'Are you sure you don't want to come as well?' I ask as I wrap a towel around my head.
We leave for Russia in less than an hour.
By we, I mean Hunter, Noah, and I.
The others are staying here to watch Jade since Martin hasn't come back yet.
According to Noah, he won't be back for a while. Not that I mind. After talking to my dad, I'll be free to go.
That's the only reason I'm here.
To talk to my dad for once. Just once. And then get the fuck out.
'I am not comfortable enough to travel again, especially to Russia.' Shit.
'I'm sorry, I didn't think about that!' How could I be so inconsiderate?! Isabelle chuckles, 'It's fine, don't worry.'
It's not.
'Maybe I should stay as well, we could have a girl night and-' 'No way.' She instantly says, moving around the room a bit.
'You've been talking about this shit ever since Hunter brought it up. So no, you're not staying here. Plus, you need to shove your success down your father's throat, that's the least he deserves.'
That's the only reason I'm going.
And she's right.
'Are you done yet?' I've barely been in the bathroom for twenty minutes, and she's already complaining about the wait.
'Almost.' I quickly put on some underwear, before walking back to the bedroom. Isabelle looks me up and down, before stopping at my breasts. 'What?' I ask a little ashamed, feeling my cheeks heat up.
'Since when do you have that tattoo?' She asks, pointing at the Omerta Curzio tattoo just underneath my bra. 'Oh, that's because of the Curzio's.'
'I know, but why- does Hunter know you have the tattoo?' I frown and look at the red dress laying on the bed. It's nothing too special, but elegant as fuck.
A simple red silk dress.
Not one I picked out, of course. I bet Hunter did, because he keeps talking about how much he likes the color.
As if it's his favorite.
'Not that I know, but he might've-' Before I can finish my sentence, she pulls me out of the room, into the big empty hall. 'Isabelle! What are you doing!' I pull my arm out of her grip and step away from her.
'We have to go and tell him.' She says, pulling at my arm again. 'Why? And please let me get dressed first!' She ignores me and continues to pull me down the hall.
'What's going on- Oh my god!' Adam, who started running our way, says, turning around since I'm barely wearing any clothes.
'Why is she not wearing any clothes!' He shouts, keeping his back towards us.
Because he's screaming, I hear more doors open on the other side of the house. Shit.
I try getting out of Isabelle's grip, but it's too late. Jordan and Ben also appear around the corner, almost drooling when they see me. 'Stop looking at her like that, you idiots!' Isabelle sneers at them, waiting for the others to join apparently.
'Isabelle, let go of me, or I'll kill you.' She rolls her eyes and lets go of me as I step closer to the curtains, quickly wrapping them around my body.
'What's all that noise about?' Noah asks as he enters the hall as well. He's wearing a brown suit, perfectly fit for him. 'Leya has the Curzio tattoo.'
He frowns, before his eyes widen, and slowly turns to me. 'You do?' What?
'Why does it-' 'What's going on in here?' Everyone turns to the voice coming from the other side of the hall and I turn around as well, making sure the curtain is still wrapped around me.
It's Hunter. And he looks a little weirded out by the fact that everyone is standing in the hall and I'm standing behind the curtain, with my head popping out.
But apart from that, he looks good in his suit.
Just like Noah, he looks more... professional in a suit.
They're both wearing casual clothes most of the time, so this is something new.
'Why are you standing behind the curtain, little bee?' He asks, looking at me with a grin. 'She's barely wearing clothes.' Jordan sneers in my place.
He's still pissed about my presence, not that I care. I'll be gone after this party.
'What?' He asks, frowning at the others. 'Why do you think I'm standing like this?' Adam asks, and I realize that he indeed is still standing with his back facing us.
'She has the Curzio tattoo, did you know that?' Hunter's eyes shoot to Isabelle, before shooting back to me.
And everyone goes silent as Hunter processes something.
I can see it in his eyes, like some wheels are turning until he's fully acknowledging the fact that I have a tattoo. That, apparently, I have the tattoo.
'Everyone turn around.' He says, his voice filled with annoyance. Shit.
I know he's not talking to me, but I feel the urge to turn around as well.
'But-' 'Do it.' He sneers at Ben, who turns around first. 'You're being so dramatic.' Isabelle mumbles, before turning around as well.
Everyone turns around, except for Noah, who simply smirks at his friend, before heading back to his room.
I turn back to Hunter and realize he's inching closer, so I pull the curtain as far as it can go and keep my eyes on him.
'Don't even think for a second that I'll be stepping away from this curtain.' I say as he comes to a stop right in front of me.
He doesn't even try to look underneath the curtain and quickly removes his jacket, before handing it to me.
It's big and warm and smells exactly like him. Fresh and minty.
'Cover yourself and get dressed, please?' He turns around as well, keeping his eyes on the others.
I blink once, before putting on his jacket. It's long enough to reach just above my knees.
Hunter is still facing the others, not once turning around, as I slip back to my room and close the door behind me.
