Chapter 16

Kay Carl holds me tightly to himself, and I bury my head in his chest, inhaling deeply. I don't know why his touch doesn't irk me; maybe it's because I trust him. My body and mind know he can't hurt me. That's why I am calm under his strong arms, which are holding me protectively. He uses the other hand to run his fingers through my hair like grandpa did, and I close my eyes, sighing contentedly. How come someone never did that to me before? It has always been my father and I, so I am guessing I still have a lot to learn. I wrap my arms around him and hug him back. It feels good to hug someone. Carl smells so good, and he's so big compared to me. I don't know for how long we have been standing here, but my talking father forces us apart. "I will just leave you guys to it," I look at my dad, who's giving me a knowing smile, and roll my eyes. He just won't stop pushing. Other fathers would be threatening the man for even looking at their daughters, while my father is busy setting up his only daughter with a mafia Don. Can you believe him? I excuse myself to take a shower. I have to go to the hospital. I promised Theo I would be back. I know if places were switched, he wouldn't leave my side, and it's only fair to show him my support. He is a good friend, even though I haven't known him for that long. I have to continue looking, now that Thomas is gone. Start by installing cameras in the whole house. More in the hallways and my room, but I need to wait for my partner to recover first. After a warm shower, I put on ragged black skinny jeans, a white crop top, a green zip-up cargo jacket, and finally white Nike sneakers. I tie my hair in a tight ponytail and exit the room after grabbing my car keys because today I am driving. I mostly use my bike when going on missions or running errands, but today, like I said, I feel different. "Where are you going ?" Carl meets me on the stairs with my dagger in his hand. "To the hospital, " I answer calmly, taking it from him. He is still wearing the clothes Dad gave him with white slides on his legs. I must admit, Carl is a catch. I don't understand why today I am thinking so much about him. It should be because I had enough sleep and my mind is much clearer. "I'm coming with you," he says, leaving no room for arguments. I don't say anything and continue walking out to the garage. "I'm driving too angel," he snatches the keys from me, again leaving no room for argument. He must be used to giving orders. "Whatever you say, boss," I roll my eyes, getting in the passenger seat and fastening my seat belt. Carl does the same before starting the car. "You look beautiful," he says, glancing at me. I watch as his long, slender fingers caress the steering wheel. He is really attractive. He has silver rings on each tattooed finger. His veiny hands are so big compared to mine. He has thick arms that are literally stretching out the t-shirt he's wearing. He must be damn strong. My eyes trail to his face only to find a proud smirk on his lips. He knows he's hot and he extremely loves the attention. Fucking caught again. It's not like I'm checking him out, I'm just observing. "Thank you," I mumble, taking out my phone before my eyes betray me again. I don't even know why I'm behaving this way. I have met countless men, but none of them got my attention like he's doing. I hate their entire existence. Maybe it's because Carl is always around me and I'm getting used to him. "You never gave me an answer." I furrow my brows at him in question. Which answer is he talking about? "About our talk earlier" he elaborates, glancing at me for a second before returning his eyes to the road. Oh! about giving us a chance. "I don't know Carl, I will think about it." he only nods, and the rest of the drive is silent, everyone to their thoughts. "Boss," the men in the room acknowledge Carl when he enters. The same men from earlier. The two men are sitting on the single couch in the room, while Sam sits beside the sleeping Theo on the bed. "Is she your new toy?" the guy with blonde hair and grey eyes asks Carl in Italian, and his friend snickers beside him. The guy shamelessly checks me out, licking his dry, stupid lips, before stretching them to form a smirk. So fucking disgusting. They always berate and see women as their fucked up toys. Carl and Sam stare at him in surprise, like they didn't expect him to say that. "This one is so beautiful, Man. Pass her to me after you are done." He stands and starts taking sluggish steps towards me, his eyes hungrily trailing all over my body. I hate this kind of shit. "Don't test me, Ed," Carl warns, grabbing his arm to stop him from coming near me. "What, she's just a whore, Carlos, and we always share, remember?" A whore, I'm just a whore? Just because I am a woman, I am a whore? He doesn't see it coming when I plant my dagger deep into his right leg, making sure I have his undivided attention. Bitch hisses in pain, staring into my blank eyes, his smirk long gone. I gotta say, he knows how to handle pain so well. I will give him that. I twist the knife and he curses through gritted teeth, but he doesn't move. He knows that one wrong move, the dagger will cause more damage. "Next time you call me a whore, I won't hesitate to slay your pretty neck," I whisper calmly, and his eyes widen. I twist the knife once again and watch him scrunch up his face in pain. " Do you understand what I'm saying?" I ask softly, looking into his grey eyes. Trust me, I am not bluffing, I will be happy to keep my word. I promised myself to never let any man bring me down again. Degrade and use me to their wicked satisfaction, or piss on my dignity. They don't have that right anymore, and I will make sure they understand that even if it's the last thing they do. "Yes," he croaks out in defeat. "Good," I whisper, looking at the other men in the room, hoping my point is clear to them too. The one who was snickering isn't doing that anymore. Sam is a hard man to read, and Carl only spots a proud smirk on his lips. Taking out the blade, I slowly wipe it on his suit jacket while he watches silently. I ignore their eyes and walk to Theo's bed. He is sleeping. I guess the pain medicines are working, and the wires from the morning are fewer now. "Who is she?" the guy I stabbed whispers to his friend, tying up his wound to stop the bleeding. The friend looks at me and looks away immediately he catches my gaze. "You two," Carl points his index finger at the two men. "Next time you talk shit about her, I will forget we are related." his tone holds seriousness, and they wordlessly nod. They must know when he is serious. "Sorry, man, who is she?" the friend asks, looking at me with curiosity. "That's princess fuck face," Sam answers, talking for the first time. "Fuck " "What?" Ed and his friends say simultaneously with wide eyes. "Damn princess, we didn't know, I'm Marcello," the friend says, coming towards me, and sorry about Ed. he stretches his hand for a handshake, but I don't take it. First impression matters; they shouldn't pretend to respect me because I am Kayla. They were so rude. "Sorry, Kay, I didn't know it was you," Ed says, offering a small, sad smile, and I roll my eyes. "This fuckers are my cousin's, angel. They come at you, kick their asses," Carl says, scowling at them. Cousins? They don't look anything alike. Marcello has black eyes and black hair, both boys look younger than Carl, maybe a year or two.