Nicholas could barely sleep that night.The image of Alison pressed against the wall with pure anger in her eyes kept interrupting his sleep. Damn it. He shouldn't be thinking about her, he had more pressing matters to deal with.He shouldn't have gotten that close to her. Or touched her in the first place. The look in her eyes stirred something in him. Something he didn't want to feel more like wouldn't accept himself to feel. He nearly lost control and it terrified him.His control was the only thing keeping them alive at the moment. He couldn't afford to lose it.He didn't know what Adrian was planning and he suspected he had something to do with the symbol. He wasn't sure but that was all he could come up with for now. He didn't need Alison digging around. It would just get her killed or force him to do things he wasn't ready for.He couldn't afford for that to happen.Yet... he found himself thinking about her even though he tried to hide it.He loved how she challenged him and
A scream broke the quiet night. Nicholas jolted awake, alert suddenly. His thought was of one person. Alison.He reached for his gun as he heard another scream, louder than the first.He rushed out of his office and dashed towards Alison's room. He could still remember their argument. Damn, he shouldn't have left her alone. He kicked the door open with so much force.No one, he didn't see anyone in the room, and for the first time,, he felt a feeling he didn't think he would feel for a long time.Fear.His eyes drifted to the broken window and the remnant glasses on the floor.She was gone. Alison was gone. He caught sight of blood on the floor. She was injured. Those assholes hurt her, he was going to make them pay. The hands that dared her hurt her, be it whoever Adrian or whatever.His mind was racing as he stared at the blood. He could feel himself getting furious. Now wasn't the time to lose control, he had to find her and whoever took her.He called one of the men who was suppos
Nicholas stared at the almost lifeless body in his arms. His heart nearly stopped beating when she fell into his arms. The image triggered a memory,but a different time, different person, similar situation, and striking resemblance. Alison wasn't going to; he wouldn't let that happen. He ignored the chaos and fighting from the men and picked her up. She needed to be taken to the hospital. He knew it was risky considering they were in the run but that was the only option. "I'll get Luca," Tristan said, aid probably sensing how lost Nicholas was. Luca was a doctor who also helped if any of the gang members got injured. Soon Alison was out of his arms and was being attended to. He didn't want to leave her with Luca but something was really bothering him. He left her with Tristan before going to meet the men who abducted her. He marched towards them with a burning fury in his chest threatening to burst. The men were already tied up and injured. He brought out a sharp knife from his pock
Alison woke up again, she didn't know when she fell asleep again. She didn't see Nicholas which made her to feel panicked till she saw him lying on the couch. It looked a little odd considering his tall frame. She didn't know where they are. She monitored the unfamiliar room with intent trying to know whether she could guess the place.She stared at Nicholas again, she got off the bed and moved closer to him. A half blanket covered him.His gun was kept to his side. He looked so....tired yet still handsome. This was the first time she has ever seen him sleep.He looked so gorgeous. Alison watched me closely. He looked different. He seemed more... human unlike before. She walked back to her bed sitting on it. She glanced at the half glass of water placed on the table remembering how he took care of her.She wondered why he chose to be in the same room with her. He could have gone to another room. But he didn't. He was still here.A voice in her mind was reminding her she looked like his
The days went by in the underground room with Nicholas taking care of Alison till she eventually got better. Nicholas didn't leave her as promised. They had enough resources with them. It was almost as if he knew this was going to happen. Although Alison wasn't surprised. Being part of a Mafia, you have to prepare for emergency situations.The outside world was like a mystery to them as the time they spent inside the room passed slowly.As soon as she got better, Nicholas was busy. He's been making more phone calls. Although he was quiet during the calls. Her curious ears were ever ready to listen. She pretended not to, but she has heard more than he realized.Most names he mentioned sounded unfamiliar. The only familiar name he mentioned was Adrian and Tristan. Apparently it looked like they were still searching for them.She knew he wanted to protect her. That warmed her heart. Gradually she has been seeing so many good sides of him recently. Why couldn't those people leave them alo
Alison woke up earlier than before. The room was dark and completely filled with silence. She sat up on the bed stretching her body. Her body felt sore. She looked at the couch and she didn't see Nicholas.She expected to find him pacing the room or with his phone call.She straightened her shirt, her gaze falling on the closed bathroom door. The light spilling out from beneath it confirmed one thing. He was in there.She was about to lie down back when the door opened. She turned without thinking and froze.Nicholas came out of the bathroom, a white towel hung dangerously low around his waist.His hair was all wet and messy from the shower. Beads of water dropped from his perfectly built chest, and they glided down to the towel.Alison felt like she couldn’t breathe.She knew she should look away but she didn't. More like she wanted to look at him. Her brain was warning her not to look down; everything in her was forcing her to look up, but she found herself looking down at his body
