Loud banging on the door reverberated in the house. 

"Alandria!" Emmeline cried, running from the room she was in.

Alandria caught her in her arms while Zayden was busy doing who knows what in another room.

"Zayden!" Alandria called, "What the hell are you doing? We have to go!"

The young man did not reply. Alandria looked around her and found an open window.

"OPEN THE DAMN DOOR ZAYDEN! OR WE WILL BREAK THE DOOR! YOU CAN'T ESCAPE!" someone barked from outside.

"Zayden! We have to go!" Alandria yelled, rage filling her up.

It was about time! The young man emerged from the room with two backpacks.

"Catch this!"

Alandria caught the backpack. Why the hell was he giving her one?

"What...what is this?" she shrieked.

"Stop standing around! We have to move!"

The next moment he was running towards the open window. He put one of his leg on the window sill and looked back at the girl who was staring at her with an open mouth.

"WHAT?" he yelled, "Do you want to die here? Come on!"

Alandria glared at him and ran towards the window.  How did he even dare say that? She was the one telling him to hurry first and now he was saying that she was just standing around?

"Like what the hell Zayden, why were even packing in the first..."

"Shut up!" he whispered, "They'll hear you!"

Zayden jumped outside cautiously. 

Boom!

The blew up the door! What did they even use? A bomb?

"What was that?" Alandria cried.

"Shut up! Oh let it be! Let me hold her!" Zayden muttered as he took Emmeline from her.

The young girl went outside and both ran towards the car, Emmeline still in Zayden's arms. The younng girl was looking around, not understanding a thing.

"Oh no..." Zayden stopped in his tracks.

"What the...don't tell me you forgot the keys!" 

"No...I think there's not enough fuel in the car...." Zayden thought out loud.

"Zayden! It's now that you are telling me that?" Alandria scolded, "You could have checked that before, don't you think?"

"Oh shut up already!" Zayden said back, opening the front door, "Hop inside Emmeline and go and sit at the back!"

Emmeline obeyed him and Alandria went to sit at the back too.

"They're outside!!!" someone yelled suddenly.

"Oh shit!" 

Zayden started off the car, instantly, tossing something at Alandria.

"What...ah!"

Alandria looked behind the see the men shooting at them! They were really trying to kill them! And what was that heavy thing that Zayden tossed at her? She picked it up curiously.

"What the hell!"

It was a gun! What was she supposed to do with that?

"Why...why did you give me that?"

"To shoot them genius! It will stop them!" Zayden replied, speeding towards the streets, "Come on!"

"I AM NOT GOING TO KILL PEOPLE!" Alandria screamed.

"YOU ARE A SUCH A DUMB IDIOT, YOU KNOW THAT? JUST SHOOT DAMN IT!"

"NOOO!" 

"ALANDRIA!" Zayden yelled, "I AM NOT TELLING YOU  TO KILL THEM! JUST SHOOT, IT WILL MAKE THEM UNDERSTAND THAT WE ARE ARMED TOO!"

"I...I don't know how to shoot..." Alandria whispered, ".......AND I AM GLAD ABOUT THAT! I DON'T WANT TO KILL ANYONE!"

"YOU'RE AN IDIOT! NO ONE IS TELLING YOU TO KILL ANYONE!" Zayden roared.

The car was driving at full speed, splashing water around as it drove in the middle of a puddle on the streets. 

"DAMN WATER!" Zayden bellowed, increasing the speed of the car in rage.

The killers were right behind them in a black SUV. Since it was already dark, it was difficult to see them properly. They could only rely on the sound of the vehicle to know where the SUV was.

"ALANDRIA!"

"You're an annoying asshole!" she muttered under her breath, opening the window.

"I heard that, you weirdo" Zayden said, glaring at her in the mirror.

Alandria rolled her eyes and peeped outside. She instantly put her head back inside with huge eyes.

"Oh my! They have a cannon!"

"What?" Zayden said in surprise, "It's not a cannon! It's a gun!"

"Looks like a cannon to me!" 

"Are you done, or will you take the steering wheel?" 

"No!" she cried, "Let's do this!"

She peeped outside again, the wind hitting her eyeballs, forcing her eyes shut. She tried to put her whole head out and before the man had the time to fire, she opened her eyes wide, positioned her gun at a tree and shot a branch which instantly broke and fell on the black SUV. The car zigzagged crazily before stopped in the woods with a loud screeching sound.

"Woohoo!" Alandria cried, "I managed to stop them!"

"See!" Zayden said, "You did not even have to hurt anyone." 

"Ha! I saved us!" she said to herself, more to others.

"You're still a dumb idiot!"

"Then why did you kiss the dumb idiot before leaving?" the words came out of Alandria's mouth before she could stop them.

She turned red then looked outside. Zayden was quiet too and Alandria was guessing that he was blushing too.

"Hihihi..."

Emmeline was laughing and as soon as Zayden's serious gaze fell on her she stopped laughing abruptly.

"Don't scare my sister" Alandria told him, a smile on her face.

"Your sister is braver than you. I cannot scare her"

Alandria did not say anything to that and chuckled.

They drove for almost 30 minutes. The moon glowed in the stark dark sky. Not even one person was visible on the streets. Emmeline had fallen asleep in Alandria's lap and Zayden had given her his jacket to cover Emmeline as she felt cold. As they drove, Alandria slowly rested her head behind Zayden's seat and asked:

"Zayden..."

"Hmm?" he voiced in a considerate tone.

"Where..." she began, "Where are we going now?.....and will Emmeline be safe there?"

"You don't worry if you are going to be safe?" Zayden asked her.

"No...I can handle all of this...but I cannot let my sister go through this"

"I understand" Zayden said in a poised tone, "Don't worry, we will find away, mmkay?"

