"I crave you as if I've already had you before, that scares and excites me all at once"
« In which Adriana Narvaez, a mother
of two, finds herself falling deep
into the world of crime after an
innocent robbery turns into a money-laundering bus...
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A tall man exited the elevator, two men trained behind him. Adriana wasn't going to lie, she was incredibly intimidated by him. Tattoo's littered his muscled body, and a scar went through his right eye. She tried to hide her slight fright, straightening her back next to Rio. Rio noticed this slight movement, an amused smirk making its way to his lips.
"Welcome, friends, family." The man spoke with a gruff voice, his voice booming throughout the building. A few murmurs erupted through the crowd but were immediately silenced when the two men behind him took a step forward. His eyes scanned the people, his eyes landing on Rio. A smirk made its way onto his face, his arms opening wide. "Rio!" He cheered, approaching the crowd. People began to part as he walked past before he stood before us. He clapped Rio on the shoulder, squeezing his shoulder.
"Santoro." Rio's eyes narrowed for a split second before he matched the man's smirk. The man's eyes darted to Adrianna, eyeing her up and down. "This is the missus?" Rio turned to Adriana, his tongue darting across his lip as he gazed at her expectantly. Rio chuckled a bit, wrapping his arm around her waist. "Yea, this is she."
The man bellowed out a joyous laugh, leading Rio away from the crowd. He nodded towards his two bodyguards, Adriana assumed, motioning to the crowd. "Take them to the dining area." He huffed, leading Rio and Adriana to the elevators.
"So, how you been Rio?" The elevators shut behind them with a ding, and Adrinna parted from Rio. The man noticed this slight movement but decided not to comment. "Well, to tell you the truth Santoro. I'm pissed."
The man inhaled sharply, clasping his hands behind his back. "That's understandable." Adriana tuned out the conversation, not wanting to be an accessory to any discussions of crime. She briefly heard Rio mention her in the heated conversation, snapping her out of her daze.
The elevator dinged before the conversation got any further. "Come, let's talk about this over drinks." He glanced at Adriana, raising an eyebrow. "Would you like one?" Adriana's breath hitched in her throat before she managed to push out a 'no.'
He let out a boisterous laugh, clapping Rio on the back once again. "Y'know my wife doesn't like to drink, either. I just assume it's woman thing." Adriana granted him a polite smile, bowing her head to stared down at her heels.
They headed towards the man's office where the man began to pour them drinks. Rio leaned down to whisper in her, his breath fanning across her neck causing a few shivers to go down her spine. "You doing good. Keep it up, and maybe tonight might be your lucky night." Adriana's eyebrows knitted together, discreetly leaning her head to whisper in his ear. "What are you implying, Rio?"
He pulled away with a chuckle, taking the glass of whiskey with a grin. As the man turned his back to the two, Rio squeezed her waist leaning down to whisper in her ear again. "Don't act coy, mamas." Adriana scoffed, turning the glass away from her lips. She turned her head, her eyes meeting his. "I don't want you." She seethed with a whisper.
"Trouble in paradise?" The man swiveled in his seat, a coy smirk making its way onto his lips. Rio inhaled sharply, sending Adrianna a pointed look before taking a seat across from Mr.Santoro. "You could say that."
A beat of silence passed before Rio placed his cup down with a slam. "Enough of the pleasantries."
€€€
Rio stood behind the man, his gun pointed at his temple. "I tried to be calm, Santoro. I was patient. Now, at first, half the cargo was fine but I'm gonna need compensation for the trouble. Any idea what you could do for me?"
Mr. Santoro stayed silent, meeting Adriana's eye from across the room. Adriana bowed her head, avoiding his gaze. Her heart pulsated wildly in her chest. She was not used to being a part of this business and she resented Rio now more than she ever has.
The click of Rio's gun caught her attention, she looked up to find him already gazing at her. "Adriana, what do you think would be good compensation for my time being wasted?" Adriana met Rio's eye, a scowl prominent on her face. Rio only smirked, tapping the gun against his temple.
"If you don't think he could give me anything of worth, then maybe his life would work." Adrian-'s eyes widened at his threat, glancing down at Mr.Santoro. Sweat dripped down his forehead, whilst his hands were clasped together on his desk. Adriana began to even wonder how they ended up in this situation. When she left to the bathroom for a split second and came back, she wasn't expecting to find Mr. Santoro on his knees, a gun pressed to his temple.
"You wanted half of the product, right? Maybe instead half he could give you the whole thing. Would that work better?" Adriana suggested after racking her brain for a solution. "Y'know sweetheart, that's a damn great idea." Rio then leaned down to look at Mr. Santoro. "What do you think?" Santoro hesitated for a moment before nodding his head.
"Great." Rio nodded his head, stuffing his hand in his pocket along with his gun. "Don't try nothing, now. All those people down there, work for me. You work for me from now on." Rio seethed, gripping his hair and yanking it back for good measure. "I want the product delivered by Monday, If not, I'll be paying you another visit."
Rio glanced up at Adriana, noticing her shaken state. "I'm sorry you had to see this, sweetheart. Turns out we didn't need that cover story after all." He sighed, brushing past her to leave the room. Adriana stood frozen in her spot, her eyes glued on Santoro's equally shaken state. He met her eyes, running his hands through his hair. "I'm getting too old for this." He muttered shaking his head.
At those words, Adriana turned on her heel, exiting the room and slamming the door behind her. Rio stood at the elevators, his phone gripped tightly in his hand. He glanced up at her once he heard the clicking of her heels and pressed the button.
"What the hell is wrong with you? Why'd you bring me here?" Rio only tsked, holding the elevator doors open for her. Adriana hastily entered the elevator, not wanting to be in this building any longer. "I needed you to see what this business is about. What could happen to you and your girls better if you don't bring me my shit, now. Make sure to pass the message your girls."
Adriana shivered at his words, letting them linger in her mind. "You also tell that son of bitch Marco to never call my phone again." Adriana stayed silent, avoiding his eyes. The ding of the elevator signified them being at ground level. Rio exited, nodding at the silence in the building.
