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There is a young man kneeling in the dirt, veins visible through skin, hands bloody and stained with soil.

A shadow fell over him, blocking his view and the young man looked up, fear now visible on his face as he realised who exactly he was dealing with.

"I don't know where he is", the young man pleaded.

Carlos resisted rolling his. He had gone through this with him already.

He stepped forward and grabbed the younger man's collar, yanking him up roughly.

"I. Want. Rex." he enunciated each word darkly.

The younger man paled. "I-I d-dont -", he stuttered.

Carlos did roll his eyes at the insufferable stuttering.

"You do know who I work for, don't you?", he asked rhetorically. "He is half my age and he has killed twice as many as I have", he continued, stating it so matter of factly as if discussing about the mundane weather conditions.

All colour left the young man's face, his eyeballs rolling in their sockets from the sheer fear Carlos' words induced in him. He was beyond terrified by the merest mention of the Valentini Don.

Carlos grinned, shark like.

"You know what he does to people who withhold important information from him?", he questioned, before dipping his head down and whispering darkly in the younger man's ear, "He doesn't kill them, not even when they beg him to. The rest....you wouldn't believe me even if I do tell you."

"Břimsk Alley", the other man whispered faintly. "You'll... find.... him there."

Carlos nodded, grimacing at the pungent smell that suddenly permeated the atmosphere, glaring in disbelief at the younger man.

"Wimp", he spat, hitting the kneeling man on his temple with his handgun and knocking him out cold.

*****

The sound of voices filled the open area as Carlos leaned back against the wall, looking around at the still bustling scene, as he puffed on his cigarette.

His eyes were keen as he took in the locals, most of them coming from less than savoury backgrounds. Each man was connected in some way to the world of underground crime, to even have stepped a single foot on this street.

A day.

Carlos had already wasted a day from the stipulated seven days that had been granted to him by the Don and from the way things seemed to be going, it seemed he was about to waste another day without getting his job done.

He tipped his hat distractedly to a passerby who tossed a single coin in his cup.

He continued to look around and just as he was about to change his search location, he saw a man walk down the street, a hood over his head.

Carlos pushed to his feet at once , wiping his hands on the worn out clothes that he had donned to act his part of a homeless thug before discreetly following the man down the alley.

The man continued down the alley and Carlos paused a short distance, watching as he entered a deserted little street before pulling his gun out and walking after him.

Just as he had taken a step in the deserted alley, he was pounced upon, an arm curled around his throat tightly.

"What do you want?", a gruff voice asked, accent thick in his tone. "Why have you been following me?"

Carlos didn't bother replying, elbowing the man sharply in the stomach before kicking him in the foot and pushing himself away.

"Answers", he stated coldly, pointing his gun at the man. "I want answers, which only you can give me."

The man snarled, lashing out with a pocket knife, a quick jab aimed at Carlos' chest.

Carlos reacted quickly, his hand coming up and knocking the sharp blade from his hand before taking his feet out from under him.

"You still have a lot left to learn", the Valentini man spat roughly, before crouching down beside the young man on the ground.

"Who are you?", Rex snapped. "What kind of answers do you want from me?"

"The right one's",Carlos replied back darkly. "As for who I am, it doesn't matter. What matters is who I serve. I work for the Valentini's.... For Don Valerio Valentini."

The man named Rex quickly jumped back to his feet.

"I don't have anything that you want", he gritted through clenched teeth, forceful, despite the obvious fear flashing in his eyes.

"That's for me to decide", Carlos retorted, standing straight."You answer a few of my questions and I get to decide if that would be worth sparing your life."

"Go away. I don't have any information that I can offer which isn't already known."

"But you do", Carlos snarled, "You were one of the few witnesses who survived, however accidental it might have been."

"You don't know what you're talking about. Don't dig up the skeletons that were buried deep under the earth", Rex hissed. "This world will burn because of your stupidity."

Carlos shrugged before wordlessly he pressed the blade to the man's cheek, cutting a very fine line with it and drawing blood.

"And I would be a fool if I let you slip through my fingers. Your account of the.... events is very important to me"

"Why?", Rex burst out, "It's been years then why now?"

Carlos gave him a calculating look.

"Because not all conspirators were sentenced for spilling the blood which is sacred to me."

Rex looked at him helplessly. "I don't remember it well.... It's hazy... everything happened in the span of a few minutes...

"Tell me what you remember", Carlos commanded. "Any names that were taken?"

Rex stared at him hard. "Those names have already had their entire family lines wiped out."

Carlos nodded. He already knew that.

"Who else? Any particular memory that strikes you?"

"I'm n-ot sure....",he fumbled with his words. "Just as I was escaping.. I heard another name.... One which is close to -"

He gasped in pain, his eyes blown wide and Carlos followed the movement of his arms as they touched a bleeding stop, right over his heart.

Rex stumbled, falling down on the hard concrete, face contorted in shock and pain.

Carlos looked at the end of the alley just in time to see a rifle being pulled back through the car window, it's tinted shields rolling up before it sped away.

"They shot him", he thought in shock and rage.

Carlos quickly crouched down next to Rex as he chocked, red spilling over the corner of his mouth.

