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"There are no wrong turnings.

Only paths we had not known we were meant to walk."

~~

You know that moment when you think you're making the right decision but start regretting it after five minutes?

This was one of those moments.

I sat in the backseat of the car. Sebastian was driving and Warren sat in the passenger seat beside him. We'd been driving for approximately an hour now and it was pretty clear that we were no longer in the city. There were no houses or streetlights on either side of the road, only trees. Sebastian suddenly slowed down the car before turning to what seemed like a small dirt road almost hidden among the trees. The whole place seemed to be completely isolated.

Okay so it's official.

They've definitely brought me here to kill me.

As the trees cleared I could see the structure of a house come into view. The car finally came to a stop in front of the nice looking two story brick house.

I almost yelped in surprise when Sebastian opened the car door for me. I hesitantly got out. The house wasn't too big but it wasn't small either, it was definitely a lot nicer than what I was used to.

"This is my home. I hope you find it to your liking." Sebastian murmured. My ears might have been playing tricks on me but I could have sworn he sounded a little uncomfortable.

As we stepped inside I took in my surroundings. The house was warm and well kept. The wooden floors were spotless and the furniture was simple but beautiful.

"Your house is lovely." I told Sebastian honestly.

His face broke into a smile at my words and I was temporarily taken aback. I realized that it was the first genuine smile I'd seen on his face. His grey eyes lit up when he smiled, making them seem lighter, the dimples on his cheeks deepened, his teeth I noticed were stark white but they weren't perfectly straight just a little crooked but somehow that made his smile a lot more attractive to me. For the first time he didn't look terrifying. I felt my stomach dip as heat seeped into my blood.

"Are you alright? You seem a little flushed." His voice pulled me out of my daze and I stiffened.

What the hell is wrong with me?

I pretended to cough.

Sebastian looked a little concerned now. His eyebrows scrunched together.

"Are you feeling unwell?" He asked seriously.

"No I'm perfectly fine!" I responded quickly.

He nodded, although he seemed unconvinced.

"I don't mean to sound rude or anything but you're a criminal, right?" I asked awkwardly.

He gave me a wary look. "Yes, you could say that."

"So aren't criminals supposed to live in like huge mansions?" His eyes widened a fraction in surprise and I realized how conceited I sounded. "I mean your house is beautiful." I quickly cut in. "It just seems too . . . normal for a high profile criminal." I added weakly.

Wow Angelica.

Great job sounding like the dumbest person on this planet.

For a moment he just looked at me like he couldn't believe I'd actually spoken those words, his eyes were shining with that familiar gleam of amusement. "I have a feeling that the reason you believe this to be true is because you've seen this in movies."

Read it in books actually, but that's beside the point.

I could feel my cheeks heating in embarrassment.

He took slow deliberate steps towards me. He was intimidating and I was tempted to step back but I held my ground.

"You think my house is too normal for a criminal?" He drawled out, his voice thick and . . . teasing?

"I didn't mean . . ." I trailed off unsure of what to say.

He titled his head to the side, his eyes focused on my face. "Tell me, wouldn't a criminal be the one person who wouldn't want to stand out to the world, look normal, as you put it?"

I thought about what he'd said for a minute. I realized what he said made perfect sense. Why would criminals live a flashy life and attract so much attention towards themselves? It would just cause them unnecessary complications.

"So, you're telling me that the reason you live here is because you don't want to attract unnecessary attention towards yourself?" I asked intrigued.

Sebastian shrugged. "No, to tell you the truth I never thought about it until now. I live here because I feel comfortable here. I love this house."

"I can see why." I whispered as my eyes roamed around the place once more, it wasn't a mansion but the house was beautiful, something about it made my heart warm.

"Let me show you around." Sebastian murmured.

He led me to the large living room. The curtains weren't drawn over the floor length windows and I could see the sun setting over the trees outside. The gentle orange glow of the setting sun bathed the room and for a moment I was awestruck by how beautiful it looked.

"Over there is the kitchen." Sebastian's voice pulled me out of my daze.

My head whipped in his direction. I practically ran to where he stood.

My eyes widened in awe.

The kitchen was widely spaced and separated from the living room by a half wall. A black marble island occupied the middle with cute wooden barstools. My eyes caught the huge collection of imported spices sitting on the counter and I almost swooned. My fingers traced the bottle of the Indian Red Masala.

"I've never used this before." I murmured.

"It's not for everyone." Sebastian responded. "It's extremely spicy but it adds pretty nice flavor if used in the right amount."

He picked up a small container and showed it to me. "This is Chinese cinnamon. I got it recently."

I knew Chinese cinnamon was expensive but its taste and aroma were worth the money. My head was already swimming with possibilities. The desserts I could make with such a precious condiment. The cinnamon rolls would be to die for.

"You like to cook, I take it?" Sebastian asked lightly.

"I love it. Making good food is my passion." I couldn't hold back my smile. "I was making cookie batter with my mom even before I learned how to walk."

