Please don't be dead, Elio.

It's dead quiet. A part of me wants to believe Elio's alive... maybe they all killed each other.

Worry grows thicker and thicker in me as I hope against hope Elio is alright. Even though I shouldn't be worried about him. I shove my hands through my hair, utterly clueless.

Sure, the asshole is a gangster, a monster even, but I don't want him to die. At least not like this, and definitely not here. If he dies tonight, I'm good as dead too. It's the only reason I give a damn about him. I nod to myself. That's the only reason.

I curse under my breath and prepare myself for the worst.

What have I gotten myself into? Worrying over a mob boss's life!

With one hand on the wall, I take the last four stairs. Three steps away and the hotel room's door comes into view. It's ajar, a large dent is in its center and the top is no longer attached to the hinges.

He told me not to move, but maybe he's injured?

I nibble on my bottom lip and dread what stands on the other side.

Breathing in deeply, I push the door open. It creaks and swings wider apart.

I hold my breath, as my heart thunders. My gaze sweeps over three bulky men sprawled on the floor. The one closest to me has a bullet in the middle of his throat, drowned in his blood. The other one has a patch of blood over his heart and the third one is shot in the head, right between the eyes.

The sight is like every other crime scene I've worked on during the span of my career.

Regardless of the gruesome sight, relief fills me up. Elio is standing in the center, very much alive and seemingly unharmed.

"I told you not to move," he hisses. "I told you to stay. Why don't you ever listen?" he fumes, storming past me and slamming the door shut, startling me.

I shouldn't have come.

I should have run away when I had the chance. Why the hell did I care if he was dead or alive? Now I plainly feel stupid over worrying about him.

"You killed them," I state, only to divert my growing annoyance towards myself to disgust towards him.

He bends down, feeling all of the dead guy's pockets, and swiftly fishes out a phone. He raises to his feet, as he goes through it.

"Fabris," he mutters darkly. His features twist with anger, his knuckles turn white from his tightening grip on the phone before hurling it to the wall.

Elio removes his gloves and sets his glacial gaze on me. "Why did you come? If they were alive, they would've killed you. You don't know how to use a gun, you don't know how to protect yourself, what on earth were you thinking?" he waves his hands as he rages on.

I shuffle my feet and lift a shoulder, averting my gaze. He's right. "I thought they shot you... I don't know, I thought you might need help." My voice hits a higher pitch by the end as I meet his fiery dark eyes.

He presses his lips into a thin line and shakes his head. "Next time, if you don't listen to me." He steps over the dead man lying and leans to me. "I swear to God, I will kill you. Get that inside your goddamn skull."

I glare at him as he stares me down.

I hate you Elio.

Unbelieve! I was worried for this asshole.

"Isn't anyone going to come and check?" I wave my hand at the mess.

"No, they're used to hearing gunshots." He moves around me and gets to the door. "Let's go."

"I told you here wasn't a good place." 

Elio rolls his eyes.

"Aren't you going to do anything about them?" I ask with disbelief.

"Pietro will handle it." He strides out of the room and I hurry after him.

"Where will we go now?"

"To our room."

"In this building?" I halt in the middle of the hallway, gaping at him.

He groans in exasperation. "Yes, tesorino." He turns to me, irritation radiating off of him. "Where else would we go?"

"I don't know. Anywhere that doesn't have people waiting to kill us."

He chuckles, shaking his head. "This place is safe."

I gawk at him. He has lost his mind! "You call here safe!" Right on cue, the fluorescent light over our heads flickers.

"It's where Fabris' men always stay when they're planning on attacking someone. I just got rid of the ones in this building. No one will come looking for us here." He holds his head high as if it's the smartest idea ever.

I glower at him before muttering, "Whatever." I hold my hand out. "My room's key, I've had enough of you to last an entire lifetime."

His face goes blank. "About that..." Elio pulls out a key from his trousers' pocket. "They only had one unoccupied room."

A breathy laugh tumbles out of my mouth. I'm so fed up with his bullshits. "Cut off the nonsense, I'm really not in the mood, give me my keys."