"Who? Tell me!",Carlos commanded urgently.

Rex gurgled something incomprehensible, staring into Carlos' eyes with sheer desperation, before he started choking over his own blood as it steadily slipped down his chin and throat, crimson spilling across the street and the man named Rex took one last shuddering breath before his heart stopped.

******

"Yes! Everything is secure here", Liam spoke into his phone.

"Yes, Cian", he snapped, taking a pause before replying,"She is absolutely fine, a little upset though."

"I will", he promised shortly when Cian had finished speaking before hanging up the call.

Liam sighed, chugging the glass of whisky in one go and instantly feeling his nerves relax slightly. Just as he had reached for the second glass, he was interrupted by a member guard of the security team.

"Master Liam",the guard bowed,"We have just received word that Don Valerio was seen at the airport in New York and chances are that he might be making his way to the estate as we speak."

Liam shook his head in disbelief. He had spoken to Valerio yesterday and he had been in Milan then. What had prompted him to fly all the way to New York so suddenly?

"According to our previous commands, we are not to permit entry to any man who isn't a Sullivan at such an hour of night", the guard continued. "Am I to order the guards to deny them the permission to pass through the Estate gates?", he asked apprehensively.

"Yes, please do that", Liam mocked, sarcasm heavy in his speech, "Do tell Valerio that and then stand right at the front of the gates so he can run his car over you."

The guard ducked his head.

"Fool!", Liam hissed, standing up. "Do not presume such instructions from next time."

"Apologies Master Liam",the guard bowed.

Liam brushed him off as he walked towards the entrance of the manor. He would have to go and personally receive Valerio as his position demanded.

"Tighten the security", Liam ordered the guard.

He strode out through the front doors of the manor just in time to see the Valentini entourage rolling in through the compound gates.

He waited for the Valentini Don to step out before walking towards him.

"Liam", Valerio greeted coldly when he saw the Sullivan approach.

"Valerio",he reciprocated.

The last conversation he had with the Don weighing heavily on his mind. "We can talk more inside the manor", he stated.

Valerio nodded, and the two headed inside the house.

"What are you doing in New York? Were you not in Italy just this morning?", he asked, once they had entered the hallway.

Liam almost squirmed under Valerio's cold stare.

"Is she asleep?", he asked Liam instead.

"Yes. We went out for dinner earlier in one of the Sullivan Hotel's", Liam informed him.

Valerio's eyes darkened visibly.

Liam didn't even see him move as he was slammed across the wall roughly.

"You have a lot of nerve mentioning it to me", Valerio hissed venomously. "Especially when a comman weakling man dared to flirt with my woman on your watch."

Liam swore internally. Of course Valerio would know even the slightest details of what happened where Amara was concerned.

"He didn't flirt with Amara", Liam insisted. "You think I'd let him or anyone else walk away if they dared to?"

He swallowed nervously under Valerio's cold stare.

"Your definition of flirting is simply atrocious",Valerio hissed dangerously.

"He is a known stage actor. Amara watched one of his plays and -"

"Not anymore", Valerio interjected, losing his grip on Liam.

Liam was not at all surprised. Valerio's possessive over Amara knew no bounds. Often, men who even dared to cast one flirtatious look at his sister, tended to lose their jobs and more than a few important limbs and functioning of some vital organs for the mere transgression of looking at her.

Liam almost smirked at the memory of one similar incident which had occurred during one of the school events when Amara had been fourteen. He would never forget it.

So lost he was in his memories, that he didn't notice when Valerio walked away. When he finally snapped back from his thoughts, Liam swore loudly before walking quickly to where he knew Valerio must have gone.

Liam caught him at the end of the corridor.

"You can't barge into Amara's room at this hour of the night", Liam hissed loudly.

Valerio turned around at once. "Are you going to try and stop me?", he asked, an edge of mocking challenge and impatience leaking into his tone.

Liam paled slightly. "I will if I have to."

Valerio smirked slightly at the show of bravado before his eyes darkened. "I didn't cross an entire ocean only to be stopped by you",he stated coldly.

Liam was frozen in his spot as Valerio walked away again. Only her. Only Amara could make the most ruthlessl Don of the Valentini Empire cross oceans at a moments notice.

"I told her to call him back. Why didn't she listen to me?", he muttered under his breath as he chased after the feral beast.

"Valerio! Stop!", he called out and to his relief and apparent shock the Valentini Don stopped.

"What?",he snapped, thoroughly annoyed.

"Amara is sleeping and I know that you won't like to wake her up. You can see her in the morning", Liam tried to convince him. "What's the point in going in then?"

Valerio glared at him.

"The point", he began, his eyes flashing, "Is that I will ascertain with my own eyes, how well you have taken care of her. Remember Liam, even a smudge on her skin or the trace of a single tear in her eyes and I will finish you."

His tone was unforgiving and his eyes promising. He would go through with his threat if the need arised. Liam was well aware of it.

He could only nod shakily in response as he watched Valerio cover the small distance, opening the door to Amara's room and slipping in silently.

****

Drowsy amethyst eyes opened, and a frown of confusion marred beautiful features as Amara woke up.

