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Chapter Text

The DeLucas, as the Italian mafia is known, were run for years by Vicenzo DeLuca and after he was shot by an enemy, his daughter Carina and son Andrea took over.

Over the years, Carina had taken over the business. The death of her father was grieved by everyone. Instead of terrorizing and intimidating people, Vicenzo protected people's property and businesses and took money in return. They weren't known as a bullying mafia, but they were a feared mafia. They helped poor people and put children through school. These favors were not known by anyone. They mostly took from rich people and gave to poor people. Carina didn't want to run her father's business, but her father had always trained her and her brother for it. Since Carina was older than her brother, she was in charge of the business. But her brother Andrea took care of all the work together with his sister. Carina was the visible face of the business while Andrea was more interested in the back end of things like collecting money. Carina met with other mafias and business people. With her intelligence, no one could stand against her.

Carina became a respected mafia leader. She was known for her grace, her beauty, her kindness and her tough character. Being a woman and being kind didn't make her any less intimidating. She was a woman of influence. She was greeted with respect everywhere she went. She was successful in her business and continued to stabilize it after her father.

She was also known as a womanizer. She attracted many men and women. With her power, money and beauty, she had many people around her, but mostly everyone wanted her money. Whenever Carina wanted a long-term relationship, she was always disappointed when she got attached to someone, so she was afraid of falling in love, afraid to let anyone near her. She dedicated her life to her work. In business people were ruthless. Many Italian mafias were in competition. With Vicenzo's death, they were giving Carina bad days with the dream of ending the Delucas. She survived several assassinations. She had spy workers sent to her. Carina no longer trusted anyone. She was always taking lessons in close combat and shooting to defend herself. She did an excellent job, even if her personality and frail body didn't seem suited for it. But because she didn't trust anyone, she always changed her staff quickly. No one stayed with Carina for long.

Maya Bishop was a private serial killer. An expensive serial killer who went on special missions. She was trained as a markswoman. She was behind many important assassinations. She usually worked with a secret organization that provided her work. They'd tell Maya the job, she'd do it. She didn't question much. The jobs were usually to kill people who were harmful to countries. Maya wasn't interested in the back end. If she started to think that people were guilty or innocent, she did not want to leave the job because of her conscience.

She had no one in her life except for a small group of friends and the women she hung out with where she went for work. Being intersex did not diminish his confidence in relationships. She had a very striking face and physique and this increased the number of women who pursued her. She had spent years trying to live at peace with herself and now she was open to all one-night stands. But she couldn't see herself in a relationship. Because of her job she didn't stay in one place for a long time. Because she didn't stay long, she didn't choose people to be attached to. She usually hunted in the bars of the cities she visited. The fact that she killed people also made her scary. She usually didn't have a job that women wanted in her life. Whenever she told her job, women would walk away from her. Some found it sexy, but no one wanted to date a murderer. So she sometimes introduced herself as a firefighter and sometimes as a lawyer to make herself seem less scary. She didn't see the women she slept with the next day anyway, so she didn't mind lying.

She went on many missions in various parts of the world. She loved traveling from country to country, learning new cultures, people and languages. For her last mission, she had to go from America to Italy. She had been to this country once or twice. Her mission was to kill the leader of the famous Italian mafia, the Delucas. Maya was given the information on the day of the assassination. She went to Italy, did some sightseeing and before the time of the assassination the information was sent to Maya. The mafia leader would go to a secret restaurant for a business meeting and Maya would shoot him on the way out. Maya was expecting an old man when it came to the mafia leader. The name was C. Deluca. There was no information other than the name and location. She put her earphones in her ears and ambushed through the window of an empty house opposite the restaurant to await instructions. Her gun was ready. She aimed exactly at the door of the restaurant. There were a lot of black cars outside the restaurant. Many members of the Mafia were obviously there. She observed the movements of the restaurant for a while. Everyone was checking the surroundings. When she sensed movement, she contacted the organization.

"Standing by. Identify target," Maya said into her earpiece. She could more or less guess what the person she was going to shoot looked like. It would be an old man, probably an overweight, cranky mafia leader.

"The target is Carina Deluca, the leader of the Deluca mafia, 35 years old, 175cm tall, slim with brown hair. When you leave the restaurant, she will be surrounded by bodyguards. It won't be hard to recognize her. She's the only woman in the place. They'll be out in 30 seconds, get ready," said the voice in the earpiece. But as soon as Maya heard that the target was a woman, she couldn't focus on the task.

"How could you not tell me that the target was a woman? You knew I wouldn't accept it." Maya angrily spoke into the headset.

"You accepted the mission, no time for questioning, shoot the target and get out of there. Last 15 seconds," said the voice in the headset.

"Fuck, how could you not tell me," Maya said, but she knew how things worked. Once you accept a job, you have to do it, if you don't do it, if you get caught, no one will come after you. If you fuck up, you don't get another job. If you are exposed, no one will recognize you. Maya knew the conditions and she had to do it. If she failed at the job, she could be killed by the organization because of the information she knew.

As Maya was debating in her mind whether to do the job or not, she saw movement at the door of the restaurant. She immediately put her eye to the scope of her gun. She looked closely at the crowd and saw Carina Deluca, dressed in black, flanked by bodyguards wearing a long black fitted dress and a long black coat. The coat was thrown over her shoulders and she was wearing big black sunglasses. She was really easy to recognize. Maya's hand was on the trigger. She was going between pressing the trigger and not pressing the trigger. She would do what she had to do, but she could never forgive herself. Here was a woman and she had promised herself she would never kill a woman or a child. But Maya would not discredit her. She had to do it. She had never failed in any job she had ever taken. If she failed, the organization would never hire her again. If she was caught, she would pay with her life.

Maya reached the angle to shoot the woman, the leader of the mafia, right in the heart and took a deep breath and the moment she started to push the trigger, the woman looked towards where Maya was hiding. She slowly took off her sunglasses. The moment Maya pressed the trigger, she shifted the angle of the gun. Maya felt as if she had been shot in the heart the moment the mafia leader turned to face her. The look in her eyes penetrated her heart. This woman was very different. Maya was mesmerized by the beauty of her face. The woman hadn't shown her face when she left the restaurant, but the moment Maya pulled the trigger, the woman looked where Maya was and Maya was too late to give up. The bullet came out of the gun and hit Carina in the arm. The crowd couldn't hear the sound of the silenced gun, but they saw the bullet coming fast at Carina. The moment the bullet hit Carina, she staggered and fell. Carina grabbed her arm in terrible pain. Carina saw the shooter's position and immediately pointed with her good arm to where Maya was.

"There! Go get him. Don't come back until you get him!" Carina shouted. Andrea was right next to Carina. She sent all the guards to catch the sniper. Maya was dressed in all black with a hat on her head, probably Carina thought it was a man.

Maya was frozen in place. She had shot the mafia leader, but at the last moment she changed the angle. She had shot the most beautiful woman she had ever seen and now she couldn't escape. She regretted it and couldn't finish the job. It was all over for Maya. She was distracted by the sound of the headset.

"Bishop, mission accomplished? Bishop, do you copy? Bishop?"

"Negative, sir. I'm afraid I missed," Maya said in a low voice. There was sadness in her voice. She didn't know what to feel, what to do.

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"Bishop, what have you done? Either finish what you started or leave your position now. From now on, if you get caught, you're on your own." said the voice in the headset. Then Maya was disconnected and as Maya was watching the crowd and Carina, a group of guards came from behind her and grabbed her arms and disarmed her. Maya did not resist the bodyguards who were yelling and screaming in Italian around her. They quickly took Carina away in a black car. They tied Maya's wrists, put a black sack over her head and put her in a car. The guards were not kind to Maya. When she refused to get into the car, she was hit in the face, her lip was busted and her mouth was full of blood. She didn't know where she was being taken.

She had shot a mafia leader and had not escaped. She was sure that she would probably be killed and thrown aside in a wooded area. She kept hearing shouts in Italian. Maya knew some Italian, but at that moment her senses were off. There was a great regret in her for shooting a woman and she had only seen her for a few minutes, but she was impressed by her beauty. She thought that at least she had seen a beautiful woman before she died. She wished that she hadn't done any great harm to the woman. She had changed her angle at the last moment to avoid hitting her. But it didn't happen.

After a car ride of about 30 minutes, Maya was taken out of the car. She was then led somewhere with her eyes closed and her hands still tied. She couldn't see anything but she was being taken to a closed place. She felt she was going through a crowded place but then they put her in a quiet room. When they removed the black sack from her head, Maya grimaced from the light. She realized she was in what looked like a warehouse. It was a cold storage room with a chair and some water. A few of the guards came over and said a few things in Italian, but Maya didn't understand most of it. Everyone was shouting or talking too fast. Everything was foreign, except for a few swear words and a few words she understood. Maya did not expect a good welcome, but everything was very fast. Maya wanted what was going to be done to her as soon as possible. Because every moment she felt guilty thinking about the woman she had shot. She didn't know why she felt so sorry for this woman, but her heart ached. Then she saw a tall man coming.

"You are not Italian, are you?" the man asked Maya. Maya shook her head no. He was the first person who didn't speak Italian to her. Maya was grateful. "So you understand English. I thought you were a Russian agent, but you are too short to be Russian. If you speak English, we can communicate. I'm Robert Sullivan. I'm the Delucas' head of security. If you answer my questions, your sentence will be reduced. Who made you do this?" Maya remained silent. She was looking at his face expressionlessly. Maya had been raised not to tell what she knew. "I know you are an underling, we have no business with you. Tell us who made you do it and you go free," Sullivan said. Maya was not interested in questions.

"Is she okay?" only Maya asked.

"'She's not dead. You couldn't kill her. You missed. She just got shot in the arm. There are a lot of people who want to kill her. You're not the first and you probably won't be the last. The boss is going to talk to you privately, but you'd better start talking now," Sullivan said.

"I don't work for anyone. I'm on my own. I'll only talk to your boss," Maya said. Sullivan looked at his watch and stood up.

"Suit yourself, she won't treat you as kindly as I treat you," Sullivan said and left Maya alone in the warehouse.

She didn't know what time of day it was in the warehouse. She only knew for sure that she had been waiting in that warehouse for hours. Before she was put in the warehouse, they had searched her and taken everything, including all her knives and electronics. Maya felt vulnerable and wanted to meet the mafia leader as soon as possible. She wanted to see her one more time. Her death would probably be at the hands of this woman. She paced nervously in the warehouse for hours. Then two tall bodyguards came into the warehouse and put a bag over Maya's head again. Again they took her out of the warehouse with ungentlemanly gestures. The guards took her in a roundabout way to Carina's study so that she wouldn't recognize where she was.

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After Carina was shot, the family doctor was called to the house. They had a sterile room in their house because shootings were common. Amelia was the doctor who took care of such cases without going to the authorities. Amelia had been the family doctor for many years and was very close to Carina. Occasionally they had short hangouts. They liked to flirt but nothing more. She and Amelia had become good friends over the years. She was making a lot of money thanks to the Deluca's. Amelia was waiting at home when Carina was brought home.

"It's nothing, she must have grazed my arm," Carina said bitterly and nervously. Andrea was frantically tamponizing Carina's arm to prevent further blood loss. Amelia quickly checked the wound.

"Yes it looks like a graze, the bullet is out of her body but there is a lot of blood." Amelia said and treated Carina.

"Andrea did they find who shot me? I want him alive in front of me." said Carina. She had only caught a glimpse of the shooter from a distance. Maya was well hidden, but Carina was a careful woman. She saw the shooter through the black glasses and saw that the shooter had deep blue eyes. She felt the deep gaze. She wanted to see the assassin.

"Don't worry, they found him. He's waiting in the warehouse. They're trying to get information but he only wants to talk to you?" Andrea said. Carina became painfully impatient as her arm was dressed. Who was this person who wanted to kill her? She wondered who he was working for.

"Let him talk to me. Maybe he has a message." Said Carina.

"Carina, you need to rest first. You have lost a significant amount of blood." Said Amelia in a doctor's voice.

"There is no time to rest Amelia. There are people out there who want to kill me and one of them is waiting for me downstairs. I'm fine, I'm going to confront him and find out what's wrong with him, I need to find out who did this." Carina said as she bandaged her wound and hurried to her room. Andrea followed her to her room.

"Carina are you sure you want to confront him now? Get some rest, they already have it in storage." Andrea said in a tone trying to convince Carina.

"No, I want him here in my room right now, whoever this assassin is. Tell the guards to bring him in." Said Carina, grabbing her bandaged arm and quickly went up to her room.

She sat at her desk. She took out one of her special rolled cigarettes. She lit it with her father's designer lighter. As stern as Carina was, she was scared. Just because she was constantly assassinated didn't mean she was used to the fear of death. Being afraid had become part of her life. But she never told anyone about it. She was scared inside. She lit a cigarette and took the smoke into her lungs on the first drag. Her eyes filled with tears. It hurt, but more than that, she was now mentally wounded. She was tired. Everything was becoming too much for her. Now she was sure she would meet the same fate as her father. Everyone was trying to get rid of Carina somehow. Everyone wanted the DeLuca power for their money. A tear fell from Carina's eye as she wondered how much more she could take. When Andrea knocked on her door, she quickly pulled herself together and wiped the tear from her face.

"They brought her. It was a woman who shot you. She understands English. American, I think." Andrea said. Carina was surprised that the assassin was a woman. Life was already hard enough and men were already making it so difficult, it was even sadder that a woman was doing it.

"Let her in." Carina said in an unreadable voice. Andrea left to let Maya into the room. Carina was waiting in her armchair with her cigarette. She looked at the woman with the black sack on her head held in her arms by the guards. "Take off the bag," Carina said.

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Maya's heart clenched the moment she heard Carina's voice. How could a mafia leader's voice be so sweet and soft, she thought. No other voice could fit the face she had in mind. The way the woman spoke Italian was impressive. Maya didn't know how she had been so impressed by the woman she had seen for a few seconds. Now even her voice was affecting Maya in some way. Maybe her brain thought she was playing tricks on herself because she felt sorry for the woman. Because she was upset, her brain was making her perceive the woman as beautiful and her voice as soft because it hurt.

One of the guards pulled the sack off Maya's head from behind. Maya squinted her eyes open to get used to the dim light and saw Andrea standing there. Andrea waited to make sure Maya was not the aggressor. Maya was just standing still. She just wanted to see Carina DeLuca. After Andrea made sure that Maya did not have any sharp objects in her hands or on her arms, a voice was heard from behind.

"You can leave, I want to see her alone." Carina said. Maya became very nervous. She didn't know what to say. Andrea turned around to protest to his sister. Andrea was still blocking Maya's full view of Carina.

"Carina, you can't be alone with a woman who assassinated you." Andrea said. Carina didn't get up from her desk. She just gestured for them to leave.

"Andrea wait outside, she can't do anything to me with her hands still tied. I'll call out if I need you. Now all of you wait at the door." Carina said. Maya melted at Carina's authoritative voice. There was something too much about this woman.

The moment Andrea moved out of Maya's way, Maya just froze. Carina's office room was lit by a dim yellow light. It was a very nice room with mostly black and brown furniture. Carina had a cigarette in her mouth and smoke around her. Even the way she held the cigarette was elegant. Carina squinted her eyes and looked at Maya. Maya looked at the bandage on Carina's arm. It was smaller than she had expected. She felt a little relieved. She hadn't hurt the woman much. She had hurt her, though. Her heart ached too.

 Carina was surprised to see Maya. How could such a beautiful woman be an assassin? She couldn't even make sense of Maya's frozen state. For a few seconds they both just studied each other. Carina still hadn't gotten up from the table. She was still tired from the blood she had lost. She had beautiful blonde hair and piercing blue eyes that wanted to kill her. There was nothing wild about those blue eyes. They were very soft, maybe even compassionate. Someone who could convince you that she was a caring person and not a killer. Carina saw the wound and the blood on Maya's lower lip. It brought her back to the truth of why Maya was here. Carina thought that this beautiful face was a deception. She pulled herself together, knowing that if she looked at it any longer she wouldn't be able to shake it off.

"So, do you want to tell me or should I ask?" said Carina as she smoked the last of her cigarette and put out the butt.

"Does it hurt?" said Maya. She didn't really realize what she was saying. It was absurd to ask if the woman she was trying to kill was hurt. But her brain wasn't thinking right. She asked without thinking.

"What are you, some kind of assassin who takes pleasure in people's pain? Did you deliberately not kill me to make me suffer?" Carina asked, not understanding.

"I didn't want to shoot." Maya said vaguely, lowering her head. She was in distress. Her hands were tied, she had done something she didn't want to do and now she felt she was at the end of the road.

"What? That's exactly what you did. What do you mean?" said Carina. How could someone shoot without meaning to? Did she want to shoot someone else, Carina wondered. Why did her brain want to exonerate the woman in front of her?

"It doesn't matter. Whether you're going to punish me or kill me or whatever you're going to do." Maya said. She couldn't tell Carina that she had stopped shooting her after seeing Carina's face.

"I don't know what you mean, you're shooting me. Somehow you fail to kill me. And now your speeches don't make any sense. Who are you? What are you trying to do?" said Carina, a little more angry now. Maya preferred to remain silent. "Look, whoever you are and whoever you are working for, I will find out sooner or later. If you tell me the truth, you won't be punished. I will let you go and you can go back to your country. The deal is simple." Said Carina. She got up from her desk and sat in front of it.

Maya studied Carina's body as she sat in front of the table. It was undoubtedly a body carefully created by God. When Carina sat at the table, her legs were exposed and Maya couldn't take her eyes away. She took a deep breath. It was certain that she was not going to tell anything, but what was she going to do, they were going to kill Maya. She could die happy if it was at this woman's hand. Maya knew how dangerous her work was. When she messed up like this, it would bring death. She had accepted it now.

"I have nothing to say." Maya said again. Carina sighed, bored. She approached Maya and stood right in front of her. Maya was sure her heart was racing with excitement. There was very little space between them when Carina came closer. Carina grabbed Maya's chin and lifted it. She looked into Maya's eyes.

"What's your name?" Carina said in a low but clear voice. Maya was afraid that she was reacting to this beautiful hot woman standing in front of her brain in the wrong parts of her body because she could swear that all the blood was flowing down her body. She looked into Carina's brown eyes, mesmerized. At that moment Carina could have answered anything she asked.

"Maya," was all Maya said. Carina silently repeated the name. Maya closed her eyes for a moment when she heard Carina's name coming out of her mouth. She pronounced it so beautifully. Like no one had ever pronounced it before.

"What are you hiding behind those blue eyes, Maya?" Carina said in an innocent tone. She knew Maya was attracted to her. She had chosen to play with her. She knew how to make her talk. "If you promise to behave, I will untie your hands and we can talk like normal people." Carina said. Maya just nodded. "Use your words, Maya." Carina said as she stroked Maya's chin with her hand. Maya was surprised at how much influence Carina had over her. Every word she said encouraged Maya to fall to her knees. She wondered what made Carina speak normally.

"I'll be good." Maya said. She would stop because she could be on her knees for this woman. If only they hadn't met like this. Carina moved behind Maya. She held her wrists. Then she waited. She leaned close to Maya's ear.

"Just so you know, I have at least five men in front of the door and I know all the melee fights, so if you do anything stupid, you won't get out of here alive." Said Carina. Carina could feel Maya's excitement. Maya again only nodded. Carina slowly untied Maya's wrists. Then she pointed to the seats in front of her desk. Maya sat on the armchair while rubbing her wrists. Carina sat opposite her. They looked into each other's eyes, Carina was trying to hate this woman but she was having a hard time. The woman's gaze was not that of a killer.

"Are you a special agent or something? What's your job?" Carina said. Maya grinned.

"Why are you trying to find out things about me, this is not a first date. I tried to kill you, kill me or let me go." Said Maya. Now Carina had a flirtatious look on her face. What were they doing, were they flirting now?

"I usually prefer not to talk on first dates." Carina said. Maya liked that sexual reference. It was good for her train of thought, but now was not her time. Carina handed Maya a napkin from the table as she spoke. Carina watched as Maya wiped the blood from her lip. She examined Maya as she wiped the blood from her pink lips. "Tell me the truth, why did you only shoot me in the arm?" said Carina. Maya sighed and was tired of the same questions.

"Look, I'm a hit woman and they told me to shoot you. I get anonymous jobs. I find out who to shoot on the last day. I found out about you at the last minute. I don't shoot women or children." Maya said but Carina laughed.

"Oh what a moral killer." Carina laughed, but then her face turned serious. Maya stood up angrily. She rubbed her forehead with one hand in anger. Carina continued to sit calmly. "Is this your way of making yourself look innocent?" said Carina. Maya suddenly approached Carina in anger. She was making fun of Carina too. Standing up, she brought her face level with Carina's.

"You shouldn't talk to a killer like that." Maya said. It was so nice to be close to Carina. She could feel her warmth. She was looking into her eyes, but her eyes drifted to Carina's lips. Carina had the same reflex. Maya licked her lips. It wasn't good for Carina to see Maya's tongue licking her lips. But she kept talking.

"You can't make me believe you're a ruthless killer, Maya. I just want to get to know you right now." Carina said. Maya stepped back. She sat back down. She was more comfortable in the chair now. Carina took a cigarette and handed it to Maya. Maya took one. Then her hand reached for the lighter. She reached for Carina first. She lit her cigarette. They were both more relaxed now. The conversation was going in a very different direction from the first moments.

"What do you want to know?" Maya said as she took the first drag from the cigarette.

"You didn't answer any of the questions I just asked you. So you tell me." Said Carina. Maya thought she would get out of here alive, but she had already lost her job. She couldn't continue her life as an agent. Once an agent was exposed, how could she go back to her job. That's why she didn't hesitate to tell about her life. She had nothing left to lose. Maybe if she told him, he might get to know Carina.

"Maya Bishop. I'm 32 years old. I was born in Seattle. I didn't have a good student or family life. I lost my parents very early. I grew up in a children's home, same with my brother. I found him years later. He made a good life. But I chose a different life. I was born different. I joined some organizations when I should have been in high school. I took weapons and fighting lessons. They trained me. I worked for years. For the last 9 years I've been involved in many assassinations or espionage to get information. And now I'm here." Said Maya. Carina was not completely satisfied, she had questions.

"It's a good start. What do you mean you were born different?" said Carina. Maya narrowed her eyes, it was hard to answer.

"That's an answer that usually concerns the women who sleep with me." Maya said. Carina thought about it, she had a few answers in her mind but it was hard to make sense of it. Then another question came to her mind.

Carina didn't like this open-ended answer, she needed answers to all the questions she had in her mind.

"So you prefer women. Like sexually." Carina said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, I do. I have a feeling you do too." Said Maya. She spread her legs a little and leaned forward, putting her elbows on her knees. She looked at Carina with questioning eyes.

"Right now we are getting to know you and not me. Why this job?" said Carina.

"Let's say I had to. Life is not easy for everyone, unlike you." Said Maya. Carina frowned.

"What makes you think life is easy for me?" said Carina.

"Well, a lot of money, the respect and prestige that comes with being a mafioso, and of course a perfect body," said Maya. She was flirting shamelessly now. Carina's evasion of her question made Maya flirt even more. Carina started to speak angrily.

"You don't know anything. You don't know how shitty my life is. None of these things bring happiness. What woman wants to be in the mafia and live with big men with guns and risk her life every day?" Carina said. She was hurting inside. She hated all this. Her life was painful. She hadn't chosen this life. But she had to, and it was the first time she had said it out loud to someone. She didn't want to cry again, but she felt tears welling up in her eyes. When Maya saw Carina's suddenly changed face, all the arrogance was gone from her face. She felt only pity and compassion for Carina.

"It's true that what is seen from the outside is not always the truth. Sorry, I just assumed, but the part about you being beautiful is still true." Maya said with a grin. She wished Carina could like it. Carina looked at Maya and laughed bitterly.

"I haven't seen her bring happiness yet either." Carina said. She knew she was a beautiful woman, but her beauty always took a back seat to the power of her money. "Usually people see my money, my power before my beauty and nothing else matters. So a woman like me is doomed to be alone and unhappy." Said Carina.

"I interpreted it as you haven't met the right person yet. If you had, I'm sure the right person would be ready to give you the whole world. I am sure of that. He will be a very lucky man if he does." Said Maya. She was still testing Carina.

"Why a man, can't it be a woman?" said Carina.

"Oh, I knew it. I'm never wrong. You like women." Said Maya, sounding triumphant.

"Women and men, but I haven't been favored by either side yet. So my preferences don't matter. Has anyone ever brought you happiness?" Carina was overcome with curiosity. She wanted to know more and more about this woman every minute. The feelings that changed inside her after seeing her smiling face made her nauseous.

"As I said, there are no good things in the lives of people like me. No one wants to be with a agent, especially a murderer. So no." Said Maya.

"Well then beauty is not everything." Said Carina. Then she laughed at Maya's flushed cheeks.

"It's very kind of you to flirt with me before you kill me. Is that how you treat everyone?" said Maya.

"No, only with stubborn women who try to kill me and somehow miss at the last minute." Said Carina with a grin. "Look, you didn't kill me anyway, but I still need to learn everything I can from you. Your sweet words won't save you from that. I won't kill you, that would be a shame. I don't want a woman like you to be killed." Said Carina.

"And what will you do to me if I tell you what I know?" Said Maya. She didn't want Carina to leave her.

"It depends on what you tell me. If you tell me everything I can use, you go. If you don't, or if we don't find out who did it, I'm afraid I'll have to keep you until I do." Said Carina.

"Carina, I really don't know who is behind this, they just tell me about the job. If I knew this information, they would have killed me from the beginning." Said Maya. Carina looked at Maya incredulously and Maya let out a long sigh. "Look Carina, I know you don't trust me, I tried to kill you just a few hours ago, but you have to believe me that I don't know anything. And I have a deal for you." Said Maya.

"A deal? I'm listening to you, what is it?" Carina leaned forward.

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"I know it's hard for you to trust me, but I can earn your trust. Don't question why I did this. You want to know who made me do it and I don't know, but I can help you find out. After today I can't continue my work as a spy, at least not for a long time." Said Maya, raising her eyebrows at Carina.

"Why?" Carina asked curiously.

"That's the way it is. I didn't do the job. The job was to kill you and I didn't do it and now I'm as good as dead to them. If they find me, they will kill me outright. So even if you don't kill me, I will still be dead when I walk out this door." Said Maya. Fear filled Carina. They were going to kill Maya for not killing her. Maya didn't need to die. "So at least let me help you find the people you need and then I'll leave and you'll never see me again. I'm sure I'm qualified to do a lot of good." Maya said. Carina thought. The possibility that Maya might die once she was out of here was horrible. Today she was experiencing all the emotions at once. Now she wanted to save the life of the woman who had tried to kill her before.

"Will they let you go after a while?" said Carina.

"I don't know, I'll hope so. They probably think you killed me. They will investigate. But it doesn't matter. I still have some connection. I'm not completely alone so I can help you." Said Maya. Carina was thoughtful. It was going to be hard to trust Maya. How could she trust her when she had been talking reassuringly for the last hour. But Carina also needed to find out who was behind it. Maya waited silently for Carina to make up her mind. Carina looked into Maya's eyes. Maya was at the end of her rope now and Carina knew it. Maya had nothing to lose and she really had no choice but to help Carina. She had nothing to give but her life. She could help her find the people behind this on her own watch instead of being killed outside. 

"Andrea!" Carina called out. The door suddenly opened. Andrea rushed into the room and looked at the two women sitting opposite each other. Maya was still watching what Carina was going to do. "Andrea Maya will be my special guest for a while. Put her in a room on the upper floor of the house. From now on she is not a prisoner but my guest." Said Carina.

"Carina how can you trust her-" Andrea started to speak but Carina immediately raised her hand. 

"Andrea don't make me repeat myself. Let me know when Maya's room is ready." Carina said. Andrea grumbled and stormed out of the room. Andrea wouldn't go against Carina. Carina was the brains of the business and he had to trust her choices. The leader's decisions were not to be questioned. Even if she was his sister, Andrea couldn't question her. Maya was happy. She could spend a few more days with Carina. She could prove herself to Carina.

"Thank you for trusting me." Maya just said.

"Don't let my trust in you down, Maya. Don't make me regret this decision. I don't give this privilege to everyone. Use your chance well. Like I told you before, if you do anything stupid, I will have to do something I don't want to do. Rest tonight and meet me early tomorrow." Said Carina. Maya nodded. One of Carina's employees came in. 

"Boss Gabriella is here, I told her to go to your room, she's waiting for you." The man said. Gabriella was a woman who helped Carina during her stressful days. She took care of all Carina's needs to relieve her stress. 

"Okay, I'll be there soon." Carina said. Maya didn't have to think too much about who this woman waiting in Carina's room could be. She realized that Carina was not in a relationship. But she had to sleep with someone once in a while. She was jealous of this woman she was taking care of. She wondered who she was. But she knew her jealousy was misplaced. Because Carina would never want someone like Maya. Why would she. She was a murderer, a murderer who was trying to kill her, and she was an intersex, and she didn't know what Carina would think about that.  So she decided to focus her mind on gaining Carina's trust. Carina stood up and was about to leave when Maya gently took Carina's hand. Carina looked down to where their hands met. Carina was surprised at the softness of warm hands touching her own cold ones. Maya was looking at Carina with those deep meaningful blue eyes. 

"I won't let your trust down, believe me. But what made you change your mind." Maya said. Carina wanted to shout, "Your ocean blue eyes! Maya's eyes were something else. The eyes never lied. Carina believed that. When she looked into Maya's eyes, she could see the truth.

"Nothing. It's just that something told me to give you a chance. One chance." Carina said and then, after looking into Maya's eyes one last time, she turned and left. 

---

Maya went to her room. There were a lot of guards in the corridor where her room was. They were obviously afraid that Maya might do something. But there were two guards standing in front of the big door at the end of the long corridor. These two guards were probably guarding Carina's room. Carina was there now, and with Gabriella. Maya hated this. She couldn't stop wondering. After the time she had spent with Carina, she wanted to be with Carina all the time. She had told so much about herself, but she knew so little about Carina. She wanted to know everything about her. But there was one thing she wanted to know the most. Her lips. The taste sensation of Carina's sweet lips. She was sure they were as soft as velvet.

Even after everything, Carina hadn't been mean to Maya. Maya wanted to make it up to Carina. She regretted what she had done. She wished she had never pulled that trigger. But what was done was done and now she wanted to repay her debt to Carina. 

Maya paced the room where she was placed. She wondered what Carina was doing. She probably shouldn't have left the room, but she couldn't suppress her curiosity. She opened the door slowly. There were fewer people and fewer guards around now that it was late at night. The guards were no longer in front of the doors but in the corridors. The guard at Carina's door was no longer standing at the door. Maya was surprised and wondered if Carina had driven them away. 

She moved down the corridor. She didn't want to go straight to Carina's room, she didn't want to look like a stalker or an assassin like today. She acted as if she was just out for a walk in the corridors. As she made her way to Carina's room, she started to hear voices she didn't want to hear. A woman's voice calling Carina's name. Maya listened to the sound accompanied by moans. Then she realized why the guard at the door was still not there. Jealousy gnawed at her. If only she had been there. If Carina had yelled Maya's name, she thought. The remote possibilities bothered Maya. Her job here was not to be with Carina, but to help Carina. So she thought it would be better for her sanity to go back to her room. Just as she was about to turn around, she saw the same tall man again. Sullivan. 

"You can't roam freely in here like this. Especially not around the boss's room with her woman." Sullivan said in a warning tone. 

"Uh I was just going to my room, I didn't know it was Carina's room." Said Maya. With her woman. The word stabbed her like a knife in the heart. Carina had a woman. 

"Now you know. That room is forbidden to you. So is walking freely in these corridors. I don't understand why the boss still keeps you here and close to her room." Said Sullivan. It was clear he didn't like Maya. 

"Look, I may have gotten off on the wrong foot, but I have no intention of hurting Carina, so you don't need to follow me. And I'm not being held prisoner here." Maya said and walked past the tall man to her room. When she entered her room, she closed the door and leaned against it. The wheels of the self were turning. What could be more credible than the profile of an assassin and a murderer. She was a criminal in everyone's eyes. Besides, Carina was now in the room down the hall with a woman. Every time Maya thought of Carina, the blood in her body pressed between her legs. Her thoughts were everywhere. But she had to clear herself. And now that she had nothing better to do, what to do was to win Carina's trust, especially Carina's trust, of course. She didn't want to stay with her if she could help it. She didn't want to fantasize about having Carina because it was too far-fetched a dream to be realized. So she put that desire aside and just wanted to gain Carina's trust and be close to her. For now, just being close to Carina was enough.

Maya decided to settle on her bed and go to sleep. Maya was given a nice room. Its window overlooked the garden of the house. When Maya looked at the garden, she realized who she was messing with. It was almost as big as a neighborhood. It was a crowded garden. There was a beautiful pond, a large green area, and a small but spectacular horse riding arena in the distance. Since it was late at night, the whole garden was illuminated with lights and the guards were just walking around. 

Her only plan for tomorrow was to focus on Carina and nothing else. The thoughts in her head made it difficult for Maya to sleep. The whole day was a rollercoaster. If someone had told her that she would have a day like this, she would have laughed. But here she was. She closed her eyes and all she saw was Carina's face. She tried to fall asleep imagining that face. 

---

Carina was sitting on the sofa in front of the window in the large bedroom. Gabriella was asleep in the bed. She looked very tired. Carina usually called Gabriella when she had a hard day. She and Gabriella just had sex without talking. There was no need to talk or think much. Carina had closed her heart to love for so long that she no longer wanted to have sex with anyone. If it was a necessity, then she would call Gabriella and Gabriella would not question it because she secretly admired Carina. She knew she couldn't be with her. Carina was not in love with Gabriella. That's why she was only willing to have sex with Carina. She would do anything to relieve Carina of the stress of the day. Carina was respectful and grateful. For the last few years Gabri was her only choice. 

Carina was focused on work after her recent heartbreak. The difficulty of her life left her no time to think about love. She no longer complained about it, but she questioned it. There was a woman lying naked on her bed. But it wasn't hers. It was not emotional sex at all. She didn't even want to lie in the bed herself. She was sitting in the armchair in front of the window with a cup of tea, watching the lights in the garden. She was tired both physically and mentally after what she had been through today. 

When the wound on her arm started to ache a little now, she put her hand on it. Along with the pain, what came to her mind was blue. It was the blue of Maya's eyes. She was confused. Why was her brain forgiving Maya? It didn't even make sense. Her body brain was playing tricks on her. Why wasn't she angry with Maya for the pain in her arm. Was she used to the pain by now? The answer was no, but it was the first time in a long time that he had talked to someone so much and wondered about them. It was the first time she felt so strange looking into someone's eyes. 

She had told her brother not to question her decisions, but she was questioning herself. She was doing things she would never normally do. She was now under the same roof and even on the same floor as the woman who tried to kill her. Shouldn't that scare her? But it didn't. She just wished it would be morning soon.

Chapter Text

Maya got up early in the morning. There was movement in the house, but it was mostly the maids preparing breakfast. Maya slowly went downstairs. She was still an unwelcome guest in the house. So she didn't want to attract too much attention. She thought she could get a water from the kitchen. She looked at the people working quickly in the kitchen. She saw a tall woman in a dressing gown making coffee near the counter. She had not seen this woman yesterday. She was making coffee, singing to herself in Italian. Maya looked for a water glass. At that moment one of the maids came into the house.

" Hi, if you want anything, I can give it to you." She said kindly. She was the nicest person to Maya since yesterday. Maya was surprised and gave her a small smile.

"Thank you, I'll just have some water, you seem to have a lot of work to do." Said Maya, the woman smiled and went back to her work. Hearing the conversation, the woman making coffee looked at Maya.

"Good morning, I haven't seen you here before, are you an employee?" said the coffee lady. Maya was aware that the woman was clearly a beautiful woman. She was clearly flirtatious. If Maya was anywhere else, she would definitely take her chances.

"Good morning uh yeah I've not been here before, actually I came yesterday, on private business." Maya said. She didn't want to explain her private business. It felt strange to even call it a business.

"Welcome then. I'm Gabriella. Gabri for short." Gabriella said. Maya thought to herself, of course. Carina's woman. Of course she was a beautiful woman. The woman she'd been jealous of all night. The woman she heard moaning in the hallway. The woman who moaned Carina's name with pleasure. Trying not to show her jealousy, she shook the woman's outstretched hand.

"Maya. Nice to meet you, Gabri. And what are you doing here?" Maya asked. Maybe she could learn a few things about Carina. She hated to find out from Gabri, but she was the only one who could approach her without prejudice right now.

"Well, I'm in charge of Carina's, the big boss's, bedroom, to say the least." Gabri said with a grin. Maya hated that grin there.

"Oh yeah? You live here then?" Maya asked, but she was afraid of the answer. Was this woman with Carina every day? She didn't want to listen to this woman shouting Carina's name every day.

"Oh no, I don't live in this house but I have a house near here and at the end of the road. Everyone who has a job with this house has a house nearby. The DeLuca's always provide housing for their employees. So I might come here often. " Gabri said. It was annoying that she came so often. The word " often" was equally annoying. Maya hated that Carina needed this woman. It was also sad that Carina especially wanted this woman so often.

She thought she would be enough for Carina. Then she was surprised by her sudden thoughts. Overnight she was surprised by her extreme desire for Carina. You're not here for that, Maya, control yourself and your thoughts. This is not how you were brought up, there is no room for emotions in your world.

"I hope we run into each other. And what about the boss's bedroom?" Maya said with an insincere smile. She asked, trying not to cross the line.

"I mean I let her blow off some steam, have a night away from work, best job in the world." Gabri said with a small laugh and Maya smiled through clenched teeth. Of course the best job in the world is the freedom to have sex with Carina whenever she wants Maya could do this job for years, maybe her whole life, without complaining.

"I see you have a good job. I think your coffee is ready, see you later." Maya said with her best fake smile. She didn't want to hear any more about how proud and happy Gabriella was to be fucking Carina. Gabri smiled back and took the two cups of coffee she had prepared. Maya had no doubt that one of the cups had gone to Carina. She felt sick to her stomach. Staying here would not be good for her mental health. She wanted to see Carina, but Carina would be in the bedroom with this woman. She was suffering. Her weakness from the first time she saw Carina made everything difficult.

Later, the maids of the house cooked Maya a quick breakfast. Maya knew she couldn't sit at the same table with Carina and her brother, maybe Gabri. It would be awkward. She was careful not to get in the way too much. What was she going to do, sit brazenly at the table as if nothing had happened? She hadn't received an invitation to the table anyway. She planned to go to her room and wait.

---

When Carina woke up alone in bed, she felt her arm ache. A pain that reminded her of yesterday. A pain that reminded her of blue eyes. Thoughts began to flood her brain. She had decided yesterday what to do and now she could act. She got out of bed when she saw the door open.

"Good morning, beautiful, I brought you coffee." Gabri said in a cheerful voice. Carina was not ready for so much joy in the morning, but she was grateful for the coffee. She took the coffee and closed her eyes as she took the first sip.

"Good morning and thank you. I really appreciate the good coffee." Carina said and then took her clothes and started to get dressed. Gabri sat on the bed and watched Carina as she continued to drink her coffee.

"I saw a woman downstairs. She was your guest. She's really quite beautiful. I wonder why she's here. Should I be worried?" Gabri asked and Carina was surprised. Which beautiful woman was she talking about, it had to be Maya. There were no other guests in the house. She was angry that she had called Maya beautiful. She thought it was an unnecessary comment.

"Why should you worry?" Carina said as she got dressed. Maya had talked about why she was here.

"I don't know, I'm surprised that she would keep such a beautiful woman in her house just for work. I wonder if I should be worried that she might take you away from me. She's not your type, though. " Gabri said. What do you mean she's not his type? Actually Maya was exactly Carina's type. Her beautiful smooth face, her big blue eyes, her blonde hair, her strong looking body, her beautiful blonde hair, Carina thought about every detail. Yes, Maya was definitely her type, but it could have happened in another life. Not in this life. Not with the woman who tried to kill Carina. Carina quickly tried to get away from her thoughts about Maya.

"Yes, she's not my type and she's here for a business and not for anything else. Such jealousy is unnecessary." Said Carina, dressed and now wearing her earrings. Gabri was watching Carina. Carina hurried. She couldn't wait to get back to work. Yes, she had a strange feeling of seeing Maya, but she never forgot her work as a priority. She really had the fire of revenge in her. She wanted to find the people who wanted to kill her and she wanted to do what was necessary. Carina sprayed on the last of her perfume and went to her cup next to Gabri.

"You know I'm not jealous, I know you see other people sometimes, but it's selfish to want you to be only with me, but I can't help it." Gabri said sheepishly. Her devotion and admiration for Carina was too much.

"Gabri, I don't answer to anyone about the people I'm with and neither do you. But you know that no one can be in my life. No one gets more than one night. You're here for me, but you're still in no position to interfere in my life. So don't think about it. I'm going downstairs now. Join us for breakfast if you want. Or you can go home. I have to get back to my work." Carina said as she drank her coffee. For years Carina had been with Gabri all the time, but very rarely had she tried her luck with other women or men. It was rare, but it had happened. But never with anyone for more than one night.

"Enjoy your dinner, I'm going home, I don't want to listen to your business talk." Gabri laughed. Carina was actually glad that Gabri was going home because she didn't want Gabri to be around her all the time, like a girlfriend or a wife. She didn't like that. She liked to focus on her work and put her personal life aside. Also, for some reason, she didn't want to be seen with another woman if she met Maya. She excused herself that it would be unprofessional and she shouldn't involve her personal life. After all, Maya had heard last night that Gabri was coming to her room and had met Gabri this morning. Gabri was a talkative woman, so she must have given a lot of useless information, Carina thought.

"Okay, suit yourself, I'll see you soon." Gabri grabbed Carina as she was about to leave the room.

"You don't see me very often these days, give me a goodbye kiss." Said Gabri. Carina didn't want to break Gabri's heart. But Gabri was not the woman she wanted to kiss. So she gave her a short sloppy kiss on Gabri's lips. Gabri grabbed Carina's face and pulled a little. Gabri tried to deepen the kiss, but Carina pulled away before she could go any further.

Even when Carina made love with Gabri, she tried not to make it too romantic. But Gabri didn't care about that, she always tried to be more intimate. Carina didn't like kissing. She especially didn't look for it during sex. She had no interest in trying to make sex emotional and romantic. All she wanted was to have an orgasm so she could relax a bit and let off some steam. She could have done it herself, but she had been alone for years. It was safer to have sex with one person than with the people he occasionally hung out with.

After the insincere kiss, Carina came out of her room and Andrea came to her.

"Good morning, brother, were you waiting for me?" Carina said, looking at Andrea's hurry.

"Yes, since last night I've been dealing with your bombshell guest in this house that could explode at any moment. I also wanted to check your arm and Amelia will be here after breakfast to dress it. " Andrea said in distress.

"My arm is fine, it just hurts a little. And Andrea don't be ridiculous Maya can't do anything, she's ineffective. I've talked to her enough. Her life is in our hands now, she can't do anything stupid. What have you done since yesterday? Did she give you any trouble at night or now?" said Carina, but she was curious about Maya's general condition.

"Not much trouble, I just heard that she was wandering in your corridors at night, near your room. Carina, maybe she wants to finish what she started and you put her in a room on your floor. How dare you. She's not trustworthy. And her past is very strange. We could have put her in one of the houses." Andrea said as she sat down at the breakfast table.

"I need to keep her close to me. Andrea, right now I have no choice but to trust her. They have been trying to kill me for years and my incompetent men can't find anyone who has tried to kill me. This is the first time I feel like we're actually on a useful path, so let me do what I know. She's our key and if we use it right we can find the people who did this. I don't want to live every day in fear of what's going to happen to me anymore. I'm so tired, so stop questioning my judgment and tell me what you found out about Maya." Said Carina. Andrea knew her sister was right. For the first time in a long time they had found something useful. They always felt as if someone was sabotaging them. Every time they started to find something, things got more complicated.

"Okay, I've done a lot of research, but it's really strange. The people she works with are really professional. At first glance, it looks like a normal person with a completely clean background. They created a nice normal life for her. We searched everywhere but we never found anything strange. Then we looked at the fake ID that was found in her purse. We looked at the ID. That's where things got interesting. It's pretty famous on the dark web. She's got a pretty sordid past. She has multiple identities and a different name and history for each job. But I think she has a certain technique or style because people know her and when something happens, they know it's her. She works clean, she doesn't get caught. She's a finisher. At this point it's even more interesting that she can't finish you off. I appreciate that, of course. She's been the end of some very important names. Politicians, mobsters, whatever you want to call them. Or she must have been involved in undercover work. That's all we have for now." Andrea said. Maya was really a special agent and good at her job. But how could a woman so good at her job not shoot Carina? There were so many questions that really needed to be asked. She was curious about so many things. Especially how a woman with such an innocent look had turned into a killer. How it had all come to this.

"Isn't it strange how she misses shooting me and only shoots my arm?" Carina said thoughtfully.

"Yes, it's very strange, it's very strange considering the people she's killed and the events she's been involved in. Something must have happened there. Something to change her decision." Said Andrea.

" She told me that she doesn't shoot women and children. She said she had that kind of work ethic. I laughed when she said that, but maybe that's why. I don't know, she obviously changed her mind at the last moment, but I wonder if it was something else. Her bosses were going to kill her if she didn't finish the job. I mean, how could she miss it knowing that. How did she change her mind? She didn't miss the shot, she changed her mind at the last moment, that's for sure." Said Carina. Because it was almost impossible for such a good agent to make a mistake. Carina's whys and hows were multiplying. 

"Yes, agents like that work in a ride-or-die style. Like you said before, they will kill her when she gets out of here. But knowing that, why do you think she's going to help us? We can kill her too. She's gonna die out there. Why would she want to help us? How can we be sure she's not coming to us as some kind of spy?" Said Andrea. Andrea was right in her questioning.

"I don't know either, she's willing to help and she's the only one who can really help us right now. I think she thinks that if I'm going to be a dead person anyway, at least I can help. I don't know how you can expect such mercy from an assassin, but I have no choice but to try." Said Carina.

"Yes, we really have no other choice right now. I trust you as always, but I don't trust her and I never will, so please don't be angry at my protectiveness." Said Andrea. Carina smiled at her brother. It felt so sweet that he was worried about her. It felt so good that someone cared about her so much.

"Okay, I don't trust her completely either, but we shouldn't trap her and make her feel like a prisoner here. She has to trust that we won't kill her and she has to help us, so let me take care of her." Carina said, holding Andrea's hand reassuringly.

"Ok I will observe quietly but if she tries to do anything I will make sure to do what is necessary." Said Andrea. Carina nodded.

---

After Carina and Andrea had breakfast, Amelia came in for a dressing. Maya tried not to leave her room in the meantime. In the morning after breakfast she stayed in her room waiting for Carina to call her to see her. But her waiting was very impatient. Then there was a knock on her door and a man escorted her to Carina's room. When Maya went to Carina's room, Carina was not there. The man left the door open and waited at the door. Maya knew that she was still not normally trusted. No matter how much Carina told people that she was staying here as a guest, she was really a prisoner and no one trusted her. The man stood at the door, occasionally glancing sideways at Maya's movements. Maya decided to make fun of the man. She stood up and suddenly the man reflexively turned to Maya and Maya walked around the room with a grin on her face. She was studying the room with her hand clasped behind her back. The man poked his head into the room to observe Maya's movements. Maya called out to him without turning around.

"You know, I am not a prisoner here and you have taken all my things so you don't need to keep me under surveillance like this, just relax." Said Maya with a grin. But the man didn't back down from his serious face and what he was doing, he even walked into the room and stood at the door.

"No one stays here as a guest like this. Whoever told you that you are guests has deceived you. You are under surveillance in this house. The DeLuca's have a private house for their guests.  Have you seen the vast grounds of this house? There are many houses on this property. They provide a house for employees and guests to stay. But you're not allocated a house. So you are being closely monitored. So I don't think you should relax too much." He said. Maya was surprised. Yes, she knew the DeLuca's were rich, but were they this rich. Although it made sense for this vast land. They had built themselves a small city. Now Maya understood better why Carina was bored with a life that looked good from the outside. But the fact that she was really a prisoner here was now more ingrained in her mind, but she was not complaining. Because she was in the same house with Carina. She was not upset. But if she gained trust and stayed in this house, would she be sent to one of those houses. Or to an employee's home.

After his speech, Maya sat down in the armchair in front of the table where she and Carina had sat opposite each other last night. After waiting for a while, she began to hear that beautiful voice from the hallway. Carina's soft sweet voice. She spoke authoritatively, but she was so charming that even from a distance she was doing something to Maya. Maya got excited as the voices got closer. There was a man's voice next to Carina. She realized it was Andrea as it got closer. Maya's excitement started to fade because of Andrea's nervous behavior, she wanted to be alone with Carina again. She left her relaxed demeanor behind. She tried to look professional. Because she couldn't just stand here and make fun of everything. She had promised Carina. She promised herself she would earn Carina's trust.

Carina entered the room first, followed by Andrea. Carina paused for a moment when she saw Maya as soon as she entered the room. She was holding her newly dressed arm as she entered. Maya stood up as they entered. Her eyes went from Carina's face to her bandaged arm. Maya was sad to see that it still hurt. She started to feel bad again. Andrea was still giving Maya angry looks. But Maya didn't really care right now. All she was paying attention to was Carina's behavior. Carina sat at her desk and took out her cigarette. Carina's gesture did something to Maya every time. The way Carina held the cigarette, the way she used the lighter. It's elegant and sexy and very authoritative.

"Sit down. Let's get down to business." Carina said. Maya took the first puff of her cigarette, watching the way Carina blew out the smoke, focusing on her lips, and slowly settled into the armchair. Andrea took the seat where Carina had sat yesterday. Maya would rather have Carina in front of her than Andrea, and she is alone.

"Maya Bishop, now that we know who you are and what you have done, I heard that you have decided to help us find out who made you do this. What do you have for us?" Andrea asked but Maya didn't answer. She stood solemnly looking at her hands. She didn't want to answer. She was ready to answer whatever Carina asked, but not to Andrea. When Maya didn't answer, Andrea looked at Carina in surprise. Carina was studying Maya's movements. She understood Maya's mysterious behavior. She knew. She didn't know what it was about her not talking to Andrea right now. She didn't understand if she wanted to talk to her too.

"I'm waiting for an answer, Maya. Every moment you don't speak, every moment you don't act, works against us. Whoever they are, they'll want to finish what they started." Said Andrea. She tried to speak again. Then Maya looked up, looked at Andrea, then turned her head and looked into Carina's eyes.

"I just want to talk to you." Maya just said. Carina was not surprised.

"You're not just going to help me with this, Maya, you're going to help us. You are not the one with trust issues here. You have to trust us and talk to us. And Andrea is right, we're running out of time and they could make a move at any moment." Said Carina. Maya didn't stop looking into Carina's eyes.

