Retaliation (2) ✔

E P I S O D E - 17

"Episode 17 - Santiago, the one who loved me the most."

The ocean roared against the shore, water splashed over the sand with thunder. Watching the waves coming and going had a soothing effect on my body. It almost sounded like heavy rain but the sky was clear of any clouds. A lonely quarter moon hung loosely in the sky while a couple of stars glimmered, scattered over the vast canvas of darkness.

This is what freedom looked like. Smelled and sounded like. I leaned into Gabriel, who was sitting behind me, knees bent on either side of my body. I told him that I missed seeing the clutter of shining stars every night, when he came and found me sitting on the stairs of the deck that lead to the beach.

Malibu was beautiful. So was L.A.

Gabe took me out for shopping because we didn't have appropriate clothes for a normal weather. Most of the things we had were over coats and winter clothes. We needed something that could tackle the winter California weather.

Xavier didn't want us going out by ourselves but Gabe knew how to hide in plain sight. We had done that before but this time, it was different.

Before we travelled to California, Leo had gotten the words out that Xavier De La Cruz and Lucia Catalan are alive. He made sure it spread like a rumour. Leader of gangs, bosses of mafia organisations were to be notified via an unaccountable grapevine but to be repetitive enough so that people would start believing in.

Xavier was worried that something might happen to be because the word was out. That's why he made sure there were distant body guards around us all times. I tried to relax and Gabe wanted me to have that experience. He wanted me to enjoy doing all the things that normal girls did but I just couldn't shake the feeling of someone watching me.

"I'm sure it was the body guards keeping an on us." Gabe tried to reason rationally once I professed my concerned to him. His hands kept playing with my hair. "Thank you for dyeing it back."

Even though it had grown past my shoulder in the last 6 months, it wasn't the waist length hair I was used to. Frankly, I missed that. I missed throwing over my shoulder when I was riding Gabe or feeling it brush my hips or having it pulled hard, from behind.

Groaning, I sagged down against him. He was a step above me.

"Are you nervous for the meeting tomorrow?" He asked.

"No, not at all. I want to learn the ropes. I know this is Xavier's show and he will deal with it but you know, we can't always live under his protection."

"Mmm." He mumbled with his lips against the back of my head. "Where would you like to go once we kill Jude." It was such a simple question that might have aroused goose bumps from others but to me, it was perfectly normal.

"Miami." I watched the ocean, listened to it's song. "I think I want to go back home. Even if it's just for a while." Sadness colluded the peaceful moment.

"We'll do that." He stroked my arms as I listened to his steady heartbeat.

"I'm sorry." My heart thudded with pain. Sometimes I didn't feel anything. The emptiness choked me but it kept me alive this long. Until he came into the picture. I felt too much around him and sometimes, I hurt him by trying to shut the feelings down because I didn't know how to cope with it.

"About what?" He tilted my head back so I could look up at him.

"You wanted to be something and I took that away from you. We are running and laying low under Xavier's protection. We have no power at all." My eyes started to burn.