Cataleya Valentina Velez:
Rio races through the busted gates. It looks like someone drove straight through them, and they probably did.
There are a bunch of cars in front of the house, but the Curzio's don't seem to bother, so neither do I.
They're probably the backup Rio send to help them.
The vehicle hasn't even completely stopped yet before Leon and I jump out of the car, but he instantly runs towards the door, while I stare at the marks on the ground.
The door is almost falling out of its hinges and I freeze as we both walk up the steps. I stare at the door, trying to catch something, anything that might give us a hint on what exactly happened here.
But there's too much going on. The door is broken, splintering a little, while almost falling off the hinge. They must've rammed something against it for it to break like this.
'Shit.' Rio mumbles as he rushes after Leon. I follow them inside and stare at the broken door for another second.
Rio moves like a fucking wolve, stealthy and ready to fight. Beside him, a man with dark blond hair starts explaining what happened. Or at least what he thinks happens.
Whatever they did, almost broke the entire door down. But there's nothing to actually see what they used. At least not for me. They probably know exactly what happened.
I look at the hall, which looks perfectly fine, except for a few pieces of the door laying around. Nothing else seems touched.
As if they didn't even go deeper into the house.
'They're not here!' Leon shouts as he runs down the stairs.
Shit. I look at him as he rushes towards Rio's office. No.
It took us longer to get back here because we weren't allowed to fly. There were too many planes in the air. As if they made sure of that too.
So instead of two hours to get back here, it took us four. And when we got to the ground, they found out something was wrong with our car, so we had to wait for a new one to get there. Which also took at least an hour.
Five hours. They've been gone for five hours.
I snap out of the panic that's trying to consume me and run towards Rio's office. He's tapping on his phone for dear life. 'That chip-' 'What the fuck do you think I'm doing?' He sneers, not looking at me at all.
I lean against the wall, needing its support since my legs feel weak. 'What happened?'
'Kai went behind our backs.' Leon sneers, anger clear in his voice. He looks like he's about to explode.
Kai. He went behind our backs. He told Hunter we would be gone. He told them all of it and led them to the house while we were away.
'Is there any way we can talk to him?' All heads turn to me and the new guy starts laughing hysterically. I glare at him but wait for the others to answer my question. 'Do you think that he'll talk?'
Even Rio, who surely doesn't mind Neveah being gone, looks tense. But I think it's more because of the fact that Celine is gone as well. Because he cares about Celine.
'Have you tried?' I ask, slowly stepping away from the wall. Now is not the time to panic. We'll get her back. We just need to know where they are.
'Anything?' Leon asks, turning towards his cousin.
It looks like he's about to rip Rio's phone out of his hands and try to find it himself, but he somehow contains himself while Rio continues to search for the right things.
Whatever that might be.
'Chi è lei?' The new guy asks, pointing at me. 'If you're going to talk about me-' 'That's none of your business, go search the house. See if they left any marks.' Rio sneers at him.
The man nods and leaves the office. Rio groans, almost throwing his phone against the wall out of annoyance. 'I can't get in.'
'What do you mean you can't get in?' Leon asks, almost lunging at Rio. 'Exactly what I'm saying. They're hacking the system.'
So they knew. Hunter knows Neveah is chipped.
'Is there any way of still getting in?' I know I should keep my mouth shut because they're already annoyed enough, but this is my best friend's life we're talking about. And Celine is also with them.
We can't just stand here and do nothing.
'Cataleya, just shut up and stay out of our way.' I shake my head and take a step forward. Whatever hate I feel towards Rio has to wait. I'll put it away for now, because we need to focus on getting Celine and Neveah back. 'Look, we need to get them back. So I'm helping.'
Rio looks at me, a glimmer of surprise in his eyes. But I can't tell if he's surprised because I'm not backing down or because I'm ready to stop hating him until we get her back.
'She's right, we need to get them back.' Leon grunts. He's waiting for Rio to continue trying to get into the system, but Rio doesn't move. Not a single muscle on his perfect body moves as he keeps his eyes on me.
'Why would they hack into the system?' I ask, slowly stepping closer to the desk. 'They're probably emptying her.' Rio answers, finally looking at his cousin. 'Shit.' Emptying her? Does that mean they're- no. 'Emptying her?'