"What I'm going to tell you, I want to talk to you first, alone." Said Maya. Carina looked into Maya's eyes, took the last puff on her cigarette and took a deep breath and blew out the smoke.

"Okay, you better tell me something useful. Andrea leave us alone for a while. I'll meet you later." Carina said. Maya was laughing inside. She could finally be alone with Carina. Andrea became even more annoyed with Maya. Maya and Andrea looked at each other angrily. Maya watched Andrea until she left the room. Carina watched Maya and found Maya's angry looks childish and funny, but she didn't show it. She wanted to laugh. The woman responsible for so many assassinations was looking childish in front of her. When the door finally closed, Maya looked at Carina. Carina nodded as if she wanted Maya to speak now.

"How's your arm?" Maya asked. That was all she wanted to know right now. Without realizing it, she had looked too concerned and caring and Carina was surprised. How many personalities Maya had. This Maya was not there yesterday, yes, there was still a worried Maya, but there was no compassion. Carina would normally ignore this question and get to the point but her mind wouldn't let her.

"I'll live, don't worry. It's better dressed. I'm surprised that's all you care about." Carina said sarcastically.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to overstep my bounds, I was just curious, I feel bad about it, I'm glad you're feeling better." Said Maya as she looked down at her hands and played with them. Carina got up from her desk and sat in the armchair opposite Maya as she had done yesterday.

"You don't seem eager to talk today. So let me start by asking you a few questions to warm you up to our work. What do you think? How does it feel to kill someone?" Carina asked. It was one of the questions she was really curious about. Today maybe she could ask a few of the hows and whys. Maya looked into Carina's eyes, frowning in surprise.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Chapter Text

How does it feel to kill someone?" Carina asked. It was one of the questions she was really curious about. Today maybe she could ask a few of the hows and whys. Maya looked into Carina's eyes, frowning in surprise.

"It's a terrible feeling, it's not good. But you get used to it." Maya said with a sigh. She hadn't expected such a question. Suddenly her eyes drifted away. Thoughts came to her and she squinted at Carina.

"Then how do you do it, how do you endure it if it feels so bad?" Carina asked, no longer accusingly.

"I was raised for it, like an emotionless monster. Since I was a child I was never a normal person in any way, life started very differently for me and it didn't get better. Then I was trained for this job and I was made to believe that if you are an agent and you have to shoot someone, the person you are going to shoot really deserves it. Nobody wants to get someone killed for no reason. So I convinced myself that if I'm ordered to shoot someone, they really deserve it, they're a really bad person. My brain is coded to think this way. So my emotions don't get in the way of my work." Maya lied "If I act on my emotions, I can't do this job, I will fail." Said Maya, still not looking at Carina. Because she had sort of revealed herself.

"Then you believed you had the right reasons to kill me until the last moment. What changed at the last moment?" asked Carina. Maya turned to Carina, now looking at her.

"Nothing has changed, I don't shoot women, that's why I don't shoot you. But that doesn't mean I don't still think about why they want to shoot you. I don't usually think about it, but with you I do. Yes, you're a mafia leader, I'm sure you've hurt a lot of people, maybe even killed them. But for them to want you dead so much, you must have stepped on someone's tail very badly." Said Maya. Now the sides had changed and suddenly Maya was the one questioning.

"One. Just one person." Said Carina. Maya looked at her, not understanding.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand." Said Maya not catching the context.

"There's only one person I've killed personally. I can't even give a death order, Andrea would do that if it's going to be done, but it's not something we do in general. Killing people. I killed one person and he deserved it. I had strong reasons. Probably the family of the person I killed is trying to make me do it." Said Carina. Maya was surprised because she wondered how an elegant woman like Carina could kill someone. She wanted to know the details. At first it was a possibility that Carina might have killed someone and now it was real.

"So what did it feel like? And why did you do it?" Maya asked curiously. But Carina sighed deeply, her eyes roaming over the things on her desk.

"It was a terrible feeling. The one feeling I still can't forget after all these years. Taking someone's life with your hands. It's very hard to live with. As for why, let's just say he deserved it for now." Carina said with a bitter smile.

"I would like to know the details, maybe I could tell you about my first experience." Said Maya with a laugh. She wanted to lighten the mood but the gravity of the subject didn't allow it.

"I'm sure we can do that later. Now we really need to get down to business. You have to tell me everything you can to help me." Carina said and Maya straightened up a little and was completely ready to talk.

"Okay, I made you a promise and I'm determined to keep it. First of all, you have the question of who is doing this, but I understand that you also have guesses. We can find out who these people are but then what are you going to do. If they are hiring someone to kill you, I'm talking about very big people and... and they must be very afraid of you. Tell me what you want." Said Maya.

"First I need to make sure who it is that's doing this, and then we can map out a course of action. Because if it's who I think it is, it's a revenge game and they won't stop until they kill me, so if it's who I think it is, I'll sit down with them and try to reconcile, but if it's someone else, I have different plans. So now I want you to find out who is doing this." Carina said. Maya was now more curious about who Carina had killed.

"Okay, whatever you want. But to do that I need to get in touch with some people. If you don't trust me, you can be with me while I do it, but I don't want anyone else to see or hear it but you." Said Maya stating her conditions in advance.

" Alright fine, tell me what you need and I'll get it for you." Said Carina.

"I want my bag, there are some secure cell phones in there that I use." Maya demanded.

"Who are you going to call? God stop being mysterious and tell me what you're going to do." Said Carina Maya giggled at Carina's angry voice. "It's not funny Maya I'm an impatient Italian you can't make me wait that long." Carina said in an angry tone but even her anger was not anger, she was just impatient.

"Okay, I'm going to call a friend of mine on the phone and this friend is a best friend of mine. She works with organizations but not with just one. She is a hacker type of person who works in secret. The people she works with don't know where she really is. She also sets up fake IDs, which clears my background. She's really good at it if you need her." Maya said with a laugh. For the first time Carina really laughed at Maya's joke. "She is my childhood friend so I will call her and see if she can do something for us," Maya said. Carina still didn't trust Maya completely. Of course Maya was going to stand by her side through all this.

"Okay, I'll ask for all your stuff, but Maya, don't try anything stupid. I don't want to get you killed for something stupid you're going to do after I've favored you so much." Carina said with a small smile and Maya laughed, she would never fool Carina.

"If you decide to get me killed, please do it yourself. I wouldn't want it to be by someone else's hand." Maya said with a shrug. Carina laughed she couldn't do it, yes she couldn't kill Maya but she couldn't kill anyone ever again.

---

"Yes, Maya Bishop's hidden treasure." Andrea said as she brought in all of Maya's belongings. "Also anything you can hurt anyone with, like guns and knives, has been confiscated. Everything else is here." Andrea said.

"So is this where my..." Maya tried to ask as she checked the contents of her bag.

"Your condoms, yes, they are all there and it looks like you won't need to buy new ones for a long time," Andrea said with a laugh. When they had searched Maya's bag they had found a wide variety of condoms, a detail Andrea had forgotten to mention to Carina.  Carina looked confused. Why did Maya have so many condoms, she thought. She must be so afraid of getting pregnant, she thought in her head.

"No, not those, there is a knife with engravings on it. It's from my first teacher. I swear it's useless with rust but it has sentimental value, don't take it from me." Maya said pleadingly, looking especially into Carina's eyes. Carina hated Maya's eyes because looking into them convinced her.

"Bring me whatever she's talking about." Carina said. The men brought the knife Maya was talking about. It was obviously an old knife. The sharp part curved into the body. It had beautiful engravings and writing on the blade. It looked quite beautiful and Carina opened it and it was really old and you could tell it was starting to rust. But Carina was still afraid to give it to Maya.

"Your knife will stay safe with me for now. I will hide it well and if you gain my trust it can be yours again." Carina said and Maya looked at her with pleading eyes, but she had done it herself. Of course people were not going to trust her.

"Okay, I trust you, I'll put the line in my phone and make a call, can you give me the privacy I need?" Maya said to Carina. Carina gestured to the people in the room to leave.

"Ok, here we go." Said Maya as she looked at the numbers on her phone. When she finally found the number she was looking for, she put the phone to her ear.

"Is this a number in your name, how come you are calling so freely?" Carina asked curiously.

"This is a burner phone line I got from my friend. I'm going to destroy it after I make a call with it. I have a lot of them and my friend knows exactly who the call is from. Because it's her phone lines," Maya explained.

"Hmm, I see, it's complicated. I want to hear it on speaker," Carina said and then sat on the edge of her desk. Maya was having a hard time not watching Carina and focusing on her job every second. Maya put the phone on speaker and was relieved when the person she was calling finally answered.

"Hey it's me Bishop." Maya said. There was no sound at first.

"Bishop God where are you? Everyone is looking for you like crazy. Are you safe? I heard things, but I couldn't believe it. I heard all kinds of scenarios about you screwing up and some DeLuca woman killing you and dumping your body in places where we can't even find it." Said the woman's voice on the other end. Carina laughed. It made Carina laugh that there were people who thought she would have done these things.

"Listen Sarah, I don't have much time. I'm alive so it's not all true. I messed up and now I'm on another mission and I need some information. You're not going to tell anyone that I'm alive and you're talking to me, okay?" Maya said.

"Ok I won't tell anyone but Carla, Natalia Camilla and so many other women come to me every day asking about you and what am I going to tell them." Said Sarah half laughing. Maya got nervous, what was the need to mention the names of those women. She looked at Carina's face, embarrassed. Carina laughed at Maya's embarrassed face.

"Tell them I'm dead, it doesn't matter. No one in the organization can know I'm alive or you know what will happen." Maya said.

"Yes, I know, unfortunately and I don't like it at all, call me later to tell me all about it, I'm worried about you." Said Sarah.

"Okay I will if I can, now I want you to find out who gave me the job to kill Carina DeLuca." Said Maya. Carina was glad that they were getting to the point.

"Maya, this is top secret. The organization gave you this job, it's not worth chasing after it." Said Sarah.

"Sarah, this is very important. I need to find the people who want to kill Carina DeLuca and finding them is my new mission and there are very few people who can help me. Please try to find the information I need." Said Maya.

"'Dude, this is going to be hard. Who gave you this job? Look, I can't promise you I will find it. You know the organization, it's already very complicated here because of you, it's harder to find information. But I will try for you. If you don't have a number where I can reach you or if you are still using a burner line, give me until midnight tomorrow. Call me tomorrow at midnight and we'll talk about what we have." Said Sarah.

"Sarah, thank you so much, I know you can do it, it's very important, I can't trust anyone else but you. I will call you tomorrow night." Said Maya.

"Okay, be careful. I don't want anything to happen to you. I miss you, buddy, get your work done and come back. I miss you sleeping around and getting women on my ass like you used to. You can always come back. I can help you, you know." Said Sarah. Maya sighed gratefully. Carina looked at Maya's interaction with her friend and felt sad. She didn't know why, but she felt sad. She didn't know what to be surprised and sad about, the fact that Maya was a lonely person or the fact that Sarah was the only one who missed her or the fact that even if she was a murderer, there were people who loved her and she was so loving with them.

"I know Sarah, I trust you, thank you. Don't worry, I'll come back when this is solved and everything is cleared up. We will go back to our old life. See you tomorrow," Maya said and hung up the phone. Silently she disconnected the phone and destroyed it. Carina decided not to speak for a few minutes.

"Thank you. I appreciate you not revealing me or your position here." Carina said. Maya nodded. Talking to Sarah had made Maya emotional too.

"I'm doing my job and I want you to trust me, I won't do anything to let you down, don't worry." Maya said. Carina nodded.

"So you have people waiting for you?" Carina asked.

"Yes, I told you about Sarah, she's my friend. I love her like a sister. I love our small life with her." Said Maya.

"Small doesn't sound so small, I'm sure I've heard other names." Said Carina, laughing a little. Maya laughed too.

"Sarah and I spend a lot of time together even though we have separate houses. Outside of work I'm always with her and some of my friends and the girls I hang out with always ask them about me. Because I'm with them all the time," Maya said and laughed.

"I get it, okay. I know you're slowly trying to gain my trust, and I know I can't trust you right away, so I'm still watching you closely, but I don't want you to feel like a prisoner. You can move around the house and the grounds. You don't have to stay in the room all the time. You can use a lot of the things we have here as you wish. You can do things I can't do because you shot me." Carina laughed suggestively. Maya looked embarrassed again.

"Thank you, that was a very good incentive. Now I won't be able to leave my room again because of remorse." Said Maya.

"Don't stay in your room, there's a gym downstairs, a pool and a riding arena. You are free to do it all." Said Carina.

"It's not so free to do it all with your big men standing over me. Thank you. My room is more fun." Said Maya mockingly.

"What do you want, you shot me yesterday and today you want us to trust you completely? I'm sorry, but that's a wish that won't come true in the short term." Said Carina. Maya sighed in exasperation.

"You're right, I'm not saying otherwise, at least maybe you can follow me instead of those guys." Said Maya. Then she immediately regretted it. Had this been too much? Maya felt she was being arrogant. You shot this woman yesterday and she can't use her arm because of you. "I'm sorry it was too much. I'm sure you have a lot of work to do. I mean, you're a leader, after all, and you're running people like a small city. I'm rambling. I'll shut up now." Said Maya and Carina laughed at Maya's nonsense.

"God, how can you try to kill me and make me laugh at the same time?" Said Carina and Maya looked embarrassed again. "I can't use my arm and I'm already in pain so I don't think I'll be able to work much for a few days so I can keep you company and maybe we can chat more and I'd like to get to know you more." Said Carina.

"Very good, if you don't have anything more important to do I would be happy" Maya said. Carina smiled slightly and nodded. Tomorrow would be two long days until she called Sarah.

Chapter Text

After Carina talked to Maya in her room, Maya returned to her room to wait for Carina to finish some work. Maya was excited. She paced nervously in her room. She and Carina interacted constantly, but Maya was always on the guilty and interrogated side. Now she was slowly starting to gain trust and they could communicate normally. Maya wasn't trying to do anything like trying to win Carina's heart because she didn't think a woman like Carina would want her anyway. First of all, there was already the issue of her trying to kill her. Then there was the fact that Maya was intersex. Not every woman would want that. Maya knew this very well from past experience.  Here and now she was not yet in a position to try to build relationships with people to flirt with. So she just wanted to interact with Carina and get to know her a bit more. She would enjoy Carina's company. She really wanted to get to know Carina.

Then the sound of high heels came from the hallway and Maya smiled to herself. She guessed it was Carina's footsteps. The strong footsteps of a strong woman. Then there was a knock on the door and Maya quickly said 'Come in'. It was Carina who opened the door. Her face was softer than before. Maya smiled at Carina.

"Come on, my work is done. What do you want to do today?" Carina asked. Maya thought, she didn't want to be cheeky and she didn't want to do anything, she just wanted to spend time with Carina.

"You are the host. You can show me the house. And you know I'm not really a guest here to have fun. We can do whatever you see fit," Maya said.

"Let me clarify again that you are not a prisoner here. You will be free after you help us. If you really don't still want to kill me and you're not cheating on us, you can pretend to be my normal guest. And I can give you a tour of the house and then we can decide what we want to do." said Carina. 

"Yes, ma'am," Maya said and they both smiled. Maya followed Carina out of the room. She tried not to spy on Carina from behind.

"This floor is mostly for me and special guests. Not everyone is allowed on this floor," Carina said. Maya was surprised.

"So I'm a very special guest," Maya said with a giggle.

"Yes, very special. When you put it like that, it sounds like a prize." said Carina.

"Why did you put me on this floor? So you could control me better?" said Maya.

"I guess yes, no need to lie. You are different from the other guests and you know it." said Carina as she walked down the stairs. "This floor is usually open to everyone. The room at the front is where we usually host large groups and there is a basement below. There's an indoor pool and a gym you can use if you want. It looks like you've been working out a lot," Carina said as she glanced sideways at Maya. Carina had seen as much of Maya's muscular body as the clothes allowed. Maya looked embarrassed. She had noticed Carina's body and for some reason she was starting to blush.

"Oh, and there's supposed to be a secret storage room, in case you forgot. I remember it very clearly." Maya said, remembering the day she was brought to this house with a black sack over her head.

"Ah yes, you reminded me well of the room that some of our very special guests see first in the house. You know where it is," Carina said sarcastically. Maya rolled her eyes. "Come on, this is not what I really want to show you," Carina said as she walked out of the house. There was a beautiful pool in front of the house. It was also surrounded by greenery. The beautiful flowers were colorful. Next to the pool there were many sun loungers and sitting areas. "This is one of my favorite places in the house, it's peaceful to sit here on a warm summer evening with a gentle breeze," Carina said as she pointed around. Maya looked around. The employees were not around much, everyone was doing their work.

"It's really beautiful here, Carina." Maya said, fascinated as she looked around at the colorful flowers.

"Come, I'll show you more beautiful places than this, this is just the beginning." Carina almost skipped away excitedly, but she didn't want to break her stern posture. Maya thought to herself that Carina was beautifying the place where she was.

Then they went to the side of the house that Maya had seen from her room at night. After walking for a while, they came to the area where the horses were. There were about five horses that Maya could see and two men taking care of them. Carina nodded to the workers and smiled.

"This is my other favorite place. These horses are my father's and my mother's horses that my father gave to Andrea and me as a gift when they were still young. It's so nice to spend time with them, so peaceful and it feels so free to ride them." Carina said as she looked at the horses. Maya looked at Carina's beautiful face with the sun shining on it.

"Yes, they are really beautiful. They are also very fascinating." said Maya.

"Yes horses are very fascinating animals I think they understand us and they have a kind of bond with people. they also heal people's mental health and they have healed me many times." said Carina. Carina felt very comfortable and good talking about horses and even Maya felt it. "You can ride the horses if you want, or you can just spend time with them to improve your mental health," Carina said.

"Thank you. For sharing such beautiful animals with me." said Maya.

"Do you know how to ride a horse?" said Carina.

"Well, I think I've ridden a few times, but I'm not sure I can ride very well. Which one is your horse?" asked Maya.

"See that white one, that's my horse, the only white horse here. He's very different from all of them, even his character is different. My father chose him specially. If you want, we can practice with you one day when my arm is better." said Carina.

"I would love to, when your arm heals," Maya said, embarrassed again.

"Yes, are you ready? I'm going to show you the most beautiful place in this land. This is my secret place. Usually everyone knows about it, but no one really visits it. It's a bit private. Come on, we'll take a walk." Carina said, gently holding Maya's arm. Maya had sensed from the beginning of the trip that there were men following them like shadows, and one good thing about being a spy was that you were aware of everything that was going on around you. By the time Carina wanted to show Carina her private part, the man had stopped following her. Maya happily followed Carina. At the back of the house there was a path that led to a small wooded area. Did their house have its own forest? It was small but beautiful and didn't look scary. The sunlight illuminated everything. Carina continued to describe the surroundings and the land.

"In front of the house there are many small houses, most of them built for the workers. The house is far from the city and it made everything easier for them to live here rather than people coming and going. There are also a few houses for guests who are more comfortable and don't need to stay in the house. It's mostly used by unwanted relatives or people who come for business meetings or who prefer to stay after receptions." Said Carina. Now Maya understood better why she didn't stay in those houses.

"It's a really big estate. It's very beautifully designed. It's like having a small village all to yourself." Said Maya. Now it was as if they were having a friendly conversation.

"Yes, it really is like our own village. My Papa's father built it and usually the people who work here are trustworthy people we've known for a long time and I grew up with them. It's a safe place, especially when there's someone out there waiting to kill you." Said Carina.

"Carina, I'm really sorry. I know it sucks not to feel safe in life and I'm sorry I didn't make you feel safe but I swear to you I have no intention of killing you anymore. It's not my case. Killing you was a job for me at first, but not anymore. So I don't want to make you feel unsafe while I'm here, especially when I'm in your safe place." Maya said reassuringly into Carina's eyes.

"Maya, thank you for everything you said, but trust is not something that comes easily. Especially not for someone in my position. Words are just words but actions are the guarantee. Your actions from now on will show me whether I can trust you or not." Said Carina Maya nodding in understanding.

"I know you are right. I will spend all my days from now on making sure that you are not disturbed by my presence and I will try to earn your trust. I want to make you forget the work I had to do." Said Maya. As she continued walking.

"Why are you so regretful all of a sudden, is it just because I'm a woman?" Carina asked.

"I think the fact that you're a woman and I started to question whether you deserved it made me question it. It saddens me that your arm is in a bandage and you are suffering because of me. You may not believe what I'm saying, but it's true, Carina. I used to do my job and finish it and never look back. I didn't care about the consequences of what I did. I didn't care if people felt sorry for the person I killed or if I hurt that person, but now I do. There's no particular reason, maybe it's because deep down inside I think you're really innocent and guiltless." Said Maya.

"I don't know if I'm innocent and guiltless, but I doubt I've done anything bad enough to deserve to be killed." Said Carina. Maya gently took Carina's arm.

"No one deserves to be killed, Carina. Except some people. But I believe with all my heart that you don't deserve it. I am more sure of that every minute." Said Maya. Carina looked at the hand holding Maya's arm and smiled at Maya's warmth. The agent with the cold look of the first day was no longer there.

"Thank you, I believe every minute that you are not just an emotionless monster." Carina said, but Maya laughed mockingly. But they didn't talk more about it, they were coming to the end of the short walk. There was a beautiful lake behind the trees. The bushes and stones around the lake, green to blue in the sunlight, were so beautiful and peaceful that Maya immediately understood why this was Carina's favorite place.

"This is the place I've been running away to since I was little. When you grow up in a family like this, and especially when you live far away from the city with constant bodyguards, having places like this is like an escape." Carina took a deep breath and looked at the view.

"It's really beautiful. It must have been a difficult childhood for you. Having your freedom restricted, always having to live here. But now that you're an adult, haven't things changed?" Maya asked as she leaned against a rock on the edge.

"Changed? "Hahah, of course not, it's even worse. When I was little everything was easier, freer. I had my mom and dad then. They were in charge. I just wanted to grow up and be happy with my brother. Then as I got older I was brought up to learn the business and take it over. And of course it doesn't help my freedom that there are people out there waiting to kill me or trying to take that power." Carina said, looking out over the lake.

"But haven't you ever wanted to get away from it all? I mean, you have a lot of money, I'm sure if you stopped working right now, you could live a lifetime somewhere else and build another life." Said Maya. Carina laughed lightly.

" It doesn't work the way you think it does. It's something a company owner can do, but not a mafia leader. It's a legacy, but it's a cursed legacy. If we don't protect and strengthen it, we can't live. You can be strong and live or you can be weak and vulnerable and die. We have to, and I don't expect you to understand that." Said Carina. Then Carina leaned against a stone too, but she was holding her arm as she leaned and hissed in pain.

"Are you in pain? Are you taking anything for the pain?" Maya asked worriedly.

"It's okay, it will pass." Carina said, again putting on a stern face and trying not to show her pain.

"What do you mean it is okay? You could get an infection, maybe you're bleeding. Let me look at your wound." Maya reached for Carina's arm but stopped as if waiting for Carina's permission. She wasn't sure if this closeness was right. After all, Maya had inflicted this wound.

"Do you know about gunshot wounds?" Carina asked, extending her arm.

"Well, when you're in this business, you have to know." Said Maya. Maya gently lifted the bandage slightly and looked at the wound.

"Do you have any bullet wounds?" asked Carina. Maya focused on Carina's arm. Her grip was so soft and gentle. And Maya was very close to Carina. Carina could feel Maya's warmth. She studied Maya's focused face. She looked at Maya's smooth skin, her jawline, her nose. It was nice to study her up close and comfortable. Carina laughed lightly to herself.

"Yes, there are a few small ones. When was the last time you had a bandage?" Maya looked up at Carina's face. Carina had turned her head to her arm and when she looked up their faces were now very close and Maya was immediately embarrassed by the sudden unexpected closeness and turned back to re-doing the bandage and tried to move away from Carina. Carina looked at Maya's slowly blushing face and saw Maya's haste. It was the first time they had been so close and they could both feel each other's warmth and smell each other's scent. Maya loved Carina's soft sweet scent. It was addictive and made you want to smell more and more. What would happen if she went up to Carina's neck and sniffed and maybe kissed her? Maya was sure how risky it would be to try. She didn't want to look like a pervert in such a situation.

"I had it done this morning. How does it look?" Carina said as she watched Maya's movements.

"It's not as insignificant as you say. Watch out for the infection, it can take over your whole body without you noticing. I've seen a lot of people get sick like that and die. Don't skip your dressings. Who is doing it? If you want, I can help you with that too. I have a lot of experience in this field." Said Maya, laughing nervously. Trying not to be ridiculous after the intimacy just now, she spoke.

"We have a doctor, Amelia, she dresses me morning and night, but thanks for the offer." Carina said. Maya nodded that she understood. She was averting her eyes from Carina now. "Do you want to go back or do something else? Now you know the house and everything you can do." Carina said. Maya had learned about the house, but nothing held Maya's attention without Carina. She could do all this, but what was the point on her own. Maya normally liked to be alone, but here her curiosity about Carina was changing everything.

"I don't want to go back, I want to stay here a little longer if you let me. It's really peaceful here. Sometimes places like this are great to rest your head. Thank you for sharing with me a place that is so special to you." Maya said and Carina looked into Maya's eyes and silently just looked. She didn't say anything. She seemed curious. The silence was getting awkward and Maya thought she had said something wrong and asked. "What, did I say something wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?" Maya asked.

"You didn't say anything wrong, I'm just trying to understand, I'm trying to understand who you really are, what is your purpose? I think about why you came to this country, why you did what you did and then I see here with me the person with the softest, most compassionate heart in the world. Who are you Maya Bishop?" Carina didn't laugh at all, there was nothing sour in her questioning, she seemed genuinely confused. Maya wasn't laughing anymore either, she was just serious.

Chapter Text

"You didn't say anything wrong, I'm just trying to understand, I'm trying to understand who you really are, what is your purpose? I think about why you came to this country, why you did what you did and then I see here with me the person with the softest, most compassionate heart in the world. Who are you Maya Bishop?" Carina didn't laugh at all, there was nothing sour in her questioning, she seemed genuinely confused. Maya wasn't laughing anymore either, she was just serious.

"I'm nobody, Carina. Yes, I'm an emotionless monster raised to be a murderer, but I guess even a monster can have a heart sometimes. This is a surprise to me too." Maya looked away, uncomfortable. She felt as if she was now exposed. Like she was naked in front of Carina. She didn't even know she had emotions, but somehow they had come out in front of Carina and Carina had noticed it. She hadn't been able to shoot Carina anyway because her feelings had gotten in the way, and she felt lost for the time being, with only tenderness and attraction for Carina. How long had it been since she had felt these feelings? How long had it been since she cared about anyone? Maya wanted to run away, but here she was in front of Carina.

"You're a very different person than you appear and project, Maya, and I think I'm beginning to realize that. But I'm glad you're not the person you project. There seems to be someone really precious that's emerging that you don't know about. I want to get to know that emerging you as long as you are here." Said Carina.

"What do you want to know?" said Maya. At that moment, Maya could tell Carina whatever she wanted. Carina's soft approach and openness pushed Maya to speak.

"When and how you started killing people. You were going to tell me about your first time." Carina said, leaning back against the stone.

"That's not the kind of nice, tender stuff you want to know about me." Said Maya.

"Well, I want to get to know you from the beginning, if that's okay with you." Said Carina.

"If you can tell me about your experience later," Maya said. Carina nodded. "First I had long training courses in sniping, fighting, spying, whatever was useful to me. At first I was too eager to be put on active duty, but the training was long and boring. They didn't send me to the real job until I had enough training and experience. First I was sent to observe and help others. Then I was sent on a spy mission. It was my first job and I was excited and I wanted to prove myself. I did everything I could, but at the end there was someone who found out who I was and either he was going to kill me or I was going to kill him. I killed him. I remember I was in shock, I remember I threw up for hours after I escaped from there. It was very traumatizing to go through something like that so fast and so close. My other friends who did this job made fun of me a lot." Maya started to explain and Carina interrupted.

"These are normal human reactions. Why are they making fun of you? It's ridiculous." Carina said angrily.

"They only made fun of me because they didn't think I was up to the job. And they were right. I was cold-blooded, smarter than most and more physically capable, but not emotionally. I still remember what happened on that first mission, I still see it in my mind, I still dream about it sometimes." Said Maya.

"So how did you carry on?" Carina asked curiously and pitying Maya. She was beginning to think that Maya was too soft-hearted for the job.

"How could I not continue. My mentor, seeing my weakness, gave me a month off and then I was called to work. I don't expect you to understand this, Carina, but once you get into this job, you can't get out. From the first moment you enter, you learn top secret information about organizations and jobs. You can't quit because you are too soft when there are organizations and people you are loyal to. They invested a lot in me. That's why they couldn't accept to leave me in particular. Then I started to get used to the job with some sniping and a few spy jobs. Maybe it was easier to do these jobs from a distance, but I still tried not to think too much about what I was doing and what I was causing. After that, everything became more automatic. Just adjust the angle, press the trigger and escape without getting caught. Everything became easier and easier. But it wasn't getting any easier, I just got more and more numb each time. I guess that's what happened." Maya said with a shrug. But Carina looked thoughtful.

"So you weren't always this callous." Said Carina.

"I'm human, I've been a child, but yes, I think there was a time when I was normal, but too much time has passed and too much has happened for me to remember, and I'm afraid I'm on a path of no return, maybe even the end of the road." Said Maya.

"Oh come on, I'm not going to kill you." Said Carina laughing.

"Thank you, if you don't do it, someone else will. There is only one way out of this and that is to die." Said Maya, tilting her head and playing with her fingers. Carina then put her hand on Maya's wrist and squeezed it gently. Maya was startled by the movement and looked up into Carina's beautiful brown eyes. Carina studied the blue of Maya's eyes. They were much more beautiful in this light and they sparkled.

"If what you are showing me now is not theater, Maya, I will not let it happen. I don't know what it looks like on the outside, but I am strong enough to protect you. I have no intention of leaving you to die when I'm done with you." Said Carina. Carina looked at Maya reassuringly.

"Thank you, I appreciate what you said. You're really strong and it's not just because you're a mafia leader, you're a really strong woman. Those who are trying to kill you... I think they want to eliminate you because they see you as a threat. You know nobody likes strong women." Said Maya.

"Maybe." Carina sighed and took her hand away from Maya. Carina turned back to the lake view. Maya couldn't help admiring Carina's side profile in these moments.

"Okay, it's your turn, tell me." Maya said excitedly. It was as if she was trying to normalize the situation. She wanted to lighten the heaviness of the topics, but Carina had a look on her face that said she was uncomfortable. "How did it happen? Why would a woman like you kill someone? I'm sure you had an army of men to do it. Did he call you by your name or something or didn't give you the tribute you asked for?" Maya said, laughing playfully. Carina still wasn't laughing. She clenched her jaw. She seemed to be trying to hide her emotions, her anger. Her eyes never found Maya. As Maya laughed, Carina spoke, looking away.

"He raped me," Carina said. Maya wiped the smiling expression off her face as if every muscle in her face had been pulled down. She felt as if all the joy in her life was gone. She cursed the whole world that one of the most disgusting things in this life had happened to such a beautiful, elegant, soft-hearted woman. At that moment she wanted to cry. Maya probably hadn't cried in years. But at that moment she wanted to cry. She had discovered Carina's body language at that moment. Her face, her jaw muscles tightened. Her hands clenched into fists.

"Carina... I... I'm... I'm really sorry. If I had just... I'm so sorry," Maya said and immediately stood up and stood in front of the stone where Carina was sitting. She didn't know what to do. She was ashamed of her behavior earlier. Carina wouldn't normally do something like telling this to someone she had only known for two days, but it had happened. Maya's interest in the situation and her mockery made her take a moment to say.

"It's okay, you didn't know. Now you know. You don't need details. It happened suddenly. I instinctively killed him. And even after what he did to me, I regretted killing him. I made the damage he did to me even worse. I was raped and I killed a human being. He did all the physical emotional psychological damage he could to me. Maybe that's why it affected me so much, maybe that's why I can't forget it and it's always on my mind." Said Carina. Stubborn tears were welling up in her eyes but she couldn't do it, she couldn't cry. Not in front of Maya. But both of them had been very exposed in front of each other today.

"Carina I don't know what to say, I'm so... so sorry, I wish you hadn't gone through that. It's not something that anyone can get over easily. But if you hadn't, I would be killing him right now." Maya blurted out. Carina stared at Maya for a moment. She was surprised. Would Maya do that for her? She was already a killer, it wouldn't be hard to do, but would she do it just for Carina? Would she kill someone just to ease Carina's pain a little? She found it hard to believe that someone could do something so big for her.

"Would you really do that? For me?" Carina said incredulously.

"Of course I would. Anyone who hurts you doesn't deserve to live in my opinion. I know it sounds strange, but rape is unforgivable for me." Said Maya. She tried to explain herself. Carina nodded her head as if to say thank you.

"Now you know, has your opinion of me changed? Am I still the perfect and strong woman in your eyes?" Carina said with a bitter and vague grin. She spoke in a way that was clearly self-deprecating. She didn't talk about it often. Now she had just described the incident without giving any details and it was already too much for her.

"Carina, what are you talking about. How can something like this change your value? How does it make you weak. You could be the strongest woman I know. One thing in life does not define who we are in our whole lives." Said Maya, approaching Carina, hesitating whether to take her hand and deciding not to touch it. She didn't want to make the wrong move right now. But what she wanted to do was to hug Carina and make her feel better.

"Thank you. I'm glad you feel that way. It's something I'm still processing. I'm still dealing with my internal struggles. I wish my life, which looks good on the outside, was the way it looks on the inside. Maybe then I would be really happy." Carina sighed and turned her head to look away again. Maya sat on a stone again and this time she chose a stone closer to Carina. She had a thousand questions about this. But she restrained herself from asking. Because obviously talking about it was not good for Carina.

"I wish it was easy to get away from all this nonsense and build a life." Maya said. Carina turned and looked at Maya. Carina laughed inside. What would life with Maya be like? How could Maya and Carina live in the same life? Just imagining it was straining her brain. It seemed absolutely impossible. What else would they do? How would they meet outside of this life? She didn't want to start fantasizing about it, because if she did, she could easily get caught up in the impossible.

"Haven't you ever wanted to quit your job and leave? I mean, I know there is no way out. But haven't you dreamed about it?" Carina said. She wondered about Maya's dreams in life.

"When you've been brought up to do this job from a young age, it's impossible to imagine another life. I don't even know what else I can do, so it's a long shot for me." Maya said.

"Nothing is impossible, but it can be difficult. And it's never too late to be who you wanna be and it's never too late to leave if you wanna live or to stay if you wanna stay." Carina said. Maya looked into Carina's eyes, it didn't mean stay or leave. Carina had actually set Maya free. She seemed to be making it clear that she was not keeping her prisoner. Carina wanted Maya to feel that she was free, despite the things she had to do in her life.

"I'll stay until you don't want me here." Said Maya, laughing. "You'll want to kick me out." Said Maya and they both laughed. They sat in silence, both thinking about their unhappy lives, ruined in different ways. They watched the sunlight falling on the lake. They were only silenced by the comforting sound of birdsong. Carina would occasionally close her eyes and feel the peace. Maya used these moments to watch Carina's beautiful face. Carina suddenly turned to Maya. She had a strange grin on her face. For a moment Maya was afraid that she had been caught watching Carina.

" Condoms, huh?" Carina said suddenly. Maya's eyes widened in surprise.

"Sorry what?" Maya said, not understanding.

"I'm talking about the hundreds of condoms that came out of your bag," Carina said with a laugh. Maya covered her face with her hands. She was starting to blush completely.

"Oh no! It wasn't a hundred, it was ten, maybe fifteen." Maya said embarrassed. It was not good that it had come to this.

"God, you seem to need these a lot. For someone who says she likes women, that's a lot. Are you afraid of getting pregnant or do you have other uses?" Carina asked mischievously. Neither of them realized how comfortable the conversation between them had become. It was as if they were two women who had known each other for years, in very different circumstances. They could talk about anything and everything.

"Okay. Listen Carina we have to stop here because if we have this conversation either I tell the truth and your opinion of me changes forever or I lie to you and that's the end of it." Said Maya with a flushed and more serious face. Carina was surprised that what she just wanted to make fun of had turned serious.

"Okay, now I'm more curious, I didn't know condoms had such a deep meaning. Of course I'd rather you tell the truth. It won't change the way I look at you. Just like your point of views haven't changed," Carina said, referring to her earlier confession. Now Carina's smile was fading too. She watched Maya's movements, fearing an unpleasant outcome. Maya stood up again and paced back and forth in front of Carina for short distances, covering her face with her hand and obviously thinking about how to say it. Carina wondered what Maya was so nervous about, she didn't want to force it, but Carina didn't want to do anything that might discourage Maya from telling her out of curiosity.

Carina stood up and grabbed Maya's arms, who was constantly moving and had her hands on her face. She stopped her and took her hands off her face and stood in front of her to face her. At that moment Maya opened her eyes and looked at Carina.

"Breathe and calm down, it's just you and me here. There is no one here to judge you. Now calm down and tell me. After the start we made and the conversation we just had, I don't think we have anything to hide anymore." Carina said. No matter how much Maya was afraid to tell, Carina was right, everything was out in the open. Maybe it wasn't so strange after what had just been said. Carina had just said that she had been raped. Maya felt she could talk about it here without feeling ashamed for herself. It was a very personal thing. This Carina, Maya thought, was not attracted to her and she was sure that after this she would be completely unattractive. Maya felt like she had come to the end of the story. She took a deep breath and spoke with Carina's hands still on Maya's biceps.

"Well, there's no easy way to say this. I'm... I'm different physically. I'm a woman, but not really." Maya stammered. Carina frowned, trying to understand.

"Okay, so you're trans?" Carina asked, trying to check if she understood correctly.

"No, I'm not, I'm intersex. I look and feel like a woman but I also have male genitals." Maya said, trying to explain. Carina was surprised, but she was also surprised that this was what Maya had been so scared to tell her. She thought Maya was embarrassed.

"So you have both male and female reproductive organs? I'm sorry, I've heard that, but I know there are many different kinds, so forgive me if I'm asking the wrong thing." Carina tried to explain her curiosity. Maya grinned slightly. She had not expected such a normal reaction from Carina.

"It's okay, it's one of the most normal reactions I've ever gotten. Strictly speaking, yes, I have a penis, a male anatomy, but I also have ovaries, but they are dysfunctional. As a woman, my reproductive system is not enough, as a man, yes. But I define myself as a woman." Maya said and Carina was trying to understand. It was a confession she hadn't expected, her view of Maya had changed, yes, but it was never one of disgust or disorientation. She was just curious.

"When did you realize that. I mean, did you know that?" Carina took her hands away from Maya. She realized at that moment that their position was awkward. She didn't step back so as not to look like she was moving away from Maya.

"When I was a child, the doctor told my parents about it, but he said they couldn't tell which gender would stand out. My parents named me Maya Lane Bishop. Maya is a woman and Lane is my father's name. So I would have had names of both sexes. I was ostensibly a boy, so they raised me as a boy. Then, when my parents died, I went to kindergarten and as I got older I started to look like a girl in an unstoppable way. I had a confusing time in child welfare but I was taken care of by very good doctors and psychologists who helped me through it. They let me live the way I felt. I looked like a woman and I felt like a woman, so I continued that way. And of course I liked women." Said Maya, a little embarrassed.

"Yes, it must have been hard to ignore those breasts." Carina said jokingly and Maya laughed at Carina's remark but at the same time she liked that Carina noticed her. "But I guess you hide yourself pretty well down there." Carina said, not joking this time. She was actually curious.

"Yes, it was impossible to hide the female appearance. My face and, as you said, my breasts already gave me away, there was only one thing I had to hide. The compression shorts made my life easier." Maya said, laughing a little.

"I get it. I'm sorry you felt you had to hide something so natural. I can't imagine how hard it must have been when you were a teenager." Said Carina. Maya sighed.

"Yes, it was hard. It was never easy. It's still not easy, actually. Hiding what I felt when I was a teenager with the hormones and at the same time trying to hide the intense growths both top and bottom, God it was all so hard. While every teenager discovers themselves in some way and enjoys it, for me it was very different." Said Maya.

"Why is it still hard. I understand hiding it, but from what your friend told me, you don't have much trouble interacting with women." Said Carina sarcastically.

"Well, yes, that's true, but it's very limiting, not every woman will admit that. I've had too many things I can't tell you about, people who tried to sleep with me just out of curiosity or who were disgusted when they found out. It hasn't been an easy process and no one accepts it as normal and easy to accept." Said Maya.

"I would." Said Carina and Maya raised her eyebrows. She had not expected such an admission from Carina. Carina suddenly opened her eyes wide and realized what she had said. Then, as she turned around and pretended to look around for things she had left behind, she stammered. "I mean, I'm sure... A lot of bisexual women would accept that. I mean both men and women." When Carina turned to pick up her jacket from the stone without looking at Maya, Maya grabbed Carina's arm and stopped her. She stood in front of Carina. She was in Carina's space now. They were close. They were both looking into each other's eyes.

"You don't have to explain. I understand. To be accepted by you... Thank you." Maya said and Carina's eyes moved to Maya's lips, which moved as she spoke. After a few seconds of staring, Maya felt her lips touch Carina's without thinking or realizing what was happening. Their lips touched for just a few seconds and they both moved away. Maya panicked. 'Fuck,' she said to herself. "I'm sorry. It just happened." Maya explained to Carina, who was equally panicked. Carina was confused because she too had closed the distance and they had both moved away because they felt their lips touching each other catch fire. Because if they hadn't they wouldn't have been able to stop what was happening.

The high sexual tension between the two women was palpable from the moment they first met. Their lips that had just touched was a spark and it was enough to burn them both. It would not be wise to light that fire now. It would only make things more complicated.

"No, I'm sorry. Don't get me wrong, but we can't let this happen. Please let's both stop, we can't do this." Carina said more confidently. Maya nodded.

"Of course, don't worry, it won't happen again." Said Maya. She had to restrain herself because she wondered what she would do another time if she already felt her pants tightening. She was attracted to Carina from the beginning and every moment she was more and more drawn to her. Carina had reacted normally to her, but Maya felt like she had the nerve to ask for more.

"Let's go back, they must be worried about us." Said Carina, leading the way, trying to hide the redness of her face. Her whole body had changed. The heat was intense, invading her face and of course other parts of her body. But she couldn't, it was ridiculous. Maya is attractive beautiful yes God she is hot but I can't, Carina told herself. Carina walked ahead and didn't look to see if Maya was following her. She felt like a young girl kissing for the first time and feeling ashamed of it. She didn't want to admit that she was attracted to Maya. Maya's story hadn't changed Carina's opinion of Maya, but the meeting of their lips had. Because she would want more.

 Maya followed Carina into the house but stopped her before she entered.

"Carina, I apologize again for what just happened. But I don't want you to look at me differently after what I told you or treat me differently after what happened. I feel like I touched you unintentionally." Said Maya. She felt aggressive and like she had unintentionally violated Carina's space.

"No, no, no, Maya, that's not it at all. It was a mutual thing and after what I told you, don't over analyze your every move. It makes me more uncomfortable and I promise my opinion of you hasn't changed, we just shouldn't let things happen that shouldn't happen." Said Carina, Maya nodded. "I'm going to rest and I'll see you later." Said Carina and walked into the house and went straight upstairs.

Maya pinched the bridge of her nose. She was angry at how this had happened. Carina said it was mutual. Maya was more confused now. She couldn't make sense of anything. Carina had said that she would want Maya just as she was, and then their lips had touched for a brief moment that could not be considered a kiss. Maya was afraid that Carina would pull away after what had happened. Because she didn't want to make things even more awkward by trying to stay away after they had just revealed so much about each other.

"Fuck!" Maya said angrily. She looked around at the guards. They were walking around, guarding the house but at the same time checking Maya's movements with a sidelong glance. Maya looked at one of them who was close to her. "Hey do you have a cigarette?" the guard took it out of his pocket and handed it to her. Maya was sure she needed one after everything that had happened. She lit the cigarette for the guard and sat on the edge of the pool. "Now you might have really fucked up, Bishop." Maya said to herself. Because she wanted more too.

Chapter Text

After the last time, Carina was running away from Maya. She didn't really think she was running away. But that's how Maya felt. She didn't see Carina that day and the next day until the evening. She was always on business talks. Whenever Maya went to the door of Carina's room, the guards would send Maya to her room. Maya could not find any way to reach Carina.

She wanted to talk about what had happened and understand how she should act. Maya was aware of the gravity of what had happened. They had both confessed more than they wanted to. Maya thought that Carina had run away more because of the last sudden kiss than because of the confessions. But there was a question in her mind. Was Carina running away because of Maya's confession, because she was intersex? Was this something that Carina didn't like and was disgusted by? Or was Carina also affected by the kiss and was holding back. Maya didn't find either of these things logical. She remembered Carina saying that she had no problem with Maya being intersex, even confessing it out loud. But for some reason Maya felt that a woman like Carina deserved better. It was an adolescent trauma that made her feel inadequate or unwanted.

Maya also thought about Carina's confession. It upset Maya that there was something in Carina's past that had hurt her so much. Behind Carina's tough exterior was a girl who had been hurt. Maya had seen it and for some reason she didn't think many people saw it. Why would Carina want to show this side of herself anyway? Who would want to talk about what she had been through and be weak in front of people. But she was warming up to Carina more and more. But Maya felt special because she knew this side of Carina, even if she didn't mean to. She was well on her way to gaining Carina's trust, but that last kiss seemed to set things back. Almost two days had passed and Maya decided to talk to Carina.

Meanwhile, Carina had locked herself in her room to think about that day after talking to Maya by the lake. It had been too much. It was more than she had to do or talk about and Carina was angry with herself. Angry that she had let her walls down so easily. Angry that she had shown her inner weakness. She knew that Maya had been different in everything from the beginning. Maya had shot her. Carina had been hurt by Maya. And yet she knew that when she saw Maya that day, those eyes told a different story. She was clearly moved by those eyes, but she never wanted to admit it to herself. Because it was wrong.

Carina had closed her heart a long time ago. And if her heart was going to beat for anyone, it couldn't be Maya. Maya seemed like the wrong person. At the same time, all the times they talked one-on-one, it felt so right. Sometimes she wished she could have met Maya under different circumstances. Because she couldn't love Maya in these circumstances. It was wrong to even try to get to know her this way. She should only look at her as a means to the goal she had to reach.

Their beginnings were already a whole obstacle for them. And besides, Carina was already broken. She had already given up everything and everyone. Her life was and still is very difficult. The idea of having someone in her life was nothing more than a dream for Carina. But Maya was trying to invade Carina like poison. Carina's lips had taken the poison when they touched Maya's lips. Now this poison was spreading from her lips to her whole body. Her brain especially loved this poison and it was very dangerous for it to reach her heart. If it reached her heart, it would be impossible for Carina to live without it. And she had no intention of looking for an antidote. Because her body needed it.

Maya's confession didn't help Carina to think less of Maya. Maya is intersex. She was surprised, first of all, but also intrigued. Maya had an attractive body and there was something else she was hiding. Carina's opinion of Maya hadn't changed and strangely she was even more interested in her. Carina was surprised that her interest had increased after what she had heard. Because damn it, she couldn't do anything but think about Maya. She wanted to see, touch, feel what was going on with that body.

What would have happened if she had allowed the kiss that day. Would Maya have kept it up? Carina didn't want to admit that she was strangely drawn to Maya. She thought it had something to do with sex. She might have been attracted to Maya, Maya might even have turned Carina on in a strange way, but it was purely physical. Because it couldn't have been love or anything like that for Carina to be attracted to a very beautiful woman and her eyes in a few days. She felt like a stupid teenager. For a moment she had fallen for Maya's charms. It was the right but difficult decision for Carina to withdraw herself.

Carina had been having unemotional sex with one person for a long time, just to satisfy a human physical need, and for the first time in a long time she felt aroused in this way, and in fact only their lips had touched. But it wasn't just the kiss, it was the thoughts, the looks, the touches that ignited the arousal. In fact, her brain was now constantly trying to think about Maya's body. Her brain was trying to complete Maya's body in her mind. It was never helping Carina. There was a purely sexual attraction and Carina thought that not seeing Maya would be enough to get rid of it. She focused more on her work and didn't want to let other things go while she was chasing the people who wanted her dead. She had to talk to Maya eventually, but she was going to try to postpone it and using work as an excuse made the most sense.

It was the day after the day at the lake and Carina was aware that things were not going the way she wanted in a few areas and she didn't go out much for fear of being killed. Because it was clear that whoever had started this was not going to stop easily. Just because they had caught Maya didn't mean the job was over, unfortunately. She was letting Andrea and her men do their work. Carina was doing undercover work with a lot of people. It wasn't bullying in general, but they were still involved in a lot of dirty business. Carina was very angry because a smaller mafia group killed an important man that Carina was doing business with. Carina was afraid that Carina's authority might have been undermined because it was rumored that there was an attempt to assassinate Carina. People might stop respecting Carina's authority and Carina had to take precautions.

Normally, in such situations, she would have made a sudden mob raid and paid a small visit to the other mafia leader. Or she would deal with it in other ways. Carina always had effective methods. People feared Carina's power. Carina's way of doing things was both elegant and, for many, frightening. This time Carina stayed at home and asked Andrea and her guards to bring the mafia leader home. Andrea and most of the bodyguards went on the raid and in the evening the other mafia leader was waiting to be brought before Carina. Of course the man had a black sack over his head again. It was a precaution against revealing the way to the house and anything about the house. In this situation they had no choice but to bring him home.

Maya was supposed to talk to Carina tonight. They were supposed to call her friend Sarah today and check if there was any new information. In fact, it was obvious that they would do it for today. Maya thought that Carina would not call her to her room, it was already evening and she wanted to go herself. She also wanted to show her good will. She wanted to show how eager she was to solve this. She didn't want to solve it quickly and be sent away from this house, but she needed to solve it to gain trust.

She also wanted to control the waters. She doubted that Carina would be angry or upset. Carina looked confused and agitated when she left that day. Maya wanted to see how Carina really felt and how she would react.  Maya made her way to Carina's room. It was getting evening, there had been a strange activity in the house and now it was quiet. Maya, being an agent, had been following and analyzing everything since morning. It didn't take her long to realize that everything in the house was running like clockwork. Everything was in order in the house. Everyone who worked was just doing their work. They tried to stay out of the way. Each floor and even each room had a different staff. Maya focused both on the activity in the garden and inside the house. It was hard to take it all in, this was like a village.

