"Episode 6 - All I see is fireworks."

"I took you there because if someone popped up from the corner, it would be easy for me to grab her, put a gun to her head and use her as a leverage to get the fuck out of the country." His casual tactic made me laugh. I should have been scared but it entertained me.

"Wait, let me get this straight. If Capone's men pulled a gun on us, you'd "kidnap" Xavier's wife to use against them?" Something suddenly clicked. "OH! Because we don't have an army, you'd use her to get Xavier's army to take Capone's army out so we could escape."

"Exactly." I took a bite from his hot dog that he held up front of me. "That's elaborate and risky." I mumbled.

Nodding, he carried on. "Granted Xavier's body guards aren't here right now but they must be close by. So, when he tells his men that Anna's been taken, they would all come, of course. Not to mention when he finds out that it's Capone's men that are here, he'd call in his whole army."

"And when Capone's men find's out that Xavier and Anna are alive, relay that message back to Jude. He'll obviously want revenge and bring his own army here. It would break out a full blown war, we'd sneak out from the middle while they fight it off." I picked up his train of his thoughts.

"Exactly." He mumbled with a mouth full of food. "We use the two Empires against each other."

It made sense. A perfect plan if we could pull it off without a hitch but considering no one had pulled a gun on us yet, it was safe to amuse that his crazy plan was not going to be used any time soon. Loading up the car, we headed home being extra vigilant. I was getting tired of looking over my head.

"Do you want to come on Sunday night for the fireworks?" He asked.

"Yes. We can use them. I think that's why Nathan put is in the same town." I paused. "Wait, not to use them but figure out that we are allies. As our fathers were."

"Huh?" He used both of his hands to drive carefully on the ice.

"I knew about Xavier De La Cruz because Laurence Capone killed his father and then Xavier's second in command orchestrated Laurence Capone's murder after Anna and Xavier faked their death. I knew that they died because their death was celebrated at the Chicago mansion. I just didn't know that I met him in real life." I tried to explain.

"When did you meet him?" He didn't take his hands off the wheel.

"I was really young. So was he. He looked like a teenager in my memory, he gave me a teddy bear then he went to hang with other boys. I think they were my cousins." The last bit came out as a whisper. Sadness clogged my throat. I wondered what my life was like among them. I'm sure I wasn't being raped like I was when Jude took me.

That bastard.

"You were the only daughter in the family. I read that much in the file. The FBI file that Ross has. Everything in there was obtained illegally by the way. That's why he wasn't able to get you out." Gabe paused. "They weren't able to get viable DNA from the bodies in the fire."

My eyes burnt with tears. The Catalan family was obliterated. My family. My blood. I used my knuckled to dab my eyes.

"I'm sorry." Gabe freaked out. He hated seeing me cry. "I shouldn't have said that."

"No, you're right. At least Alberto Catalan is alive." I couldn't call him dad or father as those words held no meaning for me.

"Yes." Slowing the car down, he reached for my hand. Taking his hand, I sat back, unable to look at him. Even though I was thousands of miles away from my captor, it suddenly seemed clear to me that I was never going to outrun my past. The memories, the trauma and feelings were embedded deep inside my mind.

Like a thousand-year-old dormant volcano. Seething, boiling and bubbling from the pits of the core, ready to erupt. My eyes kept stinging, water leaking out from the corners. Taking a few ragged breaths in, I put my elbow against the window pane, covering my eyes. Grateful that the glove was soaking everything up.

Everything burned inside me. I was feeling too raw lately, Gabe picked up on it.

"I need you tell me what I can do to make that pain go away." His voice was fierce, a different type of pain laced his words. Squeezing his hand, I whipped my eyes before breathing out.

"I..." Gathering my thoughts together, I resumed. "I never felt anything before. I was cold, callous and cunning. A survivor. I never felt so much. I blocked everything out and now that it's coming out. I don't know how to handle it." I confessed.

"What can I do?" He repeated.

"Talking helps. Distraction helps." The tears remained at bay.

"Okay, I can do that."

He did. He distracted me all the way home. We left the decorated lights on that were visible through the windows. It looked a Christmas postcard. Snow covered cabin with Christmas lights. It looked tranquil. When we entered, multiple coloured fairy lights assailed us. We even decorated inside the porch. Tendrils of wires with colourful light illuminated the surroundings.

