed to be secretive?"

He looked at her as he opened the drawer beside her to get out a closed pan. "That's a very good question." He smiled. "I was there to meet someone. He showed up. We talked. I wanted to have water. That's all."

"Why don't I believe you then?"

He crossed his arms across his chest. "Not everything I do has an ulterior motive, Zara."

Hearing her name from him against the silent corridors of the house made her shiver. Maybe it was the air conditioner after all. "When I was younger, Aunt Jean asked me what I would do if I found out that I was rich. She said that she would buy a mansion somewhere on the outskirts, something like this one." She leaned against the counter, resting her elbows against the cold surface of the counter. "I told her that I would buy the apartment that we were already living in. It was small, cozy and we had lived there all my life. It was home."

"Living in a mansion is not that lonely." He answered, hearing the hint that she was making.

"You're all alone here." She stated, her voice filled with concern. "I couldn't stay here knowing that there could be someone any moment I turned a corner."

"That's why I have cameras." He joked. "Besides, I have a gun."

"So do I. But it is more of a heavy burden than a safety net."

He continued to make the sandwich and Zara watched how his hands worked with precision. It was like watching an operation. Maybe he had done a medical course like Marvin had. He moved so freely, which made her think that he was really comfortable in his own skin unlike most people that she had met.

"Don't you feel lonely though?" She asked. "Have you considered trusting someone enough to share your life with them?"

His hands stopped. He looked up at her, making her regret opening her mouth in the first place. "It's not that easy. Who would want to date someone like me? With the lifestyle that I lead and with all the uncertainties that come with it, I wouldn't be able to keep them safe."

Adrian had never opened up to someone like this before. Marvin was the only one who knew his true side, who had seen him when he was powerful and when he was vulnerable. What was the girl doing to him?

"That's sad." She spoke. "But don't worry. You have someone to annoy you right here." She pointed to herself, succeeding in making him smile. "You know, this should be the other way around." She pointed to him toasting the bread.

"I don't believe in that."

"Does that mean that you would cook for your supposed girlfriend then?"

He laughed. "If she is able to keep down the horrible food, then yes."

It felt nice to talk to each other like that again. There were so few moments that they could forget about reality and acknowledge each other as the person that they were rather than what they were born into.

"Why did you bring me here, Adrian? You could have kept me somewhere else and been done with me. You didn't have to risk your identity or your location by letting me stay in your family home."

"Keeping my captors at my home is my style." He winked at her as he placed her plate of sandwich on one side of the counter and took his plate in his hands. "You're much safer here with me. Trust me."

"I want to." She said slowly, touching his arm to stop him from walking out the door. "You'll have to face my questions some time, you know? You can protect me by giving me answers."

He looked in between her eyes and walked back inside, giving her company. "You already know the answers to the questions that you are asking." He started eating. "Bon appetit."

And then, the two of them gave each other company rather than eating alone like they mostly did while bickering about their interests.

*****

I'm soft for domestic Zaradrian