Guns and Roses (From Revenge to Lovers)

Tom's POV.

My hands were sweaty and I struggled to keep a firm grip on the steering wheel. I glance at my boss through the rearview mirror. He looked very stressed and was a little bit drunk. After picking him up from the airport, he'd asked me to drive him to a hotel and he went in the do God knows what, while I sat in the lounge downstairs, waiting. We've been there for hours.

My phone beeped and I gave a glance at the screen. It was a text message.

Slight change in plan, where are you right now?.

My heart began racing as I picked up my phone and replied to the text hastily, trying to focus on the road and my phone simultaneously.

"West end bridge."

Perfect, take a turn at the intersection and follow that route.

"Okay."

I turned my phone off and continued driving. I arrived at the intersection and swung the car around to face the road leading to Harlow. I saw the confused look on my boss's face as he noticed I had deviated from our original route.

"There's an obstruction ahead, going through here would help us avoid it" He nodded drunkenly as I explained to him. This should be very easy, I thought, considering his current state. Most of the cars around were going in the opposite direction and after a little while, I noticed we were the only ones going forward. I started getting anxious and my heart pounded in my chest. What was going on? Why was I asked to change routes? I wiped my sweaty palms on the side of my pants. A cat suddenly darted across the road, just a few meters ahead of me, further increasing my heart rate.

I cursed silently and continued down the road. The sun had set completely and the moon was nowhere in sight yet. I made a right turn and a few minutes later, made a left one. Up ahead, there were cars parked haphazardly. Two gunshots popped off close by and my heart skipped a beat. What the hell was going on? I started to consider turning back. My phone beeped again.

Just keep driving, no worries.

I obeyed and continued down the street. Had the person known I was thinking of turning back? Was I being watched? Thoughts continued to rival themselves in my mind. I soon found out what was happening as I made the next turn.

Two different groups of people were shooting at each other down the street. People were running helter-skelter, taking cover wherever they could. Cars were parked across the road, some with their doors wide open and others fully closed. It was a mafia war. There had been a lot of disturbances in the city recently and it seemed things had finally escalated. I took my foot off the gas a little, causing the car to slow down. No way was I driving through this chaos. Another text popped into my phone.

Keep driving! Don't stop!

No way, there is a mafia war going on, it's not safe.

Ignore that, keep moving.

Was this guy nuts? How the hell did he expect me to drive past the ruckus? I was forced out of my thoughts as a bullet knocked the side of the car. Fuck! Instinctively, I stamped down on the gas pedal and the car responded swiftly.

Another bullet hit us and a third seconds later. My boss was deep asleep and unaware of what was going on. I had nearly made it past the warring men when a bullet shattered the window by my side and I ducked immediately.

I lost control of the steering wheel and the car wobbled across the road. Two more bullets hit us before I was finally able to balance the car.

My heart was racing and I tried to steady my breathing. Realizing that my boss has been silent the whole time, I assume he is asleep and turn around to confirm it.

His body was slack on the seat and three bullet wounds were in his chest, blood oozing from two of them. My boss was dead.

I froze for a moment, unsure of what I should do next. The wail of a siren could be heard and I knew it was only a matter of time before the cops showed up.

I found my way out of the car and ran as fast as my legs could carry me.

Elena's POV.

I woke up with a start and it took me a few moments to remember where I was. I turned to stare at the clock on my bedside table. 8:45 a.m. I yawned and stretched lazily. I didn't want to rise yet as I had nothing to do. After a while, I forced myself out of bed and headed to the bathroom. I paused to catch a glimpse of my face in the mirror on the wall. My eyes were baggy and my hair crumpled. No one would see me in this state and recognize me.

My phone rang and I stared at it for a while before answering the call, wondering who could be calling this early in the morning.

"Hello," I said into the phone.

"Elena, it's me, Tom." Was the reply I got. "I'm calling about your father ------"

"What about him?"

There was a pause. I lost my patience and snapped at him.

"What about my father, Tom? Tom!"

"He's dead. He got shot while I was driving him back into town last night. I'm very sorry."

The phone slipped out of my hand and dropped to the floor. My chest tightened and my heart fell. Tears flowed freely as I struggled to understand what I just heard. I couldn't believe it. Standing there, staring straight ahead but seeing nothing, my whole world came crashing down around me.

