Hello everyone!

Here is the new chapter!

I hope you will like it.

Enjoy!

***********

"Good afternoon, Master Hunter, everyone is waiting for you in the dining room." The butler of the Salviatti mansion greeted Anna and Hunter at the door.

"good afternoon, Pedro." Hunter greeted the old man and took Anna's hand in his. He led her up the stairs and towards the first door. Hunter opened the door, and they both entered. The whole family was sitting on sofas chatting and drinking fine liquor while the maids prepared a tall table, that at least could host twenty people for dinner.

Anna's eyes nearly popped out of her head when she saw Karen sitting next to Caroline. She let go Of Hunter's hand and almost ran to her.

"Karen," Anna said with joy clear in her voice.

The blonde woman lifted her head and gave Anna a gentle smile. She rose from her chair and took Anna in her arms. She squeezed her lovingly and whispered in her ear.

"I missed you so much, baby."

Anna enjoyed the feeling of being loved by someone. Karen truly loved her without conditions or any ulterior motives. She could feel it in her gentle hold.

"I missed you too," Anna whispered back.

When they let go of each other, Anna looked around the room and noticed that all the Salviatti family members were present apart from the youngsters who were still in Russia.

"Hello Dear, I hope you spent a good time with Hunter," Caroline said from her seat next to Karen.

Anna felt her cheeks getting warm, and she tried to smile for the woman's sake. But apparently, her smile was closer to a grimace. The woman's words were soft and quiet, but Anna felt awkward with the attention focused on her especially the Don's hard blue eyes that were piercing her and trying to look inside her soul. Before she could answer her, she felt a muscular arm sneaking around her waist.

"Good afternoon, Mom, yes we spent a wonderful time together," Hunter said smiling and to make his point more clear, he looked right into his grandfather's eyes and kissed Anna's cheek. He didn't forget his grandfather's schemes and would never do.

Hunter was known to hold grudges against anyone who would cross him the wrong way, even if that person is family. Maybe he won't act as harshly as with a stranger, but he would demand retribution he saw fitted.

Anna could swear she saw steam coming out of the Don's ears, but he quickly composed himself and turned his attention to Gabriella who was sitting next to him.

"I am so happy, son. You deserve the best." Caroline said genuinely joyful for her son. Hunter smiled at his mother and nodded, he can't believe that he was standing in front of her, and she was praising him for choosing the right girlfriend. Life has its way to repay you for all grieve and sadness you suffer at some periods of your life.

"excuse me, ma belle, I need to go," Hunter said to Anna when he noticed his Cousin Nicholas leaning against the wall with a glass of soda in his hand.

"Hello, cousin." Hunter greeted casually.

"hi," Nicholas took another sip from his drink and waited for his cousin's next words.

"where have you been? You didn't go with us to Russia and even when I called, you didn't answer."

"I am punished."

"what?"

"before the night I was supposed to fly with you guys, I did something which was a punishable transgression in father's books." Nicholas made air quotes at the word transgression, "so he grounded me for the rest of this semester, and you know him there are no exceptions. And here I am."

"Why am I having the feeling that all of this is a scheme to keep you here?" Hunter said clearly amused with his cousin's misfortune.

"tell me about it, every time my mother is against some mission I am supposed to participate in, I found myself out of it for whatever lame excuse," Nicholas said with exasperation.

"I suggest you watch your tone, son," Jasper said as he came to stand with the boys.

"Hello Uncle, how are you doing?" Hunter greeted his Uncle and tried to distract him from his cousin. He knew very well that Jasper sometimes goes overboard in his protectiveness with his son especially when Ayla's worries are added to the equation. He can't really blame the couple since they have just one child and couldn't have another even if they wanted. Jasper stood with them for a little while, and with a final warning to his son left the boys to continue their conversation.

Ten minutes later, they were called to the dinner table that was set with different kinds of delicious food. And like any matter in this family, even sitting at the table and eating food was complicated. Every family had to sit next to each other. And they were ordered by their closeness to the Don who sat at the head of the table with his sons on each side of him. Anna found herself at the end of the table with Karen and Jacob on her right side.