She sat up on her bed and rubbed her eyes tiredly, looking around the dark room and wondering what had woken her up in the middle of the night.

Her eyes fell on the open glass doors that led to the balcony and Amara sighed internally, almost regretting having left the warm nest of her sheets as she stepped down on the cold floor.

She walked out through the open door and outside but everything seemed to appear normal to her, except that it looked like the security had been increased around the estate.

She could see the tiny figures of a few guards patrolling around the lake.

Amara shivered slightly as a cool gust of wind blew, caressing her cheeks and ruffling her open hair.

She put her arms around her herself, regretting having not changed out of her dinner outfit as the breeze touched the exposed flesh of her stomach but she had been feeling too melancholy to do anything except retire to bed.

Amara sighed. She didn't want to think about it again. Instead, she raised her head to look up at the sky- a starless night, much to her dismay. The only reprieve was the bright moonlight, shining down upon her like molten silver.

She smiled softly, the setting reminded her of another similar night, of a promise made in the dark with only the Moon smiling down on them as if bearing witness.

It reminded her of someone and how much of a representee he is of the Dark. Her Feral Beast. Her Valerio.

Amara's heart constricted slightly. No matter how much she tried to not think about him, she failed. She was starting to miss him again, just like she always did when he was away.

"I wish I could have spoken to him earlier", Amara thought sadly.

Amara had called Valerio's office phone in Milan, hoping to speak to him, but to her dismay someone else had picked up her call.

She didn't know who the boy had been on the other end and before she could have enquired his name, the phone had been disconnected.

Amara had called a few times again, after that one strange call but none of her attempts had proved fruitful.

When she had finally decided to call his mobile phone, it that had been switched off as well.

Amara had even contemplated calling Silvano but had decided against it at the last moment.

She could probably try calling Valerio now,she thought but rejected the idea immediately. Calling Valerio in the middle of the night, sounding sad was never a good idea, not if she wanted the Valentini army at her doorstep because Valerio thought the worst had happened to her.

Amara's train of thought was interrupted when she heard a commotion outside the closed door of her room, before everything stopped abruptly.

She shook her head, wondering what Liam was up to in the middle of the night.

"I can probably ask him myself", she thought wryly when the sound of footsteps reached her ears in the quiet night.

The faint sound kept getting clearer with each sharp step of leather against marble. Each echo resounding loudly in the silence of the dark..... Like a lion on prowl for it's prey.

And Amara's heart lurched in her throat the moment she realised who it actually was behind the closed door.

The very fact that her heart altered it's rhythm to match the deafening steps clued her in to who it could be.

Amara swallowed nervously even as her pulse rocketed. Her heart pounding like drumroll in her ear, a tremulous beat beneath soft skin.

Her eyes fluttered closed as she stood there in the moonlight, shadowed by the dark and waiting for Valerio to find her. Just like he always did, irrespective of where she went.

She didn't have to wait for long as she was pulled flushed against a hard body, two strong arms wrapping themselves around her waist, and Amara could feel the sheer strength in those thick, muscled arms even as they hold her as she were made of delicate glass.

She opened her mouth to speak but the words caught itself in her throat when his mouth started moving over her neck as his hands caressed the bare flesh of her stomach, making Amara jump and squirm at the ticklish feeling.

"Valerio", Amara breathed out in disbelief.

Perhaps she was dreaming. Yes, this was it. She had been missing him too much and her mind had conjured up this scenario for her. This wasn't happening for real and that realisation made Amara's throat tighten.

"You're not real", she whispered to herself.

But the answering kiss that she received at her pulse made Amara jump and her eyes widened in shock.

She dared to touch the arms around her waist and when they didn't disappear like she had thought they would, she tightened her own arms over his and felt his lips quirking up in a smirk at her action.

Amara's face lit up. He really was here.

She exhaled a soft breath which immediately shifted into a startled gasp as she was pulled more tightly within the cage of Valerio's arms, as if he was trying to mould her body within his.

"Hush", he breathed out and Amara jumped again when she felt his lips moving over her neck, agonisingly slow.... and warm, trailing lower down her neck and she shivered when his teeth scraped over her too soft skin, followed by the trail of a too hot tongue.

Amara was sure that Valerio could feel the heat coming off her cheeks as she felt the sudden blood rush.

She gulped once. "Val.... How did you-?"

Amara didn't get to finish her sentence as Valerio's fingers dug into her sides gently, eliciting a breathy laugh out of her.

"Stop", she giggled, trying to squirm out of his hold. "Val, stop! You know I'm ticklish", she laughed, wiggling insistently away from his hold on her.

She heard Valerio's chuckle and Amara desperately wanted to turn around and look at him but his arms tightened fractionally around her and she felt week in her knees when she felt his mouth ascending up her neck again, sucking a mark on it.

Amara didn't know why but she felt almost.... Hunted.

Her thoughts were only confirmed when he kissed her neck once, twice, and again, and then brushed his lips over her cheekbones and jaw before nicking the soft skin of her ear, as he leaned down and whispered in a low tenor, his voice sounding dark, possessive and terrifyingly like a predator who just caught it's most precious prey.

"Caught you, little dove."

*****