"Mr West," I greet him cautiously, taking in his casual jeans and T-shirt appearance. "I think you've mistaken me for someone else, I have no idea who you are."
His responding smile sends a cold chill down my back, with the key of the car firmly grasped in between my ring finger and middle finger as a makeshift weapon in case he makes a move on me, he chuckles darkly, "It's terrible that you've forgotten who I am so easily, Ms Ootori. After all, I did take quite a liking to you as a child."
As a child? Blinking a few times, I emphasized my words from before, "As I said, Mr West, you've mistaken me for someone else."
Opening the car door, I jump sky high when his hand forcefully slams the opened door shut, his breath is hot against the slope of my neck, making the hairs on my arms rise as his emotionless and cold murmuring voice makes me quiver in horror.
"Let me give you a hint. When you play with fire you get burned. Play with Hierarchy and you'll get killed. Who stood on the number one spot in the Hierarchy for three years straight before a little someone decided to run away?"
Run...away...Hierarchy...oh no...
My eyes widen in an immediate realisation of who this man is and I waste no time in elbowing him in the stomach. Fear runs through my body like a hot knife through butter, my body is on autopilot as I hop into the driver's seat, screeching out of the parking space. My hands grip the steering wheel tightly as I glance at the slowly straightening and receding figure of Carter Logans.
The leader of the Sangue Nero crime syndicate.
How did he find me? It's been twelve years since I escaped. My name is different and so is my personality...how the hell did he find me? Did he have me on a trace? How long has he been watching me? What does he want from me now? He knows I'm with Alexander...
The screech of tyres and some car horns snap me out of my rushing obscure theories of how he discovered me, slamming my foot down on the brake a little bit after the road divider of university street near Alexander's residence, I peep hesitantly into the review mirror. Cars of varying colours are either horizontally stopped in the middle to avoid hitting one another or forcefully stopped just after the traffic lights with little space between the bumpers of the cars behind them.
Crabs...what have I done?
Hitting metal to gas, I quickly leave the mess of vehicles behind me in a pretence that it was not my doing as I turn into The Scala's parking garage. Grabbing everything out of the car after I've parked the car, I hurry to the elevator where I punch in the access code for Alexander's apartment, my body trembles like the last leaf of autumn as the journey to his apartment seems to take longer than usual.
As soon as the steel doors slide open to reveal Alexander's immaculate foyer, I hasten to dump all my papers onto the low-rise coffee table in the living room to free up my hands a little, calling out to Mrs Dense to somewhere in the penthouse.
With Danny pressed up against my chest, I race-walk down the corridor that leads to my bedroom. As I sit down on the edge of my bed, reaching for the drawer of my bedside table with my free hand to retrieve the flip phone.
And I hesitate.
I think the lives of Alexander and Danny should be top priority right now, my subconscious huffs, crossing her arm over her chest as she rubs the back of my breaking down subconscious. Put away that damn pride of yours and just call him. He'll do anything for us, remember?
Feeling that she has a point, I press the green call button and I sit there with the phone to my ear, anxiously waiting for him to pick up.
The phone rings three times and then... it connects.
"What can I do for you princess?" The familiar, smooth voice of the leader...well, probably now ex-leader of the Cosa Nostra syndicate evokes some of the memories of my happier times in my early childhood. "It must be something big if you're calling and not texting like the case of the photographer."
"Daniello...it's all a mess," I whimper softly, my earlier fervour melting away as soon as his voice reaches my ears. "He's come back for me...he just...I saw him...he knows who I'm with...Daniello...he's going to...he's..."
"Alastora, slow down," He calmly commands, his voice serious but gentle as he gives me his full attention. "Is it the Sangue Nero group?"
My eyes close in remembrance of the horrid name, a sob escapes my lips as I nod to his question, remembering suddenly that he can't exactly see my response. So, I let out a small 'yes' after this realisation.
"Carter Logans?" he affirms, his voice deadly low and threatening.
"Mm-hm," I mumble as Danny groggily wakes up, making some baby noises as he wipes away my tears. "Daniello, I'm with someone who has a child. If he decides to after me...he's going to hurt them first...I...I..."
I was so caught up in worrying about him that I didn't even notice Danny was still sleeping...and I was so quick with my actions too...