The Don stood up from his seat and clicked his glass of wine to grab everyone's attention.

"I am happy to have you all here with us today. I am more than delighted to welcome you all to my mansion. Today's dinner will be in the honour of my daughter-in-law, Caroline, who returned to us after a long time of sickness. This toast is for the happiness and health of our family and allies." The Don tilted his glass and everyone did the same.

After that, dinner was a silent affair apart from the clinking of forks and spoons. Anna focused on her food and tried everything in her will to avoid the burning gaze the Don would aim in her direction from time to time. She was aware the man was displeased with her relationship with his grandson, but she was determined to make it work with or without his consent.

"so I heard you are both staying in Russia this year, how is cold treating you?" Caroline asked her sons between bits of her salad.

"it is not worse than Alaska, that's for sure." Hunter replayed remembering the last time he went with his father for a training trip with a grimace.

"it was hard for me to adjust to the different cultures of the students since it is a multinational school. The cold isn't so concerning." Ethan was the one to speak this time.

"I am sure all the girls are swooning at the mere sight of you. Maybe you will be the hottest teacher of the year." Caroline teased with a genuine smile gracing her features.

"no Mom, Hunter is more than enough for them to swoon over. I am just the old mean teacher." Ethan teased back.

"did you forget that Hunter is taken, my dear boy? The girls had better take their chances with you." Gabriella said laughing at her grandsons' expense.

Anna enjoyed the amicable chatter between the family members. For a moment, they seemed normal to her, talking and laughing as anyone should do with his closest ones.

Anna felt she was home. Karen who sat beside her would squeeze her hand and make sure she ate all her food. It felt nice to have someone paying attention to you and his main concern is your well-being. Even Hunter would shoot her concerned eyes as if making sure she still sat there and didn't disappear. Who thought that a mission for the mafia family would bring her all this happiness?

Before anyone could speak farther, a guard in a black suit entered the room and went immediately to the Don. He leaned over and whispered quietly. The Don was expressionless as ever and just nodded his head. When the guard finished relating his message, he left the room while speaking hurriedly in his ear device.

"very well, I think this dinner is over." The Don said and stood up from his seat. Next, Jasper and Damien rose from their chairs and looked at their father for answers.

Rafaello ignored his sons' questioning eyes and directed his orders to his most trusted man.

"Jacob, Hunter, and Nicholas, take the women to the safety of our underground dungeons. After you make sure they are okay, leave the boys with them and come to my office. Damien, Ethan, and jasper my study, now."

With those words, the Don exited the dining room after giving his wife a farewell kiss. His sons followed suit and did the same with their wives. Ayla and Caroline were accustomed to this kind of situation and made their best to show their support to their husbands. It was clear that the situation was urgent for the Don to act like this.

After the men exited the room, Jacob looked at the ladies left in his care and spoke firmly.

"We need to move as quickly as possible. I will take the lead. Hunter and Nicholas, you will cover the rear. Let's move." Jacob started walking briskly with the others after him. Anna stayed at the end of the woman's queue so she can talk with Hunter.

"what's going on?" Anna asked quietly.

"I don't know Anna, but don't worry. Once we are in the Don's dungeons, we are safe. Nothing bad will happen to us." Hunter spoke reassuringly and took her hand in his.

They walked out of the living area of the mansion and entered another long corridor that was lighted with hanging chandeliers. It was like a missing scene from a medieval era movie.

Suddenly, the lights were off and Jacob and his protégés were consumed in the dark. Anna tightened her grip on Hunter's hand and moved closer to him.

"what's wrong, Marcus? The power is off in the west wing." Anna heard Jacob speaking on his phone. Whoever was on the other side said something to Jacob which made the usually calm man angry.

"I don't care about which situation you are in. I want the power to return immediately." Jacob hung up the phone and spoke calmly, "let's keep moving until the lights are back. It is important we don't stop for any reason." The man instructed then took his phone and turned on the flashlight.

