I peel my eyes apart and clutch my forehead at the sound of my phone ringing. Why do I feel like I'm hungover?

I rake my brain through last night.

Mia and I had a drink or two, we talked like normal people and it was nice. Then... We kissed. And she kissed me back. My lips curl into a grin at the thought. All of my restraint is paying off, she's falling for me just as I did for her.

Last night I had been so close to telling her that I would let her go once we returned to New York. After the kiss, I was in absolute euphoria, and I was going to break the news to her then and there, but she had asked me to leave.

Hopefully I'll be able to tell her this morning, and hopefully last night meant as much to her as it did to me.

Groaning at the painful ringing of my phone, I yank it from its charger, answering and placing it to my ear. "This better be fucking worth calling me at four in the morning." I growl.

On the other end I can hear frantic voices and the ragged breathing of one of my men; Sebastian. "Sir, there's been a problem." He chokes out.

"Spit it out then."

"Dante has been compromised."

I intake a sharp breath.

"What?" I grit.

"He's been shot in the abdomen."

What the fuck? Shot... Shot?

I fly out of my bed and place my phone on speaker as I begin to dress myself. "Tell me every fucking detail."

"He was found by two members of the public in the alleyway beside the apartment complex, lying unconscious and bleeding out at one-thirty this morning. It appeared that someone had attempted to slow the bleeding with a jumper... It just managed to save his life. He's currently being transported to hospital right now."

A million thoughts run through my brain. Who shot him? Who tried to save his life? Why did they shoot him? Could it have been those trying to kill Mia?

"Send someone up to the apartment to look after Mia, and send me the address of the hospital, I'm on my way now."

"Yes sir."

A deep pain rips through my chest. I have known Dante since we were merely children. I don't know if I would be able to live without him beside my side. I think I owe my life to the person who saved his.

Hanging up the phone, I pull on some shoes and and grab my gun, shoving it into the inside of my jacket, running from my room and out into the hall. My eyes drift to Mia's room, the door closed. She is probably asleep, I should leave her be. I don't want her worrying about Dante. I know they've both grown close.

I stalk to the elevator and once I reach the car park, I get into my Porsche 911 receiving the address to the hospital.

***

Once I reach the hospital, I'm greeted by five of my men who escort me to Dante's hospital room.

It's still dark outside and the city is quiet. It feels empty and cold. I place my hand inside my jacket, feeling the reassuring cold metal against my skin. Whoever shot Dante could be trailing us, even coming here is highly dangerous... But I have to see Dante. I have to see that he's alright.

We reach the outside of his room after making many twists and turns through the maze-like hospital interior. Standing guard are another five of my men, including Sebastian, the one who called me.

Once he notices my presence, he instantly comes towards me. "Sir," he nods his head, acknowledging my presence, waiting for permission to speak. I nod my head back.

"Dante's wounds are severe, the bullet penetrated his intestines and punctured his liver. He had to be put into a medically induced coma and intubated. He's breathing off the ventilator."

Sebastian's words are solemn and I clench my jaw, only just realising the severity of Dante's injuries. Whoever shot him had the intent to kill, or at least wound very badly.

"He's scheduled to go into surgery as soon as it's prepped. You have a few minutes." He states.

"You'll be there." I order. Sebastian is a trained doctor and handles my men, while Hammel is more of a family doctor. Despite this, Sebastian has treated me multiple times for gunshot wounds, and I trust him completely to watch over and make sure that Dante's surgery and recovery runs smoothly.

I turn towards the door and open it, instantly met with an even thicker smell of antiseptic than outside in the halls.

The ventilator is the only sound within the room, the only thing keeping Dante alive right now.

He lies on his back in the bed, his eyes closed and his face in a strained and awkward position with the tubes going into his mouth. He looks like he's in pain.

I edge closer towards him slowly.

For the first time in forever, I don't know what to do, think... I'm absolutely at a loss.

My best friend is on the brink of death, right in front of me.

I'd mentally prepared myself for something like this my whole life. Being in the mafia has its dangers and both Dante and I knew that our lives no longer belonged to us. We were--are constantly always in the line of fire. It's just how our world works.

Sure we'd both been shot many times, and we both bare the scars to prove it, but nothing like this has ever happened. I have never been reduced to a mere man, I have always seen myself as something other than human, someone not affected by such mundane things like death.

But recently my walls have begun breaking down. It began with Mia, like being hit by a truck, I was struck with obsession and then I slowly began to realise that I like Mia, she is more than something I want to possess. She's someone I want to share everything with. I'm falling for her hard.

And now I'm in front of my best friend, with tears gathering at the corners of my eyes. I hold them back, not allowing them to fall.

Am I becoming human once again?

There's something that's breaking me down. There is no longer just darkness in my life. Something in me has been woken up, and now I can see the light.

