𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐀𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬

《 41 》

All that moment between us where our lips moved against each other's and we pulled each other close ended when my eyes slowly opened and my rational side snapped me out of it.

My hands firmly pressed against his chest and pushed him back before I wiped my lips with the back of my hand. Our breathing was heavy the moment I pushed us away. His eyes held a storm of emotions I had a hard time deciphering. My wide and frantic eyes took in each of his movements, from the way his chest rose to the way his thumb ran across his lower lip.

No words came out when I tried to speak. Part of me wanted to argue and curse him for doing what he did, but the other part of me was still processing what just happened.

Without a single word, he just stepped back and stormed out, leaving me in a pure state of perplexity and shock. I sat back down on the couch and stared at the glass of wine ahead of me.

What was that...

Whatever it was, I can't let it happen again. Though I reached one conclusion.

I need to put up my walls and keep him out. That was a only a one time thing...

. . .

Ever since that day, Angelo and I avoided each other like the plague. Not a small look was shared. We just repelled.

That was until today. I sat in the main office, making up a plan to track down Taylor Rivera even if I had to do it on my own. The clock marked 4:00am and everyone was asleep, so I took my time in gathering all the information I needed plus the one I already had.

The Rivera family. Small organization, mostly based on different typed of trafficking. Drugs, sex slaves, children, machinery, weapons... stuff like that. They've never had the best reputation as far as I know. Maybe because they're known for being a bunch of untrustworthy bastards who only seek money. And out of all the things, the children and mostly women trafficking is the one I hate the most.

Why? Because I once knew someone who was a victim of that type of trafficking. And who am I talking about? Aurora's son - Leonardo. He basically grew up with me, Isabella, and Luciano back then. But one day, he was kidnapped by a different trafficking organization other than the Rivera, one that doesn't exist anymore. I was devastated. When it happened, I still hadn't met Mateo or the rest. He was my best friend and thought of him as my older brother, who'd always scold me or fight whenever I wouldn't let him hold Isabella. We were inseparable.

Back then my father would send some of our best men and spies to try and locate him, but one day they returned with the news that he had been killed and they no longer searched for him. That was the first time I felt my heart shatter. The first time I felt the pain of losing someone I cared for. I had lost my best friend, big brother, and partner in crime as we'd call each other. For the next few weeks, I remember I didn't want to eat and couldn't sleep well. Yet Aurora, through her pain, still entered my room in the middle of the night to smile and comfort me.