Hunter and Nicholas followed Jacob's action and do the same which gave them enough light to walk without tripping.

Jacob's words were welcomed with the shattering of a nearby window. The man cursed under his breath and ordered.

"run!"

Hunter gripped Anna's hand tightly, and they both started running with the others. The hallway seemed endless to them and every time they think it's over, they would have to run another turn. Anna felt her heart beating fiercely in her ribcage. She nearly tripped twice, and if it wasn't for Hunter who seemed like he had memorised this place by heart, she was sure she would have been caught already.

"I am hearing the sound of footsteps," Anna said breathlessly.

"don't worry, we will make it." Hunter tried to speak confidently.

Another shattering sound echoed through the corridor, and this time it was so close to Anna that she felt glass touching her skin. Anna screamed bloody murder when she felt a stranger's hand gripping her free hand. Hunter was obliged to halt his running when Anna stopped in her tracks.

"what's wrong Anna? We need to keep going on. We will lose the others if we don't move right now." Hunter said gently, he didn't notice the man gripping her and thought that her screaming was due to glass breaking.

Anna swallowed hard and shook her head. She felt the cold barrel of a gun on her back.

"I suggest you keep running, Salviatti. I will take care of the beautiful lady in here." A deep voice spoke from behind Anna. Hunter froze in his place and tried to tug Anna to his side.

"tsk, tsk, I would advise you to hold your horses Salviatti. You don't want me to click the trigger, do you?" the stranger spoke with mockery.

Hunter could hear the retreating steps of his family members. At least his mother would be safe with Jacob and the others. It was a rule that you never look back in this kind of situation. He hoped to stall the bastard until the light is on, and the others would notice them missing.

"Who are you? And what do you want?" Hunter asked trying to keep his voice nonchalant.

"My identity doesn't matter. And to answer your second question, I already have what I want, thank you very much. And I would appreciate it more if you would be more helpful and step away."

"over my dead body," Hunter said sternly. He turned off the light of his phone and reached slowly for his gun that was safely hidden in his ankle. He thanked the stars for the darkness that allowed him a little bit of cover. He hoped the stranger didn't have a good vision and wouldn't use the moonlight to his advantage. He took the gun in his hand and aimed it at the unknown intruder. Fortunately, the man was distracted enough with boosting his ego that he didn't notice Hunter's movements.

Hunter tried to take precise aim so he can shoot on the man capturing Anna without hurting her. He breathed deeply and fired. He heard the man grunting and took the chance to snatch up Anna to his side. He kept the gun at the man's head and used his free hand to bring his phone to his ear.

"Ethan, I need help in the corridor on the west side. We are under attack." Before Hunter could speak more, several windows shuttered at the same time. Hunter pushed Anna down to the ground and covered her. Men in black coveralls entered the corridor, and Hunter stood up to his feet with Anna beside him. He felt his arms burning from the glass piercing them, but he forced himself to fight the men coming to them.

Anna knew they were outnumbered, and they will lose without back-up. At this moment, she decided it was her turn to help also, and with Hunter, they formed a well-equipped team. They fought tooth and nail, but two people can do so much against at least fifteen men. Hunter could hear the commotion outside and knew his brother was coming. Just a little, he needed to keep going just a little.

A loud deafening sound echoed in the corridor. Anna froze in the middle of a sparring match with a masked man. She watched horrified as Hunter clasped his shoulder and blood covered his hands.

"Hunter!" Anna cried and went to him. "Are you okay?" Anna asked panicked.

"We need to keep going, Anna. The help is coming." Hunter said with strain visible in his voice.

One masked man walked to Anna and grabbed her arm forcefully. She kicked him in the shin and was successful in feeing herself. Anna glared menacingly at anyone who dared to come closer to them. Even Hunter with his injury managed to fight. But their resistance came to an end when a massive explosion shook the place. Smoke rose from everywhere and Hunter lost his sight of Anna. He just heard her struggling with someone trying to drag her with him.

