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"Would you like to get coffee with me? I saw a cute place on the way here," I asked Kelly.

Kelly was my private self-defence instructor, around my age and a confident and kind personality. I had started lessons with her right after the incident at Tony's building, where Ben and I had been chased by a gunman, either Horan's or God forbid Tony's.

Ben had assigned me two bodyguards that were always a few steps behind me except at work, and I knew he had more men watching me at all times. I had barely seen him around, he had buried himself in work, nervous about the new weak position Capra Corp was in.

"Yes, please," Kelly gave me a bright smile while I zipped up my windbreaker, "those two coming along?"

She had motioned behind me at Tom and Jerry standing by the entrance of the gym, and I nodded.

"Must be wild living your life," she sent me a wink before walking past me as I grabbed my gym bag.

Being together with Ben Capra was explanation enough for having bodyguards, nobody needed to know the reality of the threat.

We left the gym and entered a black SUV that took us to the cafe I had wanted us to go to. Kelly was telling me all about her recently potty trained two-year-old son and how he had strung together his first sentence.

I found it bittersweet. Understanding I wasn't in a stable and safe place to even want a child, yet growing tired of assuring myself that wanting to be a mother right now was just a phase. I hadn't stopped taking birth control nor told Ben about my feelings.

"How did you bring up wanting a child with Linda?" I wondered, seating ourselves down at a small round table by a window inside the cafe. We had ordered and waited for our coffees, both amused at how awkward my two buff and suited up guards looked grouched down at a similar table nearby.

"We had watched a documentary about same sex couples going through the surrogacy process, and the next day my nephew came over," she told me, "I also made sure to comment on every cute baby we saw."

"That's sweet, and smart," I smiled, enjoying the sunshine and coziness of the small cafe, decorated with plants, "was it... worth it? Easy? Having a child?"

"Honey, no," she laughed, "but the amount of love in our home is mind boggling. Have you and Ben thought of having a child?"

I was quick to shake my head, "there's a lot going on right now with his business and we're moving soon, it's not a good time to even think about it."

"But you've been thinking about it, right?" she offered me a knowing smile as our coffees arrived.

"Maybe," I laughed quietly, appreciating the bond we had quickly grown that enabled her to know what I was thinking most of the time, "I haven't brought it up to him, he's been very busy."

"Be sneaky about it," she shrugged, "I could bring Max over, you'd get a chance to show what an amazing mother you'd be."

"That's kind of you..." my voice trailed off when my eyes moved behind her. Two men, identical to my bodyguards in stature and clothing entered the cafe. Behind them sauntered in the revolting man I wish I'd never had to have seen again.

It seems Tom and Jerry were already on it, as they had stood up and Tom was on the phone with someone.

"Sofia," Winston Horan took no time in spotting me and sending me a dirty grin, "it's been way too long."

Kelly was confused, glancing back at Winston and then back at me. She obviously recognised him, but had no idea of the extent of disgusting he was. He had murdered the woman who had taken my place at Capra Corp, and now he was hungry for power he couldn't handle, Ben's power.

"Miss, we're leaving," Jerry told me, standing beside me with his eyes fixed on Winston.

"Sorry, Kelly, we're going to have to cut this short," I offered her a small and quick smile, feeling so uncomfortable and sad that I couldn't even have a cup of coffee with a friend in peace.

"Oh, that's alright," she still seemed confused, but hesitantly followed my lead in standing up, "I'll see you next weekend."

"What's the hurry, darling?" Winston smirked, taking another step closer and in unison so did Jerry.

He still smelled the same, and the anger I felt toward him burned deep. The few other customers and baristas in the cafe kept glancing over, one with their phone out, filming discreetly.

"Let's go," I muttered, following Jerry when he began walking past Winston and his men. Kelly followed me, and Tom came last.

No further words were spoken by the sick man, only a wheeze of a laugh.

We left the cafe and found three dark SUV's by the sidewalk. One was Winston's and one I recognised as Ben's.

"He'll take you home or back to the gym," I motioned at the middle SUV and turned to Kelly, who was still glancing back over at Winston inside the cafe, "I'm sorry about this, I'll explain later."

"Don't worry about it, business men are weird sometimes," she offered me a comforting smile, adjusting her bag over her shoulder.

We hugged, and with one last look over to the cafe where Winston was grinning and waving slowly at the window, I got into the backseat of Ben's car.

The driver was quick to pull away and start driving, most likely to Ben's apartment. The partition closed, and I turned to look at the man sharing the backseat with me.

"He's just sending a message," Ben mumbled, otherwise silently typing away on his phone.

"To you, through me?" I inquired, knowing my freedom would further be restricted due to this.

First I was assigned two bodyguards, now I wouldn't be able to get coffee with a friend in a public place. I was hoping my fears would only be temporary.

"Yes. Two of my men were killed outside the office at the same time we were called about Winston following you," he explained, placing his phone down between us and finding my eyes with his dark and tired ones, "we're beginning a police investigation, hopefully to get Winston scared."

"Killed?" A shiver ran down my spine.

"He won't touch you, don't worry," Ben assured me with the smallest smile. I could tell he hadn't been sleeping well, the stress of everything piling up.

I flinched a little when his hand found mine, too deep in my own thoughts to have registered his movement.

"You know what this means, don't you, love?" He slowly asked, dark eyes searching mine.

"Yes."

"I'm sorry, I know this is not fair."

I shook my head, "it's not your fault, Ben. Do you want me to talk to Tony?"

"No. Again, it's better if he doesn't know the extent of what we know," he explained, hand squeezing mine a bit, "if he wants to help Winston against me, you'll be completely safe."

Silence fell over us and I looked away from his gaze and at the townhouses we were passing by. It was clear that I would remain unharmed as long as Tony had a say in Winston's craziness, but my concerns were with Ben. There was nothing Winston would stop at to try to bring Ben down, now that there was an opportunity for him to end Capra Corp completely.

"If you were to have a child, and if you were to move further away from anything.. illegal," I began, not sounding as confident as I had hoped I would, "and your child wanted to continue in your place.."

"Easier would be to find someone who wants to run Capra Corp from their free-will, wouldn't have to have family ties," he spoke, "Vinnie, or someone he finds fitting. I trust his judgement."

"Are you already looking for someone to take your place?"

If there was someone in line to take Ben's position at some point, there would be less of a need for Winston to try eliminate him and the possibility to gain easy control of Capra Corp.

"Yes," he nodded as I turned back to meet his dark eyes, "it would be easier of course to have it stay in the family, but it is what it is."

I wanted to ask him about his stance on having children, but after hearing two of his men had been killed - this definitely wasn't the right time and I was not in the mood.

The rest of the drive to his apartment was quiet, and I focused on my worrying thoughts. Ben was and always had been in constant danger as head of Capra Corp, as had been Mr Capra Sr.

Seeing Ben now concerned, stressed and not sleeping enough, despite his efforts to conceal these from me for my peace of mind, was different and scary.