Rio rolls his eyes at my ignorance and drops into his leather chair. 'They're taking the chip out of her.' Shit.
At least it's not as bad as I first thought.
'Leon, contact Zuzu, see if she can get us back into the system.' Leon nods and reaches for his phone, walking to the door to make a quick call.
I turn back to Rio and try not to shout at him for looking at me again. 'What can I do?' 'Be quiet while we fix this.'
'I want to help.' He sighs and grabs his phone again, dialing someone before bringing the phone to his ear. 'Ciao Marcello.' He waits for Marcello to respond and takes a deep breath, trying to contain himself.
'I'm good, but I need a favor.' Straight to the point. 'Could you get to Paris?' His eyes widen, making me wonder what it is Marcello said. 'Alright, I'll see you in an hour.'
An hour? So he's in France?
Rio finally hangs up the phone and turns towards his liquor collection. 'Do you want a drink?'
I look at him, not believing that he's seriously thinking about drinking right now, and roll my eyes. 'Well?' He looks over his shoulder and waits for me to answer. 'You're an alcoholic.' 'Nothing new.'
He pours himself a drink and gulps it down, quickly pouring himself a new one.
Leon rushes back into the room and stares at his cousin for a second. A little disappointed that he's drinking again, but not surprised at all. 'She said you should be able to get back in.'
'Great.' Rio gets back on his phone and smiles wickedly. He got in. 'Fuck.'
I lean forward, trying to see what it is he's seeing exactly. Leon does the same, almost pulling the phone out of Rio's hands. 'And?'
'The same spot when we left Germany.' Leon and Rio look at each other as if that means anything. 'And where is that?'
'The front door.' Leon grunts, shoving his chair back to start pacing around the room.
What? 'So you're telling me, that the last time you saw where they were, was at the front door?' I ask a little shocked.
That must've been at least six hours ago, meaning they could be on the other side of Europe by now, maybe even on their way to America. They could be anywhere.
'Where at the front door exactly?' Rio shoves his phone my way, showing me an exact outline of the house and everything around it. Every tree, every stone, sketched with lines.
A red dot flickers at the right side of the house, right next to the steps. I jump up and run to the door. 'They're not-' 'Shut up.' I sneer, continuing to get to the dot.
I look at the phone, trying to see if I'm going the right way, and look up. A little flowerpot is exactly where the tracker is supposed to be.
A flowerpot that wasn't there when we left. I think...
'Little one, what are you-' I run to the pot and move it. It's heavy as shit, but I push it aside, trying to see if something's underneath it. But nothing. 'Cataleya?'
Leon steps closer and looks at me, trying to figure out what I'm trying to do. 'This wasn't there before, right?' I huff, looking at the dirt-filled pot.
There's no plant growing, just dirt. 'The phone says she's here, but she's not. So-' 'Right.' I try knocking the bucket over, but it's too heavy.
'Let me-' I shove again and this time it rolls over, the dirt falling on the tiles on the ground.
If it wasn't for Neveah or Celine, I wouldn't be doing this. I wouldn't go with my hands through the disgusting dirt. But it is about them. So I dig my hands into the dirt and try to see if there's anything in there.
And there is.
A plastic zip bag with an envelope inside. 'How did you-' Without listening to Rio, I open the bag and the envelope, almost cutting my fingers.
There's a USB stick in the envelope and something else. Something metal and cold. The chip.
I freeze and look at Leon, who's crouching down next to me. 'Is that-' I nod and almost puke. They indeed took it out of her. Just like they said.
'What else is in there?' Rio asks, slowly stepping closer. I almost throw the envelope at him and stare at the chip in my hand. It's so small that I wonder how it felt when they took it out.
That small metal thing is also inside my body, under my arm. I got sick when they put it in and I don't want to know how it feels when someone takes it out.
'We should see what's on here.' Rio states, walking back inside. Leon looks at the chip in my hand and slowly gets up from the ground. 'Leya?'
I nod and jump to my feet, both of us rushing back inside. Rio is already sitting behind his desk, with his laptop open and the stick in. He's scrolling through some files and stops at a video.
Leon and I walk over to his side, to look at the screen. 'Play it.' I state, waiting for him to press the button. It's like he's waiting for the video to magically start, and I hate it. 'Valentina this-' 'Play it.' I sneer, almost pressing the button myself.