All that Alison could think about was their almost-kiss. She was perfectly sure of it. All Nicholas did was confuse her. That seems to be his daily job which he was perfectly fine in. How could he do that leaving her craving for more.She was frustrated just thinking about it. Or could he possibly be still thinking of her as Amelia? She felt a little hurt thinking of her. She stared at him on the couch. His eyes were closed. He looked so peaceful in his sleep. He seemed a bit awkward on the couch. Even in his sleep, he was invading her mind.She sat up from the bed. Even the bed annoyed her too. A thought crossed her mind. She was about to do something crazy that might make things awkward for them."Nicholas""Nicholas"Nicholas opened his eyes, a few seconds later."Yes" He sat up and looked at her with those gray eyes she had come to talk."I can't sleep" She blurted out. That wasn't what she intended to say but she went with it."Me too" he sighed."Do you want tea?" he asked, and
****Nicholas couldn't understand what was going on. He hasn't heard from Tristan for a while. He didn't know how things were in Adrian's end. He tried calling but he got no response. This was unlike him. He brushed it off noting it would be hard to communicate with him being in Adrian's territory.He watched as Alison slept. She looked so angelic in her sleep. He thought of last night when she confessed to him. He was honestly shocked by her confession and their late-night conversation. He could spend the whole day just hearing her speak. She had such a lovely voice. She was opening up to him now.He watched as she turned in her sleep. She was waking up. She slowly opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling for some time. Her cheeks turned red, he knew she remembered last night.He had always wanted to tell her how cute her morning face looked. He watched her as she sat up. Her eyes met his. She smiled at him and he found himself smiling too. He walked up to her. "Good morning beauti
Alison sat by the window wearing a borrowed hoodie. She freshened up a while ago. She could tell Nicholas was curious about what happened to her. It was like he didn't want to push her. He wanted her to tell him what happened in her accord.She felt his presence in the room, he stood by the door watching her."You know I went out looking for you when some men I didn't know drugged me. When I woke up, I was in this unknown building. I don't know, apparently, you killed their head and they wanted to use me as bait to get you"" The Ortegas" he groaned in annoyance."I managed to escape luckily-" she made a tiny pause not knowing how he would rest to what she wanted to say next. " I met Adrian"There was a cold silence for a while. Nicholas was trying his best to remain calm even though there was a burning anger in his chest and it worked. She stared at his face but she couldn't read it.Soon he was by her side. "Are you okay, did he do anything to you""I'm okay, Nicholas; he didn't man
Alison didn't turn back and continued running. She didn't remember how long she had been running. She couldn't hear any sounds of footsteps but that still didn't give her any reassurance. Adrian's taste still clung to her mouth and she felt the urgent need to wash off everything that reminded her of that monster.She turned a corner and the sudden beam of headlights blinded her.A car screeched to a stop.“Alison?” A voice she'd never forget said. Nicholas.She froze.“Alison!” he was out of the car in a flashShe stumbled backward as he crushed her with his arms pulling her into a tight hug. Tears she didn’t realize she was holding began to fall freely down her cheeks.“I’m so sorry,, Nic” she whispered, “I should have told you about Adrian”“Shh.” Nicholas placed a finger over her lips. “You don’t have to explain. I'm the one at fault. I'm sorry for leaving; I should have never left you alone,” he said, and she nodded.He was in a complete state of shock and disbelief at who he was
Alison gave up trying to get out of his cold. She was so tired at this point. He was the last person she wanted to see at the moment. He smiled at her, reminding her of how welcoming he was when she first saw him. This time she wasn't fooled."You are never going to remain hidden forever ""Get away from me, you monster""I believe you know I am now" Adrian made a sad face. "I'm not going to hurt you" he began. "Unless you misbehave" he gave a look as if warning her."You know if you want to kill me, just do and get this over, I'm tired of hiding "" Ohh, Darling." he tucked a strand of her hair, and Alison pulled her face back."You were never the target; it was Nicholas; the house wasn't the first time we met Alison. I bought paintings from you two years ago. I was stunned by your resemblance with her, so I watched you and I plotted the whole thing. The incident at your house, the murder you witnessed, wasn't a coincidence; I let it happen. It was the only way for Nicholas to meet y