Because of the extra activity today and the lack of interest in Maya, Maya was a little more relaxed. So Maya decided to go to Carina's room without telling anyone because if she asked anyone they probably wouldn't let her. So she decided to go directly to Carina's room and ask her if she could talk to her. When she arrived in front of Carina's door, she was about to knock when she heard voices from inside. It wasn't her intention to listen in, but Carina's authoritative boss voice was there again. She didn't care what things were about, she just wanted to listen to Carina's tone. She understood maybe half of what was being said anyway.

She had heard this voice especially when she first came to this room. Maya remembered very well Carina's voice and demeanor that day. How hot she was. Maya couldn't even be angry with herself for thinking about it anymore. After Carina had come into Maya's dream last night, Maya thought that she should be a little more courageous. Because there was no way she could get Carina out of her mind. From Carina's flustered behavior the other day, she seemed to feel that Carina was attracted to her too, but she doubted that she was imagining it. So she had to talk to Carina urgently to get these thoughts out of her head. She thought she could wait here and talk to Carina when she was done. She stood by the door and waited for things to finish.

"Fernando, welcome, it's good to see you." Carina spoke with a smiling face to the man who had just removed the sack from his head. It was the tone of voice that Carina would soon make him regret he had been born. The man looked around in horror as the sack came off his head.

" Miss DeLuca, what's going on, I didn't do anything, why am I here?" Said Fernando, trying not to show his fear.

"I wanted to have a little chat. There is nothing to be afraid of. If you're sure you didn't do anything. Have you done anything wrong, Fernando." Carina said in a more serious tone. She leaned against the front of her desk. In the room were Andrea, her head of guard Sullivan and two bodyguards. It was a different encounter from the visit she would normally have to make. Andrea and the bodyguards had captured this mafia leader in an armed raid and brought him before Carina.

"I'm sure I've done nothing wrong, I don't understand why I was brought in like this." The man said interrogatively. Carina became even more angry that he was lying.

"Fernando. You like doing business with me, don't you?" Carina asked. That day she wore black cloth pants and a white shirt that she tucked into the waistband of her well-fitting white pants. As she folded the sleeves of her shirt, she asked him.

"Yes." The man answered hesitantly. He wasn't sure that was the right answer.

"Then why are you interfering with my business. What does it mean to kill the man I do business with?" Carina shouted at the last sentence. The man jumped at Carina's sudden outburst.

" Miss DeLuca, I swear it wasn't on purpose. There was someone who was causing problems in our business and we were trying to sort things out and he got in the way and our guys killed him before I could recognize who it was. I swear it was too late when I realized." Said Fernando. Carina was listening to him but her patience was already wearing thin.

"Do you realize what you cost me? What do you mean by killing the man I do business with? Because of you, a lot of my business has been disrupted. A trusted man is dead. All because of your stupidity. What should I do now? You tell me?" said Carina. Carina approached the man and bent down to his face. Her expression was very stern. The man could not look Carina in the eyes.

"It wasn't on purpose, Miss DeLuca, I can make it up to you." Fernando tried to sound confident but Carina didn't want to listen anymore. Fernando knew what Carina could do to him and his people. With a single word Carina could break up his whole organization and get him killed.

"Unfortunately, Fernando, you should have thought about that before you did me wrong. Andrea, take Fernando to the warehouse, brother. And explain it to him thoroughly until he understands that he can do me no wrong. But tell him until he understands. Then bring him to me and I want to see if he has understood enough." Said Carina and went back to her desk. By this time Fernando was begging Carina. Afraid of what might happen to her, he begged for Carina's forgiveness. He shouted after Carina until he was led out the door, but she wouldn't listen. She went to her desk and sat in her armchair. She went back to smoking the last of her cigarettes, she didn't know how many today. The stress of work, trying to find the people who were trying to kill her and Maya on top of that, she was trying to find escape and relaxation in her cigarettes.

The door opened as Andrea and her men left. Maya waited by the door for Andrea and the men to leave the room. Andrea looked at Maya as he left the room, as if he had forgotten that Maya was in this house. Meanwhile Maya heard Carina calling out to one of the guards. She decided to wait for Carina to speak to her bodyguard and then go in.

" Call Gabri in the evening, she doesn't have to come early, she can come a little later today." Carina said and the moment she did, she saw Maya at the door. Maya looked at Carina's request with disappointment and shock.

"Whatever you say boss." Said the guard. Maya waited for the man to leave.

Maya had seen Carina's serious attitude to her work and her side, which could be quite ruthless at times. She wondered what Andrea and the other men would do to Fernando. These men had even hit Maya. The wound on her lip had reduced considerably. She didn't even want to imagine what they could do to him. They would probably beat him up a lot. Maya couldn't help wondering if Carina had given the order to kill him. She was thinking all these things, but all her thoughts were erased when she heard Carina's last words. Carina was calling Gabriella for tonight.

Maya continued to feel a strange sadness inside her. She had just thought that after Carina's flustered, excited demeanor the other day, maybe she might have a chance. Carina had said without thinking that she could be with someone like Maya. Now she thought that maybe Carina was just being polite so that Maya wouldn't feel bad. She even realized that she was. Maya felt bad and Maya was angry with herself for being so eager like a stupid teenager. 

"Maya, was something wrong?" Carina said, looking at Maya standing in her doorway. She was annoyed that Maya had heard about Gabriella. She didn't want Maya to know such information. But she had heard it once. She had called Gabriella to get away from her thoughts about Maya, but now Maya was in front of her.

"Umm... well... I came for... well, we were supposed to call Sarah today for information. That's why I came. When you didn't call, I thought we should talk today." Said Maya, walking in and talking to Carina without closing the door. Her hand was nervously on the back of her neck. After that day she felt it was even more difficult to talk in front of Carina. She still felt very naked. It felt strange, especially because Carina knew some secret detail about her body. Carina rubbed her eyes and the bridge of her nose.

"Oh Maya, I thought about it, but not tonight. I have a very busy day, we can do it tomorrow." Carina said. But she didn't really look at Maya after she spoke.

"Oh okay, let's do that then." Said Maya frowning, surprised that Carina was not looking at her. Then she promised herself she would be brave on the way here and she closed the door and stood in front of it. Carina then looked up to see what Maya was doing. Carina raised her eyebrows as if to say what are you doing? "Are you avoiding me or is it just me?" Said Maya.

" Avoiding you? We are in the same house Maya how can I run away. And I'm not avoiding you, I don't understand why you feel that way." Said Carina, talking nonsense. She was playing with a few things on her desk, moving them around.

"Is it because of the other day? Because if so, I apologize again. I didn't mean to make you feel bad." Said Maya. Carina was sure this conversation was coming. It was so sweet that Maya always suspected she had done something bad and apologized. Carina could never be angry with this woman.

"No Maya, like I said, it's okay. Let's just forget about it. How are your days going, any problems?" said Carina. Maya had to let Carina drop the subject. Then she sat in the armchair in front of Carina's desk where she always sat.

"No, nothing's wrong. It's just a bit annoying sitting around doing nothing. Everyone at home seems to be very busy. Maybe you could give me something else to do. You know I'm trained in many things. Isn't it a bit wasteful not to use them?" Maya said with a slight smile, trying to convince Carina. Carina understood what Maya was trying to do and laughed slightly. It was almost impossible not to be convinced by the sweet laughter.

"You already have a mission and you are waiting for it. I didn't bring you here to hire you as my employee, so enjoy yourself and you will know when I need you." Carina said. She thought that maybe she could arrange something else for Maya to stay here longer. Her brain was being hypocritical. It was trying to push Maya away and at the same time thinking of formulas to make her stay longer.

"Okay. What about the guy from earlier? You sent him to the warehouse. I know they don't do nice things there." Maya laughed mockingly. Carina looked at the scar that was starting to fade on Maya's lip. It was very small now. It was a scar that didn't look good on Maya's pink lips, which she now knew how soft they were.

"I didn't want them to kill him, they're just going to scare him a little. If we don't scare him enough, they'll do it again. I'm sorry they hurt you back then, I guess they had their reasons." Carina said and laughed with the same sarcastic expression.

"Oh you are so right. I really deserved it. Is your arm better, is your arm still sore?" Maya asked. Carina liked it when Maya asked her about her arm every chance she got. It was nice to have someone who was worried about her.

"It's healing much better, the wound is much smaller," Carina said. Then there was silence as Maya could no longer find anything else to talk to Carina about. Carina didn't want to keep Maya in her room any longer. In fact, she wanted to send her out of the room because she wanted to keep her there so much. She thought that she shouldn't get so used to talking and chatting with Maya.

"Well then I'm glad your arm is better, I won't bother you any more." Said Maya and got up from her seat. Carina didn't want Maya to leave but she didn't say anything. "Have fun for the evening." Maya said, looking suggestively at Carina's face for a few seconds at the door. While Carina was talking to Maya, she had momentarily forgotten that she had invited Gabri for the evening. It took her a few seconds to realize Maya's implication. She watched Maya leave the room.

Now she realizes that the time she kissed Maya was more meaningful. She was almost sure that Maya was attracted to her too. Now that she knew why she had come to Gabri's room in the evening, she thought Maya was jealous. She didn't think that Maya wouldn't be attracted to her, she could see it in many of Maya's actions. Also, now that she started to make sense of what was happening, she was not bothered by Maya's jealousy, in fact she thought she even liked it.

But she believed that she had to get these thoughts out of her head because she realized that none of these thoughts were helpful and she knew how dangerous it was to think them. She couldn't even imagine the consequences of such a union, how it would look and what people would think. How could Carina be with someone who was trying to kill her, how could it make sense? How much can Maya trust, she said to herself, and it was an encounter that started with trust issues in the first place. Carina also had trust issues and different ideas about relationships, she was no longer in a position to deal with them and she hated that everything was so difficult.

After Maya left Carina's room, she thought about what had just happened. She realized that Carina hadn't actually thought about it as much as she had. She began to wonder if she had misunderstood. She thought that if she thought about things as much as Maya did, she wouldn't have called Gabriella in the evening, that she had misread the situation or something. Did Carina need Gabriella that much. Did Carina love having sex with this woman so much. She thought that maybe Carina had feelings for Gabri. Maya knew she was thinking stupidly.

There was nothing between them, nothing had ever happened. So she thought it was normal for Carina to call someone for the night, but it still hurt. She couldn't help herself. Maya was back in her room, but she couldn't sit still. It was eating her up inside. She tried not to think about what Carina was doing in that room, but it was hard. She tried not to think about what kind of a night she and Gabriella had spent. She was stuck in this room in this house and Maya was stuck with Carina in her mind. She hated Gabri a little more.

Carina had spent a short, rather unexciting night. She tried not to think about Maya when she was with Gabri, but she couldn't. If she could have been as aroused as she had been that day at the lake, she thought, tonight would have been different. She couldn't stop thinking about the warmth and softness of Maya's body. Now she wondered more and more. Thoughts were starting to take over her body too. Even though they had only shared a brief moment, she wanted more. It was hard to focus on work and try not to think about Maya because she was everywhere. It was as if she started to notice Maya more and more. She couldn't go a moment without thinking about Maya.

Chapter Text

Carina hated how bad her night had been. Was it always this bad? Before, having sex with Gabri didn't make Carina unhappy. Now the way she felt was very strange. She felt herself in a position she didn't want to be in. Gabri was good, she knew how to make respectful soft feel good. But Carina couldn't stop thinking about what kind of a night they might have had if Maya were in Gabri's place right now. Not innocent thoughts about Maya were running through her mind. How Maya's touch would make her body feel. Carina had learned that Maya still had women after her. When Maya had called Sarah, there were still many women asking about Maya, Carina had deduced many things. Sex with Maya was good enough to make them run after her. Was this real? Maya's charm was real.

Carina wanted to know that, but she also wanted to be sure that it wasn't something that was only thought of with arousal. She wanted to touch Maya, to feel Maya's touch. Carina thought about it for a long time in her room after she had sent Gabriella home that night. Her thoughts even wondered if Maya was thinking about her too, if she was thinking about Carina in her room and touching herself. It had been a week since Maya had been here and she couldn't help wondering if she had done anything. She hated that thought. She didn't like constantly wondering what Maya was feeling, what she was thinking, what she was doing. Because she wasn't sure how she felt or what she wanted to do either.

Carina couldn't sleep because of her thoughts. She had already sent Gabri away early. Now the thoughts were running through her mind. Something inside Carina wanted to go to Maya's room, kiss Maya senselessly and find out what she was feeling and what she wanted. But the rational part of her stopped Carina. She couldn't go to Maya's room at this hour and do that. It wasn't the most logical thing to do anyway. Every action had a consequence and she didn't want to make things awkward. Then Carina got tired of walking up and down her room and looked out the window. When she looked, she thought her brain was playing tricks. She saw Maya again. Maya was sitting in the garden by the pool. She closed her eyes and opened them, yes, it was Maya.

Without giving it a second thought, Carina threw on a nightgown and went downstairs. Even if she didn't do what she had just thought, at least she could sit with Maya and control her hands. When she came downstairs she calmly sat down next to Maya. Carina wondered when she saw Maya looking thoughtfully at the water in the pool. What was going through Maya's mind at that moment. When Maya looked to see who was sitting next to her, she was surprised to see Carina. She certainly wasn't expecting Carina tonight.

"Why do you look like you've seen a ghost?" Carina said giggling as she sat down next to Maya. Maya immediately tried to hide her surprise.

"I just didn't expect to see you here, I thought you must be busy." Maya said, looking at the water in front of her again.

"I was busy, but not anymore. I couldn't sleep so I went out for some air and when I saw you here so thoughtful, I wondered. What happened, what are you thinking so much? What's keeping you up so late?" asked Carina. Maya laughed to herself as she looked at the water.

"Nothing." Only Maya said. It was as if she was angry with Carina, but she knew she had no right to be. Of course Carina could have sex with anyone she wanted whenever she wanted. She thought that Carina's high mood was because of the good sex she had just had.

"What do you mean nothing, you can't be standing here at this hour like this thinking about nothing." Carina said.

"I have a lot of free time, I'm thinking all the time, I'm just clearing my head a bit in the silence." Said Maya and Carina felt that Maya had broken her silence and was not wanted.

"Okay then, I won't break your silence and your peaceful time to think about nothing." Said Carina and stood up. She thought she had disturbed Maya and she felt that Maya did not want her there. She turned around but Maya suddenly asked:

"Are you in love with her?" said Maya. Maya had been thinking so much that the thoughts and questions she couldn't hold in anymore came to the surface.

"What?" Carina asked surprised. She had never expected this question and her heart started beating faster after hearing it. Maya was questioning Carina's love life.

"Gabriella. Are you in love with her or is there really something between you?" Maya clarified the question. She was now looking Carina right in the face. Carina was still standing, looking at Maya. She was puzzled by the question.

"Is that really what you're asking? Is that what you're wondering?" Carina said.

"Yes. You've asked her to your room at least twice since I've been here and I was wondering if you were having some kind of relationship." Said Maya. Carina was still not sitting down. She was still surprised that Maya was questioning Carina so openly.

"Why is this important to you?" Carina asked.

"I was just curious. I thought you weren't in a relationship with anyone. I'm still trying to understand how this house works." Maya said and Carina sighed and sat next to Maya again. This time it was Carina watching the water in the pool and Maya watching Carina.

"I met Gabri many years ago, and for a long time I had completely closed myself off from sex after the things that happened to me. Life for me now was a bit full of fear. I couldn't let anyone touch me, I didn't feel safe with anyone. But after a while I had to return to my normal life and I had to overcome these fears. I couldn't do that by going on dates with the people around me, I had to get over my trauma first. Gabri was a woman who had sex for money in those years. I found it very difficult to connect with someone after what happened to me." Said Carina Maya, regretting that question as Carina spoke. For a moment she had forgotten Carina's traumas.

"I'm sorry. Don't tell me if it's a story that will upset you. I didn't mean to make you feel bad." Maya said. Because meeting Carina was not very reassuring either. She still wondered if Carina felt uneasy around her.

"It's okay, you asked a question and I chose to answer it. Afterwards I wanted to be in control in every way. I tried to try sex without being afraid of someone touching me again. And I asked Gabri for one night. She helped me a lot. We didn't just have sex, we talked for a long time. She didn't meet very nice people either. We talked and she helped me a lot in that process. She helped me feel good about myself again. She saved me from my traumas. She patiently embraced me so that I could have physical contact with someone again. If you're asking if I really care about her. Yes, I do love and care for her, but it was never love between us. There is no love between us but she is precious to me. I will always be grateful to her and she will always be precious to me but she was just a savior for me. It wouldn't have been healthy for me to fall in love with her anyway." Said Carina. Maya nodded her head to show she understood.

"But are you still afraid of being touched by someone else or being with someone else? I mean, I mean physical intimacy?" Maya asked. Carina was looking at Maya now.

"I don't know, I've never tried it to be honest. Because I overcame a fear, but with Gabri. I was afraid to step out of my comfort zone. I was afraid to try it. So I offered Gabri the job and she accepted it. I don't know how healthy it is for me or what it means in the long run, but that's how it is." Said Carina. Maya was lost in thought. Being with Carina was not impossible, but it was difficult. Because first it was important to make Carina feel safe and well, and there were huge walls to break down. Carina deserved that. She deserved to feel safe, to feel loved, to feel good. Maya could give her that. Maya was patient, she could do it, but only if Carina wanted it too. But what did that mean? If it meant a relationship, how could it happen? Maya is a spy and someone who can kill. Why would Carina want to get involved in something like that?

"Okay. I know I'm asking a lot of questions and you've already answered this one, but I want to be sure. The other day... at the lake... I made a move without you asking me to and I felt really bad because maybe it was an unwanted intimacy and now, after what you've told me, I question it even more. Did I make you uncomfortable?" Maya asked. But Carina was far from uncomfortable. The moment had been too short and too little. But of course she wasn't going to say that.

"No, Maya, I've told you many times, don't over-analyze everything just because I told you what happened to me. Anyway, if there's something I don't like, I can say so. That moment was just a moment. It didn't make me feel insecure." Carina answered but said nothing about how much she loved that moment and wanted it to continue. Maya wanted to say that it wasn't just a moment for her, but no, it wasn't about now.

"I get it, it's just that you already don't feel safe around me and I don't want to push you further away and make you feel scared. Or trigger you in some way." Said Maya.

"No, you didn't do that. I'm kind of over these traumas now. I think I'm better, or at least I believe I am, I haven't been triggered in a long time so you have nothing to be afraid of." Carina said and shivered, clutching the front of her nightgown a little tighter. The night was getting cold. Maya immediately noticed that Carina was cold.

"Let's go inside before you freeze. I don't want you to get cold and sick because of my questions." Maya said, patting Carina on the back and Carina smiled. They stood up and went upstairs in silence. Maya was always giving way to Carina and being gentle and Carina couldn't help melting at Maya's every gesture. Maya was having a hard time walking behind Carina, trying not to peep at her. This woman was beautiful even in her nightgown.

When they arrived in front of Maya's room, Maya put her hand on the back of her neck and started to speak, not knowing what to do.

"Okay, good night then." Maya said. What else to say in this situation.

"Good night Maya. I hope you got your questions answered tonight. Because I got mine." Said Carina and turned around and went to her room. Maya didn't understand what Carina meant. What answers Carina had gotten. She had certainly gotten a lot of answers, but those answers had brought other questions. What answers Maya had given without saying anything.

Carina walked into her room with her heart pounding out of her chest. She closed her door and leaned against it. She had a big smile on her face. "Maya is definitely jealous of me." She said to herself. Why else would she be asking these questions. Carina was sure that Maya was jealous because she liked her. She also realized how thoughtful, sweet and soft Maya was. But there was still one point - was Maya the right person? That was the real question. It was scary to open herself up to someone so much, but she couldn't stop herself. All her doubts and fears were forgotten when she was with Maya. Carina was going down a path and falling in love with one of the wrongest people possible.

When Maya went to her room, she was still sleepless. In fact, they could have stayed there longer if Carina hadn't been cold. Maya's body was warm, too warm. Carina was beautiful in that nightgown. Carina was always beautiful. But after this conversation with Carina, Maya had learned a lot and realized a lot. Her thoughts were more and more focused on Carina. Each time she was more and more drawn to her. But at the same time it was hard not to despair. But it was hard to reach Carina. It was hard to gain her trust. She had to make Carina feel safe first. She wanted to do all that. She wanted this wonderful woman, but there was one thing she had to take care of first.

The bulge in her pants. She didn't know when it started to harden. Certainly not when Carina was telling her sob stories about her life. There were times when she saw Carina and she couldn't help it. But she didn't know what to do with it. She had been here for a while and had never had any physical contact with anyone. She had only seen the beautiful Carina and once their lips had touched and Maya was afraid her balls would explode. And seeing Carina every day wasn't helping. She knew Carina had sex with someone else tonight, but she couldn't help imagining what would happen if she were Gabriella. She couldn't stop thinking about being able to touch Carina. "Oh fuck," Maya said, there was no turning back now. She went into the bathroom, closed the door and went on, knowing that she would regret it and be ashamed to look at Carina's face. She thought about Carina. Because she really needed to relax now.

---

The next day they had a brief meeting to get information from Sarah. Carina had Maya come to her room through an employee. Maya just focused on her work without making any unnecessary conversation or glances at Carina. They hadn't talked about last night yet. Work took priority. Anyway, Maya felt a little guilty about the masturbation she had done last night to get to sleep. She hadn't actually done anything bad, but she felt like she had disrespected Carina. Because the way she thought about Carina last night was not very respectful. She couldn't help it, she wanted Carina. But not just once. Because just thinking about Carina felt so good at that moment that she couldn't even imagine what the real thing would be like. She couldn't think about last night anymore because she didn't want to be embarrassed. The last thing she wanted was for Carina to see her with a hard-on. Carina might think Maya was a pervert. So if she made an unnecessary conversation right now, Carina would definitely see something strange in Maya.

Carina had again gotten everyone out of the room and had created the environment for Maya to make the call. Maya quickly went to work. She made the call and after a few rings the phone picked up. Maya quickly put it on speakerphone.

"Hey it's Maya." Maya said immediately.

"Oh God you are still alive why didn't you call earlier." Said Sarah. Maya giggled.

"Yeah I'm lucky I'm still alive, but I gotta get right to the point. How are you doing. Have you found anything." Said Maya. She spoke, looking at Carina from time to time.

"Yes, I may or may not have found something, but first answer what I'm going to ask you or I won't tell you anything," Sarah said. Maya sighed.

"Look, I know you're curious, but I promise it's nothing that's going to get me in trouble. Just tell me what I want." Said Maya trying to convince her.

"Dude, I don't know, this doesn't look like a small fucking job. The person you were ordered to shoot is Carina DeLuca and right now you're playing dead to get her some information and you're calling me. I need you to tell me what you're doing. Are you alone or are they listening to us?" Sarah asked. Maya looked into Carina's eyes. Carina shook her head no to Maya. She ordered her not to let on that the conversations were being listened to.

"No, I'm alone. Look, I was asked to kill Carina DeLuca, but this is the first time I've ever questioned a job, the first time I've ever tried to find out the truth about the person I was asked to shoot, and Carina is innocent. I just want to help her. She doesn't deserve to be killed and I'm already dead so I want to help her as much as I can. I need to learn as much as I can from you and help her before I'm exposed." Said Maya. Carina felt something change inside her when she heard what Maya said.

"I don't know what you're involved in, Maya, but it's more complicated than you think. They seem to be trying very hard to kill this Carina DeLuca woman. They've tried to kill her before, but without success. They don't seem to have hired anyone else after you, but we don't know. I don't know if this woman is innocent or not, Maya, but be careful, the people who started this will not stop until they finish it. In this business the pawns always die first, don't try to be a hero." Said Sarah. Carina was watching Maya's expressions but Maya had an unreadable expression on her face.

"I know Sarah, don't worry, dude. I'm just working for what I know I believe in for the first time. I'm determined to go all the way." Said Maya.

"I understand Maya, you have been doing this for years without questioning and killing people without distinguishing between guilty and innocent, but as someone who has been in this business for years, this woman is either doing really good things and they are trying to eliminate her because she is strong or she is really evil. So be careful." Said Sarah.

"Okay, so did you find out who did it?" Maya said. That was the question they really wanted to ask.

"That's where it gets complicated. The people who did it were very secretive and every shooter they hired was hired by a different person. It's like a diversion so they can't trace who did it." Sarah said. Carina was ready to despair at that moment.

"But can't we find out who did it? There has to be a way. I know you can find it." Maya said immediately.

"It's very difficult, Maya. Those involved are obviously very powerful and well hidden. But your life could be in danger right now, so I'm going to do what I can. I'm on some errands, I'm going to contact some people and I'm going to go after it." Said Sarah.

"Thank you so much Sarah you are a lifesaver. If you find out who they are I will be eternally grateful and I promise I will be careful." Said Maya.

"I know you're always careful. If you die out there, I will find you and kill you. Okay? And I'm sure there are still details you haven't told me. Or did you lose your heart to that DeLuca woman? Is that why you're trying so hard to help." Sarah Maya interrupted her. Carina laughed at Maya's agitation.

"Sarah okay, it's time to hang up now. Thanks again, I'll call you back soon, don't worry about me." Said Maya and said goodbye to Sarah and hung up the phone. "I'm sorry Sarah talks too much. She talks nonsense." Maya said embarrassed, feeling as if her true feelings had been revealed. Carina smiled.

"It's okay, she didn't say anything bad. In fact, I'd say she said some pretty useful things. I feel like I'm finally getting somewhere." Carina said and got up from her seat and came closer to Maya. "And thank you for believing so much in my innocence and not doubting it. You show every time that you are sincere in your commitment to this work. I hope you are not deceiving me, Maya." Said Carina. Her trust in Maya was of course not fully formed, but she thought she was slowly getting there.

"Carina, I'm really sincere, don't doubt that. We're just at the beginning. Don't worry, there will come a day when you will trust me more." Said Maya.

"Well, I can't wait to see those days. Yes, I think that's it for today, you're free. So you know what I mean, the rest of the day is yours." Said Carina. Maya smiled in understanding and nodded. "Do you have a plan?" said Carina. Carina was curious about Maya's every moment.

"Oh plan? No, not at the moment. Maybe I'll do sports, it's been a long time since I took a break and I think I should start again. But maybe if you want to come to the lake with me, the weather is nice and I understand you can't go out either. It might be good for you too." Maya said. Carina really wanted to say yes at that moment. It was nice that Maya was so concerned about her well-being. It was so relaxing to have a conversation with Maya in her favorite place, but she couldn't do it. She couldn't lose herself in Maya. She had already talked too much last night. She couldn't get carried away until she was sure of her own feelings and what she had to do. She was trying to stay away and she didn't know what would happen if she agreed.

"Thank you, I think I have some work to do. Besides, I'll have to go out eventually. I can't always run things from here. In fact, I think I have to go somewhere important the day after tomorrow. So enjoy your day, you can go anywhere you want to go in this land. Including the lake. Just because it's my secret place doesn't mean you can't go without me." Carina said. But Maya thought, what's the point of going to the lake without Carina? The places where Carina was were beautiful, calm and peaceful. But Maya was filled with worry. After what Sarah had just said, she knew that Carina was still not safe.

"Is it so important where you have to go? Do you have to go? Nowhere is still safe for you." Said Maya worriedly.

"I know Maya, but I'm used to it and sitting at home and waiting is not the solution to anything. And I can't let anyone say I'm scared and staying at home. They will get scared and think I'm cowering in a corner. So yes, I have to go." Carina said, sitting back at her desk. It was clear that Carina was also stressing about this situation.

"I understand, will your guards at least be able to protect you? They didn't recognize me. So they are not good enough. I can keep you safe if you want me to. I mean... you know, I know how the brains of the people who do these things work, I know where they can attack. I can be more useful than others." Said Maya.

"No Maya, that won't work. It's not your job and my bodyguards have been protecting me for years. I trust them as I haven't died so far. I can't wait while I figure this out. I need to trust myself and my guards." Said Carina.

"I understand, but I'm just going to keep this offer open, one extra person won't do any harm. I know your bodyguards are very good but in this situation I have more knowledge than them. Please consider this. Think about it while you still have time." Maya said but then another possibility came to her mind. "But of course, if you still don't trust me completely, I'll understand." Maya said. Carina hadn't actually thought about trust until Maya said it. Every possibility was running through Carina's mind. She thought that Maya might still be planning to kill her or that she might run away when they went out. She had to think of everything, but Maya had a point. Maya was more experienced. Maya knew better what might be going through the mind of the sniper they might hire to kill Carina and where she might be. But she really had to think this through.

"Well thanks for the offer and I will think about it." Carina said and Maya headed for the door, a little upset. Carina sighed and stopped Maya. "Maya, it's not exactly a question of trust. Of course I doubt whether you're still on a mission, I still doubt whether you'll run away as soon as you get out. So it's getting harder for me to trust you. You tell me what should I do?" said Carina. She was indecisive.

"I understand Carina and you are right. But you won't know that until you give me a chance. I can't prove myself to you if you don't give me a chance. Let me keep you safe and make you trust me. I'm not forcing you and I understand that you have good reasons not to trust me. Just try." Said Maya.

"Okay, I'll think about it and then I'll let you know what I decide." Said Carina. Maya nodded and left the room. Carina was in complete confusion. She thought Maya could protect her. Maya seemed confident too. She had to consider every possibility and make a decision. Her interest in Maya shouldn't affect her decisions.

Maya spent the day not wanting to do anything. She just spent most of the day taking a long walk in the garden, watching the horses and then went back to her room. She did not see Carina again today. She knew she wouldn't be able to see Carina all day, whenever she wanted to, but she always wanted to see Carina and she was worried about Carina. What if Carina didn't come back when she went out. Or if she got hurt. The wound she had inflicted on Carina had not yet healed completely and Maya's heart couldn't bear another one while she was still suffering the guilt of that one. She didn't trust Carina's incompetent bodyguards. She was sure she could protect Carina better than they could. But Carina had to believe in that thought. She just had to wait and see.

Chapter Text

When Maya woke up the next morning, she was anxiously waiting for news from Carina. She was nervous and full of longing for Carina. Was it normal to miss this woman so much all the time? Seeing her, conversing with her, maybe needing some physical contact, Maya wanted it all. When she woke up this morning, things were no easier with the morning wood. She didn't just want Carina physically, but Carina was one of the things she wanted most right now. She could give Carina the perfect night if she let her, but it wouldn't be enough for Maya. Maya thought that partly because the likelihood of that happening was so small, it made her want it even more. Because of how open Carina was to a physical union. Right now, she could only trust Gabri, so she was aware of how many ways Maya had to gain access to Carina's body. But she wasn't complaining. Carina wasn't just a body, she was so much more.

Maya waited to hear from Carina, in case she could be persuaded to take her with her, but no one contacted her until the afternoon. So Maya decided to go down to the gym. She could focus on the gym to forget the thoughts and the stimulation of the morning wood. She planned a long run and weight training. That way she could think less about Carina and focus less on the other physical demands of her body.

Like everywhere else, the gym was cleaned and organized by the staff. They were all very beautiful women or handsome men. Maya noticed this, and if Carina hadn't blinded Maya so much, Maya would have had sex with one of the employees who hit on her. The domestic staff questioned the reason for Maya's presence, but they did not complain. Maya had a good relationship with most of them. During the day she would greet them and make small talk. Except for the guards, everyone thought Maya was just an ordinary guest. So Maya was very comfortable talking to the staff. Every time she went down to the gym, she met a cleaning girl who was very interested in Maya. They had short conversations while Maya worked out. The girl was attracted to Maya and Maya paid attention to her without crossing the line, but she didn't want to be misunderstood. Her only focus was the sport every time. And of course Carina.

---

The day after Carina talked to Maya, she was still confused. If she took Maya with her and Maya betrayed her, Carina couldn't take it anymore. She was so afraid of that. She didn't want to be disappointed. She also wanted Maya with her. She didn't want to leave Maya here. She wanted to keep an eye on her. She knew someone who could help her with her confusion. Someone who wouldn't let her emotions get in the way. Andrea. Carina called Andrea and confided in her.

"You know I'm going to the event tomorrow, right?" Carina said to Andrea.

"Yes, I know, I even organized the bodyguards, everyone has a job and they know what to do." Said Andrea. It was a gathering of powerful people from the business and mafia world, where they would play poker and other games and have fun and discuss business. People would meet different business people and influential people. It was important to have different contacts. Carina always participated in this. All eyes were always looking for her. There were very few women leaders and Carina was a woman and she was very strong. She was someone people liked and wanted to do business with. She would take the opportunity to show people that she was not sitting at home in fear of death.

"Thank you. I'm still a bit nervous, you know. I trust you and I believe that nothing will happen, but you know I had a close call last time. If Maya hadn't stopped shooting me, I would be dead right now, so don't make the same mistakes you made last time." Said Carina.

"Yes, I know you are right. But if Maya hadn't given up? I almost think you're grateful to her or something." Said Andrea laughing.

"No I'm not grateful but she's helping me right now and I feel like we're getting somewhere. Do you think we can trust her?" said Carina.

"I don't know, I haven't seen her do anything strange while she's been here, and I've been talking to the guards who watch her, she doesn't do anything undercover, her room is searched every day when it's cleaned. So it's not like she's playing us. Maybe we can't trust her completely, but we seem to be getting somewhere." Said Andrea.

"I spent some time with her and she told me a little bit about herself, like, I don't know, she's not playing. She was quite sincere. I still have my doubts, but I trust her in some things. I want to trust her. She also offered to be my bodyguard for tomorrow night. So she believes that she should be there as well as the others." Said Carina.

"What do you mean she doesn't trust our bodyguards?" Andrea said.

" She doesn't. She trusts them, but since she is an agent herself, she said that she knows where a sniper or an agent can come from, so she can help us too. I was a bit hesitant at first, but then it started to make sense. I don't think she could do anything wrong with the other guards and I don't think she could escape.

"I wasn't sure either, but I think it might be better to keep in mind that I'm taking her with me." Said Carina. Carina made a decision.

"Are you going to give her a gun?" said Andrea. She questioned Carina's trust in Maya. 

"I don't know, I'll decide tomorrow." Carina said. She still couldn't say that she trusted her completely.

After talking to Andrea, Carina went to Maya's room to tell her that she was coming tomorrow, but she wasn't there, so she asked the woman cleaning the room where Maya was. She found out that Maya had been at the gym all morning. Carina hurried off feeling that she hadn't seen Maya for a long time.

She felt excited. She couldn't describe the feeling inside her. When Carina entered the gym she stopped suddenly and was shocked by what she saw. Maya was doing seated overhead triceps with a dumbbell. But there was someone else there, a woman standing in front of Maya's legs. Carina already knew her. She was a cleaner in the house. She was angry that she was standing so close to Maya. What was the need for this closeness. Why was the cleaner standing next to Maya when she wasn't cleaning? When the cleaning lady saw Carina, she immediately backed away. She hurried around the room to continue cleaning.

 Maya, of course, immediately realized that someone had come in. But she waited to finish her set. She thought it was probably one of the guards who were around to check on her. Carina examined Maya as she did her move. Maya was wearing only a sports bra and gray sweatpants. Carina was impressed by what she saw. At the moment she could only see Maya's back, her high ponytail and her perfect arms. Seeing the muscles swollen from sports so close, Carina just swallowed and took a deep breath. She waited without disturbing Maya's set. When Maya finished quickly and turned to the door, she opened her eyes in surprise and immediately put the weight down and stood up. She took the towel she had left aside and dried her neck.

"Oh hey Carina I'm sorry I didn't realize you were here. I wish you would have called out." Maya said in a hurry, thinking she had done something bad. But Carina had actually waited to get herself together. She hadn't thought that Maya's sports behavior could do so much to her. Then Carina's eyes went to Maya's sports bra, to Maya's abs and down lower, and Maya suddenly said, "Oh, excuse me, let me put my shirt on." Maya said and started to put her t-shirt on, but Carina got angry. She thought, "What was the need for that shirt now?" but she thought she was making Maya uncomfortable with her looks and she pulled herself together.

"It's okay, I just wanted to let you know that I couldn't find you in your room so I came to interrupt your sport." Carina said and then looked at the cleaning woman. "Continue cleaning later. And don't clean while our guests are in the room, do it later." Carina warned. The cleaning lady nodded and left quickly. Maya studied Carina's expression and the cleaning woman's nervousness.

"She wasn't doing anything bad. She was here because I work long hours here. She's also one of the few people here who talks to me." Maya said, trying to defend the cleaning woman. Carina got even angrier.

"It's not her job to talk to the guests. There is a time for everything and if you want to talk, you can talk to me." Said Carina and Maya smiled slightly.

"With pleasure. But you are not always available and I don't want to disturb you all the time." Said Maya testing Carina. She was trying to see if she was jealous of Maya.  

"You won't disturb me. You just have to tell me. Anyway, you're coming with me to the event I'm attending tomorrow night. Think of it as my close bodyguard. Would you like that?" Carina said and Maya's face immediately lit up and she smiled slightly.

"Of course I'm very happy about it, you won't regret it. I'll be ready tomorrow." Said Maya confidently.

"Okay then. They will tell you what to wear and what to do, so be ready from tomorrow morning. This is a very important event so please don't let my trust in you down Maya" said Carina.

"Don't worry, everything will be as it should be. Thank you for trusting me." Said Maya. Then Carina nodded and turned to leave the gym and with a slight smile on her face she took one last look at Maya's body from head to toe.

"'Have a good day's work, don't overwork yourself, I'll need you tomorrow." Carina said and Maya thought she was melting. If she hadn't been in this situation with Carina and hadn't known about the event they were going to tomorrow, she would have taken it as absolutely obscene. Carina's look and the grin on her face seemed to say it all. Maya was now at a loss because of Carina's mixed signals. One day she was looking at Maya like she was going to eat her, the next she was ignoring her and inviting Gabri to her night out. Now she was jealous of the cleaning lady. Maya was sure that Carina was also very confused. But she was happy that tomorrow she would accompany Carina. She would finally be able to show Carina her good intentions.   

---

The next day the house staff brought to Maya's room the clothes she would wear today. It was a black pants jacket and a nice white shirt. After Maya had put them on, Andrea called Maya to her. Maya went to Andrea in Carina's room. Her interactions with Andrea had not been calm, but Maya hoped that it would be better now. Maya had been a bit childish and had pushed Andrea away so that she could be alone with Carina and not show her business methods to everyone. Maya wondered if Carina had told Andrea about Maya's little secret. She was nervous on many levels. Then she went into the room and waited for Andrea to make a phone call while she sat down on one of the couches.

"Maya, welcome. The suit looks good on you, they had a lot of work to get your size right." Andrea said. Andrea was friendly with Maya as if they had known each other for years. It was a very nice fabric and well tailored and Maya liked it very much.

"Yes, thank you." Maya said, smiling slightly. She was being cautious. She was sure that Andrea would never trust her. But Maya secretly admired Andrea very much. She stood by his sister's side, helping her with all of her work. She had no strange ambitions to replace her sister.

"Okay. I'm sure Carina has told you how important tonight is. To tell you the truth, I'm surprised that you offered to be a bodyguard for Carina. I hope you're not planning a game with this. Because if you are, there will be hundreds of men there to protect Carina, and they would shoot anyone in a heartbeat for Carina. And if you hurt Carina, I will kill you with my bare hands." Andrea said in a more serious tone. Maya was taking Andrea's words seriously.

"I hope you took better precautions than the last one. Because it wasn't very good. No one noticed me." Maya said. She sounded a bit cocky. Andrea gritted her teeth and was about to speak when Maya started. "Look Andrea, I'm not trying to start a silly argument. I haven't done Carina any wrong and I won't. I just care about her safety. Last time you didn't put observers on the surrounding buildings. There should be close protection, but it is important to have people who can follow from a distance." Said Maya. Andrea knew Maya was making sense.

"It's all set, but they will work harder. You will stay close to Carina. You will follow her closely and be with her in everything. There will be people watching you from near and far, and there will be people who won't look like bodyguards but who are actually bodyguards. So it's very protected. So if something happens, there are many people to intervene. There will be two cars ready at the front and back door of the venue, in case of an emergency, you will go to the most available one. You will be given information about the place before you leave." Said Andrea.

"Okay, do you need anything else, will you give me a gun or something?" said Maya.

"Carina will decide that." Said Andrea and just then Carina walked in. The moment Maya saw Carina, she automatically stood up. Carina was wearing a long black dress with a long slit that hugged her body beautifully. Her shining silver earrings and necklace looked very beautiful. The wound on Carina's arm was no longer bandaged, it was smaller and camouflaged. She was holding the high heels she was going to wear. Carina hadn't expected Maya to be in her room. She never expected to see Maya in her room and in this suit. For the past two days, Carina had been breathless at the sight of Maya. Yesterday a sweaty, sweaty, gym-hardened, muscular Maya, today Maya in a beautiful suit. God have mercy, Carina thought to herself. It wasn't fair that this woman was so attractive. Carina pulled herself together and greeted Andrea and Maya.

"You look beautiful, sister. Maya and I were just talking about what to do for tonight." Andrea said.

"Good, I hope everything is ready." Said Carina. Maya was still standing examining Carina as she was still confused looking at Carina.

"Yes Maya warned us to put more men around. Now I'll make sure everything is in place and we can leave when you're ready." Andrea said and Carina nodded. When Andrea left the room Carina wanted to sit down and put on her shoes but she didn't want her dress to be wrinkled yet and she didn't want to bow down in front of Maya. She hesitated and threw her high heels on the floor. Maya followed Carina's movements but two seconds later she was on one knee in front of Carina. Cairna suddenly raised her eyebrows in surprise. She looked at what Maya was doing.

"Let me help you. You might struggle in this dress." Maya assured her, smiling slightly. Carina was surprised. On the first day, Maya was kneeling in front of her, head held high, rebellious against everyone. Carina couldn't hide her surprise.

"You didn't have to. Thank you." Carina didn't know what to say. Maya smiled.

"You can put your hand on my shoulder for balance." Maya said. Maya would have liked to kneel in front of Carina in other ways, but for now she would make do with this.

 She helped Carina's foot into the shoe and then gently pulled Carina's foot towards her knee. Carina first put her hand lightly on Maya's shoulder to steady herself. Maya loved Carina's feathery touch. Then Carina let go of her hand. She was standing up straight.  Then Maya tied the ankle laces of her shoes. Then Carina pulled Carina's foot away and it was time for Carina's leg through the slit. Maya again helped Carina put the shoe on and then pulled Carina's foot up to her knee. Carina's leg was quite exposed because of the slit. Carina could feel Maya's deep hot breaths on her leg. Maya didn't want to look at Carina's exposed leg or anything else and make her uncomfortable, but Carina's warm bronze skin looked so kissable. Maya could hardly resist planting a kiss on Carina's leg and concentrated on her work.

 When Carina's foot was still in her knee after she had tied the ankle lace, Maya looked up but noticed something on Carina's leg. Something was tied to Carina's leg. A leather knife was tied quite high up on her thigh. Maya knew that this was a common practice of many spies or women who wanted to protect themselves. But seeing it on Carina, Maya thought how hot it looked. Maya's eyes involuntarily fell on the knife. She was looking from Carina into Maya's eyes. Maya would have preferred to see the upper part of Carina's slit and even wished she could kiss that leg all the way down, but she didn't. Maya pulled herself together as Carina pulled her leg away from Maya's knee.

"It's something I usually use to make myself feel a little safer." Carina explained the knife in her leg. Maya nodded in understanding as she stood up. When Maya stood up, the two of them were suddenly standing very close. Maya took a deep breath and stepped back. She didn't want to enter Carina's space any further. Carina had thought it was nice that Maya had tied her shoe and she liked being so close now, but she didn't like Maya's withdrawal. But she knew why Maya had drawn the line. She knew she was afraid that Maya would feel uncomfortable.

"I understand you're doing good. But are you going to give me a gun or something so I can protect you in case something happens?" Maya said. Carina sighed. She had thought a lot about it. She was already taking too many risks by taking Maya with her. With the gun she would be giving Maya another power.

"Yes, I have thought about it. I have a very small but useful one in my bag. You will stay with me all night and if things go wrong or I don't feel safe I will give you this." Said Carina. Maya was not surprised that Carina still had doubts. So she didn't object.

"Okay, whatever you want. Are you ready?" Maya asked.

"Yes, I'm ready, we can go now. Thanks for the shoes." Said Carina and took her bag and Maya opened the door for Carina.

"Anytime. You look beautiful by the way." Said Maya Carina blushing and Maya found it very sweet.

"Thank you, you look beautiful too." Said Carina and they left the room. They left the room not knowing what the day had in store for them from this moment on.

Chapter Text

When Maya and Carina went downstairs one after the other, several guards and an employee holding Carina's black fur coat and Andrea were waiting. The employee threw Carina's fur coat on Carina's back. Carina did not wear the fur through her arms, she just left it on her back. Maya loved Carina's graceful and strong posture. She also found it quite hot.

"One car will go in front, your car will follow behind and we will follow you in another car." Andrea explained.

"Okay, let's get going or we will be late. Maya you are coming in my car." Said Carina. Maya immediately followed Carina. The driver opened the door for Carina, Carina settled in her seat and Maya was getting ready to get in the front passenger seat when Carina objected. "Come here, not in front." Carina said. Maya didn't know that Carina wanted such close bodyguarding. Inside she was overjoyed. Of course, she went over to Carina without objecting. The back was spacious and Carina sat against the window and pulled her fur down from her shoulders.

"It's an hour away. So you can rest, sleep, do anything." Carina said to Maya. Maya laughed. "What? What did I say?" Carina said.

"You're taking me with you as your close bodyguard and you're telling me to sleep?" Said Maya laughing.

"How can you protect me on what road?" said Carina.

"You have no idea so ma'am first put your seat belt on and sit back. You take a rest. Do you want some music or something?" Maya asked and Carina rolled her eyes.

"The driver knows what I listen to in the car." Said Carina. Carina tugged on her seat belt but it was snagging. Maya waited for Carina to do it herself, but when she saw that it wasn't happening, she leaned towards Carina.

"Let me do it." Maya said and leaned closer to Carina. Her face was very close to Carina's and so was her body, but Maya's eyes were focused on the belt and Carina took a deep breath. She liked Maya's closeness. It was nice that Maya had helped her with her shoes and now with her belt and that she felt so close. She wanted to take advantage of the closeness of Maya's face and kiss her, but it was neither the time nor the place. Maya straightened the jammed belt and put it back on properly. Then, without further ado, she settled into her own seat. She didn't want to crowd and disturb Carina with her movements. What she didn't know was that Carina liked it.

 After a while the driver put on some quiet Italian songs. For a while they just listened to the music and just followed the road. Carina looked at the phone sometimes. Occasionally she rested her eyes and in these moments Maya was looking at Carina's beautiful face, at how beautifully Carina was showing the curves of her dress and how her slit opened when she sat down. She was becoming more aware of the need for a lot of self-control around this woman. Maya jumped when Carina suddenly spoke with her eyes closed. Because she was absorbed in admiring Carina.

"What are you looking at, is my makeup off?" Carina asked.

"Huh? I'm just sorry... You look so beautiful today and your makeup is intact. How did you know I was looking at you?" Maya said, blushing and surprised.

"You can't do everything just because you're an agent, Maya." Laughed Carina. "You can feel when someone is looking at you, whether you're asleep or just with your eyes closed. Everyone feels it." Said Carina.

"Sorry to bother you." Maya said immediately.

"No, not at all. Thank you for the compliment." Carina said, looking at Maya. Maya was so flushed that she just said thank you without looking up. "I wonder if they are still looking for you, you could be a target right now." Carina said.

"Yeah, that's a possibility, but they might think you killed me. They won't think you brought it with you so I might be safe but I'll still be careful." Said Maya.

"Well I don't want anything to happen to you because of me." Said Carina and Maya just nodded. The rest of the way was uneventful.

When they reached the venue, Maya took Carina's fur coat, opened the door and got out of the car. Maya looked around, making sure she didn't see anything suspicious. She held the door for Carina and Carina got out of the car with all her dignity and beauty. When Carina got out of the car, Maya immediately put Carina's fur coat on Carina's shoulders. There were several men waiting to greet Carina's arrival at the venue. Maya guessed that they were businessmen or members of other mafia gangs. She watched as Carina was stern and authoritative and shook hands warmly with everyone. She watched the respect people had for Carina. She admired Carina's relaxed and beautiful way of communicating with people. How could a woman be so good at everything. How she managed to do everything with such grace. As Maya admired Carina, she kept checking her surroundings.

Carina didn't show her nervousness. She liked having Maya by her side, being so protective of her. Carina felt safe and good when Maya gently held Carina's waist and guided her to protect her from the crowd and the people around her as she entered the door of the venue. It was nice to have Maya so close. Maybe Maya was looking for an excuse to touch Carina, and although she didn't want to be misunderstood, it was hard to stay away from Carina. 

There were a lot of people in the place, mostly men. Mostly everyone was having a drink and chatting. Most people came over to greet Carina and there was a special table reserved for her. After greeting most of the people, Carina went to her table. Maya first pulled out her chair so that Carina could sit comfortably, then took the fur from her shoulders and put it on another chair. Maya had already scanned everyone in the room. It was mostly old men and their wives. The young men were divided into those who were trying to hit on Carina, those who were just studying her with their eyes, and those who wanted to talk business. Maya didn't like any of them. She knew that everyone would find Carina beautiful, but it was so frustrating to see it with her eyes. It was annoying to see this when there was already the Gabriella and Carina issue at home. Maya was already keeping a lot of people away from the table with the way she looked at people. Soon Andrea joined their table. Andrea also received attention when she came in, although not as much as Carina.

Other people were always coming and sitting at Carina's table. There were 4 more bodyguards around that Maya noticed. But there was a tension in the room that she didn't like. The people here were not calm businessmen. Probably half of them had guns in their waistbands. Maya was sure that at the slightest misunderstanding the guns would start talking. But Carina had said that such events were frequent. Maya assumed they were frequent because they passed without incident. But the amount of alcohol drunk was alarming. Another detail Maya noticed was the waiter serving Carina's table. He was different from the waiters serving the other tables. Andrea had obviously thought of everything. She made sure that everything Carina was going to drink or eat was checked. Nevertheless, Carina didn't drink or eat much.

Throughout the night the meals and business talks continued. Afterwards there was dancing to soft music and people still talking or talking about work. The crowd at Carina's table had thinned. Carina was more relaxed, tired from talking all night. She occasionally glanced at Maya out of the corner of her eye. She watched Maya standing there looking around seriously. Maya looked hot to Carina in that outfit and with that expression on her face. When the table became less crowded, Carina asked Maya to sit next to her, not only because she didn't want to be far away, but also because she had been standing for so long. While Andrea was chatting with others at another table, Carina said:

"Maya, come and sit for a while." Carina said, pulling the chair next to her back a little. Maya hesitated at first but then Carina asked her for something and who was Maya to say no. Besides, Carina's desk had been empty for a while, and she knew it wouldn't be empty for a long time, so she wanted to take advantage of this moment. "Are you tired?" Carina asked Maya when she sat down.