I can't believe that just happened...
I walk back to the bed and look at the dress as I take off Hunter's jacket.
I put on the dress before Isabelle gets back and tries to drag me out of here again and hang Hunter's jacket on the other side of the bedroom door.
People are shouting in the hall, and I recognize Jordan's voice.
But I can't pick up what it is they're saying exactly.
When the shouting finally stops, I'm all dressed and head to the bathroom to do my hair and make-up.
A knock on the door stops me though.
'Who is it?' I shout as I head back to the bedroom with my little make-up bag and brush.
'It's me.' Hunter says, chuckling a little. I roll my eyes and walk to the little dresser in the corner of the room. 'I left your jacket at the door.'
'I can see that.' He answers, but not moving at all. 'Can I help you with something?' I ask, wondering why he's not heading back to his own room or something.
'Why didn't you tell me you had that tattoo?'
I didn't know it was going to be such a big deal.
Celine did tell me that it could be very handy for me at some points, but she didn't tell me that a lot of other people, outside people know what it means as well.
'I didn't know you needed to know.' I can hear him chuckle softly as I apply some red lipstick to my lips.
It's matching the dress and I think it's very fitting for the party we're going to, so why not?
'You're right, I don't.' He says, huffing as he moves around a bit, but still not leaving.
'Anything else I can help you with?' I ask jokingly since he's still not leaving.
He goes silent for a while, making me wonder if he disappeared out of nowhere.
'I have one more question,' He knows I'll ask him some questions in return, that's how this shit goes, but he's always open about shit, I'm not, 'Did you want it?'
'Did I want what?' I ask as look at myself in the mirror.
I don't really know what to do with my hair, but I guess I could put it in a bun or a ponytail or... Ugh!
It's always a struggle with my hair, because it's so damn long.
Maybe I should cut it short soon?
I did that once, in junior year, but it grew back two months later.
'The tattoo.' I stop and take a deep breath, thinking back about that day.
I didn't want it.
I didn't want it because I was afraid of what it would mean to us, to me.
I didn't want to be owned by someone, let alone a gang leader who does not give a shit about me, and I honestly thought that the tattoo meant death.
But here I am, away from him and still alive.
So, I didn't want it, but now that I have it and I'm away from all of that shit, at least a big part of it, I honestly don't care about it anymore.
'Why do you want to know?' I ask as I look at myself in the mirror.
I still feel like I need to do something else to add to my outfit, but I don't know what it is.
And I'm too lazy to add something, so I decide to head to the door.
'If they forced you to do that, I'll-' I open the door and look at him. 'You'll what?'
His eyes widen as he takes me all in, not minding the fact that I can see him drooling over me.
'I- uh- You- Just wow.' I roll my eyes and wait for him to finish what he was saying. 'You look amazing.'
'Thank you, you don't look too bad yourself.' It's not a lie, it's simply an understatement. He looks amazing.
Not as good as... No.
'You're telling me that you didn't see the tattoo at the auction?' He frowns at my question and turns to walk away.
But he does it very slowly, probably waiting for me to tag along.
Which I do. Because he's headed to the living room. The place where we were supposed to meet when we were all done.
'How was I supposed to see it then?'
'You could've easily seen it since the bra they put me in wasn't covering it.' I say, feeling his eyes on me as we walk side by side, through the long empty halls.
'Let's just say I was focused on other things.' I can feel him grin from ear to ear.
'Like what?' I ask as I turn to him since we're already nearing the living room. 'Getting you out of there of course.' He says, stepping closer to me.
We're almost chest to chest, only he's taller, but we're close.
'That was my priority when I saw you in there, little bee.'
He's close. Too close.
So I step back, keeping my eyes on his, almost drowning in the awkward silence.
I can tell that he wants to say more, but he won't. Because he knows I won't take anything seriously. Especially coming from his mouth.
'What's going on in here?' A sweet woman with a British accent chirps from behind me, making us both turn to her.
It's Melinda.
She's wearing a black feathery dress that looks absolutely stunning on her. Especially with the silver diamonds covering her chest and waist. Amazing.
'We were just talking,' Hunter says, clearing his throat as he steps towards her, 'what are you doing here?'
'I'm coming with you to the party of course!' She says, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him. I awkwardly turn the other way, almost throwing up at the thought of kissing Hunter Steel.
I know he saved me, but he's also the reason I got into those problems he saved me from.
And he's not as bad as I thought, but being with him as more than friends, just the thought of that makes me want to shove my head against the wall.
I've been with someone like him before and I don't think I want to do something like that again.
'What's going on here?' Isabelle asks as she enters the room with a joyful Jade.
She runs up to me and gasps for air, her eyes widening out of excitement.
'You look like a princess!' She shouts, jumping up and down, before running a few circles around me. 'Jade, you're making her dizzy.' Noah says, smiling at me as he walks into the room as well.
