Chapter 28

Cole's POV

The loud noises ringing in my ears is all I can hear. I can't hear anything coming from anyone, not from Pa, not from Santiago, not from anyone, but I can feel myself being pulled away from the lawn of the now-burning building. I turn my head groggily and see that everyone is alive and situated somewhere near our cars. The relief that everyone is okay makes my eyes begin to grow heavy and the intense ringing begins to slowly dissipate. The last thing I see is the look of concern on dad's face as he rushes over to my slumped body, then all I see is black.

*

I get out of the car and make my way round to the passenger side door, carefully opening it. Instead of waking her up, I pick Cassie up bridal style and ease her out of the vehicle. I press a kiss to her forehead when she begins to stir, and I shut the car door, one of my men taking it down to the garage.

"Wha- Where am-" I cut her panic short and secure my grip on her when she tries to get down.

"Shhh, gattina. It's just me." she raises her gorgeous green eyes to meet my gaze.

"Ummm. I can walk. It's no-"

"Nonsense. You're a delight to carry." I chuckle.

I catch the glimpse of a small smile as I approach the front door. She wraps her arms around my neck, leaning her head on my shoulder, and I subconsciously smell her calming scent.

The guards open the door with questioning looks, yet they know better than to say anything, so they just nod my way. I'm too transfixed by this beauty that I don't see Stefano and Rosa coming down the stairs.

"Well well well, cosa abbiamo qui Don? Sei andato ad un piccolo appuntamento vero?" [what do we have here Don? Went on a little date did ya?] Stefano questions me.

He thinks that as a close friend, he can get away with shit like this.

"Chiudi la bocca o lo farò io-" [Shut your mouth or I will-] I begin to threaten him when an angelic voice interrupts me.

"Spararti dove il sole non splende" [Shoot you where the sun doesn't shine] she finishes, moving away from my shoulder.

My head snaps to hers to confirm I just heard that correctly from the angelo who was crying less than an hour ago. Cassie smiles innocently and I smirk as I realise I have a little trouble maker on my hands. I look back up to see two sets of wide eyes and jaws dropped. I look at them with a blank expression even though this is a very amusing situation for me. Cassie sees my face and she turns to look at them. I look back down at her and I can almost sense the cogs in her head turning.

"Oh andiamo ragazzi. Non hai paura di un piccolo appuntamento, vero?" [Oh come on guys. You're not scared of a little date, are you?] she asks them in a mocking tone, a smirk playing on her lips.

A light chuckle emits from my chest, and the two clear their throats, fix their posture and bow their heads at me.

"We'll just come back tomorrow boss." Rosa laughs nervously, pulling on Stefano's arm.

"Yeah. You do that sweetie." Cassie laughs, burying her head in my neck.

I stiffen at the foreign move, relaxing instantly when she kisses my neck.

The two cough awkwardly and leave, scurrying towards the door. Cassie laughs in the crook of my neck as I make my way upstairs with her securely in my arms.

Reaching the top, I turn right, advancing towards her room when she mumbles a "no".

"Huh?" I whisper in response, confused.

"Please. I don't want to be alone tonight. Can I stay with you?" she pleads.

"Of course, gattina. You don't even need to ask." I make a U-turn and walk towards my room, Cassie burying her head back into my neck and sighing.

I open the door and gently place Cassie on my bed. I shut my door and grab a shirt and joggers from my dresser. I walk over to her and offer my shirt for her to change into. She accepts it, and instead of going to the ensuite like I expected, she stands and begins to strip.

First is the dress, carelessly tossed somewhere in the room. I take a sharp breath when I see the in her black lace lingerie which leaves little to the imagination. Once I realise I'm staring, I swiftly make my way to the bathroom, where I take a quick cold shower, change and brush my teeth.

After about 15 minutes, there's a gentle knock at the door. I put my toothbrush in the holder and open the door, only to be greeted by a shy and timid looking angel.

"Why did you leave?" she whispers. "Do you find me that repulsive? Is it my scars? Is it-"

"Hey." I cup her cheek and wipe the tear that fell from her emerald eyes away with my thumb.

