ECSTASY | CRIME PRINCE SERIES | BOOK 0.5 FIRST EDITION

|𝟓.| 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗢𝗳 𝗔𝘀𝗵 ♤

The silence. It always means something, whether it means a loved one is lost. No words can no longer be spoken or that it was comfortable. It always had a depiction. And right now it was fear.

The fear that still lingered in the air, was thick. Suffocating. Her eyes were closed but I knew she was awake and I knew she had the same thought constantly repeating in her mind.

This is not a coincidence.

I didn't know how to feel about this, anger or fear. Too many minds were running through my head, the headspace I was supposed to clear today. She's safe that's all that matters, Ari. I wanted to believe that, so badly but for how long?

For as long as I'm breathing. I thought silently to myself, I'm disturbed from my thoughts by a car hooting behind me. I drive, completely forgetting that I was driving.

"I'm not asleep," she said, stroking Lita's hair gently.

"I'm insulted you think I wouldn't know that"

"This is not a coincidence, Ari," she says, sternly. "What are you hiding?"

I sigh expecting the reaction from her, "Let's get home, get Li to bed and I'll tell you. Everything."

She nods, leaning down to sleep. When I arrive home, I wake them up and we walk inside the house. We start with Lita, snuggling her into her bed. Reluctantly we leave her in the room with my mom, after explaining to her everything that happened.

We continue downstairs and to the kitchen, making a cup of coffee for both of us while Marae fetches the First Aid kit. We sit on the kitchen stools and stare out the window at the glistening full moon. The only thing that lights up the dark sky. is Marae tends to some of my wounds and I tend to the rest on my own. Still staring at the moon we drink our coffee.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" I assume.

"It is" she answers, "what happened today?"

I sigh heavily, unprepared and I answer her.

"The company is under threat, people are not happy about The white palace and their choosing to retaliate. To try to bring us down and stop the process of the project. As of yesterday businesses have started partnering up with Mafia. People want us dead."

"Who is our main enemy?" she asks, a little u settled.

"That's the problem, we don't know. We might not have a main, right now every rival and client is suspect. This is not like anything we've ever seen, This is a war. Which is my father partnered up with a Mafia as well. Their more powerful, giving us an advantage."

"Which Mafia is this?"

"Not sure. But tomorrow, we'll be meeting them. I don't know why they're helping us but they have something to lose in this war."

"And what's the plan?" she leans, sipping her coffee.

"Patience, Marae." I hold her hands in mine, trying to calm her down.

"I don't know who they are, or what they want. But I do know one thing."

"And they messed with the wrong mother"

I'm awoken by the sound of people coming into my room set up makeup bags, and trolleys of clothes choices to pick from. Simarae and Summer wake up as well confused as much as I am. She shakes her head and I flip it off burying my head under my pillow.

A lady walks over to us, and I hear Simarae and Lita crawl out of bed. Reluctant I peak from under the covers, a swarm of people still in the room

What the fuck is going on?