The floor swayed as the plane landed, and my eyes flickered open. I hadn't had good sleep since I lived with Kegan, the bed in the mental institution was crap.

I rubbed my eyes, lifting my head to look out the window. It was dark in Rome, and even though fear of being a disappointment squeezed my heart, I couldn't help but feel content. I was back in my own country, and finally felt like myself again.

The men started to all head outside except for one of them, one with chocolate brown hair and darker brown skin who watched me like he was waiting for something.

I ran my tongue over my teeth. This was the same man who had nudged me out from the car, so I picked up my backpack and slammed it in his arms before heading down the steps. "Hold it carefully si?"

Once I got to the bottom of the stairs I took in a deep breath of fresh Italian air. Leo stood outside the car probably waiting for me but I wasn't going to talk to him, I wasn't even going to look at him.

He didn't answer my questions as to how he found me and why he was even doing this. I was so beyond confused I felt like I was actually going crazy.

Leonardo De Luca was really not a nice man from what I'd heard and seen. Surely Kegan was right, he was using me, though I didn't know what for.

The car ride home was dead quiet. The closer we drove to my home the more life bled into me, up to the point that I was pressed against the window.

But just as always, my curiosity never let me sit still.

I sat forward and put my head between the passenger and drivers seat where Leo and his minion sat. "How did you find me?"

"Tracker."

My mouth dropped open. "You put a tracker on me? Are you..." my words died down when I saw that he was just joking, in his own serious and brooding way. And he said he didn't kid.

"What an ass." I muttered, gaining the pinches of sharp stares around me. I insulted their boss and didn't give a damn, not even when Leo glared my way.

"Put your seatbelt on." His low order grated on my nerves, but still I listened.

The car soon rode into my neighbourhood, passing red roofed homes, small villas and then my house - a small orange Italian villa. The car hadn't properly stopped when I jumped out, hearing a curse from Leo.

"Can you sit still for minute." He asked, getting out.

"Nope. You're gonna have to cuff me next time." I replied, and judging from the dry side eye he gave me I realised what I'd said was inappropriate.

I swallowed and headed towards my door step, deciding to continue this charade. "You wanna come inside...? Check out my bedroom?"

His eyebrows lowered at my sarcasm like he was questioning what kind of creature I was. God, I'd never met anyone so cold.

When then he placed his hand on the car door to leave I rushed back towards him. "Wait I was joking."

"Hilarious."

"You have no sense of humour."

"Not a humorous person."

I took a step closer towards him, remembering when he once laughed at what I said. The sound of his deep, quiet chuckle against the whoosing of air returned to me and only made me move closer to him.

What would it take to hear it again? Maybe for the last time before he left forever?

I moved even closer, and now he'd noticed and stiffened like I was foreign. "Well maybe you just need to open up."

My hand reached out to touch his collar, but before I could he grabbed it. A breath was snatched from me. Rough and warm skin singed into mine, the heat settling into a pit in my stomach and then there were his eyes, the complete opposite.

A desolate, icy hell. I was sure if I was able to step foot in it I wouldn't last a second. A chill erupted at the base of my spine and I pulled my hand away, fighting off the stirring deep inside me.

"Don't...don't do that." The unease in his voice almost made him sound human.

"Why not?"

He worked his jaw as if contemplating some thoughts, before stepped back towards his car. "Just because I brought you home doesn't mean you mean shit to me."

I blinked, the warm breeze blowing a few strands of hair over my face as he sat inside the car.

And then, a pop.

Glass exploded everywhere and I shrieked as pain singed inside my stomach. My body fell against the car and I squeezed my eyes closed, the gunshots going on and on as the men jumped out from the car and started shooting back.

Tears pricked my eyes and I dropped to the ground, clutching onto my stomach. The voices of the men blurred out into white noise and I didn't care about anything but me. Me and the agony I was in.

My hand moved away from my belly and once I saw the blood, my breath choked in my throat.

"Help." I muttered, stared into Leo's eyes as he dropped on his haunches. The pain was so intense I didn't even care about the gun he held in his hand.

My eyelids grew heavy and just before I drifted off into death, I felt myself being tossed into someone's arms.

—————————————————————————
~Leonardo~

Uncertainty, irritation and regret. All three were persistent as I swiped my thumb across my lower lip in thought. One thing was for sure - I got myself into this fucking mess.

I was the one who didn't let it go, got myself involved with a goddamn annoying stranger, and it was all lead by one thing - an impulse.

"Boss?"

There were two answers to Dante's earlier question.

Leave her in the hospital and let her find her own way back home, even through this situation. Or actually give a damn about it.

"We'll leave her." I said to him and walked towards the door of my base, the location where all of my men worked on the illegal side of my "business" such as distributing drugs and training the new recruits.

I had just gotten into my car to get to the club, ready to leave all of this mess behind when I saw a silver necklace lying in the console.

Fifteen minutes later I was at the hospital.

I had to check if she was alive, then I'd be on my way. I strolled through the hallway, stopping at a door as the guard nodded to me.

"She awake?"

He shook his heads and I looked into the window, not expecting heat to gather in my chest. I was going to fucking regret this.