"Don't you ever think that, you hear me? You are gorgeous, you're a literal Goddess, and in my eyes, your scars make you more beautiful. To me, they show how strong you are. They mean that no matter what you've been through, you're still here, you're still strong, you're fighting. I love the way you look exactly as you are. So never think otherwise, ok?" I affirm her softly.

She really thought I'd find her repulsive? How on Earth could I ever?

"Then why leave?" she asks, her tone still quiet.

"You just had to relive trauma. I figured you wouldn't want me ogling you." I lightly chuckle, followed by hers.

Like a timid deer, Cassie takes small, slow steps towards me and ever so slowly lifts her arms up, past my torso and around my neck. I lean down and she squeals when I lift her off of the ground, her legs wrapping securely around my waist. She starts giggling and the sound is like music to my ears, bringing a small smile to my face. In this exact moment, I make it my mission to hear that sound everyday. When she starts nestling into my neck, I take that as my queue to go back to the bedroom.

"Want me to grab your toothbrush?" I ask, seating myself on the bed.

Cassie shakes her head no then mumbles an "I already did it" into my neck. When? I didn't even hear the door once, let alone twice. Brushing the thought off, I plant a few kisses all over her face, neck, and collarbone, which causes more of those angelic giggles to expel for her, at which I smile.

I grab the blanket and cover the both of us when Cassie yawns, her still on top of me. For once,  I don't think about the ways I can take a woman, or the envision the way she screams when I'm inside her.

Instead, I cherish this moment.

Cassie laying on me. My arms firmly secured around her. The way she smells. The way she nuzzles into my neck. And - surprisingly - I even cherish the way I feel happy in a long time, and how I have a stupid smile on my lips that refuses to leave.

If this is the way heaven feels like, I think I would be ok with staying like this forever.

I close my eyes and give a kiss to Cassie on her temple. She reciprocates the gesture by kissing the base of my neck. I hear her mumble a goodnight, to which I say the same thing in return. After a few minutes, Cassie's breathing evens out and becomes light and soft, indicating to me that she's asleep. I nuzzle my nose into her hair and inhale her floral scent.

God I must seem like a creep, smelling the hair of the woman sleeping on top of me.

And yet, that same scent is what calms my normally overthinking brain. It's that same scent that allows my mind, body and soul to relax into the state of peacefulness that puts me to sleep. Closing my eyes, I allow myself to do just that.

I close my eyes as soon as I open them, the harsh light of the room contrasting to the warmth I felt moments ago as I dreamt of the memory where I realised I had feelings for Cassie. The moment I realised I love Cassie. As cheesy as it may sound, my stubborn self just wouldn't allow my brain to know what my heart already did.

Blinking rapidly, my eyes adjust to the light and I try sitting up, groaning as pain erupts throughout my body. I realise there are wires and machines all around me, and I look down to see all of the unnecessary needles in my arm connecting me to them. Instantly, I begin removing all of them, the last one unintentionally being the one that connects me to the ECG. The monitor flatlines without my heartbeat to detect, and I stand, moving around and finding some clothes - in a bag on one of the two seats in the room - that I can change into. The door slams open and I turn my head to see Ma, Pa, Livia and zio Carlo standing at the door with worried expressions on their faces. They look at the empty bed, and then me, and I turn around, continuing to grab the clothes and change into them.

"Cosa diavolo pensi di fare?!" [What in the hell do you think you're doing?!] Ma says coming over to me.

"Torna subito a letto!" [Get back into bed now!] she demands.

I turn around and face her, needing to tilt my head down slightly at her 5'6 form.

"Ma, Sto bene. Devo trovare Cass- Ow!" [I'm fine. I need to find Cass-]

Ma drags me back to bed by the nape of my neck and her nails digging into me. Intentionally, I may add.

"You will stay here, rest and recover before you do any such thing. Your father and uncle can and will take over in the meantime, but you will stay here and you will listen to me."

"I don't know where Cassie is and I need to find her!" I rage out.

"Non alzerai la voce contro di me, Cole Lorenzo Santini. Mi capisci?" [You will not raise your voice at me, Do you understand me?] she grabs a death grip of the shell of my ear, and I swear she's putting her whole body weight into it.

"Ah. Ah! Si, si. Mi dispiace mamma." she smiles and lets go of my ear.

