I rejoiced the last few days being allowed access to sleep in my bedroom, as opposed to Dario's. Though I was told it would only be temporary and there was a guard constantly positioned outside of my door; for a short few glorious hours, I could breathe without someone constantly down my back.

And more importantly, without someone snoring down my back. I'm convinced he had a deviated septum screaming to be fixed with the way he wailed most nights.

It was such a shame that morning would come and I'd have to continue on following Dario around like a lost puppy.

God was he guarded.

I made no strides towards getting anything out of him, and he gave up probing me with questions about Dominic after three days straight of me genuinely having nothing to give him.

Now I knew my stay here was no longer contingent upon me providing some whistleblowing information about my former boss. Whether I knew anything or not, Dario intended on keeping me within his grasp.

Why exactly? I had no clue.

There was still one part of Dario's room I wasn't too intent on going without, and that was his bathroom.
He would already be done getting ready for the day by this time, so I continued with my usual routine of using the spare key I was given to sneak in. I couldn't help it, such an amazing shower should be shared, specifically with me.

The door easily gave way and made a faint sound as I shut it.

I readjusted the towel around my body as it almost began to slip off of me, when a groggy feminine voice caused me to shoot my head back up.

"Dario, are you coming back to bed, baby?"

There within the sheets of his bed laid a woman shamelessly bare. Her skin sun-kissed and her curly hair effortlessly messy. From the way the comforter and sheets wrinkled and bunched up, one could easily tell she had a night filled with more than Dario's loud snoring.

My face heat up with embarrassment the woman who was actually exposed didn't seem to share.
She stretched, letting a long yawn escape her mouth. "You can clean up in half an hour. We're not quite done just yet." the condescension reeled off her tongue with pure enjoyment.

"Oh, I'm not-" why was I suddenly at loss for words. "I'm... you see, I was just going to-" damn it, I was flustered beyond belief.

It didn't help that Dario appeared out of his bathroom, freshly wet with judgement oozing from his glare. "Can I help you, Bella?"

"Oh no. I was just going to clean, cause I'm your special personal cleaner who comes to work in nothing but a towel, but I'll just leave you to continue with your... fornication." I turned around and scurried out of the room.

Well, now I knew why he abruptly relocated me. I couldn't get the woman's smug look out of my head. I sincerely hoped that would be the last time I'd come in contact with her.

After what I witnessed, my shower more than sufficed. With a bag of new clothes placed on my bed every morning, my wardrobe began to expand even past the clothes I had back home.

They were nice, but I wished to shop for myself. Just to get out of this bubble for a little and do something normal for once.

The guard stationed outside my door knocked just on time, signaling Dario was waiting for me.

He changed into one of his usual suits, looking like a broad shouldered businessman ready scream about the stock market and the implications our tumbling economy had on his profit margins.

The minute I stepped out of my room, he walked ahead, expecting I follow him as usual.

We headed out the back door in silence. Dario always had that serious, brooding look about him, especially when working. And I liked to attempt some form of chit chat which would end up being offhand comments and questions by me that he'd usually groan at or ignore, but today I wasn't in the mood to talk.

As the days passed I started to miss my old life, what was going to become of my old life. The future was something I both feared and anticipated, now it felt like I'd forever be stuck in a cycle that will eventually turn from bad to catastrophic.

Anthony and Sonny joined us in their usual punctual fashion, but with the way Dario impatiently tapped his foot, repeatedly checking his watch, I could tell there was still someone he was awaiting.

"Sonny, go get this stupid motherfu-" before Dario could finish his sentence, two women stormed out of the pool house.

The blonde one defiantly faced the fully dressed brunette, wearing only a short skirt. "give me back my bra, bitch."

"I told you I didn't touch that cheap ass thing." The brunette waved her off.

"Cheap? That's an eighty dollar Victoria's Secret bra, you cunt."

Luca stepped out the door, holding up a blue-laced bra. "Hey-hey, I found it under the bed. Now both of you can kindly get the fuck out, the Uber is waiting outside the gates.