'Thank you, Jade.' I say, smiling at the little girl who finally stopped running. 'Isabelle, me and you should play princesses!'
I look at Isabelle, who's smiling as well.
Everyone is smiling when it comes to the little girl talking to us like she's the boss around here.
'We could do that when they get back, okay?' Isabelle asks, making little Jade frown. 'But I want to play princess now!'
'It can't happen now, Jade.' Hunter says, slowly walking towards his little cousin. 'Why not?' She asks, pouting a little.
Melinda walks over to them as well, smiling at Jade, who's too focused on Hunter.
'Because we're going to handle some business in Russia.'
She rolls her eyes and crosses her tiny arms. 'Are you going to kill people again?'
My eyes widen and I can hear Noah trying to hide his laughter as he heads back to the hall, basically walking away from all of this just to laugh.
I follow him into the hall, feeling the need to leave as well. But for different reasons.
It seems like a family matter in there. And I know I'm not family.
Plus, Melinda doesn't seem too pleased with me, so leaving is the best option.
Noah laughs as if it's the funniest shit he's ever heard. Which it probably is.
I'm more shocked if I'm being honest.
A little kid, almost five years old, and she already knows about her family murdering people.
Great.
'Cataleya, wait!' Isabelle shouts, running into the hall as well. Her arms wrap around me tightly, and I freeze, awkwardly standing there.
Isabelle never has done shit like this before.
And I didn't take her as the type who even likes hugs, so this shit is kind of scaring me.
'Just... Be careful, okay?' She whispers into my ear. When she steps back and looks at me, I can see the worry in her eyes.
'I will. I promise.' Noah makes a retching sound in the back and rolls his eyes. 'Jeez, Iz! We're going to a party, not a murder fest.'
I feel like Noah doesn't know when to shut up.
'Just because something happened to you in Russia, doesn't mean it will happen to her.' He jokes, even though it's not funny. It's simply mean. 'Noah-' 'Plus, she's with us.'
Anger fills Isabelle's entire body and I step away from her out of fear.
'I honestly hope you die out there.' He starts chuckling and shakes his head as he slowly steps closer to her. 'You would break if I died and you know it.'
It's like those two have a staredown, but the tension is real. And if Noah keeps pushing Isabelle's buttons, she's going to fucking snap.
'Are you two done eye-fucking each other?' Hunter asks, who, apparently, was waiting behind me.
'Yes, I won't be able to stay in these heels for too long!' Melinda chimes, pulling Hunter towards the door.
Noah and Isabelle stay put though, neither of them breaking eye contact as Hunter and Melinda head to the car waiting outside.
'Noah, you're a real piece of shit, now come on, we have to go.' I feel sorry for Isabelle and will make sure Noah pays for what he said, but I'm not going out there alone.
There's no way I'll be able to survive this night if I have to be around Melinda and Hunter, who will probably have a very hard time keeping their hands off of each other.
'See you when we get back.' Noah chimes, stepping away first, admitting his loss by turning away immediately. 'I hope everyone gets back, except for you.' Isabelle sneers, before heading back to the living room.
'She loves me.' Noah chimes as he wraps his arm around my shoulder and pulls me with him. 'You're a piece of shit for saying that.'
There's a limo outside, waiting for us to get in, and I can see Hunter on his phone, still outside. Meaning that Melinda is probably already sitting inside.
'Saying what?' Noah asks as he opens the door for me. I roll my eyes and climb in, scooching over to the other side so Noah can get in as well, but instead, he closes the door.
When the door on the other side opens, I frown. 'What are you-' 'Is it bad that I told her the truth?'
Melinda is too busy on her phone. And I honestly doubt she heard anything that just happened, so I keep my eyes on Noah.
'She was just concerned and you didn't have to be so rude about it.' He rolls his eyes, looks at Melinda, who's still on her phone, before looking back at me. 'Well, I'm sorry she can't take a joke. But I won't apologize if that's what you're trying to get out of me.'
'So you think joking about her trauma is funny?' He shrugs and leans forward, smiling at me. 'I don't see the harm in a little joke.' 'It wasn't funny.'
'I found it very amusing.' He says, leaning back and throwing his arms over the back of his seat. 'You're disgusting.''
The door finally opens and Hunter steps in, the only spot left is next to me, across from Melinda.
'Ready to go?' Melinda nods, but Hunter isn't looking at her. He's looking at me.
I frown and turn to Noah, who can't stop smiling for some reason. 'Are you asking me?'
He nods and chuckles, showing me that warm smile he has been showing a lot the past few weeks. 'I'm looking at you, aren't I?'
'Oh, silly Hunty!' Melinda says, so over the top that it's making my skin crawl.
According to Isabelle, she's always like that, but I haven't really spoken to her until now.
She did come by once, spending an entire day following Hunter around, annoying the fuck out of him.
He told me all about it that night when I was doing some exercises when everyone was asleep.
'We should go, or we'll be even later than we already are.' He mumbles, looking at Noah as if he's the instigator.