I grab the sore limb and rub it, trying to relieve some of the pain. Ma casually strolls over to Pa and he wraps his arms around her waist.

"How long have I been out?" I ask no one in particular.

"Only a few hours, figlio." [son.] Pa responds and I nod my head.

"And everyone's okay?"

"Si, nothing major, just a few cuts and scrapes. You got the worst of it." zio says.

"Anything on Cassie?" I ask, hopeful.

The disappointment in Ma, Pa, and zio's eyes tell me all I need to know, and my heart goes heavy with it until Olivia speaks.

"Actually, cugino, I have a little something." I feel myself lighten with that news.

A little something may be all we need.

"Maksim contacted me. He told me the reason for his brief absence was that they went back to the Volkov's mansion in Russia. It's a large, white mansion, about 20,000 square-feet large. There are floor-to-ceiling black-"

"One way mirrors all around and a 1,000 square-foot swimming pool out back." I finish for her.

"Cassie told me about it, but she never said where it is specifically, just that it was their main base in Russia." I say to clarify the clear confusion on everyone's face.

"Well we've got a few teams searching for it, but Russia isn't exactly small."

I think back to when Cassie told me about her stay at the mansion. The way she said she felt like a prisoner, never being allowed to leave the house without either a bodyguard or Viktor. I remember she said that she stayed with Viktor in the farthest bedroom on the top floor, making them as far away from danger as possible. I remember she said that while she was there, she never felt at peace except...

"The mountains." I think out-loud.

"Cassie said that she had a gorgeous view of the Altai Mountains from the balcony connected to her room." it was the only thing that made her feel truly at peace while she was there.

"That narrows it down a lot. I'll go alert the teams." Livia says with a renewed sense of determination on her face as she leaves.

"I'll go with her, see if there's anything I can do to help." zio says, nodding my way as he leaves.

"And you," Ma says, pointing her index finger at me.

"You will stay here and allow yourself to rest." she says authoritatively.

"Sì signora." [Yes ma'am.]

*

Cassie's POV

After having a mini silent breakdown in the bathroom, I hide the test in the waistband of my underwear. I make sure that Viktor's shirt - y'know, one of the only things he'll let me sleep in - is covering up any evidence of something being concealed underneath. Taking in a deep breath, I walk out of the bathroom and go over to the bed where Viktor is still asleep and put my slippers on. I rub my hands up and down my arms as a chilly breeze enters the room, and I put on Viktor's zip-up hoodie that looks like short dress on me, and I zip it up.

I exit the room, careful not to wake him up, and go in search of my brother. If anyone can help me, it's him.

After wondering around the mansion for about ten minutes, I give up looking for him and head down to the kitchen to feed me and my little one.

My precious cub.

Before I enter the kitchen, the smell of sausages and eggs distantly fill the air. Furrowing my brows, I walk in and see the man I've been searching for bent over the stove flipping sausages over and putting eggs into a medium sized dish. As he turns to set it on the table, he sees me and smile.

"Dobroye utro, mladshaya sestra." [Good morning, little sister.]

"I tebe dobroye utro, starshiy brat." [Good morning to you too, big brother.]

"Why are up so early?" he asks me and I gulp.

"I was looking for you actually." I laugh nervously.

"Me?"

I nod my head as I approach him, looking around to make sure no one else is around.

"Where's everyone who's supposed to be on patrol?" I question before I tell him.

"No one patrols anywhere near the kitchen until nine, it's seven-thirty." I nod my head in understanding.

"Sandy, what's wrong?" for some reason, the concern on his face brings tears to my eyes.

Cautiously, I look around, double-checking the coast is clear and un-zipping my jumper.

"I'm going to tell you something," I breathe out shakily.

"But you can't be too loud because Viktor is still asleep. He doesn't know and he isn't going to."

"Sandy, you're worrying me. What's going on?"

I pull out the pregnancy test and hand it to him. His eyes bulge as he reads it and his head snaps up to meet mine.

"YOU'RE-" I cover his mouth up instantly.

"Shush." I scold him, slapping him upside the head.

Once I'm sure he won't scream again, I remove my hand from his mouth.

"You're pregnant?" he whispers, staring in disbelief at the test.

