19

Scarlett Mila Marino

I meet Asuka and Anthony at a cafe, tucked away in the corner of the city.

It's been too long since I've seen them.

I've been too caught up in everything happening with Rowan.

"You've been too quiet lately, what's up?" Asuka is the one breaking the silence.

I smile, but it feels a little forced. "Busy. You know how it is." I say.

Asuka raises a perfectly arched brow, clearly not buying it. She sees right through me. I really wanted to talk about something else today. But they know me too well.

"Busy with the husband?" Anthony steps in smirking. No...what is that supposed to mean?

"Right, how's that going?" Askıma questions.

"Common guys, I didn't show up here to talk about Rowan." I say wanting to change the subject.

I blush at the mention of his name. And I know they can see it.

"Scarlett Mila Marino." Asuka says. She can see it in my face, using my full name as if I've done something that I'm not supposed to.

"This cant be true...You're catching feelings." She says as her mouth is wide open in shock.

"Wait. What? Are you!?" Anthony asks in complete shock.

"No. Are you guys crazy? I would never fall for him." I say knowing they won't believe me. Because the truth is, I am, I am falling for him and it's driving me crazy.

"This whole thing is a deal, it's not real. It can't be." I say looking down on my coffee cup.

"Scar, you can't just turn off your feelings. You care for him and it shows." Asuka says. Is she trying to support this? I need someone to tell me it's stupid and wrong. I thought, of all people, Asuka would be the one telling me it's crazy to fall for one of the biggest mafias out there. He's hurt and has killed so many people.

"I assure you I am not falling for him." I say trying to sound convincing.

"So you're telling me you've been playing house with a hot mafia guy, and you haven't fallen for him even a little bit?" Anthony asks.

I roll my eyes, but there's a smile tugging at my lips. "It's not that simple. He's...infuriating. He pushes me away, keeps me at a distance, and the moment I think I have him figured out, he makes something that makes me question everything. It's exhausting." I say.

"You're seeing sides of him that no one else does, and that's bound to create...feelings." Asuka says.

"So you're saying I'm not crazy to be falling for someone so...cruel?" I ask.

"Not that I am, but hypothetically speaking." I add before they think of something that's absolutely not true.

"Oh no, it is crazy. But if you do feel something...it's okay. You're not a robot, Scar." She says.

I don't know what to say.

"Okay wait, serious question, do you think Rowan's into you?" Anthony asks, making me almost choke on my coffee. He grins, leaning in closer.

I cough uncontrollably as Anthony laughs at my reaction. "What! No." I say, sputtering as I set the cup down.

"I mean common, you guys are pretending to be married, living in the same house, spending all this time together. And he hasn't killed you yet so he has to feel something." He says.

"The man hates everything I do. I actually think he's incapable of feeling anything. That's why..." I stop myself.

"That's why, what?" Asuka pushes.

"That's why...I'm forcing myself to not fall for him. Because if I do, he'll break me." I admit.

My phone buzzes in my back pocket. I pick it up. Rowan.

"We're training today. Want to join?"

Well hello to you too mister serious.

But I get happy since he knows how much I've wanted this.

"Omg, yes of course. I'll be there in 10 minutes." I say so exited to finally be apart of the team.

Before he can hang up I stop him. "Rowan," I start. He pauses waiting for what I'm about to say.

"Thank you." I say smiling through the phone.

I hang up and get up. "No time to talk, I'm going to the training hall!" I say cheering. Asuka and Anthony waves me off as I get into the car that drove me here.

***

The training hall smells like leather and sweat. A familiar scent that always makes my pulse race with excitement. I get into my training clothes and head out to where everyone else is. I've been here before, but today is different. I'm here to train with Rowan's best friends. Lucas and Theodore.

I spot Rowan at the far side of the room, standing with a group of new recruits. He's calm, composed, pointing to the targets at the shooting range while explaining the basics of aim and control.

I notice that he's not holding a gun himself. He gestures with his hands, shows the recruits where to place their fingers, how to stand, but he never shoots.