"I promise that whoever did this to you is going to pay." I whisper as I take his hand in mine.

Even his hand is cold. It's like he's a corpse on life support.

Never have I seen Dante so vulnerable.

I swear that I will put whoever did this, through hell.

A knock interrupts me from my thoughts, and I let go of Dante's hand, standing abruptly. "Come in."

Sebastian opens the door wearily. "They're ready for him."

I nod my head and stand back while a team of people enter the room, dressed in surgical gowns and masks. I watch as they wheel him from the room and down the hall to the OR.

Sebastian stands at my side, and I can tell he has something on the tip of his tongue wanting to come out. "Before I go, there's something I didn't tell you over the phone." He says, his voice quiet.

I turn to him, my expression turning to anger. "What?" I spit.

"Dante was found without his gun. I suspect that whoever shot him did it with his own weapon."

I do nothing but blink, and betray no emotion. "Leave." I say.

Sebastian lowers his head before he heads towards the OR to watch over Dante.

Before I even have time to properly think over his words, my phone rings. I grab it from my pocket and answer. "What is it?" I demand.

"Sir, Mia is not in the apartment."

My grip around my phone tightens, enough so that I feel it might get crushed in my hold.

"Sir?"

I bite my tongue and without thinking, throw my phone down the hall. It hits the floor with a loud crack and I watch as the pieces of glass litter the hospital floor.

"Fuck!"

I can feel the many eyes of my men on me, and I turn around, and walk calmly to the closest one with my hand outstretched. "Give me your phone."

Without hesitation, he pulls it from his pocket, and unlocks it, handing it to me.

Dialling the number, I bring the phone to my ear and listen as it rings.

After three rings, he finally picks up. "Hello?" Alistair questions into the phone. "No, I'll be back in a second, it's just a work call." I hear him say in the background.

"I need all men within New York on the look out for Mia. I want them everywhere, In every airport and in every building that she has ever stepped foot in."

"Matteo?" He questions, making me ball my hand into a fist and restrain myself from destroying this phone, just as I had done to my own. Clearly Alistair understands that I'm not in the mood for me to repeat myself, and his tone turns more professional. "Of course, I'll get to it straight away. Anything else?"

"No." I say, and with that I hang up.

"Stay here and inform me when Dante has come out of surgery." I order before leaving my men behind and trailing to my car.

Within ten minutes I make it back to the apartment and storm inside, my eyes instantly landing upon the man who I can only guess called me about Mia. I can see the fear in his eyes. It radiates off of him as he notices me.

I don't say anything as I storm past him and head straight for Mia's room. Bursting through the door, my eyes roam over every inch of the room which has been left in pristine condition. The bed has been made and nothing is even a touch out of line. It's as if she were never here.

I walk to the closet, opening it. Inside it looks untouched. Nothing is missing, not even the expensive jewellery.

She's gone.

It finally hits me.

Mia's gone.

She left after she kissed me... After I kissed her. After I told her about my father, after I opened up a part of myself to her.

"Get the security footage up!" I yell as I storm back into the lounge room where the guard stands warily. "I want to see every tape of Mia within the next ten minutes."

Nodding his head frantically, he leaves through the elevator.

Once I know that I'm alone, I reach for the closest breakable thing, which just happens to be a glass vase, and throw it across the kitchen.

How have the two people I've let myself care for, suddenly left me? How is it that the one time I give away a part of myself, it's taken and ran with?

I thought finally Mia cared. I thought she felt the same... Of course she doesn't. I should've never let myself trust her even the slightest. I wonder how much of her was just an act to appease me. How did I not see this earlier?

I'm beyond foolish. If father ever found out about this, my title would be stripped from me. He would laugh at me. I would never inherit the Italian mafia, I doubt he would even let me keep the New York mafia.

How did Mia escape me?

After eleven minutes, my man returns with the footage on a laptop. I ignore that he's one minute late, and snatch the device away from him.

Clicking play, I watch the footage before me.

My eyes seem to betray me as I stare at the screen; Mia and Dante together in the elevator. They talk almost casually. Though I notice Mia keeps a distance between them, looking anxious and hesitant.

Did Dante betray me?

Fuck, if only I could hear what they were saying.

They talk until they reach their destination and leave. The camera switches to another, following them as they walk down a hall until reaching a set of stairs. It's then that the footage cuts off.

"Where is the rest of the footage?" I growl.

"There were no cameras from there on. But the stairway they took lead to the alleyway in which Dante was shot. There was no security there either."

It's then that everything seems to click into place in my head.

Oh god. She's good.

I haven't given Mia enough credit. I wonder how long she planned this. Gaining Dante's trust? She took advantage of him, and then stabbed him in the back once she got once she wanted.

Mia shot Dante.

You best hope I don't find you Mia, because I am going to make you wish you were never born.

------------------------------------------------------