"I need you to help me with something."

"Cassie, I can't help you escape again. Besides, you'd be safer here with Viktor to protect you and his-

"It's Cole's." my voice breaks.

"I don't need to escape, Viktor would just find me again, and I can't risk their life. I need to tell Cole, he needs to know, he has to know, that I'm carrying his baby." I say quietly, resting my hand against my stomach.

"He needs to bring us home." even though I whisper, my voice still cracks.

Sebby wraps his arms around me, embracing me in one of his signature bear hugs. I wrap my arms around him too, crying into his chest as he soothingly rubs one of his arms up and down my arm in an attempt to comfort me.

"You know his number?" he asks quietly once my tears have stopped flowing.

I nod my head and he gives me his phone. I put in Cole's number, saving the contact as BD.

"BD?" Seb asks.

"Baby Daddy." I laugh quietly.

"Ahh, I see."

I peer behind Seb and look at the small assortment of food on the counter. There are sausages, naked beans, spaghetti and something in the oven, and on the table behind me is the dish of scrambled eggs, as well as bowels of strawberries and seedless grapes.

"Go sit and eat." he says to me, pointing to the table.

"You need to eat and feed my little niece or nephew." he whispers and I let out a light laugh.

"Guess you're right." I say, making my way over to one of the seats.

"Aren't I always?" he asks smugly.

I roll my eyes and say no as I dish up a plate of food for myself once Seb begins bringing food over to the table in front of me. He places his hand over his chest as though I shot him in the chest, saying 'ouch' as though my denial hurt him. I laugh as I plate up six chipolata sausages, a spoon of eggs, a spoon of beans, and two spoons of canned spaghetti. Sebby takes out some hash browns from the oven and dishes up his own plate of food. I take three and we have a small conversation about happy past memories whilst we eat.

Within the next half an hour, I ate another two spoons of spaghetti, finishing it off, the last two hash browns, and one more spoon of eggs. I then demolished half of the bowl of strawberries and a handful of grapes. Me and Seb go into the living room and put on a movie. While that's playing, he tells me that he'll disappear later on with an 'emergency' to call Cole. He said that he'll send them our address, how many men are here, and that he needs to get here ASAP. I asked him why he won't be telling him about the pregnancy, but he said it was a moment I should be able to experience with the man of my dreams face to face, not over the phone through someone else. The fact of that makes me giddy with excitement as I think of all the ways I could reveal the news to him.

I asked him if he could take the test and dispose of it somewhere that Viktor won't find it, and Seb was more than happy to oblige. The whole conversation took about ten minutes under the cover of the sound from the movie, and once we were done, we cuddled up with each other and watched the movie with our blanket engulfing us in its warmth.

About halfway through the movie, someone snuck up behind me and placed a delicate grip on my chin. I jerked away from the touch and turned around to see him standing there with a sinister smile on his lips. I jumped up from the couch staring at him.

"Dmitri..." I breathe out in disbelief.

"Hey, megera." he says.

"Vixen?" Seb asks confused, looking between the both of us.

"Dmitriy. Vse khorosho i v poryadke, ya nadeyus'." [Dmitri. Everything is good and in order I hope.] Viktor says from somewhere as I stare as Dmitri.

"Konechno boss. Slyshal, chto koroleva vernulas', ya prosto khotel pozdorovat'sya." [Of course boss. Heard the queen was back, I just wanted to say hello.]

Viktor's gentle touch around my waist startles me and I flinch, making him look at me with a questioning gaze.

"Malyshka, what's wrong?"

I'm too shell-shocked to answer, still staring at Dmitri. He smirks, blowing me a silent air-kiss, and walks away as Viktor comes to stand in front of me. The change in view snaps me out of my chance and I look up into Alek's concerned eyes.

"Él... Él me violó." [He- He raped me.]

"What?!" both men ask and I nod my head in the subtlest of movements.

"Un día cuando estaba de guardia. Vladimir entró y pensó que lo quería. Dijo que yo era una puta ingrata por no quererlo a pesar de que él me quería." [One day when he was on guard duty. Vladimir came in and thought I wanted him. Said that I was an ungrateful whore for not wanting him even though he wanted me.] a tear slips down my cheek.

