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"Where are you two off to?" Wyatt asked.
It was the next day. And Wyatt had just caught Jordan and I about to head out of Kai's apartment.
His hand remained on the light switch even after he turned on the light. His eyes focused on Griffin next to Jordan and I, surprised to see him as well.
"You too, Griff?" He mumbled, his voice groggy. "What's going on?"
"I'm heading to L.A," I informed him. "Griffin and Jordan decided to join me,"
"Oh okay." He hummed, yawning. "Nobody told me though,"
"Do any of you know where Olive's aunt is?" Kai questioned, entering the living room.
"She should be landing in Athens soon," Jordan responded.
Kai looked at him like he had grown a second head. "I have a lot of questions but I'll go with the most obvious one. Why?"
I shrugged. "She wanted to go,"
Kai turned to Griffin, still confused. "You're the only reasonable one. What's going on?"
"Ms. Adair needed to be relocated to keep her safe from the reaper's men. She mentioned that she had always wanted to visit Greece," Griffin explained.
"And coincidentally, I lived in Greece for a while and have a friend back there who is in a similar line of work." Jordan continued.
I spoke next. "I had about fifty of my men fly ahead so they'd meet her at the airport in Athens whenever she lands."
"Griffin also had a few of his men accompany her on her trip after Griffin and I dropped her off at the hangar." Jordan said.
He turned to Wyatt, commenting on his previous statement. "We were lucky enough to hear Xavier shuffling around in the corridor when we got back."
"You know how the man gets when it comes to small fry," Griffin added.
Wyatt yawned, rubbing his eyes. "What does Grumpy have to do with anything?"
He smiled a little, forcing his eyes open. "Are you guys planning a surprise party for me? With Preston, Olive and everyone? Is that why you're heading back to L.A.?"
"Wyatt, your birthday isn't until March. 3 months from now." Jordan stated.
The white haired man shrugged. "It could be a late birthday party since I didn't do anything this year."
"You said and I quote, 'I'm not celebrating my birthday without Grumpy. Who else am I supposed to guilt into buying me Barbie stuff?'" Jordan recalled.
"Details don't matter," Wyatt dismissed. "But I'm still confused. If you're not planning a party for me, where are you guys going?"
"He's obviously flying back to L.A. to see Via," Kai stated.
"Why?" The half asleep man asked.
"Because I got off the phone with her a few minutes ago and decided I'd surprise her by going to see her." I answered.
"But Griffin and Jordan are going too," He protested.
It was just a few minutes till 10pm. They had gotten back from their mission almost 6 hours ago and Wyatt still needed to sleep. That much was clear.
Each mission where he became Il Demone Bianco took a lot of his energy which he replenished by taking long naps.
Jordan shrugged. "I miss my girl,"
"I miss orsetto." Griffin said.
"What makes you think they'll still be there when you guys land?" Wyatt asked. "The unicorns might have captured them and forced them to melt clouds into chocolate."
"Or they could be on a mission to find Blair Willows in the kingdom of Gardania and they've already left," He continued his incomprehensible ramble.
Kai chuckled, heading to Wyatt, a small smile on his face. "I think you need to head back to bed,"
"I don't know," Wyatt mumbled, his eyes halfway shut. "I don't like hearing the color orange,"
Kai's smile only grew as Wyatt rested his head against the wall, falling asleep the second his head met the flat surface.
"I'll stay here with the sleepyhead. You guys should get going. The sooner the better, right?"
"If anything happens-"
Kai interrupted Jordan. "I am a street fighter who is babysitting a man that was laughing as he made a person swallow their own eye. If anything happens, we'll be fine."
The three of us nodded, saying our goodbyes before heading out of the apartment. Once down the stairs, we entered the bar through the back door and exited through the front.
Heading for the car that was parked right in front of it. Guards disguised as civilians scattered along the street.
After having our eyes and fingerprints scanned, and in turn scanning those of the guards that were all around us, we entered the car, heading for the hangar.
"Now that Olive and Miles are back in L.A. are you going to send your men back as well?" I asked.
Griffin was quiet as he looked out of the window. "I'll leave them here for a bit. We're not in any imminent danger, nor have we received a threat from the reaper in a while. What's the rush?"
"Mhm," A smug smile played on Jordan's lips. "And it's not because you're worried about Kai. The same guy you suspected was working for our enemy."
Griffin sighed. "Someone needs to teach Wyatt to keep his mouth shut."
Jordan chuckled. "His inability to keep a secret comes in handy sometimes,"
The ride to the hangar was a relatively quick one and before long we were on the jet, well on our way to Bordeaux.
Two hours into the flight, the pilot informed us that we'd be stopping in Chicago to refuel, as well as to change the crew members.
This was a measure we took in order to protect ourselves. We still had no idea who the reaper's spy in the inner circle was.
The stopover in Chicago was 2 hours long. Ten minutes after we landed, Jordan announced that he was bored and said he wanted to explore the city.
Griffin immediately shut down his idea, keeping him in the jet. Well... he tried to. Jordan just didn't listen.
He was out of the jet and heading into the nearest mall before either Griffin or I could realize what was happening.
We both shared a look; mine of amusement and his of indifference as we followed after Jordan.
Finding him wasn't hard. He got sidetracked by a plushie store and was currently inside. I assumed he was looking for one to buy for Kat.
But knowing Jordan, he was most likely buying himself the plushie.
"I should get Orsetto one," Griffin thought out loud, his eyes fixed on a teddy bear stationed at the front of the store.
It was white with brown ears and paws. Right next to it, was a matching brown teddy bear that had white ears and brown paws.
The white bear was unbalanced and fell, its head resting on that of the brown bear's. I turned over to Griffin and smiled, noticing the red tint on his face.
"I'll be right back," Without waiting for me to respond, he headed into the store, his eyes fixed on the teddy bears.
I chuckled, shaking my head. I stood outside the store for about a minute until I got bored and decided to look around.
That's when a particular store caught my attention.
And I couldn't help the smile on my lips as I walked in.
Olive had only mentioned them twice, and in both instances she was drunk. I doubted that she even remembered that she had asked for them.
But I was still going to get them. Because I was sure they were something amore mio wanted.
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"Where are you two off to?" Preston asked, his eyes fixed on the suitcases Miles and I had in our hands.
"Disneyland, where else?" Miles retorted with a smile.
Preston rolled his eyes, turning to look at me. "Laurent?"
A blush crept up my face. "I want to see, Xav."
"Adorable," Preston smiled.
"I don't know what you've done with the other Preston but I want him back." Miles said.
"After all my years of watching all of you be critically infected with that terminal disease, I finally have it and you want me to stop?" Preston laughed a little. "This is only the beginning,"
He shared a smile with Miles before turning to me. "Do the others know?" I shook my head causing him to shake his as well. "You just got back and you want to disappear again?"
