After | Matt Daddario

Chapter 52

MATTHEW'S POV

I came home to finding the house completely empty. Without hesitation, I took my gun out of my pocket as I was analysing each corner of the house. I knew that Lauren wouldn't leave the house without letting me know. In my other hand, I let down the breakfast on the table and started walking upstairs to see if she might be there.

"Lauren?" I asked as I was calling out her name but there was no reply. I raised my eyebrow as I started to panic slightly.

I felt this lump in my throat as my eyes kept on scanning her room right now but there was no one. Frustrated, I let my gun down as I scratched the back of my head.

"Where are you?" I mumbled underneath my breath. Lauren wasn't the type to play pranks on me either. She knew I was too short tempered for that. She wouldn't dare.

I sighed as I felt my phone vibrating and I quickly picked up without checking the phone screen. I just assumed straight away that it was Lauren who was calling me.

"Lauren?" I asked annoyed and angry. My heart froze when I heard Ian chuckle slightly. I could feel the pressure on my forehead as I was trying to make sense of everything and slowly I was putting everything together.

"Matthew... Matthew." He said in a amusing tone.

"What have you done to her? Where is she?" I asked and started to raise my voice by each word I spoke out. Ian laughed which made me even angrier than I already was.

"I haven't done anything to her yet. She is so naive... Being together with someone who works in a gang, she shouldn't be believing every word I or someone else says." Ian spoke out slowly.

I clenched my jaw as I squeezed my eyes shut. How could she be this stupid? With my fingers I touched my temple and sighed out frustrated.

"Your problem is with me. I will come to you. Just leave her out of this." I said, hoping that he would listen to me.

"Begging doesn't suit you that much, Matthew and you're kinda bad at it. I guess, you need more practice." He said, before hanging up on me. I frustrated let out a groan before I quickly called Lauren.

I exhaled sharply when she wasn't picking up. I called her multiple times when finally she picked up the phone, "Lauren?! Where are you?!" I screamed through the phone.

I heard her breathing and just a second after that, I heard a loud thud with a groan from Lauren's mouth. I widened my eyes and felt my hands shake a bit. I have never cared about someone in the way I have for Lauren and if I lose her, I won't be able to live with myself...

"LAUREN!" I screamed out loudly. The panic and fear was clearly heard from my phone. I heard someone picking up her phone before hanging up.

"N-No... Fuck." I stammered as I quickly traced my fingers to dial her number again but no one was picking up. It went straight to her voicemail...

"Why the fuck did you leave?" I scolded her, knowing that it wasn't entirely her fault. I should have never left for this stupid breakfast. I shouldn't have done what I did.

I shouldn't have left her alone...

All I wanted today was just a day with her alone. Giving her that simplistic boyfriend time that any other boyfriend would do if they were not part of a gang but I should have known better. We could have never been simple.

This was going to happen one day or another. Ian made sure of that.

I quickly called Dominic who picked up in an instant. I stayed quiet for a few seconds before I could gather myself together and tell him what had happened.

"Matthew? What's wrong? Did you have a fight with Lauren again? Do you need again advice?" He asked, bombarding me with questions.

I hate the fact that I came to a clumsy person as Dominic to ask advice about girls. Every time Lauren and I would fight or simply to the days where she hated me, I would ask advice from Dominic to what I had to do with this.

He always just laughed at me.

He probably knew already before me that I had fallen for her and I was just denying all of it like happy days.

"No... No!" I shouted frustrated. I became anxious by each second that I was apart from Lauren and her being with Ian. I didn't know what was going on and I had no filter to think about anyone's feelings than just hers.

She was all that mattered to me right now.

Her safety...

"What happened?" Dominic now asked in a serious tone as he heard me now crying softly.

Fuck you Lauren for making me cry.

"It's Ian. He got Lauren." I said throughout my sobs. I hated being this vulnerable. Hence why I never wanted to get involved with Lauren in the first place but I just couldn't stop myself.

I couldn't stay away from her. No matter how much I had tried to do so. There was something that I always brought me back to her, wanting her even more than I wanted before.

She was like a drug. I could never get enough of her. Every dose of her made me addicted more to her, craving her even more.

"I will let the others know. They know what to do. Meet us at the usual place." I heard him say and I nodded but then realised that he couldn't see me.

"Yes." I replied and hung up the phone, being more worried than I already was. Why would Lauren do what she did?

I sighed out frustrated and felt the front door opening. I quickly held my gun up as I made my way downstairs. Before I even looked up, I shot just above the front door, trying to scare the living hell out of the person that was trying to enter.

"If you don't drop your weapons. The next bullet will go through your forehead." I said and my voice was stern, and harsh. I was already annoyed and worried.

I wouldn't mind killing someone to take it out.

"M-Matthew. I-Its me." Vivien spoke while she stuttered. The poor girl was shaking when I looked at her and I quickly hid my gun away as I made my way to her.

She looked at me with her widened, confused eyes and before I even said something, I just pulled her into a tight hug and closed the door behind us so no one else would get to enter inside.

"I am so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." I said. My voice was now softer and kinder. I don't even know myself anymore.

"What's going on?" Vivien mumbled in my chest and I sighed as I held her tighter. I was just glad that Vivien wasn't home at the time, Ian got to Lauren. At least she was safe now.

"Ian has Lauren... I will bring you to our safe house and you will stay there with either Alberto or Harry." I said as I now looked at her. She looked terrified but she nodded her head, not going against my word.

"Just don't get out of there. Your much safer inside than out..." I said softly and Vivien again nodded her head.

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Helloo! I am at work now... I work in a nursery but I won't tell you in which one. I don't want to be stalked HAHAHA. I wrote pretty much of this in the morning when I was going to work... I kinda am bombarded with work rn so im sorry with the late replies to comments and late updating x