I wake up to the sound of a drill twisting a screw in place. The exact same noise has been going on for three hours straight and it's affecting my sleep time.
After Damien bought me food yesterday, he brought me to his house to 'get used to' after the wedding. I think he secretly felt bad for dragging me into his mafia drama.
Guilt seems to have some people on a choke hold.
Father knows that I have never put my toe where it doesn't concern me and all of a sudden, a strong wind is pushing me way past the line into the world of crime.
I get up from my bed to grab my phone from the nightstand I left it on to charge. When I switch it on, I see missed calls and texts from Indigo, Chase and Nikolai.
Shit.
I didn't come home yesterday so Nikolai must have gone to search for my body in the bushes or something.
I return his missed call and he picks up straight away.
"Mikayla? I swear to God this better be you," He says breathlessly.
I quietly laugh to myself, imagining a worried Nikolai, "It is. Damien took me to his house to get used to after the wedding,"
A knock is heard at the door,
"Nik, I have to go,"
"Mikayla," His voice warns but I still hang up.
I yell for whoever to come in and a short, redhead girl comes in with a cart full of food. Her big, green eyes are full of contempt. How can someone look so happy this early?
The name tag on her ironed white shirt reads: Katrina.
I'm guessing she sees my confused face along with my heavy eye bags because she quickly fills me in.
"Boss is putting you on a lock down for your own safety,"
I let out a small sigh, throwing myself backwards onto the bed. The amount of times I've had to hear that this week alone is driving me crazy.
She leaves the cart here, bowing at me before exiting the room.
The smell of all the freshly made food hits my nose and I stare blankly at the different trays. The croissants, french toast and waffles sat there on their plates. I shake my head, taking a small apple from the fruit bowl and walking out of the room.
I'm startled by Nik who's standing down the hall with my suitcase and bags. A big smile breaks onto my face as I rush down the hallway to greet him in my robe.
"I thought you were at the house," I shove his arm.
"Nice to see you too," He rolls his eyes.
I didn't even see who Nik was talking to until he cleared his throat and I eyed him weirdly.
His long, thick black hair was in pigtails and bright pink eye shadow was messily painted above his brown colored eyes. He was tall and had a lean but muscular frame.
"Dante" A voice called from behind us.
I turn around to meet Damien. I don't know why but I was expecting some sort of 'good morning' from him but instead, he walks past me not acknowledging me at all.
"I need you to watch the house. Something went wrong at the office." He orders.
His hair is ruffled and messy, probably from the lack of sleep too. His shirt is wrinkled and isn't even buttoned all the way up, exposing the pierced skull tattoo on his chest.
"Damien," A girl's head pops out from the door to his room, "I feel lonely."
I grimace and meet Nik's gaze. His gaze lowers and something about it tells me that this happens often.
"Ivanita, I said wait for me patiently," He grumbles, making his way back to the room.
Oh.
I get it now. He isn't tired because of the lack of sleep. In fact, he's worn out by how much sleeping he's done last night.
Dante sighs, taking the pink rubber bands out of his hair, "I'll talk to him for you, darling,"
It's hard to take him seriously with the smudges of eye shadow on his face but I try to. His voice is nice and soft but also deep and low, no accent in sight. It sounds nothing like the other voices I've heard in my time in California.
I hand Nik the apple I've barely touched and I head back to my room.
I haven't even managed to take ten steps forward when I hear loud female moans coming from his bedroom.
Gross.
I can tell this marriage is going to be a total nightmare.
I strip myself naked, dumping my clothes in the corner. I lock the bathroom door and enter the shower, avoiding looking in the mirror.
I can't.
The hot water burns my skin but I don't bother turning it down. It's exactly how my life is going to feel like in the future. Hell
These past few days, I can't find it in me to glance at myself without feeling disgusted. This whole situation has me spiraling downwards and nothing I do is helping me get better.
I shut the water off and I grab a towel from the rack, quickly drying myself.
When I'm back in my room, I put on a thin feel crop top, paired with some jeans. I grab a baseball cap to protect myself from the sun.
I know I'm not supposed to go out but I hate being here, in this house already. I need some fresh air.
I walk out of the room accidentally walking into a wall and landing on my butt.
"Watch where you're going," I groan from the floor.
Damien towers above me with the girl on his arm.
I can't help but think. Is that how I used to look with Chase? Someone who was an accessory that could easily be replaced?
They walk off and the girl turns around to give me a dirty look.
Fucking rude.
I get up, slowly walking behind them to make it look like I'm not following them. Near the bottom of the stairs, I see Dante resting on a sofa watching one of my favorite shows.
"You and Vampire Diaries?"
"No? It just happened to be on the TV," He scrunches his face, turning the TV off.
"Ugh," I throw my head back in annoyance, "It's one of the best show ever."
We spend the next five minutes arguing about which ship is better before Damien walks in to grab his keys. Him and Dante nod their heads to each other in some sort of bro code.
The door shuts, letting me know that I can leave now.
I get up from my spot on the couch, leaving Dante to watch the series himself. I grab the baseball cap I left on the kitchen counter and reach for the door handle.
"What are you doing?" Dante's voice questions.
"Leaving," I say plainly.
I thought it was already as obvious as it gets.
"Who's gonna let you?" Dante pressess.
"Who's gonna stop me?" I mock.
He puts his hands up in surrender as he slowly backs away,
"If he asks, I was never here,"
I smile to myself, walking out the door with caution. Who knows what, or who, I'll run into.
»»———- ———-««
"That will be $4.30" The McDonald server tells me.
I pull out the five dollar bill from my pocket, giving it to her as she hands me my 'meal'. Fries and Ice cream are a good combo considering Cali's weather.
McDonalds has been my comfort food since I was thirteen. I think it always will be because if anything else is put in front of me, I won't eat it for shit.
After getting diagnosed, there was only one thing I would allow myself to eat, with exercise following after.
I looked at my phone for the time and I almost dropped my ice cream when I read it.
5:36 pm.
Looking around, most of the street lights have turned on. I quickly stuff the food down my throat, trying not to gag at the overload.
Running all the way back to the house, I don't stop for traffic. If Damien is back before I am, I am so done for life.
I approach the front gate of the house but I stop dead in my tracks when I find Damien's car parked neatly in the driveway. Most of the lights in the house have been turned on which means he's moving around a lot.
Shit.
I swiftly run behind a tree to hide myself.
Times like this makes me wish I had Nikolai to help me.
I'm grateful for the training lessons I took though. It's a chance for me to put my skills into real life.
I scan the area around me before making a run for it towards the front door. With a couple twists and turns of the handle, the door opened.
So much for my safety.
The creaking door slowly opened. I accidentally let go of the handle and it shut loudly from behind me. My back was pressed against the door as my chest heaved up and down repetitively.
The mirror on the hallway table gave me a chance to realize how messed up I looked. The breeze had frizzed up my hair and made me look like an entirely different person. Not to mention the dried ice cream on my nose.
Had I been caught by Damien alone, he would've shot at me with no hesitation thinking I was a complete stranger.
I think he actually has dreams about shooting at me. But then again, I do too.
I keep walking further into the house but I stop dead in my tracks. Three heads turned to me and Capo heavily cleared his throat, an unimpressed look on his face.
Shit, I'm in trouble.
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Thank you for reading 𝐋𝐨𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐢𝐦.
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