The following day Angie and I had decided over coffee that I needed a way to return to my apartment to get my stuff. After all, I had no clothes, hygienic stuff, or any personal items. If I was going to stay here long term, I couldn't live off of the three outfits Angie had loaned me. Due to the giant target on my back, Angie insisted on bringing the matter to Kade to discuss.

After what seemed like the shortest discussion in the world, Angie reappeared in the kitchen, where I sat drinking my coffee.

“So, am I getting my stuff back?” I questioned, hoping the answer was yes.

“Not exactly," she answered, her response vague.

“What do you mean?”

“He’s going to bring you into town, so you can get whatever you need,” she explained.

I gave a small nod, feeling conflicted about the situation. I was more welcoming to the idea of having my items and clothing. I just wasn't sure how I felt about going into town with Kade when a literal mafia wanted to kill me.

“Are you sure that’s a safe idea?” I wondered out loud.

“We'll stay on our side of the county,” Kade's voice rang as he appeared in the doorway.

My eyes shot back to Angie, looking for some type of confirmation.

“It will be fine," she reassured me, wearing a small smile.

Feeling more comfortable in the situation, I rose to my feet, ready to leave. I watched Kade as he swept a set of keys off the counter and then stood, smoothing the dark sweater dress I was wearing over my hips. My gaze lifted, and I noticed what looked like Kade looking me up and down. I could feel the pink creep up on my cheeks at the thought of Kade checking me out. I could feel Angie's eyes bouncing between the two, clearly noticing the sudden tension.

“Are you ready to go?” Kade questioned, clearing his throat.

“Yeah," I nodded, making my way over to him near the kitchen doorway.

With that, we left the house and entered Kade's Audi. Most of the car ride was spent in silence, the only noise being the quiet hum of the radio. Still feeling weird about the moment in the kitchen, I kept my eyes forward. I was scared that the blushing might return if I looked at Kade.

Once we arrived in the center of town, Kade pulled into a public parking spot and turned the car off.

“So, I figured we could start with the outlets,” he gestured to the stores at one end of the street.

I gave him a nod as we climbed out of the car, heading towards the first set of buildings.

Entering the first store, I began browsing through the clothes with Kade tagging along. His eyes were more fascinated by his phone than anything else.

Occasionally, I would check the price tag when I came across an item I liked. Most of the time, whatever I liked ended up back on the rack, as the outlets were definitely out of my price range. Eventually growing bored with his phone, Kade took notice of the fact more clothes were going back on the rack than in the shopping basket he was holding.

“Why do you keep checking the tags and then returning them?” he asked, clearly confused.

“I'm a writer; my salary isn't ‘impromptu shopping spree’ worthy,” I responded, chuckling at my self-deprecating joke.

Kade raised an eyebrow at my statement. I assumed it was because we lived two completely different lives. Kade's lavish mafia lifestyle had clearly blinded him to reality; normal people in their twenties don't drive Audis and own mansions.

“It was discussed that I would get anything you wanted or needed,” Kade clarified, insinuating he intended to pay for this trip.

“I have my own money,” I countered.

The idea of Kade paying for a shopping trip for me was mind-boggling. I wasn't sure how I felt about the idea of letting someone spend so much money on me. Especially knowing that as a mafia leader, most of his money was likely dirty, sprouting from illegal situations.

“I didn't ask if you had money,” Kade started with a blunt tone in his voice.

Ignoring him, I continued to browse, carefully checking the tags on items before deciding whether or not to place them in the basket. Kade noticed I was continuing the same behavior as before and let out an annoyed huff. He then grabbed a blouse I had previously picked up and tossed it in the basket he held.

“I'm more than capable of paying for my own stuff,” I argued, now growing annoyed at Kade.

“I don't care. You're with me now. You're not paying for a d*mn thing,” he finished firmly, his dark brown eyes holding eye contact.

Normally I would have argued the situation more; I hated the idea of other people paying my way. But instead, my focus was more shifted to the way my body responded to Kade's proximity to me, along with the assertive behavior he just displayed. My cheeks burned, and my heart raced as I felt a flutter of attraction in my stomach.

“Are you actually going to start shopping, or do I need to buy the whole store to get my point across?” he joked.

Now pulled out of the trance Kade had caused, I tossed the shirt I held into the basket without checking its price.

“Good,” Kade smirked, clearly satisfied.

After shopping for hours and spending an absurd amount of money, Kade and I had worked up a decent appetite, so we were tried to find somewhere to grab a quick bite to eat.

“Have you ever tried Capecchi’s?” Kade questioned with his eyes on the road.

“No, I don't think so,” I responded, fiddling with the radio.

“I own it.” Kade glanced at me.

“You own a restaurant?” I asked, genuinely impressed.

Kade gave me a small nod before adding, “ 2 restaurants, three clubs.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” he smiled as he entered the restaurant's parking lot.

Once inside the restaurant, it was clear Kade was a VIP. At every table we passed, at least one person greeted him on the way by. Some even approached us as we ate, asking Kade to take the sidebar so they could talk business. Kade would politely decline, saying he was entertaining a guest and it would be rude to talk about business. The idea of Kade putting off work to have dinner with me was almost sweet; it made me feel important.

Even with multiple interruptions, dinner was actually highly enjoyable. Kade was surprisingly good company, the food was spectacular, and it was the first time I could relax since the night in the alley. At this moment with Kade, everything felt comfortable and almost normal.

As we drove home, Kade and I carried on our small conversations, discussing various topics. Talking to him just felt so effortless.

I couldn't help but notice the butterflies that erupted every time he so much as smiled in my direction. I had to remind myself quite a few times what type of man Kade was and the situation we were in. I couldn't allow myself to become infatuated with him. After all, he was a mafia leader, and I was just some idiot he needed to protect.

As we pulled up the driveway, we were greeted by the group cheering from the porch.

“What the f*ck are these guys doing?” Kade mumbled to himself as we both stepped out of the car, making our way up to the group.

Chris shouted to Kade, a look of joy on his face.

“He’s coming home!” he cheered.

I turned to Kade, who now had a grin from here to ear. Before I could question who was coming home, Kade began cheering with the others.

“He’s coming home!” he shouted with a look of triumph on his face, pulling Chris into a celebratory hug. “Nino is coming home."

That was the first time I had seen Kade so excited. All of the group, for that matter. It felt nice to see people happy. It had been a terrible week for everyone, so seeing everyone hugging and celebrating gave me a sense of hope. But I couldn’t help but wonder who Nino was and where he was coming home from.