I shrugged. "I want to see Xavier."
"And what if Xavier had that same idea and he's already on his way here?" Preston asked.
Miles looked taken back. "I didn't even think of that,"
"But what if he isn't?" I argued.
Preston looked at me, confused. "The man who had a panic attack the day you left him and cried for several weeks later? The same guy that was physically unable to eat or sleep without you? That's the guy you're wondering if he's on his way back to you?"
"He had a panic attack?" I asked, my voice quiet.
"That's something the two of you should talk about face to face," Preston responded.
"None of this would be happening if you two just communicated with each other. You know that right?"
Miles, Preston and I turned to the end of the foyer where the lights had just been turned on. Kat leaned against the door of the kitchen, a half eaten granola bar in her hand.
"Kat, honey, we've talked about this. What did I say about eavesdropping?" Preston chuckled.
"Oh, I know the answer to this one."
None of us had realized that Xamira was standing behind Kat until she moved, revealing our giggling friend who had her right hand raised.
"Xam?" I started.
"Is currently wasted as fuck," Kat chuckled, looking down at Xamira.
"Why is she drunk at 7 in the morning?" Miles questioned, unable to contain his laughter.
Kat chuckled. "We're talking about Xamira. She doesn't need a reason to get drunk,"
"I'm not drunk. My head just feels fuzzy," Xamira giggled before turning to Preston. "Like I was saiding-"
"Saying," Kat corrected.
"That's what I said," Xamira insisted before turning back to Preston. "You asked if anyone told us that it isn't good to eavesdrop. Right?"
"Yeah, you are." Preston had no choice but to play along.
We all knew how overly emotional and violent Xamira got when she was drunk. According to Miles, I was worse.
"Do I get a present now? For getting the answer right?" Xamira's eyes glimmered with excitement.
"Well, we don't have anything right now-" Miles started. Kat flailed her hands around, signaling him to stop but it was too late.
"But I got the answer right," Xamira frowned. "Why don't I get a present?"
Kat sighed, shaking her head. She looked at her phone for a second before heading to the front door at the end of the foyer.
"Took you long enough. I called almost an hour ago," Kat said to however she had opened the door for.
The voice I recognized as Diego's, immediately apologized. "I'm sorry. I asked Paige to babysit and she was a little late,"
Xamira sniffled. "Did I do something wrong?"
"No, baby. You did nothing wrong," Diego and Kat walked up to the rest of us.
Tears welled in Xamira's eyes as she ran up to him, her head barely reaching his chest. "But Miles said-"
"I know, sweetheart. How about we go home, hm? You've had a long day, haven't you?" Diego lifted Xamira into his arms, a soft blush coating his face when she rested her head on his shoulder.
Xamira wrapped her arms around her husband's neck. "I'm kinda hungry,"
"I'll make you whatever you want," He assured her, rubbing her back.
He turned to the rest of us to say something but Kat interrupted. "We understand. You don't have to apologize,"
"My head is spiny," Xamira mumbled as Diego headed to the front door.
Kat turned to Miles and I, opening a pack of Oreos. "Shouldn't you two be on your way to Bordeaux?"
"I'm not so sure anymore," Miles told me. "Preston has a point. What if they're already on their way here? You two will just end up missing each other again?"
"But what if they aren't on their way? They both stay in different countries, thinking the other is coming?" Preston questioned.
Miles glared at him. "You weren't saying that a couple minutes ago,"
Preston shrugged. "You've seen Laurent angry. I can't have her psycho ass come for me,"
"I'm not psycho," I defended, crossing my arms in front of my chest.
"My fault. Slightly psycho," Preston corrected, laughing when I slapped his arm.
"I can go by myself if you don't want to come with me," I said, honestly.
Miles rolled his eyes. "That's out of the question. And you know that's not what I meant. I'm just saying that there's a possibility they're already on their way. But you and Xavier are both stubborn and won't tell each other,"
"It's supposed to be a surprise," Kat pointed out, heading out of the kitchen with a bag of chips.
"This is the same person who said none of this would be happening if they talked to each other," Preston said.
"You went back on the shit you said too. Why can't she?" Miles retorted.
Kat placed a finger over her lips. "We're not talking about the past right now." She turned to Miles and I. "I have a solution for the both of you: One person stays and one person goes."
"I just said her going by herself is out of the question. You think I trust some 'guys' enough to leave my little sister alone with them?" Miles mumbled.
"Some 'guys' being her boyfriend's men? The men that are devoted to their boss, Xavier, who, in case you forgot, is obsessed with her?" Preston question.
"First of all, don't call him her boyfriend, they haven't had a chance to talk about that yet. Secondly, I don't give a fuck if those men guard the president, I'm not letting her go alone."
"But you don't want to go with her," Kat sighed, rolling her eyes.
She pushed off the wall she leaned against and started heading to the front door. "If either of you eventually decide to go and see Jordan, tell him to come home or I'm throwing his games in the pool,"
With that, she left the house. Preston's voice brought me back to the conversation I was having with the two men.
"Miles doesn't think he should go but he doesn't want you to go alone so I'll go with you," He offered.
Miles opened his mouth to say something but closed it seconds later. "Okay," Miles said, his voice soft.
"Okay?" I questioned.
"Easy Laurent." Preston commented. "Don't want you getting too excited about me going with you,"
"I didn't mean it that way," I assured him. "I just expected him to argue seeing as he didn't trust me going with any of Xavier's men."
"I was going to," Miles admitted. "Then I remembered that him and Wyatt saved you from getting caught in the explosion on your birthday and decided that I can trust him... to an extent,"
"Okay," Preston confirmed with a smile.
Miles turned to Preston. "Before you go-"
"She needs her inhalers which I'm sure she already has; I'll ask her for the spares. Keep an eye on her, she tends to forget to eat. She's painfully optimistic and trusting which might cause her to talk to the wrong person," Preston smirked, seeing the shocked look on Miles face.
"How?"
"It hasn't even been a year since you guys left. I still remember,"
Miles nodded before turning to me. I wrapped my arms around him, preventing the lecture he was inevitably going to give me, before it happened.
"I'll call you when we get to the hangar, when the jet takes off, as soon as we land and when we get to Raven." I promised him.
He nodded, placing a kiss on my forehead.
"Alright, Laurent." Preston grabbed my suitcase from my hands, wheeling it himself. "Let's head out."
"Aren't you forgetting something?" Miles asked.
Preston stopped in front of the front door. "Like what?"
"You're still in your pajamas," I informed him.
A grey short sleeved shirt and red pajama pants. Completely different from the outfit I was wearing.
He looked down at his outfit. Then at Miles and I, noticing that we were more dressed up than he was.
