"If you can't defeat them, kill them."

A piece of wisdom that's been drilled into my brain since I could talk. That's what I wanted to do to Kingsley after seeing Adelaide; I wanted to kill him. She still hadn't woken from the anaesthetic, and her breath was shallow.

I knew she'd been having trouble, but Adelaide never confided in me. She never wanted me to worry about her when I had so much else to worry about. She knew that even though I didn't show it, I didn't want to deal with anymore deaths of my mafia members.

Terrified of losing her, I stayed close to her room if I wasn't in it. So use to being closed off that my face was straight, no fear or anxiety present. The only expression that may have been evident, was my lips in a thin line. I was always stressed though, that hadn't changed.

The medic, Victor, walked in as I sat in the chair beside her bed, giving me a once over to determine my mood. Another routine action. "How is she?"

"That almost makes it sound like you care." He stated with sparkling eyes. Here we go, I thought, another round with Dr. Victor.

A sharp glare and his sparkling eyes dropped, dulling instantly. "How is she?" I spoke through gritted teeth, holding back from giving his scarred jawline a new bruise.

Victor scribbled across his board while checking all of her vitals, creating notes simple enough for me to understand. Medical term wise. He then checked her wound. It was clean, except for a thin line of lymph and blood on the bandage. His eyes met mine again and he sighed.

"I can't tell you the outcome, Madora. What I can tell you, is that she will need a lot of support." He watched me, looking for something, I guess. It obviously wasn't seen because he sighed again and left the room.

I stayed with Adelaide for a while. It didn't do much to help my temper, but I wanted to be there when she woke. The only problem was that she didn't. From 6am to 3pm, Adelaide was unconscious. I'd like to say she was asleep, in a world of dreams. She wasn't though. The medics had explained to me she was simply in blackness, her mind was numb.

After feeling my body becoming restless, I needed to move. It took a lot of training to keep my restlessness away. It's also what drove away nightmares, forced myself into a full slumber. That's when I actually slept. When I didn't have to worry about the nightmares and night terrors forcing their way into my dreams.

I stood, placing a hand on Adelaide's head and let out a slow, shaky breath. She was already small, but now, in a medics bed? She looked like a child. A twenty year old like me shouldn't have to worry about stuff like this. They should be worrying about study, and passing exams at university, not waiting to see if their eighteen year old sister was going to recover from a stab wound.

Retracting my hand, I shoved them both into my jeans pockets and headed out of the room. I paused at the door and grabbed my gym bag, slinging it over my shoulder.

Looking back to check on Adelaide wasn't an option. If that happened, if I looked back and saw her small, fragile body, I might have broken down. Anyone else and it wouldn't have even mattered. No, I don't want any of my members to be hurt, or killed, but it was their own fault for joining. If they thought it was all unicorns and rainbows, they would get a rude awakening. Everyone knew before joining what they were in for.

That was one way I wasn't like my father.

The gym door came into view as the elevator opened. A large, metal, soundproof door. Overkill? Probably. I hadn't built the place, but I was working on upgrading things. Everything I done was for a reason.

Pushing the door open revealed multiple exercise machines, half I probably couldn't even name. I'm not gonna lie, I know how to use every single one of them, but I don't take note of the names. We have trainers for that, to train each of the recruits as either individuals or in groups.

I changed out of my casuals and into work out gear, heading for the treadmill to warm up. I'd only taken two steps when a large, muscly chest blocked my path.

"Cedro."

"Kitten."

My eyes snapped to his, hard and sharp. He didn't even flinch. "Get out of my way."

A smirk formed on his lips, his tongue slipping out and trailing over his top lip. "Come on, kitten, why not have some fun while the kids are at school?"

"How about no. It's either you move, or I make you." Reaching for my gun, his hand flicked out and grabbed my arm tightly, a clicking sounding from his mouth.

"Now, now. No need for violence." Cedro's Spanish accent grew thicker. It was enticing, any female, or even male for that matter would have fallen at his feet. Lucky I wasn't your normal female.

"I'm not interested, Cedro. How many times do I have to tell you I don't fuck guys?" The frustration and anger was getting to much, building in my muscles and needing a surface to impact. It begged to feel something buckle beneath, to watch as my power made something else weak. If that happened to be Cedro, so be it. He deserved it.

Focusing back on Cedro, his face had inched closer, studying mine. His breath fanned over my lips, bile rose in my throat from the feeling. It smelt minty, with a tint of liquorice. "I will find a way into your bed, kitten, you just watch. You won't be able to resist me forever."

If he had stayed there a few more seconds, I would have puked on his shirt. He left after those words, disappeared out the steel door. My shoulders slumped, hand running over my face as I regained my composure. After, I moved towards the treadmill again, setting it to a brisk walk to start.