Five days later
I've been here for five days already and I've made some great friends. Me and Bella have been going out and about in Italy and she has been showing me around making me fall in love with this Country more and more, making me not want to leave.
''So are you ready to head to the beach today?'' Bella asks me while we both eat breakfast in the big kitchen with few of the men that live here. I nod my head with my mouth full of food and Bella laughs.
''Alessio can you pass me the syrup?'' I ask and he smiles and passes me the syrup. I say thank you and proceed to pour it over my waffles.
Over these days I have made friends with a few men that live here, Dante, Alessio, Kris and Vincent. They were all great guys and seem to have a strong bond with Riccardo. Which talking of Riccardo, who I haven't seen around in like 3 days. Even if I have been sleeping in his room because I was too scared to go back to mine, I never even saw him. I would hear him come in the room at night and sleep for a few hours and then wake up before I got to wake up and leave and so on and on for the past few days. It made me sad not seeing him but the time and time again I needed to remind myself that we are not together and that he is a nice guy who let's me crash in his mansion and in his bed.
I was starting to leave soon because maybe Riccardo felt overwhelmed with me being here for so long and that's why he was avoiding me and I didn't want to overstay my welcome, so I will look at the nearest flights somewhere this evening when we get back from the beach.
''So where are you going today?'' Kris who just walked in the kitchen asks us.
''To the beach, wanna come?'' I ask him and before he could respond I continue.
''You all should come'' I point at the three man sitting in front of me and Bella.
''Yeah you should, it would be fun'' Bella agrees with me pointing her fork somewhere in the air.
''I don't know, we need to ask Riccardo'' Vincent says with mouth full of waffles
''What is he your mom or something?'' I say rolling my eyes hearing his name, feeling my body fill with anger that he has been avoiding me, but then instantly my anger is replaced with sadness. I miss him. 'Stop it Haley, he is nothing to you'
''I'm sure he wouldn't mind'' Bella says encouraging the guys to ask their 'daddy' for permission. Over the last few days I have realized that they were all some sort business men and the head of it all was Riccardo. But sometimes they would act like they were in a gang or something.
The guys nod in agreement just as the doors fly open with no one other than Riccardo entering the room. Him looking as hot as always, his hair a little messy, wearing his tux but the jacket was missing, frustration all over his face. Just as he looks around the room our eyes meet and it feels as if time had stooped and there was no one else here other than me and him. It was the first time I see him in a couple of days. But it is soon unfrozen as he looks over to the guys breaking our eye contact making my heart shatter.
''Hey Rick, the girls want us to accompany them to the beach'' Alessio says making it sound more like a suggestion than a question.
''Sure'' Riccardo says without any expression taking a cold water bottle out of the fridge and heading back out of the kitchen when he suddenly stops and pats the top of my head as if I was a little child. Everyone's eyes now on us making me blush but then I shrug my shoulders in response to their confused faces. 'What was that?' I think to myself being mad at him playing his little games with me. Why was he acting this way? Can he really not wait for me to be gone? 'That's it I'm going to sleep in my room tonight, I'm sure I'll be fine, maybe he just wants his own room back.' I think to myself when I have made a decision.
We finish eating and get ready to leave to the beach. I had packed my two piece bikini, some sunscreen and some sunglasses and a towel too. We all got in to an SUV and drove to the beach.
When we got there, there was already a lot of people on the beach. We looked for an empty spot and stationed there. All the guys were in their swimming trunks and all the girls on the beach had their eyes set on them. I mean they were muscular Italian men with well defined jaw lines, who wouldn't stare? If I haven't met Riccardo I probably would be one of those girl right now, drooling over the four guys.
The guys spent a lot of time in the water while me and Bella bathed in the sun on the white silky sand.
''So how have you been enjoying Italy so far?'' Bella asks me trying to look at me but the sun burning her eyes.
''I love it, I can imagine my life here, I just feel like I belong here you know'' I tell her honestly and see a smile form on her face.
''I knew you would love it here. My plan worked'' She confesses and laughs.
''You're trying to tell me that you had this all planed out? Making me fall in love with Italy so I won't leave?'' I ask her raising my eyebrow and waiting for her answer.
''Maybe'' She says turning her head the other way so she isn't facing me anymore and I shake my head and laugh at her 'evil' plan she had played out on me.
''I was thinking on looking for flight tonight'' I tell her waiting for her reaction.
She turns her head back to face me and there is a second of silence. ''Why?'' she then asks with a confused face .