"No, I'm fine. I'm resilient, I don't get tired easily. How is your night going?" Maya asked.

"Quite tiring and tense. But better than I expected. Andrea has thought of everything and also your close protection and attention makes me feel safe." Carina said with a smile. Maya smiled at Carina's comment. She was happy that Carina felt safe with her. Had she finally proved herself?

"I'm glad you finally feel safe with me around." Maya said. Carina smiled at Maya's thoughtfulness.

"How's your night going?" said Carina, who liked to chat with Maya. Maya sat sideways in her chair and turned to Carina, leaning in slowly to hear Carina better because of the noise. Carina repeated her question. This time very close to Maya and only in her ear. "How's your night going?" Carina said as she stood there for a while inhaling the scent of Maya's hair. Maya pulled her head back a little and looked sideways and the two of them were very close to each other. If Maya came a little closer, she could kiss her. She wished she had the courage, but neither the situation nor the mood was right.

"It would be so much better if I could kiss you right now." Maya just said. The words came out of her mouth in a moment of courage. What could have happened, Carina could have slapped Maya in public and Maya wouldn't have resisted. She wished she hadn't been presumptuous.  But now she had to be brave or they would never be able to tell each other how they felt. They had had so many of these moments today. She could feel Carina gasping for breath when they were next to each other, trying to take deep breaths. Carina raised her eyebrows in surprise when she heard what Maya had said. She locked eyes with Maya. She had a thousand words in her mind and it was hard to choose. It was not easy to speak while looking into Maya's deep blue eyes. Carina opened and closed her mouth a few times, thinking of the right words.

"What's holding you back from this?" Carina said. They were both caught up in the moment, if there was anywhere else, their lips would have met by now. Maya wanted to be somewhere else so badly. Maya looked around the room and went back to looking at Carina, as if to say there were too many people around us. Carina licked her lips and wanted to say let's talk about this again when we get out of here, but then they heard shouting from the room.

Both Maya and Carina immediately got out of their bubbles and looked around curiously. Maya quickly stood up and when she looked around, Carina's hand was on Maya's arm. Carina reflexively grabbed Maya's arm to feel safe. Maya's hand went to Carina's bag as she checked the surroundings.

"Give me the gun now." Maya said while still checking the room. Carina took out the gun without question and handed it to Maya. After Maya took the gun in her hand, gunshots started coming from the room. In a sudden move, Maya pulled Carina to her chest and she covered Carina and pulled them to the edge of the table. Maya shielded Carina in that moment of conflict. Carina rested her head on Maya's chest and was frightened by the intensity of the gunshots she heard. It was not the first time she had heard them, but the suddenness and intensity of the events frightened Carina. Maya looked up for a moment and tried to check the room. Carina hugged Maya even tighter. Maya rubbed Carina's back reassuringly with one hand, her gun in the other. She saw Andrea in the distance, gesturing for Maya to take the back exit. Because this was obviously a trap. In the room, Carina's bodyguards and Andrea had their guns out. They had faked an incident and a disturbance in the place, and the goal could have been to get to Carina and kill her.

"Carina, this must be a trap, we have to leave now." Maya said as she helped Carina to her feet.

"Maya, how are we going to get out of here, the chaos is still not over. The guns still haven't stopped. And I can't leave Andrea..." Carina said in fear. She also knew that Andrea was not the target, but she was still scared for her brother. Maya saw the fear on Carina's face. She took Carina's face in her hands. She stroked her cheek gently.

"Carina, I know you are scared, but all this chaos is so that we can get to you and kill you. We don't have time now, we have to get you out of here now. Andrea and the men are guarding us right now and I'll get you out the back door, okay? Do you trust me, Carina?" Maya said, looking into Carina's eyes. Carina immediately nodded. "Okay then give me your hand and when I say so we'll run to the hallway leading to the back door, okay?" said Maya.

"Okay I trust you, get us out of here." Said Carina and Maya looked confident and reassuring to Carina. Then Maya briefly checked the surroundings while Carina was still holding Maya tightly. She saw Andrea and the men standing a little in front of their table. Things still hadn't calmed down. They didn't even understand what had happened. When Maya realized they could leave, she took Carina's hand and pulled her towards the hallway.

As they entered the corridor, Maya relaxed a little more, realizing that at any moment a bullet could hit Carina or the assassination could be carried out. Carina was trying to run as fast as she could despite the heels on her feet. There was no time to stop and take off the shoes. If they made it to the exit, a car would be waiting there, so their only goal was to get out quickly. Maya was running fast at the front and never let go of Carina's hand. The way they held each other felt so natural and good. Carina was grateful that Maya was there with her. If she had been alone she would have panicked. Despite taking all precautions, she was caught in the middle of a confrontation. Carina couldn't believe that this conflict was aimed at her. She had done nothing to deserve this hatred.

They ran quickly down the hallway without speaking and when they reached the exit Maya opened the door and saw the car waiting for Carina across the road. Carina was grateful to Andrea for the idea of having a car waiting here in case of emergency. Maya checked around through the back exit door and didn't see anyone who could be a threat. Then she quickly got Carina out and the driver, who was waiting by the car, got in and started the car so that they could leave immediately. Now they only had to cross the road and get in the car to escape. As the two of them made their way to the car, still holding hands, they heard a voice from the side of the road.

"Carina DeLuca!" shouted a young man full of hate and anger, pointing his gun at Carina. He was not a sniper or anything. They didn't know if he was one of the guys who was at the event or not, but he had the gun pointed at her and the moment they turned to where the voice had come from, Maya pulled Carina in her hands and put her behind her back and it was a moment that they all didn't expect.

--- 

For Carina, it was the fastest five seconds of her life. Because as they walked out the back exit door, she could tell from the way Maya was looking around that the danger was still not completely over, and then Carina heard her name echoing down the street as she made her way to the waiting car. It took seconds from the moment she heard it to Maya pulling Carina away quickly and hiding her behind her back, and then she heard three gunshots, the most painful gunshots she had ever heard.

 Carina was sure that at least one of those bullets would hit her or Maya. It was as if someone was standing in front of her like a bulwark, putting her life in front of Carina's. Maya had crossed in front of Carina at such a speed and at such the right moment that when the bullet from the gunman's gun hit the road, Maya was covering Carina. As soon as she heard the man's voice, Maya raised her gun and squeezed the trigger twice as soon as she realized that Carina was safe behind her. After three gunshots, there was an ear-piercing silence. It was the silence of death. Carina tried to perceive it.

Carina had closed her eyes because of the gunshots, her head resting on Maya's back. Carina wanted to cry. It was like a tragedy. It wasn't fair and Maya was literally protecting Carina with her life at that moment. Maya never let go of Carina's hand. She held her hand tightly, fearlessly brave, so that Carina would not be afraid, so that she would feel safe.

She had curled her hand behind her back, but she didn't let go when Carina was behind her, and Carina was holding Maya as if her life depended on it. Carina looked up quickly in the silence that followed the gunshots to see the other man collapsed in a pool of blood. All three bullets had come from Maya's gun. Maya must have acted fast and shot the man, Carina thought. Then Carina felt Maya's grip loosen, and then she realized that Maya's gun had suddenly fallen from her hand with the sound of the gun hitting the floor. Then Carina screamed as she felt Maya's body weak and like she was going to collapse.

"Maya!" Carina rushed in front of Maya and Carina was shocked to see how her white shirt was dyed red with her blood.

"Carina go to the car." It came out of Maya's mouth like a whisper. Maya's hand was resting on her stomach. At that moment Maya wanted Carina to leave her and run away. To Maya, Carina was already scared enough. She pulled her hand away slightly and Carina didn't know what to do with all the blood coming out of it. Maya's eyes were blank. Carina was scared and didn't know what to do, she grabbed Maya but Maya couldn't stand any longer. Carina immediately collapsed on the floor next to Maya. Tears were falling fast from Carina's eyes. Carina pulled Maya's head into her lap.

"No, Maya, I'm here, don't let yourself go, okay? Help!" Carina said. She pressed her hand hard on Maya's wound but there was too much blood. Maya slowly lifted the hand that wasn't on her stomach and tried to put a finger on Carina's cheek.

"No, don't be scared, don't cry." Maya said, her voice barely audible, but she didn't want Carina to be scared or cry. But Maya's words made Carina cry even more. Maya had been shot while protecting Carina and now she was worried that Carina wouldn't be scared. Carina hugged Maya's head tightly against her body.

"We're going to save you, Maya, don't leave me, okay? Don't close your eyes." Carina said. "Help!" she shouted as the driver in the car that was already waiting for them reached them. When it happened, the driver quickly got out of the car, but he couldn't stop the bullets. As the man fired one shot, Maya quickly fired two shots, hitting the man in the fatal places. Maya's bullet wound was no longer visible because of the blood, but Carina realized that it was right in her stomach. She wasn't sure how serious it was. Carina was on the ground with Maya when the driver reached them. She immediately ordered the man to put Maya in the car. "Take her to our hospital now, we have to be very fast." Carina said.

Carina and her family owned shares in a private hospital. They used this hospital to avoid involving the police or the authorities in cases like gunshot wounds. The doctors they had at home could take care of minor injuries, but for such serious injuries they needed a hospital environment. Maya's eyes began to close as the driver picked her up and held her in his arms. Carina immediately took Maya's hand again. "Maya, stay here, stay with me, don't close your eyes." Carina said, still trying to keep Maya awake. She was covered in blood and Carina could no longer see normally because of the tears in her eyes. She was running towards the car with the driver when she saw Andrea coming running from behind.

"Carina, are you okay? Are you hurt?" Andrea asked frantically when he saw the blood on Carina's hands and clothes. Carina was crying so much that she couldn't speak.

"Andrea, I'm not hurt. Maya was shot while protecting me... we have to hurry to the hospital." Carina said crying and the driver put Maya in the back seat and Carina immediately got in the car herself with Maya's head in her lap. Andrea immediately got in the front seat and the driver sped off. Carina kept pressing on Maya's wound, but then she took the knife out of her leg and cut it through the slit in her dress. Then she grabbed Maya's shirt and cut it too, without bothering to unbutton it, and quickly pressed the fabric against Maya's stomach. The blood was a terrible contrast to Maya's white skin. Carina cried, holding Maya's head in her lap, loving her face. She felt so bad. Carina would never forgive herself if Maya died because of her. She hadn't had enough of Maya yet. She had just found Maya. She was just discovering that she could even have feelings for Maya. She couldn't lose Maya now.

"What happened there, Andrea?" Carina asked in a tired, exhausted voice. She was still in shock and didn't realize what had happened. She couldn't take her eyes off Maya. Maya was in a lot of pain and she couldn't keep her eyes open. From time to time, Maya let out painful moans. She was starting to pass out from the pain and loss of blood.    

"I don't know, there was a commotion and I was far away from you. Maya was the only one with you and I was worried and then I heard gunshots. I was a little relieved when Maya grabbed you and pulled you to the edge of the table. Then the first time I locked eyes with Maya, I motioned for her to take you out. Then I looked back and you were gone. I don't even know why." Said Andrea. As Carina increased the pressure on Maya's stomach, she saw Maya's face contort, her teeth clenched in pain. She pressed her lips to Maya's forehead and kissed her gently.

"We're close, Maya, we're going to save you. I'm here, you're not going anywhere." Carina said to Maya. Every now and then Maya would open her eyes and see Carina's face backwards, looking at her tenderly, and then her eyes would go dark again.

"So how did this happen? How did Maya get shot?" Andrea asked, looking back from the front seat and seeing Carina leaning over Maya. Carina was holding Maya's hand tightly, pressing her stomach at the same time. 

"Andrea, it was so sudden I didn't realize it, Maya protected me every second. After she got me out of there we only had to run out the door to the car but that's when I heard an angry voice shouting my name. Then Maya quickly hid me behind her and I only heard gunshots and then I saw the man collapse. I thought Maya shot him before he could make a move but Maya was shot too. Andrea, Maya fought so hard to protect me that if she dies because of me I might die of remorse. God, how the worst things can happen to us all the time." Carina said with tears in her eyes.

"Don't worry, we will be at the hospital very soon. You know very well that our doctors will save her. I am surprised that Maya protected you with her life, we owe her your life now. God I still can't believe that if it wasn't for Maya they could have shot you right now." Andrea said looking at her sister.

"It's okay Andrea, I'm here because of Maya. Now we have to save her. Is the man Maya shot dead? If that man is alive I want him Andrea. I will kill that man with my own hands if he is alive." Said Carina angrily.

"Don't worry, our men are looking." Andrea said and there was a grunt from Maya who was lying on Carina's lap.

"Car...ina. Carina are you okay? Ca..." Maya spoke, trying to open her eyes. Carina stroked Maya's face soothingly.

"I'm fine, Maya. Don't tire yourself talking. We are going to the hospital and we will save you." Carina said again and they were at the entrance of the hospital. Andrea got off first and asked for a stretcher. The hospital staff recognized them and quickly tried to get Maya out of the back seat. Carina also got out of the car and ran to the stretcher. She didn't want to leave Maya alone. But the stretcher was moving quickly through the hospital corridors. There was still a commotion and Maya could hear the voices of doctors and nurses. She was aware that there were a lot of people around her. She was in so much pain and clenching her teeth that she could have broken them. The last thing she saw and heard at that moment was Carina.

Carina's tear-stained face and sweet voice: "Maya, I'm here, you're going to be okay." And Maya lost consciousness completely after that.

"We're losing the patient."

"Her pulse is very low."

"Prepare the operating room."

Chapter Text

"No, no, no, Maya!" 'Carina shouted, echoing down the hospital corridor. Now she realized how serious Maya's wound was. The blood loss was already too much for her to bear. Carina watched the doctors and nurses take Maya to the emergency room. Everyone was moving very fast. But Carina couldn't sit still. She couldn't stop crying. She couldn't have lost Maya now. She couldn't believe that this could be the end of everything. She didn't want to believe it. She put her head in her hands and sat down. Andrea came and put her arm around her sister's shoulders.

"They are taking care of her, Carina, be calm." Andrea said, but Carina was aware of the situation. She heard what the paramedics were saying. They said they were losing the patient. There was so much blood. Maya had lost a lot of blood. Carina was covered in Maya's blood. Carina couldn't erase that image of Maya from her mind. She had been injured before, but she had never felt the pain she felt when she saw Maya.

She still hadn't fully recovered from the shock. There was a great pain inside her, as if she had lost someone she had known for years. She couldn't stop herself. She believed she had lost Maya. But their story had already begun, how could it end. Maybe her interest in Maya was more than just a crush. Why else would she be so upset. This sadness was more than a feeling of gratitude for saving Maya's life. There was no point in being saved if she was going to lose Maya in the end. How could Carina live with this guilt? All her life she would regret what she and Maya could not experience. Her life would be full of what ifs.

I wish I had kissed Maya at that table.

I wish I hadn't taken Maya with me that night as a bodyguard.

I wish I had told Maya how I started to like her.

I wish I had hugged her.

I wish I hadn't been afraid to touch her.

I wish I could have told her how beautiful her touch was.

While Carina was still crying, a nurse came running out of the intervention room. Carina immediately stood up and went to the nurse. Carina tried to read the nurse's face, but the nurse's face was very worried.

"Is Maya okay? Is she going to be okay?" Carina asked quickly. Andrea was looking curiously at the nurse next to Carina.

"She has lost a lot of blood and her condition is not stable. When she is stable she will need a transfusion and will be operated on. But for now let us do our job." Said the nurse and left. Carina wanted to ask more questions but she had to let them do their job. Carina turned to Andrea with a stern expression.

"Andrea go to the hospital administration and make sure that Maya is taken care of by the best doctors. Make sure they do everything for her. Then if the man who shot Maya is not dead, bring him to me. Tell them to find out who that man is and get everyone working on it." Carina said. But Andrea was worried about Carina's condition.

"Carina, our men are taking care of the man who shot Maya. You have nothing to worry about. Everyone is taking care of Maya and they have closed this floor to everyone. No one will be able to enter. I can't leave you until someone gets here to protect you. And let's get you cleaned up, you're covered in blood. I'll ask them to bring you some clothes." Andrea said. Carina had tears in her eyes again.

"I don't want Andrea, please let them save her first. I don't want anything else." Carina said, crying. She had no strength left to stand.

"They will, Carina, everyone is working for it. There is nothing we can do right now. You have to take care of yourself. Maya didn't save you to make you miserable like this. Okay? There's nothing we can do right now but wait." Said Andrea. Carina sat down again and waited for news. Soon there were a lot of guards on Maya's floor. They were all there for Carina, but Carina didn't feel safe without Maya. It was all meaningless. After a while Carina was persuaded to clean herself and put on new clothes. She changed into more comfortable clothes. There was no one there but the bodyguards.

Maya had been in surgery for many hours and Carina could feel the minutes ticking by. She had learned that Maya was finally stable, but her life was not out of danger. She would need a blood transfusion and Carina knew that a long surgery awaited them. The doctors kept sending her brief updates on Maya's current condition through the nurses. But none of it was comforting news. Most of the news ended with "you should wait".

The night passed quickly. It was now approaching morning. Carina had stopped looking at the clock. She decided to lie down in a room while she waited for the surgery to finish successfully. Her body was tired because she had cried so much and had just recovered from the shock. When she lay down on one of the hospital beds, the softness of the pillow kept her crying quietly. She cried herself to sleep but the nightmares wouldn't leave her alone. Every time she closed her eyes she had the same nightmare. Maya was injured protecting Carina. Many times Maya died. In others, Maya would walk through the door of the hospital room and tell Carina that she was okay.

When Carina fell asleep again, in a dream where Maya was lying wounded and she could do nothing, she woke up screaming Maya's name. She screamed so loud that her throat hurt and she woke up crying. Andrea came into the room worried. He calmed Carina down. He hugged her and didn't say anything. Because the only thing that could comfort Carina now was the news from the doctors.

After a while, while Andrea was hugging and calming Carina, the doctors, just out of surgery, entered Carina's room. They all looked very tired. They had been in Maya's surgery for hours. Carina stood up excitedly. They were waiting for a good word from the doctors.

"What happened, is she okay? Is the surgery over?" Carina asked.

"First of all, Mrs. DeLuca, calm down, sit down and let's talk." Said the doctor in a calm tone. But Carina knew that tone. She had heard this tone before. She remembered when her mother had died and the doctors had calmed them down in this way.

"No, no, no. You...you saved her, didn't you? Don't try to calm me down. Tell me what happened. I'm not a child." Carina started to speak. Andrea grabbed his sister's arm, she didn't know what news was coming.

"Carina, come on, sit down. Let the doctors explain the situation." Andrea said in a calming tone, but Carina shrugged her arm and got rid of Andrea's hand.

"Just explain what's going on. Please tell me you saved her." Said Carina, about to cry again. She didn't like the attitude of the doctors.

"Mrs. DeLuca, don't be afraid, our patient is alive now." The doctor said and Carina was relieved. But after this sentence she knew that a big but was coming. "But she had a very serious operation. She had already lost a lot of blood when she came here. Her condition was severe. She needed a blood transfusion. But the most important part is that the bullet unfortunately hit her liver in her abdomen and we had to remove part of her liver. It's a difficult situation but it's a good thing in the current situation. We saved a significant part of the organ. It was a difficult surgery and it's not easy to lift and recover. Now the surgery is completed. Everything is going well but the next 6 to 8 hours are very important. She will be kept in intensive care in case there is a risk of bleeding again." The doctor said.

"Okay, then what will happen. Will she wake up?" Carina asked immediately.

"We will constantly check her condition. Right now we need to wait. We need to see how the patient will react to the surgery. If the condition of the organs is good, if it is stable, we can start waking her up the next day, not tomorrow. But there is nothing you can do now. You will just wait, so try to get some rest. You will be very tired during the healing process." The doctor said and Carina was ready to get tired for Maya's recovery. Tiredness was not important.

"Thank you very much. Please take the best care of her. Don't let anything happen to her." Carina said to the doctor.

"Don't worry, everyone is taking care of her." Said the doctor.

"And when can I see her?" Carina asked excitedly and eagerly.

"Right now she is very new in surgery and there is a risk of infection and you can see her for a very short time in a sterilized way. After 8 hours, when her condition improves and she is in a normal room, you can see her for longer." Said the doctor. Carina smiled after hours. She would be able to see Maya, even if only briefly.

An hour later Maya was in intensive care and the nurses prepared Carina to see Maya. They put a bonnet over her hair and a stretchy gown over her head. Carina waited anxiously to enter Maya's room.

" Ms. DeLuca, I must warn you before you enter, you must not touch the patient, the risk of infection is too high. I suggest you see her from a distance." Said the nurse. Carina listened carefully to the nurse's advice. She didn't want to do anything that would affect Maya's healing process.

"Can I at least hold her hand?" Carina asked in her most innocent feelings. She was so desperate at that moment to feel Maya, to realize that she was still alive.

"Only with gloves." The nurse said and when she saw Carina's sad face, she felt sad and realized how much the patient meant to Carina. "Also, as a human being, not a healthcare professional, I must warn you that this may be a bit traumatic. It seems that our patient is someone dear to you. It's quite upsetting to see someone you care about in that bed, all wired and pale. It can be memorable. So be prepared." Said the nurse. Carina had already experienced this moment painfully before. She was used to these moments from her visits to the hospital when her mother was put to sleep so she wouldn't suffer.

"Thank you for the warning," Carina smiled gently. Now she was ready to see Maya. When they arrived at the door of Maya's room, the first sound they heard was the monitor showing Maya's vitals. It was a beautiful sound. It was the sound of Maya's heart beating. But there were many wires connected to the woman lying on the bed. Maya was lying in the hospital bed with a very pale complexion. Her lips were a little purple, not the sweet pink they used to be. Carina approached slowly. As she got closer and closer to Maya and began to see all the details of her beautiful face, Carina's eyes began to fill with tears, but they were happy tears. She had been so convinced that she would never see Maya again that even seeing her like this made Carina happy.

When she reached the headboard of Maya's bed, Carina took one of Maya's hands in hers. The room was cold and it was the first time Maya had ever been so cold. Carina always liked to feel Maya's beautiful warmth. But Maya was quite different from before. Carina saw the dried trails of tears from the corners of Maya's eyes to her ear. Traces of Maya's tears of pain. Carina gently caressed Maya's face with her gloved hand.

"Maya, you didn't leave me. It's all over now. You are okay now. You'll get better. You will wake up. You'll look at me with your beautiful blue eyes. You'll tell me again that you want to kiss me and this time I won't be a coward." Carina spoke with a sniffle. "Oh Maya, how did you manage to get into my heart in such a short time and in such a beautiful way. Now that you're lying here, my heart is breaking into a thousand pieces. You don't deserve this. You deserve so much better. But when you wake up, I'll give you what you deserve. First I'll take good care of you and you'll be better than before. You'll get better and then I'll give you everything you deserve and everything you want. Please last eight hours. Please, Maya. I beg you. I don't want to lose you." Carina said as she gently stroked Maya's face.

There were no tears left in her eyes. It hurt her to cry. She didn't speak any more, she just loved Maya's face and watched. A few minutes later the nurses told her that time was up. Carina had to leave the room after taking one last look at Maya. But she would be able to look through the window of Maya's intensive care room later.

Carina then took a shower and wanted to do something else to make the time go faster, but her mind was only on Maya. She couldn't focus on anything else. She was always afraid that Maya's condition would get worse. She did everything in a hurry. After the shower she tried to go back to sleep. When she realized that it was morning, she rested for a while. This time she didn't have nightmares about losing Maya. Now she saw good things, like Maya waking up and being healthy.  But every hour or so she would wake up and ask for updates about Maya.

Finally the hours began to pass. After Carina had rested a little and had something to eat, forced by Andrea, Carina gathered all her men in her room. All the guards were waiting with fear for what Carina had to say. Because they couldn't protect Carina again. Even Sullivan was standing in fear in front of Carina at that moment.

"How is it that every time I go out of my house I am attacked and my bodyguards can't protect me? Who will explain?" Carina began in a calm but tense voice.

"Boss, really..." Dean, one of the bodyguards, had joined the bodyguard squad this year and was quite well-built. His presence was reassuring, but Carina didn't care about any of that. At the end of the day, someone had been seriously injured again.

"I'm not finished yet, how do you protect me? There are men who have been trying to have me killed for months, maybe years, and you can't catch them. They're always planning attacks on me and somehow I'm a target again. Where was everyone last night? Why was only the driver at the back door? Why wasn't the place checked thoroughly? Maya warned me. She said to place men around the place to guard it from a distance. But I see you can't even protect me from close range. What am I supposed to do, kick you all out and protect myself?" Carina shouted her last sentence.

"Boss, the commotion started at the front door and spilled inside, so everyone came to the front door to protect you and we tried to protect you from the inside, but the commotion was too big." Sullivan tried to explain.

"Obviously it didn't work. You failed me again. And Maya was seriously injured. If it wasn't for her, I probably wouldn't be here right now. Did you at least catch the man who shot Maya?" asked Carina.

"He died on the spot, unfortunately. Maya was shot in some pretty deadly places." Said Sullivan.

"So again and again we have nothing. Again someone tried to kill me and again we can't find out who they are. And you haven't found the source of the chaos inside." Carina pinched the bridge of her nose in anger. "Go and question everyone who worked there, everyone who attended the event that night and don't come back here until you bring me some useful information. Do you understand me?" Carina said sternly.

"Understood boss." Said the guards and they all left Carina alone with Andrea in her room.

"I think I need to change my bodyguards. None of them are working. I'm going crazy." Said Carina.

" Okay calm down Carina I will take care of everything." Said Andrea.

"I can't calm down Andrea, I can't calm down. I was almost at the end of the road. You told me everything was under control. But it's always the same. You know what'll happen next time? They'll finally get what they want. Maybe then we can find out who did it." Said Carina.

"Carina, sometimes I think you think I'm failing on purpose. Believe me, I'm trying." Andrea said.

"Then it's not enough, Andrea. That means we're doing something wrong. You try, but the result is always the same. How many times will they fail?" said Carina. Andrea agreed with her sister, but it broke his heart that what he had done was underestimated.

"I know Carina. I wish you trusted me as much as you trusted Maya and worried about her." Andrea said in a sad voice and headed for the door to leave the room.

"Andrea!" Carina raised her voice. "I didn't tell you to leave the room, come here." Carina said and Andrea turned back and stood in front of her sister, looking at the floor. Carina sighed deeply. Then she pulled Andrea by the shoulders and hugged her. "Don't be stupid, you are my brother. There is no one in the world I love more or trust more than you. But what we've been through is too much and it's hard to live in fear. I apologize if I said something wrong. Don't compare yourself to anyone because I don't. No one can compare to you." Said Carina Andrea, hugging her sister tightly.

---

That day the doctors checked Maya frequently, but did not use any word other than stable. Carina waited with worry and hope. But in the evening the doctors came to visit Carina. This time Carina listened patiently to the doctors' news.

"The patient is responding well to treatment.There is no internal or external bleeding. She has recovered well in the hours since the operation. Now we will gradually reduce the narcosis. There is a possibility that she may wake up in the morning. She will be moved to a normal room and you will be able to see her more easily. She will also need a companion. She will need considerable care after she wakes up." The doctor explained.

"I will stay as a companion." Carina said quickly. Andrea was surprised by this quick answer. He looked at his sister in amazement. She could understand her gratitude for Maya, but he was surprised that his sister, who ran a huge mafia, wanted to be Maya's companion.

"There are plenty of people who can take care of Maya. You don't have to do it, Carina." Andrea said.

"No, I want to do it, I don't need anyone else. How many more days will she be in the hospital? We have doctors at home." Said Carina. Carina didn't want to involve anyone else in Maya's personal situation.

"After she wakes up, she needs to stay for two more days as a precaution. After that she can be cared for at home." The doctor said.

Now they had no choice but to wait again. Carina was happy as she waited for Maya to be moved to a normal room. After what had happened yesterday, something was finally going right. When Maya was finally taken to her room, Carina came to Maya's body lying on the bed. She looked better now. Her skin color looked more like Maya's. Her face looked like she was sleeping peacefully. Carina gently stroked Maya's beautiful hair.

"You are finally getting better, Maya. You are so strong and I knew you would make it." Carina said. She missed talking to Maya. She missed Maya's sweet voice and her beautiful blue eyes. Carina spent that night on a chair in Maya's room, watching Maya. The nurses were constantly checking on Maya. Maya's medication was reduced every hour.

Carina succumbed to exhaustion in the morning. Sitting in her chair, she rested her head on Maya's bed. She was sleeping in a very uncomfortable position. But in the morning she woke up to the faint grumbling she heard. For a moment she thought sleep was playing tricks on her, but when she looked up and opened her eyes, she saw Maya's face contorted into a grimace of pain. Maya hadn't opened her eyes, she was starting to wake up, but the pain seemed to be enough to wake her body. Carina quickly stood up.

"Maya?" she called, then pressed the button on the side of the bed to summon the nurse. Maya's brow furrowed. She was starting to come to. Maya had not yet opened her eyes when the doctors rushed into the room. Carina stepped back to make room for the doctors. But an excitement filled her.

"Maya, can you hear us?" one of the doctors asked. The other doctor was checking Maya's data. Maya slowly opened her eyes, her face both fearful, not understanding where she was, and in pain. When Maya opened her eyes wide, the doctors asked again. "Maya, can you hear us?" Maya nodded slightly. "Good, Maya you had an operation and you are in the hospital. Do you remember what happened last time?" the doctor asked. Maya nodded slightly but then her eyes immediately scanned the room. She opened her mouth slightly.

"Carina" Maya's voice was barely audible, her throat was so dry she couldn't speak. The moment Carina heard Maya's voice, a huge smile spread across her face. She was the first person Maya asked.

"I'm here, Maya. Don't worry." Carina said, coming a little closer. Maya immediately looked at Carina. It was nice to see Carina waiting for her in the room when she woke up. She wasn't sure if she could save Carina after what had happened. But somehow she had succeeded. Carina was standing there, healthy. "You're okay," Maya said slowly.

"Yes, I'm fine, thanks to you, Maya." Carina felt a tear fall from her eye. The doctors took a long look at Maya's condition. She was in pain because her wounds were still fresh. "Why is she in so much pain? Don't you give her painkillers?" Carina asked worriedly. She didn't want Maya to suffer any more. Maya was still not fully recovered from the medication.

"The surgery was very severe and it is normal to have pain, we will increase the dose of painkillers. Don't worry, she is doing very well." The doctor said.  When the doctor and nurses finally left Maya and Carina alone, Carina came back to Maya's bedside.

"Are you okay, Maya?" Carina asked calmly.

"I'm in pain and it feels very intense." Said Maya.

"I know Maya, but it's all over now you can rest?" said Carina, stroking Maya's hair on her forehead.

"What happened to the man, they didn't hurt you, did they?" said Maya. She wanted to know what happened.

"No, Maya, they couldn't do anything to me. Thanks to you, they couldn't even reach me. He died on the spot." Said Carina.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to kill him but he was very angry and I wanted to protect you." Maya tried to explain herself. They could have caught him and made him talk.

"Maya no, why are you apologizing, you did what you had to do. That man deserved to die anyway by shooting you. If you hadn't done it, I would have done it, believe me." Said Carina.

"I'm glad you didn't have to. I'm so glad nothing happened to you Carina." Said Maya.

"I'm grateful to you Maya, but I'm so sorry, I never meant for things to turn out this way." Said Carina apologizing.

"Carina I was there to protect you I did what I had to do don't apologize." Said Maya. There were more things she wanted to say. Like the fact that she couldn't live without Carina.

"Well, you're here now, you scared me a lot but you're better now and I'm here to make you much better, I'm going to make you better Maya." Carina said with a smile.

"You don't need to stay with me, Carina. I didn't do it for you to be grateful to me, I'm sure you have more important things to do." Said Maya.

"I don't have anything more important to do right now, Maya. Let's focus on healing you. Let's get some rest." Carina said, petting Maya's hair and watching Maya's eyes close. It was not a moment for longer conversations.

Chapter Text

Everyone at the hospital was working hard to help Maya recover. Maya wasn't allowed to stand up yet. So there was not much Carina could do. She gave Maya a drink of water from time to time. The day when Maya first woke up passed quickly. The fear was gone now. Maya felt weak and tired. She spoke little, but she liked the way Carina was always running around protectively. She was always making sure Maya stayed comfortable in bed, talking to the nurses to make sure the pain was less. When she came here, she never imagined that Carina would worry so much about her one day, but here she was. And she realized how different things were now from that first day. Carina was stirring the soup the nurses had brought for Maya to drink.

"You know I can eat it myself, right?" Maya said with a smile.

"No, Maya, your wound is very new and it could be dangerous for you to even stay sitting down. So don't talk too much and eat your soup quickly." Carina said and Maya laughed. She was never going to complain about Carina taking care of her, but she couldn't say it wasn't strange. Carina had left all her work and was here in the hospital room trying to get Maya to eat soup. Carina approached Maya with the spoon. Maya was looking at Carina's beautiful face. How beautiful she was when she was worried about herself. It was so hard not to fall in love with Carina. But what was harder was to keep it inside.

"If you focus on the spoon and not on my face, you can eat without spilling." Carina said, laughing.

"I'm sorry." Maya said, blushing. It was impossible to take her eyes off Carina. Carina was like the sun, radiant. He couldn't stop looking at her, but her beauty was also dazzling. She was obviously exhausted since the incident had happened. There was no makeup, her hair was not as well-groomed as before, but she was very natural. Carina was beautiful in every way.

"Don't apologize. I like the way you look at me, even if we haven't talked about it." Carina said and Maya felt the soup getting stuck in her throat. She tried to cough but the stitches in her stomach wouldn't let her. "Oh my God, I'm sorry. Okay, that's not what this is about." Carina said and nervously handed Maya a napkin. Maya was embarrassed and at a loss for what to do now that her feelings had come out. She was nervous. But it was clear that there was something to talk about. Maya also remembered now that after all that had happened she had said she wanted to kiss Carina the night of the event. Yes, Carina certainly hadn't forgotten that and they were going to talk.

---

Maya was feeling much better now. She could sit up a little more in bed. Today the nurses even stood up for a short time.  She wanted to take a shower, she wanted to walk around by herself, she wanted to sit up without pain. But it was too early for that.

That evening, while Maya slept, Carina had used the bathroom in Maya's room for a short shower. She wanted to go home and enjoy the comforts of home. If Maya was well enough, they could be home tomorrow. When Carina came out of the bathroom with these thoughts in her mind, she saw Maya sitting on the bed. At that moment she had forgotten that she wasn't wearing a T-shirt. Maya shook her head when she saw Carina at the door. She thought she was dreaming or hallucinating. Carina was standing in front of her in a pair of pants and a black bra. Maya swallowed hard. Maya's surprised look did not escape Carina's eyes. Carina liked it very much. She loved that Maya was so attracted to her. She was still thinking about the kiss they had both wanted so much that night, but it hadn't happened. Carina intended to make it happen as soon as possible.

"Oh, you're awake. How are you feeling?" Carina asked as she searched for her t-shirt.

"Definitely better." Said Maya. Carina smiled.

"Good, then I guess we can go home tomorrow." Carina said.

"Yeah, I guess so." Said Maya and looked at Carina's body as she put on the t-shirt. Carina had a perfect body. Her tanned skin color and flat stomach was very hot. Carina got dressed and sat down again in the chair next to Maya's bed. "You need to dry your hair, you might be sick. Why don't you dry your hair and I can use the restroom in the meantime." Said Maya.

"Okay, let me help you first. You can't go by yourself." Carina said and stood up to help Maya but Maya spoke in a hurry.

"No no, I can get up by myself. I can walk and it'll be exercise for me too. Why don't you go and dry your hair and I can go myself." Maya said and Carina did not understand Maya's objection. Then she realized from Maya's uncomfortable and worried posture why she shouldn't insist. From the moment Maya saw Carina coming out of that bathroom, she couldn't stop herself and her body from reacting. She couldn't believe she was going through this now and she needed some time alone with herself. Without seeing Carina, she let her hardness calm her thoughts and let herself pass.

"Oh okay. Maya, you know you don't have to be embarrassed by me, right? I won't judge you." Carina said.

"Oh please Carina, can you not embarrass me any more? I just need to calm my thoughts a bit. I'm sorry, believe me, I don't want to sound like a pervert or anything, but I can't help the way my body reacts. I know it's like a teenager, but I think the drugs have made it difficult for me to maintain control." Said Maya.

"Don't apologize. I didn't mean to put you in an uncomfortable situation you didn't want to be in." Said Carina and smiled. "Do you want me to call the nurse?" Carina asked.

"Oh no, I don't want the nurse to know about the special situation and think I'm some kind of pervert."  Said Maya, completely flushed. Carina laughed at Maya's distress.

"Okay I'll wait here, you can go to the bathroom by yourself or I can leave the room and leave you alone. To spend some time alone." Carina said laughing.

"Carina please don't laugh. I'm not going to do anything like you think, I just need to be alone." Said Maya.

"Okay, I'm going to leave the room now. If you need any help, please let me know or call the nurse. I'll be back in a little while." Said Carina and Maya nodded. Carina had a funny smile on her face as she left the room. It was so nice that Maya was so attracted to her and Maya's reactions were so sweet. Maya's flushed, embarrassed face was so cute. Carina was happy that Maya couldn't see the reactions of Carina's body, because if she had known how wet she was when she saw Maya, she certainly wouldn't have been so embarrassed.

When Carina left the room, Maya collapsed on the bed. She pressed her head against the pillow. "God why now. I'm completely humiliated. She probably thinks I'm a pervert or something." Maya said to herself. It was quite painful to get out of bed and go to the bathroom by herself right now, so she lay on her bed and calmed herself down.

Maya clearly felt that Carina was treating her more warmly than before. Carina was more sincere, more open in her conversations. There used to be a certain wall between them. Maybe it was a trust problem. Maya felt that this wall was beginning to crumble. Maybe they were starting to trust. Right now she could only hope that she had earned their trust. For Maya, her injury had nothing to do with gaining trust. Protecting Carina had been purely instinctive. Carina was a precious woman to be protected. Maya couldn't explain how her heart warmed towards Carina. It was overwhelming. She felt her insides melting as she looked at Carina. The fact that Carina was so worried and concerned about her, she knew that Carina must have feelings for her too. There might no longer be a trust problem between them. Another barrier between them had been removed. But she couldn't be sure until she talked to Carina.

---

After an hour Carina returned to Maya's room. During the time she was out of the room, she had a chance to talk to Andrea and some of the guards. She was falling behind with work, but Andrea tried to keep Carina up to date at every opportunity.

Maya was resting with her eyes closed when Carina entered Maya's room. When she saw that it was Carina who had entered the room, she remembered the embarrassing moment of an hour ago and couldn't help blushing.

"Hey are you feeling better?" Carina asked suggestively.

"Can we please pretend it didn't happen? I'm already extremely embarrassed. And I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to." Said Maya.

"Maya, okay, calm down. Your face is as red as a tomato right now. I can see how embarrassed you are. Don't be embarrassed, I know it was unintentional. I won't bring it up again if you want." Said Carina laughing.

"Okay, thank you. You're still here, don't you have work to do?" said Maya.

"Why do you keep trying to get me out of here? Do you want me to leave?" said Carina.

"Oh no, of course not. It's just that I know how busy you are and the hospital might not be safe. You don't have to stay here just because you're grateful to me. You can relax." Said Maya.

"Maya, this isn't about gratitude. You got shot protecting me. Of course I will take care of you, I have nothing else to do right now." Said Carina.

"Why are you doing this Carina. Do you stand by your other bodyguards when they get shot? Do you make them eat soup and then wreck yourself in hospital corners? Why?" said Maya. Carina looked into Maya's eyes.

"Isn't it obvious, Maya? I care about you. We're always on the edge of the subject. But it's true. I care about you. I had a big trust problem at first, but little by little you got into my head. You made me trust you. It's not just that you got shot for me. You gave me real trust in the process. Talking to you and spending time with you always made me feel so good. And when you were shot, I was afraid of losing all that. Some things cannot be understood without losing or fearing loss. This is like that, so don't question it too much. I care about you and I want to take care of you. Don't push me." Carina said. Maya did not know what to say to Carina's words.

"Thank you, really. I came to you the wrong way, but things are different now. I care about you too." Maya said, embarrassed.

"Yes, I knew that when you jumped in front of bullets for me." Carina said laughing. Maya laughed, blushing. She had succeeded. She had earned Carina's trust. In many ways she had Carina's trust. Her heart was next. "I spoke to your doctor. Tomorrow they will check your wound and if there is nothing wrong and you feel fine we can go home. Don't worry, you know we have a doctor at home and you will be well taken care of." Said Carina.

"I have no doubt I will be well taken care of. It will be good to go home. You can be safer too." Said Maya.

"Don't worry about me. They're guarding the hospital, they've closed the floor just for us, but I still feel safer at home." said Carina.

"So is there any information about the incident? Did anyone else see the man who was shot in the commotion?" asked Maya. Carina sighed deeply. Maya noticed Carina's troubled face. She sat up a little more anxiously. "What's wrong?" Maya asked. She wanted to reach out and hold Carina's hand or wrap her arms around her until all her worries and fears were gone.

"I don't know, I don't know how right it is to tell you this, maybe now is not the right time?" said Carina. Maya was surprised if it was a question of trust again.

"Oh okay, right, security issues." Maya said looking at her hands. Carina reached out and took one of Maya's hands. Maya was startled by the touch. It was a nice warm touch.

"No Maya that's not what this is about. You're in the hospital, your injuries are very serious and I didn't want to burden you with my problems. You're already having a hard time because of me." Said Carina.

"Carina, none of this is your fault. Don't feel bad. I would love to help you. I may not be very useful right now, but at least you can tell me about it." Said Maya.

"Okay. Here's the thing, I get attacked all the time, as you know. I have a lot of protection, but somehow they get past the security. There is always a security weakness. Andrea and my head of security are working hard but look here we are. If it wasn't for you, Maya, I wouldn't have survived this. I'm very aware of this. And I can't figure it out. We haven't caught the people who have been carrying out these attacks for months. It makes me think a lot. Again, thanks to you, we have started to gather some information, but nothing more." Said Carina. Maya thought Carina was right, how could so many people not solve this problem. Carina was a powerful mafia but she had security problems.

"Hmm, you're right. It's really annoying that you still haven't made any progress. And you're right about the vulnerability. It's always open somewhere. You need to talk to everyone responsible. And my advice is to be ruthless, don't be emotional. Don't trust even those closest to you in a situation like this. But as soon as I get out of here, I promise I'll speed up this investigation. We'll solve it as soon as possible. Don't worry." Said Maya.

"Thank you Maya, you really comfort me a lot. You make me feel safe. Right now I can't trust anyone but you and Andrea. Something tells me that there is a mole among us. But it's so hard to find it." Said Carina.

"Yes, it's hard, but not impossible. Just hang in there a little longer and as soon as I feel better I would like to help you if you want." said Maya.

"I'd love to, Maya. I feel really lost." Said Carina. Maya held Carina's hand tightly.

"It's going to be okay. Don't stop believing. Don't tell anyone about these fears for now. Don't talk to anyone about it." Said Maya. Carina nodded.

The air in the room was very light for both of them. Carina felt safe after a long time. She didn't feel lost on the road. It felt good to feel that someone was with her. The rest of the day was quiet. Maya was sleeping and resting a lot because of the medication. Carina was curled up on one of the armchairs next to Maya's bed. She watched Maya every waking moment. She couldn't believe how irresistible her feelings were flowing through her like the water from a dam that had been breached.

She was melting for Maya. Their conversation today had created something different inside her. Before these events, her attraction to Maya had been more physical than emotional. There were feelings, but she thought it was all about sexual tension. But now she could feel that it was both emotional and very physical. Even too emotional. She desperately had an instinct to feel Maya. Somehow she always wanted to be with Maya, to be in touch with her. It was as if there was an unending longing inside her.

She wondered how everything would be when they got out of here. She wanted Maya to get well soon. When she did, she wanted to give her a long hug. Of course she wanted to do a lot more than just hug her. But hugging was out of bounds right now. So she wanted to skip the healing process as soon as possible. She wanted to see Maya back to her healthy, strong self.

The next morning Maya was feeling better. She was more eager to go home. After her conversation with Carina yesterday, she wanted to work for Carina. She wanted to free her from this life of fear of attack. Even the possibility of a traitor in their midst made Maya want to get out of bed right now.

They waited nervously for the doctor. There was so much to talk about but they preferred not to start a conversation, for now they just wanted to get out of this hospital. Carina paced the room nervously. When the doctor arrived, she excitedly went to Maya's bedside.

"Hello, how are you feeling today?" the doctor asked.

"Definitely better. I think I'm ready to go now." Maya said immediately.

"Very good, but don't hurry, the condition of your wounds is very important. Let's check your wounds and then we will talk again." Said the doctor with a smile.

Together with the nurses, they looked at the condition of Maya's wounds and since the necessary scans were being carried out all the time, they reviewed the current information and returned to the conversation. Maya could see that her wound was starting to heal, but the pain was still quite high. The stitches were taking up a lot of space in her abdomen.

"Yes, there does not appear to be any infection in your wound. Your scans also look good. But you still need to be careful. You can leave, but I am only giving you this permission because you have a doctor at home. I want you to come back in two weeks for a check-up." The doctor said.

"Don't worry, I will make sure that Maya is taking care of herself and will come back in two weeks," Carina said.

"I have no doubt." Said the doctor and smiled as the nurses removed Maya's IV and helped her get ready. Maya especially wanted the nurses to help her get dressed. She wanted to keep Carina out of the process so she wouldn't be embarrassed again. When Maya finally came to Carina, dressed and ready to go, Carina smiled. At last Maya was better than she had been in that hospital bed. She looked more like her old self.

"Okay, now that you're ready, we can go. They have prepared the cars. Don't worry, we'll go very slowly and I'll do my best to make sure you don't have any pain." Carina said. Maya smiled as if to say thank you. They put Maya in a wheelchair. As Carina pushed the wheelchair, several guards escorted them to the exit. Maya realized there were more guards.

"Maya, so sorry for your condition. I didn't get to visit you, I'm a little late to thank you." Andrea said as she escorted Carina and Maya through the hospital corridors.

"Thank you." Said Maya with a smile. Gauging Andrea's sincerity.

"No really Maya, thanks to you my sister is here and healthy. So don't be modest. What you did was brave. No one else would have done it." Andrea said seriously, showing her gratitude.

"It's really no big deal. I did what I had to do." Said Maya.

"Okay, we can continue this conversation when we get home. Maybe Maya will stop being so modest then." Said Carina.

"Yes we have your room ready Maya and Amelia will help you. You don't have to worry." Said Andrea.

"Thank you for everything." Said Maya.

"This is nothing compared to what you did. Don't even mention it." Andrea said, and Maya could feel Andrea's trust starting to grow.

With the help of Andrea and a few bodyguards, Maya settled into Carina's car. Maya felt that the pain had subsided a little thanks to the painkillers she had taken. She was also still tired, exhausted and sleepy. When they got into the car, Carina immediately sat next to Maya, asking her at the beginning of every minute if Maya was okay. She put a pillow around Maya's waist and worried all the time.

"I can make it home, Carina, it's okay, don't worry so much." Maya said.

"Maya, do you realize the surgery you had? I don't want you to suffer now that we're going home. The car will shake, you might be in pain, you have to be careful. There must be a way to stabilize you." Said Carina.

"Maybe you can sit closer to me, that might help." Said Maya, raising her eyebrows flirtatiously. She could choose to be more confident now, Maya thought, rather than blushing all the time. They were both flirting with each other. Carina smiled when she heard Maya's request.

"Yes, it's all for your own good." Carina said with a giggle.

"Oh yes, of course you can hold me in case of a sudden jolt." Said Maya. Carina moved closer to Maya.

"Do you want a hug too?" Carina asked teasingly.

"If my tummy wasn't full of stitches, I would definitely say yes." Said Maya. Then Carina's face fell. She felt guilty.

"You're right." Carina said. Maya immediately reached for Carina's hand.

"No, don't fall on your face, I'm kidding. Why are you feeling so upset?" Said Maya.

"You know when you shot me in the arm and every time you saw me you asked about my arm? How bad you felt about my wound. I didn't pull the trigger but you got shot because of me. So I can't stop feeling responsible." Said Carina.

"Carina, it's not the same. Don't worry, I'll be fine, and it's not my first gunshot wound. I'm used to it. Soon I will be better than before." Said Maya.

"Okay, I hope you get better soon because I don't know how much longer I can live with this guilt." Said Carina, looking at Maya's hand in hers. After a while Maya pulled her hand away so as not to disturb Carina any more.

"It will pass. And don't focus on these things. We have other things to focus on." Maya said.

"Don't worry for now. I know I bored you yesterday with all my worries, but wait for healing." Said Carina.

The rest of the way Maya felt even more sleepy because of the shaking. Carina offered her shoulder so that Maya could sleep. Although it was not a comfortable position, Maya rested her head on Carina's shoulder. She lay there peacefully for the rest of the journey.

When they reached home, Carina calmly woke Maya. She took Maya's arm as they entered the house. Andrea was also standing by to help. Maya walked slowly to the door of the house with Carina's help. As soon as she entered the house, she saw Gabri, the first person Maya had ever heard of and the only rival she had ever seen. She quickly threw herself around Carina's neck.

"Oh, God, Carina. I've been so worried. I haven't slept for days. Are you okay?" Gabri said worriedly. Carina had not expected this interaction. She knew how much Gabri cared about her, Gabri was always concerned for Carina's well-being, always worried about her. But she didn't expect this as soon as she entered the house with Maya. She knew how jealous Maya was of Gabri. By the pool she had almost interrogated Carina about Gabri. Carina looked around the silent room for a moment.

There was Gabri, curious, waiting for her to speak, Andrea, bewildered, seeing her sister standing between the two women, and Maya, blushing with jealousy and waiting to see what would come out of her mouth. All three of them had different expectations of Carina. Carina was afraid that she would have to be cut into thirds. Carina was intimidated by the days to come.

Carina thought to herself "Oh Fuck! Now I'm screwed."

Chapter Text

From the moment they entered the house, Gabri followed Carina. She was worried and worried about Carina. Carina knew Gabri's good intentions and didn't want to break her heart, but what she didn't know was that Maya's heart would be broken. Because Carina had assigned the staff at the house to put Maya in her room. Maya went to her room without complaining or even speaking. She took her pills and went to bed. She was clearly upset. Of course Carina couldn't be with her all the time, but she liked Carina's attention. Now Carina was distracted. She had expected to be distracted by work, but she hadn't counted on the Gabri factor.

"Carina, I tried to reach you. Maybe I should have been given more information than the housekeepers were given. What do you think?" Gabri said as she followed Carina to her room. Carina didn't like being held accountable. She had already had a terrible time. She couldn't deal with Gabri's need for information now.

"Gabri, believe me, I've had such a bad time that I didn't even think about it. Besides..." Carina interrupted Gabri and grabbed Carina's arms.