I opened the door, walking in to see her eating strawberry yoghurt. She looked at me once like I was a maid and then turned her eyes back onto the tv.

"You again." She snarled, ignoring my presence and continuing to watch her soap opera.

I stopped and grabbed her face. She stilled, being forced to look into my eyes. I ground my jaw, before storming up to her and tilting her chin up.

Nobody talked to me like that.

"Better fix that fucking attitude before I do it for you."

She blinked, completely oblivious to how my words scraped at her. "I'd like you to do it for me."

Fuck. Soft brown eyes stared up at me, unknowingly teasing and sending a rush of heat to my skin. It gave me a bitter taste on my tongue and I threw her face away, stepping towards the window.

She was making it harder for me to this.

"You're staying with me."

A chuckle left her mouth. "Ok."

"I'm not joking."

"Neither am I."

"Then you better get that smirk off your face, unless you like having a hit out for your head."

She froze, all amusement flooding from her eyes as she lowered her yoghurt. "Hit?"

Fuck. I just gave her more questions to ask. I stalked to the door before she could say anything else.

"What are you talking about?!"

"Get dressed." Was all I said before I walked out.

~Alex~

The breeze seemed to caress my cheek like a mother would do to her child.

I limped along the pathway outside the hospital, letting my eyelids fall closed with how good it felt getting some air. I'd been in hospital for a few days after my bullet-removing surgery and the room was incredibly stuffy.

Leo only came by once and that was to tell me I was staying at his place, which was ridiculous. I was starting to believe he'd taken some of the pills I was given after my surgery. I mean the man was insane.

It didn't matter. I'd have a civil discussion with him and if that didn't work I could always resort to using a frying pan to get him to listen to me.

Cade, the minion that most got on my nerves nudged me towards the black suv and I clenched my jaw.

My hand was already on the door handle.

Once I opened the door and slid inside, apprehension twisted my stomach until I could feel it ache. I was leaving Rome without even meeting my family.

I mean, I wasn't an idiot. I understood why I was leaving,. I was attacked. My area was incredibly safe which meant that this was a planned shooting and that Rome wasn't safe for me.

I could have went to the cops instead of running but what if the attackers found out and hurt my family? I could never forgive myself for that.

So I accepted the generosity of Leo and hopped into the SUV. Today there were two cars, both exactly the same. I was in one with two other strange men and I guessed Leo was in the other. Generosity.

He made it incredibly difficult for me to believe he had some good in him. Especially with the way his men were disciplined, it made me believe he wasn't soft on them at all.

But then again he wasn't soft on anyone. He had so many walls up around him he was out of touch with the reality that he was human.

And for some reason, I wanted to break those walls.

To see that man remove his vile facade and prove that he wasn't what others made him out to be. I believed there was someone warm beneath it all, and if there wasn't then I was right.

He was a demon on earth.

———

By the time I stepped onto the private jet - for the third time, I was now used to the special treatment the rich received.

I took my place in the same seat as before, reclining on the off-white leather chair and basking in how amazing it felt to pretend to be rich.

I mean this jet was amazing. Buttons to pull the blinds up and down, white marble lining the sides of the walls and around the windows and and a handful of servants to carry your bags into the plane.

I buckled myself up, and then met Leo's gaze from across the plane. Heat pooled in my stomach realising he was willingly looking at me, but I put on a blank mask and pulled my eyes away.

I was sure I was going to irritate the fuck out of him once the plane took off, and when I did I slowly stood.

My wound was fresh and still painful so I held it as I limped to his seat. Leo was sitting all the way at the other end of the jet, his hand over his chin as he stared out the window in deep thought.

Once I sat down he narrowed his eyes on me in a way that should have made me feel pathetic, but it didn't.

"Hey..." I turned to the flight attendant as she walked through the aisle. "Can I please get a glass of like- anything?"

"Sure." This flight attendant was sweeter than the last. "We have some of the finest Pinot Noir Rosé, I'll be back with it."

"Thank you."

Leo seemed displeased but I gave him a tight smile and laid my head back. "So Leo, you flirt. Are you going to tell me why you asked me to move in with you?"

"Business."

"Aw, and I was starting to think you like me."

Though he tried to hide it, a flicker of amusement touched his eyes. "Not even close."

"Fine. Since we're still in that friendship zone, will you tell me what you meant about there being a hit on my head?"

"What's there to explain?"

"So you're being serious. There's a hitman out there looking for me."

"Dead serious."

I let out en exasperated breath. Did his Mama not teach him how to communicate with people?

"I had the option of throwing you out on the streets, so watch how you breathe around me."

My arms crossed as I slid deeper into my seat. He was only giving me half answers, and they didn't satisfy me enough. This man was hiding something.

He was good at it, but I was better. I always loved reading people, seeing how they worked and what made them tick.

But this would be hard. Leonardo was a blank slate, and I couldn't quite read into the power radiating from him.

I suddenly wanted to figure out what it was he kept concealed behind icy eyes. This was no normal man that was for sure. With every step he took, all I could see was confidence and command and darkness.

Lurking beneath crystal eyes.

And sitting here I came to a conclusion - I was going to find out what he was hiding, and I didn't care what it would take.

Even if it costed me my life.