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36

I peeped from around the pillar and saw Mike standing next to Leo who was already on his feet brushing off the dirt from his suit with his right hand like nothing happened while Mike examined his left bicep. Multiple men in black suits rushed in through the rusty door with guns in their hands. "Those two men there are unconscious and the other three are dead. Vince, have it all cleaned up" Leo ordered the tall dark man.

Coming into the light shining from the broken sunroof, everyone turned their attention towards me like I'm some new dangling piece of meat. "Wait outside. All of you." Leo motioned everyone to leave with his uninjured hand.

Men rush out of the door immediately as Mike guarded the door with his back towards us.

"Are you okay, love?" Leo spoke softly as he turned his attention towards me which made tears stream down my face. Running towards him, I lock my arms around his neck. A surge of relief came over me as I held him in my arms, alive and alright. "My arm" he winced.

"Sorry." I pull away immediately as my gaze falls on his bicep. "Can I?" I ask him.

He nods and lets me remove his suit jacket then his shirt to examine the wound. Throwing his clothes to the floor I notice the bullet was still embedded deep into his flesh making blood ooze out and stream down his arm. "You need to get to a doctor before your wound gets infected." I say calmly as I look at the blood dripping down onto the floor.

"I will. Are you hurt?" He caressed my face with his right hand. I shake my head no and looked into his eyes. Relief mixed with anger and sadness were prominent in his blue orbs. Cupping his face into my hands, I pull his forehead closer to mine and hold it there while tears flowed down my cheeks.

"It's all my fault. You wouldn't be in this mess if it wasn't for me."

"It isn't your fault." He lifted my head and made me gaze into his eyes. "You didn't know this would happen."

"I got you in this mess." I shook away my head from his grasp and looked at the dirty wet cemented ground. "He wouldn't be your enemy if it wasn't for me."

He lifted my head up again and said "I got myself into this. You didn't force me, love. And I certainly don't regret it."

I couldn't help myself falling deep into the depths of his oceanic eyes that lured me in without any thought or effort, slowly pulling me closer to his face like a magnet. His recents actions got lost in the Bermuda Triangle of my mind at that moment. I didn't know what I was doing but I was doing something that made my heart beat thousand miles per second. I could hear him letting out fast uneven breath nervously just like me. My lips slightly brushed his when...

"Leo," Mike ripped us out of our la la land, "Federigo is waiting."

Leo stepped back instantly and cleared his throat. "Coming." Picking up his clothes, he motioned me to follow him out into the stinky alleyway we had come from where now two black suburbans stood on each side. "Get her home and have twenty men outside her house. Also, call Ray and ask him to come to the estate." Ray, like Dr. Ray Marino?

Before I could say anything, Mike pulled me into the passenger seat of the second car parked on the right side while Leo slid into one of the two on the left. "You all come in the other car and call Paul and ask him to bring twenty additional men to Ms. Noelle's house" Mike barked orders at the men standing outside and buckled himself into the driver's seat. Backing out into the empty street, we drive off as the other car followed us closely behind.

"Do you wanna talk?" Mike broke the awkward silence between us as he glanced at me.

"About?" I lean my head against the window and stare at the gray clouds covering every inch of the sky above just like they were covering my life.

"Anything at all. That's why I don't have any other prying ears in here."

"I have so much on my mind, Mike. So many thoughts running wild that I don't even know where to start." I let out a frustrated huff of air and continue, "I don't know what to do or what I even feel. My heart and mind are at war right now and I don't know which one to listen to."

"Over what?"

"Leo." I shut my eyes and imagine that beautiful yet ruthless man who had me in a state of absolute jumble. "I have conflicting feelings about him. I don't know if I should love him for all that he has done for me or run away from him because I know he's dangerous. He shot two of those men mercilessly without even blinking and that isn't even the worst part," a tear managed to escape my eye, breaking my strong facade, "I was ready to blow the last man's brains out if he didn't comply for Leo."

"Arie, you were trying to protect him and there's nothing wrong with that."

"Killing is wrong and I was about to have that man's blood on my hands." My tears soon turned into sobs as I buried my face into my warm, shaky palms.

"You have to do what you have to do and you didn't kill anyone."

"What Leo did doesn't even bother me much, even though it should. He is bad and I should steer clear but I always find solace in him. I feel for that man and I have yet to figure out what that feeling is."

"Maybe it's love." Mike looked me as we sat helplessly at the red traffic light.

"No," I laugh at his stupid statement as I wipe my remaining tears. "Love doesn't happen in just a month."

"Love doesn't knock at your door, Arie, it barges in without a warning whether you like it or not. It's not gonna be like 'hey there, you ready to fall in love? No? Okay.' Nope, that's not how it happens even though we'd like that, it just... happens." He paused and shook his head. "It comes racing in, breaking all the walls you manage to put up, just like it did to me with your aunt." I watch a smile grow wider on his face as dimples dug deep into his cheeks. "I didn't intend to fall for Wendy at all but I don't regret that I did. She's the best decision I've ever made. I would have never met her if you hadn't brought her to that ball a month ago."

"Have you told her that yet?"

"I haven't and I don't think I will." Mike looked over at my confused face and debated whether he should go on or not. I raised my brows compelling him to continue. "Arie, you're in my world right now and you know how dangerous and horrific it is. Your aunt is too good and naive for this world. I don't know if I can bring her into this mess."

He was right. Aunt Wendy is too innocent to be in this wretched world that I'm currently drowning in right now but she's happy with Mike. He makes her swoon and I've never seen her like this. She deserves happiness and she finds it in Mike. I can't take that away from her or let Mike do that to her.

"Do you have any family at all? Like a mother or a sister?" I spoke up after a few minutes of silence.

"A mother."

"Do you keep her safe?"

"Of course, she's extremely secure."

"Then tell Aunt Wendy how you feel. I bet you can keep her safe from this disgusting world and I don't trust anyone else to do a better job than you, Mike. The type of happiness that you bring to her is the type I've never seen and I can't withstand the thought of you taking that away from her so I beg you to tell her."

Mike slammed on the brakes, making the tires screech against the asphalt in front of my house. "We'll see." He runs around the car and opens the door for me. "Be safe, Arie."

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