'We're going to be fashionably late.'
For the entire drive to the airport, Noah and Hunter try to keep me from panicking too much, and so far it helps.
They know how much this means to me, especially Hunter since he's the one who went through all that shit to get us to the party in the first place.
All the mafia-related parties I've been to so far, either ended up with Neveah getting shot or our enemy being there as well, so I honestly hope this one ends a little better.
We all get out and walk over to the plane placed on the other side. A plane. Not a helicopter, a plane.
'It's Martin's.' Hunter chimes as he starts walking next to me.
'Hunty, wait!' Hunter inhales sharply and slowly turns around. 'What do you want Melinda?'
'You are really rude to me.' Noah stops walking as well, forcing me to turn around and listen to whatever it is that's going down between those two. 'You never behaved this way towards me.'
'Actually, he has, you just didn't notice.' I almost hit Noah for talking again, but Melinda's death stare is enough to make him shut up.
'It's because of Leya, isn't it?' What? Hunter rolls his eyes and steps closer to her. 'Melinda, don't start with me.' 'Answer the question.' She says, crossing her arms as she keeps her eyes on him.
'Noah, get Cataleya out of here, we'll be there in a second.' Noah sighs but does as Hunter tells him to, pulling me closer to the plane.
'I am not going to be a second choice if I was here before her!' Noah stops walking and tightens his grip on my arm.
'Choose.' We both turn to Melinda, and freeze. 'Me or her.' What?
'Someone you love or someone you need.' She continues, the desperation is making my skin crawl.
Not because it's disgusting, but because I remember being that desperate for Rafael.
I needed him to say it back. And he didn't.
'I love you, Melinda.' No.
If he loves her, it means he needs me. Meaning he'll leave her to be with me.
But I can't be with him. Not like that.
I mean, I barely like him as a friend, let alone more than that. 'Hunter-'
'Good to know.' Even though Melinda is trying to act like this doesn't hurt like a motherfucker, I can tell it does.
I see the fire die in her eyes. And pain takes over.
The pain I felt when I saw the look on Rafael's face when I told him I loved him. Or when I found him with Molly.
As if her heart breaks right on the road, shattering into a million pieces. All because of the man she was supposed to marry. The man she loves with all she has.
'We should go, come on.' Noah pulls me away again, basically pushing me up the stairs.
I take a seat on the other side of the plane and look out of the window, trying to drown out my thoughts.
Because I can't stop thinking about that night. That night was filled with horror. That night that messed everything up.
Why did I say it then? I mean, I just killed someone and he was trying to comfort me, which was very rare, and I just said it as if it meant nothing.
I knew he was scared of it, I knew he would react like that, so why did I say it?
And I get that he was angry, but why did he have to sleep with someone else?
I mean, he could've ignored me for a few weeks and acted like nothing ever happened, but instead, he chose to sleep with Molly.
'Cataleya, are you okay?' Noah asks. He's sitting on the other side of the plane and stops looking out the window to see what's going on out there. 'Yeah, I was just thinking about something.'
'Don't take her words to heart, she's just jealous.' He says as if that's supposed to make it better.
'She doesn't have to be jealous, because I don't want Hunter like that. Or at all for that matter.' I mumble, leaning back, allowing the soft leather to touch my skin.
I watch as Noah grins from ear to ear, before turning back to the window.
That night... I know it was the wrong time for me to say it, but I couldn't help it. I just couldn't.
And for him to react the way he did, I understood the anger, the shouting, I got that he needed to say all those rude shit because he's scared of love. But sleeping with someone else was over the line.
Acting as if nothing happened afterward, how can he do that to me? Or Molly for that matter?
The engine starts and I look at the door when Hunter steps in. Just Hunter though.
'Where's Melinda?' I ask as Hunter takes a seat next to Noah. 'She's not coming.' Oh...
He looks up at me and smiles. That's when I realize a scratch on his right cheek, he's not bleeding but it's very red. And it looks like it hurt a lot.
'Don't you think you should talk to her?'
'I tried that, and then she hit me. So I think I'll do that when we get back.' He answers, looking at his watch, before turning back to me.
Noah chuckles and taps Hunter on his shoulder, laughing a little. 'If she even wants to talk to you.'
'She blew off the engagement.' Holy shit...
Noah and Isabelle told me that their engagement has been there for a while, and for her to blow it off like that, means there might be some conflict between the families.
'You know Max isn't going to be happy about that.' Noah says, looking at Hunter with a worried look on his face. 'I doubt he was going to be happy about his daughter being unhappy with me.'
Noah sighs deeply and grabs his phone, quickly texting someone.
'It's not your fault.' Hunter says out of nowhere, making me frown. 'I never thought it was.' I did, for a second.
But it's not my fault their engagement didn't stick. And it's not my fault that he doesn't have feelings for her. I honestly doubt he ever loved her at all, but what do I know?