"Anna! Anna, where are you?" Hunter screamed getting up to his feet and trying to dissolve the smoke with his hands but to no avail. A masked man came behind Hunter and hit him with his gun's barrel. The last thing Hunter heard before everything went black was Anna's cries for help.

*************

Anna was dragged by two masked men to an awaiting van. No matter how much she struggled and fought, they managed to block all her blows and throw her in the vehicle. One of them moved closer to her and bound her arms with a plastic rope behind her back. The same man took a black cloth from his pocket and put it around Anna's eyes, which left her in complete darkness. Anna heard the doors closing with a loud thud, and then the vehicle started moving with neck splitting speed that made Anna's body slam around the hard interior of the truck.

Anna tried very hard to gain her balance with her hands behind her back, but she couldn't hold into anything solid. It was nearly thirty minutes of her bumping into different sides of the van. She was sure her body will be full of ugly blue bruises by the end of this trip. She sighed in relief when the driver slowed down and she could finally lean against the wall of the van.

Anna tried to focus her hearing so she can at least identify where she was. But nothing came to her mind as all she can distinguish was the sounds of cars passing by which made her decide that they were riding on the highway. Anna felt her heart beating loudly in her chest, she was officially "KIDDNAPPED". Everything happened quickly, and she can't believe that her great evening with Hunter turned out to be this horrible.

Hunter, the mere thought of him made her heart squeeze painfully. He was shot before her eyes. Blood oozing from his shoulder was the only thing she could remember at the moment. Would he be fine? Did help arrive so they can take him to the hospital?

Anna felt tears running down her cheeks. Would they send help to her? Or they will let her alone since they don't need her help anymore.

Stop thinking about those irrational thoughts. Hunter will be okay, and he will come for you. He loves you silly. Now, you need to be brave and courageous. Don't let the training you endured in the camp go away. Come on Anna! get your shit together.

Anna took a deep breath and nodded to herself. She needed to face this with her head high. She had to survive and wait for the other's help. Even if Hunter or the Don bailed on her, she was sure Karen would never let her down. Once again Anna concentrated on her surroundings, and this time she heard the rustling of trees and occasionally the sound of wild animals, which made her decide they were in a forest.

The bumpy road confirmed her theory. If her kidnappers were anything like she watched in the movies, she was sure they were approaching their destination.

True to her muses, the van stopped and Anna held her breath. Anna heard the doors of the van being opened and another man grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the vehicle. She started struggling once again and tried to kick the man holding her. She would never go down without a fight. The man was stronger than her and succeeded in avoiding her blows which made Anna take her chance of his distraction and bitten him hard in his arm.

Immediately the man let her go, and Anna took the chance and started running only for another one to catch her. Anna cried in frustration and started kicking and struggling with all her might. This time, she felt a prickle in her neck and realised that the bastards have drugged her. Moments later, she felt her muscles getting heavy and slowly darkness consumed her.

**************

"One girl! I assigned you to bring me one girl, and you couldn't do it without drugging her! Didn't I tell you to bring her unharmed?" Anna through her hazy mind heard a familiar voice shouting nearby.

"We are so sorry, Sir. But don't worry, she will wake up soon. I used a light dosage, it won't harm her." Anna heard a strong and steady voice replying to the shouting of earlier.

"you are dismissed. Aaron and Sid, you will stay here and guard her door. I will be back in twenty minutes." The clearly still displeased man ordered his men, and Anna heard his retreating footsteps.

Anna forced herself to open her heavy eyelids only to close them as the light of the lamp in the room attacked her sensitive eyes. Anna sighed and tried to open them once again but more slowly this time. Once her sight was clear, she surveyed her soundings. She was lying on a queen-sized bed with soft sheets covering her body and a fluffy pillow under her head. She groaned and with so much difficulty coaxed her aching muscles to move. She sat up on the bed and was relieved when she found her arms free. She massaged her bruised wrists while trying very hard to ignore her growing headache.