We woke to getting ready for the beach, I spent half the morning putting my pants on and Dominic rushed around packing a bag full of stuff - half of which I was sure we didn't even need. I walked out sticking a bobby pin into the mess on my head and watch Dominic fold up a couple towels. "Why thank you." I curtsied a little as I took the beach umbrella from him and he opened the door for me. My feminist self had to carry something and he knew that.

We walked out and he helped me into the car, chucking everything into the back seat and starting it up. He'd gotten up early this morning just to strap his board to the roof of the thing, I'd had almost no experience with 'car strapping' so the car ride was mostly me asking if he was sure the thing wouldn't fall of.

"You gonna show me how it's done?" I asked as I stood beside the car whilst Dominic pulled everything out, he nodded propping the umbrella up against the vehicle. I grabbed it and followed suit as he walked on ahead to the sand.

"The waves are really good today."

"Ooh surfer boy." I joked, watching him prop the umbrella and set his little picnic up. I sat on the towel watching the beach whilst Dominic went to 'get something', he came back with gelato.

"Here," he handed it to me, I grinned because italian ice cream was my favourite and he knew it. He got a kiss for that.

He rummaged around the bag he brought and stopped, holding the book out to me, "I will allow you just this once, to read without me."

I tried to stop from smiling but dutifully nodded, I grabbed hold of the book but he didn't let go. He continued, "And I do know that you don't need my permission, but, its just a matter of practice."

"Got it." I nodded tugging the book.

He looked at the book and licked his lip, "Don't read too far."

I chuckled, "You're an idiot. Let go."

"You're the girl that claimed I wasn't intelligent because I don't read books, I'm just proving a point."

"That was such a long time ago Dominic," I whined, "Stop holding a grudge and show me how to surf." I gestured to the ocean. That seemed to shut him up as he threw his shirt off and grabbed his board, running for the water. I tried not to become irritated by the eyes that followed, I should be used to that by now though I wasn't going to lie; we hadn't been going out a lot in the last few months.

Not to my surprise, he could surf. At this point I was aware Dominic never claimed to something he couldn't do, he'd proven time and time again that he's very much capable. I shook my head as he waved from where he was which was riding a pretty tall wave. It was entertaining as he tried tricks and other things to entertain me.

I finished my gelato, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel mix Poodle puppy came up to me and started rampaging my space. I didn't mind though since he was so cute, I played with him for sometime before his owner came to get him. She smiled at me apologising and taking her dog in the other direction. "That's too bad." I mindlessly said out loud, I'd made a friend. I realised when I'd said it out loud I was almost talking to my bump, more precisely - my daughter. People do that don't they? I wouldn't know, I'm crazy.

I started reading but soon I got bored and I walked up to the water and started with gesturing of my own, 'I'm going for a walk' was what I was aiming for but he was not getting it. I think he though we were going home now? But that would be a good idea anyway, it was becoming that time of day when the young and wild came out to the restaurants and got super drunk.

Sunset. By that I meant sunset.

I was walking along the sidewalk when I spotted Clarissa, which was weird because I swear she'd gone back to Russia.

"Clarissa!" I got her attention then made my way over, "Hi." I beamed.

She looked taken back but she smiled eventually, along with that smile a guy came along with it. He walked up behind her and looked to me as if to say 'who are you?'

"Tyler this is my friend Amara," she gestured towards me at which I smiled, "Amara this is Tyler, my boyfriend."

I raised my brows at her as if to say 'you go girl' and shook the nice man's hand, "Nice to meet you Tyler, you better be treating my girl right."

"Of course." he replied.

Clarissa had zoned out completely and I realised she was staring at my stomach, I didn't want to be one to rub things in and point it out so I changed the subject. "I thought you moved back to Russia?"

"Yeah, I did but th-" she started but was obviously cut-off, not by anyone speaking over her but only because Dominic waltzed up shirtless.

"He was uh, surfing." I answered the unasked question. Dominic came to a stop beside me, things had gotten at least ten times more uncomfortable and just straight up suffocating.

There was silence for a bit, Tyler looking like a lost puppy. Clarissa straightened up and started talking, "Tyler this is Dominic, a childhood friend..."

Tyler did a shifty look between the two of them before giving Dominic the lightest possible handshake earning him an eye from me, my husband was not a disease.

Dominic and I had a few casual exchanges with them but it was all round a chore, Tyler was a quick learner because I was sure by the end of that conversation he'd developed a heavy incentive to harm Dominic. He seemed to have caught on quickly, not that Clarissa made it particularly difficult.

We headed home, did some more light reading and went to bed. We didn't have the energy to be dealing with situations like that, not right now.

--

This morning Dominic had let me know he'd be picking up the furniture we ordered which they'd said would be delivered to the store today, I'd opted to stay home just because a part of me was telling me to - which can never be a good thing but Dominic can handle himself. What has to be done, has to be done.

And today that furniture had to be picked up.

I switched off the radio, the music was not as it used to be but then again maybe it was because I hadn't heard 'good' music in a long time and this was what it was now. I thought I'd turned the damn thing off but it was still letting out an airy sound, I groaned trying to figure out why sound was till coming out when the radio was clearly turned off.

It took sometime but I realised the sound wasn't coming from in front but rather underneath me, which was concerning since this car was pretty damn expensive and service cost wasn't a joke. I listened a little closer, it sounded a lot like gas. Like a gas leaking.

I looked into the rearview mirror and sure enough the was a slight distortion in the colour reflected just under the car, the road was more greyscale. That air was polluted.