'Good.' I look out of the window as we start moving, slowly feeling something rumble through my stomach as we soar into the sky.
'So, you'll be going alone?' Noah asks. 'I guess so.' Hunter answers, moving a little.
I look at them and realize that they're both looking at me.
'I thought it was already decided that I was going with Noah?'
They start nodding and smile at me. 'I just thought you might've changed your mind.'
No way.
'Okay, there are some things you should know about the party.' Noah says, moving to the edge of his seat. 'No rules?'
They frown, looking at each other, before turning to me. 'No rules, just tips.'
I nod and listen to what they have to say.
'At these parties it's important you stay close to your date, if not, they'll think your one of the... escorts, meaning the guests can do whatever they want with you.' Escorts?
'They have them walking around like models and some men are absolutely disgusting and take the opportunity to-' 'Okay, I get the point. So stay close to Noah, got it.' I say, not needing to hear the rest of what Noah's saying.
Hunter chuckles and leans back in his seat. 'I doubt you'll be in trouble though.'
He nods at my confusion and starts grinning again. 'You could simply kick their asses and walk away.'
Is that even- 'Wouldn't that cause a scene?' He shrugs and looks at Noah, who's also smiling like crazy.
'If it's for your own protection, I don't see a problem.'
Good to know.
'There will be lots of people, from all around the world, so don't trust too many.' How about none? I nod and try to tone down all the questions in my head as I move to the edge of my seat.
'Aren't you the one who told us to lay low for a while?' I ask, looking at Hunter.
He nods and leans forward a bit, keeping his blue eyes on mine. 'I did, but I trust you and I know you're capable of taking care of yourself.'
'I doubt I'm as good as-' 'I've seen you train, Cataleya, you're just as good as some of the best people I've seen in my entire life.' I hate that my heart skipped a beat when he said that.
'Okay, now on to the next topic,' Noah says, almost pushing Hunter aside to look at me. 'You have the Curzio tattoo?!'
I roll my eyes and lean back again, before watching Hunter push Noah away again. 'I do.'
'Can I see it?!' My eyes widen and before I can even respond, Hunter does the same. 'No!' We shout in unison, making Noah cringe as he looks at us, a little afraid or something.
'But Noah is right, back to the tattoo topic, did they force that shit on you?'
Here we go again...
'Why do you want to know so badly?' I ask, watching as Hunter adjusts his watch. 'Because I want to know why you have the tattoo if you want nothing to do with this life.'
'I never said that.' 'You didn't have to.' Noah just awkwardly sits there, while Hunter and I go down a path I don't want to go to.
I don't want to talk about the tattoo and he should be able to sense that.
'You know that's messed up, right?'
'What is?' I ask as I have no clue what they're talking about.
I don't like Rafael, but I don't see the point in talking bad about him with these people who already hate him.
'That they forced that tattoo on you.' Hunter says, leaning back again.
I simply stay quiet, not knowing what to say to that, because it was. It was messed up, and thinking back on it, on the way that we acted, that I acted afterward is making me sick.
They marked us just to keep us.
Like some fucking pets.
'Don't do that.' I say, looking out the window again. 'Don't do what?'
'Don't talk about them like that, because we both know you did some messed up shit as well.' I keep my eyes on the window, focusing on the soft-looking clouds, instead of the anger that's building up inside me.
I don't know if I'm angry because he's right or because he's talking badly about the Curzio's.
The clouds. They seem so fluffy and peaceful. That's what I'm trying to focus on.
And it works.
'I'm no angel, but the Curzio's are definitely devils.' I turn back to Hunter, feeling something boil inside of me again.
'Sounds like you're afraid of them then.' Somehow I manage to contain my anger.
Hunter smiles and nods, not even ashamed by it. 'I am.'
'Yet you infiltrated their place,' He frowns and tries to go through my mind again, 'by taking Neveah, torturing her, and keeping her hostage.'
'I did that out of revenge, you know that by now.' He keeps repeating it over and over again, and I kind of get it. But it's still not a normal thing to do.
At least not for me.
'Still bad.' 'Not as bad as killing her, just like they did to my mother.' His tone is harsh, but he's trying to cover it up with a smile.
'Anything else I should know?' I ask, gritting my teeth.
I won't forget what he did to Neveah, but I feel like I'm forgiving him by doing this. Talking to him, being around him, using him to get to see my dad and shit.
'Federico will meet us around ten, so we have more than an hour to chill before we go and meet him.' More than an hour. 'I heard Nadora will be there as well.' Noah says, grasping our attention.
I didn't even realize he was still listening to the conversation.
'Nadora is going to be there and you didn't bother to tell me?' Hunter asks, looking at Noah with clear rage. 'I didn't know until two seconds ago, calm down.'
'Isn't Nadora the guy that tried to buy me at the auction?' Shivers go down my spine at that memory.
I killed someone that day.
Bryan.
He deserved it.
I think.
I mean, I can't judge, I'm no god, so I wouldn't know.
