Go check out my new book if you haven't already. It's called Escort Me Baby. Hopefully you like it.

ENJOY!!!

--------------------------------------------

"Where is the first aid kit?" I couldn't bring my eyes to rip away from his injured hand after cleaning away the blood with a washcloth.

"There's one in the car, love. You can examine it there, but we need to go right now." His calm voice eerily irritated me considering his face was red in rage.

"I'll drive after I bandage you up," I try to reason with the man as my head began to ache due to my stressing brows.

"We don't have the time for that. I can drive perfectly with one hand while you can access my other one."

"Leo..."

"Love," he lifted my chin up with his left uninjured hand and made me look into his melting blue orbs. "I need to get there quickly. I'm going to drive whether you like it or not."

          "Fine," I groan in defeat and let him escort me to his Ferrari. Once we get settled in, he roared the engine to life and commenced driving.

          "The first aid kit is in the dashboard," Leo said when he found me struggling.

          Opening up the dashboard, I retrieved the first aid kit and placed Leo's palm facing up on my lap. Rummaging through the box for a cotton ball and rubbing alcohol, I looked up at Leo who had his eyes fixed on the road with his jaw clenched tight. "This will hurt," I spoke softly and lathered the rubbing alcohol all over the cotton.

He just nods, giving me permission to continue. Slowly, I lowered the soaking cotton ball to his wound and earned a little whimper in return. "Sorry," my voice was brittle with hurt as I continued cleaning the cuts to avoid any infection.

"It's okay, love," he didn't look at me. I could feel the pain and anger he exuded, but his voice was calm and soothing just like a nightingale. Pulling out a bandage from the box, I wrapped it around his hand while my heart raced. "It's fine now," he hauled his hand away and gripped the steering wheel.

"Leo, I just patched you up. What the hell are you doing?"

"It doesn't hurt that bad."

"I can't keep playing doctor if you don't want to heal," my voice came out in a shout like manner rather than in a calming way like I intended.

          Pulling the vehicle off the road, he halts and turns to me. "Love," his hands begin caressing my face in feather-like strokes. "Look at me. I'm fine."

          "You're not fine. You're hurting yourself more by gripping the steering wheel so tightly."

          "I've been through much worse," he laughed and tried to change the topic. "The claw marks you left on my back hurt a lot more."

          We laughed as I swatted his arm. "I hate you."

          "You love me," he brings my face closer to his and places a soft reassuring kiss on my lips. "Your frowning brows literally tug at my heart, my love, so quit worrying. I'm alright." With another peck, he starts driving again as I placed my head on his shoulder and kept staring at his bandaged hand that laid on my thigh.

          The entire ride was an eerily quite one with Leo's deep intakes of breaths and erratic heartbeats being the only sound heard throughout. When we finally reach the estate, he quickly jumped out with me, pulling me into the mansion and right out the back door over a concrete pathway that lead to a vast warehouse of some sort.

Before we even reached the door, faint whimpers and cries penetrated my ears forcing me to tighten my hold on Leo's hand. One of his men opened the door to reveal Mike slouching in a rolling chair with his eyes staring at the high ceiling as his gun wavered from side to side at a bruised man kneeling in front of him. Letting out a deep breath, Mike leisurely cocks his head towards us and rolls his chair back.

"He's dead," he points to the lifeless body next to the bruised man who shuddered in fear as Leo left my side and stomped towards him.

Grabbing the man by his collar, Leo pulled the man closer and began ramming his injured fist into the man face with force. I watch in horror as the man received blow after blow to the same spot on his face that began to swell incredibly while he slipped into a state of unconsciousness. Leo threw the man to the floor with his face red in pure rage. Ferocity literally dripped from his face along with the blood that permeated through his bandage due to the forceful beating he gave the poor man.

"Come here," Leo scowled at a man who stood among many others in the corner. The man hesitantly walked with sweat tricking down his forehead in fright. Leo grabbed him by his throat and pinned him to the wall. "Tell me what happened or you're next." Upon releasing the coughing man who fell to his knees, Leo pulled the empty chair that Mike was occupying just a minute ago and plopped down on it. "When time did she go missing?" Leo punched the man square in the jaw which slammed his head on the marbled floor. "Speak up!"

