(Leo's POV)

          Why did I kiss her? There was all that yelling and then I just kissed her cheek. Why? Her kind eyes full of anger and anguish drew me in like a Siren, however, I had to stay away. She was too good for me and my games. I couldn't feel for her. Been there, done that, and it didn't end quite well if I remember rather vividly.

          The therapy seemed to be helping her. She had been talking about all her feelings from what I heard. She was also scared of me, calling me the big bad wolf. I chuckled to myself at that silly label and the thought of her one day realizing that I wasn't a big bad wolf, but a vicious lion. Yet, I found myself wanting to take the fear of me away from her and it was strange considering I loved the smell of fear that people perspired upon my name and the things I could singlehandedly do.

   The last time I saw her, she was a shattered glass walking on her own piercing shards. Seeing her go through that hurt me a little for some reason. I understood why she didn't want to see me today and I don't blame her. After what Wren did to her, her behavior towards me was perfectly justified.

          It had been ten minutes since I got into my car. All I had to do was roar the engine to life and drive off, but somehow I was stuck waiting. Waiting for something I didn't quite understand. I sat there looking at her house through my side mirror wishing she'd come out. I shouldn't feel this way about a girl. She's a random girl that I literally bumped into. Nothing more.

          When I finally decided to leave, I saw a shady man at her doorstep. Arie opened the door after a few knocks. They conversed for a good minute when I noticed him trying to barge in. What the hell? I abandoned my vehicle at once and started walking slowly towards her house in an attempt to sneak up on the man and take him down, but my plan was a waste considering he got inside and slammed the door shut behind him.

          Immediately, I bolted towards her house and tried to open the front door as quietly as possible in order to not alert the intruder of my presence, but it was locked. I could hear frantic footsteps running around the house along with Arie's screams and heavy pants. I pivoted around the house and looked for a back entrance. Locating a door that went down to the basement, I jumped down the steps and opened the unlocked door. With careful steps, I neared the stairs that ascended me to the first floor. My ears picked up on some shuffling sounding from the kitchen.

          "Please don't hurt me," I heard Arie plead. "I haven't done anything. Please don't do this," she cried.

          "Shut up, little girl, or I'll make it hurt," the man barked like a filthy, slimy dog before laughing sadistically. I could feel the adrenaline and anger rushing through my body. This motherfucker was about to go to hell.

          I took out the gun from behind me. Cocking it back, I turned around the corner and discharged the bullet at his shoulder. His nasty scream rippled through the kitchen as his dirty blood spouted on Arie's face, turning her as white as a sheet.

          "Stay down or the next one will be between your eyes," I shouted at him as he feebly attempted to get up and reach for his gun. I picked his weapon up and placed it on the round wooden dining table while he whimpered on the floor from pain. As much as I wanted the bullet in his head, I needed him alive to know why he'd attack this girl.

"Finish your date some other time. I need you and the cleanup crew at Arie's house now," I ordered into the phone.

I looked at Arie who was still frozen with her mouth wide open against the counter next to the stove. The man's crimson blood trickled down the side of her cheek and dripped on the white tiles of the kitchen floor. Taking cautious steps towards her, I spoke softly, "Arie?"

She looked up at me with her tear filled eyes that had fear and pain engraved into them forever. That one look from her wrenched my heart right out without remorse. Throwing her arms around me, she began sobbing uncontrollably. I didn't expect her to hug me, but in order to comfort the shuddering girl, I put my arms around her and pull her warm body closer. I couldn't stop the hand that raked through her strands to soothe her pain that I couldn't possibly subside.

          "Love, you're alright now," I promised as I pulled her away.

          She looked at me with her bloodshot red eyes. "Wh-why is t-this happening to me," she could barely form words.

          "They probably came after you because of me," I commented. My enemies would do anything to hurt me. They'd even go after people I associated with briefly, but they must be delusional to hurt someone I cared about. She knitted her brows together and looked at me in confusion. "Let's get you cleaned up first then I'll explain everything." I started to take her away when I heard a gun go off safety.

          "My job isn't done yet. She can't get away so easily," the assassin declared while aiming the gun at Arie. I saw the fear in her eyes as they grew wide. Throwing her out of the way, I elevated my gun to fire at him, but instead I got caught between the crossfire. His bullet barely nicked my bicep.

          "Bad aim, buddy," I spat through my gritted teeth and pulled the trigger. Blood began to gush out of the middle of his forehead as his limp body crashed on the tiled floor with a huge thud. Extreme sense of satisfaction came over me at the kill.

          "Leo," she groaned in pain. "My head."

          Looking in her direction, I noticed her on the floor against the wall with her hand on her forehead. I knelt down to her level and removed her hand to find a nasty scar with blood crawling out at a steady pace.

          "Shit," I muttered under my breath. "Keep your hand there and prevent it from bleeding any further." She nodded and began to shut her eyes. "Stay with me, love. Do not pass out on me." She didn't respond. Fuck. I promised to protect her. Letting her die on me wasn't going to happen today.

          Picking up my phone again, I dialed Mike's number. "Where are you?" I yelled.

          "Here," Mike entered the house after breaking the door and hanging up. "What the fuck happened here?" He looked around and then at Arie. "God! She's soaked in blood," he commented.

          "I can see that," I hissed. "Where's the cleanup crew?"

          "Idiotas! Metete aquí!" (Idiots! Get in here!) Mike yelled for the boys to come in. Four of my men in black suits strutted in.

          "You're going to dump a body in a suit?" I raised a brow at them.

          "We do it in style, boss," said one of the most cockiest man in my close group.

          "Not now, Vince," I narrowed my eyes at the tall, caramel man and warned him.

