Chapter 23

                                    

                                          
Serena POV
 I sit outside on the patio for what feels like hours but was only mere minutes. 
 The cool afternoon air brushes against my exposed skin causing a shiver to run through me while my hair moves in waves around me.
 Swinging my feet, I watch as the warm pool water ripples around my ankles causing small waves to hit the poolside. In a way, the movement calms my racing mind by proving sensory comfort, releasing the built-up tension in my muscles.
 Once the meeting was done a while ago, I seemed to float out of the computer room and through the back door.
 The fresh air seemed to call my name as I felt my lungs constrict while struggling to function properly. From there my legs seemed to go on autopilot and dragged me to the edge of the inground pool where I sat on the edge with my feet floating inside.
 Hearing Tomas's voice again sent me into a whirlpool of emotions. 
 Happiness, despair, sadness.
 Just knowing he was alive and well seemed to ease my raising mind. 
 Back when I lived down the hall from him, he was my rock. Always there at my highest and lowest points to pull me back from the edge and cheer me up.
 He was my friend and only companion.
 So knowing he was alive was a breath of fresh air that my body desperately needed after all the shit in my life went downhill. 
 But that relief was quickly squashed when he brought up Ricardo's plan for if he got me under his control again.
 Hearing footsteps approaching, I look over to see Massimo in the same black button-up and black jeans. His hair is slicked away from his face showing off his handsome features, yet he brought his hand up and swiped his hair away from his face.
 When he reached my side he flashed a quick comforting smile. He stood tall above my sitting figure, casting a shadow down on me.
 "Hey," He says in an almost uncomfortable tone. I nod my head at him and look back down to the water where my feet were causing tiny ripples on the surface.
 My hands played with the knee-length black and white plaid skirt I had on to ease the tension I was feeling inside. 
 The skirt is uncomfortably tight but considering the only clothes I have are the ones I brought with me for the vacation makes my choices are limited. 
 "Do you need something?" I ask without looking back to meet his eyes. After a few minutes of silence, he seems to find the right words.
 "You lied to me," He says in a stern voice. My eyes snap to him before I quickly stand up. Anger fills my body as I clench my hands at my sides.
 "I lied? That's what you're mad about?" I get closer to him until I'm almost up in his face. "You have no right to be mad at me for lying about how my fucking parents died. So what I lied! I gave them a better ending than what happened!"
 I wait for him to counter but he remains silent. Suddenly I realize what he was doing. He made something up to get me to talk. 
 "You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to. Just know I am here if or when you want to talk about it," He says and I nod while releasing my tight fists. "Can you tell me what Tomas was talking about when he said the rumors were true?"
 He was refereeing when Tomas told me I would wish I was dead if Ricardo got his hands on me. One of the last things he said was the rumors were true.
 Tomas didn't directly say what the rumor was despite them asking multiple times. But I knew exactly what he was referring to.
 I still remember the whispers in the halls after Ricardo stated Tomas would marry me on my eighteenth birthday. Rumors floated of his true plan with me. Most of them were so strange and out of pocket that Tomas and I laughed them off.
 One always struck me as the most grotesque thing one could ever do to another. And that was exactly what he would do to me if this didn't work out.
 We have two weeks to come up with a plan of action and to get his men ready.
 If we weren't prepared, I mine as well kill myself now before I fall into Ricardo's hands and wish I were dead. 
 Realizing I was staring off into space, I snap my eyes to his.
 "Like I said you don't have to tell me," He says softly as he puts a hand on my shoulder before pulling me into a soft hug.
 I snuggle my face into his chest as I wrap my arms around him.
 In his arms, I felt protected and safe from the bullshit of the world. It was a weird feeling to have considering the things I have seen and done. Yet, I embraced it. 
 "Let's just say it is worse than any kind of torture," I say in a near whisper. I thought he didn't hear me but his head bobs on top of my head.
 We stay silently hugging next to the pool for a while before I slowly pull away and meet his eyes. I flash him a thankful smile before turning to look at the backyard. 
 "Your men need a lot more training," I say bluntly with a smile on my lips. He chuckles and looks down at me with something in his eyes. I raise an eyebrow but he just keeps staring. "If you'd trying to ask me to train them with that stare of yours, you don't have to. I was planning to anyways since I don't plan on dying anytime soon."
 A smile plays on his lips before he bends down and kisses my forehead. 
*            *          *
 "Again!" I yell out, my voice booming off the walls in the training room through the grunts. 
 Two men began circling on the mat. Both have slightly bent knees and arms covering their faces. They were eyeing each other for weak spots to attack. 
 One of the men suddenly moves and knocks the other down on his back, holding his arm up to hit him but stops. 
 "Good," I say letting them separate while he helps the other man up. I approach the one who lost while he mutters under his breath. 
 "I know," He says before I open my mouth to speak. I raise an eyebrow for him to continue while crossing my arms. "I should have moved to the side but I froze."
 "You didn't freeze. Your instincts told you it was too late to move so your body stiffened to protect from impact," I tell him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Sometimes there isn't time to move so you have to brace yourself. You will take punches in a hand-on-hand fight. That doesn't mean you lost."
 "But I just lost," He says matter of factly. 
 "Because I stopped the fight. We are practicing abilities, not hitting each other just for the sake of it. If you would have continued to fight, you would have found an opening and attacked."
 He nods his head while meeting my eyes. He still looks defeated but instead of beating himself up about it he goes to another mat and finds another opponent. 
 After a while, I give them a break for lunch and they seem to run from the room as if I will change my mind.