He had never seen the man from the kitchen before so he knew he was someone's pawn. But who's? He marched out of the kitchen, the anger inside him was boiling. He walked outside of the mansion and in the distance, he could see Bruno with a couple of other men. He clenched his fist down by his side as he approached them.

He could hear the man gasping for air as water splashed around him. His hair was wet and fell over his eyes, his cheeks were red and his chest was heavy as though he had been running for hours. "Please, I didn't- please- NO!!!" The cloth went over his face once again and water was poured. The men all stood silently, allowing the man's screams to echo around.

"Enough," Deigo ordered once he caught sight of Daniel, and each man stood straight.

The cloth came off the man's face and he gasped for air while he coughed as he fell to his knees. Bruno and one of the men grabbed by his wet shirt and made him stand up before they released him.

The man looked up and his eyes widened. "Non-ho fatto Niente-"

(I didn't do nothing)

"Didn't do nothing?" Daniel said before he punched the man, causing him to lose balance and stumble backwards. Two of Daniel's men caught the man and held him in place. "You touched my wife! You were getting ready to-" Daniel couldn't bring himself to finish his sentence. Just the thought made him want to put a bullet in that man's head.

He ran a hand through his hair as he looked around, before he threw another punch at the man, drawing blood to drip from his nose and grabbed him by the collar. "Now I know for a fact that you are not one of my soldiers!" he hissed. "So I suggest you start talking."

"Stavo solo facendo quello che mi era stato detto di fare!" The man cried.

(I was just doing what I was told to do!)

Daniel was right; this man was not one of his soldiers, but he was also confused as to who could have plotted this. Who sent this man? Why did they send him? "Who ordered you?" He asked.

The man kept quiet and bit his tongue. He knew if he told Daniel who had sent him he would be betraying his boss and they'd kill him. He bowed his head and shook his head. "I can't," he mumbled. "They'll kill me."

Daniel shot him a look that would have sent anyone running. Daniel reached his hand out towards Bruno and grabbed his gun. The man had his answer right there in front of him; if he didn't speak it wasn't going to be the boss that would kill him, but Daniel. "Speak." He demanded.

••••

Mirabella sat in her room on the bed with an icepack. Her cheek felt numb and when she moved she felt pain. Mirabella closed her eyes as she moved the icepack away from her face and exhaled a soft sigh.

She looked down at her hands and tears hit her palms. She was crying once again. Why did she leave the room? Daniel was right, she didn't listen to him. She wondered what would have happened if she didn't call for Daniel? Or if Daniel wasn't at all home and she was left alone? The disturbing thoughts that clouded her mind made her shake her head and blink a few times. She didn't want to think about what could have happened.

She wiped her tears away, her cheek which she had been stuck on felt cold and almost too soft when she brushed her hand over it to wipe away the tears.

"AHH!!"

The sound of someone shouted caught her attention, and her headshot in the direction the noise came from. She looked towards her balcony window and sat still for a moment before she hesitantly stood up from the bed and appeared the window.

She pulled back the curtains a little just enough to see what was going on outside. She saw the driveway had a few men standing around as usual. But then her eyes moved to the side and in the distance, by the trees that led off into the forest, she could see a group of people standing around in a circle.

She watched them for a few moments and then stepped away from the window when she saw Daniel walking away from the group with Diego and Bruno behind him.

••••

"What now?" Bruno asked.

They were standing in the middle of the driveway while the men took care of the mess in the distance.

"Maybe she could stay with Ariana," suggested Diego. "Or-"

"She'll come with me," Daniel said simply.

Diego and Bruno looked at each other. They thought they misheard what Daniel said, but when they looked at him they could see that he was being very serious and that they heard right.

"Non la perdero ' di vista," said Daniel. "Non lo faro'."

(I won't let her out of my sight. I won't)

••••

The airport was a cocoon of steel, the walls so elegantly curved and wrapping around to create this inner space. And the beams supported so many windows and released in so much light, that in the daytime it was as bright as any summers day. They arrived at noon, when the people moved as chaotic rainbows, so brilliant were the colours. They flowed from the check-in desks to the cafe's and through the gates, each one of them heading for a destination of their own making.

Mirabella sat down on one of the benches, a book in her hand and a Starbucks on the empty seat on her left as well as her bag. She had her hair down to cover the faint pinkish mark on her cheek that was slowly fading away. She looked up from her book and looked around and saw men that worked for Daniel standing close to where she was. They looked like security guards, and she was pretty sure that's what everyone else in the airport thought as well.

The sound of footsteps and people speaking in tongue echoes the airport. She could hear the air conditioning in the background, and then the lady in the speaker announcing departures and for people not to leave their luggage and belongings behind.

"Ready?"

Mirabella turned her head and saw Daniel looked down at her. She nodded her head and placed her book in her book before she got up and they made their way to their gate.