Filed to story: Bring It On My Mafia Life Novel (Rhea & Lukas)
“Says by who?” Lukas snorted, finding the thought ridiculous, and didn’t get to see the way Rhea’s face distorted.
Rhea said to him with a smile that didn’t touch her eyes, “So you’re trying to say that you forget all about me?”
“Huh?”
“Did you, Stray?”
Oh no, Lukas’s face fell at once. He had forgotten that he confessed to Rhea during one of their chats that they met when they were kids. In one word, Rhea was his first love and he just proudly declared that he forgot her easily.
“Did you?” The glint alone in Rhea’s eyes was enough proof that he was toast.
He swallowed, “It’s not what you’re thinking, Rhea.”
“What am I thinking?” Rhea got on all fours on the sofa and was beginning to crawl towards him with malicious intent.
Lukas slowly shifted back, “I mean, we were kids then, right?” He chuckled nervously.
“Even as a kid, I was ready to make you my boyfriend until you vanished and never kept your promise, you pretender!” Rhea lunged at him, but Lukas already jumped off the seat before she could catch him.
“Get back here, Lukas!” She commanded him all to no avail.
“You know I love you now, right?” He even blew her kisses to prove that he meant it.
“Don’t try to change the subject!” Rhea thundered, coming after him but he was already ahead, the sofa standing as a barrier between them.
“I’m that case, let’s look at it this way. If you didn’t forget about your first love, doesn’t it mean that you were technically cheating on me,” Lukas tried to find a loophole
“Don’t try to wangle your way out of this one, my first love was technically you. So no, I never cheated!” Rhea declared proudly and with a battle cry, leaped over the sofa and was in front of him before he could react.
“You cheater!”
Beg for mercy, that had been the first thought that came to Lukas, but the instant Rhea lifted her head to hit him, he groaned in pain at once, holding his affected side and her expression softened.
“Oh my God, I forgot about your injury. Are you okay?” Rhea was close to panicking. This was all her fault.
However, before she could check him, Lukas already turned her and kissed her breathlessly. He kissed her so hard and passionately that when they came up for air afterward, Rhea wondered why she was angry and chasing him in the first place.
“What matters is that we are here now,” Lukas told her with a grin, right before he kissed her once again.
Her Instincts Screamed Danger
It was sad, but all good things must come to an end. Rhea had to return home, but Lukas didn’t want her to go. You don’t know how much someone means to you until you begin to lose her, well, in his case, the communication was only limited. With the distance between them, his heart only grew fonder.
Lukas wanted to kidnap Rhea again and keep her with him for the rest of his days. Unfortunately, as tempting as the offer was, he couldn’t afford conflict with the Draven family. To be honest, having the Draven crime family on his side was a big support considering other families steered clear of them like a plague, all thanks to Daniel’s relationship with them in the past.
However, he was the leader now and after settling down with Rhea, his goal was to ally with the other families. As much as their family was powerful, having allies would help on rainy days would be a huge investment. Anything could happen and he had to be sure there would be powerful forces backing him.
“You have to let go now, Lukas,” Rhea told him when he wouldn’t release her. He was seated on the sofa’s armrest and hugged her waist in that position.
But Lukas shook his head in protest and hugged her tighter. Have you ever loved someone so much that you feel like you’re floating in the ninth heavens whenever she’s around you? Call him crazy but that was how Lukas felt. Thanks to her presence, he doesn’t even feel the pains of his injury anymore.
Lukas was grateful that Rhea wasn’t the air everyone breathes, because honest to God, he would hoard all of it and let the entire earth’s population die off. He doesn’t care – and he wasn’t ashamed to admit it. Everyone else could rot in hell as far as he had Rhea. Well, everyone else except his sister Chloe, Victor… also Winters, and maybe Mimi. Ugh, whatever! He doesn’t care, Rhea was the only one he wanted.
Lukas lifted his face slowly and asked her with a puppy look, “Isn’t there a way you can convince Natalie to let you stay one more night?” He was very frustrated considering Rhea was an adult and has the right to make her decisions.