"I rank higher than most of the men there. And the men that rank higher than me are my friends who've seen me in my pajamas. Trust me I'll be fine,"
Miles wrapped his arms around me, pulling me in for one last hug before I caught up with Preston.
A limo was parked in front of the Russo's mansion, ready and waiting for us. We had our eyes and fingerprints scanned and scanned those of the guards, while also checking for their symbols.
Preston helped me put my suitcase in the trunk before opening the door to the car for me, heading in after I did.
As soon as the limo started moving, a fleet of black cars appeared in front and behind us. I noticed the Russo family crest on both cars and stopped worrying, realizing they were the bodyguards.
"Rest easy, Laurent. We'll be in Bordeaux before you know it," Preston smiled at me.
I gave a smile back and rested my head on the window of the car. I let myself be occupied with thoughts of seeing Xavier again.
Unable to keep my eyes open, I began to drift off with the faintest smile on my lips. Until a notification from my phone woke me up again.
I turned on my phone and unlocked it, expecting to see a message from Miles, complaining about who knows what.
Instead it was a message from an unknown number.
Unknown: It's been a while my dear. I think I might come see you soon; it's been too long since I've seen your beautiful face. Safe trip.
A feeling of dread washed over me as I read the text over and over again.
It had been over 2 months since I'd gotten a text from the reaper. The same two months that Xavier and I had spent apart after his and Griffin's apologies to Miles and I.
Seeing one so suddenly, stunned me to silence. It had been so calm lately that I had forgotten about the messages.
"What's wrong?" Preston's voice brought my attention back to him.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, still embroiled in my inner turmoil. "Hm?"
"You look worried." His eyes searched my face as he spoke. Before finally landing on the text message on my phone screen. "Did someone say something?"
"It's nothing," I said, in an attempt for him to drop the topic.
I wasn't ready to tell him or anyone about the messages I had been getting from the reaper just yet.
I was going to start investigating the situation again. The last couple times I had tried to, I came up short.
But that was because I was working alone. I thought about asking Kat then realized that we were both equally skilled when it came to hacking - she had been the one to teach me after all.
If I wanted results, I needed someone better. Meaning that I had a whole lot of research ahead of me.
Preston's voice broke me from my thoughts yet again. "Laurent?"
"Hm? Yes?" I mumbled, meeting his gaze.
A frown took place on his face. He narrowed his eyes for a second before diverting his gaze to my phone.
I attempted to pull my phone away from his reach but reacted a second too late.
"Haven't you heard of personal space?" I asked, trying to get my phone back.
He held the phone in his right hand while stopping me from reaching for my phone with his left.
"That shit might work on Miles but it doesn't work on me. If something's making you sad, I want to know about it so I can handle it... or have Xavier handle it, if need be."
He looked at me for a brief second. "I'm sure the only reason you aren't telling me, is because you think this is something that would hurt me if I get involved or something you think you can handle by yourself."
I stopped reaching for my phone, shocked by how he had read me so perfectly.
He noticed my reaction and a small smirk emerged on his lips as he shook his head. "And that ladies and gentlemen, is why Preston is always right."
His smirk quickly vanished when he read the message. He turned to me, a mix of worry and annoyance evident on his face.
"The reaper?" His first question. To which I nodded my head in response.
"This isn't the first time?" Again, I nodded my head.
"Different numbers each time?" He guessed, hitting the nail right on the head. I nodded.
"And you haven't told anyone about it?" I nodded again.
He ran a hand over his face, speaking in a language I had never heard before.
Come to think of it, Preston only ever spoke English. With me and with the others. I didn't know he knew any other languages.
"Olive," He started. By his mention of my first name, I knew just how bad this was.
I sighed, "I know."
"He knows you're flying to Bordeaux,"
"I know,"
He continued. "You should've told someone,"
I slouched further into the car seat, covering my face with my hands. "I know,"
He sighed, speaking in that language again.
"What should I do?" I asked.
He turned over to look at me, his eyes softening when he found me already looking at him.
"We are going to tell the psycho mafia man you have wrapped around your little finger and all his equally psycho friends. Tracking one of the numbers he texted you from could be beneficial in figuring out who and where the reaper is."
Preston handed my phone back to me with a smile. "But for now, let's focus on getting you to Xavier, alright?"
I smiled back at him, leaning my head on the window again. "Okay."
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"Little man?" Arlo called.
Griffin chuckled somewhere behind me as someone sighed; most likely Jordan.
"Xavier?" Arlo tried again.
"He's halfway down the stairs," Griffin informed him.
"Are we really surprised though?" Jordan laughed. "The man hasn't seen Olive in two months. It's like he's in withdrawal."
Arlo sighed. "This is the last time I agree to a last minute flight. You three are lucky I was already in Chicago when he called."
I ignored them, my only focus being getting down the stairs and heading to the estate to see my beautiful girl as soon as possible.
Only, the second I got out of the hangar, I was met with the smiling faces of my family and friends.
"Mio figlio," Mamma cried, coming up to hug me.
(my son)
"We talked to them twenty minutes before they landed," Laura stated. "Why are you crying?"
"Mamma?" Griffin called, stepping out of the hangar with Jordan and Arlo behind him.
Tears streamed down Laura's face as she rushed to Griffin. "Il mio bambino,"
(my baby)
"What's going on?" Griffin asked me, rubbing his mother's back to try and calm her down.
I shrugged, attempting to calm down my mum as well. My eyes however, roamed the faces of everyone in front of me trying to find my girl.
Mamma let me go, glaring at her best friend through teary eyes. "Hypocrite,"
My father and Vincent shared a look before shaking their heads. "Women," The two men muttered.
"Arlo," Alexis squealed, jumping into her fiancé's arms.
Arlo wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his chest. "I missed you, gorgeous."
Jordan sighed. "Must be nice. I'm tryna be like you-"
"Finish that sentence and I'm factory resetting your ps5," Kat walked up to Jordan, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
"Why are you acting like Preston? You have a girlfriend, don't you?" She huffed.
Jordan's face broke into a smile. "Now that you mention it, there's this girl. She's way out of my league though,"
The frown on Kat's face disappeared. "Keep talking,"
"Stunning red hair. Gorgeous green eyes. A smile that the sun should be jealous of. An amazing personality. A beautiful soul and a mind that works in fascinating ways. I'm going to marry her one day."
Kat smiled. "Who knew you were such a wordsmith?"
Her and Jordan completed a series of handshakes, ending with their thumbs interlocked and being pulled downwards between the both of them.
With their thumbs still interlocked, Jordan leaned in and kissed Kat, causing her face to break out into an even larger smile as she kissed him back.
"I missed you, mi sol." Jordan said against her lips.
"Not as much as I missed you,"
"Can't see Xava, papa" Melanie's small voice came.