"Wouldn't hear a word of it when I told him. He said I was just lying to get out of trouble. I-" a sob falls from my lips before I can stop it.

"I got punished that day for something I didn't even do." my voice cracks at the end.

Viktor pulls me into his chest just as another sob leaves me, his chest muffling my sounds. His arms are secure around me and he walks me somewhere, still buried in his chest. We make it to the couch and he sits me down on his lap, wrapping a blanket around my body and running a hand up and down my back, my tears beginning to soak his shirt.

"Go, I've got her." he says to Seb - I'm guessing.

Viktor whispers sweet nothings to me and eventually, I fall into the darkness of my unconsciousness.

*

Sebastien's POV

I follow the direction that Dmitri went in, keeping my pace fast so I don't risk losing him in this giant house. As I turn the corner, I see him make a right at the end of the hallway, going towards his room. I pick my pace up even more so I'm speed-walking so fast that I barely feel my feet on the floor and make it to his room just as he begins shutting it. I slam my hand against the door, the force of it swinging the door wide open and hitting the wall. I walk into the room and my whole body takes up the doorway, blocking out Dmitri's only way of escaping.

"Sebastien..." he gulps.

"Hey man, what's-" I cut him off with my gun pointed at his head.

"Don't 'hey man' me after what you did to my sister, ty kusok der'ma." [you piece of shit.] I grit out through clenched teeth.

He tries to reach for his gun from behind him, but stops instantly when I pull back the safety of my own. I let a dark chuckle pass my lips.

"Dazhe ne dumay ob etom." [Don't even think about it.]

Dmitri's hand drops down to his side - without his gun - and I smile.

"Good boy." I smirk.

Before he can do anything in retaliation, I shoot both of his kneecaps and he falls to the ground screaming.

I pick him up by the back of his neck and drag him out of the room like the mutt he is, leaving a trail of blood in his path. I continue to drag him away, ignoring his screams and noises, and go down to the basement. Being second in command to Viktor, the guards don't say anything to me as I open the door, but that doesn't stop their questioning looks from making their way towards us. Going to an empty cell, I open it and throw the wailing baby inside. I strip him of everything besides his clothes, taking his gun, keys, phone and everything else with me as I lock the metal door.

I leave the basement and find my room, discarding Dmitri's stuff in a box and locking my door. I take my phone out and scroll through my contacts until I find 'BD'. Sending a message with the location of a small restaurant near to the Volkov's mansion, I take off sliders. Clicking the call button, I make my way into the ensuite and turn on the tap, letting the water run until someone on the other end picks up.

"Chi è questo?" A deep voice answers.

"È Cole?" [Is this Cole?] I ask, my voice flat.

"Dipende da chi lo sta chiedendo." [Depends on who's asking.]

"My little sister."

The line goes quiet, and I can't hear so much as him breathing on the other end of the line. I move the phone away from my ear to make sure that the call hasn't disconnected, and when I see it hasn't, I put the phone back to my ear. Just as I'm about to speak, he does.

"Sebastien?" his voice sounds hopeful, whereas mine comes out confused.

"Sai chi sono?" [You know who I am?]

"Si. Cassie mi ha parlato di te." [Cassie told me about you.]

I smile lightly at the thought of my sister telling people about me. I figured that maybe she hated me for leaving her when she escaped and never thought twice about me. I guess I was wrong and that warms my heart.

"Look, I need to talk to you. It's urgent and important, but Cassie's okay so don't worry. Come to the address I sent you, tomorrow at 8pm. We're in Russia. Bring whoever you want, but when you come and meet me, you come alone. I'll see you soon, Santini."

I end the call without waiting for a reply and run my hand through my hair.

I'll get you out of this little sister, for good. And this time, I'm coming with you.

That is if you'll have me.

Cole's POV

I stare at my phone in shock, still in disbelief at the phone call I just had.

She's okay.

Cassie is okay.

The relief that fills my chest isn't one I'm used to, yet it isn't an uncomfortable feeling. I leave the room in search for the people on the list of priority that I intend on bringing with me. Luckily for me, I happen to find them all together in the kitchen. Ma and Livia are at the stove while Pa, zio and Santiago are sat at the island.