"I thought Carina, you came to my mind. I was worried about you. You mean so much to me and I'm so afraid that something bad will happen to you. One day you get shot in the arm, the next day your house guest gets shot. I was going out of my mind." As Gabri spoke, Carina saw the sincere fear in Gabri's eyes. Everyone was suspicious of Carina now, but Gabri was different. Gabri was the woman she had trusted in her bed for the last few years.

"I know you're right, I'm sorry. But you know my work and my life. So don't think about me so much, anything can happen to me at any time. Even I've prepared myself for it." Carina said. Gabri rested her forehead on Carina's shoulder.

"Carina, don't say such things. What would I do if something happened to you?" Said Gabri.

"Hey you know you'll have a good life without me, we talked about that. Okay, nothing will happen." Said Carina.

"No Carina, it's not the financial stuff I'm worried about. I can still make money. But I won't feel as safe as I do with you. I can't care about anyone the way I care about you." Gabri said and began to kiss Carina's lips. Carina flinched as Gabri's lips touched hers. This was not the kiss she had been thinking about lately, she felt out of place and pulled away.

"Gabriella, we talked about this. No feelings involved. We won't do this. It would hurt you and it would hurt me." Carina said, taking Gabriella by the arm and putting some distance between them.

"Okay, I understand, it's my fault." Said Gabri, heading for the door.

"Gabri, I care about you too, very much. You mean a lot to me. But let's not let it be more than that. I'll make sure you're not worried from now on." Carina said and Gabri nodded and left.

When Gabri left the room, Carina put her head in her hands and took a deep breath. Everything had happened so many times that she had forgotten how to breathe. For a moment she felt bad for sending Maya to her room alone. But she wanted to give Maya space to rest and heal. Maya shouldn't be stressed by Carina's problems while she was recovering. Carina went up to her room and took a long shower. She felt relieved to finally feel at home, her tiredness gone. Of course she was happy that Maya was well now. Otherwise it would have been hell for Carina to return home. Carina thought about going to Maya's room after she had had some rest until the evening. She thought she had given her enough time to rest. At least she could check if she was okay.

As Carina made her way to Maya's room, she heard loud laughter coming from behind the slightly ajar door. She definitely recognized a voice. Dr. Amelia. They had wanted Amelia to look after Maya's health, but Carina hadn't wanted her to flirt with Maya. Carina knew how much Amelia liked to flirt. The fact that Maya didn't know she was the one who shot Carina and thought she was just another guest in the house obviously paved the way for flirting. Carina walked in to see Amelia sitting on Maya's bed next to Maya's feet. Maya had a very happy smile on her face. Carina wondered when Maya had ever smiled so much in her presence. Amelia stood up as soon as she saw Carina come in. Like everyone else in the house, Amelia respected Carina. Amelia stood up more seriously.

"Hello, I hope I'm not interrupting your conversation." Carina said. Maya didn't understand Carina's expression. Was she angry? Was she forbidden to communicate with anyone else? Amelia was just a doctor to Maya after all.

"No, I checked Maya's stitches, we were talking about when we could take them out." Amelia explained.

"I didn't know stitches were so funny." Said Carina. Maya understood now. Carina was uncomfortable with Amelia's presence, laughing with Amelia.

"No, it wasn't funny. Amelia tried to cheer me up a bit in this situation. And it worked. Thank you Amelia. I will take your advice into consideration." Said Maya.

"You're welcome, Maya. Get well soon and I'll check again soon." Said Amelia and smiled at Carina and Maya and left the room. Carina was looking out the window of Maya's room. Maya looked at Carina, she had taken a nice shower, she looked better groomed. As usual she was too hot for Maya's good.

"What was that about?" Maya said, trying to understand Carina's demeanor. Carina remained silent without turning around. She was thoughtful. "Carina?" Maya called out again.

"Are you feeling better? Are you in pain?" Carina asked as she looked outside. A million thoughts were chasing each other in her mind.

"I'm better, I think the medicine is helping." Said Maya.

"Have a good rest. They will keep checking on you in case you need anything." Said Carina and turned around and looked into Maya's eyes. She melted when she looked into those blue eyes.

"And you? Are you going to check on me? What if I need you?" Maya asked. Carina smiled slightly, but it was a bitter smile.

"Why would you need me. I don't bring goodness and happiness into anyone's life and I didn't bring it into yours. Look, I came into your life somehow and your life was ruined. First you couldn't shoot me. Then you can't go home because you failed. I keep you prisoner here and you get shot protecting me. What do you need me for?" Carina said. Maya was surprised and angry that Carina was suffering so much. Carina had actually done nothing, but she still felt guilty.

"Carina, can you please come here? I can't stand up, please come." Said Maya. Carina approached slowly. She stood next to Maya's bed. Maya immediately grabbed Carina's hand. "None of this is your fault. It's not your fault that people wanted to kill you. Maybe it's your fault that I couldn't shoot you." Maya said and laughed. Carina looked at her curiously.

"How?" Carina asked.

"You may not remember the moment I saw you, but our eyes met and my brain stopped. I forgot what I was supposed to do. It was like the world stopped. If you hadn't looked into my eyes, I would have succeeded. But you looked at me in such a way that I forgot everything, Carina. You don't deserve anything bad in this life. Don't blame yourself all the time. You can only bring happiness into people's lives." Maya said, squeezing Carina's hand lightly.

"But you don't smile around me. I don't remember you ever being happy with me or laughing like you did with Amelia, because being with me doesn't bring happiness to anyone." Said Carina.

"Carina, I get so nervous when I'm with you. I'm always trying to calm my movements, my heart rhythm, I get so excited. Yes, I confessed, that's what happens, Carina, no matter how much I try to hide it. That's why I made a fool of myself in the hospital room." Maya said laughing. Now Carina was smiling too. She sat next to Maya without letting go of her hand.

"You are so different Maya. I remember the first time I saw you, and now that you've told me, I remember it more clearly. I was stunned by the blue of your eyes. But then I was in shock, I thought you were a man under all your camouflage clothes. But then I saw you in my room and everything changed. I couldn't believe that you were the same person who held that gun. Your eyes told a very different story. I'm glad you are like this because your eyes, your speech, your presence makes me very happy. Maybe it's too early to say more, but yes, that's what happened." Carina said with a smile.

"I'm glad we can finally say some things and I'm also glad that my presence makes you happy." Said Maya.

"Of course you are. And you excite me too. Especially when you said you wanted to kiss me that night." Carina said, biting the corner of her lip. Maya's body tightened. There was that speech again. She had said it in a moment of courage. She didn't regret it, but she was ashamed. Her face began to flush. "Don't be embarrassed, I just can't get it out of my mind, just so you know." Carina said.

"Uh, well, yeah. I was honest. I said what I felt in the moment and what happened to us afterwards made me think I'm glad I did. Because there's no guarantee of the next moment. I don't want to regret something because I didn't do it." Said Maya. They both looked deeply into each other's eyes. Carina looked at Maya's lips. She was having one of those moments of courage. But she was nervous. She didn't want to do the wrong thing and hurt Maya, but Maya looking at Carina's lips wasn't helping. Carina started to lean in slightly, but a knock on the door made her pull away and their hands left each other. Carina jumped to her feet.

"Yeah, uh, I'm glad you're okay Maya, I'll visit you later." Said Carina Maya, trying hard not to laugh at Carina's flustered state. It was one of the housekeepers who came in. She had brought Maya an extra pillow and a blanket.

"Thank you, Ms. DeLuca." Maya said with a smile. Carina gave Maya a look and then left the room. Carina didn't want to give gossip to the people at home before they knew what had happened. But her mind was on Maya. If it were up to her, she would always stay in Maya's room.

Three days had passed since Maya had come home. Carina usually tried to monitor Maya's health from a distance. Gabriella wanted to make Carina forget the hard times she had been through. She offered Carina suggestions, but Carina politely refused. She kept saying she was tired, but Gabriella didn't really believe it. Carina never took this long a break from sex. Gabri knew that Carina needed her. She thought Carina wouldn't let anyone else touch her. In fact, she was. But Carina wanted Maya's touch, she wondered. She wanted to know how she would react.

Carina was busy with work every day. Everyone was still trying to find out who had done the assassinations. Carina was overwhelmed. As she tried to focus on her work, she was haunted by the fact that they couldn't find those responsible for the assassinations and she wanted Maya to help her. Maya was the only person who had recently begun to give Carina confidence and peace of mind. It hadn't been easy for them to get to this point and to Carina everything seemed like a big joke. Maya's efforts to find out who was behind it, first through her friend and then by shielding Carina from bullets, had brought them to this point.

In the middle of the night, Carina took the last puff of a cigarette in her room and pressed the butt into the ashtray. Her feet took her to Maya's room. Slowly she opened the door. Maya was sleeping peacefully on her back. She could see part of Maya's face in the faint light coming through the window. Carina had a huge urge to cry. She wanted to forget all the troubles that life had thrown at her. Her feet brought her here every time. Carina sat on the empty space in Maya's bed. Maya was lying on the right side of the double bed and was not moving because of her wounds. Carina curled up in the remaining space. As soon as she put her head on the pillow, her eyes filled with tears. She wanted to wake Maya up right now, to hug her, to commiserate with her, but she wasn't going to wake Maya from her sleep just because she was overwhelmed. Carina fell asleep crying silently. Before she knew it, she was curled up next to Maya, asleep.

Maya had a deep but restless sleep because of the medication she was taking. She had confusing dreams. Most of them were horrible dreams in which Carina was present and in the end one of them was injured. She woke up frightened from her last dream. She jumped out of bed, so frightened that she almost sat up quickly. Then when she opened her eyes and saw the woman lying next to her, she was frightened and startled again. She was drenched in sweat after so much fear in the dark of the night. Carina was awakened from her sleep by Maya's frightened movements on the bed. Maya was panting and sweaty with a frightened look on her face. Carina sat up quickly.

"Maya, are you okay? Does it hurt?" Carina asked worriedly. Then she turned on one of the lamps on the bedside table. Maya's frightened face relaxed a little when she saw Carina's face.

"No, I had one nightmare after another and then I got scared when I saw you in bed. Did something happen, why are you here?" asked Maya.

"I couldn't sleep, I wanted to check on you, I fell asleep and I didn't want to scare you." Said Carina.

"No, it's okay, I wish you had woken me up." Said Maya. She wished Carina had woken her up. They could have chatted together. Maybe they could have continued their last conversation.

"You were sleeping so well. I didn't want to disturb you, but Maya, you're so sweaty, let's get you changed." Carina said. Maya agreed as she could feel that her shirt was soaked through. Her neck and face were sweaty. But she needed someone to help her change. "What were the nightmares about?" Carina asked as she looked in the closet for a T-shirt.

"I think I relive that night over and over again, with dreams, but most of the time you get hurt. It's like an endless loop. I keep getting shot and dying and then it happens again. It's like a stupid movie. I don't need a bra. It hurts my wounds." Maya said last. Carina felt sad that Maya was suffering even in her dreams. Carina spoke as she went back to bed after finding a loose t-shirt.

"I'm sorry about the nightmares, if you want we can talk to your doctor and ask them to prescribe a medicine for these dreams and sleep." Said Carina. She sat down next to Maya.

"Um, maybe. I'm on so much medication right now that if I take that, my stomach will shut down. The nightmares might be temporary. The antibiotics make me restless, it will pass when I stop taking them." Said Maya.

"I hope it will pass, I don't want you to suffer any more. Dreams reflect our subconscious fears. Are you scared of something happening to me?" said Carina.

"That night I was so scared that something would happen to you and when I was shot, for some reason I had the feeling that something had happened to you. When I was unconscious I felt like you were in pain. I was scared without even knowing how you were." Said Maya. Carina's eyes welled up. Maya felt Carina's anxiety, fear and pain.

"I was so scared that night that something would happen to you. You lost a lot of blood. When we arrived at the hospital, your pulse was so low that for a moment I thought I had lost you." Said Carina, Maya held Carina's hands.

"Nothing happened, I'm here, I somehow felt you were there." Said Maya. Carina then pulled herself together before she started crying.

"Okay, let's get you changed before you get sick. Do you mind if I dress you? I can turn off the light or something if you want." Said Carina trying to find a solution.

"No, I don't need to, I can't do it on my own right now. I don't think you would check her breasts while helping a sick woman." Said Maya laughing.

"I can't promise if you are the sick woman." Said Carina biting her lower lip. "Okay come on I promise I won't look at you in a way that makes you uncomfortable." Said Carina and Maya straightened up more and approached Carina. Carina took a deep breath and brought her hands to the hem of Maya's t-shirt. She slowly lifted it up. Of course Maya had perfect breasts and she wanted to look at them, but her priority was not to hurt Maya. Carina carefully pulled the shirt off completely. Maya was naked in front of her. She couldn't hide her gulp. Maya looked amused at Carina's reactions. Carina took the towel and wiped the sweat from Maya's forehead and then from her neck. Then she waited until her hands were on Maya's breasts. Maya nodded. When Carina dried between Maya's breasts, Maya laughed as she saw Carina's eyes fixed on her breasts.

"That's not fair. You can see and touch my breasts and I get nothing." Maya said complainingly. Carina was in a trance. She was clearly admiring Maya's body. Even the scar on her stomach couldn't spoil Maya's beauty.

"You're so beautiful, Maya. You have a beautiful body." Carina said, trying to compose herself.

"You can touch me." Maya said without waiting. She wanted it so much right now. She wanted Carina to touch her, to feel her warmth.

"No, I won't do that right now, I won't do anything that could hurt you. Can I save that for later?" Carina said as she put down the towel and picked up the t-shirt. Maya grabbed Carina's arm and pulled her to her. Now Maya was leaning against the headboard and Carina was standing over Maya. Carina pressed her hand on the bed next to Maya so she wouldn't fall on top of Maya.

"You can keep your rights, but give me something. Something I can think about while you're not here..." Maya said as she moved back and forth between Carina's eyes and lips. Carina bit her lower lip and then took a deep breath. It was finally happening. She was finally going to taste Maya's sweet pink lips. Their faces were already so close. Carina could feel her own breasts against Maya's now hard nipples through her T-shirt. Carina closed her eyes and pressed her lips to Maya's. Maya took a deep breath. She held herself back from moaning.

Carina pulled back a little and looked into Maya's eyes, then attacked Maya's lips for more. Maya parted her lips a little more. The wet sound of their kiss began to fill the room. Maya guided the arm Carina was holding to her chest. Carina was already eager to do this. She took Maya's breast in her hand, feeling its size without squeezing too hard. A slight moan escaped Maya as she moved her fingers to the tips of her breast and began to squeeze gently and Maya now pushed her tongue between Carina's lips. Carina gladly accepted and their tongues found each other. Maya had started something dangerous. She began to feel the discomfort of her penis, which was getting hard between them again. She knew they could go no further.

Carina squeezed Maya's breast with her hand as if she didn't want to stop. Her lips seemed to want to taste more of Maya. She was sucking Maya's lips and when they both needed air, Carina pulled away a little. She leaned their foreheads together.

"We are doing us both a disservice now. It can't be more than this and now we're going to suffer. Especially you." Carina laughed, hinting that Maya might be getting hard.

"Yes, this is painfully beautiful right now. I'm sorry we have to stop." Maya said as she moved her hips a little. She didn't want her hardness to show but after this kiss it was undeniable.

"Don't be sorry, that was perfect for me. Now let's do what we really need to do, let's get you dressed." Carina said and removed her hand from Maya's breast. Maya felt sad that Carina's warmth was gone. Then she let Carina put the t-shirt on her.

"You're going to sleep here, aren't you?" Maya asked innocently. She didn't want to leave Carina after the hot make-out session she had just had.

"I can stay, but you can be comfortable." Said Carina.

"Don't be silly, come on, but you can sleep closer than you just did. Maybe you can try to hug me." Said Maya laughing.

"Maya, no, we've already done everything we shouldn't have done. I can just sleep closer." Said Carina.

"Okay, okay, I'll settle for that for now." Said Maya happily. "I need a cold shower." Maya added. Carina got up from her pillow.

"Maya! You can't say that. I feel bad right now." Carina said.

"Don't feel bad, I need a shower anyway, they haven't let me shower since I arrived but a cold shower would be nice right now. I'm starting to hate dry shampoo." Said Maya.

"Are you already hard?" asked Carina with a mischievous look and curiosity.

"Um, almost a little. You can't blame me for that." Said Maya laughing.

"I don't blame you, but does it hurt?" said Carina.

"A little bit, but it will pass. It's not enough to take away my happiness right now." Said Maya.

"Stupid." Said Carina laughing. "Your stitches will come out in a few days and then you can shower as much as you want." Said Carina.

"Yeah, maybe you can help, you know, I'm not healed yet." Said Maya with a grin.

"I don't think you should push your luck, go to sleep." Said Carina.

"I can't sleep with the sound of my heart beating." Said Maya. She wanted to get up and run around. She wanted to scream how good Carina's kiss felt. She wanted to scream and kiss Carina more and more until she understood the suffocating feeling in her heart. Carina put her hand over Maya's heart and felt the rhythm. Her heart was really beating fast. It was racing with her own heart.

"Calm down, this is just the beginning, I don't want you to have a heart attack when you recover." Carina said.

"So there will be more of this then?" Maya asked, but Carina closed her eyes. But in the dark Maya couldn't see Carina laughing.

"'Come on, sleep. Good night." Carina said.

"Good night, Carina." Said Maya.

Chapter Text

Carina woke up next to Maya. They had slept close at night, but Carina had kept her distance again so as not to hurt Maya. She wished she could sleep on Maya's chest. But just waking up next to Maya was a nice way for Carina to start her day. She looked at Maya's sleeping face. Her face was as smooth as marble and so beautiful. Sometimes she marveled at Maya's beauty. She wondered if Maya realized how beautiful she was. Carina watched Maya's face for a while. She looked at her chest rising and falling. She thought about the feelings she had felt last night. She remembered Maya's beautiful body. They had just experienced such a moment, as if they had been waiting for this moment for years.

It was a moment that excited them both so much, but she didn't know how they had come to this moment. Maya was so hard to resist. Carina didn't want to give in to Maya any longer, but she was on an irreversible path. She wanted more and more, but she knew in her heart that it would lead them both to bad places. Carina couldn't make someone else happy with this life. She couldn't be in a relationship with anyone else. She couldn't think about anyone else in this life. She didn't have time to build the family she had always dreamed of.

Could she use Maya just for sex, like Gabri? Who was she kidding? Her heart was involved here. Her emotions were starting to get involved. She was in a dangerous game. Carina was overwhelmed by her own insecurities and the uncertainty of her life. Her brain was talking so loudly that she didn't want to disturb Maya with her distress. She slowly got out of bed. It was still early in the morning and she figured Maya would sleep more because of the medicine, so she left Maya alone with her peaceful sleep.

Carina went to her room, took a long shower and got ready for the day. She still had a thousand things to do. She was still thinking about the mole inside them. She thought that Maya might be right and sometimes she didn't even feel safe at home anymore. The worst part was that she couldn't talk to anyone and share it. She trusted her brother, but she wasn't ready to tell him. After all, Carina was a human being and she had the right to have doubts. She wasn't even going to tell Andrea until she was sure about everyone.

Maya's brain woke up before her eyes opened. Last night she had slept with the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. She had slept feeling her scent. Most importantly, she could taste those lips now. It was more beautiful than she had ever imagined. She felt Carina's hands on her body all over again. When Maya opened her eyes, Carina was not there. Maya looked at the bedside clock. When it normally was. She had slept much longer. It was almost noon. She was startled by the voice of the employee entering the room.

" Hi, it's already breakfast time and time for your medication. Allow me to help you. I thought maybe you would like to at least walk around the room today, what do you say?" Said the young working woman. Since Maya had just woken up and only had Carina on her mind, it took her a while to process the woman's words. The woman looked at Maya's face as if asking a question.

"Yes, of course I do." Maya said and sat up in bed and after she had her breakfast and medication Amelia came into the room to let her get out of bed.

"Maya, you look much better." Amelia said with a smile. Maya liked Amelia's energy. As much as Carina was jealous of Maya, Maya wanted to be friends with someone in this house.

"Oh yes, I definitely feel better, maybe I can take a walk." Maya said.

"Maya you can stand up of course but your stitches are not out yet. So you have to be careful. You can take a walk in your room. Depending on the condition of your stitches, we can extend it to a day or two. Then you will have more freedom of movement." Said Amelia.

"My wound is healing and I want to get back to my old self. How long will this take? I'm sick of the medicine." Maya complained.

"I know Maya, but it was a very serious surgery. An important part of one of your internal organs is missing. So you need to be careful with your recovery. Don't worry, we will do our best. Be patient." Amelia said.

"Okay, I will be patient, but when will I be completely healed?" Maya asked.

"I can't give you an exact time, your wound will heal in a few weeks, but it may take longer to heal from the inside. You'll have to be careful for a long time. Maybe a few more months." Said Amelia.

"A few months, Amelia, I need to be back on my feet sooner than that. Carina needs..." Maya was going to tell Carina that she needed to help her but then she didn't think she trusted Amelia enough to talk to her.

"Maya, the healing process will depend entirely on how well you take care of yourself, so don't get upset now. Come on, I'll help you get up and take a look outside." Amelia said. Then Maya stood up and walked around the room for a while. Then she approached the window and looked out. Then her heart skipped a beat as the sight met her eyes. Carina in all her splendor was talking to some of the employees. She had a serious face. Maya couldn't help the smile that involuntarily appeared on her face. Just seeing this woman was a joy.

" Oh Carina, I should have known." Amelia said, laughing immediately. Maya immediately looked at Amelia and tried to explain. "You don't need to explain Maya, most people in this house are in love with Carina at a certain level. That's normal but don't get too excited. Carina doesn't really look at anyone except Gabri." Said Amelia.

"What do you mean?" asked Maya.

"Have you ever seen anyone in this house not doing their job? Everyone is devoted to Carina. She is very beautiful, very kind and at the same time noble. Most people are in love or admire her. It's easy to get caught up in her like a vortex. Everyone respects her and believe me, I even tried my luck, she only flirts, she's not open to anything more, so Carina doesn't open her heart. So don't get your hopes up." Amelia said and Maya felt her heart breaking. Carina was always around, yes, but opening her heart was something very different. Maya wasn't even sure yet that Carina wanted her heart, but still those words hurt.

"And Gabri? I thought they weren't having an affair." Said Maya.

"I mean, they say there's no relationship, but think about it, she's only slept with her for years. She didn't need anyone else. She didn't want anyone else, emotionally or physically. When you've been with someone for that long, you get attached. So don't get too close if you don't want to be the one who gets burned in this story. The sun is bright and beautiful, but it burns when you get too close." Said Amelia.

For the rest of the day Maya only thought about Amelia's words. She wanted to burn so badly that she couldn't think of anything else. Maybe Carina would finally want to open herself up, but where would that lead? Was there any other way to know? She wouldn't know unless she tried. What did she have to lose?

---

Maya generally stayed out of sight while she recovered. During this time, Carina's busy schedule meant they didn't get a chance to talk. Sometimes Carina would secretly curl up next to Maya and sleep. She would leave early in the morning. Maya sometimes felt it and was happy just to be in Carina's presence.

Maya's stitches were out now and her wound was mostly closed, but she knew she had to avoid sudden movements for a long time. But she had been lying down for two weeks and she could feel her muscles protesting against her bones. Maya was grateful to be able to get up and walk around on her own. Maya hadn't even been out of the house in the garden for days and now she wanted to get out and walk around. In the early hours of the morning, without needing to inform anyone, Maya went down to the garden. It was a huge plot of land, so there was plenty of room to walk. Maya walked in the light breeze and the bright sunshine, breathing in the fresh air. She really wanted to go to the lakeside, but going there felt pointless without Carina. As Maya ran these thoughts through her mind, she heard the sound of horses running where her feet took her.

Maya didn't know how she stayed standing after what she saw. There was no explanation for Carina on horseback in her jet black tights and tight black t-shirt. She was pure fire. Maya was mesmerized by Carina's confident and noble stance on the horse. Maya's brain stopped thinking and her feet took her straight to the horses. The closer she got, the better Maya could see Carina's face and the details of her body. She was fascinated. She could watch Carina on horseback for hours. The way she rode and rode the horse was so hot that Maya's mind went to different places. Maya leaned against the fence around the riding arena and watched Carina. Carina was surprised to see Maya's presence there. She hadn't seen Maya anywhere but her room for days. There hadn't been any long conversations between them for a long time. In fact, after the kiss, she had expected them to become more intimate, but they both seemed afraid to talk.

As Carina rode, she looked at Maya and smiled. She couldn't stop smiling when she saw Maya. Maya smiled back at Carina. She liked what she saw, maybe too much. After a few laps, Carina dismounted and talked to the horse's handlers. Maya couldn't decide whether to look at Carina's tender love for the horse or at the perfection of her body. After the conversation, Carina walked over to Maya. Maya was getting excited and warm as Carina got closer to her.

"Hey you're outside." Carina called out as she approached Maya. Maya smiled. Carina was so beautiful.

"Yeah, I'm freer now. I finally got rid of the damn stitches, but I'm still not allowed to do a lot of things, so I thought I'd go for a walk before Amelia caught me." Said Maya. Carina was glad for Maya's presence.

"Can I accompany you on your walk?" said Carina.

"Yes please." Said Maya happily. "Can we go to the lake? I really miss it there." Said Maya. Carina smiled. She liked that Maya liked the lake too.

"Sure, whatever you want." Carina said and accompanied Maya. Maya couldn't walk very fast and it was clear that she still hadn't recovered. "Are you sure you're allowed to go out? You look like you're in pain and we don't want to make things worse." Carina said.

"If I don't push myself a bit, I'll never be the same. The wound is almost healed so don't worry. The pain won't leave me for a while," Maya said.

"All right, then. I'm glad you're here," Carina admitted.

"It's good to be here. How are you doing? But how are you really, I don't want a casual answer." said Maya. Carina smiled.

"You know, no one has asked me that for so long. If I give my real answer, I could talk for days." Carina said.

"And I can listen to you for days." Said Maya. Carina looked into Maya's eyes and sincerity. "What? It's true, you can talk until the morning and I can listen. Come on, I've been in bed for days, tell me, I have plenty of time for you." Said Maya when they reached the lake. They sat on the stones again. Maya was trying to hide her pain. Because she didn't want to lose her time with Carina just because she was in pain.

"I'm not getting better, Maya. I'm so happy that you're getting better, but I still can't find the people who wanted to kill me and shot you. Call it ego, but I'm the head of the most powerful mafia here and my power is not enough to find these people. I feel like this is some kind of bullshit game. No one makes me feel safe anymore. I look at everyone and wonder if they want to kill me. It's paranoia. Even this house seems to suffocate me." Carina started to speak and her eyes started to well up. Maya put her hand on Carina's hand and held it gently.

"Hey your feelings are valid. Don't torture yourself for feeling them. I know it's heavy, let's start here. These people are not killing you in your home. They could easily do that and you know it. They could easily put poison in your food. Or a mole could easily kill you in your bed. But they want to show off. They want to create a scene and shoot you in front of people. That's why you can feel safe at home. There are dozens of people in this house who will protect you with their lives, Carina." Maya said but Carina interrupted her.

"No, no, Maya, it's just you. What you did for me... God, you were going to die because of me. No one would do that for anyone. You threw yourself in front of bullets. You went out of your way to protect me. Even my best bodyguard would have thought about that a thousand times, but you didn't think for a second." Carina said, looking into Maya's eyes.

"Carina... I don't know what to say, I would do it again. Doing this for you wasn't a sacrifice or an attempt to curry favor. It was purely instinctual. You are very precious in my eyes..." Maya said as she looked at her hands shyly.

"Thank you Maya, you are too. A person reveals their worth by themselves and you show your worth more and more every day. I will be grateful to you all my life, if I live," Carina said bitterly.

"You will live Carina don't be afraid I don't know if my presence alone will be enough to protect you but you know I will do my best." Maya said reassuringly.

"I know Maya. But what is your plan? What should we do because I'm running out of options now." said Carina.

"We will call Sarah again to get news from her, but the important point is to find out if there really is a mole, and if so, who it is. We'll do a diversion. We'll give different positions to a few people you suspect. For example, let's say a cleaning lady you suspect. Talk about an event you're going to next to her, give details. Send a car as if you're going there. We can find out if there will be an assassin waiting for you there. Or give a fake location to the head of security. Will the locations you give go to those who want to assassinate you?" Said Maya.

"Let me get this right. I'll give confidential information to people I suspect, like a trip. But I won't go, they'll think I'm going. So we can see if the person I give information to shares it. Is that right?" said Carina.

"Yes, but we have to try one person at a time. Only that person will know the location. Then you send your car and put someone else in the car," Maya explained.

"But if they think the person in the car is me and they kill them. What do I do then?" said Carina.

"No, they won't kill them until they're sure it's you. They'll realize it wasn't you who got out of the car. Some people you can trust here will see if there is an assassin or not." Said Maya.

"Okay, but we need some time for this. We need to set this up well. No one should get hurt." Said Carina.

"Okay, don't worry. We have time." Maya said. Carina smiled at Maya's trusted place and then looked mischievously into Maya's eyes.

"So about last night..." Carina said. Maya was starting to blush. "Well you're not as brave as you were last night." Carina said and laughed.

"Oh brave? You literally left me half naked in front of you. And the way you looked at me was inappropriate. What did you expect me to do. Besides, I've been exposed, but I don't want to cause any awkwardness." Said Maya.

"What kind of awkward situation?" Carina asked, not understanding.

"I mean, you know, what it means, what we do. I don't understand it, it's too complicated to talk about, sometimes I feel like I'm just imagining it in my head. Besides that, there are so many challenges involved. And our lives are shit..." Maya started to explain without taking a breath.

"Hey hey Maya, okay, stop. Breathe. I understand it's complicated but I don't want to think about it. I think about it so much that I don't want to think about anything anymore. If it's hard for you or if it's something you don't want, I won't approach you like that again." Carina said but Maya put her hand on Carina's cheek.

"No, that's not what I mean. It's just complicated, ever since you kissed me all I've been thinking about is doing it again." Maya whispered a little to hide her shyness.

"Then what's stopping you?" said Carina as Maya approached, turning slightly towards Carina. She smiled and looked at Carina's lips. God it was impossible not to kiss them. Slowly she moved closer and pressed their lips together. When she tasted Carina's lips she felt a very familiar and soothing sensation. Carina parted her lips and started a wetter kiss. It felt right but she had to pull away suddenly because of the pain she felt when she turned her body to change the angle.

"Maya! Are you okay?" Carina asked frightened as she looked at Maya's hand holding her stomach. Maya wrinkled her face.

"Oh I'm so sorry I acted so suddenly and it felt like a knife stabbed me. I'm so sorry." said Maya.

"Maya don't be silly I'm sorry I felt like I forced you to do that because of my own excitement. Okay get up we're going to your room you keep resting and don't make me feel guilty anymore." said Carina getting up quickly from the rocks. She took Maya's hand and helped her off the rocks. Maya couldn't protest.

"When will I be able to kiss you without pain?" Maya said, pouting.

"You can't ask to be healed just for that, Maya." said Carina, laughing.

"Yes I can." Said Maya complaining. Carina put Maya in her room that day. Maya agreed to rest so that she could recover and kiss Carina more. Carina thought for days about Maya's plan to find the mole. She wanted to wait for Maya to be with her to carry out the plan. And if she was going to do it, she needed to choose the people to bait. The list of people she could think of was long. There were people she didn't want to put on this list but she had to try and she wouldn't know until she tried.

Chapter Text

As Maya recovered, her presence in the house became familiar. Most people in the house now knew Maya. Most did not know who Maya was, why she was in the house or why she had a wound and needed to get better. Of course everyone was talking. Everyone had an opinion on the subject. There were rumors. Because Carina had been so careful, no one thought that something might have happened between Maya and Carina. Some women had other thoughts about Maya. Not innocent ones. Maya got on well with most people in the house. She had long conversations and tried to get to know everyone. Maya did this to find out if there was a mole working in the house. But it was still nice to connect with someone. Maya had an effect on people. She endeared herself to people somehow. She was going crazy because she was home all the time. Maya had never been tied to one place for so long.

Maya's recovery was fast. Even Amelia was surprised. Even the doctor at the hospital noticed. Maya had a great motivation. She wanted to be closer to Carina, and Carina had made strict rules about staying away from Maya until she recovered. Physical distance. Maya was going crazy. It was so upsetting to dream about Carina at night and wake up and not be able to be so close and touch her.

Carina continued to be busy at home with work or going to nearby places. She put physical space between her and Maya. She didn't want to disrupt the healing process, but it had been weeks. It was even harder to stop after how she had felt the last time she kissed Maya. With all this stress, she needed sex. But she had done a thousand things to keep Gabri from coming to her room. Gabri had told Carina many times that she wanted to come to her room, but Carina knew she couldn't have sex with Gabri while her mind was on Maya. Her mind wouldn't be there. Gabri would be hurt somehow and Carina couldn't explain it now. It was getting difficult to keep making excuses.

Carina was in the study, at her desk, doing some work. Her mind was busy. Sometimes it was hard to find the balance because she didn't want to focus on this assassination thing and forget about other things. Carina was overwhelmed and her stomach was refusing to smoke as she forgot how many cigarettes she had smoked today. Carina was sitting at her desk with her hands on her head when she heard a soft knock on her door. She wasn't expecting anyone.

"Come in." Carina called to the door. Rubbing her eyes, she felt the energy filling the room. A shy Maya with a sweet smile on her face poked her head through the door and looked at Carina.

"Hey can I come in, I hope I'm not disturbing you." Maya said, but Carina was already getting happy. Maya was never a bother.

"No, you're not disturbing, let's sit down." Carina said pointing to the seating area and moved to one of the sofas. Maya sat right next to her. Carina was looking at Maya's now healthier body. Maya hadn't been able to exercise for almost a month, but somehow she was still in great shape. Carina tried to keep her mind from wandering.

"You look so thoughtful." Maya said, stroking Carina's cheek lightly. Carina was brought out of her thoughts by Maya's words.

"I am. I've been too preoccupied with this assassination to do anything else, so things are a bit complicated." Carina said, tilting her head at Maya's touch. Maya gently stroked Carina's face. Carina took a deep breath. Maya immediately started thinking about what she could do in this situation.

"Well, what can I do to make it better. I'm better now, you know I can help you with your work. You may not trust me, it's your internal business. But I can help take some of the weight off you." Maya said, but Carina smiled and came closer to Maya's face.

"Maya stop talking nonsense and kiss me." Carina said and attacked Maya's lips. There was a great hunger inside her. A hunger that came from suppressing her urges. Neither of them wanted to stop. Maya was intoxicated by the intensity of Carina's perfume and the smell of her hair.

Carina ran her hands through Maya's hair. She was scratching Maya's scalp and pulling her hair. pulling Maya closer to her. Tongues got involved very quickly. Maya moved her hand to Carina's waist. She squeezed her gently. Trying to keep her hands from going in unwanted places. Because she still didn't know what was off limits for Carina, but she wanted to try.

She held Carina a little tighter around the waist. Carina came closer. Maya put one hand on Carina's thigh and tugged. She wanted Carina to climb on her lap. After a moment's hesitation, Carina threw herself on either side of Maya's legs and found herself on Maya's lap. Maya wanted Carina on her lap so badly after the day she had seen Carina riding a horse. When their lips parted, Maya looked into Carina's eyes for any hesitation, but Carina attacked Maya's lips again and seated herself fully on Maya's lap.

Maya caught Carina's tongue and they both fell into a kiss that wouldn't stop. When Carina sucked hard on Maya's bottom lip, Maya kept her hands on Carina's ass even harder. With her grip, Carina's center rolled in Maya's lap. Maya encouraged Carina to keep doing this. Carina was slowly rolling in Maya's lap and it didn't take long for her to feel the hardness in her center. Carina smiled into the kiss. It turned Carina on so much that Maya's body was responding so quickly. The feeling of Maya right now, even with her clothes on, turned Carina on too much. She had been waiting for Maya for weeks and with just one touch she could cum.

Maya could feel herself getting hard and as good as it felt, she wanted more from Carina. With one hand on Carina's ass, she let her other hand go to Carina's breast. Her hand cupped the breast above Carina's blouse. With a light squeeze, a soft sweet moan came from Carina. Maya smiled and pulled back a little from the kiss.

"Can I...? Can I take off your blouse?" Maya asked. Carina was panting and very aroused. She nodded. Maya slowly removed Carina's blouse and looked at Carina's breasts under the black bra. This woman was a sight. Maya leaned down to place kisses on parts of Carina's exposed breast. Carina wrapped her arms around Maya's neck and pulled her close. Her hands went to Maya's hair again. This encouraged Maya. She unclasped Carina's bra. Maya was drooling over Carina's brown areolas.

Carina was not experiencing any fear in her mind right now because she was on top and she was highly aroused. Or she wasn't having a bad trigger. Right now she wanted more. More and more all the time. If she kept rubbing against Maya she might cum in an embarrassing way. Because damn it felt so good. Being so close to Maya, feeling Maya in the center of her... When Maya took off her bra, she stopped rubbing. Because she wanted to feel Maya's mouth and if the rubbing continued she would cum.

Maya looked into Carina's eyes again and silently asked permission. When she felt that she had permission, she approached Carina's breasts, kissing them respectfully from the outside to the inside. Maya was trying to avoid making any sudden and harsh movements that might frighten or trigger Carina. After tasting Carina's body, she couldn't help herself, squeezing one breast with one hand and putting her mouth on the other. Carina's moans drove Maya crazy as she began to suck on the nipple. Maya couldn't stop her pelvis from rolling involuntarily. She encouraged it to move in Carina's lap. Maya was sucking so hungrily and her teeth were definitely involved. Carina felt so good. She tried to control her moans. Then Carina heard a knock at the door and suddenly tugged Maya's hair to stop.

"I'm busy, come back later." Carina said, trying to catch her breath and wishing the person at the door wouldn't insist. Carina was relieved when they heard that the person at the door would come by later. She was still sitting on Maya's lap. "God what were we thinking, the door isn't even locked. We can't do this here." Carina said as she tried to get off Maya's lap. Maya wanted to hold Carina and keep going but she didn't want to force her. But her hardness was so great that she could feel her cock hurting in these pants.

"What but whoever was at the door is gone. Can't we keep going?" Maya asked desperately.

"We can't Maya, if I had stayed in your lap any longer I would have come in my pants, I'm so sorry I'm going to leave you again very very hard, but we can make it up to you." Carina said as she put on her blouse.

"You keep saying that Carina, it doesn't matter. I'm painfully hard right now but nothing a cold shower can't fix." Maya said laughing. But she didn't want the shower, she wanted Carina and now she wanted to relax.

"You can take care of that, you know." Carina said. Maya didn't need it to be known that she had touched her, so she blushed.

"Carina please. It's not something I want for myself. I want to go all the way with you. If you feel good about it. But of course we don't have to do anything you don't want to do." Maya said and Carina smiled and gave Maya a sweet kiss on the lips.

"I want to, Maya, I really want to. It's been hard to stop after what just happened. We will make up for it. But I think you understand my fears and reservations. I want to believe that you will help me." Said Carina.

"Of course I will help you Carina and I am patient. I respect your limits." Said Maya.

"Thank you then I can visit you tonight when I am sure everyone is in their rooms. What do you say?" Carina said smiling.

"Yes please! Tonight is fine. I will be waiting excitedly. Now I have to leave without being seen. Otherwise everyone at home will think I'm a pervert." Said Maya using her hands as if to cover her hardness. Carina laughed at Maya's behavior.

"Okay, be careful. Bye Maya. Do you need anything for your shower?" Carina asked mischievously.

"Oh Carina don't do that but if you insist you can kiss me one last time." said Maya. When they were both standing up Carina put her hand on Maya's neck and kissed her hard. She took Maya's bottom lip between her teeth, sucked and released it with a wet sound. "This is definitely going to work." Maya moaned.

"Okay, now go. You can think about me in the shower." Carina winked with a smile as Maya left the room. Carina then went to her desk and as she sat down in her armchair she realized that her panties were wet. Maya was really going to push her over the edge. She really needed an orgasm right now. She was getting excited thinking about the evening. Just the thought of having sex with Maya was so hot. But there was also a fear inside her. Getting close to Maya hadn't been difficult, but sex was different. So far Carina had been in control but at some point she would let herself go and she didn't know how things would go when she did.

She had to be careful, once triggered it could ruin everything. And she might not want to try again. Even today was progress. It had been a long time since she had been this close to someone other than Gabri. There was something reassuring and comforting about Maya. Her scent, her touch, her tone of voice, her tenderness... Everything about her put Carina at ease. Carina took deep breaths, relaxed herself a little and tried to push Maya's thoughts away or her hand would go to the middle of her legs. She really wanted to wait for the evening. She wondered how far she could go.

Maya practically ran as she went to her room. As soon as she entered the room she threw herself into the shower. She tried so hard not to touch herself. But she would hold on and she believed that she would get a bigger reward with Carina in the evening. She would be patient for Carina. If Carina was on the line, of course she would be patient and she didn't want Carina or anyone else to feel bad with her.

---

Maya was desperate to make the day go by fast. She wanted everyone to go to their rooms and sleep as soon as possible. During the day she took long walks and chatted with the staff at home. Still, the day didn't go fast enough. Maya finally went to her room in the evening. She paced up and down in her room. She was excited. She felt like she was going to have sex for the first time. Tonight Carina DeLuca could be naked in her bed and she could kiss and touch this woman all she wanted. But as time passed, Maya was getting more and more excited and impatient.

She thought she could use a drink right now, but unfortunately she couldn't. Instead she went down to the kitchen to get some water. As soon as she poured the water and drank it, Maya saw Gabri coming through the garden gate. Gabri looked really beautiful and her clothes were very inviting. Maya was surprised to see Gabri. Had Carina called Gabri, but Carina had told Maya that she was coming over tonight. Carina must not have thought of including Maya in her sex with Gabri, Maya thought. But if she was going to spend the night with Gabri instead of coming to Maya, why had she told Maya she was coming tonight? Maya was going to drown in the water she was drinking.

"Hey Maya, are you okay?" Gabri asked, looking at a surprised Maya.

" Uh, I'm fine, how are you?" Maya said, trying to act decent.

"I'm fine. You've recovered too. I heard you had a serious surgery, I hope you get better." Said Gabri with a smile.

"I hope so. What are you doing up so late?" Maya asked, intrigued.

"Oh of course I'm at Carina's, you know she's been under a lot of stress lately and she calls me a lot." Gabri said with a blushing smile. Maya's disappointed face at that moment was indescribable. She felt every muscle in her face fall down. Carina was sleeping with Gabri even though she said she liked Maya?

"Is that so? Um okay then have fun." Said Maya. Gabri headed for the stairs. Maya waited a moment and then followed her up to her own room. She saw Gabri go into Carina's study. Then she waited behind the door. She wanted to believe that Carina hadn't really called Gabri. She wanted to think that Gabri had come by herself.

Then she opened the door slightly. She wanted to look at the owners of the voices she heard in the hallway. Gabri was laughing quite loudly. Carina was saying something and Gabri was laughing like she was screaming. Gabri was holding Carina's hand and pulling her into the room. They looked so happy. She could tell that Maya wasn't on Carina's mind. The last thing Maya heard was, "I have something in mind for tonight." She heard Gabri say. Maya closed her door and pounded on the wall. She was so angry that she wanted to tear the room apart. Maya then leaned against the door and sank to the floor. Again she felt as out of place in this house as when she first arrived. Again Carina was taking Gabri to her room and again Maya was alone in her room thinking about Carina. She thought it was unfair. She cared about Carina, but she had to protect her own heart and mind. She wasn't going to let herself and her heart be played with.

Chapter Text

Carina was planning to finish the last of her work in her office, go to her room, take a shower and go to Maya. But she was startled by the notification on her phone. She and Gabri didn't text often. They exchanged short messages. Come to my room, come tonight, or don't come tonight, or some photos Gabri had posted for Carina during the day. Mostly they were not serious conversations. But Carina was surprised when she saw Gabri's message.

Carina, can I talk to you? I feel bad. My old client found my new number again.

Gabri had told Carina about her problems with her old clients. Usually Gabri wasn't the one who told her, but Carina always tried to be there for her. Because Gabri was always there for Carina. Carina couldn't turn Gabri away in a situation like this. Carina invited Gabri to her office. She could talk to Gabri for a while and then go to Maya. But she wanted to let Maya know she would be late. She didn't want her to think she wasn't coming. She hurried to Maya's room. When she saw that Maya's room was empty, she cursed inside. Where was Maya? Carina made a mental note to give Maya a phone number. Then she went back to her office. She was nervous waiting for Gabri in her office. She thought about how misunderstood she would be if she couldn't go to Maya's room at night. But she would explain that Carina would go to Maya, no matter how late it was.

When Gabri came to her room, she looked upset. Carina didn't know what Gabri wanted, so she waited. Gabri came and sat sideways on Carina's lap. She hugged Carina's neck. Carina held Gabri without saying anything. She wanted to calm her down. But she still had another woman on her mind. But it made Carina feel strange to think of a woman she had just met against the woman who had been with her for years. She found herself comparing Gabri and Maya in her head. It wasn't fair.

"Tell me what happened." Carina said, holding Gabri's face in her hands.

" He called me, I don't answer foreign numbers, but I did and it came to me. Then he started saying those disgusting sentences again. He made me feel so small and worthless again." Said Gabri, her eyes wet with tears.

"Okay, don't worry, let's change your number and this time we'll get a line in someone else's name. He won't bother you again." Carina said reassuringly. She wanted to comfort Gabri right now, but she wasn't close enough. Gabri held Carina's face and pressed their lips together. Carina closed her eyes but did not return the kiss.

"Will you be with me tonight? Help me forget a little. Please don't turn me away anymore, Carina." Said Gabri. Carina swallowed, she had to turn Gabri away. But they had been doing it for years, having sex until they could make each other forget what was on their minds. Now she wanted to say no.

"Gabri, I'll always be there for you. Come to me tonight. I know you feel bad. We can make you forget in other ways." Said Carina. Carina tried to show Gabri that she was thinking of solutions other than sex. Gabri thought for a moment and stood up.

"Okay, just being with you makes me feel good." Said Gabri and took Carina's hand and pulled it away. "Come on, it's late now. Let's go to bed." Gabri said and Carina sighed deeply and followed Gabri. As they walked down the corridors Gabri looked very happy. Carina loved Gabri and wanted her to be happy. After all, for years Gabri had helped Carina to be happy, she was one of the few people she felt safe with.

"It's good that you're so happy. You're jumping around like a kid who just got candy." Carina teased Gabri. Gabri gave a big laugh. The kind of laughter that the whole house could hear. Carina couldn't get Maya out of her mind. She still wanted to go to Maya, she was just going to be a little late.

When they got to their room, Gabri pulled them both into bed. Carina had changed. She got into bed and hugged Gabri. They talked for a while and Gabri was tearful but relieved. Gabri's past had always broken Carina's heart. She had had a difficult life. Gabri then looked very innocently into Carina's eyes and leaned in close to lock lips. She initiated a deep kiss and Carina, in the emotion of the night, found herself kissing back and suddenly Gabri was sitting on her lap. Carina didn't know when the kiss had gotten so intense. But she knew that kissing made her feel bad and now she was angry with herself for having misled Gabri until this moment. Then, when she turned her head and felt Gabri's lips on her neck, Carina spoke.

"Gabri stop. We shouldn't." Carina said. Gabri pulled back, surprised but still in Carina's embrace.

"Carina what's going on? Why don't you want me anymore?" asked Gabri. Carina sighed deeply. She couldn't look Gabri in the face. Gabri got off Carina's lap, waiting for Carina to speak.

"Gabri, I don't solve my problems and stress with sex anymore. I don't think you should do that anymore either. We can talk and I can hold you to make you feel better but it's not working." Said Carina.

"Carina this is bullshit we've been doing this for years and suddenly you're pushing me away. Okay, you said you're not in love with me, I didn't ask you anything, I didn't ask you if you're with other people, I didn't ask you if you have someone else in mind, but Carina for God's sake what's going on, is there someone else? Don't you want me anymore? Be honest with me." Gabri said, begging for the truth. Carina got out of bed, tired of the questions.

"Gabri, don't do this. Your questioning is uncalled for. I don't use sex to solve problems, that's what it is. There's no need to make it about that. I have a lot on my mind right now. I'm doing everything to make you feel good, please don't force me." Said Carina. She knew how cowardly she was being right now, but she didn't want to break Gabri's heart when she didn't even know what was going on between her and Maya. But she couldn't keep having sex with Gabri if something was going to happen with Maya and she was going to give Gabri the freedom to stay or go.

"Carina, I don't know what's going on but you can keep fooling me but you can't fool yourself anymore. I will be here for you even if you don't want me to. I hope you don't break the hearts of those around you when you decide what is best for you." Said Gabri and got out of bed to leave the room. Carina couldn't look at Gabri. She felt like a horrible person. Gabri took Carina's hand gently and kissed Carina's cheek. "Good night Carina, I'd better go to my own house." Gabri said and Carina didn't stop her.

Carina was alone with her thoughts and thought about what she had done and what it would cost her. She had only innocently wanted to follow her own wishes. But she didn't want to leave heartbroken people behind. But she didn't want to be the one to be heartbroken anymore. She had to be braver. She could tell Gabri some truths when the time came. But first she had to decide what those truths would be. They had to understand what they were doing with Maya.

Carina thought for a while and then realized that she had to explain to Maya. Because it was quite late. She could imagine that Maya had a thousand questions on her mind. Maybe Maya was asleep. Then maybe she could sleep next to Maya and quiet her thoughts a little. Carina put on a nightgown and left the room. She wished Maya was awake. Maybe she was out of sex mode, but Carina wanted to at least explain the situation. Carina knocked on the door of Maya's room and when there was no sound, she went in but Maya was not there. Her bed wasn't even made. Carina took a good look around the room. Then she thought of places where Maya might be. Probably Maya was thinking too much right now and could be in the garden. As Carina guessed, Maya was sitting at one of the tables in the garden.

"Hey." Carina called softly. Maya turned her head a little to look at Carina and then back in front of her. She was watching the water in the pool. Her brain felt cheated. "I'm sorry, something really unexpected happened. I can explain." Carina started to say, but Maya didn't need an explanation, she had already seen it. Who was she fighting. Amelia had warned her. Carina was never with anyone but Gabri. At the end of the day she still went to Gabri.

"Carina, you don't have to explain to me. You don't have to." Maya said slowly. She didn't want to argue. She had seen enough and was hurt.

"Maya, I know I don't answer to you right now, I just want to explain myself, I don't know what you're thinking but..." Carina said but Maya cut her off.