          Leo was hurting himself more by straining his injured hand with the constant beating he was giving the man. His displeasure was squeezing my heart, calling my name. My feet began nearing him until I felt a hand on my wrist.

"Don't," Mike said and pulled me back. "Don't interfere, Arie. Let him do his thing."

"But he's hurting himself," I frown at him. With a reassuring gaze, he put his arm around my shoulder and squeezed it lightly.

"He's been through much worse," he glanced at Leo and then back at me. "He won't listen to anyone, so I suggest you stay back here with me and watch it all unfold."

"I still don't hear you talking," Leo hissed at the man after another crushing punch.

          "Let me answer that for this idiot," a tall, muscular man walked in in a suit that was too tight on his figure and sunglasses that he slid into his pocket.

"Vince?"

"Boss," the man gave Leo a slight nod before continuing. "She's been missing since last night."

"Last night?" Leo's roar rippled through the room, making me flinch internally as Mike tightened his hold on me.

          "You still wouldn't have known about this if I hadn't overheard your father telling these fuckers to keep it hush and not tell you anything about it yet."

          "He knew and he didn't tell me?" Leo's voice was weirdly calm once again, but my heart told me that it was just the calm before the storm.

          "As soon as I found out, I called Mike and then he called you." Vince leisurely walked to the massive oval table and leaned his back against it. "I got as much information I could get out of them. Federigo has been sending her to training behind your back and that too at night so that you wouldn't know. They all kept it a secret in fear of your father."

"Federigo is to blame here for her abduction, Leo," Mike chimed in to back the man up.

"Is that so?" A deep voice boomed through the humongous room, making all our eyes shoot to the door behind me.

Federigo's face was crimson in fury while he chest heaved up and down. We all quietly watched as he walked to Mike in slow, long leaps until he was only mere inches away from his face. The glares darted back and forth between the two men; their heights inclining with one another. Being only a foot away from them, my heart raced as I anticipated their next move while my feet wouldn't budge.

"Yes, it's your fault," Mike spoke in a low seething manner with his head held high. "If you would have never gone against Leo, this wouldn't have happened."

"Why does this bother you?"

"Because she's my family too." Mike inched closer to the glaring man, challenging him silently. "And it's all on you and you know it."

          Federigo raised his fist and brought it down to Mike's face in a brutal impact. Since I was only a few inches away from Mike, Federigo's punch glided down to my face, forcing me to fall to the ground from the blow.

          "Arie!" Mike came to my aid immediately and lifted me up to my feet when I watch Leo stomping towards in utter rage.

          Leo jerked me from Mike's arms and cupped my face, his thumbs circling my cheeks while his soft eyes distressingly scanned me. "Are you alright?" A whisper barely passed through his lips as I could sense him holding back his anger.

          "I'm fine," I feather my fingers over his hand and squeezed them reassuringly.

          "You're hurt, love," his thumb scraped off a drop of blood that trickled down my busted lip before he turned and faced his father. "First you send Lina to your sick training that I forbade you from and then you have the nerve to hit Arie!" His voice roared and his hand trembled in fury as he intertwined his fingers with mine.

"Let's not forget I'm your father and not the other way around," Federigo clenched his fists tight and glared at me. "I didn't intend on hitting your new and temporary interest."

"Father!" A thin voice bellowed out as heels clicked on the floor along with other footsteps that echoed through the place. Arabelle grabbed my wrist and stepped in front of me like a protective shield. "I think you've said and done enough. You need to leave before each one your child loses it for your ignorance."

"Get out," Gus yelled at the men who immediately scurried out the room.

"Belle..." Federigo began to talk, but Arabelle stopped all the murmur with a lift of her finger.

"How could you do this when we made it clear that Lina wouldn't go through the training hell that you put each one us through," Gus stepped in front of his seething father and glared at the man.

          "She's my daughter and I know what I'm doing, so I don't need any of you to tell me otherwise," Federigo stepped back and glared at each one of his raging offspring that stood before him.