"I'm serious." He plants himself in front of a brown door. "And this is our room." Elio fucking Mariano has the audacity to smile at me. He unlocks the door. "After you, tesorino."

My mouth hangs open. "I'm not sharing a room with a murderer."

"I just saved your life."

I look at him incredulously. "You took four lives!" I half shout.

Elio tilts his head, studying me. "Are you suggesting I should've waited for them to kill you instead?"

I purse my lips and glare at him. "I'm not spending an entire night with a guy who just killed four people."

"Fine, you're free to sleep here, or even on the streets."

I ball my hands. Asshole. I point at the other room. "Why don't you go there?"

He chuckles. "I'm perfectly fine with sharing the room with you. Of course, you're free to sleep in a room with dead men."

"You're the one who killed them."

He shrugs.

It's unbelievable how easily he can get under my skin. I have not crossed paths with any human being as infuriating as this man.

With a huff I march past him, pushing the door open, but I halt in my tracks, my eyes widening.

The room is small with a narrow window on one side. A lone armchair placed near the window, a door that probably leads to the bathroom, and across from me is a single queen-sized bed.

"There's only one bed." And it's not even wide.

"Now that's an interesting piece of information the receptionist forgot to share," he muses and shuts the door.

I spin to him. "Seriously?" I place my hands on my hips.

"What do you want me to do? I can't build a bed for you," he huffs, rolling his shoulders back.

"You're sleeping on that chair," I declare and he laughs.

"What makes you think I'll listen?"

"Because I saw you commit a crime."

He brings his face close to mine. My breath hitches but I don't look away from his burning eyes. In a deep low voice, he challenges, "What are you going to do about it, prosecutor Campbell?"

Words flee from my mind. For a fleeting moment, his gaze drops to my lips and my heart pounds harder, my lips tingle.

"Exactly," he breathes out, and draws himself to his full height. "And you didn't see the crime, you heard it."

I roll my eyes, breaking free of the haziness spreading over my brain. He walks to the chair and flumps down, fishing out his phone from his back pocket.

"I need to make a few calls; you can get ready for bed." He looks over his phone, the light it casts makes his features more striking.

Wordlessly head to the bathroom. My reflection in the mirror startles me, I'm ashen, and my hair is a mess, standing out in odd ways. Dark circles are smeared underneath my green eyes, making them hollower than ever.

Stripping out of my clothes, I step into the shower, and close my eyes, focusing on the feeling of the warm water flowing down my frame, easing out the built-up tension in my muscles.

I should be asking why Fabris is after me, pondering over what I should do next and if this ordeal affects Dad and Ruby. I ought to be inquiring what Elio's next step is, but I can't.

I need a break from the constant worry and fear.

I divert my attention to combing through my tangled mess of hair with my fingers. Quickly, I scrub myself clean and step out of the shower, wrapping a towel around my body.

I hate to wear the same clothes, but I don't have anything else. I take my time drying my hair before exiting the bathroom.

Elio is still on his phone, holding the cell phone against his ear with an index finger, while his ankle is perched on his knee.

His gaze zooms in on me. A fire ignites in his chestnut eyes, burning me from the inside out as they travel from my head to toe slowly, taking in every inch.

I grow warm as my heart races. My cells buzz as butterflies flutter in my stomach. I avert my gaze and plop down on the edge of the bed. The mattress isn't soft, but it's not bad.

I rub my temple and fiddle with my necklace, propping my elbows on my knees.

After a long moment of silence, Elio says something in Italian. I shut my eyes but the creaking of the chair alerts me.

Elio twirls his phone between his index finger and thumb as he stands.

I straighten up and watch him quizzically. Without asking, he explains, "I told Pietro to gather as much information as he can about Fabris' recent works, that should tell us why they attacked you. His men —and Pietro guesses Esposito's men— have rounded the airport, waiting for us. Although, my men are on it and the coast should be clear by tomorrow noon. Then we'll return to Sicily." Elio shoves his phone into his pocket, looking as confident as ever.

"Why are you telling me?" I eye him suspiciously. "You're trying to gain my trust with these snippets of information."