Alison didn't know where she was going or where she was. She was just moving; she was getting tired; she had been running almost the entire night, not stopping to rest or sleeping a wink. Each time she settled down to rest, an unsettling fear they were coming closer struck her.The only lucky thing she liked was the fact she hadn't heard anyone chasing after her. She was sure she was pretty far from there.****Adrian had a feeling where Alison could be.The Ortega Syndicate.He heard from his spies there that there was an appointment of a new Mafia leader, and Nicholas had a lot of enemies there, so it made perfect sense as to where she was going to be if she was indeed abducted.He had to be sure.He confirmed one thing: Nicholas was in love with Alison, and that's what he wanted for him to carry out his plan. He stared at his face in the mirror noticing his bloody lip. Nicholas was so going to pay for laying his hands on him. He was going to take everything he had till he begged fo
Nicholas was still surprised that Luke was alive. He remembered he didn't see the body so clearly, it was staged to fool him, and it worked. He still couldn't believe Luke betrayed him. Of course, he had his suspicions, especially since the cabin incident.Although Nicholas didn't want to admit or act like it. He considered him a friend; they trained and grew together in the Castellanos."You know I love the look on your face?" Luke sneered at him."I tried looking for you""Don’t you lie" Luke snapped. "You didn't do shit""I know, I was busy but I was concerned about you""Liar""I don't care to explain, I don't have time for this, as much as I love that you are alive, I need you to get these men out of my way "Luke laughed bitterly " Now that's the Nicholas I know, it's because of her right, what's her name again, Alison right or what is Angela, you didn't even bother to check if I was alive because of that whore","Watch your tone," Nicholas said through gritted teeth. He was thi
Alison could feel some presence again in the room. She had been sitting down for hours, and she was beginning to get tired of it." Why don't we just kill her and get this over with""No, the boss wants to see her""Your boss, not mine. Her boyfriend Nicholas killed our boss, the only person fit enough to run this gang." Alison could feel a glare aimed in her direction."You think I don't know, the boss, our new boss wants us to bring her, so untie her now," another voice growled. She could hear murmurings and movement in her direction. The ropes loosened around her wrists and ankles and she was free.The person picked her up roughly; her legs were a little weak, probably from sitting down too much. " I still think this is bullshit, man, we should destroy the person that caused the boss's death and clearly Nicholas is smitten by this girl so she'll do" "Lower the gun, man," a voice said after a short pause. Even though she still had a blindfold in her eyes, she could tell the gun wa
Adrian wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand looking amused."Since you're so desperate for answers," he drawled, "I'm kinda feeling generous today."He gave a signal to his men and a few seconds later, two guards came from a side door dragging a familiar figure with them."Tristan," he muttered under his breath, feeling angry all over again.Tristan’s head was bowed, his hair wet sticking to his face. His shirt was torn soaked in dark stains of dried blood.A sick feeling bloomed in Nicholas’s chest as he watched him. They dropped Tristan in front of him. Nicholas supported him gently on the floor. His body was cold, frightening cold "Nick, the asshole Luke is alive" his words were quiet but loud for Nicholas to hear.The words hit Nicholas like a bullet.No. It couldn’t be. He was sure he was dead. But the look on Tristan's face said otherwise.Nicholas barely had time to process it before Adrian’s voice cut through the heavy silence like a blade.
Only one person came to mind when it came to abducting Alison.Adrian.The name alone filled him with anger. The thought she left came to mind, he brushed it aside. He needed to find her and fast. He never should have left he was feeling guilty and afraid something might happen to her.He stormed out of the room. There was only one place he knew Adrian would be.Nicholas hasn't driven fast the way he drove there. He wasn't focused. All he could think of was how he could have handled the matter differently. If he did, this wouldn't have happened.Amelia's lifeless body flashed in his mind. "No, Alison was going to be fine," he told himself repeatedly, trying to convince himself. All he wanted was to have her in his arms and apologize for how sorry he was.His anger returned so fast as he approached the place. The place he hasn't been for a while. He had a love-hate relationship with this place. The place that practically raced him.He knew he was going on a suicide mission coming here
Alison's emotions were all over the place. She was feeling so many things at the same time. She was sad and angry and felt so many things she didn't understand.Her face was dried with tears, she had been crying. She knew she should have told her. She was hurt, and Nicholas's leaving added to it. She knew he just needed time to cool off but it pained her.The warm once vibrant room was now cold. The night passed with a heavy stillness.Alison couldn't sleep. She stayed seated on the couch waiting for him. The couch reminded her of him. She didn't know when she fell asleep but she woke up and it was already morning.Nicholas still wasn't back. Alison was beginning to get worried. What if something bad happened to him? There's no way she could stay here and continue to wait for him to show up. She needed to do something. "I can't just sit here" she whispered to herself.Grabbing a coat, she slipped on her shoes. She'll be quick. She just needed to check if Nicholas was nearby. The plac