~

I'm back in my prison room with my hands uncomfortably handcuffed behind my back.

Luca is seated on a black sofa, opposite me, his head in his hands. We've been like this for a while, and he had refused to say a word to me.

He slowly raises his head up, and I dart my eyes to the ground, refusing to meet his stare.

I feel him get up from the sofa and take long strides towards me. He stops a few inches from where I'm seated on the floor and sits on the floor.

I inch further away from him. My wrist and hands are bloody and torn at this point from escaping the handcuffs, making every movement I make painful and unbearable.

"Can you please look at me?" I hear Luca's gently voice.

"Are you sure?" I snort. "I find it hard to control my facial expressions, so you might not like how I'd look at you."

He heaves a deep sigh and raises his hand to touch my face. I flinch away, turning my face to the left, ensuring my hair covers my side profile.

"Dove, this isn't my fault. It's all Gray's fault, " He begins to speak, his voice calm and empathetic. "Did he tell you? Did you know that he's in a gang?"

I keep staring at the ground, biting my lower lips to stop the mixture of anger and sadness flowing through me.

"God, Dove. If it weren't for me. Lord knows what type of dirty warehouse they'd have taken you to, " He continues, tapping the rug impatiently.

I laugh out loud- a sad, bitter laugh. Lifting my head, I glare at Luca. He had on the most caring and sympathetic expression on his face. He could have fooled me. An actor is what he is.

"Thank you, " I reply dryly. Luca's face lits up for a split second. He opens his mouth to speak, but I beat him to it. "Is that what you expect me to say?"

"Dove-, "

"If you wanted to be such a nice guy, couldn't you have said, let's not kidnap her, " I raise my shoulders for emphasis. "I mean, that's what any sane friend would do."

"Well, who the fuck said I wanted to be your friend, " He barks, his cheeks flushed with anger as he stands on his feet.

I tuck my lips in my mouth and close my eyes, shaking my head as a soft sigh escapes my lips. "Did you- Did you even like me?" I choke on my words, memories of how nice he was flooding my head.

Was it all an act to get to Gray?

He points at me with his fist. "You see, that's when it all went wrong."

"Did you use me to get to Gray?" I ask, narrowing my eyes into slits.

"I never cared about Gray until you did, " He shakes his head with a frown. "You were the one who used me to get to Gray. You didn't care about my feelings and dumped me when everything became great with Gray."

I had ended things with Luca because I didn't want to hurt him, but I guess it was too late, and I should have ended it sooner.

"I'm sorry, " I muttered, licking my lips.

I push my hair out of my face so that I could see him better. "I'm sorry I hurt you. I really didn't mean to."

He looks at me, and our eyes meet for the first time this night. "You're just saying that because of the situation you're in, " He flinched back, turning away from me.

"Well, if you hadn't put me in this situation and had told me how you felt, then you'd see that I'm truly sorry, " I reply, leaning forward.

He turns to look at me, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes as he grilled me, silently. After a while, he sighs in defeat and drops his arms to his side. "Look, Dove. They are really not going to hurt you,"

"But they are going to hurt Gray, " I frown at him.

Immediately I say Gray's name, Luca's facial expressions make a 180-degree change. He clenches his teeth and runs a hand through his hair. "Don't worry. They won't kill him, " he says through gritted teeth.

Thanks. Because that makes me feel so much better.

"You don't have to do this, Luca. We are all friends. You can let me go, and everyone would be happy, " I laugh nervously, feeling my body get weaker- as the time goes by- either due to the blood I'm losing or the emotional distress I am going through.

"Friends?" He questions.

"Everyone?" He asks again, tilting his head.

He laughs and shakes his head. "By everyone, you mean you and Gray, huh? And I just have to watch you guys make-out and play love at the sidelines, " He chuckles, gesturing with his hands.

"Because I'm the substitute. On the bench, " He nods with a raised brow.

I stare at him with a dazed expression plastered on my face, unable to comprehend how he could have changed so much. This wasn't like him at all, but with the recent happenings, I don't think anyone is how I perceived them to be anymore.

I don't say anything, knowing he already made up his mind about my feelings.