It was the first time ever I decorated a Christmas tree that I could remember. Gabriel had done that with his parents when they were alive and when he was with his foster parents. Instead of feeling jealous, I felt relief. He had someone to take care of him. Granted he was abused in his previous foster homes but he was still cared for later. His nightmare had ended.

We devoured the items we bought from the festival except the chocolate covered strawberries. I had a different plan for them so I saved them for later.

"I still can't believe that you would have used Xavier's wife like that. So ruthless." I took my time getting out of the shower. He was already in bed, watching T.V. We usually kept the temperature in the house relatively high, hence the lack of clothes we were wearing. I was wearing a sheer lavender lingerie dress with a see through lace bust with slits coming down from every angle and no panties.

"To keep you, saf-" He did a double take when I came into view. Words caught in his throat. His reaction of me turned me on even more. His chest was bare, thicker than before. Turning the bathroom light off, I stalked towards him. "Wow."

He breathed out, turning the damn T.V. off. Gabe licked his lips.

"You know clothes just get in the way." He removed the covers, inviting me in.

"Hold that thought." I swayed while I walked out of the room, ignoring his protests and a hiss. When I returned, I had all the strawberries on a platter, neatly laid out with a can of whipped cream in my hand.

"Damn." His eyes widened. The night was going to be long, pain free and pleasurable.

Placing the contents in my hands down on the bed, I crawled forward to him. It's been a while since I'd done something like that. Seduce him. I hadn't been in the right frame of mind recently but I learned one thing tonight. I couldn't let our enemies win.

The LED colour changing fairy lights we stretched around the top of the four walls provided an erotic atmosphere. As the night progressed, the neon lights danced around us. Pink to Teal, Yellow to Red, Purple to Blue.

His body was touched with the different shades of colour, skin glowing under the neon luminescence. Climbing on to him, I sat on top of his boxers, the only barrier separating us. His hands sneaked under my dress, wondering hands that had every intention of ripping that dress apart.

There was a bow in front of the lace part and when I pulled it, it opened up like a present. He looked like a kid opening his gifts.

He smiled big, chuckled even. "Now that's how you open a present." His burning mouth came down onto my breasts, his tongue swiping across my nipple. "Mm." He moaned. I reached for the strawberries and placed a it in my mouth offering it to him. He obliged happily, the juices ran down out chin to chest. He stroked a strawberry down my neck, smearing the chocolate down to my nipples. I leaned back, erotically awake more than every.

Every inch of my body was humming. He laid me down, I arched my back, trying to contain the vibrating energy inside me. Gabe lapped down from my neck to nipple. Tugging each into pointy peaks. It was his turn to use the whip cream on my nipples. The cold turned them into hard little pebbles. Squeezing my breasts in his hands, he took them in his hot open mouth.

Reaching between us, I found my hands in his boxers, stroking his heavy rod. Using my feet, I pushing his boxers back down, wanting him inside. Feeling him smile against my chest at my urgency, I sped up my movements. Instead, of entering, he pulled back, sat on his knees before climbing out of the bed to take his boxers off.

"Where are-"

"I'm here. Lay back down." I followed his command. He appeared before me, upside down. Taking the can in his hand, he squirted white cream on the tip and placed the tip of his dick on my lips. Smiling, I licked off. I knew this position very well, it was one of his favourites.

I slid back to the edge, head facing down. After I cleaned off the cream, he slid his cock down my throat. Electrified, my hand went straight to my core, feeling myself drenched. He was aggressive, after a long time and it encouraged me to move my fingers fast.

"You love me in your mouth. Don't you?"

"Mmmm." I moaned, not able to respond properly. He slowed down, pushing deep into my throat.

"I can see myself in you." He was on the verge now. "Swallow."

I did.

"FUCK." He hissed out as he expanded in my mouth, pulsing in my throat. I swallowed again causing him to lean forward, braced one of his hand on the pillow carelessly placed next to me and the other went straight to my open slits. He took my hand that was playing with my nub and placed it in his mouth, sucking the juices off them. I struggled to breathe with him so deep in my throat.

Gagging, I pushed back. Releasing my fingers from his mouth, he pushed back slightly before using both hands to pry my thighs wide open. My hands went to his thighs, arched back. Grabbing on to my thigh, he used his his other hand to smear my juices around before sticking his fingers in me.