But it felt... good.
'He is, but I doubt he'll try anything. There are too many people around.' Noah says, trying to sound as convincing as possible.
If something is going wrong tonight, it's that.
Not the talk with Federico or the fact that there are over a hundred murderers at the same place tonight, the fact that Nadora will be there is making my heart race like crazy.
For the rest of the flight, they both try to calm me down, not that's it helping because they tend to come up with more stuff for me to freak out about, but I appreciate the effort.
When we get outside, we head straight to a car that takes us to the mansion filled with people.
'You ready to be judged by basically everyone in there?' Noah asks, holding his arm out for me. I hook my arm around his and look at the steps in front of us.
I know I shouldn't be thinking about it, but this reminds me of the first party Rafael took me to. It didn't end well that night.
'Let's try to enjoy ourselves tonight as well.' Hunter chimes, waiting for us to go up first.
There's no paparazzi waiting outside, trying to take pictures of us as we head up the steps. No one, except for those four guys by the door, waiting for us to get closer.
Hunter shows them a piece of paper, probably our tickets, and smiles when they open the door for us.
A big open space, with a bunch of chandeliers and checkerboard encompassed by dark wood covering the floor. It's so shiny that it makes me think that there's someone polishing it every second.
This place looks like a castle on the inside.
'You're smiling a lot more than I thought you would.' Noah says, guiding me in the right direction since I'm too busy looking around.
There are barely any women here, but if they are, they're either with a man or serving drinks.
'We'll meet at the bar in twenty minutes, I have to talk to some people here.' Hunter chimes before leaving me with Noah.
'So, do you want to dance?' I look him dead in the eyes, knowing that he doesn't actually want to do that.
The last time he danced, he threatened to jump out of the window if he ever had to do that shit again. It was with Jade and she didn't want to stop for at least three hours.
'I'm not really into dancing.' At least not to this music. 'Good, because neither am I.'
'I know.' I say, laughing with him as we both recall that day.
It was after training, so he was exhausted in the first place.
'Maybe we should go and sit-' 'Noah Duncan!' An older woman shouts as she runs up to him, followed by an older man.
'Long time no see, my boy.' The older man says. His voice is deep and dark, but also barely audible with all that noise around us.
'How have you been my dear, it's been a while since we've seen you!' The lady chimes, squeezing his cheeks as if he's a little kid. 'I'm okay, just been busy. But how is life treating you, I can see that your knee is doing better?'
They seem to know each other pretty well.
But I don't think they're related. I mean they could be, they just don't look like each other at all.
'This is Cataleya, my date for tonight.' Date. I can't help but frown at that word and watch as Noah playfully rolls his eyes at me. 'Hunter must be around as well, he was just-' 'I'm here.' We all turn around, facing Hunter, who's smiling at me.
I smile back out of politeness and turn back to the others. 'I'm going to get us a drink.' Noah chimes as he slips away, leaving me with the elderly couple and Hunter.
'Cataleya, these are Sophie and Maxwell Turner, old friends of mine.' The old couple looks at me and starts smiling. 'Is this your girlfriend, Hunt?'
'What? No. We're just friends.' The old guy, Maxwell, looks us up and down, before turning to his smiling date. 'Dear, they're just as ignorant as we were.'
'No way, you were way worse!' The old lady says, making all of us laugh.
One day, maybe, I'll be as happy as those two.
When I find the right guy.
'Here you go.' I turn to Noah, who hands me a glass of champagne, and thank him with a smile, before turning back to the elderly couple, who are apparently telling us about something that happened years ago.
They disappear after a few minutes and leave us a bit flabbergasted. I can't help but laugh at the way Maxwell runs after Sophie, it's the cutest shit ever, and I notice Hunter laughing as well.
'They are-' He can't finish his sentence since someone taps on his shoulder, making him excuse himself before he follows the man through the crowd.
I look back at Noah and shrug, before glancing around the room.
And then my eyes meet hers.
Neveah.
She's right there.
Wearing something, obviously, Brandon made.
It's stunning and not boring and simple like the dress I'm wearing.
I can't help but smile and wave at her, because god I missed her.
'Who are you waving at?' Noah asks, trying to look at the person I'm waving at. But I doubt he picks it up.
'No one, can you give me a sec, I have to pee.' I hand him my glass and nudge my head towards the only hall there is, hoping that that's where the toilet is.
Neveah gets the point and follows my lead, slowly making her way to the bathrooms as well.
I quickly rush in there, making sure no one even looks at me for longer than two seconds, and look at myself in the mirror.
Is she really here?
It takes some time before the door finally opens.
'Cataleya.' I barely have time to turn around as Neveah pulls me into her arms.
I hug her back and take in her scent, feeling like I'm about to explode.
She's here. She's really here!
'You're here- You actually-' she stops and leans back, looking me up and down, 'Are you okay? What happened, how are you here?'
'I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm perfectly fine.'