Instead of Rio pressing the button, Leon does. The video starts. A dark room with a metal table in the middle. Something that looks like the table in Celine's room, just a little dirtier.
Neveah gets into the frame and my heart starts racing. Leon flinches and almost gasps for air.
She's barely wearing any clothes, just her underwear, and her bra. What the hell? My stomach starts twisting and turning, but I swallow the bile away and try to focus on what's happening in front of us.
A man shoves and chains her onto the table, both arms and her legs as well, leaving her displayed for whatever it is they're going to do to her.
'What are they-' I stop when I see Celine stepping in as well. She's shaking her head, looking at the person on the other side. A person I can't see clearly.
But I think I know who that is. 'What are they saying?' Leon asks, turning up the volume to the max. There's some faint talking, but I can't make up what they're saying because of my heartbeat.
Rio and Leon on the other hand can. They seem to understand every single word. And because of their reaction, my heart starts beating even faster and louder, making my ears thud.
More movement, but it's all very hazy. The only thing I can see clearly is Celine grabbing a knife on the table next to her.
Celine slowly walks over to Neveah and grabs her hand, before whispering something with tears in her eyes. 'I'm sorry.' She mouths.
She probably says it as well, but I can't hear a single thing. As if I'm suddenly deaf to everything except my pulse.
Neveah starts fighting against the chains keeping her on the table, but it's no use. She can't move. Celine whispers something again before she flinches because of a loud voice. A loud voice I've never heard before. 'Do it.'
Shivers go down my spine and my heart stops for a second. They made her do it. They made Celine do this. The fear is clear in her eyes when she looks up, straight into a person's eyes. A person that's standing behind the camera.
She looks absolutely petrified.
More mumbling, before she slowly turns to Neveah's shoulder. 'I'm sorry.' She repeats time and time again, before pressing the blade into Neveah's skin. Oh god...
My stomach starts turning more and more and I need to take a few deep breathes to make sure I won't puke. But it's getting harder and harder as I see the pain Neveah's in.
Her screams. I can hear her screams loud and clear. As if she's screaming right next to me.
Everything else seems to fade. As if I'm alone in a room, while they cut open Neveah, and I'm forced to watch. Not able to do anything to help her. Anything at all.
But no. I can't. Instead, I'm sitting here, reliving something that already happened. She's already been through it. And I couldn't help her. I wasn't there to help her. No.
Guilt washes over me. She asked me, begged me to stay and I didn't. I went with the Curzio's anyway, despite her pleadings for me to stay.
And just when I thought it couldn't get worse, just when the terror of her screams stopped for a second, they start again. This time, not because of Celine stabbing her. But because of Hunter pressing his fingers into her wound.
The screams grow worse, louder, and more pain-filled than before.
All because of Hunter. The man that I thought was nice at Marcello's party. The man that told me about my reputation. The man that informed me about who everything was. That man.
He doesn't look like that man at all. There's no sign of the man I talked to that night, just his body, but not his soul.
Neveah screams, making my throat hurt as if I'm the one screaming.
'Turn it off.' I'm able to say without puking. It feels like all the food I ate on our way here because Rio basically forced me to eat at least something, is ready to come out again.
'Please' I beg, unable to hear anything anymore. One of them shuts the laptop, while the other starts cussing.
Leon. He shut the laptop. I can't tell if he did because he couldn't take it, or because he noticed that I started crying.
And Rio. Rio's the one shouting at him for shutting the laptop. I can barely make up what he's saying, but the words sound harsh.
I try to keep my breathing steady, try to keep myself from vomiting at the sight of the chip laying on Rio's desk now, try to not faint at the screams still echoing in my head.
She's in pain. She was in pain. So much pain. And she might still be. The video wasn't done yet and I don't- 'Little one...'
I look up, straight into Leon's eyes, and gasp for air. Pain rushes through me and I wish I could bury it all inside. But I can't.
All of this is my fault. If I stayed. If I- 'I'll kill them all.' Leon states, grabbing my hand. I look at our hands and realize I'm shaking again. Shit.
'You're convinced you can stomach that, but you could barely watch the entire video.' Rio sneers, looking at his cousin. 'Adriano, we need to-' The door burst open and the new guy rushes into the room.