The blonde snatched the bra out of his hand, promptly redressing herself. She and the brunette immediately laughed things off, heading towards the gate hand in hand.

Their ability to insult each other and carry on in a friendly manner was truly astonishing.

Though I was amused, Dario didn't seem to share my reaction. If looks could kill, his blazing eyes would have shot bright laser beams to eviscerate Luca right as he headed toward us.

For a moment, his intense gaze did all the talking, then he reached down to Luca, putting his hand on the side of his face. "Do you know who I have waiting for me right now? If you're ever late again, I'll kick your fucking ass."

Luca looked completely disheveled. His clothes wrinkled like he slept in them all night and the heavy bags under his eyes momentarily distracted you from his red eyes and dilated pupils.

"I've warned you about your partying ways. I don't like it." Dario further studied his appearance.

"Come on Dario, I was just hanging out with some girls."

"Drinking. Doing drugs." he squeezed his jaw. "Do you think I'm an idiot? Your pupils are bigger than the tits on those two girls combined."

Dario proceeded to go on a tangent in Italian. Luca spent more time fixing his hair than listening, and when Dario finally settled, we surprisingly headed into the woods of all places.

"Get your head straight, man." Anthony whispered to Luca, who rolled his eyes in response.

"Antonio, you know his head smaller than his pee-pee." Sonny laughed.

"Oh really? Because after I fucked your mamma, she said mine was twice the size of yours."

Sonny's face turned red as he pulled Luca by the back of his collar, "You no talk about mamma, Okay?"

"Okay, calm the fuck down." Luca swatted his hand away. "For a man the size of Shaquille O'Neal, you sure do react like a baby."

"Shaquille O'Neal come to basketball court in Italy once. He say, I big like him, so he want to play me. I beat him sixteen to two. Si, is true."

"You and your fucking stories." Luca scoffed.

Minutes passed and we continued on further and further from the house. Up ahead stood a man leaning against his car. He waved, motioning his hands for us to hurry.

I choose to stay a few feet back, sliding down behind a tree. It was always a good idea to keep some space between me and the dangerous men Dario did business with. Besides, the day provided a welcoming breeze and I wanted some room to breathe it in.

"I don't have all day, Dario." The man said.

"Neither do I, so get on with it, detective Marshall."

"Well," the man sighed, "it took some time. This was very risky for me, as you know."

"It's a good thing I fairly compensate you for your work, then."

"Yes, and I'll have you know that it was a success. The feds have officially dropped their investigation into you. Now, I will suggest you let things simmer down for a while. If your name ends up back in our radar, we would have to pursue."

As Dario took in the detective's information and Sonny, Anthony, and Luca stood guard, I decided to take the time to clear my head and walk around for a little. My presence was really not needed.

I headed east without notice, moving until their voices faded out. I wasn't one who particularly enjoyed nature, and though this forest was a desolate maze with little natural beauty and wonder, it still provided a welcoming escape.

My foot kicked some of the rubble and dirt as I slowly walked along, watching a squirrel run down from the branch of its tree to retrieve an acorn.

A tree had fallen down at some point, lying perfectly vertical by the foot of another. It was the perfect place for me to take a seat and relax before Dario finished his meeting.

My mind momentarily wondered back to my roommate, Candice. I wanted to hope for the best and believe that she wasn't home when Dominic arrived at my apartment, but my gut was telling me she wasn't so fortunate and it riddled me with guilt beyond belief.

It was one thing for me to get myself into this situation, it was another for my poor actions to lead to an innocent person possibly dying. If I found out she was hurt in anyway I know I would never be able to forgive myself.

And here it was again, the slow trembling of my hand, moving in the same involuntary rhythm it also did when my nerves riled beyond my control.
I had to get myself together. A breakdown could wait when I wasn't a few yards away from professional criminals who smelled weakness and destroyed it for sport.

I lowered my head into my lap, breathing in and out, bringing myself out of my dark thoughts with every surge of oxygen that filled my lungs.

The sound of footsteps crushing every dead leaf in it's path headed towards my direction. Before I could lift my head up, an unfortunately familiar piece of metal pressed against the back my of head.

