Imagine Book 2 (Requests Welcome)

Taken- Armando Aretas (Bad Boys)

As requested by Halle7861! Fem Y/N.

The night was unusually quiet, save for the soft hum of the wind rustling through the trees. Y/N sat at the kitchen table, her Doberman, Achilles, at her feet, both of them alert to every creak and groan the old house made. She had always kept to herself after what she had been through—special ops training had taught her to trust no one. She had built her walls high, isolating herself from the world. Achilles was her only companion, a loyal shadow in an otherwise lonely existence.

It wasn't that she didn't like people—she had once been full of life, full of hope—but life had beaten that out of her. Mission after mission, betrayal after betrayal, and she had learned to rely only on herself. Trust was a dangerous thing, something she had learned the hard way.

Her peace was shattered when the door burst open, and a figure staggered into her home. Achilles was on his feet in an instant, growling low, but Y/N held him back. Her sharp eyes took in the intruder: a man, clearly injured, his clothes torn and bloodied. He looked as if he had barely escaped something terrible. The recognition hit her hard—she knew exactly who he was.

Armando Aretas.

He stumbled, almost collapsing as he tried to catch his breath, his dark eyes searching the room until they locked onto hers. He didn't have to say a word—she knew what he was running from. She had been keeping tabs on him for a while now, ever since the fallout with his family. His reputation had preceded him, but Y/N saw more in Armando than the world did. Despite everything he had done, there was something about him she couldn't explain, something that drew her in despite her better judgment.

But that didn't mean she trusted him.

"Help me..." Armando's voice was barely a whisper, his strength failing as he collapsed against the doorframe.

Y/N hesitated only for a moment. Against every instinct that screamed at her to turn him away, she grabbed her med kit and rushed to his side, ignoring the way Achilles' growl deepened. She didn't need to ask how he had found her; men like Armando Aretas had their ways. And deep down, she had always known this day would come. She had been preparing for it, though she never admitted it to herself.

As she worked to stop the bleeding and tend to his wounds, Armando's gaze never left her. His mind was clouded with pain, but he couldn't ignore the pull he felt toward her. There was something different about Y/N, something he had never felt before. He had grown up learning to use people, to manipulate and charm his way through life. But with her, it was different. She was different.

"Why are you helping me?" he asked, wincing as she cleaned a particularly nasty gash on his side.

"I know who you are," Y/N replied, her voice calm but distant. "But you're not a threat to me right now."

Armando let out a bitter laugh. "You think you know who I am?"

She didn't answer, simply continued working in silence. But Armando could see it in her eyes. She knew everything about him—his past, his family, the terrible things he had done. Yet she was still here, helping him. That fact alone unnerved him, making him feel more vulnerable than his injuries ever could.

Days passed as Armando recovered under Y/N's care. He had been running from enemies he had made along the way, powerful people who wanted him dead. He couldn't go back to his father, Mike Lowrey, or to AMMO; they didn't trust him after everything that had happened. But here, with Y/N, he found a strange sense of safety, of peace.

Y/N had been distant at first, treating his wounds with cold efficiency, but as time went on, something changed between them. They found themselves talking, sharing pieces of themselves in quiet moments. Y/N, always guarded, found it difficult to open up, but with Armando, it was different. He understood her in a way no one else ever had.

For Armando, it was more than just gratitude. Y/N had become his anchor, someone who made him feel alive in a way he hadn't felt in years. He had never been one to rely on others—his entire life had been about power and control. But with Y/N... He was falling for her, hard and fast, and it terrified him.

He could see it in her too, in the way she looked at him when she thought he wasn't watching, in the small moments of vulnerability she allowed herself. She didn't want to feel anything for him—he knew that—but the connection between them was undeniable. It was real, and it was dangerous.

When Armando was strong enough to leave, Y/N knew it was only a matter of time before everything fell apart. She had helped him, but she couldn't forget who he was or the life he led. She had spent her entire career hunting men like him. And yet, she couldn't bring herself to let him go.

But the world outside their little bubble wasn't so kind. Armando had unfinished business, and his enemies weren't going to stop hunting him just because he had disappeared for a while. When the time came for him to face them, Y/N was right there by his side. She had fallen for him when she wasn't even trying, and that scared her more than anything.

Armando, too, was torn. He wanted to clear his name, to prove to his father and to AMMO that he could change. But the only way to do that involved Y/N, and he wasn't sure he could ask that of her. She had already done so much for him—more than anyone else ever had.

In the end, Armando made a mistake. He trusted the wrong people. Instead of going to his father, he placed his faith in someone who betrayed him. And in doing so, he betrayed Y/N without even realizing it.

When Armando discovered what Y/N had gone through to clear his name, it shattered him. She had risked everything—her life, her career—to protect him, and he hadn't even known. The guilt was suffocating. He had been so focused on his own survival that he hadn't seen what she was going through.

Y/N had been taken, and Armando's world came crashing down. The only thing he could think about was getting her back. He didn't care about clearing his name anymore—none of that mattered if she wasn't with him. He needed her, more than he had ever needed anything in his life.

Desperate, Armando turned to the one person he had been avoiding—his father. Mike Lowrey and AMMO were his only chance now. He would do whatever it took to get Y/N back, even if it meant sacrificing himself in the process.

As they prepared for the mission to rescue her, Armando felt a burning determination inside him. He had never believed in redemption before, but now, all he wanted was to earn Y/N's trust back. To hold her in his arms again, to tell her how much she meant to him.

And when the time came, he would stop at nothing to make sure that she was safe.

Because for the first time in his life, Armando Aretas had found something worth fighting for...