"I know," He interjects lowly, his tone is low and emotionless making the hairs on the back of my arms rise from the chill his voice causes me. "I promised as have the rest of us that we will protect you and help you achieve what you stand for. I'll have Salvatores erase your little accident from the cross-section earlier and I'll put some men to watch you in case he makes a move. Who's your other half?"
Of course, he knows I wrecked a mess before calling him...he knows me best amongst the rest of them in Hierarchy... The thought makes me smile as I listen to the rest of his words.
"Alexander Holt," I reply, softly. Unsure of his reaction to me marrying someone who just got divorced three months ago. I don't know if he even knows Alexander by his business reputation.
The silence coming from the other end of the phone is deafening as Daniello seems to be absorbing the information that I am indeed marrying the recently back-on-the-market bachelor of the year.
"Daniello?" I murmur into the mouthpiece as the silence drags on for about three minutes.
He responds, softly, "Don't worry about Logans anymore, Alastora. Let us deal with him. I have to go princess. I'll message you tonight about what progress we've made regarding this situation."
With that, the flip phone goes dead with its steady beep...beep...beeps. With his reassurance, I feel a little bit calmer about seeing the devil of my childhood and this newfound calamity has enabled me to think straight.
Everything is going to be okay... I have to believe in that. I just have to cling to the hope that I've conjured up for myself since my adoption. I just have to cling to it with every fibre of my being.
Glancing at the clock above my door, I realise that it is just a little bit after four fifteen, remembering that Alexander and I have a dinner appointment tonight with some people with the last name White, I sigh heavily as I move to place the nodding off Danny into his cot only to find out that the cot is missing from its usual place by the wall near my bed.
Right...it should be in his room now...
It's a wonder that Mrs Denise didn't remove the phone from the drawer but she managed to clear everything else out of my room. Padding in the general direction of Alexander's bedroom, I find that my mind is blanker than the pristine white walls flanking my sides.
"What on earth am I expecting?" I ask myself aloud, opening the door of Alexander's bedroom with my elbow. "Godzilla to drop from the sky and start doing the conga while wreaking havoc everywhere his foot lands?"
Well, we could think about what happened in the car last night if we are looking for distractions, my succubus hums, giving me a sparkly-eyed look.
"Yeah, maybe not that" I mumble as I place Danny in his cot, pushing away the memory of him kissing me in the car and the mark on my neck.
You're all for avoiding reality, my inner succubus huffs, crossing her arms over her chest, her brown eyes that match mine glare at me irritatedly. I swear on my existence he's going to kiss you again tonight.
"You are just a figment of my imagination, of course, you'd bet your existence," I replied aloud, not thinking that it might look strange to anyone that I'm talking basically to myself as I sit my butt down on the edge of Alexander's bed. "You wouldn't even be in my head if I hadn't imagined you."
"Ah, should I call the mental health institution that they're missing a patient?" Alexander's voice chuckles in the general direction of the doorway. "I believe you are too old to have imaginary friends right, Janette?"
My cheeks heat up as he leans against the doorframe, his white business shirt unbuttoned to his second button allowing me a peek at his muscular chest, his sleeves are rolled up to three-quarters of his arms, and he has his suit jacket hanging loosely on his shoulders.
I gulp.
"Well...the mental institution would have to take you as well," I reply, standing from my seat on the edge of his bed. "It takes a mental person to point out another."
Chuckling, he crosses the room in about five quick and easy strides, his stature easily towering over my smaller one as he imprisons me in between his arms, his hands planted firmly on the bed on either side of me, "I guess, we're both crazy then."
Looking up into his stormy grey eyes, I feel my heart rate speed up as he leans down towards me, making goosebumps go down my arms which lay by my sides uselessly.
What is he doing?
"What are you doing to me, Ms Summers?" He asks huskily, his grey eyes searching my face as if just by looking at me, he'd get his answers.
"What do you mean?" I whisper, leaning backwards slightly. "You're the one that's been kissing me without warning. It's all you Mr Holt."
"Maybe, we're going to have to scrape out the 'No Attachments' rule from our relationship," He murmurs quickly, covering my lips with his before I can even respond to his words leading me to gasp into his kiss.