"Deja de mirar el culo de mi primo, pervertido." [Stop staring at my cousin's ass, pervert.] I say to Santiago, whose eyes snap to mine.

"I just spoke to Sebastien." I say to everyone, and Santiago is immediately out of his seat.

"What?"

"I'm going to Russia early in the morning, you're all more than welcome to come or I'll go al-"

"I'm coming with you." he says instantly.

I nod my head in appreciation. Though I may not know him that well, I am grateful that Cassie has had someone who cares for her in such a brotherly way, making sure she's been safe and protected all these years.

"Me too." Pa and zio say at the same time.

Again, I nod my head in thanks. Before Ma or Olivia say a word, Pa and Santiago look at each other - as though communicating with looks - and then look at the two women before saying...

"You're not going." simultaneously, I may add.

Both women glare at the men with deadly looks, making them both gain a look of nervousness. They - too - look at each other, before turning back to the men and speaking in sync with each other.

"We're going at that's final."

Both men sigh in defeat after a few moments and keep quiet, nodding their heads submissively. Me and zio look at each other as if to say "what the hell just happened?" and look back at the four people in front of us. Shaking my head and letting out a light airy laugh, I speak.

"It's settled then. We're going to Russia."

I walk around the island and go over to Ma, giving her a kiss on the cheek and greet her with 'hi Ma' and she smiles at me, then I turn to Olivia and ruffle her air, saying 'hi squirt', to which she scowls at. Then, I walk back around the counter, greeting everyone else with 'hi Pa', 'ciao zio', and 'hey Santiago', and they all greet me with 'hi figlio', except Santiago who just says hi.

"What you ladies making?" I ask.

"Carbonara." Ma's answer makes my mouth water.

No-one, and I mean no-one, can make carbonara as well as mia madre. It's a traditional family recipe that has been passed through generations on her side. Ma got it from nonna. Nonna got it from her mum, she got it from her ma, and so on and so forth. Ma turns around with two bowels, as does Olivia, and I stand up to grab the other two.

"Godetevi, amori miei." she says as her and Olivia take their seats.

Pa is sat on the end, next to him is Ma. Next to Ma is Olivia and Santiago is sat on her other side, then it goes zio, and I am sat on the other end. Small conversation begins, and the three parents begin interrogating Santiago with questions about his mafia, his childhood, and his life in general. I begin laughing a little under my breath when he starts getting nervous.

"Non so perché stai ridendo Boo Bear. Quando Cassie tornerà, sarà la prossima." [I don't know why you're laughing Boo Bear. When Cassie's back, she's next.] Ma says.

I begin groaning at the nickname until she says the last bit. That makes me shut up real quick.

"È quello che pensavo." [That's what I thought.] she smirks triumphantly.

I laugh a bit and rise from my seat. I take my empty dish and place it in the dishwasher. I excuse myself from dinner and make my way up to the cold, desolate room that was once warm only a few weeks ago. Sighing, I grab some joggers and a fresh pair of boxers, making my way into the bathroom. I strip off my suit, throwing the dirty clothes into the wash basket, and turn on the shower to my desired temperature. I step in and allow myself to be drenched in water, then grab some soap and wash myself clean.

Once I step out and change, I brush my teeth and go into the wardrobe to grab one of Cassie's hoodies. I take it with me to bed and bunch it up, resting it next to my head on the pillow. About a week ago, I discovered that this is the only way I can fall asleep in my own bed, by tricking my brain into thinking Cassie is here by the smell of her. Setting my alarm, I allow myself to get some rest before the war starts.

*

I make my way downstairs after I gotten dressed in my suit, grabbing a small breakfast before we hit the road. Once everyone has come down, it takes us forty-five minutes until we leave the mansion and another five minutes to load up everyone's luggage. Ma, Pa and zio take one car, and I take the second with Santiago and Olivia in the backseat. About halfway to the airstrip, we stop at a red light. I turn around to ask Santiago a question and regret it as soon as I see his lips locked with my cousins. I turn my eyes back to the road and the lights turn green. Putting my car into gear, I speak.

"Fuck on my plane, I don't care. Fuck in my car, I'll kill the pair of you."