I looked around and saw her pushing past the adults while holding onto someone. That person was revealed to be Miles who smiled, following after Melanie.
Her eyes locked on me and she dropped Chubbs, running towards me. "Xava,"
I threw her into the air causing her to erupt into a fit of giggles. I caught her, spinning her in my arms.
"Hi stellina. How are you?"
"Good. Papa was taking too long for us to come see you," She answered before clasping her hand over her mouth.
"Papa?"
"Bambi, you dropped Chubbs. You don't want him getting dirty, do you?" Miles held the bear in his hands as he stared at Melanie. "What's wrong?"
Melanie's little eyes welled with tears as she shook her head. "'Posed to explain... and Xava gonna be mad... and you papa... and it's my fault," She gasped between breaths.
Miles stretched his hand out, silently asking if he could take her. I nodded and let him carry her out of my arms.
Her hands moved to the front of his shirt, bunching up the fabric as he settled her on one of his arms.
"I'm sorry, pa- Miley." Melanie sniffled, tears streaming down her face.
"Easy, bambi. You're okay," Miles used his free hand to rub up and down her back while bouncing her on his arm. "You can call me whatever you want, okay? I'm fine with it,"
"But Xava-" She sniffled.
"I'll explain to him right now." He turned to me, his eyes softened when Melanie hid her face in his neck.
"Melanie called me 'papa' and the name stuck. She mentioned that she used to call you that and that she doesn't want you to be sad or think that she doesn't like you anymore,"
I couldn't help the smile on my face. She was so adorable.
"Stellina," I started. She raised her head, her eyes clouding over with tears once again. "Hey, none of that,"
I wiped away the stray tears that had fallen down her face. "I'm not mad at you. I know you still like me and I still care about you. So no more tears, okay babydoll?"
A smile replaced the frown on Melanie's face. "Okay," She turned to Miles. "Papa, I don't see her." Her smile was gone again, the shadow of a frown emerging.
"Papa?" We turned to look at Griffin only to find everyone else staring at us as well. From the smiles on their faces, I could tell they had been listening for a while.
"Griffy," Miles smiled.
"I'm a dad?" Griffin asked, dumbfounded.
Miles' smile only grew. "I'll explain later,"
Melanie grew restless in Miles' arms. "I don't see, Sissy. Papa."
That caught my attention. And by the looks of it, the attention of everyone else standing there. All eyes turned to me. Melanie noticed and stopped talking, intimidated by everyone.
She shrunk further into Miles arms. "Did I say something bad?" She asked, her voice small.
"No, bambi. They aren't looking at you," Miles assured her.
"She isn't here?" I finally spoke up.
I pulled out my phone, dialing a number as I awaited their response. It was quiet for a few seconds before they all shook their heads.
"She wanted to surprise you-"
The rest of my father's words flew past my ears when I noticed the captain of the pilots had finally answered the call.
"Capo. How can I assist you today?"
"How fast can you get a pilot to Hangar-101 in L.A?" I asked.
"Here we go again," It was a collective sigh.
"If only they'd just communicate," Arlo laughed.
Jordan sighed. "I mean, I get where they're coming from. It's supposed to be a surprise."
"I have a feeling they'll finally meet this time," My mum smiled.
"Wyatt stayed back in Bordeaux just in case something like this happened. I doubt he'll let her fly back here," Griffin explained.
"Xavier? Leaving so soon?" Kat snickered. "The girls were looking forward to seeing you,"
"I think they'll be more excited to see Olive," I responded, heading back into the hangar. "I know I am,"
Miles spoke up. "I know you're heading back to Bordeaux and all that, but shouldn't you wait for a pilot first?"
"I'm sure Arlo wouldn't mind- Did you just pinch me?" Alexis glared at a grinning Arlo who shrugged.
"Actually, the pilots had a meeting here a few hours ago and Captain Yves stayed back for a few practice laps," Vincent explained.
Miles scoffed. "What are the odds of him still being here at the exact time Xavier needs him?"
"Capo, are you ready to go?" All eyes turned to the entrance of the hangar where Captain Yves stood.
"We should've bet on it." Griffin sighed.
Miles wore a look of disbelief. "Really?"
"I love you," Griffin smiled. Miles' resolve melted at the sight of his boyfriend's dimples and simply sighed.
"That was convenient timing," Mamma laughed as I followed Captain Yves.
"He's the leader of the most powerful mafia in the world," Alexis stated. "Things have a way of working out for him."
Jordan's voice was quiet, laced with worry. "Which brings me to wonder, what happens if they don't?"
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"Preston, you okay?" I asked, unable to control the laugh that left my lips at the sight of him.
He glared at me and continued walking, his legs shaking with every step.
"Oh, just fine. Just trying to decide the best possible way to murder you and Miles, you know?"
"Aw, don't be like that. We tried to warn you," I teased.
"Yes because 'aren't you forgetting something' and 'you're still in pajamas' is warning me,"
"You can have my puffer," I told him, moving to take it off when he stopped me.
"For the fifteenth time, I'd rather freeze to death than have Xavier come up with new ways of torturing me because I caused you to catch a cold," He replied.
I shook my head. "Preston, it's snowing and you're in a shirt and pajama pants. I'm not letting you get pneumonia,"
"And you have just a tank top underneath the puffer," He countered.
"Actually, Miles had me bring an extra jacket just in case,"
I turned to one of the guards who were walking with us and thanked him as he handed me a black puffer.
I pulled away from Preston's hold and quickly shrugged the red puffer off. I placed it on his shoulders before slipping on the black puffer.
"It's not even my size," He pointed out. "There's no point-"
I stopped walking, crossing my arms in front of my chest. His frown fell when his eyes met mine.
"Keep it close to your body or wrap it around yourself, I don't care. You're taking the jacket and that's the end of that,"
We held eye contact for a couple seconds before he looked away, muttering something under his breath.
I couldn't help but laugh as we kept walking. "You're the one who wanted to stop at the ice cream place remember?"
"Yeah but-"
"You're also the same person who insisted that we'd walk to the bar. You mentioned something about exercise?"
"Yeah, well that was when it wasn't snowing. Then the universe decided it'd be funny to fuck with me and it starts snowing five minutes after," He argued.
"We're almost there, you can stop whining," I said, noticing the bar come into view.
Preston walked the remaining couple feet to the bar, muttering in a different language.
"What language is that?" I asked.
He looked surprised. "What?"
"What you're saying under your breath, it isn't' english. What language is that?"
"Igbo or Portuguese,"
"Igbo? Portuguese? You speak two other languages apart from English and Italian?"
"Igbo is one of the languages spoken in Nigeria and Portuguese is spoken in Brazil," He paused. "Nigeria is-"
"A country in Africa. I know that," I cut him off. "I didn't know you were Nigerian,"
"My name is Preston Eze," He chuckled. "What did you think I was?"
