Hello everyone! Here I am with a new chapter.

Enjoy!

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

"No way I am wearing that dress, Lillian," Anna said as she emerged from the bathroom with her hands tugging on the hem of the black leather dress she was wearing currently.

"Why not Anna? you look very beautiful."

"You mean I look like a slut who will be exposed to everyone at the mere movement," Anna argued.

"Okay, okay, don't worry I will find you another dress," Lillian assured her protesting friend, and started rummaging through the pile of dresses on her bed. After a few seconds, she stood up from her bending position holding a dark red sleeveless dress.

"I think I found the perfect dress for you," Lillian beamed proudly.

Anna took the offered garment and headed once again to the bathroom. This time she presented herself to Lillian with a satisfied smile.

"I love this one." She twirled around in the beautiful dress that reached above her knees.

"Great, now you need a black leather jacket to finish the look."

Anna watched as her friend searched the pile of clothes on her bed once again and shook her head in dissatisfaction every time her hands would land on a leather vest.

Anna couldn't help but regard her as a crazed woman. She was acting like a possessed person throwing things on the floor and sometimes even snarling at them as if they offended her by their presence. Suddenly, Lillian stopped her little frenzy and with purposeful steps marched to the wardrobe in their room.

She threw open the double doors and tossed a black leather jacket at Anna who caught it and shrugged it on. When she looked at herself in the full-body mirror, she couldn't help but admire her attire. The black leather accented the dress and made it appear darker. It was a simple jacket with two zippers acting as her only adornment.

"For shoes, I think those boots will do." Pair of ankle black leather boots were put at her feet.

Anna wore them and looked again at her reflection in the mirror. One word came to her mind. Perfect.

"Next step, your hair."

"I thought I will let it just flow freely," Anna remarked.

"If you want to let it free, I will use my curling iron to make it a little wavy."

"I want to ask you a question, but quite honestly I am afraid of your answer," Anna said as Lillian opened a pink handbag and retrieved the desired device that was unsurprisingly pink.

"Go ahead and ask, but I can't guarantee the answer won't shock you." Lillian smiled secretly as she motioned for her to take the seat facing the mirror.

"How many bags did you bring with you?" Anna asked curiously.

"You will be surprised to know the number, my friend," Lillian answered as she started curling the ends of Anna's black strands. "I brought about seven bags".

"and I take it all of them are pink."

"you know me well already, girl." Lillian smiled cheekily.

"By the number of clothes you own, I am sure you drag your mother to shopping every day."

Lillian's hand froze mid-air and a pained expression crossed her features.

"Did I say something wrong?" Anna frowned.

"My mom died years ago. I don't even remember her clearly." Lillian whispered faintly.

"I am sorry Lillian. I didn't mean to hurt you. I just assumed you have a mother. I didn't know she......."

Lillian cut her mid-sentence and wrapped her arm around her shoulders.

"It is okay Anna. You didn't know my mother is dead. It is not your fault so don't apologize. And it doesn't mean I don't go shopping every day dragging my big boss of a father with me." Lillian smiled widely.

Anna returned the smile hoping it would convince her friend that everything is okay. She didn't know how a girl like Lillian could hide a lot of hurt behind her bright smile and carefree attitude.

30 minutes later, Anna was looking at a more beautiful version of herself. Her black locks were curled to perfection. The make-up was simple, yet added a lot of charm to her looks. Lillian made sure the eyeliner would make the color of her blue eyes more prominent. The red lipstick gave her already pouted lips more volume. She turned around and squeezed Lillian tightly.

"Thank you so much. Without you, I would have looked like an intruder in this race."

"Don't worry, I am at your service. I need to start getting ready or Hunter will throw a tantrum."

Anna shook her head at the statement and busied herself by collecting the endless items scattering around the room. She was wondering where she had the bravery of doing something this reckless. She had a nagging feeling, telling her that night won't end like planned and she will find herself in the trouble of her life. But at the same time, Anna can't deny herself the adrenaline of this adventure. She was stepping in a foreign territory and to say she was excited would be an understatement.

"Anna, How do I look?"

Anna's jaw dropped in astonishment at the look of her friend who was wearing a black leather jumpsuit that hugged her body like a second skin. She put her long chocolate brown hair in a high ponytail letting few strands framing her heart-shaped face. For the make-up, she kept it simple and light like Anna's. She completed her attire with red high heels.

Lillian waved her hands in front of her frozen friend.

"Is there something wrong with my look? Maybe I need to redo my hair."

Before she even could take a step towards the bathroom to fix her flawless appearance, Anna grabbed her arm and shook her head hard.

"You are stunning Lillian. There are no words that can describe your beauty." Anna spoke sincerely.

