Guns and Roses

26: Training

I sat up in bed sweating bullets. I had a nightmare where Vincent succeeded with what he wanted to do. Luca sat up and pulled me into his chest. "I'm right here," he whispered in my ear. "Vincent can't take you from me. He won't." I was breathing heavily, trying to calm my racing heart. When we got home last night, I told everyone what had taken place in the bathroom.

I leaned into him and took deep breaths. I'm safe. I'm at home with Luca. He can't reach me. "Please, hold me," I whispered. He took my legs and pulled me on top of him. I was straddled on his lap with my face stuffed in his neck and arms around his waist. He laid back down and rubbed circles on my back while running his other hand through my hair.

"I have you. I will never let you go." He kissed my temple and I finally started to relax into his body. I felt my heart slow down to its normal tempo and my eyes started to flutter closed. "Go to sleep," he whispered. "I'll be here." With that, I fell back to sleep.

:::

I sat at the dining table, pushing my breakfast around with my fork. My knees were drawn up and my chin rested on them. I felt a kiss on top of my head and I looked over to find Marco. "You okay," he asked. I nodded and stared blankly at my plate. It was still half full of food. Everyone was already done eating. He sat across from me and folded his hands. We were the only two in the room. "Ana, I know it's a tough time but I need you to finish this job."

I dropped my fork and wrapped my other arm around my legs. "I know," I mumbled. I rested my forehead on my knees and sighed. He was right. I need to complete this job. I am a Don and need to fight, not just for myself, but everyone else around me. I looked back up and nodded, "Okay, I can do it." I took a deep breath and sat us straight.

He nodded with a sad smile. He gave me a file and said, "I found some information." I opened it and looked at the papers. It was a club. A strip club under the name Silver Bullet. I looked up at him and he said, "Someone needs to go undercover to get information. It's a regular hang out for them." I know he said someone but I knew he meant me. I was the best for this job.

I nodded. "Okay. We have this whole week to prepare and this will take place on Friday." I shuffled through the papers. "It shows that Friday and Saturday are the busiest days for them." He nodded and stood. "Can we start today for the training?"

"Yeah. After school though." He gave me a pointed look.

"The sooner we start, the easier this job will be."

"I know we have this job to finish, but if you ever need to step back for a few days, let me know and I will handle everything, okay?" I nodded and leaned into him as he hugged me. I got up and went up to my room to get ready.

I wore ripped black jeans, a black top, a dark denim button-up shirt, and black Pumas. The denim shirt was open with the sleeves rolled up to my elbows. I had on a gold watch and my necklace with natural-looking makeup to cover up how tired I was.

When I was done getting dressed, I walked out and was met by Luca sitting on my bed. I walked towards him and he placed his hands on my hips. I leaned down and kissed his lips. "I'm here for you if you need me," he whispered. I smiled and kissed his lips again. He leaned back, pulling me with him. I straddled his lap and laid my head on his chest. His hands ran up my sides and wove within my hair, hugging me to his body.

This was a peaceful moment where everything just stopped until it was broken with a yelling Marco. "Get your asses up and go to school!"

:::

I walked down the halls of school by myself since I was meeting everyone in the cafeteria. I held my books up to my chest as I walked in. Everyone was chatting with each other, creating a buzz in the air. I walked up to our table and sat next to Luca.