"I mean I knew you were mixed," I clarified. "Just not Nigerian. To be honest, I didn't really pay attention to your last name,"
"Who's last name?" The voice caused Preston and I to turn to the door of the bar where Kai stood, holding the door open for us.
I said my thanks to the guards, something Preston said he didn't understand why I always did that when they all know who I am and how Xavier feels about me.
But I felt bad if I didn't thank them for all their hard work and always protecting. And if I was being honest, all the guards were older than I was; it was my responsibility to be respectful.
"You must be Kai," Preston said.
"And you must be some random guy who walked into my bar that I know nothing about because someone didn't tell me anything," Kai glared at me.
"It slipped my mind?" I shrugged. I looked around and my face fell when I didn't see Xavier. "Where-"
"The apartment," Kai cut in before I could finish my sentence.
I took off the puffer and made my way through the bar without waiting for either man behind me. I headed out the back door and walked to the end of the hallways before climbing up the flight of stairs.
"How are you connected to Mr. Big Bad Mafia Don Asshole Heartbreaker again?" Kai's voice came from behind me, indicating that they were following me.
"I need to start calling him that," Preston said.
I laughed; the fact that he knew who Kai was talking about just by the nickname was amusing to me.
"So... butler?" Kai concluded.
"I'm not the butler. What part of what I said makes you think I'm the butler?"
"Butlers always deny being the butler," Kai shrugged, moving in front of me.
He unlocked the door of the apartment, stepping aside and allowing Preston and I to come in. I hung my jacket on the coat rack, my eyes immediately scanning the apartment for Xavier.
"Where is he?" I mumbled, not wanting to call out his name as it would ruin the surprise.
"I see our guests have arrived," Wyatt's voice came as he walked into the living room.
His eyes landed on me and his smile grew as he pushed his white hair out of his face.
"Hey, grumpy."
He held his arms open and I returned his smile, running into his arms. He stumbled back a bit, laughing as his arms wrapped around me.
"Hi Wyatt," I looked at him.
"Anyone who walked in here, would think you two were dating," Kai pointed out.
"I'm good being her bodyguard who also happens to be her best friend in the whole world, thanks." Wyatt replied.
"Mhm, and it's not because you're scared of Xavier serving your head on a silver platter, right Wy?" Preston chuckled.
Wyatt's gaze landed on his friend and his smile grew. He rushed to Preston, sweeping him into a hug.
"Thank you for finally acknowledging me," Preston laughed as Wyatt pulled away.
"You're smart ass self just had to be right about the Xavier thing," Wyatt sighed, rolling his eyes.
"Speaking of Xavier, why isn't he out here?" I asked. "Is he sleeping?"
It was around 10pm; it wasn't unreasonable for him to be sleeping now. Although, based on our calls, he usually went to bed later than that.
"Are you guys going to tell her or should I?" Preston asked.
"Shut up. We'll tell her," Kai huffed before turning to Wyatt. "You tell her,"
Wyatt frowned. "Why me?"
"Aren't you supposed to be her best friend in the whole world?" Kai retorted.
"Yeah that doesn't mean I'm going to be exempted from her fury tho,"
My anxiety grew, hearing their conversation. "Does he not want to see me?"
Preston sighed. "Wy, please tell her before Xavier murders us for making her think that. She'll take it better if it comes from you,"
Wyatt exhaled, running a hand through his white hair before turning to me. "No, that's far from it. But I need you to relax before I say what I'm about to say next. Okay, Olive?"
Wyatt had called me by my name, instead of grumpy. They only called me by my name when things were serious or they had bad news.
That was when I realized what was happening. I quickly took my phone out of my pocket, making my way to the door.
"You just had to call her by her name," Kai said.
"If it was so easy, why couldn't you tell her?" Wyatt countered.
"Let's all calm down and try to be reasonable, okay?" Preston spoke up, blocking my path to the door.
"Preston, move." I said.
I was about to push past him when the person I had called answered the phone.
"Donna. How are you?"
"I'm okay, Captain Yves. Are you free to talk?" I responded, still trying to get past Preston.
"I'm a bit busy but I'm available to talk, yes. What can I help you with?"
"I was wondering how fast you can get a pilot to Hangar-007 in Bordeaux?"
I hadn't realized Wyatt had moved behind me until he snatched my phone out of my hands.
"Thank you," He singsonged.
I moved to get it back when Kai came up behind me, pulling me towards him.
"Hi, Captain Yves." Wyatt said into the phone.
"Kai, let me go." I struggled against Kai but his hold only grew firmer.
"Aw, you don't want to spend quality time with me?" He frowned.
"I'm not surprised," Wyatt continued the conversation with Captain Yves. "You don't need to worry about what Olive needed. Carry on with your task. Bye,"
I stepped on Kai's foot resulting in him releasing me. I rushed to Wyatt trying to get my phone back but he held it out of my reach.
"Easy, grumpy."
I turned to Kai, furious. "Why would you tell me he was in the apartment when he's clearly not here?"
"First of all, you're so cute when you're mad." Kai moved to pinch my cheeks but stopped when he noticed the look on my face. "Okay, we're not joking. Got it,"
"To answer your question, I never said he was in the apartment. I just said 'the apartment',"
"Why not just tell me he wasn't here in the first place?"
"And have you flying out the door and to the hangar at the speed of light? Getting you up here was our only option," Kai reason.
"I'm going to see him," I argued.
"Noone said you aren't. You just need to calm down first," Preston said.
"I am calm. I need to head back to L.A. What if he's waiting for me?" I insisted, trying to push past preston. "I'll buy a plane ticket, I don't care. I just need to see him."
"Olive," The three men called my name.
I stopped moving, unable to control the wave of different emotions that washed over me. A collective sigh was heard.
"Did we say something?" Kai sounded confused.
"Kai," Preston sighed.
"It's the only reasonable explanation as to why she's crying right now," Kai countered.
"Easy, grumpy. It's okay," Wyatt's voice was soft as he pulled me into a hug.
"I don't know why I'm crying," I admitted.
"You were so sure you were going to see Xavier. You miss him and you're disappointed that he isn't here. It's normal to be upset," Preston said.
"I thought he was the one that hated love and all that?" Kai mumbled, confused.
The laugh that escaped my lips was inevitable. "He has a boyfriend now," I said quietly.
"He's not my boyfriend," Preston corrected. "We're just talking. I don't know if he feels that way about me,"
"At least you aren't flying miles to see each other only to realize the other person did the same thing," Kai said absentmindedly.
Tears clouded my vision again and Wyatt noticed, his arms wrapping tighter around me.
Preston slapped Kai upside the head. "Why would you say that?"
