Enemy

Playlist for this Chapter: Are you Ready For It? by Taylor Swift, Enemy by Imagine Dragons.

I released a shaky breath as his hands trailed down a bit, one of them lingering on my thigh as he placed kisses on my neck.

"I'm here my love." He uttered those words and my eyes shot open and I turned around abruptly and saw him in an all-black suit, the first two buttons of his shirt left open to reveal his chest. A light stubble decorated his jawline and his eyes... They screamed hurt, pain, longing... regret.

"Nicholas." I breathed out and he gave me a faint smile, stroking my cheek.

"Happy birthday my love." He whispered, placing a kiss on my cheek and I closed my eyes.

My love.

"Dove?" I heard Liam and I snapped out of my daze, staggering back a step. Nico reached out to hold me but I retracted my hand away.

"No." I whispered. "You can't be here." I said, the tears pricking my eyes.

"I won't let you leave this time. I already made that mistake once, I'm not doing it again.. Never." He said and I shook my head.

"I don't want to see you. I left to forget you. To forget your stupid face and your stupid sweet nothings and your stupid cheesy lines, your stupid kisses and your hugs and comforting embrace. I left to forget all that shit. And yet here you are, with the audacity to show up here on my birthday and expect me to do nothing about it." I said it all in one breath and my dad came forward, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Darling do you know this man?" He asked and I looked at Nicholas, his eyes pleading.

"Not anymore." I said, and saw the hurt flash across his face before he shook his head.

"You're coming with me." He said firmly and I scoffed.

"Why? So you can break me all over again? Or to put a bullet through my head for talking back to you?" I spat and he looked taken aback and shocked.

"You-.. what are you.." He started but I stopped him.

"I know everything. What your 'business' is and all that you've done. I know. And you never told me. You lied, to my face and didn't care one bit about how I would feel about everything. You lied to me. And lying is something I can never forgive." I said and looked at his shocked expression. I saw Jake standing behind him from the corner of my eye.

He met my gaze and came forward.

"Dove. Not here." He whispered to me and I looked around at my family and friends who looked at us with shocked expressions.

I nodded at him and he glanced at Nicholas.

"Ace. Hotel. Now." He said and offered me his arm and I hesitated at first.

What happens when we're alone?

I looked at my parents and walked to my dad.

"Dad, I have to go and sort some things out, okay?" I told and he gave me a warm smile.

"Who is he darling?" My mom asked eyeing Nicholas and I sighed.

"He's uh... someone I left behind. I promise I'll tell you everything, okay?" I told them and they gave me a hug and I turned towards Ava and my friends who gave me a nod.

They all knew I needed closure.

I walked towards Liam who smiled faintly at me and took my hands.

"You sure you're okay Dove?" He asked me and I nodded.

"I need to do this. I need the closure. Don't worry about me, okay?" I told him and he nodded solemnly but then gave me a smile and hugged me.

"Stay safe okay?" He said and I nodded pulling away and turned around to look at the men in front of me, just when Liam's hand caught mine and he pulled me back, and placed a lingering kiss on my lips. Everyone gasped, Ava a bit louder and Abby giggled.

He pulled away and smiled at me while I just looked at him shocked. It was nowhere near Nicholas' passionate and possessive kisses. I didn't feel the fireworks like I did with him. I only felt a warmth. It was nice, but it wasn't amazing.

"I've wanted to do this for a very long time now.." He said ad I pulled away suddenly.

"I.. I need to go.. I'll see you later." I stammered and quickly turned around and saw Nicholas staring at Liam with a cold expression.

The expression of a killer.

His face had hardened and he looked at me, the longing and pain in his eyes visible to anyone. I took Jake's arm, looking down and followed him to the cars outside, the same ones I'd seen coming in.

So they were his. I should've known.

I sat down in a sleek black car in the middle and Nicholas sat in in too as I looked at Jake.

"You're not coming?" I asked him.

"I am, I'll be right behind you guys. Don't kill each other." He said and I rolled my eyes at him, closing the door and getting comfortable, I leaned my head against the window and closed my eyes, letting the tears fall. I felt a something warm on my hand and looked down to see Nicholas' fingers lacing between mine.

I didn't object, just looked outside the window and didn't know when I fell asleep.

I woke up when I felt a cold hand cup my cheek. I covered the hand with mine, snuggling into the warm body beside me.

"We're here sweetheart, wake up.." He whispered and I opened my eyes, squinting and the hand cupping my cheek fell as I straightened in my seat and yawned.

Jake opened the door for me and I walked into the big hotel beside him. He looked behind us and said something in Italian.

"Dove vuoi andare?" (Where do you want to go?) He asked Nicholas.

"Portala nella mia stanza." (Take her to my room.) He said and Jake nodded, leading me up the elevators.

"Are you going to be there with us?" I asked him when we walked into a large posh room and I settled on the couch.

"No. My room is near, so don't worry." He said and I nodded, already feeling the nerves in my body.

"By the way, how did you know? About-" I cut him off.

"The mafia?" I reclined in my seat and smirked. "I'm rich tesoro, (darling) I have my sources." I said and he grinned at me.

"So you know about everything?" He put his hands in his pockets.

"Yup. Everything. Tell me, do you have a gun on you right now?" I asked him and he gave me a sly smile, pulling out a gun from his back and put it on the table in front of me. I eyed it warily and nodded.

"Does Nicholas have one on him?" I asked him.

"Always. He has many enemies." He said and I nodded, picking up the gun and examining it carefully.

"I think I'm gonna hold onto this. You know, just in case." I said and Jake shook his head.

"He'll have my head if he sees you holding my gun." He said and I shrugged.

"He won't know it's yours."

"He will. The mark on the side means its mine. He has his own. Everyone in the King family does." He said and I nodded, tracing my finger over the knight engraved into the side of the gun.

"Fancy. But I'm still keeping it." I said and he sighed.

"Why on earth would you need a gun? You are literally the last person he would shoot." He said and I grinned.

"But I am a person he would shoot, right? First or last?" I looked at him and he ran a hand through his hair.

"I didn't mean it like that. He would never do something like that to you." He said.

"I really don't care if he does or not. He'll only be putting an end to my misery if he does. But like you said, he has many enemies. Why not one more?" I said giving him a sly smile and he sighed.

"You are so stubborn."

"I know."

"Fine. Keep it." He said and walked out of the room mumbling something in Italian.

Let the games begin, my love.