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

"The east coast will be unguarded from 20:00 to 20:15. We need to get there before Matt's distraction wears off, and the guards return to their stations." Aiden stated as he and Hunter were making their way down the hallway leading to the girls' room.

"Of course, we will be quick. Once we are out of here, everything will go smoothly."

The door to the girl's room opened before either of them had the chance to knock.

"Took you long enough," Lillian commented.

Aiden's eyes widened at the girls' appearance then he turned to his friend and spoke.

"I think we need another security team with us."

"what do you mean you prick?" Lillian scoffed and tried to punch Aiden who was apologizing to her and trying to explain.

Hunter shook his head at their antics and stepped forward to where Anna was still standing in the doorframe.

"You look stunning, ma belle." Hunter leaned over and pecked her forehead.

"Thank you, you don't look bad yourself," Anna said to her boyfriend who was wearing black jeans with a black t-shirt and a black leather jacket. Anna found him very attractive in this outfit. The black color made him look more intimidating and imposing.

Hunter grabbed her hand and started walking with her.

"Aren't we waiting for Lillian and Aiden?" Anna asked confusedly.

"Don't worry. They will follow us when they end their ridiculous argument. And if they didn't in 15 minutes, we will go without them." Hunter shrugged indifferently and from his blank expression, Anna can't tell if he was serious or just joking.

They reached the entrance of the large building and went through it without any troubles to find Carlos waiting for them.

"Good afternoon sir, the cars are waiting for you." The man said formally.

"Did the Don contact you today?" Hunter asked.

"I was talking to him minutes ago. He was making sure all the security protocols are followed."

Hunter nodded his head and started walking to an expensive silver car. He opened the car for Anna and waited for her to buckle her seatbelt before he closed the door then took his driver seat.

Anna noticed two black cars following them closely and assumed they were their security for the day. Anna didn't want to start a conversation with Hunter who looked deep in his thoughts and decided to look out the window at the rapidly passing trees.

The blaring music indicated they arrived at their destination. Anna unbuckled her belt and was about to open her door when Hunter grabbed her arm and looked at her seriously.

"I want you to stay with Lillian all the time while I and Aiden are racing. I don't trust anyone here and I don't want you interacting with the wrong people.

When I say the wrong people Anna, I don't mean the kind that will make you drunk or take drugs. I mean the type that will kill you or hurt you without hesitation. In this place, we have a lot of friends, but we have the same amount if not more enemies. So don't leave Lillian's side under any circumstances, am I clear?"

Suddenly, Anna felt overwhelmed by everything happening around her. She was in a strange place with strange people who can kill her easily. She closed her eyes and steadied her rapid breaths. She was determined to look strong and hide any fears she was feeling at the moment. So with a smile she hoped was convincing Anna said:

"Yes, I understand. Don't worry about me. I will be fine."

With a bold gesture, she leaned closer to Hunter's face and planted a soft kiss on his lips. It was the first time she initiated any affectionate gesture towards him. He was always the one who would make the first move.

"Good luck," Anna spoke softly while shielding her blushing face with her wide curls.

They exited the car and met with Lillian and Aiden who arrived after them ten minutes later. Anna took in her surroundings. The area was like a large stadium of football with a large screen in the middle of the comfortable looking chairs that were in a circle form.

What caught Anna's attention was the girls' clothes. They were wearing either short dresses with low chest cuts that don't leave anything for imagination or tank tops with shorts. She felt herself a nun between them.

Anna along with her friends was looking for their designed seats when a tall guy with blond hair in a neat ponytail and intense blue eyes that send bad vibes to anyone who looked at them made his way to their group.

"Well well, I didn't know we will be meeting the famous Hunter Salviatti here. The last time, I was informed you won't be here until next year." The blond boy spoke in a faux greeting.

"Lucca Ignacio," Hunter said flatly and extended his hand ignoring the boy's comment.

Lucca took the offered appendage and shook it firmly. The two of them held each other's gaze for a long time until Lucca's attention went to Lillian who was standing proudly beside Hunter.

"Always the beautiful one," Lucca took Lillian's hand and planted a soft kiss on it.

"Thank you so much, Lucca. You are handsome tonight. I see you are prepared to win this year but I want to warn you, Hunter will be a strong competitor." Anna noticed her friend forced words and fake smiles.

Lucca dropped Lillian's hand as if it would burn him if he held it any longer. A strange emotion passed his eyes, but he covered it immediately and if Anna wasn't following his reactions closely, she would have missed it.

" We will see who the winner of this race is later. As for now, I wish you a good evening," he strode away without another word.