''I don't know I feel like there are some people who are starting to get annoyed with me being there, and I don't want to overstay my welcome.'' I tell her clearly thinking about Riccardo but I don't want to tell her because he is her brother after all and I am still really grateful for everything they have done for me.
''Riccardo'' She tells rolling her eyes knowing who I meant by saying 'some people'. I don't reply and just look away trying to hold back tears that wanted to form in my eyes by mention of Riccardo.
''Listen Haley, I know my brother and he can be a dick at times but I can assure you that he is not annoyed with you here, he is just scared of his feeling and is trying to run from them right now. And if you don't want to stay for him then stay for me please, you are the closest friend I have made in my life and only over some couple of days and I don't want to lose that.'' She says placing her head back on the towel and looking in my eyes trying to read what I was thinking.
''I'll think about it.'' I tell her not giving her a clear answer but giving her a reassuring smile.
I close my eyes and try to enjoy the warm sun when a bunch of cold water drops touch my warm body and I scream. I turn around and see all of the guys laughing at me and Bella.
''Oh you are so dead'' I tell them as I throw sand on their wet bodies and get up to chase them with Bella joining me.
Riccardo's POV:
''What do you mean 'you think he's on to us?' '' I ask Christian who had called me to tell me he had a strange man lurking around our business.
''I'm telling you boss, he has been trying to spy our every shipment coming in and going out and he even once followed Tina around the mall'' He tells me his voice breaking when mentioning his girlfriends name.
''Why haven't you caught the guy and put him in the basement yet?'' I growl not understanding how the hell the man is still walking around.
''We tried but he always seems to escape and disappear like a ghost'' Christian says with annoyance in his words.
''Does he know that he is messing with the biggest and most powerful Mafia in the world?'' I ask no one clearly trying to understand if this man was stupid or really smart.
''I'm not sure but I think he is working for someone'' Christian tells me anger filling his voice.
''That's possible. Okay you have to catch the guy and send him over so we can make him talk and ask who the fuck is he working for and what they want from us.'' I tell him and he gives me and agreeing ''mhm'' over the phone and then we say our goodbye's and hang up.
I clench my fists and hit the dark wood office table and let out a groan being tired of this bullshit. My mind goes straight to Haley. I miss her. I want to talk to her, because with her, every problem disappears and it is as if I am a normal guy and not some mafia boss. But I am sure she doesn't want to see me as I have been awful to her the past few days and avoiding her not wanting her to see me like this - angry and frustrated. But maybe it's for the best, this way I won't get too attached and it will be easier for me to let her go and for her to leave and move on.
Then my mind drifts off to that night she came to me frightened at something she heard in her room and I remember what Christian had told me. Could these two events be connected to each other somehow? I still haven't found who was in her room that night but we are sure that someone was indeed there, and that's also why I have been working so much, trying to find that bastard. And if it is somehow connected then Haley can't leave just yet, because then it proves that they know about her and are out for her head, but I can't restrain her while I don't know for sure. But what I know for sure is that I will protect her at all costs even if that's the last thing I'll do.
Later that night
Today I had decided I will go talk to Haley as I could see she was confused by my actions this morning when our eyes met in the kitchen. I walk to our room only to find it empty and bed untouched which told me that she had not been in here today. I feel my stomach turn in fear that something has happened.
I rush to the room where she firsts stayed and open the door entering the room. I sigh in relief seeing her here, wearing my white shirt she stole from me and putting body cream on her legs. She looks up at me with the saddest face, My heart breaks at the sight knowing she's been suffering from probably everything that I was doing. And then in a matter of second her face gets filled with anger as she gets up and faces me.
''Haley...'' I go to say with a really soft tone as if I was saying sorry when she stops me from continuing my sentence.
''Don't Haley me!'' She speaks in an angry voice. ''What is wrong with you? Why are you doing this? Am I like a toy for you? Did you see the chance to play with me when you took me in and then made me feel things for you and then just go and not talk to me for days making me feel like I was being annoying?'' She yells at me, she is really mad at me, but I don't blame her.
''What is it Riccardo? Do you have a girl waiting somewhere for you and that's why you are acting like this?'' She says now tears falling down her face.
''Why are you standing there, can you not hear a word I am saying?'' She cries out her heart hurting even more from me not saying anything back to her. I want to, I really do but I can't, I feel like I am frozen to the spot.
''I hate you'' She cries screaming at me with all the rage she was feeling a s she pushes me by my chest.