Rhea thought about it, however, remembering her mother’s tone when she sent that message, she knew nothing can change her mind. Natalie was adamant about them having that conversation.
“I’m sorry,” She said with an internal wince.
…..
“But I’m a patient,” Lukas whined, “Why can’t my girlfriend who is knowledgeable about my injury take care of me? Natalie would be mad but my reason is justifiable.” He was not giving up easily.
Rhea couldn’t help but smile. She was finding Lukas’s groveling quite cute. It was hard to imagine that months ago she hated his ass when he was such a big softie.
As if on cue, Samson strolled into the room and Lukas had never been happy to see him. Knowing how much the lion loved Rhea, he would not let her go, and combined with their persuasive powers, they would be able to stop her from leaving. Just to achieve a goal, Lukas wouldn’t mind sharing his woman with Samson. Although he gets seventy percent of her time, the lion gets thirty.
“Oh no,” Rhea was startled when she spotted the familiar golden brown mane. And just like that, it was over. There was no way Samson was letting her go. Nor was Lukas being on his best behavior either.
And that was how Rhea find herself staying behind. She had no choice but to send her mother a message that she wouldn’t be able to make it back home and she hadn’t responded. Perhaps her mother understands, Rhea assumed.
Right now, she was in the garden with Samson, and both of them were having leisure time. Samson was lying on his side on the lawn – after hours of playing hide and seek – while Rhea lay on his stomach, exhausted. Whoever said raising a pet was easy, must not have children. Samson was as demanding as a baby, just a notch worse than Lukas.
And speaking of Lukas, he had to return to his office to continue his leftover work. Rhea suspected that he was extremely busy thanks to the shootout accident, however, he was playing it cool. Hence, she didn’t bother him and had a good time with Samson instead.
After a while, Rhea retreated into the house and that was when she decided to check out her old room. Of course, Samson the faithful follower went with her and both of them went in. The room was organized and left the way it was the last time she slept here – to be precise before Elijah took her away.
Rhea had nearly forgotten about this place since she spent time with Lukas in his room whenever she visited. Hence, she explored the room, feeling nostalgic as the memories filled her. This was where it all began, her cheeks warmed at the thoughts. The good and bad times, all happened here.
She had barely sat down on the bed when there was a knock on the door and her attention shifted. Rhea wondered who it was. She had not requested anything and Lukas hardly knocks. He mostly barges in like a caveman who knows what he wants and gets what he wants.
Perhaps, Lukas sent something for her, Rhea reasoned and rose to go open the door when the knock sounded a second door. However, just as her hand clasped around the knob, Samson released a low growl at the back of his throat and that made Rhea stop short.
Rhea didn’t believe in superstitious but she trusted Samson and knew for a fact, animals could sniff out the bad guys. Moreover, thanks to her mother’s training, she has become more aware of her surrounding and right now, her instincts were screaming danger.
She glanced back at Samson and call it strange, but an understanding passed between the both of them, right before she opened the door and hid at the side just as two bullets pierced the empty space. It was chilling, but Rhea realized those bullets would have been pumped into her body had she been standing in the way.
Her attacker must have realized that she had been tricked because as soon as she stepped into the room, Rhea kicked the gun out of her clasp and it fell. As if it was practiced, Rhea then bent just as Samson leaped over her with great strength and descended on the attacker.
Protective Instincts
“Thank you for your help, commissioner,” Lukas ended the call, the smile on his face giving away to an exhausted expression. He tossed the phone to his desk, running his hand through his hair. It was exhausting trying to tie off all loose ends.
He turned to face the people in his office and it was no one but Luca and Samuel, two of his most trusted soldiers.
“We have nothing to worry about, no law enforcement would be on our ass,” He said.
“We would have to lay low for a while, though, boss. Just cause no one is coming to burst our assess doesn’t mean eyes aren’t on us and waiting for the time to strike.”