He was gracefully telling me how felt, and I was too much in a sour mood to try and keep apologizing. I knew there wasn't much I could say now to change his mind either.

So I focus my attention on little lints on the rug, which is a bad idea because I suddenly get the urge to pull them out. And I couldn't do that because- You know

"Do you speak Spanish?" I ask Luca, remembering he spoke a different language when talking to the men outside.

I decided to start a different conversation with him to try and ease the anger he felt. It always worked with my dad.

"What?" a questioning look overtakes his expression.

"If I'm not mistaken, I heard you speak Spanish a few hours ago, " I tilting my head to remove the hair obstructing my view.

They could have at least gotten me a ruffle since this is 'royalty' treatment.

"I speak six different languages, " He replies in a matter of fact manner.

My mouth slightly drops open at his confession. While I only speak one language, someone else speaks six languages?

What is the fucking point of speaking six languages?

"Why?" I voice out my thoughts.

"The business, " Luca shrugs. "My dad is fluent in eight, and he says foreign clients are more likely to give the contract to someone who speaks their language rather than someone who has to use a translator."

The door to the room jerks opens, and Jelly walks in with the young Australian guy behind him, balancing a tray of McDonald's food on his left hand.

"We are headed to the cage. We've been tracking Cub's car, and it seems he's decided to do the right thing. I'll text you after it's done, " Jelly says and walks back out.

Luca nods and turns to me. "I promise, I'll drive you back home tonight."

Gray. I couldn't help but worry about Gray. But I don't ask Luca anything, not wanting to get him all worked up again.

"Luciana, please hold this for me, " the Australian guy drawls out, his attention focused on a game on his phone.

"I told you to stop calling me that, " Luca replies and grabs the tray from his hand before settling it on the bed.

"Your parents weren't creative with your name at all, " The guys shakes his head with a laugh, his eyes trained on his phone screen.

"Your name is Aussie, " Luca leans towards him, his hands folded across his chest.

"No wonder our parents are best friends, " He replies with a grin.

His grin turns to a scowl in a second, and he throws his phone on the bed. "Mierda."

I raise a brow at him. Was that the name of his girlfriend?

"This game is trash, " He runs a hand through his hair and helps himself to a burger.

Luca turns his attention to me. "Aren't you going to eat something?"

"I would if you didn't talk away from me the privilege of having arms, " I reply spitefully, moving my hands, so the handcuffs make a sound.

Luca's brows snapped together in confusion, and he looks behind me to stare at my hands. "Did you handcuff her?" He grits his teeth.

"Jelly did it, " Aussie raises his arms defensively, balancing his burger in-between his teeth.

"Get me the key, " Luca says, and Aussie scurries out of the room.

Aussies returns a few minutes later. He rushes into the room and closes the door rapidly, his eyes wide with horror.

"What?" Luca asks him.

He lets his eyes that to me before he returns his stare to Luca. "Nothing. Here's the key, " He hands a tiny key to Luca.

Time almost stands still as I impatiently wait for Luca to unlock the cuff. When it's done, a small sigh of relief departs from my lips. I wiggle my wrist, flinching at the pain that shoots up my hands.

"Let me go get a first aid box for that?" Luca offers and stands up, walking towards the door.

"Are you sure about that?" Aussie asks, scratching the back of his neck.

Luca narrows his eyes and places his hand on the doorknob. A loud voice booms through an intercom- I didn't even know exist- preventing Luca from opening the door.

"Reporting security breach. We've been breach-, "

A barrage of shooting sounds cuts the man's voice short, a hundred bullets shot, simultaneously. My eyes broaden in shock, and I cover my mouth with my hand.

Luca's phone rings at the moment, and he picks it up hesitantly.

"Those fuckers played us. We are heading back right now. They are on their way there, but if they get there before we do, kill everyone on sight, " Jelly's scary voice booms angrily through the phone.

Luca looks at me with a worried expression. "Everyone?"

"Everyone. I'll deal with your father later, " Jelly replies and cuts the call.

Everyone. Then everything comes crashing down on me.

Gray.

Gray is here.

