I sat on the sofa, hand caressing my rounded stomach as the baby decided to get into a comfortable position and give me a kick in the ribs for good measure. I sucked in a sharp breath as I lifted myself up, trying to ease the stinging sensation radiating my side. Leo was quick to poke his head around the door frame, his face showing worry as it always did any time I made a peep or breathed. The final few weeks of this pregnancy were here and Leo knew this meant the baby could be born at any time. It was cute to see him acting this way, as his job and his work persona were the complete opposite to this. He was the leader of a gang that had been owned by his father and his father before him. Luckily when Leo and his four friends came into the restaurant I worked in looking for my boss, I actually had a good experience with them. I think I was one of very few people that came out of it with something good.

"Everything okay, babe?" He called out, keeping an eye on me to make sure I wasn't in more pain.

"I'm fine, Leo. The baby just kicked my ribs." I soothed his mind, offering him a big, bright smile as I rested back into the chair. Today was a huge day for Leo and his gang. They were doing a big assignment, one that would give everyone enough money to lay low for a while. The pressure was intense and I could see Leo getting more anxious as the days counted down. He wanted to do well for his team, for himself, for us. The owner of the hottest clubs across the country took out a loan with Leo to buy some new DJ equipment a while ago and hadn't paid them back. They'd visited him a few times but he kept making excuses as to why he couldn't pay. The interest had grown exponentially and now it was time for Leo to take back what was owed, millions of pounds. Leo walked out of the room dressed in a black tuxedo and straightened his tie. I could feel the nerves emanating from his body from across the room but as soon as he fixed it his collar and sorted his cufflinks, it was as if all the nerves melted away. The careless persona had arrived.

"As long as you are alright." He smiled, walking over and perching next to me on the sofa. He put his hand on my thigh and gave it a little squeeze. He knew I was nervous, this was the biggest job he had done for a while and it wasn't coming without it's dangers. This club owner knew people, and had guards that looked after him too - things most rich people need to do to keep safe. I trusted Leo and his team more than anything else in the world, and normally I was confident that everything would go perfectly, but today the feelings were mixed. Now we had a baby on the way and a house to look after, I needed him back safe and unhurt. My mind began to spiral into negativity, what happened if he ended up in a coma or worse? How would I handle bringing a baby up alone? Okay I knew I wouldn't be alone, Leo had already agreed that with his second in command and best friend Tai. The whole team - Tai, Bobby, Jay and Ash - were my family and they were to look after and support me if anything happened but that wasn't the point, I needed Leo to be okay, I needed him to be beside me.
Leo's hand waving in my face brought me back into reality.

"Sophia? Did you hear me?" I offered him an awkward, sorry smile. "I said I'm leaving Tai with you." My eyebrows furrowed and a look of disgust crossed my face.

"No way." I was almost insulted.

"Wha- why?" He snapped. I was used to this though, as soon as the persona had been switched on he became very blunt.

"Because I want you back safe!" It was my turn to snap. My hands wrapped around my bump to prove my point. "I don't need a babysitter, Leo. I'm staying in the house in my pyjamas, I'm going to eat pizza and ice cream and I'm going to binge-watch a show. Tai is your second in command, I trust him with everything. I want him there with you, protecting you. I want all five of you to come back unharmed. If anything were to happen to any of you..." Tears began to fill my eyes and for a second his careless persona faltered. He squeezed my thigh once more.

"Okay fine. I'll call him now, tell him he's coming with me. I'm sure he'll be happier in the action anyway." Leo said and swiftly got to his feet, walking out of earshot to make the call. I wiped at my eyes furiously and took some deep breaths to calm myself down. Get it together Sophia. The baby doesn't need this stress.

"Right, I'm heading to the base. I'll be back soon. Make sure you contact us if anything happens. Jackson will be outside just in case." Jackson was Leo's driver, but he doubled up as my bodyguard if I went out without any of the guys. With just a quick peck on the cheek, Leo made a beeline for the door. Silence filled the room as soon as the door shut and for me it was now just a waiting game...

***

Nothing had brought me more joy than seeing all five of them walk through the door unharmed. I had fallen asleep on the sofa after my run of many episodes and had only woken up when I heard some keys jingling in the door. I pretended to be asleep still, one eye opening slightly as I watched the gang walk in quietly, careful not to make too much noise. Leo flipped the light switch on and quickly noticed me on the sofa, dimming the lights in an instant. They whispered between them about where to go and decided to head to Leo's study upstairs. I made sure to count heads as they moved through the room and realising there were all five, I was happy and content and fell back to sleep.