          "Yes, boss," he cleared his throat. "Where's the body?"

          "On the other side of the dining table. You know what to do with it," I said. He nodded in return, understanding what I meant.

          "Where's her Aunt?" I turned to Mike.

          "She's in the car two blocks down. I told her I had to get something."

          "Take her somewhere again. Call Ray and tell him to come to my penthouse within an hour. I need him to patch up her wounds," I instructed him while I picked Arie up in bridal style. Mike nodded and left. I looked at this fragile thing in my arms and sighed in pity. She shouldn't have to go through this.

          "This place should be spotless like nothing ever happened," I ordered the men.

          "Yes, boss. We got this. You should get going," Vince said. With that, I left the house and walked quickly to my car. Opening up the passenger door, I strapped her in carefully trying not to touch her wound. I then opened up the dashboard and took out a small first aid kit. Pulling out a cotton swab and a bandage, I patched her up as efficiently as possible so that she didn't lose anymore blood before I ran around the car and took a seat behind the wheel, driving towards my penthouse.

          Why did she have to be a target? Who could do this? Considering I have thousands of enemies, I couldn't quite put a finger on one. All these thoughts were rambling in my head. What did he mean by 'My job isn't done yet. She can't get away so easily'? Was there something more? I'd look into this later. I needed to get her treated first. One thing I absolutely hate about New York is the traffic at every bloody corner. I sped through it all and finally arrived in front of the hotel, but I couldn't take her in looking like this.

          "I need ten men in front of the hotel right now," I ordered Jimmy through the phone. Within less than a minute, black suited men surrounded my car. I exited the vehicle and walked around towards the passenger seat. "When I take her out, surround me and make sure no one sees this until I get to the elevator," I commanded.

          I picked her limp body in my arms and walked up the steps into the hotel. Curious eyes of the people in the lobby were fixated on us. Getting into the elevator, I let out a breath. "Paul and Jimmy come with me. Rest of you stay down here. When Ray arrives tell him to come up immediately," I ordered.

          "He's already here," Paul informed.

          "Okay." The elevator doors shut and ascended us to my penthouse. As soon as the door opened, I saw Ray standing, looking out of the glass wall with a small briefcase by his side. He turned around and looked at me.

          "Who's hurt this time?" He asked nonchalantly. He had done this a million times already, so it wasn't a big deal for him. "Is that Arie?"

          "Who else do you think it is? Your mother?" I sneered sarcastically and walked towards my room with Ray following behind. I placed the fragile, beautiful girl on my bed and turned towards him. "Take a look at her wound. I'll be outside."

          Ray sat on the bed next to her and started examining her. "Nice patch I must say," he spoke. "It stopped the bleeding. Good job!"

          I scoffed and left him to do his thing. I went to the huge bar in the living room and poured myself some scotch. "Come here you two," I commanded the two men as I sat on the white couch. They slowly sauntered towards me with fear in their eyes. "Don't worry. I'm not going to kill you guys." They let out a breath of relief that they had been holding in. "Yet," I added and smirked at them. "Sit."

They sat on the couch across me. "What is it, boss?" Jimmy asked as a drop of sweat rolled down the side of his head.

"You guys kept an eye on Arie since that event. So, tell me where she has been since that day?" I inquired.

"We already reported it to you every night where she had been that particular day," said Paul.

"Tell me again," I narrowed my eyes at them.

"Well, she has been to school, home, clinic, her friend, Sophie's house, and to therapy. That's it," Paul concluded.

"Did you notice anything weird at all?"

"No. Nothing weird. Other than her smiling every time she came out of Ray's office, nothing weird happened." Smiling every time she came out of his office. What did they do? For some reason that began to bother me even though it shouldn't.

"Okay. You guys may leave." With a thank you, they both bowed and bolted out.

"She's fine. She should have a mild headache. Just give her these pills to ease her pain," Ray said, coming out of the room and placing a small container on the glass table in front of me. Seeing him, angered me a little.

"What did you and Arie do in your office?" I queried.

"I'm pretty sure I sent you a detailed email on our every session," he looked at me weirdly with a cocked brow. "Did you not look at them?"

"I did. I'm just wondering why she would always smile coming out of your office," I tilted my head at him.

"Every girl does when they get some," he smirked. Anger boiled in my veins compelling me to charge at him immediately. I grabbed him by his throat and pinned him against the wall.

          "What the fuck did you say," I growled in fury. His face turned purple from the lack of oxygen circulation as he began to tap my arm rapidly asking me to let him go. Damn it. I released my grip and watched him fall to the ground coughing ferociously.

          "What the hell? I was fucking kidding," he yelled at me and coughed. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

          "Don't make such jokes about her," I said and walked back to the couch. Picking up my drink, I took another swig of it. "Sei famiglia, ma non esiterò a ucciderti e tu lo sa." (You're family, but I will not hesitate to kill you and you know it.)

          "You need to get your feelings in control, Leo. You're all over the place."

          "I don't need you to lecture me on what I should do and shouldn't do. Soggiorno nei tuoi limiti!" (Stay in your limits) I spat at the tall man.

          "Lo dico come amico. Nothing more. Prendete il mio consiglio e non farsi troppo attaccato alla ragazza." (I say it as a friend. Nothing more. Take my advice and do not get too attached to the girl.) With that he picked up his briefcase and left as I sat there thinking about what he just said. He was absolutely and utterly wrong. I may be attracted to her but I'm not attached. Never!

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Well another chapter. This chapter has some Spanish and Italian. Google helps a lot.
How are you guys liking this book so far? Rate from 1-10.

Much love ❤️
~Reet