Luca nods to Aussie, who immediately gets up and walks out of the room with Luca.

"I'm very sorry, " Luca whispers to me.

I frown, wondering why he was apologizing to me. I watch in horror as he pulls out a gun from his back pocket and directs it at my head.

My heart rate shoots up a thousand, and my words get caught up in my throat. "Luc..a, " I breathe slowly, raising my hands up, feeling the tears sting in my eyes.

Dying this year wasn't on my new year's resolution, and if this was karma for playing with Luca, then karma needs to take a chill pill.

I shake my head gently, watching as he cloaks the gun. "Luca, please don't, " I plead silently in my head.

He lowers the gun, and I almost breathe a sigh of relief before I see the gun pointed at my leg. The pit of sadness returns to my tummy, and I squeeze my eyes shut as the tears fell from my eyes.

"I'm really sorry, " He shakes his head, his eyes filling with tears.

Why do humans always do things they'd have to apologize for?

Why couldn't he just let me go?

I let my tears fall silently. My entire world was about to change in a split second by a split metal for a split decision.

Then the bullet goes off.

I cry out in pain and angst as I drop to the floor, clutching my chest as the tears fell from my eyes. It felt like a bubble of emotions burst in my heart, all emotional pain, but no physical pain.

A pair of warm, familiar arms wrap around me, patting my air gently while whispering. "I'm sorry."

But it wasn't the same voice that spoke earlier. No, it was the voice of the man I loved dearly, the voice I desperately needed to hear to know he was safe.

It was Gray's voice.

I slowly open my eyes and see Luca on the ground in front of me, rolling and grunting in pain. His blood spilling from his shoulder, where Gray must have shot him.

An unfamiliar person appears at the door, his eyes widening when he sees Luca on the floor.

I clutch onto Gray's arm that's wrapped around my neck, terrified of the person at the door. "It's fine. He's with me, " Gray kisses the top of my head reassuringly.

"We need to leave now. Jelly's on his way back," The guy says, adjusting the rifle slung across his shoulders. "I called your friends, Zain and other to pick you up."

Gray nods and carries me swiftly from the ground. I tap his shoulders, trying to tell them that I could walk on my own, but he ignores me.

Luca manages to sit up and grabs Gray's jeans. "You can never protect her-, " he says.

Gray kicks Luca's wound down with his knees, rendering him speechless. He then proceeds to step on the bullet wound, causing Luca to growl in pain and tap Gray's legs.

"You should be lucky I'm letting you live, " Gray snarls, his chest rising as he bares his teeth.

"Gray, we need to leave now, " The guy at the door calls.

Gray gives Luca one last glare before walking out of the room with me in his hands.

We walk through the house and get to the back door in no time. I ask Gray to drop me because I was worried his arms might be getting tired, but he refused.

"Where the fuck are they?" A loud, angry voice clamors from the living room upstairs, followed by a barrage of bullet sounds going off.

Gray opens the back door, but unfortunately, the door was locked, trapping us inside the house.

"Fuck, " The other guy mutters under his breath. He strokes his chin for a while and grabs his rifle.

Gray puts me down and places his hand on the rifle. "What are you doing? If they hear the sounds, they would know we are here?" He whispers.

"Exactly. I shoot the doorknob, and you guys run out and meet your friends, " The guy nods his head and pats Gray's shoulder.

"They would chase us down, and I would be putting Kelch, Zyair, and Aaron in a death trap," Gray replies, gritting his teeth in a whisper.

"Not if they have me, " The other guy replies.

Gray steps back a bit, but soon regains his composure and shakes his head. "I'm not leaving you here."

"He's right. They are planning on killing everyone they see, " I add.

He shakes his head and gives us a small smile. "There's no more time to waste."

"Jay, I can't leave you here, " Gray replies, in a firm yet shaky voice.

"If I follow you. We might all die, " The guy snaps angrily. "They would find us any minute from now, anyway."

"Jay, I can't-, " Gray's voice comes out hoarse.

"I might not have been able to save my girl, but I promised to help you rescue yours. So let me."

And with those words, he pushes Gray's hands from his gun and releases the bullets onto the door.

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