          The tension in the room urged me to shift uncomfortably as silence crawled in with anger and loathe screaming loud and dismantling everything slowly. Even with their backs towards me I knew each one of the siblings exuded a ferocious vibe just with their tense body language and clenched fists. Taking a few steps backwards, I run into Mike as he lets out a little snicker only audible enough for me to hear.

I look at him with confusion etched onto my brows. Mike glances at me with a grin and comments, "Don't judge me. This is my personal entertainment."

Rolling my eyes, I tune back to the drama as another family member decides to join the party. "Give your father some room here. He was just thinking in the best interests of Evelina, but unfortunately some very horrible turn on events got the best of her."

          "Mother, quit talking like she's some kind of fucking business deal that slipped through our fingers," Gus yelled at Amelia who stood on the front line with her husband.

          "Gus, watch your mouth," Leo warned his brother and then turned to his mother. "Mother, you knew about this?"

          Amelia shifted a little next to her husband while her brown eyes never faltered. "Yes, I did."

          "And you endorsed it?"

          "Leonardo, he's Evelina's father. He wants the best for her so she can protect herself in such situations," Amelia wrapped her hand around Federigo's bulky, tatted arm. "It's not his fault that they attacked the vehicle she was traveling in and abducted her."

          "How can you stay so calm right now?" Gus inched closer to his parents, his voice dripping with anger and his hands curled up.

          "That's because she's..."

          "Don't you dare say it!" Leo interrupted Arabelle, his eyes shoving enough daggers into her chest. "Don't you fucking dare."

          "What?" She scoffed and glared at Amelia. "We all know it's true and there's no hiding in it."

          "I don't care," he spat through his gritted teeth. "Don't you ever bring that up again."

          Arabelle shoots back in Italian and all hell breaks loose. The three siblings begin arguing amongst each other like little kids with their father chiming in with his thundering voice. My distressed eyes absorb the entire unfolding of the mess with no inkling as to what they were shouting about.

          Through all the ruckus I hear a little snicker to the right of me. Rotating my head in that direction, I notice the man from earlier with a grin planted on his face. He dipped towards Mike and whispered, "Very entertaining. This is better than the action I get in bed from Fiona. Gotta shag her soon. Bitch has been strangling me with her horrific blowjob skills."

          "Jesus!" Mike lets out a chuckle while I gaze in bafflement at the man who shook his head in horror as he pondered deeply.

          "It's a mystery how her mouth can salivate over my badonkadonk, while my junk looks like a flaccid turd on a dry summer day. I could fill up two buckets with her saliva in just an hour and give it to a needy man in Zimbabwe. That way she'll be of some use to the world rather than being a useless piece of dried up white meatless chicken."

          Mike swatted the back of the man's head in a swift motion. "How many times do I have to tell you to look around and then speak, puta!"

          The man's dark eyes fall on me as they grow wide. "I'm so sorry, Ms. Noelle. I really need to heed Mike's advice."

          "It's okay." I turn away from the man and look at the feuding family.

          "I'm Vincent. You may call me Vince," he shook my hand excitedly and smiled genuinely. "I'm the boss man's favorite man."

          "That's an amazing joke, Vince. I'm dying of laughter," Mike said with a straight face and narrowed his eyes at the man.

          "You're just jealous that I'm more efficient than you."

          "Wait," Mike turned to Vince and looked at him innocently. "Who's the second in command to Leo?" He begins waving his index finger in the air before bringing it down to his chest and wiggling his brows. "That's right. Me."

          Vince rolled his eyes and shifted his gaze back to me. "Moving on, I'm the guy who cleaned up the kill at your house, the mess at your graduation, and the one in that filthy warehouse."

          "Thanks, I guess?"

          "You're welcome, Ms. Noelle. Anything for the boss man's boss lady."

          "Boss lady?" I chuckle and look at him.

          "Yes!" He chirped up. "Federigo, the Papa Asshole may not approve of you, but I think the rest of the Bonferroni army does."

          I laugh again, but it was cut short when the cocking of a gun echoed through the place. Arabelle pointed the gun between her two parents who had an appalled expression etched onto their face. "It's all your damn fault," she glared at her father as her voice shook with undeniable rage. "We wanted to preserve her innocence as long as we could. Leo said he would train her in his own way rather than the torturous one you dragged us through, but your impulsive nature couldn't help it."