"You have a long way to go for earning my trust, tesorino, but didn't you say you want to be a part of all of this? I'm taking a step towards you. Now it's your turn."

I sigh and gather my hair over one shoulder slowly braiding it. Elio's eyes latch on my fingers' movements observing them like it's the most interesting thing ever. "What would Fabris gain from joining Esposito?"

Elio studies me. "They can get rid of me, take over my business, and earn more money."

"But what does killing me have to do with that?" I finish the braid and twist it on top of my head, securing it in a bun with a hairband.

"Not killing you led them to conclude you must be a valuable asset, otherwise why keep you alive?"

Oh.

He adds, "It's been a long day, we'll talk about it tomorrow, and by then Pietro should have some info, so it won't be our guesses only."

I nod and mumble, "Okay."

Elio walks to the bathroom but just as he opens the door, I announce, "I'm not sharing the bed with you."

He chuckles and faces me. "And I'm not sleeping on the chair."

"I'm not sharing a bed with a man who just killed four men less than an hour ago."

"You can take the chair."

I narrow my eyes. "I was almost shot to death; I think I deserve the bed."

He stares at me for a beat before scoffing, "That's the stupidest reasoning-"

"But you don't have an answer to it." I slide under the covers and point at the chair. "And don't turn off the lights when you come back."

He huffs before going into the bathroom and shutting the door.

I sigh and pull my knees to myself, cherishing the moment of silence. Pressing my forehead to my knees, I close my eyes. Flashes of fire burst before my closed eyelids. I hug myself and remind the scared part of me it's over.

I bite my bottom lip, wishing I was daring like Ruby.

But the images of that night, of the place I called home burning, don't free its grip.

The room closes in on me and I'm tempted to open the windows but decide against it. I press the heels of my hands to my eyes, wishing the terrifying memory of being locked in my bedroom as the house burnt vanishes.

The smoke, the scent, the realization neither of my parents was coming for me. I had locked the door because of Dad, he was drunk and had lost a case, the worst combination. He and Mom were fighting. I did what I always did, locked my bedroom door. Too late I figured out the house is on fire, by then the door wouldn't budge.

I cheated death that night.

For a long time though, I hated that I did. Especially when Mom and Dad got divorced, Dad became worse... and the accident that snatched away Mom from me.

I quickly blink away the gathering tears and prepare for sleep. I slide my jeans off and neatly place them on the nightstand next to me.

By the time my breathing is normal, Elio has shut off the shower. The creaking of the door announces he's done and a second later he steps out.

Holy shit. I try not to gawk but fail miserably.

Elio is only in boxers and the glory of his almost naked body is on display.

It's like he's been sculpted from head to toe by Greek gods. His abs are hard and defined, the tattoos peppered across his beautiful olive skin compliment his well-built body.

With his damp hair on his forehead, and the beads of water rolling down to the pecks of his abs, Elio is truly swoon-worthy.

The room's temperature shoots up ten degrees, or maybe it's just me.

The tattoos on his skin have me entranced. On the right side of his chest, just below his collarbone, a beautiful butterfly is drawn with some of its lines smudged, going upwards like smoke.

The tattoo on the left side of his chest is a heart wrapped in barbed wire with a deep gash at its lower half, with black droplets falling away from the torn part, with flames erupting from its top. In the middle of his chest, he has a jeweled crown.

His right upper arm has an upside-down rose with a lighter underneath it, setting the rose ablaze. His left arm has a beautifully detailed tattoo of a wolf. On the right side of his body, starting from his rib cage, a classic stopwatch, with its bottom melting is inked to his skin. Underneath it, the word Exp with a number is written. He's too far to discern the date.

Once I'm able to drag my eyes up, our gaze locks, and heat flares up to my cheeks, I grow warmer and resist the urge to squirm under his burning scrutiny.

He's studying me like he can read every thought crossing my head while enjoying the attention. Despite myself, my eyes drop to his crotch and the noticeable bulge, growing more prominent with each passing second. My core clenches and I gulp.

"Your tattoos are exactly what someone would expect to see on a mobster." And I was definitely not ogling you.