Cum dripped of his tip onto my tongue, drinking it in, I moved towards him, taking him all in once more. He picked up his pace, his smell surrounded me. His fingers moved to my clit, my hands played with my breast. He lost control suddenly, drove into me while rubbing my nub vigorously.

The colours in the room intensified, everything appeared, everything vibrated around me. I withered under him and soon he was cumming down my throat while I exploded. I swallowed everything down but he didn't give me any time to recover. Grabbing my hips, he turned me around with one swift motion.

"Gabe."

He wasn't even soft. We both could go for hours.

"GABE." I screamed when he entered me without warning.

"Can you feel how deep I am in you?" He appeared possessed.

"Yes." My hands went to his hair, pulling him down. I kissed him hard. He tasted of strawberry and chocolate. "Harder."

He obliged. His movements became a blur, our breaths intermingled. I felt dizzy from pleasure. All I could feel was him, in me, around me. My nails scraped down his back. I panted, my body shook as he thundered in and out of me, nearing his pleasure.

"Gabe." I kept moaning his name. Chanting his name like a prayer, I finally came. Twice as hard this time with him following suit.

"Elena." He whispered before he slumped down on me, half on and half off the bed. We panted, trying to catch our breaths. His hand absently tracked its way down towards the bullet would that I still carried.

After we recuperated, we finished the strawberries with whipped cream and watched T.V. until we went for another round or maybe two more. I didn't remember. The only thing I remembered was us falling asleep with him still inside me.

"I'm going to teach you something today. It's not combat, it's dirty fighting. Using the objects around, I'll teach you how to defend yourself." The leather sofa we bought seemed to have permanently found a stop at the back of the room. The coffee table mounted upside down on top of it. With a dirty look, I stepped onto the mat.

"I don't think I want to be with you anymore." It was New Year's Eve for fucks sake. Well, New Year's Afternoon.

Ignoring my protest, he carried on. "Because you're small and have less weight than any professional thugs. You won't be able to jump on someone's back and subdue them by crushing their neck. Like this." Turning me around, he wrapped his arm around her neck from back, softly pressing the trachea with his forearm.

My hands went straight for his forearm.

"Good. That's reflex." He wasn't putting any pressure but I still felt trapped. "You're not going to be able to do anything like that. If it was me, I'd bend forward, tip the guy over my head. Whereas you have to use other methods. Reach back, find my face." I did. "Now, without trying to blind me, find my eyes." His eyes were closed, when my thumb found his eye.

"Okay." He let me go, turning me around to face him. "I don't trust you enough to not blind me at this very moment." He smiled, making me laugh. He did hear my previous comment.

We practised that move a couple of times, every time he locked his harms around my neck, my hand immediately went for his forearm. Gabe said I had to re-train my default reflexes.

"Now, attacking someone from the back. Kick the back of the thigh." He made me to the action on him. "If you have a knife, slit the back of the knees. Then when they fall, then quickly, slit the throat." He used the back of a spoon to show me how to do it quickly.

"With the throat, don't fool around. Come here." Taking my hand in his, he guided my fingers to my trachea. "Feel around the windpipe." He placed the pads of my fingers on something that was pulsing, steadily. "Feel that." I nodded. "Memorise where it is, roughly. From behind, from the front. If you're behind them, grab their hair and swipe deep from left to right. You've heard of the phrase, ear to ear?"

"Yes."

"You start a couple of fingers away from the jawline and slice straight across until you end up on the other side. Again, make sure it's deep."

"Okay. I will."

"Here, practice on me." He turned, I used the back of the knife to swipe across the back of his knees and when he fell, I pulled his head back and swiped it across his throat.

"Good but you need to be faster. I didn't counter your attack but everyone else will. So this time I will fight back." We practised until I finally managed to get to him without getting blocked by him. Deep down, I knew he let me win but I was tired. He'd been teaching me new techniques every day and getting me to repeat things from out of the blue.

"Next, if you have nothing, then kick the back of the knees. It will take him a couple of seconds to turn around but they would have dropped on the floor. So you use both your palms and slap them on the ears. Both at once. Find something to whack him in the head, take his gun. Always check the ankle, take that gun, shoot them in the back of their head. If there's nothing, then run."

We practised till it was 4 in the afternoon. My whole body was aching but I was picking up on things quickly enough. I knew I had to learn to defend myself. I couldn't rely on Gabe for protection all the time. I wanted to have his back, I wanted him to rely on me.

