Lena tramped wearily across the living room. Her hands hovering over her head and her heart in her throat. She cursorily glanced through the window whenever there was a sound. She prayed so hard that her husband wasn't injured, shot, or even killed.
"What if something has happened to him?" She looked at her bodyguards, they said nothing. She twirled to face Jay and then, she begged. "Please, take me back to the family house, I can't stay back here when he's out there in danger, I can't do it. Please, take me back." Lena sobbed into his shoulders.
Jay signaled to her bodyguards to excuse them. After they left, he positioned her on the couch and cupped her face with his hands.
"The boss will get out safely, trust me on that." He said with uncertainty laced in his voice.
He knew Darian was strong and fearless, but facing those men wasn't a good idea. He sighed and prayed he was right when he said Darian will come back safely.
"I can't do this," Lena cried softly.
"Calm down, he will soon be here," Jay assured her. "You
have to trust my words." He let go of her and got off the couch.
They heard the screeching sound of a vehicle entering the compound, "That's him!" Lena yelled, jumping without hesitation, she looked through the window and saw Darian coming down with some bodyguards leading him into the house.
She didn't wait for him to get in, she opened the door and dashed out of the living room.Running as fast as her legs could carry her.
"Darian!" She called as she ran up to him.
She met with him on the way and he caught her in a tight embrace. He delicately wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed a soft, long kiss to her forehead.
"I thought something bad happened to you, I thought I lost you, I thought I'd never see you again, I was so scared. Don't ever do that again," she hit him, crying into his chest. But he held her tighter and didn't let go for a very long time.
He savoured the tenderness her presence brought. Stroking her hair, he pressed a kiss to her forehead again.
"Are you fine?" He asked her. "Did you get hurt?"
"I should ask you that, Darian. You were the one who stayed out there to confront those people. I should ask if you are fine," she grabbed his arms to check for injuries but didn't find any. "I am glad you are back, I was so scared." She fell into his arms and tears dropped down her cheeks.
"Let's go in," he took her hands and motioned to all the bodyguards to leave them. Jay followed behind as they went in together.
They got into the house, and Darian placed Lena on the couch.
She was sweating profusely, still trying to get over the shock. He smiled as he stared into her eyes. He had never missed and cared about her the way he did tonight.
For a moment, he thought about her. What if she was shot dead by now? Those thoughts made his chest tight and hurt. And when he confronted those men, he thought about his life. If he was killed right there, he won't get to see Lena again and that's going to be a regret for him. But she was right in front of him, sobbing like a child.
It made his heart warm to know that someone cared about him. He pulled her closer and wiped her tears off with his thumb.
"I am here now, okay? You don't have to cry." He said and she nodded her head. He smiled. Veering back to face Jay, he clasped his hands together and heaved a sigh. "They didn't come to kill, they were sent by someone to disrupt the family party."
Jay stood straighter, he nodded his head in understanding. "Did they reveal the one who sent them?" He asked.
"No, they said they would rather die than tell me. Those men are fools, how can they do something like that knowing that they could get caught and killed?" Darian dug his nails into his hair. Pacing the living room, he tried to put things together to wrap his head around the whole situation, and maybe he could understand and get a hint of where the attack was from. "Do you have any idea who could have done this?"
"I don't know. Maybe a rival family?" Jay queried.
"I don't think it's a rival family. Asher stood with me when I was shooting them, he couldn't have stayed if he sent them, could he?" Darian looked at Jay. "The Antonio family are our biggest rival, but they won't stoop so low to attack us in a family party. The Don of the family is always after the safety of his people, you know? That's his utmost priority."
"Could be from the other families," Jay said.
"We don't have a bad record with them. Why would they want to send people to disrupt our party? You know what I think?" Jay shook his head when Darian asked him. "I think there is an enemy within us. Someone we know, someone in the Dawson family. And it's the same person who's responsible for the fraud at the casino. We need to make haste, and find out who this person is before he completely ruins us."
"I agree with that too. The families we invited are all known to be peaceful. Though the Antonio family might be our rivals in bidding and the business world, they can't ruin us. Then the enemy either has to be someone from the Dawson family or someone we don't even know at all." Jay said.
"We need to find a solution to get out of this mess." Darian clutched his hands above his head.
Lena stared at them, confusion evident in her facial expressions. She wished she could help out. Not being able to do anything made her feel useless.
"Let's talk about this tomorrow. I will call a meeting and we will discuss this. I want to rest my head now." Darian said to Jay.
Lena rose to her feet and went to the room before Darian. She sat on the bed, tapping her feet against the floor. She thought of how she could help her husband but had no idea.
She didn't have a clue of anything going wrong at the casino, no one was behaving suspiciously and it was even hard.
"Amy wouldn't do this, would she?" She whispered to herself. "She hates me and all that, but she would never do something like this." She shook her mind off the thoughts when the door creaked open, revealing her husband.
"Are you alright?" Darian walked towards her, his feet leisurely slapping the tiles.
His presence filled the room, filled her senses and she watched him, intrigued by how a man could be perfectly handsome even in his weary state.
She imagined what would have happened to her if something had gone wrong with Darian tonight. She didn't realize how much she needed him until when he told her to leave with Jay. She nodded her head to his question but deep down, she wasn't alright.
"You don't look like you are alright," he said, now in front of her.
Lena bit her lips and bent her head and fiddled with her fingers. "I was just scared, I thought those people would kill you."
Smiling softly, Darian sat close to her and took her hand in his. He stroked her fingers lightly, eyes resting on her. "Do you care about me that much?" He asked.
"Very much, Darian, much more than you'd ever think." She stared at his lips and bit her bottom lip.
She wanted to claim his lips so badly, but she was too shy to start it. He might not fancy that. She stayed glued to the bed, heads down and hands trembling.
"Lena," he tilted her head to his side, "for a moment tonight, I thought I would never see you again." He moved her closer and his eyes rested on her lips, his hand slowly caressing her face. "You were all I thought of as I shot at those scoundrels today, I wanted to see you again." His lips grazed hers—the feeling was soft and it made her senses numb.
She closed her eyes, ready for him to claim her lips.
Darian smiled, tucking her hair to the side, and without warning, he slammed his lips on hers.
She didn't move at first. She remained frozen and shocked. She lost her words and her eyes flew wide open when his lips landed on hers.
Darian didn't stop. He started by nibbling on her bottom lips, and he slowly kissed her with full passion.
After some seconds, she gave in to the kiss. He smiled and dived his tongue into hers. He leisurely swished her tongue against his, she dug her claws into his hair and moved her lips in sync with his. Darian's hands slid down to her back, and he grabbed her firmly, not breaking the kiss.
Lena stared at him as he passionately and senselessly kissed her.
It was true. The kiss was real.
He kissed her like he was hungry for her lips. He kissed her as if his life depended on it. He kissed her like he wanted her to think back to this moment every time. He kissed her just the way she had imagined he would kiss her all this while, just the way she wanted him to kiss her.
Tears tickled her face, and Darian tasted the saltiness of her tears.
He withdrew his lips. Cupping her face in his palms, he asked. "Why are you crying?"
Lena's shoulders started to shake, the tears pouring harder. She snaked her arms around Darian's neck and stared into his eyes.
"I am just so happy you are here with me." She replied to him, her lips curving into a smile as she sobbed hard.
Darian kissed her forehead again and pulled her closer, "I am here, always here for you." He hugged her, never letting go for a very long time.
Her fragile arms around his neck felt like his safest place in the world and he didn't want to ever leave.