I am never going to see my father again. My phone was ringing again and I picked it up and put it to my ear, my hands shaking.

"Are you okay, Elena?" It was still Tom.

Is he crazy? Who would be okay after hearing such news?

"What happened? Where's he right now?" I ignored his question, trying to gather my thoughts.

"We got caught in the crossfire of two fighting groups. Your father got hit by stray bullets and it was too late by the time I got him to the hospital. His body is at Lockwood General."

"Why didn't you call immediately?" I lashed at him.

He didn't give a reply. Something wasn't making sense.

"Where are you, Tom?"

"At the hospital."

I hang up and dash into the bedroom to get dressed immediately.

Alfredo's POV

I knock on the door to my father's office and slowly allow myself in. My father, Philip Romano, head of the Romano mafia family, was seated behind his large mahogany desk, a large cigarette in his hand. Standing beside him was Micheal Clemenza, his driver and right-hand man. There were three other men in the room; Peter Durelli - his consigliere or advisor, Bruno Tonali, and Federico Ricci, both of them enforcers in the family.

I greeted them all and my father gestured for me to take a seat on the empty chair beside his desk.

".......... As I was saying," Peter continued, "the Mirettis still aren't willing to negotiate for peace. All attempts to reason with them fell on deaf ears."

I watched his Adam's apple bobbing up and down as he explained everything that had transpired in the meeting between him and some members of the Miretti family. The Mirettis were the only standing enemy of my family. Every other family that had opposed my father, he crushed one after the other. I didn't pay much attention as the meeting dragged on. I wasn't interested in the family business and didn't like the idea that one day, the mantle would fall on me. My dad knew about this but ignored it and always insisted on my presence in all meetings, even if I wasn't going to contribute.

"Did their boss show up for the meeting?" My father asked. He was supposed to be there too, but he decided not to.

"No, boss. It was just me, their consigliere, and a few of their men."

"Did you feel you were in danger at any moment?"

"Not at all." Micheal bent to whisper something in my father's ear and my father nodded afterwards.

"Have you been able to get in touch with the families of our deceased? You know how important that is."

"Yes, boss. But I couldn't get a hold of Leonardo's family." Peter tugged at the collar of his shirt, twisting his head as he did. I could tell he was feeling uncomfortable.

"Keep trying and keep me posted. Moving forward.............."

I zone out and my thoughts wander till the meeting came to an end. Both enforcers were dismissed and my father and Peter started another conversation. When I sensed my presence was no longer needed, I slipped out of the room. I decided to take a drive and headed outside. There were five cars parked in the compound. I chose the Ferrari and walked up to it. I peeled down the graveled road, enjoying the cool breeze that blew into the car.

Twenty minutes later, I drove into the parking lot of the Elegance, a luxurious five-star hotel and bar, located in the heart of the city. My family had shares in the hotel so I was always given the VIP treatment, except on a few occasions when I didn't want to attract attention to myself.

This evening was one of those moments. I wanted to get laid badly. My dad wasn't a fan of my sex life but I didn't care. I couldn't find any woman worthy enough to get married to. I parked my car and alighted from it. Music was blaring and people were singing and dancing along. The place was filled up and I was relieved at that because it meant I won't be paid much attention. I nearly collided with a waiter in my haste to get into the lounge.

On getting in, I located the long, red lounge chair and plopped onto it. Two people, a man, and a woman, were seated at the other end of the chair, guzzling each other's lips. They didn't care about their surroundings and were lost in a world of their own. I smacked my lips in disgust and signaled to the bartender. Normally people would go to the bar to order their drinks, but because of who I was, I had the power to demand my drinks be brought to me.

The drink was served and I sip slowly, my eyes searching for someone. I spotted her across the room by the snooker table, laughing heartily at something one of the guys playing had said. I kept staring at her and after a few moments, she turned and gazed in my direction. She winked at me and I waved in response. I began to imagine the things I wanted to do to her. I beckoned to her after a while and she crossed the room to meet me. Her hands slid onto my chest from behind me and she nipped at my ear. I felt something tingle in me. She had that effect on men.

"Alfredo, where have you been?" She asks as she takes her seat beside me.

"Home, busy," was my reply. It was a total lie. I had been avoiding her. Why? I didn't know.

"Hmmm." She grabbed my drink from the table in front of us and took a long swig. "Do you know how long it's been?"