Alandria muttered a little 'yes' and she felt something in her hairs. Zayden had twisted his arm to the back of his seat and was scratching her head comfortingly.

Alandria blushed and smiled to herself. She liked his touch. She felt happier knowing that he cared for her. 

*Ohh you are really falling in love with him...* her brain stated.

*Like an idiot* Alandria finished, grinning.

***

After 20 more minutes of driving, Zayden stopped the car in front of a building. They got out of the car, Emmeline sleeping soundly in Alandria's arms. The building was quite high, but it was not a skyscraper.  It was also painted in grey and black. There were square windows all along, except at the 3 last floors on the top. Alandria counted 10 floors in the building and looked in front of her to see a gigantic metal door. It was shut.

"Open the damn door, it's me." Zayden said in a coarse voice.

Who was he talking to? Alandria then realized that he was talking in the door phone.

"Boss?" someone said in panicked tone in the door phone, "I'm opening! Wait!"

"Welcome to the  our secret place, the Lair Lobby." he muttered.

After two seconds the metal door opened and Zayden walked in, motioning Alandria to follow him.

They walked inside and Alandria's jaws dropped open. They were in some sort of luxurious, well furnished, gigantic hall. Each of her steps echoed as she walked. There roof was painted in white and gold, the marbled floor was black and there were white paper lanterns hanging on the roof. Two big crystal chandeliers in the shape of stairs were also hanging in the hall at the far end and right in front of her were a few sofas, one of them catching her attention immediately. It looked more like a throne than sofa.  Her eyes darted from one side then to another. There were 2 men dressed in black at the far end of the room, 5 men sitting on the sofas, who instantly stood up as they saw Zayden and 3 men right in front of them. There was no doubt. ..

She was in the mafia lair.

"Boss" one of the men greeted him, "Good to see you!"

"Thanks Mark!" Zayden said.

Zayden looked borderline furious. He then walked towards the sofas quickly while the other men greeted him. Alandria stood on the spot. She should not be here...

 Zayden sat on the king throne chair and squinted at them all.  Alandria gulped. Who was this young man? He did not look like the Zayden she knew. Clad in his black outfit and sitting with an air of villain...he looked more like mafia and less of a student. There was a strange darkness in his eyes too...his eyes... that were glistening because of the lights around him. He looked at one of the men in utter disgust and the man looked away and walked quickly to another room. He then came back with an AK47 and small box and handed it to Zayden, avoiding his eyes. Zayden took something from the box.

Bullets.

Was he going to kill them all?, Alandria thought, looking at the gun with huge eyes.

Zayden loaded the gun and looked at the man then back to the others.

"Well good evening!"

They all stayed quiet. They all could sense his fury. Even Alandria felt scared. Why? She was his friend, wasn't she?

The hall was deathly quiet.

"It seems like that son of bitch of Dr. Bertram is after me! My father has disappeared! And I cannot seem to find him anywhere! I THOUGHT YOU WERE WORKING WITH HIM. WHERE IS HE?"

The men gasped and looked down.

"Incompetent assholes!"

"Sir...he was kidnapped...and we could not...not do anything" a man with blue eyes managed to say.

"What is that Luke?" Zayden tilted his head to one side, the gun dangling in his hand like a toy, "Because of your incompetency right? RIGHT?"

The man named Luke nodded slowly, looking down.

"Right...sir"

"WHY THE FUCK DID HE EVEN HIRE YOU...I WONDER..." Zayden roared then took a deep breath.

Alandria gulped. Although she was not concerned, she felt liked she was also getting scolded.

"Anyway!" Zayden breathed, "We will have to start looking for him as from tomorrow. Also, something very important. These two ladies will stay here with me for a few days"

Everybody's attention went towards Alandria. They were looking at her curiously.

 Alandria blushed and stood straight, looking at the floor awkwardly.

"If I hear that any of you has given her or her sister any trouble...you know what is waiting for you."

All the men nodded instantly.

"Don't worry sir" the man named Mark said, "We will not let anything happen to her or her sister."

"Good, you may go,  dismissed" 

Mark nodded at Alandria, who tried to force out a little smile before looking away quickly.

All the men walked away quietly and Alandria was left staring at Zayden who looked like an evil king on his throne. He looked directly at her with an amused expression on his face.

"AND YOU!" he raised his tone and Alandria shuddered.

"Huh? What...what did I do?" Alandria stammered.

Zayden chuckled.

"Come here" he said in calm voice.

Alandria walked towards him. She felt her arm hurt suddenly and Emmeline started feeling very heavy. She looked around and saw a comfy sofa. She gently put her there, putting a cushion under her head. She was well aware that Zayden was watching her every move. As she finished, she walked towards Zayden who was looking at her.

"You look terrified" he stated, playing with the gun.

"Yeah...you...were a bit scary..." she admitted, not being able to look at him.

"None of these words were for you, you know that" he said.

Alandria nodded.

"Look at me" he ordered.

She forced herself to look at him. Zayden stood up and before Alandria could understand what what was happening, he pulled her into his arms.

"Why....why are you hugging me?" she asked him timidly.

"Because you are not used to all these scary stuff..." he whispered, "I know it is tough for you. You don't have to be scared of me Alandria. I saw how terrified you looked when I was yelling at the others. Don't worry. I will never hurt you."

Alandria smiled and nodded, hugging him back.

"I know" 

He broke the hug and said:

"Take Emmeline, we're going to find a room for you two."

Alandria nodded and took Emmeline in her arms. She was still sleeping. 

They both made their way to the stairs.

Author Note: Romance and Mafia! How do you like it? Don't forget to vote and comment.