She tries to stare into my soul, trying to find something to detect a lie. But there are none.
'What are you doing here?' She asks as she grabs my hand and squeezes it a little. 'Wait, no time, come on we have to go-'
'Okay, but I have to do something first.' She frowns and tries to pull me out of here, 'I'm meeting Federico tonight.' Her eyes widen and I nod. 'How did that happen?'
'Hunter said that he is some kind of drug lord as well, not as big as him or the others, but he wanted to meet up tonight.'
'Hunter...' she mumbles with clear disgust on her face. 'I know... He's really trying to get on my good side and he's not as bad as I thought he was.'
The words flow out before I can even think twice, but it's the truth.
Hunter isn't that bad. Not to me at least.
She lets go of my hand and steps back a little.
'Oh really? How has he been treating you?' She asks, a little salty, but mostly curious.
I'm not bruised and bloodied like she was and he's taking me out, so she must understand that part already.
'As I should be treated. With respect.' Most of the time. She chuckles unamused, making my skin crawl.
I don't like where this conversation is going,
'He's not as bad as they picture him, Neveah. I mean, he is bad but I just think he's-'
'He killed my family, Ley.'
I shake my head and step forward, as she steps back.
'That was Adrian. Not him. He had nothing to do with any of that.' She frowns, before looking me up and down again.
'What did they do to you?'
'What do you mean?' I ask as pain flashes through her eyes. 'Are you really going to defend him, after what he did to us?' To you...
I want to say it. But I can't. I can't hurt her like that. And I feel bad for even thinking that way.
'He's not as bad as they say he is, you would understand if you-' 'If I what? If I was there because I was. I felt how evil Hunter was when he tortured me Cataleya.' She sneers as she grabs my hand again.
This time I am the one to pull away.
'Come with me, come back home! We can be happy, you can talk with-' I walk over to the sinks and look at our reflections.
We look so different than we used to a year ago.
Entirely different. Older. More experienced.
I can't leave now. Not when I'm so close to shoving my life in Federico's face. I'll leave afterward, going home to my mother.
Home for her is with Leonardo, with the Curzio's. But that isn't home for me.
'I'm not going anywhere until I've talked to Federico.' Her expression changes from worry to sorrow.
As if she's giving up on me, on our friendship.
And that hurts. Worse than I thought it would.
'I should go.' I brush past her towards the door. 'Are you really- forgiving him for what he did?!'
I stop in my tracks and slowly turn back to my best friend.
She wanted to say something else. She wanted to call me stupid. I can tell by the way she's looking at me.
'I am because he treats me the way I should be treated. Unlike Rafael who locks me in a room?! Unlike the Curzio's who lie to us all the time!? Hunter allows me to go as I please, he lets me decide. With him, I'm free.' I wasn't with Rio. And that ignites something inside of me. A wave of anger I didn't know I had.
'So if you think it's stupid that I'm staying with the people that want me to grow just a little longer, so be it. Call me stupid, but I'm not going back to them. They don't even want me there!' They just want you...
She opens her mouth, but I simply turn back around and head back to the others, not wanting to hear another word from her.
My vision becomes blurry for a second and I feel like punching someone in the throat.
It doesn't help that I bump into a tall man on my way back to Noah.
He has light curly hair and bright eyes, with slightly tinted skin. 'Watch where you're- You?'
I stumble back and look at the man, not knowing where I should possibly recognize him from. 'Sorry, I'll move out of your way.' I say as I quickly head back to the main room.
Noah is standing on this side of the room and walks over to me, his eyes widening at the person behind me, before he pulls me away, straight into the middle where people are dancing around us.
He twirls me around, before pulling me close again, making me frown at him.
I'm too angry to dance right now, but he won't let me go either.
'What are you doing?' I ask as he pulls me even closer, placing his hand on my waist. 'Why was Jason Nadora behind you?'
Jason Nadora? 'That was Jason Nadora?!' Noah nods at my confusion and pulls me out of the ring, closer to the side of the room so we can talk.
'What did he say?' My mind is racing.
All the anger is still in there, but I barely have time to breathe.
'I- I bumped into him and then he recognized me and now- I'm fucked, aren't I?' I feel like I messed up, but there were no rules. Just tips.
And I feel like I ignored every single one, without even trying.
'We need to go and find Hunter.' He says, waiting for me to calm down a bit. I take a few deep breaths and look around, hoping to catch a glimpse of someone. Anyone.
Hunter, so we can tell him about what just happened, Nadora, so I can prevent from getting too close to him again, and Neveah, because I feel bad for what just happened.
I need to talk to her again.
'Noah, did you send that letter I gave you?' I sent that letter weeks ago and she hasn't responded.
Maybe she never got it? Shit... Why didn't I just ask her?
'I did as soon as you told me, why?' He says, staying close. 'Just asking, now let's find Hunter.'
He nods and waits for me to lead the way, which I do. I walk straight through the crowd, hoping that I won't lose Noah on the way.