I woke up to the sun streaming through the curtains and onto my face. I lifted one hand to block the light as I tried to move into a more comfortable position. My back felt like it was a plank of wood as I finally straightened, shifting my weight so I was sitting up properly. Men littered the front room, bottles strewn over the table along with burnt out cigar ends and plastic from snacks. On the sofa, asleep next to me was Jay. The sofa to the left side of me had Bobby and Ash. I let out a soft smile as I took them in, thankful that they were all okay. Tai came out from the kitchen and walked towards me, his gaze unfaltering as he strode confidently towards me with a gun in his hand.

Wait, what?!

"Tai?" Nerves got the better of me and my voice barely came out as a squeak. He stopped in front of me, the gun aimed at my head. I cupped my stomach tightly, my chest tightening as reality hit me. Tai, the one guy I trusted was about to kill me. He pulled the safety back and took a deep breath in. "Wait!! What is this all about? Please Tai..." I begged, hoping any delay in time would help me somehow. I prayed for the other men to wake up and save me, but the amount of alcohol they'd drunk made that seem impossible.

"Shut up!" He barked and out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Ash flinch and wake up.

"Tai please, don't hurt our baby." I begged, my hands coming up shakily in front of me in a pathetic attempt to save myself. "Why are you doing this?" He let out an evil laugh, as if he had finally snapped. Ash's eyes were now on me. He took in what was happening, Tai and the gun aimed right at me and was quick to elbow Bobby to wake him up too, covering his mouth with his hand to make sure he didn't attract Tai's attention.

"Why does anyone do anything that could be deemed as bad? Because of money." Tai said, his eyes glaring at me with a deadness that worried every cell in my body. Bobby tiptoed out of the room and up the stairs to wake Leo.

"But you're family. We trusted you with everything!" I thought it best to drag it out as long as I could.

"Building trust is the first step in the perfect betrayal." Tai smiled a devilish grin. "I managed to work out a great price for sorting out my 'family'. It took some time, years in fact, but now is the perfect time to execute the plan. I'm a rich fucking man now, Sophia. And I'm taking your split too." Tai's finger hovered on the trigger and for a moment, it was as if life fell into slow motion. Tai pulled on the trigger, and I shrunk into the chair, turning my body to try and protect the baby... but the bullet never hit. A thud attracted my attention and in front of me, Ash and Tai fought heavily. Punches were made with such force the connection made me feel queasy. I quickly smacked Jay beside me and woke him up, desperate to get as much help as we could.

"Sophia..." Ash struggled as he received some punches from Tai. "Run!" Without hesitation, I got up and headed towards the stairs knowing Leo and Bobby were up there. Another gunshot sounded and as I turned, Tai was getting up off the floor leaving Ash with a blood stain seeping into the sleeve of his white shirt.

"This isn't your battle, Ash! Fuck!" For a moment, Tai was remorseful and paced the room, running his fingers through his hair. I ran up to Leo's room and banged on the door, turning the handle only to find out it was locked. Why the fuck have you locked my bedroom door?!

"Leo!" I continued to hammer the door. I needed to get into our room, then I could use the roll-down ladder to escape from the balcony with Leo to keep me safe. I needed Leo right now.

"He doesn't want to let you in." Tai's voice caused me to shriek and I quickly spun on my heels to face him. My back was against the door. I had nowhere to go.

"Tai... please. Take the money, take everything. Please just leave us alone." I said, tears streaming as I hugged my stomach once more.

"No can do, lady. Your death is what gets me my pay check." He smiled. "But hey, let me make the last moments happy for you. You were having a little girl." My jaw dropped open as he revealed the gender of our baby - something we'd trusted him to keep a secret until our gender reveal party next weekend.

"A- A girl?" I questioned as I sobbed, happy to know the gender but sad that it's been ruined by this situation.

"Yeah. I'm sorry baby girl." Tai said as he pulled the trigger. The door behind me opened and I fell through the threshold into our room, landing on my back as the bullet whizzed past me, mere inches from my body. Stood above me, Leo and Bobby held guns.

"Tai, I was a fool to trust you, but you've fucked with the wrong person. Someone's going to die today, and my bet is on you."