          "Lower your gun, Belle," Leo calmly ordered her as he inched closer to her. "Now."

          "Stay back, Leo," she shifted the gun to his chest and glowered at him. "You won't say it but I will." Directing her eyes back to her father, she pulled out another gun from under her dress and pointed it at the man. "After what happened with mother fourteen years ago, this man had put us through hell." Her voice quavered with distress as she struggled to control her shaky hands. "You were not the only one who lost something that day, we all did. Leo told us to keep it hush and endure your ruthless behavior, but you forgot about your kids along the way. Your own blood."

          "Sister..."

          "Shut up, Gus!" She hissed at her brother before scowling at her mother. "And you," averting the gun from Federigo's direction, she glides it to Amelia. "You should have told us that he took her, but instead you helped him keep it a bloody secret. I knew you never cared for us."

          "Arabelle, I'm your mother. Of course I care for all of you," Amelia pleaded with worry and fear clinging onto her brows.

          "Shut up!" She roared and pinned both guns to her parents' chest while she just scowled at her mother. "You don't care and you never did. I'm not Leo, so you can't feed me this shit."

          Leo yanked the left gun out of her hand while Mike stealthily tugged the other one away. "That's enough," Leo glared at her and threw the gun to Mike. "I know you're hurting, Belle. As much as we might hate them right now, they're still our parents."

          "Don't touch me!" She slapped Leo's comforting hand away that rested on her shoulder. "Someone took our little sister away. They took our Lina. If anything happens to her, I don't know what I'm going to do," she menacingly turned to her parents. "It sure as hell won't be good."

          "She's here," a panting Wren barged through the door and heaved out a heavy breath. "The tenth search party found her in the same abandoned warehouse where Leo and that girl was attacked." He glances at me then looks away immediately. "Lina passed out as soon as they got her. She's resting in her room and Ray is on his way."

          Sighs are released through the large place as a smile erupts on my face in relief. Leo paces towards me with Arabelle and Gus right behind them. "Gus," he says while caressing my face lightly and placing a hand on my back. "Take her to my room and clean her wound while I figure out who did this."

          "Why do I have to take care of your girl?"

          "Gus, do as he says, yeah?" Arabelle chimed in as she lifted my chin up and inspected my little busted lip before fixing my hair around my frame. "Hello, princess!"

          "Why don't you accompany her, yeah?" Gus mocked her in a British tone

          "Because we need to have a very important conversation right now," Leo faked a smile as he looked at Arabelle. "Isn't that right, Belle?"

          "With pleasure then," Gus swallowed hard and put his arm around my shoulder. "I'll gladly take Ms. Arie over a conversation with you."

          "Remove your arm from her or you're next in line," Leo said making me laugh as Gus immediately dropped his hand and took a step back. Placing a hand on my back, Leo escorted me out with his two siblings walking ahead of us before a quick glance at his parents who stood glued to the ground. "Belle, go to my office and wait there and Gus, you wait by the stairs. Arie will join you in a second."

          With that, those two do as ordered, leaving me alone with him. Sighing, I wrap my tired arms around his hard torso and relax my body while his tense body does the same. "Are you okay?"

          "I'm fine, my love," he pulls away and tucks my tousled strands behind my ears. "Are you okay? I'm so sorry for my father's actions and for you witnessing all that unwanted drama."

          "It's fine really," I dabbed on my tiny wound with my index finger and turned it towards him. "See. Not even bleeding anymore and it doesn't even hurt."

          He slowly lowered his lips to mine, urging me to wince in mild pain as his sensual mouth purposely sucks on the aching spot. "Thought you said it didn't hurt," he smirked at me and cocked his head to the side.

          "Well, if you're going to suck on it like that then of course it's going to hurt," I pout and nudge his arm. "Dumbass!"

Chuckling, he blanketed me like a protective shield. "You're the only thing keeping me sane right now, my love," he whispered against my hair as he tightened his hold on me. "I don't know what I would have done if anything happened to my little baby sister."