I wasn't scared, I wasn't furious, I was straight up annoyed. "For the love of fucking god, Dario. You better put that stupid gun down."

"I said you stay by my side. What the hell are you doing out here?"

"Choreographing a Disney musical number with those squirrels over there. The hell does it look like I'm doing?"

Before I knew it, he lifted me off the tree trunk, holding me up in one arm and firmly gripping his gun in the other.

A gasp escaped my mouth when he slammed my body against the tree nearby. My back was steadily pressed against it, and my front was held up by searing heat of Dario's body temperature.

His fingers, rough and thick, traced a line against my lips "such a pretty mouth, too bad I'm going to have to sew it shut."

In turn, I opened my fist, grabbing his throat with force, "and such a meaty neck, too bad I'm probably going to sprain my wrist slitting it open."

He sucked his teeth, unstartled by my action. Despite me grasping his neck with all the power I had, he easily unhooked my hand, daring me to attempt it again with the fiery daggers shooting from his eyes.

"No one talks to me like that."

I could feel the slow beating of his heart, the twitch of his muscle positioned under my arm, and the undeniably perfection of his beautifully sculpted face.

We were dangerously close, but I wanted to get closer. I inched my head until our foreheads touched. Both of us exhaled at the same time, his eyes on my lips and mine on his. our mouths were millimeters away from touching, and I could see him angling his head to the side, possibly preparing to take the plunge.

In that moment my mind was clouded my desire. Red-hot burning desire to feel the sweetness of his full lips, to explore the brown of his tanned skin and tight abs, to see if he really could get me shaken and undone in a few minutes. But no matter how often my heart leaped forward, my brain always knew how to dial me back, and it did just that with the reappeared image of the woman in Dario's bed.

I snapped my head back, averting any action he might've attempted to make. My hand snaked around the back of his neck, pulling his ear close to my lips instead of his mouth. "Well now I do, so what are you doing to do about it, Mr. Moretti?"

I expected him to snapped out of the mood and return to his anger and threats, but instead, he dropped his gun to the floor, raking his fingers into the depths of my coily hair. He grabbed a fistful, tugging in a way that caused a low moan to escape my mouth.

No way did I go through years of hell detangling my hair to suddenly gain pleasure from the pulling and tugging.

And no way was going to let him kiss me if that was ever his intention. I was not going to fall for him and besides, he was looking for a wife and may have very well found her from the looks of earlier.

Someone began calling Dario's name and a few seconds later Sonny, Luca, and Anthony appeared, causing Dario to unhook himself from me and place me back on the ground.

He scooped up his gun, readjusting his jacket and pants. In the blink of an eye, domineering Dario was back again.

Anthony held up his phone, "Jay's identity has been compromised."

"What's his status?" Dario sighed, incredulously.

"He's fine. The only person who found out was one of the lower level guards, so he had to take him out, of course."

"That's going to raise suspicion," Dario nodded, "and when they find out he killed him, they're going to start asking questions. We need to get him out."

"I'm already on it. When we get to Jersey, Sonny and I will handle it while you deal with the warehouse."

"Sounds like a plan," Dario said. "Call up a few of the other men and have them meet us at the butcher shop. We've got some things to plan for our trip."

When we arrived back at the house, the guys quickly dispersed.

"I'll let you spend the rest of the day here." Dario offered like it was a reward.

"Despite the size of this mansion, there really isn't much to do. Can't I at least go for a walk?"

"I don't trust you on your own."

"Then where's Layla? Maybe she could go with me. I haven't seen her in days and I need a break from all this testosterone." I waved around.

"Layla's away handling some of my side business. Her apartment has also been fixed, so she's no longer residing here."

I was beyond frustrated. "You are just one complicated ass man. I mean, why are you so insistent on keeping me your little prisoner? Do you want to kill me, or do you want to fuck me? Are you trying to protect me, or torture me? I just want to know where I stand."

He paused for a few seconds, completely silent, then looked up with his signature smirk "All the above."