'Marcello è qui.' We stare at each other, Rio and Leon share some looks, but I have no idea what he just said. I only understood one thing.
Marcello.
And I think it means he's here. Not just because of the look on their faces, but because of the fact that Rio almost rushes out of the room to greet his guest.
Leon looks at me and waits for me to move first. But I can't.
I feel like I'm frozen in place. Like if I move, everything else will go wrong. 'Leya?' I take a deep breath, before turning back to him again and nod.
Slowly I get up from the chair, keeping my eyes on the door. It looks so far away, but when I get there I freeze again.
Marcello is talking to Rio and he does not sound happy. 'Come with me.' Leon mumbles, grabbing my arm as he pulls me towards the dining room.
'Are you okay?' He asks a little worried.
I should be the one asking him. He's the one in love with Neveah. But I can't even fucking open my mouth because I'm afraid that I'll puke.
And I feel bad for making him worry.
But I can't get the words to come out. I can't explain to him how afraid I am, how much I hope that Neveah and Celine are okay, or at least better than they were at the video.
And I don't have to actually say the words. He can read the fear of my face, mirroring it himself.
He looks petrified, but there's something else, something stronger, in his eyes. Not just his eyes. His entire being.
Anger. Pure Anger.
'We'll get her back,' He assures me, 'even if it's the last thing I do.' And I know he's telling the truth. I know he'll do anything in his life to save her. Even if it is indeed the last thing he does.
'I know.' I manage to say without thinking about vomiting my guts out. 'We'll get her back.'
'I doubt that.' A deep voice rumbles as Rio and Marcello enter the dining room. They take a seat on the other side of the table and look at me.
All of them are looking at me.
The room goes silent for a while, while I try to compose myself.
I feel like a mess for crying because of this. She's still alive. She's still out there. So we'll get her back. I know we will.
We'll get both of them back.
Celine and Neveah. They'll be back before I know it.
And crying won't help. It'll only make things worse, it will only make me a burden. And I want to help.
So I suck up and wipe my tears, before looking at Rio. 'What's the plan?'
Marcello chuckles and looks at me again, tilting his head a little.
'Stai attento, Marcello.' Rio grunts, not once taking his eyes off the glass in his hand. 'You're all a bunch of fools.' I didn't realize that he poured Marcello and himself a drink, but they both take a sip.
'After all he did, you let him go. Not only did you let him be a free man the entire time, but you let him slip through your hands with important information. With important people. Do you know how much this could've cost you?' Marcello fumes, more pointed at Rio than at me or Leon.
He's right. We were foolish, complete idiots, to think that this would work. That it was real.
'We need some of your men to help us since I lost some of mine during our fight with some Irish guys.' Rio states, gritting his teeth. He looks... Ashamed.
As if Marcello's opinion is the only one that matters.
But Marcello chuckles and chugs his glass, instantly emptying it before he pours himself another one.
'That's the problem. There will always be another problem with you, won't there Rafael?'
Marcello's tone is dark and annoyed. 'First, you lie to me, and then you expect me to help you?' He asks, looking at Rio again. Rio takes a deep breath, before quickly glancing at Leon.
'I didn't lie-' 'Bugie, ancora.' The old man groans, before turning to me. 'I thought you were smarter than this, Cataleya.'
The disappointment, the one Rio must've been feeling the entire time, rushes through me and almost makes me gasp for air. But I'm somehow able to conceal it. 'We really need your help, please Marcello?'
'He killed my wife, you know he ruined my life, and you couldn't even make him pay? After all I risked for you?' Rio looks at his glass, it's almost empty but he doesn't seem eager to finish it anymore.
Instead, it looks like he's ready to throw the glass against the wall.
'Please Marcello-' Marcello's eyes light up and he turns to the begging Leon. He looks like he's ready to drop to his knees. 'I bet my wife was begging for help when they shot her, while she bled to death.' No.
Kai deserved to be punished if he was the one who shot Marcello's wife. But he said he wasn't. Not that his word means anything anymore. He also said that this wouldn't be a setup and look where we are now.
'Once we get them back, I'll make sure to hunt him down.' Rio tries, but Marcello shakes his head. He slowly pours himself another glass, before looking at me directly. 'It's too late.'