"Three weeks, Alfie, three weeks." She said after I didn't respond.

"As I said, I've been busy," why was she acting like she was my girlfriend or something? There was nothing between us, we were just having fun. I hate commitments and I wasn't looking to settle down with anyone.

"Wanna go upstairs?" I asked, changing the subject. I stared directly into her eyes.

There was no response as she emptied the contents of the cup and poured herself another drink from the bottle of martini. All these while, her eyes never left mine. She was trying to torture me and she was succeeding at it. I didn't understand how, but she always managed to get me aroused effortlessly.

After a few seconds, she rose from the chair, her eyes inviting me, and headed toward the elevators. Her taut arse wiggled, threatening to break free of the extremely short skirt she had on. I waited until she got into the elevator before I stood up and followed.

We were alone in the elevator and we stood facing each other, our eyes communicating our thoughts.

My boner was very obvious and there was nothing I could do to conceal it.

The elevator bell dinged, the doors coming apart to reveal an empty corridor and I took advantage of that to reach for her. She dodged my grip and smiled wickedly. I was filled with lust and I couldn't hold myself any longer. She was aware of this, yet she kept torturing me, enjoying every moment of it.

I attempted to grab her again and she ran off, coming to a stop at the front of the door on the left side at the end of the corridor.

The room was specially reserved for me, another perk of my family having a share in the hotel ownership.

I produced the keys and opened the door as fast as I could. She entered first and pulled me in by my shirt. I cupped her face in my hand and crushed my lips against hers.

They tasted like honey and vanilla mixed together. My hunger was dominant now and I no longer had control of my actions. We continued kissing and her arms curled around my neck. She started undoing my buttons, her lips never leaving mine.

She was about to unbuckle my belt when I remembered.

"Wait," I whispered and freed myself from her hold.

"What is it?"

"The door," I answered simply and proceeded to close it.

*************************

We both got dressed and she hugged me from behind as I made to go out the door. I could feel her breast against my back, her nipples still erect.

"When will I see you again, Alfredo?"

What the fuck did she want from me? were the first words that came to mind, but I didn't give them a voice.

Instead, I ignored her question and slowly disentangled myself from her grasp. I could feel her staring at me as I walked out the door. I liked her a lot, but I just didn't want to commit to anything serious. Why? I couldn't even answer that. Funny, right? I walked down the corridor towards the elevators.

It was occupied and I waited patiently, watching as the numbers glowed one after the other, indicating the floor it was at. It finally got to my floor, the doors opened and there she was, the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. A ravishing beauty with long, auburn hair, dressed in a short red gown that accentuated her curves and revealed a little bit of something we Italians called scollatura.

Our eyes locked and didn't leave each other as she stepped out of the elevators.

Elena's POV.

I was captivated by the man I see standing outside the elevators. Damn, he was tall. He had jet-black shiny hair that was combed in a way I was sure only Italians did. He was very muscular too, I could see his biceps through the striped shirt he wore. His face was smooth and perfect and he had thin lips.

I forced myself to take my gaze away from his as I continued walking. Mine left him, but his eyes were still on me.

A few meters from him, I accidentally hit one of my legs on the other, causing me to trip. His muscular hands stretched out immediately to catch me. I didn't even want to think of what would have happened if he hadn't broken my fall. Our eyes met again and this time I noticed they were blue. He pulled me to my feet and smiled at me. I forced a smile, trying to hide my sadness. I still hadn't gotten over my father's death. Memories of his funeral came flashing.

It was raining that day and I didn't even care as I stood there without an umbrella, grieving silently. After a while, my best friend walked up to me with an umbrella and wrapped a coat around me. I had insisted on a private ceremony so only a few people were around. Some family members were present too, most of them people I didn't know. My father rarely kept in touch with his family and I had to do the same too. As for my mother's side, they were strangers to me.

None of them even bothered to check on me after the funeral and I didn't care, I had my best friend and that was all that mattered. She drove us back home while everyone else returned to their respective destinations. No one dared come to the house. At home, I cried and cried while Ava held me in her arms, consoling me with sweet and kind words. I didn't know when I fell asleep. That was two weeks ago.

"Hi, I'm Alfredo," the words of the man before me brought me back to the present. He was still smiling at me.

"Elena," I replied, shaking his outstretched hands. They were so firm and soft at the same time. "Thank you for saving me."

