My body turns around and I stare at Brooke.

She is wearing a light blue sports bra with plum purple bike shorts. She is sweaty with wild strands of her hair coming out of her bun.

In the corner of my eye, I notice Ricardo is looking at Brooke worriedly. "Brooklyn, what are you talking about?" he asks after a minute of surprised silence.

Brooke takes another step into the room. "I mean that he will not kill me," she answers while playing with her clasped fingers.

"No," Ricardo growls before my mind can catch up to the meaning of her words.

Brooke takes another step, so she is five feet away from me. So close but so far away. "He wants me. No one will get killed or injured if I go with him," she says hesitantly.

My mind finally catches up with the words coming out of her mouth. It takes an embarrassing amount of effort to stay in my chair instead of standing up and grabbing her by the waist before picking her up and carrying her out of this room.

"If it means protecting you then I would gladly go with him," she gulps.

Before she can spew more bullshit I stand up and face her fully. "Brooklyn you are not going anywhere near that bastard. He hurt and scared you both mentally and physically. I will not allow you to go through more tragic shit that will traumatize you even more," I tell her with my heart in my eyes.

She drags her white, peach, and blue sneaker behind her left foot while biting down on her lip. Her eyes water but she blinks the tears away before lifting her chin in a defiant way.

"Too bad you do not get a say in what I do to protect the people I love," she snarls.

I glare at her. "Whatever you are planning to do is stupid and reckless. You have no idea how he will react to you being back in his arms. He could decide to kill everyone you care about just for the sake of hurting you," I caution but my voice seems to grow louder with each word.

I stop talking when Will speaks up. "You know Brooke I do not care about you but even I can agree that whatever is running through that pretty head of yours is reckless," he stated with a knowing look. "Plus, I am too young to die and heaven would not take me and hell will send me off on my merry way."

Brooke glares at a now-smirking Will but I take another step until I am standing in front of her. I grab her chin and move her face to look at mine.

"I know I can not tell you what to do amore mio but do not do something that will force you to leave me. I love you Brooke and I can not live in a world where you are not present," I let my words sink in before continuing. "I love how headstrong and bloody you can be but we should make a plan together as a couple and a mafia. We do not need to worry about you going off on your own to hunt this man down. Understand?" I tell her.

She looks down towards the floor before her watery ocean blue eyes meet mine. "Okay, but if we do not have a solution we need to think about giving him me," she agreed.

A breath of relief exhales out of my body. Even though she still has the idea of giving herself up to the bastard at least we have a long time to get organized and come up with a good plan before she decides she needs to be the one to get handed over in exchange for no harm to come to us.

I close my eyes and rest my forehead on hers. "Thank you," I breathe.

She closes her eyes and leans into me. I take full opportunity of her body and wrap my arms around her body. I kiss the top of her head before moving my head to look at her father.

He nods his head in thanks before speaking. "We should have a meeting with your father and talk about precautions and a plan to take him out," he advises and leans back in his chair. "Can you talk with your father?"

"Yes sir," I answer before tightening my arms around Brooke.

"Good. If this impromptu meeting is over I am meeting my wife for dinner at La Papillon," this has Brooke's eyes popping open and jerking her body up looking...excited?

"Ouah! Le papillon. Vous devez me dire comment c'est. Si c'est bon, rapportez-moi quelque chossede délicieux et de sucré. Peut-être wue je demanderai mon propre restaurant français pour Noël," she exlaims in french.

(Oooh! The butterfly. You must tell me how it is. If it is good bring me back something delicious and sweet. Maybe I will ask for my own French restaurant for Christmas. )

Her father grins at his daughter with adoration. "Of course ma fille. I will bring you home something for both your brother and yourself. And I will think about getting you that restaurant," he responds with a grin. (my daughter)

"Merçi papa," she thanks stepping out of my arms and walking to her father. She leans over and kisses him on the cheek before coming back and grabbing my hand.

He stands and I lift my hand for a handshake. "Thank you Ricardo for listening to what I had to say," I thank him as he clasps my hand in a firm shake.

"No need to thank me and I am appreciative that you brought this issue to me," he says with a kind grateful smile.

After shaking his hand we walk out of his office and Ricardo goes up the stairs after kissing his daughter on her forehead before saying goodbye. Brooke turns around and asks a question I wasn't ready for. "Who stole the weapons for De...him?"

Will answer the question faster than I can. "To answer your question Princess it was a sexy female with long ice blue hair and ruby red lips. The dead son of bitch said she has a tattoo on her wrist of a shooting star which is...." Brooke finishes his description of the female.

"De...the devil's mark of loyalty in his mafia. It is also the identifier for his mafia," she says emotionless and white as a ghost.

I reach out and grab her hand interlocking our fingers as we walk towards the front doors. When we reach the massive front doors I turn to face her. Some coloring came back onto her face but I know what I am going to say next will shatter her.

"The driver for the truck also informed us that a vintage Lamborghini with flames on the sides of the car picked her up with the weapons piled into the car," I said with caution waiting for her to react but she just had a concerning blank expression on her beautiful face.