I hear Olivia let out a strangled gasp, followed by heavy-ish panting, and Santiago lets out an awkward cough. I cringe but continue driving in silence the rest of the way to the airstrip.

*

Once there, we all exit our cars and make our way over to the plane. The plane crew grab our luggage and put it in the plane as we make our way inside, everyone finding a seat and buckling in. Ma and Pa sit at the front with zio a few rows down. I sit in the middle where there's a table and grab my laptop, loading the system up. In my periphery, I see Olivia and Santiago sat together.

Within the next fifteen minutes, the plane begins to take off. Once we're in the air, Santiago and Olivia hurriedly unbuckles themselves and begin making their way to one of the bedrooms near the back of the plane. I take my own belt off and take long strides to grab the back of Santiago's collar, pulling him back. Olivia stops and turns around, but I simply shoo her off.

"Don't worry, squirt. He'll be with you shortly."

Hesitantly, she leaves and disappears into one of the rooms. I take my gun out and spin Santiago around.

"You heart my baby cousin," I begin, pointing the gun to his chest.

"I will give you a pain worse than death." I press the gun against his chin, adding pressure for emphasis.

"¿Nos entendemos?" [Do we understand each other?] my voice drops to a menacing tone.

"Sí." he nods his head as best as he can against my gun.

"¡Excelente!" [Great!]

I let go of him and give him a couple of stern pats on the shoulder.

"Don't fuck it up." I smile and turn around, leaving him to go and join Olivia.

I sit back down and do some research on the location around the address Sebastien sent me.

*

We landed about two hours ago, came to the five-star hotel - under false names obviously - and have set up base in four large, deluxe rooms. It's six right now and I have an hour and a half to kill in the meantime, yet I can't sit still.

"Fuck it." I mumble to myself.

Changing into a hoodie and joggers, I make my way down to the gym to kill some time. I get in and head straight for the treadmill. Starting high, I begin running my stress out through my sweat. After twenty minutes, I stop and chug half of the water from my litre bottle. I then get started on the rowing machine, exercising out the tension in my arms. Once another twenty minutes have passed, I still feel more agitated than I should, so I decide the best remedy would be to punch something and make my way over to the punching bag. Half an hour passes and I feel extremely relaxed - physically anyways.

I turn to leave and see a woman gawking at me a few feet away from me.

"Hi." she purrs.

I ignore her and continue making my way out when she wraps her hand around my bicep, pulling me back to her. Too pissed off to deal with this shit, I wrap my hand around her throat.

"Don't you ever dare to touch me again." I throw her away from me and walk away, not even sparing her a second glance.

Once I get to my suite, I shower the sweat off of me and change into my suit. It consists of black dress pants, a black blazer and a black dress shirt. I leave the front two buttons open and put on my black Oxford shoes. Grabbing the keycard and car keys, I go to the elevator and press the button that takes me down to the parking lot. It takes two minutes to get from the fifteenth floor to the ground, and as soon as the doors open, I step out and across the lobby, through the double doors and press my key thob, knowing I'm parked close to the entrance. I get in and get ready to take the next step to getting my gattina back.

*

The drive takes me twenty minutes, and I'm a few minutes early. I step inside the restaurant and look around for anyone who may resemble a male version of my Cassie. In the far corner of the floor plan, I see an individual - who appears to be male - concealed by the shadows. A waiter begins to approach me, but I pay him no mind and make my way over to the man.

"Sebastien, I assume?" I ask taking a seat.

"Cole." he nods my way.

"Where is she?" I demand instantly.

"Calm down, don. She's safe for now. I need to get her out of there, and the only way to do that is by getting rid of those idiot brothers in charge. Can't exactly do that myself, now can I?"

Taken back by his response, I ask.

"Are you not following said 'idiot brothers'?" I cock my eyebrow up.

"Only to ensure Cassie's protection and safety."

"What about all those years Cassie spent in Italy?"

"You know as well as I do that it isn't that easy to walk out of this world."

"Fair point." I mumble.

"So, what's the meaning of this meeting?" I ask, clasping my hands together and resting them on the table.

Straightening his posture, Sebastien looks me dead in the eye as he gives me his answer.

"To give you the best advantage and defeating these Russian scumbags, once and for all."

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