I noticed he was checking me out and he didn't even bother to be discreet about it. I bent forward to straighten my gown and my breasts spilled forward. He quickly averted his eyes as I returned to my full height.

I heard a door open and turned around to see a woman walking out of one of the rooms. I watched as they stared at each other and I could feel the tension between them. It was obvious that they knew each other, but I sensed there was more. They kept their eyes on each other till she got to the elevator and the doors closed behind her. Who was she, and what was her business with him? I asked inwardly.

"Can I buy you a drink?" He asked suddenly.

I thought about it for a while as I was very tired and needed to get back home.

"Sure, but I have to get back home in an hour," I replied. A drink wouldn't hurt. Damn! He looked and smelled so good.

He pressed the button to open the elevator and paved the way for me.

When we got downstairs, he directed me to a chair in the lounge while he stopped by the bar to order drinks for us. He'd asked what I wanted and I told him I was fine with anything. There was something about the way the bartender reacted around him that told me he had power here. I just didn't know how much.

He arrived with the drinks shortly. He set them down on the table and claimed his seat beside me. The chair was long and very comfy. I lifted the drink and brought it to my mouth watching him closely over the rim of the glass. He smiled and crossed one of his legs over the other. I took a sip at first, his eyes urged me to go on and I gradually increased my pace.

"Wow, this is good," I commented after almost emptying the contents of the cup. "What is it?"

"I call it - The AR special." He answered with the same enthusiasm as a little boy showing off his new toy to his friends.

The drink tasted of apple, a little touch of cinnamon, and some other flavors I couldn't identify.

"AR?" I raise an eye at him.

"Alfredo Romano."

"You named the mixture after yourself?" I couldn't stop myself from laughing.

"Don't blame me, I couldn't think of anything better," He beamed.

I downed what was left in the cup in no time. "Can I get another?"

"Sure," he signaled to the bartender and I noticed that the bartender abandoned what he was doing to answer him. Just how much power did he have here?

"Excuse me?" Alfredo said. I hadn't realized I had asked the question out loud.

"Yeah?" I was confused.

"You asked a question. I believe you were asking just how much power I had here.I could feel the tips of my cheeks become red.

"Well, my family partly owns the hotel, so I'm sort of royalty here." The bartender returned with my drink. I take it slowly this time. He hadn't even touched his at all. "How nice, guess I'll have to take advantage of that." I peek at the time on my watch. The one hour I stipulated was almost complete.

"You don't have to go, you know? What exactly do you have to do anyways?"

I started thinking of a lie to tell but I couldn't come up with one on time.

"Stay with me, Elena. I find you intriguing and I would like to get to know you better." I could see the desire in his eyes.

"I would love to, but I can't. I'm sorry." The truth was that I was in a hurry to get home and cry myself to sleep like I did every night.

"Okay, how about we do this again another time?" He sounded morose.

"We'll see about that," I replied.

After a few moments of hesitation, he requested my number and handed his phone to me. I put my number in and returned it. He stood up, came around the table, and offered his elbow to me. I forced a smile and rose from the seat, sliding my arm into the space he had created in his. Hand in hand, we both walked out of the lounge.

Outside, the crowd seemed to have multiplied. As we walked across the premises, I had the sudden feeling of being watched. I glance around the property and eyes searching for something unknown to me.

I notice the woman from upstairs dancing with another man and I soon realize she was the one watching me or rather, us. Alfredo didn't see her so we were alone in the staring competition. Neither of us broke eye contact as she continued dancing while I let Alfredo lead me outside.

I swore loudly and was forced to avert my eyes when I hit my foot on the leg of the chair that was lying in our path. I was able to notice her smirk before turning my attention to my throbbing foot.

"Ow," I cried out and Alfredo stopped immediately, a worried expression on his face.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just hit my foot, nothing serious."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," I assured him, "let's keep moving."

It was already late in the evening and the sun had almost disappeared completely. A light wind blew, throwing my hair among many other things.

"How did you get here? Are you going to board a cab, or --"

"I drove myself, my car is parked in the lot" I cut him off.

"Ohh, my bad. I didn't mean it like that"

I felt bad immediately.

"There it is," I pointed one perfectly manicured finger at a red Audi, ignoring his apology.

"Wow," was all he could say. He was surprised by the type of car I was driving.