It's strange because I know Rowan is dangerous, lethal even. But knives, those are what he's most comfortable with. His hands too, those are weapons. And now that I think about it, I've never actually seen him fire a gun. Despite being surrounded by them.

I tear my gaze from him and focus what I'm here for. Lucas and Theodore are already at the center of the room. Theodore with his arms crossed over his chest, leaning casually against the wall. Lucas is bouncing on the balls of his feet like ha can't wait to start. Both are wearing smirks like they're about to teach me something I don't already know.

"Ready to get your ass kicked, Scarlett? Lucas teases.

I roll my eyes, stretching out my arms. "Let's just see who's getting their ass kicked by the end of this." I say.

Theodore laughs. "I like her confidence. Lucas I think we've got our work cut out for us." He says making me smile.

They both have a way of keeping things light. I get why they're Rowan's best friends. They balance him out.

"Alright, so we're going to start with some basics." Lucas says cracking his knuckles. "Footwork, grappling, just so we can see where you're at."

I raise an eyebrow. "Footwork and grappling? You guys think I'm a beginner?"

"We're just being thorough." Theodore says from the wall.

I smirk standing my ground. "Fine. Show me what you've got."

"Alright, Scar. Let's see if you can handle a simple grapple." Lucas says stepping forward.

I move before he even finishes his sentence, slipping past his attempted hold and grabbing his arm. Using his momentum, I twist, bringing him down to the ground in one smooth motion. Lucas lets out a surprised grunt as his back hits the mat. He's staring up at me with wide eyes.

"What the hell. You're fast." He breathes, half laughing.

Theodore, still standing, claps slowly. "Okay, okay. Not bad. But you're not taking me down that easily." He says.

I release Lucas and turn to Theodore. He moves quicker than Lucas, but I'm ready. He goes for a sweep, trying to unbalance me, but I leap back, dodging the move. I get a nice punch right at his jaw and he stumbles backwards.

But right as I'm in the middle of a particularly fast exchange with Theodore, something goes wrong.

He feints left, his speed catching me off guard. I misjudge the angle and ister of sidestepping like I've been doing, I shift my weight too far. Theodore's hand connects with my shoulder, and I lose my footing. I hit the mat with a hard thud. The impact knocking the breath out of me.

"Shit!" I gasp. I lie there for a few seconds, staring up at the ceiling. Frustration flooding my veins. I should've dodged that. I know better than this.

Before I can push myself up, a shadow looms over me. Rowan.

His hand extends towards me, strong and sure. Without thinking I reach up and take it. His grip is firm as he pulls me to my feet. My body crashing lightly into his chest before I stumble back to regain my balance.

"You alright, Mila?" He asks.

I nod, brushing off the sting of the fall. "I'm fine."

"You didn't tell us she was already a pro, Rowan. What the hell man." Lucas says his tone playful, but there's genuine surprise in his voice.

"We've been treating her like she's a rookie. She nearly took my arm off." Lucas says.

Theodore chuckles. "Yeah, seriously. Why didn't you tell us?" He asks.

Rowan shrugs, his eyes flickering over to Lucas and Theodore with a mischievous glint. "Maybe I wanted her to beat your ass." He says.

I blink up at Rowan. Speechless. So he thinks I'm better at fighting than his friends? Wow, I can't believe what I'm hearing.

"You set this up? That's low man. Real low." Lucas says rubbing his arm where I had hit him.

Rowan's lips twitch, the closest thing to a smile I've seen from him in days. "You'll survive. Besides she's better than half the people I have working for me. You two needed a challenge."

Theo rubs his jaw from where I landed a punch. "Next time give us a heads up so we don't look like complete idiots." He says.

Lucas steps forward, giving me a light push on the arm. "You've got some serious skills, Scarlett. Not many people can keep up with us like that."

"Thanks." I say still catching my breath.

And when I look back at Rowan he's already looking at me. Almost as if he's...proud of me.

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