Wyatt shook his head. "Even I know better than to say shit like that,"
"You know what, why don't we get a couple drinks?" Kai suggested.
"I don't think that's a good idea," Preston started.
"Tensions are high, Via is crying and you two look like you're going to murder me," Kai took a step back as the two men glared at him.
He shrugged. "And coincidentally there happens to be a very free, very empty bar downstairs. Just waiting to be used,"
"That kind of sounds nice," I mumbled to Wyatt.
"A few drinks won't hurt," Wyatt agreed.
"Wy," Preston started.
"I know. But it's only a few and it'll get you know who's mind off of you know who," Wyatt explained.
"Real smooth. She totally doesn't know what you're talking about," Kai rolled his eyes, despite the smile tugging on the corner of his lips.
"Are we going or not?" Wyatt asked.
"Just a few drinks?" Preston looked at Kai.
"Yes, yes." Kai waved his hand, brushing Preston off. "Now if the lovely lady and her bodyguard would please follow me down to the bar,"
....::::**•°✾°•**::::...
"Very empty bar he said," Preston looked disgusted as a drunk couple staggered past us, unable to keep their hands off of each other.
"Hey, I was also surprised when I saw the line of people outside. It isn't my fault I forgot I had to open this place for me to make money," Kai shrugged.
We had been in the bar for about three hours now. Loud music blasted around the entire bar and dancers provided entertainment on stage.
Kai was more than busy with making each of the customer's drinks and unfortunately had given all his other bartenders the night off.
More and more people seemed to pour into the bar every minute and Kai was barely able to keep up with the orders, let alone talk with us.
Well, that's what I thought would happen. But Kai being Kai chose to let the customers wait in line for however long he chose while he talked to us because according to him, it was his right as the owner of the bar.
"It is your fault though," Wyatt laughed.
"Very free he said," Preston said, reading the price of the drinks off the menu Kai had provided.
"For Via and Olaf there, it is." Kai explained.
"Olaf?" I questioned.
"It's his nickname for me," Wyatt told me.
I looked at Wyatt. Then at his hair. Then back at him. He looked at me. Then at my hair. Then back at me. His face broke out into a smile, mirroring mine before we both erupted into a fit of laughter.
Preston shook his head at Wyatt and I before turning to Kai. "And for me?"
"Unfortunately, I don't know you and my mommy told me not to talk to strangers... or give them free drinks," Kai shrugged, causing Preston to roll his eyes.
He turned around to make a drink for a customer that had taken a seat at the bar, next to us.
Preston turned to Wyatt and I. "Are you guys okay?"
Wyatt and I shared a look, trying our best to control our laughter.
"Mhm," I nodded, my hand over my mouth.
"Super," Wyatt agreed, bringing a fist over his mouth. "Why do you ask?"
"Well, you guys seem to be very drunk." Preston pointed out.
Kai had finished with the customers that had been requesting drinks and returned to us. Preston glared at him.
"Drunk?" Wyatt and I repeated. "Who? Us?"
"We are not," I insisted.
"Very NOT drunk, if you will." Wyatt added.
"You heard it yourself. They're very NOT drunk. So you can stop cursing me out in your mind now," Kai said to Preston.
"They very clearly are," Preston argued.
I said we aren't," I huffed, crossing my arms in front of my chest.
"Oooo, you made grumpy mad. Xavier isn't going to like that," Wyatt snickered next to me.
I turned around on the swivel chair I was seated on, facing him once again. "I'm not mad,"
"You are too,"
"Nuh uh,"
'Yuh uh,"
The longer Wyatt and I went back and forth, the harder it was for us to control our laughter.
"Nuh uh," I said through giggles.
"Yuh uh," Wyatt laughed, barely managing to stay seated.
"How many drinks did you guys have?" Preston interrogated, interrupting our argument.
Wyatt and I shared a smile. I held out both my hands while he scratched his head.
"So there were the mocktails we both had," Wyatt started and I put a finger down. "Then Kai showed us the menu and grumpy got indecisive,"
"So we had an old fashioned, a dirty martini, a margarita, two cosmopolitans - because grumpy liked the name, a mojito and a whiskey sour. How many is that, grumpy?"
"You made them all this?" Preston asked Kai.
"I only made them a mocktail," He revealed.
"He's telling the truth. Wyatt took those drinks from random customers," I explained.
I ignored the bewildered expression on Preston's face and looked down at my fingers. Or what I thought were my fingers. They looked more like blobs than fingers.
Like little squishy blob pets. Blobby would be such a cute name for one. For a girl, I'd name her-
"Grumpy, focus." Wyatt snapped his fingers in front of my face, putting an end to my conversation with myself.
"Sorry, what was the question?" I smiled sheepishly at the three men around me.
Wyatt scratched his head. "I forgot," He looked at my hands. "Your fingers look like squishy blobs,"
"That's what I was saying. Well, not saying. Thinking. You know what I mean. Wait, you don't cause that would mean you were in my head. Are you in my head? I don't think so,"
Wyatt laughed at my rambling and I laughed as well, unable to stop myself. Preston cursed in Portuguese while Kai laughed, clearly finding the situation amusing.
"Wyatt, Via." Kai called.
We stopped laughing and slowly turned our seats around so that we were facing Kai.
"Yes sir," Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Wyatt lift his hand to the side of his head, saluting Kai.
I had to clasp my hand over my mouth to stop myself from bursting out laughing again.
"How much did you guys drink?" Kai asked.
"Together or separately?" I implored.
"Together," Preston answered.
Wyatt and I turned to each other. He draped his hands over my shoulders and pulled me close to him, using his body to shield Kai and Preston from our discussion.
"You think we should tell them?" He whispered.
I stared at him, placing my forehead on his. "Tell them what? I want a McDonald's happy meal,"
"You're right," Wyatt pulled away from me, turning to face the other two men. "Six-"
"Okay, six shots isn't as bad as I thought it'd be," Kai admitted.
"-bottles," Wyatt finished with a smile. "Plus all the drinks I mentioned before,"
"Ofcourse. Six bottles," Preston muttered, placing his head in his hands. "Fucking kill me,"
"No, don't say that. If you die, I'll be sad." Wyatt told Preston. "I've known you for too long for you to just go like that,"
Kai looked at Wyatt and I. "How did you two get access to the bottles?"
"You left the bar to serve a lot of people," Wyatt stated. "And coincidentally-"
"That's a funny word," I giggled.
"-Preston went outside to smoke or something because he was so stressed,"
"I've only smoked once tonight," Preston said. "How were you both able to get six bottles out the back and manage to hide it without either of us noticing?"
Wyatt and I shrugged. "We're just that good," Wyatt smiled.
"I'm bored, I wanna do something." I said, jumping to my feet.
Unfortunately, Wyatt had chosen that time to stand up as well and the top of my head hit the bottom of his chin causing us both a lot of pain.