"She's home, Leo," I ran a soothing hand down his muscly back and comforted the worried man. "Don't worry, baby."

"I'm going to kill whoever had the nerve to touch my sister," he pulled back with his brows knit together. "That person will regret ever messing with my family."

"I know," I smile and peck his lips. "Now don't keep Arabelle waiting. From what I just witnessed, I don't think she'll let you off easily."

"She's the one who's not going to get off easily by me," he smiled and firmly planted a kiss on my lips before escorting me to his brother and parting ways.

"Hi!" Gus chirped as we strode down the hallway that lead to Leo's room.

"Hi, Gus!" I gave him a meek smile before looking back at my feet.

"I should have a nickname for you too since you call me Gus."

"That's because you told me to call you that, smartass," I chuckle and roll my eyes. "I'll have to approve even if you do give me a unique nickname."

"Okay," he grinned and ushered me into Leo's room, closing the door right behind. "How about mermaid?"

"Nope, it's taken."

"Princess?"

"Your sister has already claimed that, so try a different one," I take a seat on Leo's massive bed while he sits right next to me.

"Can't argue with the older sister," he shrugged and began pondering.

"Is she the oldest out of all the siblings?"

"She seems older with her anger and wrath, but she's second in line. Leo is twenty-seven and the oldest which is why he has the empire and he's the most sensible and rational out of all of us." He looks me dead in the eye and speaks in a gravelly tone. "But his wrath is the worst out of all of us. Brother seems to think that Belle is the worst, but he's so wrong. You don't want to see that side of him."

"Let's hope I don't see it," I laugh and look into my lap. If Leo's own brother is deathly scared of him then I wonder how in fear I would have been if I didn't fall for that man. Only if Gus knew how many times Leo let me slap him.

"Belle is twenty-four and just extremely impulsive which is why she seems the worst. Next in line is our twenty-three year old beloved adopted brother, Wren. He's quite a crazy person when he drinks and speaks his mind which is mostly always bad."

"Tell me about it," I groan inwardly and roll my eyes.

"Next is the best one which is me, the twenty-two year old and the most immature and player sibling out of all."

"I can see that," I laugh out.

"Don't get me wrong, Leo and Wren are very good in the game, but I'm the best. I've been told that I'm very charismatic. Be careful, you might fall for me."

"Rest assured, big guy. Your brother already has my heart."

"Damn it! He beat me to it," he grinned like a little child and flashed his puppy dog eyes.

"Too slow, Gus. Too slow."

"I'll grab you if he ever leaves you even though I'll be a dead piece of turd if I ever do, Sirena."

"Sirena?"

"It's Italian for siren or mermaid. I bet it's not taken yet."

"Sirena it is then."

"Welcome to the family, by the way."

"The family?" I cock my brow at him and tilt my head to the side.

"Yeah," he sighed and pointed to my neck. "I mean that hickey on your neck kind of gave it away and then you being here during all that commotion just proved me right. You're going to be here for the long run."

Embarrassed, I position my hair to hide the Leo's mark. "We'll see what life has in order for us."

"I guess brother has a thing for broken girls," he commented with a smirk on his face.

"Excuse me?" I narrow my eyes at this daring man.

"Every strong soul begins with a broken one and you, Sirena are a very strong one," he winked and grinned like an idiot.

"How charming!" I chuckle while slapping his bicep.

Letting out a deep breath, he falls back onto the bed and stretches. "That's what everybody says." He closes his eyes and smiles. "He's really happy ever since you walked into his life. Unfortunately, Verona never gained any strength. She always remained broken."

"Verona?"

"Yeah," he lifts his body back up and slumps his shoulder. "His wife."

--------------------------------------------

Sorry, I know this chapter took a while, but I am on a vacation in Canada and my phone doesn't work well here. Gotta get back to the states soon. Every chance I get, I keep writing and as soon as I got some Wi-Fi I posted this.

Who do you think took Evelina?

Why does Arabelle despise Amelia so much?

What even happened fourteen years ago with their mother?

So yea, the infamous Verona was the wife. What do you think happened with her? How is Arie going to take it?

Much love ❤️
~Reet