MATTER OF TIME

I hugged the gun to my chest. My fingers clenched around the cold metal. I hadn't stopped trembling since I stepped into this phone booth.

Two black SUVs suddenly pulled up in front of the diner. Six armed men jumped out of the vehicles, and my blood ran cold.

They spoke in heavy Russian accents as they searched the area. How did they know I was here?

One of them looked in my direction, rooting me to the spot. For a moment I thought he didn't recognize me, but then a cold smirk lifted the corner of his mouth.

My heart hammered against my ribs as he waved at me. He slowly started approaching me, I cocked my gun before aiming at him.

Then a black minivan came speeding down the road, deliberately hitting the Russian. My hands flew up to my mouth as the man's body hit the ground with a sickening thud.

A man dressed in tactical gear jumped out of the van. Rain started falling from the sky, as if it was waiting to fall on him.

He was holding up a shotgun. I stepped back until my back hit the back of the booth, even though he was nowhere near me.

He started shooting the remaining Russians. I closed my eyes in fear until he was done taking them out.

The last shot went out and the small town became even quieter than it was before. The sound of heavy boots, crunching into glass filled my ears.

I listened to the rain as it hit the window behind me like a metronome, tapping out the time. It was only a matter of time.

He would be coming for me next. He was one of the bounties looking for me. I opened my eyes before aiming my gun right at his head.

He had his gun tossed to the side, holding his hands in the air. "I'm not gonna hurt you," he uttered in a gentle tone.

A light frown settled between my brows. "Stay back!"

"Are you Livia Muron?" He asked before lowering his hands to his sides. "Ghost sent me. We need to leave, everyone is out for your head right now."

"I'm not getting in a van with you," I argued, refusing to lower my gun.

"Fine, stay here and get caught. I have better things to do with my time," he muttered before walking back toward his van.

I bit down hard on my bottom lip. He jumped into the van without looking back. The sound of the engine starting snapped me back to reality.

I pushed out of the phone booth before jogging up to the van. The rain instantly soaked my clothes.

"Did you change your mind?" He asked while leaning over to open the door for me from the inside of the van.

I wordlessly jumped into the van before pointing my gun at his head. "If you screw me over, Ghost will have your head on a silver platter before daybreak."

A smile brightened up his face. "I know," he chuckled before pulling onto the road. "I was told to deliver a package. I'm just doing my job, Princess."

"Don't call me that," I snapped at him.

That stupid pet name was given to me by Apollo. I despised him. This all happened because of him. Because of that stupid deal he made with my brother.

"You look like a princess," he continued and I shot him a warning look. "Alright, then what should I call you?" He curiously questioned.

"Livia." I pointedly stated before sending a bored expression in his direction.

"Cool," he nodded while tapping his fingers against the steering wheel. "I'm Cooper but you can call me Gunn," he kindly introduced himself.

I finally lowered my gun before averting my gaze from his. I stared out the window, watching the rain trickle down the glass.

After an hour of driving, we finally reached a mansion on a hill, surrounded by forest. This looked more like a military base than a home.

We parked in a small parking lot and Gunn sighed heavily. "Goodluck with the rest of your journey, Livia."

I narrowed my eyes at him before getting out of the van. The rain mercilessly hit my skin. A guard, dressed in a black suit approached me with an umbrella in his hand.

"Try to keep up," he uttered before roughly gripping my arm and pulling me along with him into the house.

"Let me go, you're hurting me," I uttered but he ignored me, tightening his grip on my arm.

"Ghost has been waiting all day for you. None of us is happy that some bitch got the Boss involved in a war with the Russians, the Italians, and the Graves." He spat at me before roughly pulling me down an empty corridor.

"I had no one else to turn to," I argued while clawing at his hand, wrapped around my delicate skin.

"You'll be dealt with very swiftly." He seethed through his teeth, pushing me into a large bathroom.

How dare a guard talk down to me like this?

His hand wrapped around my chin, making my skin crawl. "I'll give you a visit in quarters tonight. And I'll bring friends."

I pulled my face away from him and a sick laugh escaped him. He left the bathroom and my stomach twisted. I knelt in front of the toilet and emptied my guts.

I wiped my mouth once I was done and weakly pushed myself off the ground. I flushed the toilet before splashing my face with cold water.

I spotted a set of clothes, neatly folded on the bathroom counter. I sighed before stripping out of my clothes and stepping inside the shower.

I stood under warm water and started scrubbing them off my body. I would never let them touch me again. I would never let them come near me again.

I rinsed the soap off my body before wrapping a crisp towel around my body. I dried my body, grabbing the clothes off the bathroom counter.

I slipped into the soft, grey sweat suit and quietly brushed my wet hair. I pulled my hair into a bun behind my back, sliding my feet into a pair of slippers.

I quickly brushed my teeth, rinsing my mouth with mouthwash. I walked out of the bathroom and found the guard from earlier waiting for me.

"All cleaned up and wet," he uttered, placing his hand on my head. His hand trailed down to the back of my neck. He placed a bruising grip on my neck before leading me further down the hallway.

He opened a door at the end of the hallway. He pushed me one last time and I lost balance, landing on my hands and knees on the cold marble inside the office.

I lifted my head and made eye contact with him. Ghost. Aaron Muron. He carefully set his cigar down, his dark eyes landing on me.

He slowly got up from his chair before rounding his desk. He stretched his hand out to me, gulping down nervously, I placed my hand in his, and he helped me up, pulling me flush against his chest.

"Did he hurt you?" He asked, keeping his arms wrapped around my small frame. I could only nod at him as I buried my face into his chest.

"What do you value most? Your hands or your head?" He asked the guard who, just like everyone else inside the office, was now staring at us in shock.

"Boss, I didn't know," he started but he was quickly cut off.

"Hands or head?" He repeated himself, the warning in his voice not going unnoticed.

"Head," the guard sobbed out.

"Take him outside and cut his head off." Uncle Aaron uttered, placing a kiss on my forehead.

His voice was much gentler when he spoke to me. "Take a seat, Bean. We have much to catch up on."

I watched as they dragged the guard out of the room in horror, but took a seat nonetheless. Because I knew, Uncle Aaron would protect me.