"You know what I think, Carina? I don't want you to be nice to me just because you're appreciative or because I have a weakness for you. You said how much Gabri means to you and there's nothing to fight about. Of course you'll choose her, of course you'll want her. I'm not going to be mad at you for sleeping with her, Carina. I'm a grown person." Said Maya.

"Maya, listen just once. Yes, Gabri is important to me and I have a hard time turning her down, but it's not what you think. Gabri and I haven't had sex since almost before you got shot. She's come to my room and questioned why we didn't do it, but I can't do it anymore when my mind is on someone else. I'm not going to lie, I tried, but I couldn't follow through because damn it, I couldn't get you out of my mind. Today she was having a hard day and I was just there for her. I didn't sleep with her. She keeps questioning my reasons but I can't give her an explanation. She's always been here for me. I was going to let you know I would be late but you weren't in your room. I'm sorry." Said Carina. Maya remained silent. "Maya, say something, you can't be angry with me. You need to understand the situation. I can't explain to Gabri that I stopped having sex because I was thinking about you. I can't tell her that without even talking about what happened between us." Said Carina. Again she waited for Maya to speak.

"What do you want me to say, Carina. Should I say choose me? Carina, I know my own worth. Even though my life is a mess, I'm a human being and I have feelings. I can't wait to see if you want to be with both of us at the same time or if you want to sit here and try to get away from Gabri. Because I know that in the end, it's me and my heart that gets hurt. I can't stand here and beg you to choose me because I don't have much to offer you. Gabri is your safe place and it would be cruel to take that away and ask you to leave her. I understand how much she means to you, and I know what it would be like to leave her, so there is no fight, no choice. I know how to retreat if I have to." Said Maya, speaking clearly. After Carina's silence, she got up and went into the house.

Carina was touched by the way Maya spoke and the words she said and she realized once again the extent of her love for this woman. This was a woman worth fighting for. She didn't want Maya to feel worthless. That was not her intention. Carina had upset both women at once. Carina quickly got up and ran after Maya. Maya called after her as she hurried up the stairs.

"Maya, wait, we're not done talking yet." Carina said, trying not to shout because it was late at night. When Maya came to the door of her room, she turned to Carina.

"Carina there is nothing to talk about. Let me do my job and then give me my freedom and let me go." Said Maya. Carina looked at Maya bitterly.

"Maya, you are not a prisoner here. You are free. It's important for me that you help me, but there are more important things, let me go inside and explain them to you." Said Carina.

"Okay, well it's your house, you can do what you want." Said Maya as she opened the door to her room and waited for Carina to come in. Carina went inside. She stood waiting for Maya. Maya stood opposite Carina. She wanted to finish the conversation as soon as possible and be alone. Carina waited for Maya to look into her eyes.

"Maya... you don't realize how much your words affect me. But I'll make you realize that yes, as you say, there is no choice. Maya, I've wanted you from the first moment I saw you. The circumstances are so ridiculous that it's strange that we're even here now. Just the touch of your lips on mine at the lake burned my whole body and you took over my brain. There's no going back now. Gabri became my safe place, but it was a relationship that was bound to end one day. There's no love. So there's nothing to give up. I just didn't want her to get hurt. And I didn't tell her the truth until I realized what was between you and me. Let us figure out what's between us. I don't want you to fight for me, just let me in. Let me see if I have a place in your heart. If not, there's nothing to fight for." Carina said. Carina's eyes filled with tears even as she spoke of her love for Maya.

Carina's words touched Maya's heart. She could feel that Carina was sincere. She couldn't get over her disappointment. But if Carina said she didn't want Gabri anymore, she would believe her. This gorgeous woman wanted her. Who was Maya to say no?

"I understand, Carina. I want you to understand my frustration and the reasons for what I did and said." Maya said. Maya was a little softer now. She didn't sound angry anymore.

"I understand, I hear you, so don't worry. I won't let you down, just listen to me." Said Carina, holding Maya's hand and coming a little closer.

"Okay. Now what do you want from me. What do you want me to do?" Maya asked.

"I want you to make love to me, I want to finish what we started today," Carina said, looking into Maya's eyes. Maya had not expected this after that conversation. In fact she had been waiting for this moment all night.

"Are you sure? Because you don't have to do what I want just because I'm sad." Maya said. Carina came closer and put her hands on the back of Maya's neck.

"I've never been more sure, Maya. I want you." Carina said and pulled Maya into a deep kiss.

Maya pulled in for a kiss, her hands going to Carina's waist. She pulled Carina close to her. They both kissed each other with longing and hunger. The kiss was quickly becoming heated. Carina made the first move as they held each other tightly. She moved to take off Maya's shirt. Maya helped by raising her arms. Maya knocked Carina's dressing gown off her. When she took off Carina's top and nightgown, she was confronted with Carina's bare chest. She could never get used to this woman's beauty. Carina smiled and pulled Maya into another kiss as her eyes studied Carina.

Maya held Carina tightly and guided her to the bed. She waited for Carina to lie down properly. Then she slowly climbed on the bed in front of Carina. It was the first time Carina had ever been so exposed in front of anyone other than Gabri and she was nervous, even though she didn't want to think about it. But Maya, on the contrary, was not nervous. She was excited, yes, but she knew what she wanted. And she had to keep control. She would move at Carina's pace. Maya kissed Carina again and then lowered her mouth to Carina's neck. With one hand she cupped one of Carina's breasts. It was so nice to feel Carina's softness. She smelled her own sweet scent on Carina's neck and lightly sucked on it as she placed kisses on her neck.

Carina held Maya's head on her neck, encouraging Maya. At the same time she was aware that Maya was being slow and calm. It was never the pace she normally liked, but it was the pace she needed to start with. Maya then made her way to Carina's breasts. She kissed one of her breasts slowly as she looked into Carina's eyes. Carina threw her head back as she took a nipple in her mouth and sucked on it. She focused only on the sensations Maya was giving her, without any other thoughts running through her brain. Maya knew how much a good foreplay would relax Carina, so she did everything to make her feel good.

Maya was ecstatic enjoying Carina's breasts and when she felt Carina's hands tugging at her sports bra she straightened up and let Carina take it off. Carina's look was one of admiration and quite obscene. She moved her hands to one of Maya's breasts and squeezed. Maya got on her knees and felt Carina's touch.

"You have a beautiful body, you know that, don't you? So soft but so shapely at the same time." Carina said in a whisper as she touched Maya's abs with her fingertips.

"I'm nothing compared to you and I want to worship your whole body. I want to kiss it all and love every inch of it." Maya said. Then she went back to kissing Carina. The kisses were getting hotter and hotter. Maya was getting hard and Carina alone was enough to make Maya hard. Maya tugged at Carina's lower nightgown between kisses. Then she kissed her way down from Carina's breasts to her stomach and slowly pulled it off. Carina lay in front of her in only her panties. Maya went back to kissing Carina's body. She felt her heart pounding with excitement.

She moved her lips down to kiss Carina's legs. She lay between Carina's legs. She left open-mouthed kisses on the inside of Carina's thighs, then moved to Carina's crotch. After placing kisses there, her nose moved to Carina's center. Carina had her hands on Maya's forearms, holding them gently. But now that Maya was so close to her center, she felt a shiver. Maya smelled the scent of Carina's arousal.

"Are you okay? Can I go on? Can I take it off?" Maya asked.

"Yes, go ahead, please. I'm just excited." Carina replied, laughing slightly.

"So am I. It feels so good to feel you Carina. I want to go on and taste it. But if you want to stop, we can stop anytime." Maya said.

"No, we don't have to stop. I want to feel you. When you see my wetness you'll realize how much I want to." said Carina. Maya smiled.

"I can smell you already." Maya said and moved her hands to Carina's panties and slowly pulled them down while Carina helped by lifting her hips. Nothing could have prepared Maya for this sight. Carina was naked on her bed and so wet that she could see it glistening. Carina wanted to cover her legs, embarrassed. Maya's gaze embarrassed Carina.

"Stop looking at me like that, you're embarrassing me. Besides, it's not fair, I'm naked here and you're all dressed up. At least take off your sweatpants." Carina said and Maya shook her head laughing. When she took off her sweatpants, she hesitated a little, knowing that Carina was watching. She understood Carina's embarrassment and she was still in her boxers. But her hardness was quite evident. Carina swallowed hard. She was sure Maya had a big cock. She couldn't wait to see it.

"Okay, now we're like teenagers having sex for the first time. We both need to stop looking like we're seeing someone naked for the first time." Maya said. Carina gave a laugh.

"We really are. But it's the first time we're seeing each other. So I guess it's normal. But stop being embarrassed, I need you right now." said Carina. Maya moved towards Carina again, this time lying on top of her. Carina spread her legs a little wider and let Maya settle. As she felt Maya's hardness in her center she felt her hips lift off the bed for more contact. When Maya kissed Carina, moving her hips a little to give Carina the friction she wanted, the moan that came out of Carina's mouth was the most beautiful sound Maya had ever heard. After rubbing Carina a little more, she moved down, slowly kissing Carina's crotch as she moved down to her center.

"Can you spread your legs for me?" said Maya. Carina smiled a little and opened her legs for Maya. Maya looked unashamedly at Carina's glistening sex. Then she put her arms under Carina's knees and around her hips. Carina bent her legs and stretched her feet over Maya's back and now her excitement was through the roof. Maya began to kiss the lips of Carina's sex with soft kisses. Carina could feel her arousal spreading over her lips. Then, as she slowly flattened her tongue and experienced Carina's sex from top to bottom, Carina couldn't help the moans coming out of her mouth and the movement of her hips. Maya couldn't help the moans in her mouth as she licked Carina from head to toe, savoring her arousal.

"Enough teasing, bambina," Carina said, stroking Maya's hair. Maya then moved her tongue to Carina's entrance. There she continued her licks and extended her tongue to her entrance, feeling more and more arousal coming into her mouth. Judging by the unsteadiness of Carina's hips and the intensity of her wetness, she was very close. Maya now moved to Carina's clitoris and sucked hard. Carina was almost screaming with pleasure. She knew that the others in the house were used to these sounds from their visits to Gabri's room. Maya pulled Carina's clitoris into her mouth and began to play quickly back and forth with her tongue. She grabbed Carina's hips hard and kept her from moving. When Maya had picked up the pace, Carina's trembling legs told her that the end was near.

"Maya!" Carina yelled, tugging on Maya's hair, unable to stop her hips from moving so fast. Carina came into Maya's mouth with more intensity than she had experienced in a long time. Maya kept stimulating Carina with her tongue to prolong her orgasm. Carina was having a long and intense ejaculation. Carina could not help the slight spasms of her body as she finally came down. As Maya continued to place soft kisses on Carina's thighs and crotch, Carina realized how hard Maya was pulling her hair and gently stroked her hair and pulled her face towards her. Maya smiled and lay down on top of Carina. Carina began to kiss Maya's lips slowly. She tasted the arousal on her lips.

"God, thank you." Carina said laughing. Maya laughed too. Because no one had ever thanked her for something like this.

"Why do you thank me?" Maya asked.

"Thank you for your very talented tongue and for giving me the most intense orgasm I've had in a long time," Carina said.

"Believe me, I enjoyed it as much as you did." Said Maya.

"Yes I can feel it." said Carina as she rubbed her center on Maya's cock still in boxers. "Oh you're so hard let's take care of this." said Carina kissing Maya.

"You don't have to do anything. Just giving you pleasure is enough for me." Maya said. Oh of course she wanted to be inside Carina but she didn't want to force her.

"Maya don't be silly we've only just started and I'm not going to leave you so hard again. I want you inside me." Carina whispered in Maya's ear.

"Oh believe me I want you too, so relax beautiful." Maya said and again Carina pulled Maya's panties down as Carina pulled them into a kiss. Maya got on her knees and pulled her panties off her. Her cock was so hard and erect and Carina's gaze was not kind.

"It's much more beautiful than I imagined and... Of course it's bigger." Carina looked at Maya's hard cock and then into Maya's eyes and bit her lower lip. She thought about Maya's cock and imagined how it would look. Normally she didn't think a cock could look good, but somehow Maya's did.

"You thought about my cock?" Maya asked, moving closer to Carina's face. Their lips were very close together, touching as they spoke.

"Yes I imagined you Maya you can't say you didn't do it too." said Carina and Maya laughed and started kissing Carina.

"I would never deny it. You are more beautiful than my dreams, Carina. You're too beautiful to be real." Maya said as she kissed Carina. Then she pulled back and stood on her knees between Carina's legs. Without thinking, Carina moved her hand to Maya's cock. She took it in her hand and started stroking it up and down slowly. Maya was melting under Carina's touch. The feel of Carina's soft hands was so nice.

"God, you're so big," Carina said without stopping her hand from moving. Maya closed her eyes in pleasure and focused on the sensation.

"Is that a problem for you? Not everyone likes it," Maya said.

"I don't know if it's a problem or not. I've never been with someone with a dick like yours, and the only person I've had sex with was Gabri for years. It's going to be challenging for me," Carina said. Maya was terribly jealous of Gabri. She wanted to erase Carina's memories of her. Then, impatient to get started, Maya stretched Carina's open legs further apart. Then she parted the folds of Carina's center with her fingers and played with them all over, then played with her entrance with her middle finger. Carina was still very wet and her hips were moving in anticipation. Then Maya entered Carina first with one finger and then added a second. Carina was already very tight.

"Oh go on Maya." Said Carina with her eyes closed in pleasure.

"I'll keep going, this is just the beginning." said Maya but then Carina suddenly opened her eyes.

"Oh Maya we have to use condom before we forget." Said Carina and Maya suddenly stood up.

"Yes, yes, you're right." Maya said and went and got one from her purse. As much as she didn't want to use it, she had to. Now was not the time to take risks. Carina watched Maya put the condom on. Maya was quite a sight. Then Maya excitedly climbed on top of Carina and it was time. She couldn't take it anymore. After kissing Carina one last time, she asked. "Are you ready?" Maya asked.

"I am ready, but can you please go slowly?" asked Carina innocently.

"Of course, but we can stop if it hurts," Maya repeated. Carina quickly nodded. Maya settled herself on Carina's legs. She took her cock in her hand and stroked it a few times, bringing it closer to Carina's sex. As she began to rub from head to toe against Carina's sex, Carina shuddered with pleasure at the sensation. It was so good to feel Maya. She put her hands on Maya's arms. Maya began to soothe Carina by picking up Carina's wetness and occasionally rubbing her clitoris. Then she moved to Carina's entrance. She began to push into Carina as she kissed her slowly. Maya moaned at Carina's warmth and tightness. She had to hold on, she couldn't cum too soon. She could feel Carina flinch at the first entry. Carina put her hands on Maya's back and held her close. She was taking deep breaths.

"Relax baby, don't tighten up, you're already so tight, let me in." Maya whispered.

"Yes," was all Carina could say. Carina couldn't hide the burning she felt at her entrance. She and Gabri didn't use many toys, which meant that Carina hadn't had anything thicker than fingers inside her for years, and now Maya was stretching her quite a bit. Maya was trying to relax her with a few inches in and gentle back and forth movements, but Carina was too tense. She could tell Carina was in pain. She didn't want to push too hard.

"Should we stop?" Maya asked, but Carina answered quickly.

"No, don't stop. Let me get used to it. Keep going in, but don't move too soon." Said Carina and Maya did as she said. Carina's wetness was trying to help. Carina was getting used to Maya's thickness and it was not easy. After Maya had entered Carina as far as she could, she waited a little. She checked the expression on Carina's face. "Yes, you can move now, slowly." Carina said and Maya did the same. When Maya started to move, Carina's face first looked pained and then Maya saw a small smile on her face. She began to focus not only on Carina's feelings but also on her own. It felt so good, even if she hadn't put it all in yet. Maya wanted to speed up and fuck her without thinking, but she would wait. Maya could feel Carina getting a little more used to it.

Carina opened her legs wide for Maya to let her in more. She couldn't keep her eyes open. The mixture of the burning at her entrance and the pleasure she felt inside her prevented her from thinking. She just wanted to enjoy the feeling of Maya. When she opened her eyes she saw Maya's beautiful eyes watching her closely. She pulled the beautiful woman lying on top of her, who was now inside her, completely on top of her. Maya lay completely on top of Carina, just moving her hips and kissing Carina. She wanted to hear Carina's moans.

"Oh Maya you feel so good." Carina said as she moaned with pleasure. Maya was slowly trying to pick up the pace and was going in more and more. She was hitting the deepest parts of Carina. But she was getting closer. But she wanted to pleasure Carina for longer. "Speed up, Maya. You can speed up." Carina said breathlessly. That was all Maya needed. She pulled Carina's legs up higher, adjusted the angle and began to go at her own pace. She wondered how much more she could take as she watched the sounds of Carina's moans change with the change of speed and the sound of their bodies slamming together and Carina's breasts shaking. Maya couldn't believe herself right now as her speed increased relentlessly. She couldn't describe the pleasure she was feeling. She had never had sex with such a beautiful woman in her life.

"Carina, you feel so good. You are so beautiful and so tight." Said Maya, encouraging Carina to cum again. She then clamped her mouth on one of Carina's nipples and as she began to suck hard she felt Carina dig her nails into her back. Then she increased her speed in a way she hadn't expected. The only sounds she heard now were the hard slamming of their bodies and Carina's screams, which she tried to hold back. 

"Mayaa! I'm going to cum. I'm so close." Carina said and those were Maya's favorite words. She wanted to cum with Carina. She wanted to live this moment with her, to cum while looking into her eyes. Then she put her hand between them and started to rub Carina's clitoris.

"I'm so close too, Carina. Open your eyes and look at me." Maya said and Carina opened them. "Cum with me, beautiful, come for me." Said Maya and Carina fixed her eyes on Carina. She focused on the feeling of Maya thrusting in and out of her hard and Maya rubbing her clit. Soon she began to cum in screams and shudders as her nails dug into Maya's back. Maya could see and feel the wrinkling of Carina's forehead as she came and how she tried not to close her eyes and squeezed her cock hard. She pumped hard into Carina for the last time and came with Carina inside her. Maya was now still inside Carina as she came. Carina pulled Maya to her. Maya hid her face in Carina's neck. They both lay there in silence, holding each other to catch their breath. After a few minutes Maya slowly pulled her cock, which was getting soft now, out of Carina. Carina grimaced a little.

"That hurt, didn't it?" Maya said as she removed the condom from her cock.

"Yes, I didn't expect otherwise, but it was definitely worth the pain." Carina said with a laugh. When Maya went to the bathroom to throw the condom in the trash, Carina collapsed on the bed holding her stomach. She had definitely felt Maya all the way to her stomach. She still couldn't believe that Maya could feel so good. She was sure that she had never experienced orgasms as intense as she had tonight. She wanted to go to the bathroom now, but it would be difficult to walk for a while. On the way back from the bathroom Maya looked at the way Carina was lying on the bed with her hand on her stomach. She was actually proud of herself, considering how hard Carina had come.

"Did I overdo it a bit?" Maya said. Carina saw Maya coming and opened her arms for Maya to come and lie on her chest. Maya hadn't expected these gestures of affection. It was something she didn't usually experience, but somehow it was beautiful. She threw herself on Carina's chest and lay on top of her.

"Well, maybe tomorrow I'll have trouble walking and tonight maybe I'll be sore, but you didn't exaggerate. It's nice to make love but rough sex has always been my favorite. Even if I'm a bit afraid of it now." Said Carina. Maya listened to Carina as she lay on Carina's chest. Then she placed soft kisses on her breasts.

"I'm glad I could make you happy, I think the whole house witnessed your happiness." Maya said laughing.

"They are used to these noises." Carina said laughing but Maya didn't laugh. "Come on, get out of your mind, don't spoil this moment." Said Carina.

"Okay. Thank you for trusting me. It was beautiful and I would love to do it again." Said Maya, giggling.

"Thank you for taking care of me so patiently. My body feels freer for the first time in a long time. It felt so good to have sex so that I could enjoy it freely without hiding my body. It will definitely happen again." Said Carina. Maya smiled against Carina's chest and took a deep breath, feeling sleepy.

"Can I lie here for a while?" Maya asked.

"Sure. Go to sleep Maya." Carina said, closing her eyes as she stroked Maya's hair with one hand and her back with the other.

She felt peace deep inside her. She didn't feel used or worthless. She felt loved and precious. She could sleep here in peace, without fear. She felt she had found a safe place for herself. But where was this going to go? How things were going to go. Would there be heartbreak at the end? Was there such a thing in life as just being happy without any problems? She was starting a very different chapter of her life and she wanted to see what life would bring next. But she felt that she would not be alone in what she was going to go through, that somehow she would see this woman lying on her lap next to her.

Chapter Text

The morning sun shone brighter than ever and the air was cleaner than ever. The sounds that signaled the start of the day came through the open window into the room. Carina woke up feeling good. There was a happy peace inside her. She woke up with arms around her waist. Maya spooned Carina. Their skin was warm, accustomed to each other. Carina tried to turn in Maya's arms. Maya began to wake up after Carina's movements. Carina watched Maya's newly awake face. Maya was very beautiful and had a very sweet face. She had seen Maya in all her forms. Her face when she was hard, angry, caring, hurt, her face during sex and now her face when she had just woken up. Somehow it all reached another level with Maya. Carina felt a compassion she couldn't contain.

She wanted to wrap her arms around Maya and hold her close to her heart every time she saw her. Her heart seemed to crave Maya's warmth. She was becoming more and more attached to this woman. Last night had taken things a little further. Carina was as emotional as most women, if not more so, and the way she enjoyed Maya's closeness during sex and after orgasm, the way she needed to hold her, was from her heart. She felt her heart connecting to Maya, but at the same time it was scary. She couldn't give herself over to all these feelings. She felt like at some point life would not allow them to be completely happy.

"Good morning." Maya said, trying to smile. She was embarrassed to know that Carina was watching her. Last night had been quite revealing and this morning, if not yesterday, she felt a little embarrassed.

"Good morning Bella." Carina said. Maya smiled at the word Carina used. She didn't feel like a 'Bella' in this state.

"How long have you been awake?" Maya said, moving a little closer to Carina and moving her face to Carina's neck. She left light kisses. Carina hugged Maya close and pulled her close. Their legs were wrapped around each other.

"It's kind of new. But I'm more interested in watching you than sleeping." Carina said, laughing.

"Well, do you have to get up right away?" Maya asked. Actually, all she wanted was to hold Carina a little longer. But how long could she keep a busy woman like Carina in bed.

"I can stay a little longer. But come with me and have breakfast with us. We can talk about your place in this house while Andrea is there. People will question your sudden appearance and disappearance. But most of them don't know how and why you came to this house." Said Carina.

"So I should try to show up so they get used to my presence." Said Maya.

"You have to show up in the right places in the right way." Said Carina.

"Okay, whatever you want." Said Maya. Then Carina cupped Maya's face and caressed her cheeks, then pressed their lips together in a soft kiss. Maya sighed. That was the effect of Carina's kiss. It was breathless but invigorating at the same time. Carina pulled back a little as the kiss started to heat up, there was fire in both of their eyes but if they started now they couldn't stop and they would be late.

"We'll be late for breakfast. I have to go to my room to shower and get dressed." Carina said as if she needed to explain why she had left Maya.

"Okay, I have to do the same thing. I'll see you downstairs then." Said Maya giving Carina a small kiss on her lips.

"See you later, now I have to get out of here before anyone catches me." Carina giggled and got up from the bed. With the covers off, Maya admired Carina's nakedness once more. "Don't make it so obvious that you're looking." Carina said.

"It doesn't look like you're uncomfortable." Said Maya, laughing mischievously.

"Never." Said Carina, biting her lower lip. "Come by my office room sometime during the day." Said Carina. Maya could guess Carina's dirty intentions.

"Okay, don't worry." Said Maya. Carina put on her own clothes from the clothes that were strewn on the floor last night and left the room. Maya collapsed on the bed with a big smile on her face. For the first time in her life she was experiencing something like this. For the first time she didn't want to run away. She wanted more. She felt an unsatisfied desire and love for Carina. She would calm herself down and go downstairs and be the person Carina wanted her to be.

Andrea was already sitting at the table when Carina came downstairs. Carina had taken a quick shower. It had taken her a long time to choose a nice dress. It was the first time she had spent so long thinking about how she looked. Carina wanted Maya to see her dress and like it.

"Good morning Andrea!" said Carina as she approached the breakfast table. Carina was quite happy. But she was in a very different mood from yesterday and Andrea was of course aware of that.

"Good morning. You are so cheerful. Is this connected with the noises last night?" Andrea said and Carina looked at her brother with raised eyebrows. She tried not to laugh.

"It may or may not be. But I suggest the same to you, my brother. Don't just be busy with work, sometimes you can have fun too." Carina said laughing.

"Okay, okay, please don't give me sex advice. It's the last thing I want to talk to my sister about." Said Andrea.

"Okay okay. Has Maya come down for breakfast yet?" Carina asked not wanting to start before Maya arrived.

"I don't know if Maya's down for breakfast, I think she's doing it by herself." Andrea said, not knowing that Maya was going to join them.

"Maya will join us for breakfast. She'll be here soon, we can wait." said Carina.

"With us? Why?" asked Andrea.

"What do you mean why? I want to and there are things I want to talk about." Said Carina.

"Well, of course it's up to you, but don't you think we're letting her in too much? We've come to trust her, but she's an agent. A agent never quits their job," Carina said and Carina got angry.

"Maya saved my life, Andrea, for God's sake. I was there, I was there when she protected me with her life and she will be there from now on. I trust her and she will take more responsibility. That way she can continue to earn trust. We won't achieve anything by leaving her out." Carina said.

"I'm sorry, you're right. What she does is very important, she's just scary. She's quiet, you can't feel her presence in the house. She's always exercising and she's very good with a gun." Andrea laughed. "Isn't it amazing Carina that she shot him right in the heart?" Andrea said Carina thinking for a moment about Maya's perfect body. Then she thought about how talented she was.

"Yes, she's an incredible woman. Sometimes I can't believe it either. But she wants to be here with me and so do I. So don't think too much, leave Maya to me." Carina said and then she heard footsteps approaching.

"Good morning, can I sit here?" she asked when Maya came to the table.

"Good morning Maya, come and sit with us." Carina said with a smile.

"Good morning Maya. How are you and how is your health?" asked Andrea.

"Thank you, I am much better. It's not the same as before, but I'm trying." said Maya. Carina looked at Maya sadly, still feeling guilty. She didn't want Maya to suffer.

"Yes, I see you are trying, please let me know if you need anything." Andrea said.

"Thank you." Maya said smiling. She liked this welcome. She knew that Carina had something to do with it.

"Let's get started, please." Carina said as the others in the house poured their coffee into their cups. It was the first time Maya had eaten at this table since she arrived. The table was beautifully prepared for Carina. "I'd like to tell you about the reception I'm giving tomorrow, the guests have already been notified. It won't be very crowded, but I plan to have it in the garden." Carina said.

"Is it right to do something like this now? Sorry to interrupt, but last time it happened unexpectedly." Said Maya and Andrea was looking at Maya with fear. He expected Carina to shout and maybe even kick Maya out of the table. But Carina was calmly listening to Maya's words.

"Yes, you are right, Maya, but this will be an invitation with people I have chosen from the closer circle. I'll ask for a search before the guests enter the grounds of the house. There will be a body check when they enter the house. That's where you come in, Andrea. Keep everyone informed. They will do all the searches but be polite to the guests." Carina explained.

"Okay, I'll talk to everyone about security," Andrea said.

"Maya, I'm going to ask you to stay close to me again, we don't need to be next to each other all the time, I just want you to be around. Too many guards around will make things tense. You will act like my guest without showing it." Carina said.

"Of course, as you wish," Maya said. Carina smiled without showing it. Maya was very happy. She was afraid that she would be away from this invitation. But Carina wanted her with her. She could tell that Carina really trusted her.

"Andrea, I want you to be with me after we check the entrances and I have some important business to discuss. Let's focus on security and not get behind. It's going to be an important day." Said Carina.

"Okay, don't worry, it will be the same as always. Don't worry about security, I won't let anything happen on this property." Andrea said but Maya was laughing inside. They always said they would protect Carina but somehow Carina was never fully protected. But now there was Maya. She would make sure of everything. She couldn't let Carina get hurt.

The rest of the breakfast was mainly about business or small talk. Maya laughed at Andrea and Carina's occasional jokes. She noticed that Carina was more sincere and cheerful around her brother. She admired their communication. Carina was the leader of a big mafia, but with her younger brother she was just a sister. Maya could not help admiring this woman. She fell in love with Carina's serious demeanor when talking business, her sweet smile when joking with her brother and the mischievous looks she gave Maya every now and then. But she was too scared to admit it. She didn't know how far what they had started would go, what level it would reach.

After breakfast Maya went to the gym again. She was slowly getting back into shape. After Carina's warnings, the cleaning staff were running away from Maya. Carina's intimidating side was not to be underestimated. Not that Maya cared. She wouldn't even look at another woman out of the corner of her eye. Because her mind was on one person. Maya took a shower after the gym. She didn't want to be sweaty because she was thinking of going to Carina. She would never have had the courage to go to that office if Carina hadn't called her. She would have felt too clingy. But who was she lying to, she wanted to be there so badly to kiss Carina. In that office, in that room dominated by Carina, she wanted to do not-so-innocent things with Carina.

Maya knocked softly on Carina's door. She heard Carina's soft voice telling her to come inside. She was surprised how much time Carina spent in this room sometimes. It amazed Maya how busy she was and how much she took care of them all. This woman's intelligence brought Maya to her knees.

"Hey you asked me to come by during the day." Maya said as she walked in.

"Yeah, come in, lock the door." Carina said and Maya closed the door, laughing inwardly. "I told you to come, but I didn't expect you to come so late. Where have you been?" said Carina as she got up from her seat.

"I didn't want to come and bother you right away, considering what you have to do." Maya said, but Carina came closer and pulled Maya to her and put her hands on Maya's shoulders and hugged her and immediately initiated a kiss. It was a deep kiss. They had only met this morning but Carina's lips were kissing Maya as if she had missed her. Maya returned Carina's fiery kiss, hugging her around the waist and holding her close. Then she pushed Carina in front of her desk.

Their whole bodies were pressed together. Carina felt Maya all over her with ease. Maya could taste the combination of coffee and cigarettes on Carina's lips. The smell of cigarettes mixed with her perfume was strangely Carina's scent. She could smell Carina's own sweet scent, separate from everything else. Carina pulled away from the kiss a little and locked her eyes with Maya's, the two of them just staring at each other for a few seconds. They wanted to forget everything and tear their clothes off.

"I want to give you something." Carina said as Maya was dazed by the kiss and overwhelmed by Carina's scent. "I need to communicate with you easily in the house. I can't call you at home all the time or ask someone about you. No one needs to know anything about us yet. So I'll give you a phone with a secure line. I want to be able to reach you whenever I want." Said Carina Maya just nodded. This phone could make a lot of things easier.

"Thank you. Are you sure it will be safe?" Maya asked.

"Yes it is safe, you can only use it to text me and maybe send me some photos." Carina winked with a smile.

"Oh I see what kind of photos." Maya said as she held Carina's waist tighter and got closer to her face. Carina played with Maya's bicep with one hand and the collar of her t-shirt with the other.

"For example, I can't watch you work out at that gym you go to every day. Maybe you could send me some pictures and videos. So I can get through the day easier." Carina said.

"Okey done. Is there anything you want me to do now?" Maya asked, just wanting to stay here and kiss Carina more.

"Do you have anything else to do?" asked Carina.

"I am at your command, I can do whatever you want." Said Maya.

"Like what?" Carina asked, her lips touching as she spoke.

"Like sitting you at this table and kissing you. And then... I want to make out with you until someone disturbs us." Said Maya Carina giggled. She wanted that too.

"Why this table?" asked Carina.

"Because my god you work at this table so seriously and you boss everyone around and it's so, so sexy." said Maya Carina grabbed Maya's hair and tugged and attacked her lips. When she parted her lips, Maya's tongue invaded her mouth. Carina moaned at the sensations. Maya took Carina by the waist and sat her on the table Carina pulled up the hem of her dress and spread her legs, pulling her to stand between Maya.

Maya put her hands on Carina's legs. She grasped her thighs and squeezed them. She lifted one of them and brought it closer to wrap it around her body. Carina was pulling Maya closer to her. They were doing it right now. The door was locked, but someone could have come and interrupted them. But they still had no intention of stopping. Carina moved her hand to Maya's crotch. When she felt the hardness in her hand, there was no turning back. She wanted Maya at that moment.

"Should we keep going? Someone might come." Maya asked between kisses as she kissed Carina's neck.

"I'm not expecting anyone, go ahead, just take these pants off." Carina said breathlessly as she tried to unbutton Maya's pants. Maya pulled Carina a little to the edge of the table and pulled the skirt of her dress taut. This exposed Carina's panties. Maya slowly slid it down and threw it on one of the seats in front of the table. She could already see Carina's wetness. Maya saw the lust in Carina's eyes as she grabbed Carina's buttocks and squeezed them. Then she knelt in front of Carina between her legs. Holding Carina on the edge of the table, she pushed Carina backwards with one hand. Carina stood on her elbows and watched Maya. She waited for Maya with a mischievous smile on her face.

They had no time and there was an excitement in them that they couldn't suppress without arousal. Maya lifted one of Carina's legs onto her shoulder and went straight to Carina's center with her mouth. She closed her eyes and smelled Carina's arousal. Then her lips attacked Carina's sex. Wetness invaded her mouth and chin. She kissed her from head to toe with open-mouthed kisses, at first feeling Carina's back arch at the first contact, fighting not to close her legs. Then she parted the folds of her tongue and moved it to her entrance. She began to push into her, circling her entrance with her tongue. Carina reached for Maya's hair with one hand. She grabbed Maya's head and guided it. She felt so good, strong and sexy.

Maya admired Carina's strong stern authoritarianism. She could feel it even now and would never hesitate to kneel for Carina. Carina knew that her office was closer to more people than her room and she tried to hide her moans. But Maya's tongue felt so good that it was hard. She had never experienced anything like this in her own office. It was strangely hot and exciting in a very hot and exciting way, but she knew that it was the woman kneeling in front of her right now who was the most exciting, she didn't think anyone else could excite her so much. And she was so excited that she couldn't hold back any longer.

"Maya, I can't take it anymore. I'm going to cum. Please go on." Carina said. She wasn't even embarrassed that she could cum so soon because Maya knew what she was doing. As she moved her tongue to Carina's clitoris and started to circle it, Carina started to rock her hips and press her legs around Maya's head. Her legs were trembling. She couldn't contain her excitement. When Carina reached the end, she let herself fall on the table and could not hold back a moan, only Maya's name was in her mouth. Carina lay on the table with her eyes closed, on cloud nine, as Maya continued the movements of her tongue to prolong Carina's orgasm. Maya then placed light kisses on Carina's legs. She moved upwards. She looked at Carina lying on the table. It was a beautiful sight, Carina.

"What have you done to me?" Carina said as she laughed with her eyes closed. Then she covered her face with her hands. Maya grabbed Carina's wrists and pulled Carina towards her.

"I didn't do anything, you gave yourself permission to feel good." Maya said, kissing Carina's lips lightly.

"Oh you definitely did something." Said Carina and again her hands went to the waistband of Maya's pants. "Maybe not in the same way, but I want to make you feel good too." Carina said as she pushed Maya's pants down and looked into Maya's eyes. Of course Maya was not going to kneel in front of a woman like Carina and suck her cock. Maya could only dream about that.

"I don't have a condom. We can stop." Maya said. Carina didn't stop. Maya's pants were down to her ankles. Carina was stroking her cock through Maya's panties.

"Hmm... Maybe... you can back off. I'm sure I'm on safer days. Can you do that?" Carina asked. It was a risk and Carina felt that if they were going to continue with this, she should definitely start on medication. She also wanted to feel Maya's completely naked cock without using anything. She felt that it was different, more intimate. Maya thought for a moment. Of course she wanted that and she believed she could withdraw. But could she handle the sensation of fucking Carina without a condom? She tried to calm herself as she wondered how much she could take.

"I can do it if you're sure." Maya said.

"I'm sure." Said Carina and pulled down Maya's panties. Maya was already fully hard and ready. Maya rested her forehead against Carina's as Carina started to fist her with her hand. "I would definitely like to give you more, but I've never given a blow job to anyone before, so... that's all for now." Said Carina. Maya accepted it completely. Carina didn't have to do it. It would have been a nice extra, but it wasn't all Maya wanted. But maybe she wanted to ask about turning around and leaning on the table, but now that she knew that, she hesitated to ask and would proceed as Carina wanted. Maya cupped Carina's cheek and stroked her cheek.

"It's okay. You don't have to do anything. I'm okay with anything you want." Said Maya.

"Okay, thank you. I think we can continue now." Said Carina and let go of Maya's cock and leaned back a little, spreading her legs and looking expectantly into Maya's eyes. Maya approached and lifted one of Carina's legs. She grabbed her cock. As she moved the tip of her cock up and down to spread Carina's wetness, Carina helped by moving her hips. Maya could feel Carina's wetness and warmth completely now. She couldn't describe the feeling, fireworks were going off inside her. Maya then grabbed her cock and stroked it against Carina's clitoris. Carina hissed and arched her back and closed her eyes. Maya continued to tease Carina's clitoris. Carina's second orgasm was starting to build. "Maya please." Carina whimpered.

Maya slowly began to move towards Carina's entrance. Maya was trying to prepare herself. She didn't want to cum early. But everything Carina was doing was pushing Maya over the edge. Carina leaned further back and spread her legs wide as she slowly began to move forward from her entrance. She was still a little sore from last night, but the first entrance didn't hurt as much this time as yesterday. They both moaned as Maya started to enter. Maya could feel Carina's wetness all over her and she was still very tight. Carina was more focused on her pleasure with less pain.

Maya started to move forward and she was sure that today she would be able to enter her completely. She moved further and further. When Maya hit the last point their eyes met. Maya wanted to lean down and kiss Carina. Carina sat up a little more and tried to get used to the feeling of the point Maya had reached inside her. Maya started to move slowly as she tried to focus on the kiss.

"Oh Maya I feel it all." Carina said, hugging Maya. Maya was kissing Carina's face and neck. When she got down to her neck, she pulled a spot into her mouth and sucked it. When Carina didn't object, she continued. Carina was too caught up in her pleasure to object. Carina leaned back again and changed the angle. Maya was now hitting her g-spot as she pulled back and entered. Carina couldn't control her moans of pleasure. Maya was staring at the sight of her cock moving in and out of Carina. She was looking at the bulge in Carina's stomach as she entered her. Carina looked where Maya was looking. She realized how sexy this image was for both of them. Carina felt closer to Maya now. It was as if a wall was breaking down between them every time. The sex was increasing the intimacy between them.

Maya started to speed up. She was holding Carina's legs with her arms. When Carina was fully stretched out on the table, Maya moved her hand to Carina's cleavage. She ran her hand across the cleavage, exposing one of Carina's breasts. She loved the sight of her breasts bouncing with each stroke. Carina moaned louder as she grabbed the breast with her hand and squeezed it. By now Carina had closed her eyes. She was very close to cumming. Maya was already ready.

Maya moved her hand to Carina's clit and began to rub it, and Maya watched the scene. Watching Carina cum was going to send her over the edge. She was holding herself back. Carina was squeezing Maya's cock so hard that it was hard for Maya to resist. But fortunately Carina came faster and recovered faster than Maya expected. The moment she recovered, Carina's only thought was to make Maya cum. Carina sat up and hugged Maya. She sucked Maya's neck, grabbed Maya's ass with one hand and encouraged her to go even faster. She started to whisper in Maya's ear.

"You feel so good Maya come on speed up and I want you to cum inside me bambina. Don't hold back." Carina said and pulled the hair from Maya's neck. She didn't know why she said that. Maya made her dizzy. She wanted to give herself completely to Maya and she couldn't make a good decision. Carina felt Maya speed up even more at that moment. She was hitting Carina very hard. Before Carina knew what was happening, she put her own hand between them and started rubbing her clit. Because she could see her third orgasm coming.

 Maya couldn't hold herself back any longer at the sight of this, she came inside Carina as she pounded Carina hard. She continued to pound Carina hard as she came and wanted Carina to reach her orgasm too. Carina came as Maya released the last of her cum into her. Carina hugged Maya tightly. She buried her face in Maya's neck. They were both panting. Maya still couldn't process what had just happened. Why Carina had allowed it and why Maya had done it without question. Even taking that risk had strangely turned them both on.

Carina was holding Maya tightly. Maya held Carina just as tightly. She began to pet her hair. They were both too caught up in the moment to speak. But Maya was still inside Carina. She had to come out now.

"I think I have to come out now. Can I come out?" Maya asked, but Carina was hiding her head in Maya's neck, a little embarrassed. But she had to let her go.

"Oh yeah, I'm sorry I guess... I didn't know what to do, I was embarrassed I guess." Carina said as she pulled her head away from Maya.

"Why?" asked Maya frowning.

"God I lose my ability to think straight when I'm with you. How does that happen?" Carina said laughing.

"Oh I get it, I think that's beautiful. It's so normal that I couldn't question it because I think we were too caught up in each other." Said Maya and started to get out of Carina. She looked at the sight of the fluids coming out of Carina's entrance. Again this was strangely sexy. "Also you said you're on safer days, I think you should take the morning after pill." Said Maya.

"Don't worry Maya, I don't plan to get pregnant right now." Carina said. Maya thought Carina was angry.

"I mean, I said that because you told me to back off, Carina. I didn't mean anything else. I mean, it would be ridiculous to talk about pregnancy right now." Maya was being ridiculous. Of course Carina had thoughts about pregnancy but she didn't need to talk about it with Maya right now.

"It's okay, I just wanted to tell you Maya. I didn't want to spoil the moment, come here." Carina said. She hugged Maya again and started kissing her. Maya was glad they hadn't messed up. "I didn't expect to talk about this after the three amazing orgasms you gave me." Carina said, trying to make amends.

"Three, huh? I'm glad it felt good because it felt so good to me." Said Maya smiling.

"Oh it definitely felt good." Said Carina reaching over the edge of the table and reaching for the napkins. "But now we need to get cleaned up." Carina said as she handed Maya a napkin. Maya quickly cleaned herself, still half hard. She pulled her pants up. "I need to talk to Amelia, maybe it would be easier for us if I started some medication." Said Carina.

"But won't she question why you're taking it?" Maya asked, worried.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it, you've distracted me too much now Miss Bishop, I've got things to do tomorrow." Said Carina. Maya laughed. It was a good distraction.

"Well, can I help you? I've been meaning to ask you anyway." Said Maya.

"Okay, what are you going to ask?" Carina asked as she straightened up. 

"We can talk about tomorrow later. But I wanted to ask you if you've thought about the people you suspect, you should have a list in mind. I'm asking because I've thought of a few people based on my observations, but if you share them with me, we can follow them all closely and implement the plan." Said Maya. Carina had thought about it, of course. Nothing else had been on her mind for days. She took a deep breath and sat in her seat. Right now she just wanted a cigarette. She lit her cigarette. She took the first puff and blew out the smoke.

"Yes, I thought about it. I made a list thinking about all the things you said. The people I had in mind..." 

Chapter Text

"I keep going over names in my head and then I watch them better and then I think I'm talking nonsense. I've been working with everyone here for years. It's hard to think about it." Carina said sadly. Maya thought Carina's confusion was justified. If there was someone who was really open, Carina would have found them by now. If there was one.

"I understand it's hard, but there might be people you never expected, Carina. The reason why they are so sneaky could be because there is a mole inside. So at least tell me the people you can think of so I can keep a close eye on them." Said Maya. Carina sighed deeply. She was trying to piece together what was going on in her mind.

"I thought I had a good security organization, but we keep getting compromised. Which leads me to Sullivan. But he's very careful and a good worker. I can't stop thinking what if one of my guards is a mole and not him." Said Carina, looking pensive.

"Is Sullivan the most responsible person in security?" Maya asked, frowning, thinking about Sullivan and if there was anything she noticed about his behavior.

"Andrea, actually. Andrea is the one who organizes everything and gives the orders, but Sullivan is the one who executes them." Said Carina.

"Hmm" Maya was thoughtfully playing with a pencil on the table. Carina wondered what was on Maya's mind.

"What's on your mind. Is it what I think?" Carina asked. Maya wanted to speak, but she knew that anything she said would hurt Carina. She opened and closed her mouth a few times and then looked Carina in the eyes.

"Carina, I'm not saying for sure, but I told you to start with the closest one, maybe not Andrea, but somehow... " Maya interrupted Carina as she spoke.

"Okay, you don't need to finish your sentence. Maya I want you to understand that Andrea is my brother. He is everything to me. There is nothing in this life that I wouldn't do for him. We share everything. It was his choice not to take over this mafia. So he has no reason to want to kill me." Carina said clearly.

"Carina, I don't want to say that he wanted to kill you, I just thought that he might have been dragged into this somehow or that they might have used Andea to get to you somehow. But that's just a thought. But it's fair that the first name that came to your mind was Sullivan." Maya said, but Carina wasn't speaking. She could never believe Andrea would do such a thing. Not even if she could see it with her own eyes. Maya knelt in front of the chair where Carina was sitting and took Carina's hands. Carina looked very serious. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to overstep my bounds. The first target is Sullivan, I'll watch him closely tomorrow. If I notice anything, we'll talk about it. Then we'll see what to do." Said Maya.

"Okay, thank you." Carina said, but her face was still hard.

"Please I don't want you to stay mad at me, I know I ruined the whole thing again." Said Maya.

"No, it's not you. I'm just so scared that you might be right... I've lost my mind. Andrea can only hurt me like no one else can. I don't care about Sullivan or anyone else. I can punish them. But Andrea... That's why I'm lost in thought. I know you have good intentions. That's why I'm not angry." Said Carina.

"I can only imagine how difficult this is. But I'm here. We'll work it all out. Don't worry. Now can we go back to the way we were before I asked you all this?" Maya smiled. Carina smiled a little. Because after the hottest moments she had ever experienced in this room, this conversation was too heavy. Carina leaned down and captured Maya's lips. Maya was quite warm. The wet kiss sounded in her ears. The sex they had just had had created a different level of intimacy between them. It had somehow made Carina vulnerable in that moment and she had given herself completely to Maya. It was both very relaxing and very scary at the same time. It was not for Carina to give up so much control. She wasn't sure if she was taking things to the point of no return.

"Thank you for today. I'll have a meeting here tomorrow morning, so come along. There are things you need to know too." Carina said.

"OK, I'll be here tomorrow morning, and thank you for today too. Then I will leave you alone now." said Maya. Carina smiled. Maya took the phone Carina had given her and left the room. Carina didn't know why she had become so stupid around Maya. There was something about this woman that the others didn't have. What was her purpose in being so close to Maya and how far did she want this to go. There were a thousand questions in her mind again. But the sex they had just had was out of body. She had never felt so good in her life. She had never given herself so much to someone.

As Carina finished her cigarette, the other thought that was running through her mind was that she needed to talk to Amelia. Carina had never had to take pills since her early twenties. She had never liked taking pills. She had always emphasized using condoms anyway. But with Maya that thought had gone out the window. She didn't want any barriers between them. Carina couldn't believe she was still thinking about the woman who had just been with her. She laughed to herself.

Then she left her room to go to Amelia. She needed to have a conversation. She felt like a teenage girl asking her mother for protection. She thought a thousand times about what to say as she walked towards the house reserved for Amelia. The entrance to Amelia's house was like a doctor's office. Amelia took care of everyone who lived in this small village. Any help and medicines needed were taken care of. Carina took a deep breath as she entered Amelia's office. As she walked in, she heard Amelia's intimate conversation with a bodyguard who worked at the house. Amelia was flirting with someone again. Carina coughed slightly to indicate that she was there. Carina usually ignored love affairs. She let everyone be with whoever they wanted as long as there was no drama. Amelia rushed the guard out of the room as soon as she heard Carina's voice.

"Carina, hi. What are you doing here, are you sick?" said Amelia. Carina laughed at Amelia's flustered state.

"No, I'm not sick, I wanted to talk to you about something, but it seemed like you weren't available. I can come back later if you want." Carina laughed wiggling her eyebrows.

"Oh no please I can give him more time later." Said Amelia with a wink and both women laughed. "Ok it must be something important for you to come all the way here right? Spill it." Amelia said. Carina closed the door to the room. "Okay do you want me to take my top off?" said Amelia never passing up a chance to flirt. Carina laughed.

"No, it's better if you're dressed, I won't be distracted." Carina said. "OK, I'm going to get serious now. What I tell you can't leave this room. And I want you to do it without question. I need birth control pills. Please don't question it." Said Carina. But Amelia didn't look surprised at all.

"'Is it Maya?' Amelia said. She asked very clearly. Carina looked puzzled. If even Amelia had noticed, the whole house must have known about their relations. Carina suddenly panicked. She didn't want to hide Maya forever, but she and Maya hadn't even talked about what they were doing now.

"You... How? Who else knows?" Carina stammered.

"Trust me, no one knows. You know that I treated Maya while she was recovering. And I'm a doctor, I know Maya, I've seen the way she admires you and I may have even talked to her about it." Amelia said. Carina was still looking puzzled.

"But how could you know so much and not tell me anything?" Said Carina.

"First of all, let's just say I guessed. Secondly, this is a private situation, especially for Maya, and it's not for me to talk about it. But I'm glad you came to me. But the question is, what are you planning to do? What about Gabri? From what I know, Maya is a very good person with a beautiful heart. If you're just gonna use her for sex like Gabri, make sure you tell her that. Otherwise she'll be very hurt. I can see it's not just sex for her." Amelia said. Carina put her face in her hands. Did Maya really love Carina? They both knew something was going on, but Carina doubted that Maya really wanted to be involved.

"You're so right, Amelia, but I'm so confused. The last thing I want is to hurt Gabri, but I've already broken her heart, and then there's Maya. I don't know what she's done to me, but I can't help myself. Staying away from her is no longer an option. And here I am, asking you for protection pills. It's a fucking joke." Said Carina.

"Congratulations for coming before you got pregnant. At least you weren't that out of your mind." Said Amelia laughing.

"Well actually I need the morning after pill too. Just as a precaution. Maya might have gone a little crazy on me. God, this woman will be the end of me." Said Carina, embarrassed.

"Oh my God, you're so caught up in this woman that you don't use protection. Okay I want you to give me all the details. Is she that good?" said Amelia.

"Oh please I'm already embarrassed right now. I don't know how it happens Amelia but with her I'm someone I've never been. I'd say it's better than the sex I had when I was most in love. It's so strange. I've never felt like this. And now I'm here, can you get me the pills?" said Carina.

"Okay, okay, I can tell you that your employees have very active sex lives. So I can arrange something. Don't worry. Be careful though, no contraception is 100% protection. I can see you are in love but don't let it blind you." Said Amelia.

"Yes I know I will be careful, it would be stupid to get pregnant at this point." said Carina.