"The license plates for the car said 'Mi Estrella Esto es para ti'. Do you know what that means?" that seemed to snap her out of her emotionless gaze. She stumbles back and that emotionless expression on her face is flooded with emotion. So much damn emotion that broke my blasted heart.

She shakes her head and tears leak from her eyes and I have no idea what to do besides walking up to her and wiping those helpless tears away with my thumbs. I cup her wet cheeks and wipe the tears falling like rain during a storm.

"Baby, don't cry. Please do not cry," I whisper helplessly as I stare into beautiful blue eyes. "I can not stand when you cry."

She sniffles and grabs a hold of my wrists for support. I nod at her to talk. "Mi Estrella Esto es para ti means 'My Star this is for you' and I the man driving the getaway car was De..." he voice breaks in a cry of pain but she continues. "Declan. The female was Evalina Whitlock De...clan's favorite assassin."

I smile at Brooke reassuringly as Will starts exclaiming profanities. "Shitting fucking hell. Do you mean Declan fucking Diaz was behind the fucking wheel to the get-away car that stole weapons of mass destruction? You've got to be fucking with me!" he exclaims running his hand through his strawberry blonde hair.

Brooke tries to smile but a sob comes out rocking her body. "Mason those words on his license plate were words he used when he was..." she takes a deep breath before speaking. "Raping me in the basement," she ends in a heartbreaking whisper.

Her body racks her sobs. I pick her up with my arm under her legs and his other arm supporting her back. I pass will who looks concerned and furious at the situation Brooke was put through.

I carry her up the stairs to her room. I open the door and Cira comes bounding out of her fluffy bed but slows down when seeing Brooke in my arms. She ends up sliding on her front paws but stops just before hitting my legs.

I try to place Brooke on the bed but she holds onto me like glue. I sigh and lift her up. I lay down on my back and place Brooke onto my chest. Cira jumps onto the bed and lays at my feet looking concerned at the condition Brooke is in.

"Ll mio amore respira. Fais un respira prondo," I whisper into her ear. She takes a deep breath. "Proprio cosí. Ora espira," she exhales a stuttered breath. "Now repeat baby. Breathe in then exhale," she repeats my steps several times before she is just sniffing instead of sobbing. (My love breathe. Take a deep breath) (That's right. Now exhale)

I bring her hand up to my mouth and kiss her palm. "Mason, promise me that you will never leave," she whispers into my neck.

I look at her and lift her head up with the arm not holding onto her hand. "Amore, I will never leave you. I thought you knew this since I text you every hour of every day," I say narrowing my eyes at her.

She laughs at a beautiful life. "Yes, you do. I will never get sick of your texts asking me if I can come over and want to watch Bambi," she says the last with a raised eyebrow.

"What?" I shrug. "It is a good movie about a deer's life in the wilderness and the difficulties the little fawn has to grow through as he grows up," I explain.

She rolls her eyes at my movie preference. "Of course the big bad mafia boss watches Disney," she says exasperated.

"Says the girl who watches Miss Congeniality and Practical Magic," I give her a pointed look.

She sighs. "Fine, I will not judge your movie preferences but you also can not judge mine," she agrees.

"Now give me a kiss," I order leaning forward until our lips are an inch apart but a puppy bark interrupts us. Brooke giggles at the cock block. I glare at her. "Do not encourage that dog to be a cock blocker," I tell her with a frown.

Cira jumps on Brookes's lap and licks any place she can reach on Brooke's face. "Is he being a grump?" She croons to the fluffy ball of fur.

I continue to glare at them. Brooke up and grins at me and my frown turns into a pout. "Aww! Do you need some kisses too?" she asks leaning forward with the dog still in her lap. She leans over and pecks at my lips.

She begins to lean back but I grab her waist and bite down on her lip. She gasps and I take full advantage and slip my tung into her mouth. Our tungs dance in a lovely dance of desire. She tastes like the most addictive drug and I want more and more every time I am with her.

As fast and as heated the kiss began it ends just as quickly when the cock block licks both our chins.

I jerk back and wipe my face of the dog slime. Brooke's eyes are pools of molten desire before they turn into pools of laughter.

I move my eyes towards the dog and glare, but Brooke grabs my chin tilts my head towards her. "Babe, come on it was funny," she teases.

I sigh and wrap my arm around her shoulder. I pull us down to the bed and kiss her head. "Fine, it was kind of funny but all I wanted to do was kiss my girlfriend instead a get a tung to my chin," I tell her.

She giggles quietly before putting her head on my chest. "Mason, can you hold me?" she asks hiding her head in my shoulder.

I tighten my hold on her. "Yes, baby I will hold you forever if you would let me," I whisper into her ear as her breaths get more even.

I pull her into me until she is almost fully on me. I kiss her forehead, cheeks, nose, and lips as she falls asleep in my arms. I hold her until dusk comes and goes and soon I am falling asleep with her in my arms.

***

I hope you enjoyed today's chapter another one will be out sometime this week.

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-Mason

-Will

-Brooke

-Cira

-Ricardo

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