Heartcraft

Six

ᡣ𐭩 •｡ꪆৎ ˚⋅ Azra ᡣ𐭩 •｡ꪆৎ ˚⋅

I open the bedroom door hesitantly the next morning after I wake up to find the apartment eerily silent. Dario is either not here or he's still asleep upstairs. I look at the clock hanging on the living room wall near the TV to find it nearly 11 in the morning. I must've been tired.

Trying not to make any sound, I look at the bedroom upstairs and keep moving backwards in order to see if he's in his bed or not but I still can't see anything from down here. I look around me and a small piece of paper on the counter that wasn't there before catches my attention.

I walk closer to it and read.

I had to go to work early. Didn't have time to make breakfast. Aside from throwing parties, you're free to do whatever you want.
Dario

I feel my lips involuntarily stretch into a smile but it's gone as soon as it comes. I'm not supposed to like or trust him but I can feel my heart warming every time he does something nice. My mind immediately goes back to my family.

'That's exactly why you're not the best judge of character.'

They're right. Even though a faint voice deep in my heart denies it, the voice in my head is somehow louder as it reprimands me for trusting a man simply because he cracks a few jokes here and there.

But I know I'm not stupid. It's not just because of the jokes, he brought me here, fed me, made sure I was okay, he tries his best to make sure I'm not uncomfortable or scared. He didn't have to do all that, especially for a girl who meets his kind acts with rude silence.

All men expect something in return for their kindness.

No, if he wanted to do something, he would've done it already. There were multiple opportunities. He even told me to lock the door to the guest bedroom last night so I could sleep without worrying.

Maybe he wants you to trust him fir-...

I groan loudly and grip the roots of my hair harshly. I'm so frustrated with myself.

Turning around, I open the fridge to look for something to eat. I need to distract my worrying mind.

ᡣ𐭩 •｡ꪆৎ ˚ᡣ𐭩 •｡ꪆৎ ˚⋅

I grow bored at about 3 in the afternoon. I had breakfast, drank coffee while watching a movie, and baked a carrot cake that's perched up on the counter still untouched since I lost my appetite halfway through making it. I originally had the idea to make it as a 'thank you' to Dario and Armando if he passes by again, but I chickened out on the idea.

After cleaning the mess I made in the kitchen, I grab a bottle of water and head into the living room but stop midway when I hear the jingle of keys.

Armando strolls through the door, closing it behind him and meeting my gaze. He moves his eyes from top to bottom, scrutinizing my outfit, and his eyebrows shoot slightly up.

"Dario sent me to check on you." He drawls.

My heart warms again.

Armando makes his way to the living room, passing from beside me, and sits on the couch. Looks like he's staying a while. He grabs his phone and starts typing. My gaze moves to the cake on the countertop and back to the man. I can hear my dad's voice in my head telling me how naive and gullible I am, and that's why I slowly move to the kitchen, put a slice on a small plate, grab a fork, and go back.

The plate clinks as I place it in front of Armando who looks at it with slight surprise. His gaze moves from me to the slice to the rest of cake on the counter.

"You made this?" He asks but I remain silent.

When he doesn't make a move to eat, I go grab another fork quickly and take a bite from the same slice that's on his plate, just like he did with my coffee.

My eyes meet his as I chew, I put my fork down and sit back on the couch expectingly. Armando's lips tilt upwards as he grabs his fork and starts eating.

My internal smile was so big when he got up to cut himself another slice after he finished the first one.

༄𖤍🂱 Dario 🂱𖤍༄

My hands grip the steering wheel tightly while Azul's voice fills the car from my phone's speaker.

"They were all supposed to fly back to Turkey today but they left her brother, Murat, behind." He goes on, "Pablo got news of an Italian search party led by the brother that was set in motion."

"Fuck." I curse.

"Do you know what you're gonna do?" He asks.

"No, but I sure as hell don't wanna start a fucking war by making them think I kidnapped her." I explain. If word gets out that the Turkish princess is staying at my house, no one would believe it was voluntary.

"You sure? She would be a nice bargaining chip." He suggests and he's right, I could get anything I want in exchange for her. But that's too bold of a move even for me, kidnapping the daughter of a mob family would mean war, and I'm in no way in a position for that right now.

I can't help but think of how I would handle this if this was Mexico and I was still with my familia. Our familia's reputation and status there would've opened new doors of possibility. I don't have the same resources and relations here which limits my options. A lot of the mob families located in the States know of my arrival here, but any form of communication with me would make them an enemy of my father and my father was a far more valuable ally than me.

"I won't hand her back to an abusive family." I mumble.

"We don't know that, yet." He defends.

"Who else could've formed those bruises?"

"We can't afford a war right now, Dario." Azul says carefully.

"I know." I sigh

Either we go all in, own up to it, and say we kidnapped her, which will cost us a lot, or we hand her back saying that we found her lost somewhere. My logical reasoning is telling me to just go with the second option and get this problem over with.

An image of her standing there in the rain, all fragile and vulnerable pops into my head. I see Mariana in Azra's place again, their faces morphing together into the same scene and I shake my head. I remember the still visible bruises causing a sudden tightness in my chest.

I need to know the truth before I make my decision. I need to know exactly what happened to her and I need to hear it directly from her.

"Until we know what the fuck we're supposed to do, find out what's wrong with the girl. If she's mute or something." I end the call.