We got ready for New Year's Eve fireworks show. Nothing could top New York's firework show but it was still worth it. When we arrived at the parking lot, it was nearly impossible to find a space to park.

"Okay, I didn't expect this many people to come here. I mean it's just small town!" Gabe parked the car after finding a spot behind one of the shops. Getting out, we followed the lights and the crowd of people following through.

"Mia." A very high pitched voice called my name from behind. I knew who it was without even turning around.

"Oh fuck." I mumbled.

"Make friends with her, we might need her. Or their whole Empire."

"Are you whoring me out?" I frowned. Laughing, he looked down at me.

"Maybe?" His beard scratched were still on my body. They burned from pleasure.

I sighed. "It would help if she looked like Kat Dennings. I mean, who doesn't want to do her, am I right?"

His smile disappeared. "You know, somehow, I actually believe you'd leave me for her."

"You're correct. Wouldn't you?" I teased.

"Mia." Anna called again. Again, I ignored her.

"Fair enough, I'd do her." He replied, laughing.

"Can I watch?" I laughed. "Wait, can I join?" I joked.

"No. 'Cause you'll probably throw me out." He laughed. It felt like a blessing to be able to joke around and forget about everything for a second.

"True." I nodded. Throwing my head back, I joined him in laughter.

"Mia." She called again, the voice sounded closer this time so I had to turn.

"Hey!" I waved my hand, greeting her. She was walking towards us with her husband by her side and no kid this time. Xavier had a sceptic look on his face but when he saw us stop for them to catch up, he gave us a courteous nod.

We walked to the mall together. The top floor was filled, therefore, everyone else was trying squeeze themselves on the second and first floor so they didn't have to stand outside. However, that didn't stop Xavier from guiding us all the us and towards the back staircase.

"Are we going to the roof?" I moaned.

"Yes. Only people who owns stores here, has the key." He said it so casually, like having a business in a small town was like a walk in the park.

"How many do you own?" A hint of curiosity was in Gabe's voice.

"A couple, I rent them out." He confessed. "But I own a furniture workshop. It teaches and employs people with rough past. It pays well and keeps people employed."

I was stunned. He wasn't just dead; he was really out of the mafia business. He was helping people now, not ordering hits on them. The type of a life he had, that type of power and money, people thrived for it, chased after it. Some lost their lives for it. I felt somewhat disrespected that he just up and left and never returned to take it back.

If I or Gabe had that power, neither of would be on the run. We'd just fight back. We'd have an army. Rolling my eyes behind him, I watched the dark sky when we emerged. The cold bit into my skin as the shimmering with stars like glitter. There weren't many people up on the roof. Just a handful of families. Pulling my scarf to cover my nose, I huddled into Gabe.

They went to greet the other families, introduced us even, which was kind enough. I didn't have it in me to smile that much and socialize but when the clock ticked towards 12, everybody faced mountains.

"I've never done this before." Gabe had his arms wrapped around me. Next to us, Anna and Xavier were also wrapped around each other. Soon, the countdown began and everybody chanted from 10 backwards and when it hit one, everyone screamed Happy New Year and a lot of couples kissed.

"This is so awkward." I whispered to him.

"And cliche." He agreed. "I hope this year I can gouge Jude's eye out."

"And torture him for days."

"That'd be fun." A wicked smile spread across his lips. The lights in the mall and the ones on the streets suddenly shut down earning some gasps from people. A soft music started to play in the background before the first burst of yellow fireworks reached for the sky, exploded into hundreds of pieces. The music picked up, so did the intensity of the firework.

Every time the little balls burst into multiple flames, the snow covered white mountain behind lit up. For that one moment, the whole world was visible again. The giant mountains bowed before the fickle of light. Absently, I took my phone out and started filming. It was pretty spectacular. Green to blue, from red to orange, pink to blue.

"Okay, this is worth it." He whispered in my ear. I agreed.

"It's like the lights in our bed room."

"Mmm." He mumbled in my ear.

No matter how much I wanted to be positive for the upcoming year, consciously, I knew it was a load of crap. I needed Jude dead. His men have no business with me. It was him who was obsessed and I needed him gone. I needed retaliation.

That's what the new year about for me.

The death of Jude Capone.

Slow, torturous death.