"Watch where you're going," I mumbled, rubbing my head as I glared at Wyatt.
"You're the one who rammed your head into me," Wyatt shot back.
"Yes because I got up and intentionally hit my head on your pointy ass chin,"
Wyatt scoffed. "At least my pOiNtY aSs cHiN looks good. I can't say the same about your head though,"
"Oh no he didn't," Kai gasped.
"Don't encourage them," Preston snapped at him. He moved between Wyatt and I. "What are you two even arguing about right now?"
"Or more importantly, how are you going to resolve the issue?" Kai inquired.
"Kai," Preston scolded.
Kai shrugged. "All I'm saying is that they both seem to have something to say to the other and there's a very free ring downstairs where they can talk with their fists,"
"You want two very drunk people fighting each other?" Preston was dumbfounded.
"I like the sound of that," I said.
"I liked the sound of it first," Wyatt countered.
"No you didn't. Liar."
"Yes I did,"
Kai chuckled as he walked to the back of the bar, holding the back door open for Wyatt and I. "After you,"
Wyatt saw me, heading towards the door and ran ahead, making it a point to walk past the door first.
"Cheater," I yelled, going after him.
"I don't even know why I bother at this point," Preston sighed, walking behind us.
"This should be interesting," Kai chuckled, following after us.
✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧
╔══ ≪ °❈° ≫ ══╗
𝑿𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒓
╚══ ≪ °❈° ≫ ══╝
I walked into Raven determined to find my girl.
The flight this time around had been significantly shorter than the others because I had insisted we used one of our fighter jets.
It had been almost two days of this back and forth with her and I was more than agitated.
I wanted nothing more than to hold her in my arms. To see her beautiful eyes light up. Her mesmerizing smile that highlighted her dimples.
Just her. I needed her.
The number of people in the bar surprised me. It was at least three times more than that of any other bar that I had been to.
Then I remembered Raven was the best bar in Bordeaux and it was about 3 am.
I pushed past groups of people dancing and grinding against each other, careful not to get caught in any of it.
Before long I was at the back of the bar and I still hadn't seen any sign of my girl. The backdoor of the bar opened behind me and I barely managed to get out of the way in time.
An all eager Kai walked through, looking rather pleased with himself.
"Kai," I called, trying to be loud enough for him to hear me over the blaring music.
He turned around, his eyes searching for who had called his name. I waved my hand, grabbing his attention.
The smile that had been on his face dropped. Instead of coming to me like I had thought he would, he raised a finger, asking for a couple seconds.
I watched as he made his way to the stage, thanking the dancers that I hadn't noticed as they headed backstage.
"What a night it's been, huh?" Kai asked into the microphone. A loud cheer erupted from the crowd, bringing a smile to his face.
"Unfortunately, it's time to call it a night,"
The cheer of the crowd turned into a collective boo. The customers murmured amongst themselves but the smile on Kai's face remained.
"I know, I'm the worst." Kai paused and the smile on his face turned sinister. "But you wouldn't want me to get out my bat now do you?"
Gasps echoed through the bar and in the blink of an eye, the once packed bar was empty. He walked over to the doors and flipped the sign to show that the bar was closed, then locked the doors before heading to me.
"Mr. Big Bad Mafia Don Asshole Heartbreaker? I'm guessing you want to see her?" Kai asked.
"She's actually here?" I was relieved that I wouldn't have to fly back to L.A again.
Kai sighed, heading past me and towards the backdoor. "You really thought Wyatt, the other guy and I would let her fly back?" He held the backdoor open. "You coming?"
I walked out the backdoor, following after him. "Other guy?"
"I don't know his name. Mixed, wears glasses, always complaining about how lonely he is-"
"Preston,"
"Yeah him." Kai stopped walking when we reached the set of stairs. "How did you get into the bar by the way?"
"The door was open," I stated.
"Oh," He scratched his head. "I should probably pay more attention to that,"
"You said she's here?" I asked him, getting impatient.
"Relax. She isn't going anywhere," Kai rolled his eyes, turning around.
Rather than going up the stairs like we had done last time I came here, he went down. I followed behind him, cautious and taking note of where we were going.
The stairs were fairly long but we reached the end before long. Kai walked up to the large door in front of us, grabbing a bunch of keys from his pocket.
He picked out a key and placed it in the keyhole before turning to face me. "I don't want to be cleaning up blood at the end of all this, understood?"
I didn't understand what he was talking about but I nodded regardless. At that point I would have agreed to whatever the hell he wanted.
Anything to see her.
He sighed, mumbling something about how this was a bad idea before unlocking the door, heading inside.
The sound of cheering reached my ears the second I stepped in after him. Groups of people stood in a large circle; I assumed that whatever they were cheering for was in the middle.
An underground fight club.
The first time I had been in one of these was when I was 16. The day I found out I was supposed to take over instead of Xamira.
The last time was after Olive and I had started dating. I knew how easily she got worried, eevn if she didn't show it and me coming home at odd hours of the morning with a few bruises would have definitely sent her panicking.
Kai and I weaved through the crowd of people, heading to the other side of the club. The longer we walked, the more I wondered just how many people were in here.
Kai stopped in front of another door, opening it to reveal a luxury furnished room. And two people inside.
"Hey, bossman." Wyatt laughed as we walked in.
"Wyatt, you need to stop moving." Preston scolded, heading out of a door on the far left, some bandages in his hand.
"You said this would help the pain go away. It isn't helping," Wyatt huffed.
Preston sighed, placing the bandages on a table in front of Wyatt. I noticed a first aid kit on the table as well.
"Ow, that hurts" Wyatt complained, moving his head away from the cotton swab Preston held.
"You insisted on fighting her, didn't you?" Preston asked.
"Her? Olive did this to him?" I asked, referring to the black eye Wyatt had as well as other bruises.
Preston nodded. "It's all Kai's fault," Wyatt mumbled.
"Don't bring me into this," Kai chuckled. "You need to accept the fact that she whooped your ass,"
Preston sighed. "Please Wy, be good and stay still so I can fix you up,"
Wyatt's resolve disappeared and he looked up at Preston, tears clouding his vision. "I'm sorry,"
"I know you are. I forgive you but I need you to stay still," Preston told him.
The tears he had been holding back streamed down his cheeks. "I will, promise. Just don't be mad at me,"
"I'm not mad," Preston wiped away Wyatt's tears. "Promise,"
Kai walked over to me, chuckling. "This is what happens when two drunk people decide to fight," He opened the door. "The next fight is about to end. Now's the best time to see her,"
We stepped out of the room and headed towards the large crowd. The second people turned around and spotted Kai, they got out of his way, making a path for us.
Murmurs grew and people moved out of the way quicker when they saw me. I stood at the very front of the ring, watching as the two fighters climbed in.