Sebastian's grey eyes became soft. His lips twitched in a way that had my heart fluttering.

"What about you? You have all these beautiful ingredients don't tell me that along with being a criminal you're a chef too?" I couldn't believe I was actually teasing him.

He shook his head in awe, like he was surprised too.

"I do cook for myself but I'm afraid I'm not a chef." His eyes gleamed. "I don't know much about spices and other complicated ingredients. My sister-in-law is in the food business, she makes sure my kitchen remains stocked with the right stuff."

"Your sister-in-law has good taste." I said eyeing the collection of spices wistfully.

"Well you can help yourself to my kitchen. Use whatever you please." He paused his eyes darkened a little and his smile transformed into a smirk. "I'll start making dinner after I wash up and change. You're welcome to join me if you wish." He drawled.

Something about the way he said it made my heart beat a little faster.

"I'd love to help you." I murmured.

Someone clearing their throat suddenly caught our attention.

Warren stood behind us tensely.

Sebastian looked at him expectantly.

"Lui è qui (He's here)." Warren gritted out the words and Sebastian's whole body tensed. His face hardened making him seem frightening, it was like the person I had been talking to a minute ago had never existed.

"What the fuck is he doing here?" Sebastian demanded.

"I have no idea." Warren muttered.

Sebastian's eyes flitted to me and suddenly I could see the worry in them. "Take her upstairs to her room." He said urgently. He gave me an apologetic look. "Please go upstairs, Warren will guide you."

I just nodded mutely.

I followed Warren up the wooden staircase.

"Ciao Sebastian."

I froze in my tracks causing Warren to bump into me.

That voice.

I knew that voice.

I couldn't forget that voice in a million years. It still haunted my dreams. It was the reason for my nightmares.

My heart started beating wildly as memories flashed.

"What do we have here?" He walks towards us, taking slow deliberate steps.

"So precious." He crouches down in front of me and I press more into my mother's side trying to get as far away from him as possible.

"Why did you stop?" Warren's irritated voice pulled me back into reality with a start.

My legs suddenly felt like jelly. My palms were sweaty.

Calm down Angelica.

You're just hearing things.

We finally stopped in front of a wooden door. Warren unlocked it and motioned at me to go inside.

"Your bag pack was already brought here." He spoke tensely.

I blinked in confusion

My eyes fell on the familiar black bag pack lying on the bed.

I had completely forgotten about that.

I nodded my thanks.

After a few awkward moments of silence Warren turned to his heels and left.

I took in the room I'd be spending the night in. The floor was wooden like the rest of the house but the walls were a soothing turquoise color. A queen sized bed was placed against the wall. There was a window with a cute window-seat on the one end of the room.

It's perfect.

But what I'd heard a few moments ago still bugged my mind.

I shuddered as I recalled the cold voice.

It had to be a coincidence.

There was a loud knock at the door and I jumped.

My breath caught in my throat.

"Angelica? It's me Sebastian."

I exhaled in relief.

I quickly got up and opened the door.

My jaw nearly dropped when I caught sight of him.

He wore black pants. A black suit jacket was flung over his shoulder carelessly. His white dress shirt only buttoned half way giving me a full view of his well-defined torso.

Oh my. . .

I finally met his eyes my cheeks blazing.

His grey eyes were apologetic when he looked at me. He seemed completely oblivious to my gawking.

"I have to leave something came up. I am truly sorry mi cara. I really was looking forward to dinner." His voice was soft and he actually did sound remorseful.

I couldn't help the pang of disappointment I felt at his words but I hid it behind a smile. "That's okay. You've already done a lot by letting me sleep here for tonight."

He nodded but still seemed reluctant to go. "Warren will remain here. Call for him if you need anything."

I could feel my face go pale.

I was supposed to spend the night here with Warren. The guy who I saw murder a man in cold blood?

Sebastian must have understood the look on my face because he spoke quickly. "Warren is one of the few good men here. You do not need to fear him, he would never hurt you."

When I still didn't seem convinced he sighed in frustration.

"That man Warren killed, he deserved to die. It was unfortunate that you saw it happening. But that fucker deserved much worse than what he got. I would have killed him myself if I could." The sudden coldness I heard in his voice made me take a step back.

I was suddenly reminded of who this man really was. I was a fool to have forgotten in the first place.

He was a stone-hearted criminal.

A cold blooded killer.

He could kill me without feeling remorse.

But as I looked at his hard features again I saw a flash of another emotion. Sadness.

Every ounce of logic and reason I had told me to run while I still had the chance.

But a small voice in my head kept telling me to stay, kept telling me that there was more to this devastating men.

He looked at me one last time, his eyes swept over me slowly, taking me in, like they wanted to memorize every detail, like he expected me to make a run for it as soon as he left. He turned around and walked away without saying another word.

My emotions were in complete turmoil. I was at war with myself.

And even though the logical part of me knew I was most likely making the worst mistake of my life- I didn't leave

Just one night.

What could possibly go wrong if I just stayed one night?