"Yes, and realize what you are doing. This doesn't only affect you. Decide what you are doing with Maya and don't break your heart, Gabri's heart or Maya's heart." Said Amelia.

"Oh, I know. I don't know what I'm doing either, but I'll figure it out. Don't worry. Please arrange for the meds by tonight. And I don't think I need to tell you not to tell anyone." Said Carina.

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. But you can always tell me about your adventures. You know I'm a good listener. And Maya is so hot, you two would be a very hot couple." Said Amelia and Carina laughed. It felt good to be able to talk about Maya with someone else. It felt good to tell someone rather than dealing with all the stress alone.

"Oh you can dream about the details, I'm done with the details." Carina said. Amelia looked playfully offended.

Feeling better, Carina left Amelia's side and went through the invitation list for tomorrow. She made plans about who to talk to and what to talk about. She thought about how much information she should share with whom and how much information she should share about tomorrow's meeting with everyone she needed. Aside from all the security measures she could think of, nothing but Maya gave Carina confidence. Just the thought of Maya was enough to make Carina happy.

In the evening Carina took the medicine Amelia had brought her and she no longer had any worries. Now all she could think about was what would happen tomorrow. She thought about how much more she could make things tomorrow if she had the right conversations with the right people. She didn't even realize what time it was. Carina was startled by the sound of the notification on her phone.

Maya: Aren't you thinking of going to sleep?

Carina smiled when she saw the message. Because Maya had clearly observed that Carina had not gone to her room. She was secretly checking to see if Carina would come to her room.

Carina: If you have some space for me in your bed, I would love to sleep next to you.

Maya: Technically you have the whole house to yourself. All joking aside, it's a very empty bed without you and I'd be happy if you came.

Carina felt the fluttering in her stomach after seeing the message, those damn butterflies everyone was talking about. She rushed out of her room. She had forgotten what she had been doing before the text message. When she got to the floor where Maya's and her room were, she headed for Maya's room and saw that Andrea was on that floor.

"Andrea what are you doing here." Carina said. She was surprised that Andrea was on this floor at this hour. she quickly walked away, camouflaging the fact that she was going to Maya's room. Usually no one went up to this floor unless there were strangers in the house. Because this floor was mostly reserved for Carina. The last time Maya was brought to this house, Carina's room was guarded by bodyguards.

"Oh, just a routine check, you know. And I was worried when I didn't see you around." Andrea said. Carina thought Andrea was still nervous about Maya.

"I was just organizing things for tomorrow and was on my way to my room when I got very sleepy. Come on, stop wandering around, tomorrow is an important day and you need to sleep." Carina said, trying to send Andrea away as soon as possible. Carina hurried to her room and closed the door. She leaned against the door and took a deep breath. If Andrea had seen Carina go into Maya's room, it would have been very difficult to explain. Carina then decided to put on her nightgown. She then checked the surroundings thoroughly and made her way to Maya's room. She was angry that she had been sneaking around in her own house. Even as a child she had never played so much tag in this house.

When she reached Maya's door, she knocked, but she didn't wait for a sound from inside, she went in. Because she couldn't risk getting caught waiting. Maya was startled by the sudden entrance of Carina. Maya was lying on her bed in a large t-shirt and boxers, reading a book. Carina was glad to see Maya like this. She wanted to jump into bed and make love to this woman, but she was so tired that she just looked at the view in front of her.

"Carina, you scared me. " Maya said, putting the book down on the nightstand. "I thought you weren't coming." Maya said as she stood up.

"Why were you scared?" Carina asked as she leaned against the door and bit her lower lip. Carina's gaze was both very coquettish and very mischievous. Maya looked down at the nightgown Carina was wearing. It was a beautiful satin nightgown. It had short shorts underneath and a string top. Maya spoke as she walked over to Carina.

"I was afraid because no one usually comes to my room at this hour. And when you didn't answer the text, I thought you wouldn't come." Maya said and as soon as she reached Carina she put her hand on Carina's cheek and brought her face closer. Carina's heart started beating faster the closer Maya got. Every second the excitement grew.

"I was going to come here as soon as I saw your message, but I ran into Andrea, so I had to stop by my room first." Said Carina as Maya smiled and listened to Carina speak. Carina could talk all night long and Maya could listen. As Maya listened to Carina admiringly, Carina remembered what Amelia had said to her today. Maya was really looking at Carina with great admiration. She hadn't been so aware of it before. She had been so focused on figuring out her own feelings that she hadn't realized how big Maya's feelings could be.

"So can I kiss you now? Are we safe?" Maya asked mischievously. Carina nodded. Maya immediately put her lips together. She just pressed their lips together and then changed the angle to a wetter and hotter kiss. Carina closed her eyes and immersed herself in Maya's warmth. Next to Maya she felt her brain stop working. Her body was giving up control. Carina couldn't help moaning when she felt Maya's tongue inside her mouth. Maya was clearly in control. But Maya didn't want to get caught up in the kiss and ignore whether Carina wanted to continue. They had already had some very hot sex today. When Maya sucked Carina's bottom lip one last time and let go with a wet sound, she pulled back.

"You must be tired, do you want to go to sleep?" Maya asked as she took Carina around the waist and moved towards the bed.

"I'm so tired mentally I don't know how to tell you. Tomorrow is going to be a long and hard day," Carina said.

"Come on then, let's go to sleep." Said Maya and put Carina to bed. Carina was getting more and more emotional seeing this thoughtful side of Maya taking care of her.

"Maya... Will you read the book you were reading when I came into the room, at least a few pages before I go to sleep?" Carina asked innocently. Maya smiled at Carina's innocent face. Carina was lying on her back and Maya was lying next to Carina with half of her body on top of Carina's. Maya kissed Carina's lips softly.

"Of course I will." Maya said as they settled on the bed next to Carina. Carina lay on Maya's chest and Maya got into the right position and hugged Carina and started to read the book. At times Maya stroked Carina's hair or placed kisses on Carina's head as she read the book. Carina didn't focus much on what was in the book, she had already read it and hearing Maya's soft voice relaxed her mind and body. Carina soon fell asleep. As Carina fell asleep quietly, Maya closed the book and pulled Carina close to her, breathing in Carina's scent and letting herself fall asleep.

Chapter Text

Carina's brain kept her awake for a long time. She tried to close her eyes again and again to sleep, but it was useless. She woke up in the early hours of the morning. Sleeping with Maya gave her peace, but she couldn't escape reality for long. There was a life outside this door that she had to stand strong for. When she woke up she felt Maya spooning her from behind but was surprised by the hardness she felt in her ass. Carina waited to see if Maya was dreaming or moving. But Maya was innocently hugging Carina and the morning wood was there. Carina moved her ass a little because she felt Maya. Their bodies were fully joined but Carina was now awake and wanted to feel Maya more.

Carina got out of Maya's arms and lay down facing Maya. She moved closer, pressing their bodies together. She tangled their legs together. Then she began to place light kisses on Maya's neck. When she grabbed one of Maya's hips and pulled her close, she felt Maya slowly start to wake up.

"Carina..." Maya mumbled sleepily. Carina continued to place soft kisses on Maya's neck. Maya found Carina's warm lips on her neck and her long legs wrapped around her own.

"Good morning, bambina." Carina said between kisses. 'Bambina' Maya realized how much she loved to hear that word. But Carina only used it in moments like this or when they had sex.  Maya put her hand on Carina's waist and pulled her close. She gave herself over to Carina's touch. As she felt herself becoming more aroused, she became aware of her hardness. She couldn't decide if it was Carina's touch or a morning wood.

"Good morning, nice wake-up call." Maya said, pulling Carina a little by the waist, wiggling her hips and rubbing her hardness against Carina. Carina paused the kisses at the sensation.

"It can get better if you want it to." Carina said excitedly. Maya took a deep breath.

"Don't you have a lot to do today? You don't have to waste your time on me." Maya asked as she caressed Carina's waist.

"Hmmm it's too early I think I can make time for us. Besides, what makes you think this is just for you." said Carina as she pulled Maya into a deep kiss. There was nothing Maya could do. She wanted Carina. But it was clear that Carina wanted to be in control.

 She pushed Maya over her shoulder onto the bed. She straddled Maya. Maya was breathless for a moment. Maya forgot to breathe when Carina sat on her cock and positioned herself. Carina tossed her hair to one side, leaned down and continued kissing Maya. Maya couldn't believe how awake she felt as they continued in this position. Carina was kissing Maya and moving her hips slightly at the same time. Maya could feel Carina's warmth even through her boxers and the shorts of Carina's nightgown. Carina knew how to use her body and how to tease Maya. Maya was stroking Carina's thighs. She could feel Maya getting harder and harder and Maya started to move her hips. She continued, knowing she was making the right movements.

Maya put her hands on Carina's hips to help her move, but Carina had no intention of waiting any longer. She got up to take off Maya's T-shirt. She smiled as she looked at Maya's naked tits lying on the bed. Maya was really beautiful. Carina couldn't take her eyes off her. It was a pleasure to take Maya's breasts in her hand and caress them gently, watching Maya squirm on the bed. She was becoming more and more aware of what a beautiful woman Maya was. The surgical scar on her stomach was less visible now. Carina smiled as her abdominal muscles became defined again.

"You are so beautiful, Maya." Carina said, beginning to get caught up in her own excitement as the caresses and squeezes continued. She quickly began to take off her own top as well. Maya was admiring Carina's body as she quickly stripped herself naked. It was time for Maya's boxers, but first she kissed her way from Maya's breasts to Maya's belly button with her tongue while she kept her eyes on Maya's eyes. It wasn't just sex now, they were making love, feeling each other. As Carina took off Maya's boxers and slowly pulled them down, she watched Maya's very hard cock, reddened and slightly wet at the tip, hit Maya's stomach. She watched Maya's naked body with a mischievous smile.

Maya wanted to lie there and just watch Carina. She let herself go. Just her hands stroking Carina's arms and legs and occasionally her titties. Carina again positioned her legs on either side of Maya's thighs as she took Maya's cock in her hand and fisting it. As Carina did this, Maya let out soft moans at the feel of Carina's hand.

"Carina..." Carina was slowly fisting Maya's cock as Maya struggled to speak. She studied Maya's face. Seeing which movement made Maya squirm even more in pleasure. Maya could no longer hear anything else as her heart was beating at top speed. Carina was something else for Maya. She had slept with hundreds of women and she couldn't remember ever wanting any of them so much.

"Yes, bambina?" Carina said as she studied Maya's expressions.

"You feel so good. Keep going please." Maya said, fixing her eyes on Carina's. Carina bit her lower lip and continued her movements, then suddenly stopped, leaned down and kissed Maya again. This time she rubbed her bare center along the length of Maya's naked cock. Maya could no longer focus on the kiss as she felt Carina's wet sex. She could no longer hide her moan. Carina knew exactly what she was doing. She kept rubbing her sex and the sensation was bringing Carina dangerously close to orgasm. Finally, after sucking hard on Maya's neck, Carina got up and sat up fully so as not to put pressure on her clitoris, running her hand over Maya's abs as she continued to move slowly. The more she moved, the more wetness from her sex spilled onto Maya's cock. Carina was in no hurry, but Maya couldn't stop.

" Keep going faster, baby." Maya said as she squeezed one of Carina's tits hard. Carina started to speed up a little but suddenly she got up because she didn't want to cum right now. Because if she went faster she would cum easily. Maybe they could do it again later.

"Where are the condoms?" Carina asked taking a deep breath.

"Did you talk to Amelia?" Maya grinned slightly and reached for the nightstand. She immediately grabbed one but Carina pulled it out of her hand. She wanted to do it herself.

"I did, I started the pills, I think we can stop the condom after a while." Said Carina quickly opened the package and put it on Maya. So they were going to keep having sex, Maya thought. So it wasn't just a passing whim for Carina.

After making sure that the condom fit properly, they kissed one last time, hard and intense. Carina grabbed Maya's cock, then got up on her knees and positioned it at her entrance. Maya didn't know where to look. She was confused where Carina's entrance and her cock met or at the expressions on Carina's face. Carina slowly began to lower herself down, trying to get used to the thickness that was entering her. Maya moaned at the first contact, at the tightness of Carina's entrance and heard Carina moan at the same time. Carina smiled as there was now less pain and burning and more pleasure. Maya was stroking Carina's legs, encouraging Carina. She knew that this position was different from the others and she was very excited. She wanted Carina to ride her and come with her on her lap.

 Maya wanted to move her hips and fill Carina completely and go fast, but she could hardly contain herself. She didn't want to hurt Carina. When Carina was halfway in, she closed her eyes. Carina put her palms on Maya's chest and began to move slowly. With each movement, she moaned with the thickness of her insides. Maya wouldn't let go of Carina's hips. After a while Maya started to help Carina and began to push more and more length into her. Carina smiled slightly as she felt what Maya was doing.

After a while Carina was fully seated on Maya's cock and in complete control. The movements of her hips were driving Maya into ecstasy. Carina was moving in the most pleasurable way for both of them. There was pure pleasure in both of their gazes. Maya was overwhelmed with pleasure watching the way Carina moved her upper body and the tight feel of her cock. It was driving Maya crazy how sexy Carina was on her lap. There was something about Carina being on top.

Carina couldn't help her loud moans when Maya finally couldn't take it and started slamming her hips into Carina. She leaned down to change the angle and hugged Maya. Maya held Carina's waist with one hand, the other around her neck. The two of them were wrapped together and only Maya's hips were working fast. Carina now gave her whole body to Maya. To camouflage the sound of her moans, Carina buried herself in Maya's neck and sucked madly. She made sure to leave more than one dark hickey on Maya. Carina wasn't going to argue now about how possessive she was. But she had a growing sense of possessiveness towards Maya. There was a growing affection for her, especially after their wonderful sex.

Carina felt Maya's cock pushing into her stomach. She could feel the pleasure she was feeling, with the burning at the entrance, leading her quickly to orgasm, and she was already close. As the speed of Maya's thrusts increased, Carina screamed Maya's name and her legs squeezed Maya's thighs in a trembling squeeze as she climaxed. Maya slowed her own movements to avoid cumming at that moment. Carina was squeezing Maya hard and moving her hips to put more pressure on her clit. Maya waited until the end of the movements of Carina's hips and her orgasm. She never let go of Carina. She knew how vulnerable Carina felt, how much she loved to be held after her orgasm. She stroked Carina's hair and kissed her neck.

"Hey, are you okay?" Maya said in a whisper. As if everything would disappear if she spoke out loud. Carina smiled into Maya's neck and nodded. Maya followed Carina's smile with a hand on Carina's waist and squeezed her ass. Carina moved her hips a little as she felt herself recovering. She could feel that Maya hadn't cum yet. "Shall we continue?" Maya asked in a whisper again.

"Yes please, you don't even have to ask." Said Carina and was about to get up and continue in the same position when Maya rolled them both on the bed. Carina screamed in surprise and started laughing. Maya laughed and pulled Carina into a hard kiss. She moved her cock back to Carina's entrance and lined it up. She needed to cum so badly. She was surprised that after the memory of Carina on the horse, riding her like this and riding her so beautifully and watching her orgasm in her lap, she still hadn't cum.

"It hurts a little." Carina hissed. She had been a little careless in the pursuit of orgasm.

"I'll be careful, it won't last long," Maya said, smiling slightly. Carina stroked Maya's hair encouragingly, putting one hand in Maya's hair and the other on Maya's back.

After Maya easily inserted her cock inside Carina, she continued where she left off, but more slowly. She put her hands on either side of Carina's shoulders and began to move in and out of Carina quickly. Carina put her hands on Maya's back. Carina was marking Maya's neck with hard strokes and clawing her back with her fingernails. Maya's movements became deeper and harder as she heard Carina's moans with the thrusts of her hips. Carina lifted her legs and wrapped her arms around Maya's waist and pulled her to her with her arms. She hugged Maya completely, making their bodies feel like one. It felt so good to feel so close to Carina as Maya held Carina close to her. Maya then came hard and long with deep thrusts, both of them moaning in unison. Maya had an intense orgasm and came a lot. This time Carina held Maya tightly.

They both felt very well relaxed. After a few minutes Maya pulled her cock out of Carina. Carina hissed with emptiness Maya smiled at Carina's beautiful face and found herself pulling Carina into a sweet kiss. After the kiss Carina smiled and for a moment she felt like she was in a routine day in her life with Maya. For a moment she imagined that after a passionate lovemaking before going to work, they would return to their quiet routine. But nothing was like that. They were having sex in secret from everyone, without even knowing what they were feeling. There was someone out there who wanted to kill Carina. And the organization Maya was a member of was going to kill her the moment she showed up. On top of all this, Carina had an event today.

Carina sighed deeply and looked at Maya. Carina smiled, watching Maya's serious face as Maya carefully removed the condom, careful not to spill her cum. She had learned yesterday what it was like for Maya to have come so much for her, to feel it inside her.

"What do you think?" Maya asked, pulling Carina out of her thoughts. Carina could see that her gaze was thoughtful.

"I was thinking about whether I'm ready for the day to start. I wish we didn't have to get up." Carina said as Maya threw the condom in the trash, came to the bed and lay down next to Carina, pulling Carina into her arms and kissing the top of her head. Even though they didn't talk about it, they didn't hold back their affection.

"You can stay here as long as you want, I can hide you here," Maya said, laughing.

"I wish I could, but I have to get up and get the whole house in order and take care of the evening crowd. The only good thing is that you have to stay close to me." Carina said as she hugged Maya a little closer.

"I'll get you out of the crowd anytime you want. When is the meeting?" Maya asked.

"After breakfast, so there's not much time left." Said Carina.

"Okay, do you want to take a shower here with me? Maya asked but Carina knew that if she stayed she wouldn't be able to leave this room for hours.

"I want to, but I can't. Because I know neither of us are going to behave in there so I'm going to leave and you take your shower and then bring your beautiful body back to my room." Carina said as she kissed Maya on the lips and chin one last time and got out of bed and got dressed.

---

Clothes and shoes for Maya started to arrive in large quantities. It was clear that this was Carina's instruction. Casual outfits and special night outfits had all been thought of. For now Maya chose blue jeans, a white t-shirt and white shoes. She didn't know how she should dress for tonight's reception, so she made a mental note to ask.

On the way to Carina's office, Maya was rereading Carina's text messages when she realized she had hit a long one and looked up. Sullivan again. This man kept popping up in her life. He was already on Carina's suspect list. So she disliked him even more.

"Bishop, you better watch where you're going because I think you're going to the wrong place. There's a meeting in Miss DeLuca's room. You better not make a habit of going in and out of this room." Said Sullivan. Maya wanted to punch this man in the face. Not only was he tall, but he liked to talk down and insult. For a moment Maya wondered if this man talked to Gabri in the same way. In her mind she couldn't stop comparing herself to Gabri. But then again, would Sullivan behave this way if he knew about Maya fucking Carina in this room on the table or their lovemaking sessions on the couch? Would he talk like this if he knew the way Carina looked at Maya? Maya had all the words in her mouth and was about to answer when Carina's firm footsteps were heard.

"What's going on here?" Carina looked at Maya and Sullivan with a serious tone and expression.

"I told Bishop that you're having a meeting and that she shouldn't be here and that she shouldn't be around..." Carina interrupted Sullivan when he spoke because she didn't want to hear the rest.

"I called Maya and she will attend the meeting. Maya will accompany me tonight as my close bodyguard. I have full permission for her to roam around, so I suggest you take care of the threats outside the house instead of inside. I'm constantly being attacked." Said Carina Sullivan with a puzzled look on her face, not expecting this reaction. Maya was trying very hard not to laugh at Sullivan's expression. Carina entered the room and Maya followed close behind.

After making sure that everyone who was supposed to be in the room was there, Carina gave all the instructions. It had been a long meeting. The people who came in the evening were close friends and some relatives. Carina felt safer, but she didn't know where the attack would come from. Maya left Carina's room at the end of the meeting with everyone else to avoid attracting attention. In the evening, she went down to the gym. She took a few pictures in the gym mirror and sent them to Carina, flirting with her. She knew how stressed Carina was. She had tried to reduce her stress this morning, but she still thought the photos would help. The suggestive replies and fire emojis from Carina apparently helped. 

In the evening Maya watched the activity in the house from her bedroom window. Long tables were set in the garden. Preparations were in full swing, both inside and outside the house. It was a warm evening. Everyone had been instructed to wear white. Carina had obviously come up with a concept. Maya wore a loose white linen shirt and pants. . The clothes Carina had sent were all very nice designs and definitely Maya's style, a good choice for this hot weather. Maya wore very light makeup. She wanted to impress Carina tonight. She wanted Carina to trust and love Maya completely. She no longer wanted to be the woman she came to just for sex. Maya didn't know what she was doing in this country, maybe she would be killed if she left this house, but there was something else she wanted. Her frozen heart was finally melting. She wanted to get through the night and have a more serious talk with Carina. Maya came out of her room as she began to see the guests slowly coming in from the garden and saw Carina coming out of her bedroom.

They were both frozen in that moment. Carina was wearing a long red summer dress. Maya smiled as she admired it. Of course Carina was going to be different from everyone else. She would be the first to catch everyone's eye. In fact, she didn't need a different color, her beauty was the first thing that caught the eye. Carina signaled for Maya to come. When there was no one in the hallway, Maya ran to Carina's room. Carina pulled Maya into the room by her collar and quickly closed the door. They both began a quick kiss, as if in agreement. Carina tugged on Maya's hair.

"You are the reason I chose the color white." Carina said, looking at Maya's outfit.

"Did you choose it with me in mind?" Maya asked, touching Carina's lips.

"Yes, I chose all the clothes I sent and I imagined you in all of them. It was a good first choice." Said Carina. Maya pulled Carina's ass to her.

"They are all very nice thank you. I wish we had time now. That red dress suits you so well." Said Maya as she placed gentle kisses on Carina's neck and Carina wrapped her arms around Maya's shoulders and let herself be touched, but the guests were already arriving.

"Well, I wish we had time, but we can start and finish tonight right away." Carina said. Maya pulled back a little more because if she didn't they wouldn't be able to stop.

"Are you nervous?" Maya asked as she pushed Carina's hair behind her ear.

"Until I saw you, yes. But not anymore." Carina said, smiling slightly.

"Well I'm glad, what do you want me to say if anyone asks who I am?" asked Maya.

"Well, there are many adjectives I would like you to say. But I think you can introduce yourself as one of my American business partners. I won't let them ask for details since you will be close to me anyway." Said Carina.

Maya spoke with a smile. "What adjectives are these?"

"Well, let's see. Like my close bodyguard who is a beautiful woman with the bluest eyes I've ever seen, very strong." Carina said, but Maya was sad that even after all these nice compliments she could only get the rank of close bodyguard. But she tried not to show it.

"Okay, thanks, I'll go downstairs now. Andrea will be around soon." Maya said, but Carina felt that Maya had left the room even more unhappy than when she arrived. If they had had time they could have talked but of course they still had other things to do.

When Maya went downstairs, she could see that many of the people in the large group were looking at her in surprise. She felt like an outsider. She was the only one with blonde hair among these attractive brunette people. It wasn't hard to see that some of them were looking at her with a receptive eye. Maya wanted to stand in a corner without attracting too much attention, but it was clear that she was attracting a lot of attention. All of these people knew each other and were quite friendly. Maya stopped thinking about what had happened between her and Carina and started to analyze the guests.

The average age was high. They were all laughing and having fun, but there were certain types who seemed more dignified. There were few young men and women but they were all very good looking. The beautiful tall women were quite striking, but Maya had met Carina. She realized that beauty is a whole. Not just a beautiful body or face was enough. Intelligence, manner of speech, character, everything was a complement to beauty. Carina had a beautiful face and a goddess-like body, but her personality was so beautiful that it made her superhumanly beautiful. That was why the looks of some beautiful women did not affect Maya at all. Maya grabbed a glass of white wine from one of the waiters. Normally she wasn't fond of wine, but here people drank it like water and she was inevitably getting used to it. When she took her first sip, she looked at the tall woman standing next to her.

"Caio!" she said with great energy. She was taller than Maya and wore a short white dress. She was wearing an expensive perfume that made it clear she was there.

"Hi!" Maya could only say in surprise. She didn't want anyone to contact her tonight. Without Carina she wouldn't know what to say to whom. So she tensed up.

"You are so obviously not Italian." The woman said, holding out her hand to Maya. "I am Serafina," she said with a big smile.

"Hi, I'm Maya. Nice to meet you Sera... sorry, my pronunciation might be bad." Maya looked apologetic but shook the woman's hand.

"Serafina. You can call me Fina for short." Said Serafina.

"Serafina is a very beautiful name. What does it mean?" Maya asked, trying to be polite. The woman was trying to be friendly. Maya decided it wouldn't be bad to mingle with people.

"Thank you. My name means Fiery; Burning; Angel. Your name is very nice, Maya." The woman said, spelling Maya's name. Maya only liked Carina's pronunciation. She liked it better when she lengthened the second syllable, often accompanied by a moan. Maya was about to thank the woman when she heard another voice behind her.

"Fina cousin, welcome." Carina stepped between Maya and Fina and hugged Fina. Maya took a step back. It was clear that Carina was trying to end their interaction. She couldn't be angry with Carina. If she didn't want her to talk to Fina, she wouldn't, but wait, who was Carina making this request as? As a fuck buddy? Her boss?

"Carina, I missed you so much, I was just having a chat with the special guest here, I don't think you want to introduce me." Said Fina.

"Maya is a business partner of mine and she's only been with us for a short time so I'm not hiding her. She's here on business and too busy to be interested in your gossip or your parties." Carina teased. Fina laughed but Maya didn't Maya didn't want to be someone who had to hide. She wanted to be with Carina openly. At that moment she realized how much she had mixed work with her feelings. She realized how far she and Carina differed in that respect, because Carina never crossed that line. Maya silently listened to Carina's interactions with other people. Fina was quickly joined by other cousins. Maya gradually broke away from the conversation. When Carina finally left, Maya ran after Carina without thinking. When they stopped at the bar table to get a drink, Maya couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Why are you pushing me so far away from people. Can't I at least have a conversation like normal people?" Maya asked.

"Sorry What?" asked Carina in surprise.

"People are just trying to meet and chat, but you always get in the way of all conversations. If you're scared of me saying something I shouldn't, don't be so scared Carina I'll remain your dirty little secret. I don't intend to tell." Said Maya. Carina was looking at Maya's words in amazement.

"Maya, do you realize what you're saying? I'm not hiding from anyone. People don't know that you are the agent who came here to kill me or why you are in my house and I am not afraid that you will tell them." Carina tried to explain.

"So why did you keep me away from the conversations?" Maya was not satisfied with the answers.

"All these people were lining up to flirt with you. Maybe you didn't realize it, but all the people trying to talk to you are young girls and boys. They are not trying to talk to you for business. They are all trying to flirt. And if you like people younger than me, I can't stop you, Maya. But remember, Maya, you're not my dirty little secret. You belong to me and I won't let anyone else in on it. Decide where you want to stand, either be mine or keep flirting with whoever you want." Carina said and Maya grabbed Carina's wrist as she picked up her drink and tried to get up.

"I'm not looking for someone younger. But you can't hold my hand and call me yours when you can't even go out in public. I feel like I'm no different from Gabri. You put me in her place and I'll be cast aside when you like someone more." Said Maya. She couldn't make sense right now. She couldn't keep what she was feeling inside. She was definitely going to regret this. She had not planned to have this conversation now and in this way.

"Don't cross the line, Maya. I've never treated you like Gabri. She and you are very different, and I thought you understood that, but I see you don't, so let me be very clear. I can only be fuck buddies with Gabri, there was no love between us, but with you... there is more than that. And I'm a very jealous Italian, I keep what's mine and I don't share it with anyone. Even if you really are my girlfriend, not everyone will feel comfortable flirting with you. So make up your mind, Maya." Carina said sternly.

"What does that mean?" Maya asked with a stern face but trying to make sense of it. She was not the one who had to choose here.

"Do you want to flirt with people or do you want to be mine?" Carina said defiantly.

"Carina, I've been yours from the moment I came here, but think about what I am to you. And I will know where I stand accordingly. I can't be your second best Close but not your favorite." Maya said but Carina knew this was not the place for a deeper conversation. "Okay let's talk later. I won't keep you here any longer." Said Maya. Carina nervously walked away from Maya. Maya cursed inside. This conversation shouldn't have happened like this. She didn't even know Carina could be so jealous. She found what Carina was saying illogical. She didn't want anyone else. She had no desire to flirt with anyone else. She only wanted Carina. But Carina still didn't make Maya feel special and valuable enough.

The night was calm, everyone was having fun and talking. Carina talked to a lot of people. After the business talks were done, everyone just kept drinking and having fun. As Carina interacted with people, Maya was always on her mind but she never showed it. But she checked to see if Maya had neglected her duties during the night. Like a shadow, Maya was following Carina without showing it. She was analyzing people. But she never tried to talk to Carina. Later in the night most people were quite drunk, some of them were singing loudly. Maya was chatting with an old woman she didn't know who she was. The woman was talking about forbidden loves she had experienced years ago in America. Maya was too polite to push the woman away, but after a while she couldn't see Carina anywhere in the garden.

Without saying anything to the woman next to her, Maya frantically scanned the whole garden. Carina would have stood out in the red dress she was wearing, but she was not there. Maya quickly went inside the house. After a quick search of the first floor, when she went upstairs Maya felt dizzy from the voices she heard.

"Please let me go, please!" Maya knew it was Carina's voice and she ran out into the hallway. The mere possibility that someone might be doing something to Carina that she didn't want made Maya's blood boil and she couldn't see anything else. By the time she got to Carina's door and saw a man in front of Carina trying to grab her by the arm, Maya knew what to do. She turned the man over her shoulder and punched him in the face.

Chapter Text

Carina felt dizzy from the wine. Between the talking and laughing she felt herself getting cold, so she planned to go upstairs and freshen up a bit. Normally her plan would have been to call Maya to join her, but after their last conversation she didn't want to call her before something more serious. As she climbed the stairs she felt a little dizzy. One step, one step, one step, but she was sure that if she stumbled she would fall.

 Then she felt an arm holding her and thought it was Maya, but when she turned she realized it wasn't her. It was Enrico. He was a thin dark-haired man, about the same height as Carina. Enrico was one of the men Carina did business with. They had known each other for many years and had gone on a few dates years ago, but Carina hadn't liked him. Enrico could be a bit persistent. Tonight he was one of the people called in for business. But the business talk was over and there was no reason for him to stay here.

"Carina, you don't look well. Can I help you?" Enrico was holding Carina's arm to prevent her from falling.

"I'm fine, I'm cold, I wanted to get some clothes, I felt a little dizzy." Carina said, trying to smile slightly. She was grateful to Enrico now because she could have fallen down the stairs. She wanted to go up the stairs, get something to put on, wash her face and freshen up, but she was in no mood to think about anything else.

"If you want, I can get some clothes for you or give you my jacket." Enrico said.

"No, I can take it, just help me up the damn stairs." Said Carina laughing. She stared at the stairs not knowing why she was laughing. She knew that with every step she took the path was getting shorter, but it was as if the stairs were never ending.

"Of course." Enrico said and then put his arm around Carina's waist and pulled her to him. Carina felt herself tense a little. There was no tight grip around her waist, but she still didn't feel quite right. She didn't like being touched. She tried to calm her own mind without giving in to feelings of fear. But her brain, overtaken by alcohol, could not focus. She tried to focus only on the stairs for the moment. "Carina, there are actually some things I wanted to ask you." Enrico said, his face very close to Carina's.

"You can ask, but how about you answer them while I'm still awake." Carina said with a little laugh.

"Ok maybe you want to go on a date with me then I can ask you everything I have to ask." Said Enrico.

"Enrico, we've talked about it, we've tried before but it's not working, we both agreed to stay friends." Carina said but Enrico pulled her closer to him in front of Carina's room. They had reached the stairs and Enrico could have let her go but he didn't. Carina felt her breath catch. Carina tried to push Enrico away with her hand and tried to get out of his arms. But Enrico's grip was tight.

"Carina, stop resisting, you believed everyone's words and didn't give us a chance. Now is the time. We are both single, we have nothing to lose." Enrico said and they were near her room when Carina felt herself being pushed against the wall as she tried to get out of his arms. Carina was frozen. She was just triggered, she felt like she was reliving bad memories from the past. She was so afraid that no one would hear her here. Now everyone was downstairs and she felt like she had nowhere to run. Enrico pushed Carina against the wall, wrapped her around the waist and talked to her to convince her, but she was in a trance, she couldn't see anything. Enrico just wanted Carina to listen to him, to answer him, but Carina felt so scared and trapped that she wanted to struggle to get free but she reacted by freezing.

"Please let me go, I beg you, let me go. Please let me go!" Carina kept repeating these words. She couldn't say anything else. She couldn't use any other gesture or word. She couldn't hear the sounds around her. Suddenly she felt the hands of the man in front of her being pulled away from her and the next moment all she saw was a scene of a struggle.

Maya pulled him off her shoulder and punched him in the face without giving him time to realize what had happened. Enrico staggered back from the pain of the punch in the nose and fell to the ground. Normally this man would have been expected to fight back, but he had been hit so unexpectedly and so hard, and Maya was so blinded that no punch she threw was ever enough. Maya got on top of the man and grabbed him by the collar and shook him. Before he had time to react, Maya punched him in the face again as he held back the blood pouring from his nose.

Carina sat on the floor in shock. Tears were streaming down her face. It had all happened so suddenly and horribly that she could do nothing but collapse and cry. One moment this man was groping Carina, the next Maya was throwing him to the ground and beating him senseless. It was the first time Carina had been triggered like this in a year. She was sure that the alcohol had made her feelings more intense, but the way the man had pushed her like that had frightened her. But the second thing she hadn't expected was Maya beating him like this. She had never seen Maya like this before. She wanted to call out to Maya, to tell her to stop or to call for help, but she felt tongue-tied.

"How dare you touch her. How can you put your filthy hands on her. You disgusting creature. People like you don't even deserve to live." Maya screamed with every punch. There was no part of the man's face she hadn't punched. She was hitting him with so much anger and rage that he started to faint after a while. Maya became even angrier when she felt someone grab her by the arms and take her from him. This man did not deserve to be saved. But then she thought of Carina, and when she looked up, gasping for breath, and saw Carina's face, she realized what she had done. She had turned into a monster in front of Carina. She had unintentionally shown Carina the monster she had been talking about all along.

Carina heard the struggle and saw two guards coming over, one of them taking Maya off the man and the other checking on his health. Maya slipped out of the arms of the guard holding her and hurried to Carina's side, but when she held out her hand to Carina, Carina was startled. She cowered in the corner like a frightened kitten.

"Carina, are you okay? Let me take you to your room." Maya said and when Maya tried to put her hand in Carina's, Carina pulled her hand away, not looking at Maya. Maya was surprised, yes she had scared Carina, but enough to run away? She wouldn't have attacked her in the same way, she would never have raised her hand to her, she wouldn't have even thought of raising her voice. Then she looked at her hand and saw that it was covered in blood. She saw Enzo's blood on her hand, on her shirt. 

" Bring Gabriella to me." Carina said to one of the other guards who arrived. Enrico had already been taken away by one of the guards. Maya's mouth fell open as she heard Carina's words. But she agreed with Carina. Carina wouldn't want a monster beating a man until he was unconscious. Maya stood up and walked away from Carina. She understood that Carina was still in shock. Maya crouched in a corner away from Carina. No one dared to touch Carina. Maya watched Carina from where she crouched. Carina wasn't moving. She seemed to be in a trance, her eyes fixed straight ahead, never looking at Maya.

She only looked up when Gabri rushed to her side. Gabri quickly sat down next to Carina and hugged her. Carina let go without any resistance. Maya felt so out of place at that moment. Had Carina never trusted her. Or was she acting this way because of what she had just done. Gabri convinced Carina to get up. When she took Carina to her room, Maya couldn't get up. She wanted to cry, but she couldn't. She had done something wrong. Hadn't she? Because she couldn't find any other explanation. She had scared Carina too much. Who could love someone so murderous, Maya thought. But she still wondered what this man had done to trigger Carina so much. She wanted to know everything, she wanted to take Carina in her arms and hold her. But she couldn't. Maya felt the adrenaline drain out of her body and the knuckles of her hands felt damaged when she saw Amelia arrive. Punching had a cost.

"Maya what happened. Are you okay?" Amelia said as she quickly crouched down in front of Maya.

"I screwed up." Maya said exasperatedly.

"Did you make that man downstairs look like that?" asked Amelia frowning in surprise.

"Yes Amelia, I'm the monster that made that man that way." Said Maya as she looked at her hands.

"How why Maya? Where is Carina? Why did you beat him up." Said Amelia in a panic.

"I didn't see Carina downstairs and when I went upstairs I heard Carina screaming, this asshole had Carina pinned down here. Carina was triggered Amelia, I couldn't think of anything else, he had touched her. I beat him without thinking, but I forgot about Carina. She must have been so scared. I scared her so much, Amelia. She wouldn't even let me touch her." Maya explained sadly.

"Okay Maya, calm down. You tried to protect Carina. She must have reacted that way because she was so scared. They have taken him to the hospital. You go to my house. Let them dress your hands and see how bad it looks." Said Amelia.

"I don't want to go. I want to talk to Carina, Amelia. I know she's scared but... please do something." Maya begged.

"Okay Maya, now is not the time, first get your hands checked and then come here and I will talk to Carina and then if she is able to talk she will talk to you." Said Amelia and convinced Maya to get up from the floor. Maya reluctantly got up. As she started to feel the pain in her hand, she became more aware of what she was doing.  

Gabri hugged Carina and led her to the bed. Gabri was very worried. She hadn't seen Carina like this for a long time. She chose to just hold Carina without asking any questions. They had been through much worse than this and they had supported each other, but this time Carina was different, there was a different sadness in her eyes. Carina lay on the bed and pulled her legs up to her stomach. She couldn't do anything but cry, thinking about what she was going through inside herself. Gabri was relieved when she heard a knock at the door. Because Carina had shut herself off completely. She needed help.

"Who is it?" Gabri asked.

"It's Amelia. I came to check on Carina." Said Amelia.

"Come in." Said Carina as she immediately looked up and looked at the door.

"Carina honey what happened?" said Amelia as she went to Carina's bed and hugged Carina.

"Enrico... he still can't get me out of his mind and asked me for another date. When I didn't want to he started to insist but I got triggered and froze and couldn't do anything but scream... Then Maya..." Carina started to cry even more. They had reached the part that upset Carina the most. "Gabri, can you get me some water and some painkillers? Tell everyone to go, I'm going to get some sleep." Carina said. Amelia realized that Carina had sent Gabri to talk to her about Maya. When Gabri quickly left the room, Amelia stroked Carina's hair and spoke.

"Maya looked distraught. Was it still Maya who beat him?" said Amelia.

"Yes, I think Maya heard me screaming and she started beating Enrico to death Amelia." Said Carina crying.

"Yes, he was in pretty bad shape, but she must have been very angry when she saw you like that. I saw her at the door, she was waiting at your door to talk to you. She was very upset because you wouldn't talk to her and she wanted to hear what happened." Amelia said but Carina looked at her crying.

"Maya saw me like that, Amelia. cornered and scared and abused. Do you realize how humiliating and sad it is to be seen like that by the woman you love?" Carina said as she cried. Amelia's eyes widened as she heard the words "the woman I love". Carina was in love with Maya. Carina didn't realize which words she had chosen. These words came out of her heart, innocent and unfiltered.

"Oh Carina, if she is the woman you love, she doesn't care how she sees you. She was so worried about you. She thought you did something wrong and she blamed herself." Said Amelia.

"Yes, she did do something wrong. How could she attack him like that? How could she throw a tantrum like that. She couldn't contain herself. It wasn't like Maya was in front of me at that moment. I was scared." Carina said.

"I understand, Carina, but you need to talk to Maya, and she was very upset that you called Gabri and didn't talk to Maya. She cares about you very much. I'm not defending what she did, but she's worried too." Said Amelia.

"I know, but Gabriella is the only person I have trusted for many years and I felt so helpless at that moment," Carina said.

"I understand but you need to talk to Maya as soon as possible, if she is the one you love then you have to act that way. Rest now but don't forget to talk to Maya." said Amelia.

Amelia calmed Carina down a little more and then left her alone. Carina lay on the bed and just cried a lot. She tried not to think about the shame she felt, the loneliness, the smallness. She knew very well that she had to talk to Maya, but she didn't feel ready to do it right now, but she could imagine how bad Maya would feel if she put it off. So she decided to text Maya because she couldn't sleep.

Carina: Can you come to my room?

When Maya dressed her hands, she realized that they were quite bruised and smashed. The adrenaline of the moment made her realize things she hadn't noticed before. She wished she had been able to control her anger and prioritize Carina's feelings. The more she thought about what Carina was feeling at that moment, the more Maya wanted to punch more people or walls. But she was angrier at herself right now. She had shot a man in front of Carina, but this was a different situation. Maya hated herself again, with the same shame and self-loathing as before. It was hard to go through this after working so hard to feel good about herself. Especially now, when Carina was making Maya feel so good and what had happened today was straining Maya's brain.

As Maya walked to the far corners of the garden to clear her mind, she was startled by the phone vibrating in her pocket. Maya was immediately excited as Carina was the only one who had texted on this phone. Was it a good sign that Carina wanted her to come to her room, Maya thought, or was Carina going to kick Maya out? Looking at the clock, she realized how many hours had passed. She wanted to believe that Carina was finally feeling better. She ran into the house. Most of the guests had left and some had been put up in guest houses to stay. Obviously Maya didn't care about anyone but Carina. And where was Andrea after all this?

When Maya arrived at the door of Carina's room, her mind was again flooded with what had happened tonight. It was impossible to forget for a long time. The blood on the floor had been cleaned up and it was as if nothing had happened, but it was in her mind. Maya took a few deep breaths and knocked on Carina's door. Maya entered slowly with a quiet voice coming from inside. Carina was sitting on the sofa by the window. Maya slowly moved towards the window. She leaned against the window sill, careful to keep her distance from Carina.

Carina never looked at Maya. Maya wanted to start talking somehow, but she wondered how to start. Maya looked where Carina was looking out the window. It was the first time Maya had been in this room today. She had come to kiss Carina before the night began. She hadn't had a chance to look around the room, but again, she didn't care about anyone but Carina.

"Are you okay?" Maya asked, desperate to start a conversation, but Carina looked down at her hands and shook her head. Maya couldn't tell if Carina was angry or sad.

"I'm not, but I will be. You?" Carina said, still looking outside.

"It doesn't matter how I am, I'm worried about you. But when you don't want to talk to me..." Maya stopped. She was upset that Carina was afraid of Maya's touch.

"I still don't realize what happened. I can't believe it. Maya I..." Carina stopped speaking because of her tears. There was silence again. They both waited. Maya was waiting for Carina to speak, but Carina couldn't speak without crying.

"Isn't it easy to bring out the monster in you?" Maya was looking outside because if she looked at Carina she would cry.

"What?" Carina couldn't understand what Maya meant for a moment.

"No matter how nice people are, there's a monster inside that they don't show and it comes out in different ways. However that man approached you, he brought out the monster in you that would scare you, while I wanted to protect you, I brought out the monster that you never saw in me. And I can't say it wasn't me because it was me. That's the emotionless monster I was talking about all along." Maya said, her voice shaking.

"What were you going to do, Maya, if they hadn't taken you off that man? Were you going to kill him? Would you have hit him until he stopped breathing until your hands broke?" Carina asked angrily.

"I don't know, Carina. I don't know, okay? I stopped thinking at that moment because I didn't want to let that man live when I saw you there so scared and screaming. It triggered you." Said Maya. She waited for Carina to speak but Carina didn't. "Were you... Were you scared of me?" Maya asked, afraid of Carina's answer.

"Yes Maya, you scared me. How could you do this, how could you have a moment of anger and do this to a human being..." Carina started to speak.

"Carina, this is what I was raised for, this is how I know nothing else, this is how I solve problems, this was no ordinary anger, he touched you." Said Maya nervously.

"Yes Maya, it's not the first time this has happened to me and yes I was triggered. He was too insistent when he tried to talk to me and convince me to go on a date and I made it worse for myself but you attacked Enrico without listening or understanding what happened or knowing what I was going through. Why was violence the first thing that came to your mind?" Carina questioned.

"What can I say Carina, it made my blood boil to see you so frightened. How could anyone touch you against your will?" Maya asked.

"Yes, Enrico was wrong, but he was just too insistent. You didn't have to do that to him, Maya. You could have just sent him away and my bodyguards would have punished him. But you couldn't help yourself, Maya. Is this how it's always gonna be. I mean, is this how you treat everyone?" said Carina.

"What do you mean Carina? What do you mean I'm like this with everyone? Yes I have an anger problem but I don't beat everyone in front of me. Wait a minute or are you... Carina are you afraid that I might treat you like this too?" Maya said scared. Carina felt her throat tighten again. The tears were getting ready to flow.

"Maya, when you were angry you couldn't see anything. Can you be angry with me for being scared? You're unpredictable when you're angry," Carina said.

"Is that why you ran away from me when I came to you? Is that why you wanted Gabri with you? Am I that scary to you?" said Maya, wanting to cry.

"Maya, it's not like that. It's very different. We are talking about your anger problem." Said Carina.

"What is different Carina, you are afraid of me. When I saw how you ran away from me when I was there to help you... I was going out of my mind. I just wanted to help you. I didn't want to scare you or upset you. But I did something wrong again." Said Maya, giving up.

"Maya, yes I was scared. It's scary what you did to that man. It's scary that you couldn't see anything at that moment and you have to get over it, not like this. You can't solve your problems like this." Said Carina.

"Carina you won't see this anger in my problems with you, it's only for people who deserve it..." said Maya.

"No Maya if you are going to be here with me something has to change. No more fighting, beating or hitting anyone except in self-defense. It's up to you to decide." Said Carina.

"Is that what you want Carina, if I go on this rampage, will you no longer be afraid of me, will you no longer call Gabri when you are afraid of me, that's for you to decide." Said Maya.

"Maya, understand, this has nothing to do with Gabri. You saw me at my most vulnerable, at my worst. You saw me at my worst, the one I've been afraid of for years, the one I've had a lot of therapy to keep me from thinking about. What would you want me to do?" said Carina.

"I would have wanted you to trust me Carina, I would have wanted you not to run away from me at that moment." Said Maya.

"I'm ashamed, Maya, understand that I'm ashamed. You can't understand this feeling and I hope you never will." said Carina.

"Why are you embarrassed Carina, I don't understand that." said Maya.

"Because I didn't want to be like this in front of you. I was afraid you wouldn't look at me the way you used to. I was afraid of not being the woman you saw. I was ashamed to be the woman in your mind who was abused and in need of protection." Said Carina.

"You have misjudged me, Carina. You are much more valuable to me than you think. I hope that one day you will realize that. You interpret everything from your own point of view. Look at it from my point of view and don't throw away how much I care about you. I've been comparing myself to Gabri all this time, but I see that in your eyes I'm not worth as much as Gabri." Maya said and wiped a tear from her eye as soon as it fell and ran out of the room....

Chapter Text

There are certain points where life becomes completely meaningless.  These points depend on each person. Some people rarely experience or feel them. But Maya felt it very clearly on many occasions. You might think that she should get used to it, but no, this feeling or numbness was not something to get used to. The time when she found out she had lost her parents, the time she was separated from her brother, the time before she decided to become a agent, the time she actually killed someone, and the feeling of emptiness she felt when she left Carina's room for the first time in a long time. This was a little bit different from all of them. Because there were emotions involved that she hadn't recognized before and that she now had difficulty identifying.

A week ago Maya had beaten Enrico to death for harassing Carina. Maya was still unrepentant. Enrico would have to be treated in the hospital for a while, but Maya thought he had learned a good lesson. After that night Maya became invisible in the house. Carina didn't come out of her room much and they hadn't interacted with Maya for a couple of days because she was already taking care of the overnight guests who had arrived that night. They had both quietly decided that after their last conversation it was best for them to get away to think things over.

Carina especially wanted to get away from the house, but she felt that if she did, it would only make whatever was going on between her and Maya even more tense. So she withdrew completely. She tried to forget the shame she felt. She had to try to calm her anger at Enrico and try to figure out if she was back to square one because she had been triggered. It wasn't going to be easy this time, even with Maya distracting her, she still felt the same awful feelings inside.

Amelia had given Andrea the information. Andrea didn't want to make her sister feel worse, so she didn't talk about it too much and gave her space. Gabriella offered to help Carina, but Carina was aware of how bad it would look to Maya. It wouldn't be wise to push Maya away and get Gabriella's help in this situation. At the same time, Carina would rather have Maya's support than Gabri's right now.

Carina hadn't spoken to Maya for the last week and hadn't seen her for the last three days, but she knew everything that was going on in the house. After a few days of withdrawal, Maya would only leave her room to go down to the gym. Carina knew that at least Maya hadn't left the house. As much as Carina told Maya that she was free, Maya would not be completely free until she solved the spy problem. Carina didn't want to be busy with anything right now, or to investigate whether there was a spy or not. A week after the incident, Carina made a decision.

---

Maya was asleep in the middle of the night when she was roused from her bed by a knock on the door of her room. Maya was surprised to see one of Carina's loyal bodyguards standing there. It was the first time someone had entered her room like this.

"Maya, Ms. DeLuca is waiting for you in her office." Said the guard and left the room. Maya rubbed her eyes, trying to figure out if she was dreaming. She wondered why Carina had called her to her office at this hour. She wondered if Carina finally wanted to talk, but not at this hour. Maya put on some decent clothes and went to Carina's office. Maya heard low voices talking in the office. Carina was not alone in the office and she could not have called Maya to talk to her. Maya was getting worried. When Maya opened the door, everyone in the room looked at Maya. Carina gave Maya a brief look and looked away. There were five people in the room, all of them Carina's trusted bodyguards or house staff.

"Come sit down Maya, we've just started." Carina said without looking at Maya. Maya sat down in one of the armchairs and waited, not knowing what to do. "I am going somewhere away for a while and some of you will come with me. The rest of you will tell everyone at home in the morning that I am going on a vacation and will be back soon. You have two hours to get ready and then we will be on our way." Said Carina briefly, speaking her mind. But Maya couldn't understand this sudden trip. She didn't see Sullivan Andrea or anyone else in the room and was questioning the purpose of her leaving without informing anyone. After Carina spoke, everyone rushed out of the room to get ready. But Maya was sitting there with an expression of incomprehension.

"What's going on Carina. Is something wrong?" Maya asked questioningly.

"I'm going on a vacation and I had to do it without telling anyone for safety reasons. I asked a few people I trust to come with me. If you have other things to do or you don't want to come, I understand, I can arrange a replacement." Said Carina and Maya sighed.

"No Carina, I didn't mean anything like that, of course I would come, I was just worried if there was something else going on." Said Maya.