But of course, I do.
I lose him as soon as everyone starts moving around to see something in the middle.
It's too crowded, too cramped for me to see the person moving on my right. But I feel something sharp, something pointy that cuts through my skin.
I groan and feel a wave of pain rush through my entire body, returning to the spot on my leg.
And when I look down, I realize that there's something in there.
A knife.
I almost fall down, but somehow contain my posture and look around for Noah. Where the fuck-
Fuck. I stumble out of the crowd, barely making it since everyone is curiously trying to reach the middle.
I get to the side of the room and push through a closed door, closing it behind me.
It's an empty room with a bunch of chairs and a big table in the middle.
Too formal for a dining room, but something similar to it.
I take a seat on one of the empty chairs and move the dress a little, so I can look at the knife that's stuck in my leg. 'Shit.' I groan, grasping the handle before taking a deep breath.
The door slowly opens and closes, before Hunter rushes towards me. 'What-' He stops in his tracks and looks at me.
'Who did this to you?' He asks, suddenly... Angry?
'Probably one of your men.' 'They're not even here and they're not allowed to touch you, who did this to you Cataleya?' He asks again, slowly stepping closer.
'Don't you dare take another step, I'm fine.' I should've gone with Neveah.
I should've gone with Neveah.
'There's a knife sticking out of your leg.'
'Thanks for stating the obvious.' I groan, counting down in my head.
I move the blade up a little, and groan loudly when Hunter rushes over to me and shoves it back. 'Are you insane, you'll bleed to death!' He sneers, looking into my eyes.
Those deep, blue eyes have been driving me insane the entire night.
'Don't fucking act like you care-' 'I didn't waste my time on saving you just to let you bleed to death, Cataleya.' He says, making sure to keep the knife in place.
I wince because of the pain and look at his hands. One is on my thigh, to keep me in place, and the other is on the knife. 'Let go of me.'
'And let you pull it out, no thanks.' He chimes, grinning a little. 'Tell me who did this to you, please?'
'I don't know.' I admit. I only know that someone was walking past me and then I got stabbed.
'Could you tell if I set up a line of men?' He asks, making me look at him strangely. 'What? Are you going to line them all up for me?'
'If it meant catching the person who did this to you, then yes.'
There's no doubt he will.
'Can we first get the knife out?' I ask, wanting to get rid of the blade sticking out of my leg. He nods and tries to help me up, making me wince out of pain.
'Wrap your arms around my neck.' He says, waiting for me to do as he says, but I don't.
I simply try walking without his help, but it hurts too much, so I stop and turn back to him.
'Don't think for a second-' 'I won't.' He smiles, waiting for me to move.
I slowly wrap my arms around his neck and feel his strong arms lift me up, the blade sticking out on the outer leg so that it won't brush against his chest.
He smiles proudly and carries me out of the room, holding me up in bridal style.
A lot of people turn around to see what's going on, but most of the people are still busy staring at something happening in the middle of the room.
'You're enjoying this too much, I might think that you planned all of this.'
Hunter looks at me and sighs deeply. 'I'm enjoying holding you close, but I don't like seeing you in pain Cataleya. I never do.'
'Just get the knife out so we can talk to Federico and get the hell out of here.' He shakes his head and heads to the front door.
'We need to get that shit checked, so no Federico tonight.' What?!
'Put me down.' He tightens his grip and carries me outside, making me want to hit him, but I'm afraid he'll drop me if I do.
And I doubt that it will make the pain any better.
Because this shit hurts like a bitch.
'Hunter put me down!' He continues to ignore me and I wish I could pull the knife out and stab him with it.
But he's right about that part. I'll probably bleed to death if I don't take care of it correctly.
'We didn't come all this way, just to leave without doing what we came to do!'
We make it to the car and he swiftly opens it, making sure I'm not in more pain because of the movement. 'Hunter!' 'I'll tell Noah to talk to Federico. We don't have time to talk to him right now.'
He lowers me into the car and looks at me. 'We have to get that checked, little bee.'
And with those words, he shuts the door and jumps behind the wheel.
The pain is getting worse and worse and I feel the world starting to spin.
'Stay with me Leya, I know someone and he'll take care of you.' Hunter says, looking at me with a worried look on his face. 'I hate you.'
'I know, but I still don't want you dead.'
The pain becomes even worse and I feel like I'm going to faint any second now.
'Just a few more minutes.' Is the last thing I hear before everything becomes a blur.
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A/N: I FINISHED EARLY AGAIN!!! Hope u liked it and won't kill me because of this chapter :)
So far for a fun and simple party... She got freaking stabbed! Who stabbed her!? And why does Nadora want her?! Will she ever meet her dad!?
A lot of questions...
I love you guys so much and thank you for all the love and support, I truly appreciate it and I know I say it a lot, but I really am thankful for all of you, so thank you <3
I hope you have a nice day and I'll see you all in the next chapter!