My heart hammered against my chest when I saw who was on the left.
My girl stood there in all her glory. Effortlessly breathtaking.
Words could not describe what I was feeling. I could not make sense of anything.
The only person I was focused on was her. She was the only person my brain could make sense of; everything and everyone else was rendered nugatory compared to her.
She wore a black sports bra and red shorts. Such a simple outfit that only she could make look so... elegant.
Hair falling loosely down her back, sweat glistening down her perfect skin and mouth guard in place, she tightened the black tape wrapped around her hands.
"I don't want your drool on my floors," Kai chuckled.
I ignored his witty remark, my entire focus on the ethereal beauty in front of me.
She looked around and smiled, waving her hand excitedly. The crowd was ballistic. Cheers erupted everywhere, the name 'Rookie' chanted by most of them.
On the opposite side of the ring was a man two times her size. A scar started from his eyebrow and ended slightly above his chin. The tattoos that decorated every inch of his skin glistened due to his sweat.
"You said the fight was about to end? It's about to start," I said to Kai.
He smirked. "Just watch," He entered the ring and was handed a microphone. "Introducing the main - and last - event of the evening,"
He paused. "Actually, I don't feel like doing all that,"
Several boos came from the crowd but Kai just shrugged. "My club, my rules,"
"Rookie vs. Slade. As usual place your bets with Jax and you two," He turned to Olive and Slade. "Let's keep the audience on their toes, hm?"
The moment Kai slipped out of the ring, an air horn went off.
Slade was quick to rush towards Olive, ready to land a punch. She swerved at the last second causing him to hit his hand on the corner of the ring.
He tried again, going after her but she just shook her head and veered left, staying out of his reach.
The audience laughed when Olive began running around the ring, giggling as Slade chased her.
"She's just toying with him,"
"That's Rookie for you,"
"You'd think he'd have landed a hit by now,"
"Rookie's going to destroy him,"
The audience's murmurs seemed to reach Slade. His face turned red with anger and he charged towards Olive, without giving her any time to think.
His fist connected with the side of her face hard. Slade's laughter was the only thing that could be heard through the club.
"Nobody's ever been able to land a hit on her,"
"Is this the end of her win streak?"
"She's just a girl, what did you expect?"
"I can't believe this,"
Anger filled every part of my body as I watched Slade gloat. I moved to enter the ring when Kai stopped me.
"You need to trust her," He said, not looking the slightest bit concerned that Olive had gotten hit.
I was about to ask what he meant when he turned my face back to the ring. I watched as Olive's body swayed, her head still faced down.
But she wasn't swaying because of the hit. No, her body was shaking with laughter.
She slowly raised her head, brushing her hair out of her face as she laughed. Blood trickled down her nose and she swiped at it with the back of her hand, laughing again when she saw the blood that stained it.
She spat out her mouth guard and reached up, tying her hair into a bun. The crowd went wild with excitement.
"It's here,"
"I knew she wouldn't go down like that,"
"The match is over,"
"Slade better say his prayers,"
Slade smiled widely thinking that the crowd was finally cheering him on. "How could a small thing like her defeat me?" He bellowed.
Olive moved too fast for me to keep track. One second she was on the opposite side of the ring and the next, she stood behind Slade.
She held her finger to her mouth as she winked at the audience, gaining several chuckles from the crowd.
"A dumb little girl like her-"
"Sladey, this dumb little girl has something she wants to say," Olive singsonged, swaying on her feet.
The color drained from Slade's face and the second he moved to turn around, Olive's fist connected with the side of his face.
He fell to the ground almost instantly, groaning in pain. Olive sighed, shaking her hand.
"I'll kill you if you bruised my knuckles," She threatened an unconscious Slade, much to the crowd's amusement.
Kai looked at me and shook with laughter. "If you think this is good, you should see her when she's sober."
Kai grabbed a microphone and climbed back into the ring. "Rookie wins. Are we surprised though?"
"That's it for today. Time for you all to get your asses out of my club," Kai added.
The club was empty in under five minutes. They exited from a different door than we had entered from, two guards stationed there to ensure things went smoothly.
"Via, let me look at you." Kai said, heading towards her.
Olive shook her head, removing the tape from her hands. "It's nothing ice can't fix. Iwas cocky. Won't happen again,"
"I know it won't," Kai spared a glance at me. "There's someone that wants to see you,"
He stepped aside, revealing me. Her eyes met mine and I suddenly felt very nervous.
I had no idea if she had forgiven me or not. And as much as I wanted her to, I also wanted to prove to her that I had changed.
"Hi, princess." I smiled.
She tilted her head to the side, returning my smile. My heart clenched at the sight of her dimples.
"Hi," She responded. She turned to Kai. "Who is that? And why is he calling me princess? I don't like that. Only Xav calls me that,"
Kai couldn't control his laughter. Chuckles came from behind me as Preston and Wyatt headed towards us.
"Fuck, my head hurts." Wyatt complained while laughing.
"Your hangover is going to be worse. Get ready," Preston told him.
"You managed to sober him up?" Kai asked.
"Only barely,"
"It's me, baby." I tried again, closing the space between us.
I tried to take her hand in mine but she pulled it away, shaking her head.
"Hi me," She smiled, slowly walking away. "It's nice to meet you but please don't call me baby, I have a boyfriend."
She yawned. "Well, I'm kinda mad at him right now. Ish. Not really. He messed up big time and he's been groveling for almost a year. Can you believe that?"
She didn't wait for me to answer before continuing, fighting off sleep. "I know he's trying but I want to be super sure that he means everything he's saying, you know?"
"That's why I haven't forgiven him yet," She paused, giggling a little. "That and the fact that he's so cute when he's begging."
"Amore," I started, unable to stop myself from laughing.
She turned to Kai, yawning. "Kai, I'm trying to be polite but this guy keeps calling me names that Xav calls me and it's making me mad,"
She yawned again, her eyes fluttering closed. "I'm going to close my eyes for a bit but when I open them, I want him gone and Xav there instead,"
"She's so spoiled," Wyatt smiled.
"You want your ass beat again?" Olive mumbled, rubbing her eyes. "If not, bring me my Xav."
"You heard the lady," Kai said to me.
I walked up to her and pulled her into me, letting her rest her head on my chest. Her eyes opened slightly and she stared at me for a few seconds.
"Xav? When did you get here?" She mumbled.
"Shh, princess."
She wrapped her arms around my neck while mine wrapped around the back of her legs. I lifted her up and she automatically wrapped her legs around my waist.
"How did you get here?" She murmured, snuggling her head into the side of my neck.
"Go to sleep, baby. We'll talk when you wake up,"
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C.O.D.: The pieces of food stuck in your teeth be looking so good lovelies <33