'Please?' I hate the desperation in my voice, I hate that I have to show my weakness to him, but I feel like that might be the only way to convince him to help us. 'Cataleya, you are smarter than this. You should've-'
'Ti sto avvertendo, Nicholas.' Rio's voice turns dark. Not as dark as Marcello's was when he came in, but dark.
'Ti ho avvertito,' Marcello shoves his seat back and glares at Rio. 'I warned you that they would bite back. You just didn't listen.' He slams his empty glass onto the table and steps towards the door.
'You owe me!' 'I don't owe you anything, Rafael!' The two men stare at each other.
It looks like father and son are fighting, but worse than an actual family feud. Something that runs deeper.
'You lied to me and now that your plan backfired, you need my help?' All Marcello wants is the truth. He wants to know why and how we did this. How everything went to shit this quick.
But Rio looks at the ground, not knowing what to say, even though the solution is right in front of him. It's as if he doesn't want to admit that something like this happened to him.
If he doesn't say something now, Marcello will walk out of here and we won't have a chance at all.
'Yes.' I state, making him turn back to me again. 'We need your help because we have no one else to turn to. So please Marcello, if not for Rio or Leon or me, for your wife.'
He said that Veronica would love us if she would've been here. That she would see us as her daughters since she saw the boys as her sons. He said that he would protect us like family, to make her proud.
'You said so yourself, she would've loved Neveah.' His eyes freeze and for a second I hesitate about continuing. I can't tell if he's getting angry or if my persuasion is working. But when he opens his mouth to speak, to answer, nothing comes out.
He's speechless. And when I step closer, I see the tears forming in the corner of his eyes. He quickly blinks them away and nods. 'She would've loved you both.'
I nod and wait for him to say something else. 'If I'm doing this, I'm doing this because of you. Because of you and Neveah, not because of the Curzio's.'
'That's completely fine with me.' I whisper, almost dropping to my knees. 'I'll see what I can do, but I can't promise anything.'
I hear Leon gasp for air behind me and nod. 'Thank you.'
'You'll hear from me soon.' Marcello says, nodding before heading to the door. Leon runs after him and I can hear some more thank you's and begging coming from down the hall.
I slowly turn around and almost fall, because everything is spinning again. 'Valentina-' Rio starts, but I quickly run into the hall and up the stairs.
All this time we've been downstairs. I didn't even get the time to look in the bedroom, to see if something was up there.
So I run to Neveah's room, to see that her room is perfectly fine. Despite the sheets being thrown off the bed, it was probably Celine when she woke Neveah up, and Celine's phone lying on the ground.
The thud when it dropped and her yelling at Kai echo in my mind. We were in the car towards the airport and that's when it happened. That's the only way it could've happened.
I can already see the fear in their eyes, the pain in Neveah's body as she was pulled out of bed, and the pain they had to endure in that video. That video...
Neveah's screams echo through my mind again, making it feel like my head is about to explode. I try taking a few deep breaths but it doesn't seem to work.
'Valentina-' I turn around and step away from the door, even though Rio stays far away from me. I need to create more distance, just in case.
'You shouldn't be in here.' 'I had to- Because what if- I mean something could maybe hint us and that would bring us closer to them- and-' I shake my head. Explaining myself is useless. He wouldn't understand.
Because he doesn't seem to be worried at all. He even kind of looks like he's enjoying this. Like it's some kind of scavenger hunt.
'Breathe Valentina.' His hand touches mine and I look up, directly into his bewitching eyes.
I didn't even realize he was this close already, didn't even realize he moved at all.
'We need to get her back.' I state, making him look at me with a raised brow. 'Her?'
I nod and take another deep breath. 'You mean them?'
'Yes, I mean them. I don't-' 'You two only care about North and completely forget about Celine.' He groans, stepping away from me again. My body goes cold since it was getting used to his heat again.
'What?' I ask, trying to see if I heard him right. 'You heard me.' 'We do not only care about Neveah.'
He chuckles- an unamused sound. Just like the one from that night. And it hurts just as much. Because it signifies so much pain and trauma that I wish I could block it off, make sure I never hear that sound again.
'You do. Admit it.' I can't believe he's doing this right now. 'If you'll admit that you don't care at all.' I sneer, trying to get away from him again.