After another hour of mingling and speaking with different people, a loud voice coming from speakers around the area announced the beginning of the race and asked all the participants to take their positions.

"Anna, stay close to Lillian," Hunter whispered in her ear, then kissed her cheek briefly.

Hunter moved next to Lillian and hugged her while Aiden spoke to Anna.

"Cheer for us, little sister."

Anna smiled at his words and said.

"Of course, and I am sure you will be the winners today."

Both of the girls watched the boys leave then went and took their seats while waiting for the large screen to turn on. Minutes later, a man in a black t-shirt with tattoos covering his arms and neck appeared on the screen and started speaking.

"Today, we will witness the 30th version of this annual race. It was 30 years since this event started, and this time we welcomed new faces that will give us suspense and entrainments. You will see the entire race from your seats and cheer as loud as you can for your favorite racers. Now, I will leave you to enjoy your time."

A few seconds later, a line of different cars took the whole screen. Anna saw Hunter's car and wished him all the luck in the world. A woman wearing leather shorts and a tight red tank top announced the beginning of the competition with a gunshot.

At first, the road was a long highway which seemed endless to Anna. She watched as Hunter took the lead with a red Ferrari staying very close to him.

"It is Lucca's car," Lillian answered the question that Anna never asked.

Anna's heart was beating furiously and she felt it would jump from her ribcage as hunter took a sharp turn without even decreasing the speed. Then she had to close her eyes when the Ferrari bumped him from behind and it took him a lot of force to regain control over his car. Hunter tried several times to take the lead again, but every time Lucca would stop him and make strong assaults with his car until Aiden came to his aid and played the role of coming between the two cars to act as a distraction for Lucca and protection for Hunter.

Lillian saw her friend's distress and put her hand over Anna's trembling one.

"He will be okay. He is the best racer here, don't worry," She spoke soothingly.

Anna nodded at her friend in appreciation, not trusting her voice at the moment. After the previous obstacle, Hunter took the lead again leaving Lucca behind him.

After more sharp turns that took Anna's breathe away and threatened her with an early heart attack, the cars came to the end line with Hunter as the winner and a very annoyed Lucca as the second. Aiden came in third place and was high fiving his mate.

The moment Anna saw Hunter coming their way, she sprinted from her seat and threw her arms around him in a ferocious hug.

"I am trying to breathe here," Hunter said teasingly.

Anna cleared her throat and stepped away.

"Sorry, I got carried away."

Hunter brought her again in his arms and kissed her hair tenderly.

"Congratulations Hunter, you did it."

Hunter turned to his cousin with a smug expression:

"And did you have any doubts about my abilities?"

Lillian rolled her eyes in exasperation and talked to Aiden instead.

"I will give my fortune for a photo of Lucca."

"When he came to congratulate Hunter, I swear I saw steam coming from his ears, and his face was red from uncontrolled anger." Aiden gave her a sinister smile.

After another kiss to Anna's head, Hunter released her and said.

"Okay guys, I think we had our fair share of excitement today. We will skip the party and go home. It is already 1:00 in the morning."

"You are right. Tomorrow will be a long training day, and we need to rest after all this adrenaline." Aiden agreed.

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

"Weren't you afraid Hunter? I mean when you were nearly thrown off from that cliff." Anna asked after she and Hunter started their journey back home.

"No, I wasn't afraid because I know my abilities, and I was sure I can handle the situation."

Anna admired the confidence in his voice. He didn't speak arrogantly or superiorly. He just spoke with such conviction and confidence.

"Were you afraid?" Hunter asked

"Yes, of course, it was the first time I witnessed something like that, and my heart was beating with a force I didn't know existed. But at the same time, I enjoyed the show."

"I am glad to hear that," Hunter said and put his right hand on hers while keeping the left one the steering wheel.

Like earlier, Anna rested her head on the window and watched the road ahead of them. She noticed a blue Bentley following their car. At first, she thought it was their security team but then she didn't remember seeing it when they came.

"Hunter, I think there is a car following us."

Hunter looked in the rear mirror then dialed a number on his phone. Moments later, a breathless voice echoed in the car.

"Carlos, what's up? There is a car following us."

"Sorry sir, but we were ambushed on our way to your location. I sent Carl behind you but apparently, he was attacked too."

"Shit," Hunter said under his breath.

"Try to distract them, and take a different route until the arrival of backup."

"Okay, I will try and hold them as long as I can."

With that, Hunter cut the call and dialed another number. After the third ring, Aiden answered:

"Where are you, Hunter? We are nearly in the camp."

"Good, there is someone following us and Carlos's team was attacked. I will try to come from another road but tell jasper to be ready for anything. I don't know what I will bring with me."