I almost braked the car to just fix the problem but braking the car meant metal or rubber rubbing together, which could cause a spark and ignite the gas. Which meant my car blew up with me in it.

But if I kept driving like this, eventually something would spark the gas... the whole car was made of damn metal.

I didn't know how long it would be until the latter occurred so I pulled out a book from the dashboard, place it on the peddle and lifted my foot. I slowly crawled over to the passenger seat which was the side that the sidewalk was on whilst still steering the car and maintaining the same speed and opened the passenger door. I pushed off with my feet and rolled out onto the pavement, watching my beautiful car continue for a good six seconds before it blew up two metres high wreaking the entire interior and leaving almost none of the driver seat to exist.

I'd give whoever planted that sh-t some props, it basically only blew up the drivers seat.

I lied on the ground a while before realising that someone had to have done this, someone knew where my car was parked and planted gas in it. What if Amara had been driving?

I got up and walked towards the car, I went on my knees and inspected the bottom then I opened the front and started searching the contents. Gas can only be stored in a non-explosive material that has timer sensitive releasing capabilities. Well a gas bomb can anyways.

I ignored the sirens as they got closer, I was too focused on finding the casing for that murder weapon.

Idiota.

I climbed out of the black sedan and walked to the scene, police were circling the child whilst he was engaged in a wrestle with a vehicle. Dominic was hung over the car practically ripping it apart, at some point he'd lost his sense and started treating the task with force. His hands were bleeding but he kept going.

I'd been sitting dandy in my office when the news started showing some interesting CCTV footage as breaking news, a man jumping out of a moving car only for it to blowup ten metres away. Even though I couldn't see his face, the mannerism and brand of the car was enough to tell me it was Dominic. He landed just a little too gracefully for a man jumping out of a car.

I replied with a 'hmph' as he pulled out a little metal containment that I recognised as one used to release gas. We all watched as he held it up, observing it a second before chucking it. He turned to the police then to me, "You did this?"

"You can buy another one." I looked him in the eye, he stalked towards me.

No way.

That man was impossible. On the news again.

I sat up as straight as I could as I watched the live footage, the news station had no shame showing stuff like this on television huh? I watched Dominic approach a man, the man moved a fraction and that was enough to tell me it was Santo. Just something about that man gave the aura of Satan himself.

I pulled out the laptop and started looking for a link or something, I couldn't just sit here and do nothing - which was literally all I could do. I wasn't any help in this condition, I could barely make it to the door without puffing out. Not to mention I can't reach to put my shoes on.

I found a link to one of the news station's helicopters, I hoped they didn't mind being out-linked for just a second.

I glared at him, that grimy son of a b-tch.

Not that my nonna was a b-, she was a lovely lady. What am I thinking? What's even happening?

Wasn't I going somewhere?

I shook my head back to reality and turned to leave, every gun in the area went up and the sound of sixty safety switches going off reminded me of who I was. A wanted man, with a wanted wife, who was also pregnant. The worst person to be, unarmed and surrounded by the police force, at least right now.

It was almost dead silent as I slowly turned back around, my father had an annoyingly straight face plastered and he watched me silently. The nearby helicopter that was recording the scene started moving a little. "W are havi-g som- problem- with commun-cations, did you want us to head ba- for a check-p?" the sound was crackling in and out, some was being broadcast outside of the helicopter so we were hearing it.

I was almost about to use the distraction to make my escape but some of the 'serious soldiers' in the squad were still eyeing me pretty close, those guys looked like they would shoot and I knew for sure - any more wounds and Amara would wound me herself.

"Is this thing working?"

Even I was surprised hearing Amara's voice broadcasting from the chopper, I guess that's what they mean by 'problems with communications'. Those idiots were being hacked.

Santo's expression went from expressionless to slightly annoyed, that meant he was pissed. He didn't like her at all, not that anyone cared. Not me, not her.

"Do me a favour guys, let him go and we won't have any problems." she negotiated.

The apple headphones didn't have the best microphone, but it would do.

I noticed Santo send a message on his phone and I immediately put a block on my link, that bastard was totally going to have it traced. What a pain in my ass.

"Let him go." I repeated, the policemen didn't back off. It was starting to get on my nerves, a lot.

I spotted the block I put being infiltrated and groaned, "C'mon f-ck off Santo." the words kind of slipped but I meant them, I just didn't think I'd be that unfocused. I set up to cut the link, couldn't have them knowing the exact location where we lived could we? That would be a little more than just inconvenient.

I realised I was starting to lose control of the link, god damn it whoever was on the other end of this was some kind of skilled hacker. I'd sever the link when I'm good and ready.

"Stop." she sounded frustrated. That was what I wanted.

Her, out of the situation.

Her, out of Dominic's life.

The sound started crackling, "Sa-to you degen-rate, ign-rant, sex-st son of a b-" she groaned again, "Sto- it."

I checked the time on my wrist, Dominic glared at me as I did so.

"Santo!" she was shouting now, "So god help m-, I will kill you mys-" the link went down. My phone rang.

"Did you get it?" I asked before any pleasentries could be exchanged.

He sighed, "No sir, she cut it off just before we could."

I kept my voice level, "Well if it was just before you could, then did you get some kind of path?"

"Unfortunately not sir, I apologise."

"Stuff that apology up your ass. You're fired." I hung up.

When I turned back to the scene Dominic was gone and so was the stupid gas container. The kid hadn't had someone mess with him in some time, he was definitely going to hold a grudge on this one. He can never go too long without a fight.