But he's quicker and locks me between him and the wall behind me, pressing his arms close to my face.
I knew this would happen. I knew that if I would let my hate for him subside for just a moment, just a while, that I would cave. That he would have me in his grip again, pulling me closer by the littlest things.
And that's exactly what he's doing.
We haven't been this close in a while. A long while.
He leans in and looks deep into my eyes, making my body heat up immediately. 'We'll get the both of them back, Marcello said-' 'He said he'll try. So we need to keep trying as well.'
He sighs deeply and leans in a bit more, almost making our lips touch. I want to push him away, but I'm too weak. It won't help at all.
I even think it'll only make him go through with whatever it is he has in his mind.
'Rafael don't-' But he does. He kisses me deeply, sending a wave of heat, no, fire through my entire body. Heating me up from head to toe. I press my hands against his chest and fight the urge to pull him closer.
'We shouldn't-' 'I need to feel you again.' He whispers, before kissing me again.
It's not good. It's not the right time or place. But it's what he needs. It's what we both need.
But no. I can't. Not while we need to search for Neveah and Celine. We need to get them back first. 'Rafael-' His lips feel soft, warm, and delicate, but they send my body in flames, limb for limb.
It's like all my senses give up when it comes to kissing him. Like my brain goes putty when he's near. Like my heart beats faster when I see him. All of that, but a million times worse. All at once.
I try to come up with reasons to push him away. And when I find one, which takes about two seconds, I push him away and turn my head to make sure he has to stop. 'Don't.'
'Valentina, I need this-' I lean against the wall and look at him. His true beauty in the best form.
He's practically begging me to let him kiss me, to let him touch me, to let him fuck me. And I wish I could say yes. I wish I could because I want to.
But I can't.
I can't because we have to find Neveah and Celine. I can't because what he did was wrong. What he did hurt and I don't think I'm over it yet. I don't think I'll ever get over it.
So I push him further away from me and sigh deeply. 'You should go to Molly for your needs.' I state, trying not to sound too salty when it comes to Molly.
He grunts and steps back before he starts pacing around the room.
'You're still on about that?' I stare at him for another second, trying to understand how he thinks I shouldn't be angry that he slept with someone else. 'You had sex with someone else? You broke our rule and you have the nerve to-' 'You broke a rule first!' He fumes, making me step back.
Not that there's anywhere for me to go since the wall is still behind me.
'And you're still on about that?' I fume with the same anger as him. 'I tell you how I feel after I kill someone for you? I tell you how much you mean to me, after all the shit you put me through? I tell you I love you and this is what I get?'
He flinches at the word love again and looks at the ground. 'Don't do that.' What?
'Don't do what?' I ask, stepping closer to him. He's avoiding eye contact. That's something he has never done before. 'Don't do what?' I ask again, stepping into his view. 'Don't say it again.'
He finally looks into my eyes and tears immediately form in mine. Not because I see fear in his eyes, his fear of love, but because his eyes are cold. Ice cold, almost made out of stone. No emotion at all.
Nothing but an empty void.
'I don't want to turn you down again, Valentina.' His words hurt, not as much as the first time, not as much as when I found him with Molly, not as much as anything else. But they hurt nonetheless.
'It's not fair.' I whisper, more to myself than to him. It's not fair how I fall for someone like him, someone who's afraid of love, someone who might even be incapable of loving me the way I need him to. It's not fair.
'Life's not fair, Valentina.' He whispers, taking a step back. 'I should've told you that from the start.'
I feel the tears rolling down my cheek and turn around, not wanting him to see me like this. To see me this broken, even though he's seen worse. 'We need to get them back.' I manage to say without my voice breaking.
He moves around the room, heading to the door since I hear it open again. 'I'll try.'
And with those words hanging in the air, he leaves. He leaves me alone with my thought again.
Letting me get swallowed by darkness. The darkness that he brought upon me. The darkness only he could get rid of.
Because he was and probably will forever be, my fire.
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A/N: Almost... I lowkey wanted him to admit that he felt at least something for her, but then I thought let's torture her a bit more. Because... If I didn't, the story would end a lot differently than I have in mind and- no.
Don't forget to comment and vote on what you liked most! Let me know what you think will happen? Will Neveah and Celine make it out alive?
I hope you have a great day and until next time!