A knowing smirk lifts his lips as he shuts the door and walks across the room. Meanwhile, I get the chance to catch a glimpse of the image tattooed on the back of his left hand, a skeletal hand, holding up the rock and roll sign. Two intertwined snakes are etched underneath it.

Elio dumps his clothes on the armchair. I cannot help but notice, he has one fine ass. God damn it, pull it together, Cerise. He pulls out his phone and gun, and his ripe bicep flexes with each move.

Elio has definitely taken the standards for an imposing capo to the next level. His body screams power.

Why on Earth am I finding a freaking mafioso attractive? Sure he's hot and all, but he just killed four people for fuck's sake.

Oh... fuck, that reminds me, if he's aesthetically so pleasing, I wonder...

God damn it, snap out of it.

Under any circumstances, I'll never entertain that dumb idea in my head. I urge myself to think about anything else, anyone else... yes! Caleb! But he falls dull in front of this asshole.

Only in the physical aspect, otherwise, Caleb is great, and I like him, even though he doesn't like me back. I sigh and slide myself lower under the covers, but can't bring myself to lie down completely.

Wordlessly he crosses the room and I get the chance to see the breathtaking tattoo on his back. It's a massive phoenix, its wings take up his shoulder blades and the body of the bird reaches to the middle of his back while tongues of flame are swallowing it. Underneath the flames in beautiful cursive, it's written 'Il dovere viene prima di tutto' and even though I don't understand what it says, it doesn't hinder how majestic the tattoo is.

Elio switches off half of the lights and comes straight towards the bed.

"I told you, you're not allowed on the bed." I cross my arms over the duvet.

"And I have no obligation to listen to you," he replies, a mischievous glint shining in his dark eyes. "Why, tesorino? Don't you trust yourself?" A wicked smile plays on his lips as he stands in front of the empty side.

I gape at him. "Fuck you, asshole." But my cheeks turn hot and I shift to hide my face from his burning eyes.

His deep chuckle only makes my cheeks warmer as I glower at the wall. Asshole.

"I thought you were tired, but sure, I'm down for fucking, but careful not to fall for me, tesorino."

My eyes bug out of my head, I twist to him as he glides under the covers. "You are one infuriating bastard and I cannot wait to get rid of you." I jab my index finger at him.

A cold smile arches his full lips and he leans toward me, making my breath hitch. "Of course, bella." His deep voice seeps into me, making my heart race and my body thrum with the need to get closer to him. He twirls a loose strand of my orange hair freed from my braid, around his finger. "Believe me, the feeling's mutual," he whispers.

I forget to breathe, growing more aware of my body with each passing second. His voice and the way he's looking at me is doing funny things to me. My core clenches and the urge to eliminate the small space between us becomes stronger than ever.

All of these are so so wrong. Yet they don't feel wrong, and I hate myself and him for it.

"Good night, tesorino mio," he huskily breathes out.

His hand falls away, his gaze lingers for a moment longer, darting to my lips and jumping back up to my eyes before he shifts on his spot and slides down the covers, adjusting his head on the pillow.

Quietly, I do the same.

He's a murderer, a mafioso, the capo controlling over half of the organized criminal activities. My enemy. Yet here I am, getting all hot and bothered.

I'm a disgrace to the lot of prosecutors. I nibble my bottom lip as Dad's constant criticism runs around my head in circles.

No, I cannot let him ruin my years of practice. I owe him one for saving my life, but when the day comes we become even, there won't be any force to stop me from taking him down, not even myself.

I cannot be attracted to a criminal.

❈ ☯︎ ❈

From this chapter onwards, things will slowly start to get steamy (but slowly, because this is a slow burn xD). I'm sorry for the long chapter, but I just wanted to reach this scene faster :')

Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed, vote, and comment your thoughts on this chapter, tell me if you liked this little build-up =)

And, I don't know about you guys, but man do I love this one-bed trope, but none of my stories had the chance for it, I'm so happy I got to try it on this for the first time, and I hope you liked it too.

Stay safe, lots of love, happy reading <3 <3