"No, I just want to rest my head for a while. I want to get away from everything. If the spy is in the house, they can't know where I'm going. So that's how you know at this hour." Said Carina.

"Okay, thank you for trusting me." Said Maya as she stood up and left and then stopped. "I know we're not in a good place right now but don't doubt that I will be there for you if you need me. Whatever happens, I'm here for you." Said Maya.

"Thank you Maya." Carina looked grateful.

Maya was going to go back to her room and pack a suitcase, but one of the women working in the house was already packing something for Maya.

"I have prepared everything for you, you can pack your personal belongings by yourself." She said.

This was Maya's favorite thing in this house. The staff at the home made their lives so much easier. Maya had good relationships with most of the staff. Everyone was very friendly. Maya was fulfilling her need to socialize and at the same time trying to understand everyone's true colors. Maya did not have many personal belongings. So she closed the suitcase and got dressed. She was already sleepy. She felt as if she hadn't seen Carina in years, and the moment she saw Carina she realized how much she missed her. The moment she saw her, her anger was so forgotten that she just wanted to hug and kiss Carina. Maya wondered if Carina felt the same way. But it was good that Carina was not proud in this situation and wanted Maya by her side. At least there was still a bond of trust between them. Maya had no intention of breaking all ties, so she thought maybe this vacation would be a good time to fix things.

After all the suitcases were quietly loaded into the cars, the two cars took turns to leave in silence. Maya was in Carina's car. They sat in silence on the seats facing each other. Maya knew that her job was to be Carina's close bodyguard again.

"This is not just a vacation." Carina said with a deep sigh. Maya waited for Carina to continue. "Yes, it's a break to clear my head, but I'm going to meet some important people I trust. The place we're going to is safer and not so well known. I'm also putting into action the plan you told me about." Said Carina.

"How? What are we doing?" Maya asked immediately as she sat up a little more on the couch.

"No one really knows where we are going. They will tell a few different locations to people I suspect. My cars will go there, but I won't be in any of them. If there is no attack at any of the locations, we may have to come up with a new plan." Said Carina.

"Do you think this will work a hundred percent?" Maya asked, wondering what Carina was thinking.

"I'm not sure, you suggested it and I want to try it. We're going somewhere I think is safe right now. So you can relax. Now you can go back to the sleep I interrupted." Said Carina.

"I've already lost sleep. I'm glad we're finally going somewhere where you can relax a bit. Maybe we can talk about this silent resentment between us." Said Maya.

"Yes, we will eventually, Maya, don't worry, just rest for now. Everything in time. Let the next us worry about all this talk." Said Carina and Maya laughed slightly. Carina seemed calmer. Maya wished that Carina would feel better at the end of this vacation. She was not surprised that Carina had gone ahead with this plan, but the fact that she had done it so quietly all of a sudden was both surprising and clever. The planning was obviously well done. Maya wondered who Carina had given fake locations to. Maya watched as Carina leaned back in her car seat, staring at her phone. She admired this woman's intelligence and the way she got things done.

"Carina?" Maya called out, Carina was too focused on the phone and was surprised when Maya said her name.

"Maya?" Carina asked curiously. She was actually excited. Just being in the same car with Maya excited Carina. She wanted to talk but she didn't want to push Maya too much, now that Maya was trying to talk it was a good sign.

"I'm sorry." Maya just said.

"What are you apologizing for?" Carina said.

"For everything that happened to you. For not understanding you. For not protecting you from the evil of the whole world. For not being..." she wanted to say that I wasn't the right person for you, but Maya stopped. "Whatever. For everything I've done wrong. I still don't regret it, but it's only fair that you're angry and resentful, and I'm pretty resentful, but don't worry, my feelings won't get in the way of my duty. I will strive to be better." Said Maya. Carina nodded.

"Thank you Maya. Your words mean a lot to me. I understand that you're upset with me, but it's nothing like you think. It's been a while and I assume we've both calmed down a bit. Can we just act normal for now until we talk about everything?" Carina asked. Maya smiled slightly.

"Of course, as you wish. Tell me about your days. You've kept me awake, so make it worth it." Maya said. But she just missed hearing Carina's tone of voice. Carina spoke briefly about her days. How much she had thought about this plan. Maya listened patiently and attentively. She emphasized how clever the plan was. Carina was happy that she could feel Maya's support. Maya talked about how she only spent her days between her room and the gym. They both just spoke calmly, without talking about their resentments. Maya was still mostly angry. Her attempts to make sense of Carina's behavior were pointless. At some point they could not understand each other. There were unspoken things between them.

Maya couldn't remember when she fell asleep again. But when she opened her eyes, the sky was beginning to lighten. She could tell that they had come to a seaside town. More like a vacation spot. Carina had wanted a vacation away to clear her head. Maya had to be doubly careful in this different place. She did not know this environment. She would do everything to keep Carina out of harm's way.

Maya could see that Carina was sleeping uncomfortably and having disturbing dreams. Carina was not peaceful even in her sleep. This broke Maya's heart. Maya was torn between whether to wake Carina or not, but when she saw them entering the garden of a huge house, she thought they had arrived. She called softly to Carina.

"Carina, I think we've arrived, you can wake up now." Maya said in a low voice, not wanting to scare Carina. But Carina still woke up with a start. She checked her breathing and tried to figure out where she was and felt relieved to see Maya standing there.

"Are we here?" Carina looked out the window. They had arrived at a house, not as big as Carina's house, but quite big. It was a large house designed as a summer house near the beach. Maya admired the way the house looked from the outside. She wondered if this house was Carina's property. But as they approached the door, the two people waiting at the entrance seemed to be the owners of the house.

"This is my uncle's house. I love him like my father. He always looks after me. I think you met his daughter and son last week, Serafina and Stefano. I need to discuss some things with my uncle and in the meantime we will stay here and we can take a short vacation." Said Carina. Maya just nodded. She remembered Sera. Not only because she was a beautiful woman but also because of Carina's jealousy. It was going to be an interesting vacation. 

Maya got out of the car and held the door for Carina. Carina's uncle Ricardo and his wife Celeste greeted her warmly. They chatted briefly with Carina. Celeste complained about how thin Carina was. Her uncle hugged Carina tightly and stroked her hair. Maya watched their interactions from the sidelines with admiration. She was glad that Carina had such loving relatives. She believed that Carina deserved all the love.

"Zio, this is Maya, one of my close bodyguards. She is the one who protected me with her life during the last attack." Carina spoke. Maya blushed and looked down at her feet. She was not used to praise and always blushed quite red. "I trust her very much, please get her the room closest to my room." Said Carina. Carina's uncle gave Maya a quick hug.

"Maya, welcome, you are always welcome here. Thank you for protecting Carina." Said Carina's uncle. He was a tall man with gray hair. She couldn't see much resemblance to Carina, but it was clear that he loved Carina. Maya blushed even more as she heard the thanks. She had a shy smile on her face. Carina looked at Maya with pride and admiration. She found herself thinking of an alternate universe where she had a relationship with Maya and introduced her to her parents. She saw how embarrassed and blushing Maya was even now and laughed to herself about what it would be like in a real parental meeting.

"Make yourself comfortable, you are tired, rest. We'll talk more about everything later. Your suitcases should be in your rooms, let's go in." Said Celeste. As they stepped inside, Maya was suddenly startled by the person who rushed down the stairs and jumped on Carina's neck.

"Carina! You're here!" Sera spoke excitedly as she jumped on top of Carina. Carina looked very happy as she hugged her cousin. Sera was tall like Carina and had the body and beauty of a model. The DeLuca genes were truly admirable. She was a little younger than Carina, but Carina was definitely more beautiful. "I see you didn't come alone. Maya, welcome." Sera said and hugged Maya with the same sincerity. Maya didn't feel anything uncomfortable in the hug, but she knew from Carina's uncomfortable expression that she should hold back a little. Stefano gave a calmer greeting than Sera.

"Yes, I'm glad you remembered, I can't go anywhere without Maya anymore." Carina explained with a laugh. Sera followed Maya with a bright smile on her face.

Sera kept chatting until Carina and Maya were settled in her room. Carina went on and on about things they could do while they were here. Maya was sure she heard the words beach and bar. She couldn't help wondering how safe those two places would be for Carina. She realized once again that she would have to be more careful than ever while she was here.

Carina was, of course, given one of the nicest rooms. After Maya had made sure that Carina was feeling well, everyone relaxed as it was still early in the morning. Maya was still thinking about Carina's plan. If there really was an attack on one of the fake locations Carina had given them, or if there was any attempt at all, it meant that hectic days were coming. Maya wanted to put aside her personal emotional problems with Carina and concentrate on this plan.

When Carina entered her room and lay down on the bed, she felt only a longing for Maya. The moment she saw Maya and heard her voice, she realized how much she missed her. She wanted to cry. It was so hard to keep what she was feeling inside. Her life was already so difficult and being away from Maya made it even harder. At the same time, she still felt that Maya had some anger issues to sort out and she still felt a little ashamed of what had happened. It was the first time in years that she had been triggered and she didn't know how to react to it now in her new life and she didn't know how it would affect what was happening between her and Maya. They needed to talk about everything and this vacation could work.

She didn't have a plan in mind because she didn't want to think about it. She didn't even want to hear the outcome. Because among the people she gave a fake location to were her brother, the head of protection, and a few other important people with whom she shared a house. At the last moment she decided to give Andrea a fake location too. She actually hated herself for testing Andrea. In fact, she hated and feared the outcome even more. Instead of preparing for what was about to happen, she decided to stop thinking and focus her mind on something else important. Her hopeless love for Maya.

---

Carina woke up after sleeping for a few hours. The house was bustling. She could hear breakfast preparations beginning. She reached for her phone and looked at the time. That's when she saw a message from Maya.

Maya: Good morning, I didn't bother you because I thought you weren't awake. I think your uncle is going to put me through some tests in the backyard. If you don't find me when you wake up, I'll be in the backyard.

Carina laughed so hard at this message that she didn't realize she was starting to cry. Because the more she daydreamed, the sadder she got. If she and Maya were a normal couple and Maya could spend time with her father or uncle. She thought that they could spend their vacation here in peace. She wanted such simple times in her life. A life without worries, without games, without worrying about attacks.

Carina came to her senses and left her room. Celeste was helping to set the breakfast table. She smiled when she saw Carina.

"Carina, my beautiful girl, good morning. I hope you were able to rest." Said Celeste.

"Yes, I rested very well, thank you. It smells so good." Said Carina.

"Yes, I've done everything you like, but your uncle wanted to test your bodyguard a little. Go save her if you want. He can't believe how such a sweet little girl can protect you." Said Celeste and Carina laughed.

"It's hard to believe, but my big bodyguards can't protect me, but she protects me. She makes me feel safe. She is a special woman." Said Carina.

"Yes I can feel it, I'll make sure your uncle doesn't bother her too much don't worry but now go and save the poor girl." Celeste said and Carina hurried off to the backyard. From a distance she saw her uncle asking Maya questions and Maya patiently listening and answering. When she looked a little closer, she saw a gun in Maya's hand. Carina immediately frowned at what was happening.

"Papa is testing Maya's gun skills." Said a voice from behind and Carina turned to see her cousin Sera.

"That won't be necessary. She shot a man through the heart in a few seconds to protect me. I experienced it first hand, I was there." Said Carina.

"I don't know, but my father has done many tests since this morning and Maya was pretty good at all of them. You chose a really good bodyguard, cousin, well done." Said Sera. Carina didn't like the way Sera was looking at Maya. She was about to tell Sera to stay away from Maya because she belonged to her when she focused on the faint sound of a silenced gun. Maya watched Carina shoot at the targets her uncle had shown her, plus a pine cone in a tree. Maya was very relaxed, hitting all the targets with one hand in her pocket without breaking an eye.

"Madonna! Were you raised in some kind of Russian laboratory?" said Ricardo. Maya looked up with a shy smile and quickly emptied the gun, locked and secured it. She didn't need to prove herself and she would never do such things anywhere else, but this was Carina's family. These were people who were worried about Carina. She could give them some reassurance.

"Zio, what's going on here. Did you put Maya to the test?" Carina teased playfully.

"I needed to know who was protecting my precious daughter. But Maya proved that my worries were unfounded. what can I say, I was skeptical at first but I guess Maya is really talented." He said and Carina laughed.

"Maya has proven her abilities many times and I trust her, she is one of the best in her job. But please let's give her some space. Let her relax with me on vacation." Carina said with a smile. "Let's have breakfast, they have prepared something wonderful." Said Carina as Sera and her uncle walked towards the breakfast table and Carina frowned when she saw Maya standing there. "Maya, aren't you coming?" Carina asked. She suspected that Maya had woken up early and had eaten breakfast and she felt sad.

"Oh no, I'll eat something later. I didn't want to get involved in this family time." Said Maya. Carina sighed deeply.

"Maya don't be silly. Everyone sees you as family. If you feel this way because things are not good between us, please don't." Said Carina.

"No, it's not that, I have a mission here and..." Maya tried to explain but Carina cut her off.

"I want you to be with me during this vacation, not just here as a bodyguard. Relax, think of it as a vacation with family or friends. And Celeste's cooking is great, everyone adores you and they'll be sad if you don't come." Said Carina.

And Maya was finally convinced and sat at the breakfast table next to Carina. Maya had enjoyed spending time with Carina's relatives all morning. Their warm welcome made her feel like one of the family. It was nice to see what the families talked about at the breakfast table and how they teased each other. Carina was sitting there not as a mafia leader but as a daughter of the family. Everyone was respectful, but Carina liked being the little girl next to the elders. Ricardo and Celeste definitely saw Carina as their daughter.

 Maya had never had a family like this. She always wondered about this feeling, this life. She felt like she was in a real loving family. During breakfast everyone had real family conversations. Celeste kept trying to get both Maya and Carina to eat the pastries she had made. Maya enjoyed being around Carina very much. It was nice to know that her place in the crowd was next to Carina. Carina was also enjoying being at this table right now. She could worry about everything else later.

Chapter Text

"I don't know what to do, Zio, I need you to guide me," Carina said. The happy breakfast of the morning was over. The plates were cleared and it was time for the serious side of this visit. Carina went to her uncle's office.

"My beautiful girl, you have obviously come here for a reason. I can see you are in distress, tell me about it and together we can solve it. It's about the attacks, I understand." Ricardo said. Carina nodded.

"The attacks have been going on for a while, Zio. Maya saved me from the last one. But I have an army of bodyguards until I get to Maya. We keep increasing security measures, but somehow the attacks keep happening. I've been lucky so far, but for how long? One day they will achieve their goal." Said Carina.

"Carina, I understand your fear, but this is not something you can be a mafia leader and expect not to happen to you. Your father went through the same thing for years. As one of the former leaders of the mafia gang you have, I can tell you that this is unfortunately something that happens, but I can see that there is something missing. Like a vulnerability." Said Ricardo.

"That's exactly what I mean. There's always a vulnerability. My father fought it for years, but he succeeded. Because he had very good bodyguards. Maybe it didn't end well, but I don't know, it's like there's a mole inside us." Carina started to pour out her mind.

"A mole? Are you sure about that, that's a big problem, how did you know?" Ricardo asked.

"The fact that there have been such clear attacks and that there are constant security lapses made me think about it." Said Carina.

"So do you have any idea who it is, what are you going to do about it, is there anything I can do?" Ricardo asked curiously.

"I have a plan, that's why I came here. No one knows I'm here. Not even Andrea. I ask you not to let anyone know about this visit." Said Carina.

"Don't worry, I'll warn everyone, but what are you aiming for? You obviously have something in mind," Ricardo said.

"I have a plan in mind, everyone in the house will know that I will be in a different location. If there is an attack or something suspicious happens in one of these locations, everything will be revealed." Said Carina.

"Carina, this is a brilliant plan. Do you think it will work? What will you do if it doesn't?" Ricardo asked curiously.

"Maya suggested this plan. If it works, I will take action and things will be easier, but if it doesn't work, I really don't know what to do, Zio. Show me the way." Said Carina in exasperation.

"Maya seems to have done a really good job. If it doesn't work, it doesn't mean there isn't a mole in the plan. The mole must be really good at the mole's job if the mole hasn't been exposed so far. So think of other plans, or change your team. From the top to the bottom. I'll help you with that, don't worry." Said Ricardo.

"Thank you, Zio. Your help means a lot to me, I don't know who to trust anymore. I can't even trust the people closest to me, not even Andrea..." Carina said, but stopped.

"Andrea? What happened, did you come across something suspicious?" Ricardo asked, not wanting to believe that Andrea could be the mole.

“I don't know. Andrea is in charge of all the security and I'm afraid they might use Andrea's position. Andrea is a good brother, very innocent, but I have to think about everything. Maybe I'm being ridiculous.” Said Carina.

"No, you're not talking nonsense, Carina. In such situations one distances oneself even from oneself and doubts everything because we don't know anyone's true intentions. But as you said, Andrea is a good brother, if he wanted to be the head of this mafia, he would have done it. I know how you got to this point, so make moves to allay your suspicions, but don't let Andrea know. If he's really innocent, it could upset him." Said Ricardo.

"I know. I need to be more careful. I'll be here for a day or two and then I'll move to another place. Let's see how this situation plays out." Said Carina.

"No matter how it turns out, I'm here for you, don't worry everything will be fine. Come on, enjoy your time here." Said Ricardo as he stood up and picked Carina up and hugged her.

When they left the room and went downstairs, Carina was not surprised. Sera had Maya captive and they were talking. Maya wasn't very interested in talking but she politely answered every question.

"So you are actually Carina's bodyguard, not an American businesswoman. Do I understand correctly?" Sera asked curiously, but the way she spoke gave away that she was trying to flirt.

“Yes, you could say that.” Maya said and when she saw Carina coming downstairs she immediately forgot everything and stood up.

“Let's not stay at home, let's go to the beach.” Said Carina and Sera immediately jumped up and ran to get ready. Maya watched as Carina went to get ready too. Maya was still nervous. She couldn't help wondering how safe this house was. But wait, Carina will go down to the beach and put on a bikini. Just thinking about it was better than she had imagined. She had seen Carina naked, yes, but the sight of her sunbathing on the beach or her wet body fresh from the sea was something to behold, she thought. And of course she hadn't seen Carina for a week, let alone spoken to her.

On the way down to the beach, Sera was not very happy because she was upset to hear that Maya would only be in her clothes because she was on duty. Carina didn't insist because she understood that Maya didn't have a swimsuit and wouldn't want to be seen like that with people she didn't know. Maya was content, focused on her task and the slightly oversized white shirt Carina was wearing over her red bikini.

Sera and Carina were lying on a beach lounger each. The staff of the house kept bringing drinks. They were all doing everything to make Carina comfortable. All Carina wanted was to relax a little.

Sera took her glasses out of her bag and put them on, and when Carina wasn't there, she took the opportunity to call Maya over. She showed her the sunscreen in her hand.

“Maya, can you put this cream on my back, there are places I can't reach.” Sera said and for a moment Maya didn't understand what was being asked of her and didn't know what to do. She knew that Carina would be angry if she did that and while she was thinking about it, her savior came.

"Maya is not our helper, my bodyguard doesn't have to do such things. I'll apply cream to your back." Carina said and Sera obligingly did as Carina said. Maya didn't even move from her seat and watched Carina apply the cream. She didn't want to do it anyway and she was happy that Carina had saved her from this mission.

Sera was an active girl. She was full of energy. Carina was a woman who had energy inside her, but had forgotten it due to the weight of her life. Still, she tried to keep up with Sera. Sera wanted to dance to the music, but Carina just wanted to lie down and read her book. When Sera finally realized she couldn't get the energy she wanted from Carina, she decided to go swimming.

Maya was glad that this noisy, energetic girl had finally moved away. As soon as Sera left, Carina went back to reading her book.

Maya stood over Carina and wondered.

“You didn't put sunscreen on your back. Do you need help?” Maya asked, trying to hide her smile. Carina lowered her sunglasses a little, raised her head, and looked at Maya.

“You're very helpful today, and I won't say no to a little help,” said Carina, straightening up and handing the cream to Maya. Maya immediately took it and sat down behind Carina. Carina didn't hide her smile with Maya behind her.

Maya began applying the cream to Carina's back with a massage. Carina tilted her head back with a slight moan as Maya massaged her. Maya leaned closer to Carina's hair and smelled it.

“I really missed you,” Maya said in a low voice. But Carina heard her clearly. She felt the same way but chose not to say it. Maya knew it was too early to say that and began to regret what she had said. She was afraid Carina would pull away again. After Maya had thoroughly applied the cream to her entire back, Carina turned around. Maya was surprised.

“Can you apply it to the areas below my neck that I didn't reach?” Carina asked. Maya understood what Carina was doing. She wanted more touch. She knew Maya's respectful, gentle touch. After Maya applied the cream to her neck, she applied it a little further down, and Carina just watched Maya. Maya wanted to let herself go more and apply the cream to all of her breasts, which were barely covered by her bikini top, but she stopped herself. When she quickly stood up, Carina was also surprised.

“I think that's it. Do you have any other wishes?” Maya asked. She had to control herself and not push Carina too much.

“I don't have any other wishes. Besides, you didn't come here to serve anyone, so you can relax a little. If someone asks you to do something you don't want to do, you can blame me and refuse,” Carina said.

“Okay, I'll keep that in mind,” Maya said and waited near Carina again. She drank some non-alcoholic cocktails, but Carina continued to drink all the strong drinks. She was trying to get away from something, but being drunk so far from home would make things difficult.

After a while, Carina was convinced to go swimming with Sera. Maya watched Carina elegantly enter the water and swim briefly. Waiting here in this heat would have been a nightmare if it weren't for Carina, but she was quite content with her current situation.

After swimming for a while, Carina got out, and Maya immediately prepared Carina's towel. Carina was very hot with water dripping from her body and her wet hair. Maya just stared.

“Thank you,” said Carina. Maya snapped out of her trance as she threw the towel over Carina's back.

“You're welcome. Do you want to take a shower right away?” Maya asked. She wanted to take care of Carina, make sure she took a shower, comb and dry her beautiful hair, and kiss her beautiful face in between.

“I'll just splash some water on myself in the small shower. I'll take a proper shower when I get home,” Carina said. There was a small outdoor shower on the beach. Carina walked over to it and stood under the cold water, even though it took her breath away.

Maya wondered what Carina was thinking. As she stood under the cold shower with her eyes closed, Maya wondered what Carina thought about everything that was happening between them on this trip.
She wouldn't know until she had a proper conversation with Carina.

After her shower, Carina returned to her spot to sunbathe, continuing to sip her drink with her cigarette and read her book.

---

Carina was drunk as she left the beach, but she was too proud to admit it. But Maya knew Carina better than she thought. Considering how much alcohol she had drunk, it was all very clear. Maya had taken all of Carina's belongings, and Carina was trying to walk to her room wearing only her white shirt. Everyone was going to their rooms.

When Carina reached her room, Maya followed her inside. Carina sat down on the bed and watched Maya put her things away. After putting everything in its place, Maya went over to Carina. Carina took Maya's hand and sat her down next to her. Carina's drunken gaze was now more apparent. Carina continued to hold Maya's hand with one hand. With her other hand, she began to caress Maya's face.

Maya knew that these touches were connected to Carina's drunkenness. But her longing allowed Carina to do so. Carina brought her face a little closer, pressed their foreheads together, closed her eyes, and rubbed their noses together.

“Carina,” Maya said with a sigh. She had surrendered herself to Carina.

“I missed you too, Maya,” Carina said quietly and pressed her lips together. It wasn't a soft kiss, but a longing, intense one. The lips touching each other wasn't enough. Carina brought her tongue to Maya's lips. Maya parted her mouth and realized that Carina's desire wasn't just for a kiss. Their tongues touched each other as the kiss intensified, and Maya became aware of something. “What am I doing?” she said to herself and stood up.

“Carina, stop, what's happening?” Maya said, trying to compose herself. Carina was clearly angry.

“I thought you missed me, Maya. I want you to make love to me,” Carina said, taking Maya's hand and pulling her closer to convince her.

"Carina, no. I really do miss you, but we haven't talked about anything yet, and you're drunk like this." Maya said clearly.

“Maya, I don't want to think about this right now. We can talk later. I'm not as drunk as you think, and I'm capable of making decisions. I just want you to be with me.” Carina said, her words coming out more like a command than a request.

“No, Carina, I'm not the kind of person who would take advantage of a drunk woman. Even if you were sober, I'd still prefer to talk to you first.” Maya said, but Carina was angry and didn't want to listen anymore. She spoke while unbuttoning her shirt.

"Fine, then get out. If you won't do it, I'll take care of myself." Carina said. Maya was surprised. Carina really wanted this right now, and her way of convincing her was very seductive. Maya was about to give in, but she had become someone with self-control next to Carina.

"Carina, are you joking? Are you really kicking me out? Am I supposed to wait outside while you're here? This is just torture," Maya said in shock. Of course, she couldn't just stand there and watch, but even the thought of it was driving her crazy.

“Yes, Maya, if you don't want to touch me, then I'll do it myself, and I'd rather you didn't watch,” Carina said indifferently, but she was actually trying to convince Maya. She missed Maya so much and needed her, both physically and mentally. But she hadn't expected Maya to be so determined.

Maya was now angry, but there was nothing she could do. Carina was standing firm. Maya had to go outside or she would be persuaded. She took one last look at Carina's bikini-clad body and stepped outside the door. She had no choice. A few months ago, Maya would never have turned down the offer and would not have left the room. But now, out of respect and concern for Carina, Maya could not stay in that room. She would go to her own room and not come out until Carina needed her.

After Maya left the room, Carina took off her clothes and got into the shower. No matter how much she wanted Maya, she couldn't have her, and she was really drunk and tired. She just wanted to take a shower, get into bed, and sleep, and that's what she did.

---

Maya was walking around her room. She wondered what Carina was doing right now, but she tried not to think about it. She wasn't a teenager; she could control herself, couldn't she?

She was proud of herself for giving Carina space, but whether they had sex or not, she loved being with Carina and couldn't lie about it. So, after deciding she had given Carina enough time, she wanted to go to Carina's room. She really wanted to talk. She wanted to be there and resolve this nonsense. She wanted to be there for Carina during this difficult time.

She stood at the door, listening for any sound from inside. She didn’t know what she was expecting to hear, but there was no sound from inside. She knocked on the door and called out, but there was no response. Maya slowly opened the door, making sure she wasn’t coming at the wrong time, and stepped inside, where she found Carina sleeping peacefully in bed like an angel.

Carina, who had just gotten out of the shower, was sleeping peacefully with her damp hair wrapped in a blanket. Carina had a unique beauty; even without makeup, tired, drunk, and having just gotten out of the shower, she was always the most beautiful woman. Maya watched Carina for a moment. Carina opened her eyes slightly.

“Will you hold me? Will you at least do that?” Carina asked innocently, half asleep. That innocent tone of voice was Maya's weak spot. Maya immediately lay down next to Carina, and Carina rested her head on Maya's chest and wrapped her whole body around Maya's. Maya knew there was no better feeling than this.

“I'm so tired, just hold me,” Carina said with a sigh. Her tiredness wasn't just from today; it was the tiredness of her whole life. And Maya understood that.

“I'll hold you as long as you want,” Maya said, placing a kiss on Carina's forehead. She wrapped her arms tightly around Carina. She was tired too, and both of them knew that a little rest would do them good. It didn't take long for them to fall asleep; it was already evening. The day had passed quickly with breakfast, Carina's meeting with her uncle, and time spent at the beach. The house was slowly becoming quiet. With Carina there, everyone in the house was being more careful.

---

Carina woke up with a start when her bedroom door opened quickly. After the tense days she had been experiencing lately, everything kept Carina on edge.

“Wake up, cousin, today...” Sera said....

Chapter Text

It was Sera who had rushed into Carina's room like that, of course, and Sera was stunned by the sight she saw. Sera had planned to visit a few places with Carina today and have fun at a bar in the evening. The first thing in the morning was to wake Carina up and get ready for the day, but things didn't go as planned.

As soon as Sera entered the room, she saw that Carina wasn't alone in bed. She saw Maya hugging Carina in a spooning position. Maya had woken up to the loud entrance and had held Carina tighter. Neither of them had thought about being caught by someone in the house; the first thing that came to their minds was the possibility of an enemy entering the room. But when they saw Sera in front of them, they both moved away from each other.

Maya immediately stood up. She straightened her clothes. The situation was clear; there was nowhere to hide. She had been sleeping in a hug with Carina, and it was true that it was more intimate than what a friend or a protector would do. Sera froze, and her eyebrows rose so high they almost touched her hair.

“I'm sorry... I... I'm leaving,” Sera said and rushed out of the room. Carina and Maya, still dazed from waking up, didn't know what to do. Maya looked quite worried. Because no one from the family could find out about anything between them, and now someone had.

“Carina, what are we going to do now?” Maya asked anxiously, too stunned to even approach the bed. Carina simply lay back down on the bed and rubbed her eyes, much calmer than Maya.

“Maya, please don't shout, my head aches. Besides, nothing will happen. Sera isn't a gossip. It's enough for me to tell her not to tell anyone. She doesn't want to get on my bad side,” said Carina, rubbing her forehead. Maya sat on the edge of the bed, filled a glass with water from the table, and handed it to Carina. Carina smiled slightly, grateful.

“I should have known better. I shouldn't have slept here. I put you in a difficult position,” Maya said, blaming herself.

“Maya, please stop. Even if everyone knew, they couldn't say a word. Don't underestimate my influence in this family. It's none of anyone's business,” Carina said as she drank her water. "I'm sorry about last night. I didn't mean to act that way. I guess I just wanted to forget what happened." Carina said, putting her glass back on the table.

“It's okay, Carina. I just want you to know that we really need to talk. This distance is becoming unbearable.” Maya said, holding Carina's hand.

“I know, Maya. We feel the same way. But I need some time to myself and to deal with Sera's issue. If she asks you any questions, you don't have to answer. Just redirect them to me, and I'll handle it.” Carina said. Maya loved Carina's bossy attitude. How many people had the power to solve everything with a single word?

“Alright, I'm leaving before anyone else sees us,” Maya said, standing up and kissing Carina on the forehead, inhaling the scent of her hair.

Carina changed her clothes after arriving and left her room. She needed to find Sera and talk to her, but when she couldn't find her around, she decided to go to her room. She knocked on the door and entered. Sera was changing clothes from the wardrobe. She acted as if she hadn't experienced the earlier shock.

“Carina, come on, let's pick out some clothes. I've chosen a nice place for tonight. I think you'll enjoy some drinks, music, and dancing,” Sera said. She acted as if nothing had happened because she was sad. Carina took Sera's arm, and they sat on the edge of the bed.

“Honey, let's talk for a bit. There's not much I can say about this morning. Maya is my bodyguard, but there's a different kind of closeness between us. But we're not talking about that right now. Things are a bit complicated, and no one needs to know about it. But you're my favorite cousin, and now you know.” Carina said.

“Carina, I'm sorry, it wasn't something I expected to see, and I'm sure you understand that Maya is very beautiful, and I thought I might have a chance, but I guess I was disappointed. But I'm happy for you. I don't know if I can accept this, but it will pass, and it will stay with me, don't worry,” said Sera. Carina looked at Sera with understanding. Because Maya was a woman who was easily influenced. She drew people to her with everything she had. Sera couldn't blame her.

“I know I'm not worried about it staying between us. You're very beautiful and very young, and I'm sure you have plenty of options.” Carina said with a smile. Sera laughed at that too.

“We'll see. You have to help me with this tonight at the bar. Living with my family is getting in the way of many things, you know,” said Sera, beginning to soften the atmosphere.

“I know, okay. We'll have a lot of fun tonight, don't worry,” said Carina.

“So, what are you planning to do, Carina? Maya is probably off-limits for you. Everyone reacts to that. Or is it just a fling?” Sera asked.

“I don't know. We'll see. I don't know what the future holds. I hope it brings good things, and that Maya is part of it,” Carina said.

---

The day began with a nice breakfast. Carina was nervous and kept checking her phone, but she hadn't received the news she was waiting for. Maya hadn't talked to Carina much, and now she couldn't look Sera in the eye. What they had done wasn't a crime, but Maya still felt bad. Maya decided to talk to Carina when she found her alone. Maya only listened to their conversation during breakfast. Carina was handling the situation as well as usual.

As Carina went to her room to get ready for the evening, Maya immediately came over to her.

“Hey Carina, did you talk to Sera?” Maya asked.

“Yes, Maya, don't worry, I took care of it. She's a little heartbroken, but it will pass,” said Carina as she chose the dress she would wear that evening.

“Heartbroken?” asked Maya. Even though she knew the reason, she wanted to hear it from Carina. Carina put down the clothes she was holding and approached Maya. Maya could feel Carina's breath.

“Yes, Maya, are you surprised? You have an effect on women. But Sera understood that she shouldn’t get close to you, can I explain?” said Carina. This was the reaction Maya had been expecting. Jealous, possessive Carina.

“Absolutely,” said Maya, and Carina stepped back after looking into Maya's eyes. “Any news? I mean, any attacks or suspicious situations?” asked Maya. Carina sighed deeply.

“Nothing. I sent a few men to the locations, but there's nothing yet,” said Carina, looking sad.

“Well, on one hand, that's good—no one has acted yet. They've been quiet for a while. We can think of other things,” Maya said calmly, but Carina was tense.

“What's good about that, Maya? One part of me can't stand this silence, fearing what's next, while the other part enjoys the calm. But whether there's a mole or not, I need to find out who started these incidents,” Carina said.

“I know everything is hard, but we'll find out. Don't worry,” Maya said.

“I don't know, Maya. I'm so tired. Maybe I should just give up. Isn't that what they want? To get rid of me. I'll disappear, and everything will be over,” Carina said.

“For whom, Carina? It won't end for anyone. You're not the kind of woman who runs away and hides. You're more than that. I'm here with you. Everything will work out, and whoever did this to you, I'll make sure they pay for it with my own hands,” said Maya. It was the final straw for Carina. She wiped the tear from her eye, approached Maya, and embraced her.

“Thank you for being here for me. You mean the world to me,” said Carina.

After a long embrace, Maya left Carina alone to get ready. She wore black linen pants and a shirt. Carina wanted Maya to be there tonight not as a bodyguard but as a friend. Maya was nervous; there was a bar plan for the evening, and it would be crowded. Even though she knew there would be a special area for Carina, she was still nervous. Carina had been taking too many risks lately. She was acting too fearless, as if she didn't care what happened, and it hadn't gone unnoticed by Maya.

Carina was wearing a short red dress and looked quite hot tonight. All she had in mind was to have fun. A fun night with her cousin and Maya. Sera talked about getting very drunk tonight, and Maya chose to pretend not to listen to their conversations the whole way. She was still feeling embarrassed about being caught in bed with Carina. Sera immediately withdrew her interest in Maya, and there was an awkward atmosphere. Carina understood Maya's embarrassment and didn't say anything to her, wanting the night to unfold naturally.

The bar was filled with loud music, dancing, and plenty of drinks. When Maya looked around, she saw a large crowd dancing. When they entered the bar, the owner or someone like him greeted Carina; they knew she would be there tonight. They had prepared a VIP spot for Carina. She was looking down on the place, but the spot was not separate from the venue. It was a place with no unauthorized access.

Carina took her seat. Sera was as energetic as ever, keeping up with the music. Carina knew she would be able to relax after a few drinks. Maya sat down near Carina. When they entered the venue, the three women were being stared at by many people. Maya was glad they were separate from everyone else. If there was a chance that someone might hit on Carina, the night could end early. Drinks were served at the table immediately.

Maya wanted something non-alcoholic. Carina thought this situation was getting annoying. Carina always got drunk, and Maya was always the sober and sensible one. She planned to change that later in the night.

The music was loud, and the night was starting to heat up. Maya watched Sera dance with other people. She was definitely a fiery girl. Maya understood that Carina was telling her to stay away from Sera. Everyone else could look at her, but Maya's eyes were only on Carina. Carina started with a few shots, wanting to warm up quickly for the night. She still wasn't talking to Maya. Maya would have given anything to know what was going through Carina's mind. After a few drinks, Carina was watching the people dancing. At another time, Maya might have thought that Carina had chosen someone for herself from the way she was looking.

When Sera returned, carefree from the drinks, she immediately pulled Carina over to dance. Carina got up to dance for the first time that night. When she heard the song “La Isla Bonita,” Carina smiled; she loved that song. It was a more upbeat version of the song. Maya leaned back in her chair and watched Carina dance. When Carina added tossing her hair to her movements as she gathered her skirt, Maya felt herself melt there. Carina's eyes found Maya's from time to time as she danced. Carina was humming the lyrics. She knew there was no innocence in Maya's admiring gaze. She needed to talk to Maya urgently tonight. Her body could no longer bear Maya's absence.

Maya thought that drinking a whiskey wouldn't hurt. It would speed up the blood boiling inside her, but she could relax a little. Maya saw that the glass she had drunk quickly was refilled and continued drinking while watching Carina. Later, Carina returned to her seat to continue drinking. Maya continued watching the people dancing.

“I'm glad you decided to relax a little,” said Carina. Maya turned to Carina with a knowing smile. Carina had an attitude that suggested she knew what she was doing to her.

“I'm doing what you always want me to do,” said Maya.

“Well then, finish your drink and I want you to dance with me,” said Carina. Maya was surprised. Dancing wasn't her favorite thing—she even hated it. And being so careless in this situation was making Maya a little nervous. After Maya finished her whiskey, Carina offered her a shot of tequila. Maya didn't refuse. After drinking it, she felt the warmth spreading throughout her body. This was the first time she had drunk so much during her entire stay at Carina's house.

“I don't dance,” Maya said in a firm voice. Carina didn't back down.

“I want you to dance with me,” Carina said, almost like an order. “Of course, if you want to watch me dance with a stranger, that's different,” Carina said, standing up. Maya immediately grabbed her wrist and stood up, pulling Carina close to her.

“Don't even think about it. You know about security issues,” said Maya as they continued playing the game.

“Don't even think about it. You know about security issues,” said Maya as they continued playing the game.

“Of course, security,” said Carina, pulling Maya into an open space where they could dance. As Maya followed Carina, she placed her hand on her waist. Carina began dancing, swaying her hips where she thought it was appropriate, then released Maya's hand and placed her hands on Maya's shoulders. Maya wrapped her arms around Carina's waist. She didn't move much, just swaying slightly. She just wanted to hold Carina and watch her dance. Carina was the only woman who could make every dance look sexy. With every movement, the dance became more passionate. With every movement, their bodies grew closer, and Maya pulled Carina closer to herself.

As a result of staying away from alcohol for a long time, everything she drank made her head feel lighter. Right now, she didn't want to talk or deal with any problems; she just wanted to feel Carina. Carina stroked and tugged at Maya's hair with her hands on her shoulders. Maya sighed and leaned into Carina's waist, their bodies becoming one. Carina could feel Maya's entire body. The closeness of Maya's lips was distracting. Carina suddenly pulled away and started dancing on her own. She gathered and scattered her hair with her hands and turned her back to Maya. It was as if she was punishing Maya. Maya allowed Carina to dance on her own for a while. Carina danced with her hips, knowing that Maya could see her, and that was all Maya could look at.

Maya gently pulled Carina by her stomach and pressed her hips against her. When Carina felt Maya behind her, she threw her head back onto Maya's shoulder. Maya gently ran her hand over Carina's lower abdomen and pressed herself against her. It was impossible for her not to harden now, and Carina was sure to feel it. Maya kissed the small hollow she found on Carina's neck and turned to her ear.

“Don't move away from me,” Maya said. Carina continued to dance, rubbing her ass against Maya's crotch. Maya felt happy with Carina for the first time in a long time. It felt so good to hold her and feel her. But Carina was different. She had a lot of problems and thoughts in her head. She was always thinking. Maya had never seen a woman smarter than Carina in her life. That's why she trusted whatever was going on in that beautiful head of hers. The only thing she feared was Carina giving up on everything and wanting to surrender to those who wanted to kill her.

The dance had come with lust, and things had become quite challenging for Maya. Carina was aware of this, and she liked it. She respected Maya's desire to talk, but god, the distance was driving her crazy. She had an insatiable hunger for Maya.

When Carina's favorite songs ended, Carina moved away from Maya and Maya understood that she wanted to end the dance. She wanted this moment to end and never end at the same time. She was grateful that her pants were loose and the lighting in the venue was dim enough not to reveal what shouldn't be seen.

“I'm going out to the terrace to smoke,” said Carina. Her intention was to move to a quieter place and have Maya join her. Maybe she could trick Maya and steal a few kisses.

“Alright, I'll come with you,” Maya said, immediately following Carina. Sera watched the two of them. She was fully aware of everything; she had watched the previous dance with pain. She had seen Maya holding Carina possessively by the waist and stomach. She wouldn't discuss how much she wanted someone like Maya now. She looked at what she had lost.

As Carina headed toward the terrace, she prepared her lighter and cigarette. Once on the terrace, she lit it quickly. Maya was leaning against a table a short distance away from Carina.

“Why are you keeping your distance? Don't worry, I won't attack you like last night—I'm not that drunk,” Carina said, exhaling the smoke from her cigarette. Maya approached Carina, took the cigarette from her lips, took a puff herself, blew out the smoke, and returned the cigarette to Carina.

“I'm not in a position to say no to anything right now. You've already put me in a very difficult situation with your dancing,” Maya said. Carina laughed.

“Can we talk now? Maybe I can help you later,” Carina said.

“So, if we talk, everything will be resolved?” Maya asked.

“I hope so,” Carina said as she put out her finished cigarette. “What do you want to talk about?” Carina asked.

“Carina, you know. You haven't forgotten what we went through before we came here, have you?” Maya said.

“I haven't forgotten, Maya. I wish I could forget and feel a little more at ease. But I can't. You keep reminding me that we need to talk about this. I'm ashamed, Maya. I'm ashamed of what I did. I was afraid of your behavior. Carina, the mafia leader, was afraid of you. But seeing me like that was more important to me,” said Carina. Maya was at a loss for words.

"What state, Carina? You didn't do anything to be ashamed of. What you went through wasn't your fault. But I'm sorry you were afraid of me. I can't control the instinctive urge to protect you. Yes, I have an anger problem, but I'm not unpredictable, Carina. My intention has never been to harm you. It never will be. That scum triggering you drove me crazy. No one can touch you. But that's not important here. It's how you behave." Maya said.

“How?” asked Carina.

“Are you going to kick me out every time? Are you going to let others stay and leave me out?” asked Maya.

“Maya, you don't understand,” said Carina again.

“Then explain,” said Maya impatiently, trying to control her voice.

“I was embarrassed...” Carina said, her voice trembling.

“You were embarrassed, yes, you said that. You were embarrassed by me, but you weren't embarrassed by others. Is that it? What am I supposed to understand from this? Maya said, not understanding. What Carina was saying didn't make sense to her. On the one hand, she thought that Gabri and Amelia were closer to Carina. She wasn't even close to her, then.

“I wasn't embarrassed in front of Gabri and Amelia because their place is different from yours,” said Carina. Maya furrowed her brows, trying to make sense of it. "When I look into their eyes, I can't see their whole souls. I don't let them into my bed. They don't make my heart race. I don't have the same love for them as I do for you." Maya's eyes widened completely. Her mouth hung open, not knowing what to say. It wasn't a declaration of love, but it was something. Maya was different for Carina.

“Carina.” Maya tried to speak, but her brain couldn't form a sentence.

“Maya, you don't have to say anything. This is how I feel, and yes, I can't say more than that, but I have different feelings for you inside me, but I know I have to stop myself. The reasons are clear. You know them too. You said yourself that we can't have a future together,” said Carina. Maya felt the happiness she had felt disappear.

“Carina, we could find a way. Because I...” Maya tried to speak.

"No, Maya. We both know. We don't need to convince ourselves. I don't know how much longer I'll live. There are people out there who want to kill me, and if you've forgotten, there's a huge group of people waiting to kill you because you couldn't kill me. How long can we run from all this? How can we build a life together when you're going to leave when everything is over? How can I convince you to stay here without knowing what these feelings are? I have nothing to give you, Maya, and you know it. My life won't bring you happiness." said Carina.

“You have a heart, Carina. Your love for me would have been enough. But if you think it's not enough, what can I do?” Maya said sadly.

“Is love enough, Maya? If one of us has to die, what kind of love would that be?” Carina asked.

“Why are you talking about dying, Carina? We're trying to solve this. But you're acting like you've given up,” said Maya.

“Because I'm about to give up, Maya. If I die, I have nothing to leave behind. I don't even have an heir. I only have my brother,” said Carina. Maya was now beginning to understand what was going on in Carina's mind.

"Carina, wait, let's get this straight. I can't follow you. You have feelings for me, feelings that need to be resolved. Okay, I feel the same way, and I want you to know that. Those who want to kill me outside can follow me for so long, but one day they will give up. But what matters are those who are after you. We don't even know who they are, and if you give up, we will never succeed. I'm telling you, I'll find it, just don't give up, Carina. And if I find it, if there's still a shred of love for me in you, I promise I'll stay here," Maya said. She had to convince Carina because if Carina gave up, the mission would fail. Those who wanted to kill Carina would succeed. She couldn't lose Carina. Even if Carina gave up on herself, Maya couldn't give up on her.

“Maya, I'm so tired,” said Carina, resting her forehead on Maya's shoulder and letting the tears flow from her eyes. Maya spoke as she stroked Carina's hair.

"I know, Carina. I know. We'll figure this out together. Just trust me. I will never leave you. And you don't need to be ashamed.“ Maya said. Carina lifted her head and looked into Maya's eyes. ”When I look at you, I don't see a defenseless woman who has been attacked. You are the strongest, smartest, and most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my life," Maya said. Carina smiled as she wiped away her tears.

“And you're the most liar woman,” said Carina, laughing. Maya laughed too.

“No, even if everything else is a lie, what I've told you is true. Anyone you ask would say the same thing,” said Maya.

“Thank you, Maya. I hope we can figure everything out. After that, I wonder what will happen if you decide to stay with me,” said Carina.

“I agree, but let's focus on the current issues first. Okay?” Maya said in a reassuring voice.

“Okay. We'll leave tomorrow evening,” said Carina. Maya was surprised and curious.

“Okay, but where to?” Maya asked.

"Somewhere else. We can't stay in the same place for too long; we have to keep moving. Then we have to go home anyway. It would be better not to leave Andrea alone any longer," said Carina.

“Alright, whatever you want. We'll make a new plan when we get back, okay?” said Maya. Carina nodded in agreement. “Now, if it's okay with you, can I kiss you?” said Maya, looking innocent. Carina leaned her head without thinking and pressed her lips together. The fire that had been burning inside Maya had returned. Perhaps because of the weight of the conversation and Carina's emotional state, the kiss was very sincere and calm. It was also filled with longing. Carina was the first to pull away.

“Come on, let's get you a little more drunk. No more thinking or deep conversations tonight,” said Carina, pulling Maya inside. But Maya was turning everything that had been said over in her mind. She understood Carina's feelings, her anxieties, her sorrows. She also had her own anxieties about the future she might have with Carina. All she could give Carina was her heart. One of Carina's most important expectations for the future was an heir. Maya didn't know if she could give Carina that, but she didn't believe the mafia would want an heir from someone like Maya. These thoughts weighed heavily on Maya's mind. She needed to clear her head. As soon as she entered, she took another shot and continued drinking whiskey. She focused on spending a proper night with Carina, putting aside the worries and concerns about the future for that night.

Chapter Text

The door to Carina's room opened with giggles.

After talking all night, they continued with plenty of alcohol. At one point, Maya even remembered dancing with Sera. Everything had become more normal. Sera even mentioned kissing someone in the bathroom at one point. May watched Carina all night again and tried to dance with her. But the dances were both more relaxed and much more passionate. She was sure they were having fun. Even Maya was laughing. Carina felt happy. As if she had no worries. She felt like just another person in the bar.

When they returned home, it was quite late, and as they listened to her uncle's wife scolding them for coming home so late and being so drunk, they felt like young people again. As Carina went up to her room, Maya followed her, and everything seemed funny to them. Carina couldn't stop laughing, but her efforts to stay quiet made everything even funnier. When they entered the room, Carina closed the door, leaned Maya against it, and started kissing her. Maya surrendered to the kiss. Both of them were quite drunk.

“Mmm, Carina... Are you sure? We're both really drunk,” Maya said as she kissed Carina. Carina didn't seem to have any intention of stopping.

"I'm sure, Maya. Let's give ourselves permission tonight. I need you to make me forget everything tonight. Can you do that?" Carina asked as she locked the door. Maya's response was to pull Carina closer and kiss her.

What happened next was quite chaotic. Both of them were in a daze. Clothes were quickly scattered around. Maya didn't know when she had become so hard. The whiskey she had drunk helped the blood flow throughout her body. Carina lay down on the bed for Maya, in a hurry, spreading her legs for Maya, but Maya was in no hurry. When she lay between Carina's legs, she started a gentle kiss and explored Carina's body with her hands as if she were discovering it for the first time, while Carina was growing impatient beneath her. Even though she wanted to feel every touch, she wanted to get straight to the point.

“Maya... Please,” Carina whimpered. Maya smiled as she took one of Carina's tits into her mouth. Even if this was going to be drunken sex, she didn't want it to be careless. She wanted to live every moment with Carina carefully. There was a fear inside her that she might lose Carina one day, so she was etching every moment into her mind. But Maya's patience was also limited at that moment. She brought her hand to her cock, and when she was sure it was hard enough for Carina, she felt the tip against Carina's wet entrance. Carina was much wetter than she had expected, and they had only just begun.

“The bar was enough foreplay,” Carina said expectantly.

“Yes, I can feel it,” Maya said, controlling her breath as she felt Carina's wetness on her cock. After spreading the wetness around, she didn't ask for permission or wait for entry. Carina closed her eyes and buried her head in the pillow at the sudden entry. It was hard to get used to Maya, but she had to admit that it got more pleasurable each time. Maya began making slow but deep thrusts. Carina bit her finger because she wanted to moan loudly with each of Maya's hard thrusts, but the people in the house weren't ready to hear that sound.

If Maya was trying to drive Carina crazy tonight, she was succeeding because Carina just wanted to speed up and come. Carina brought her free hand to Maya's ass and pulled her closer, encouraging her to speed up. Maya took Carina's hand and placed it on top of Carina's head, but she didn't try to pin her there. She was still lucid enough to remember not to trigger Carina. Maya sat up, grabbed Carina's waist, and tried to keep her still on the bed while increasing her pace. Carina tried to keep her voice low, but Maya sped up with every passing second.

Carina was losing herself in Maya. When she opened her eyes and looked at Maya watching her, everything felt different. It was getting closer. From the first moment, it was clear that this night wouldn't be a long, drawn-out sex session. Carina focused on the pleasure Maya's movements were giving her. She couldn't hold back the orgasm rising inside her.

“Wait, don't come yet, Carina. Come with me,” Maya said. She could tell from how tight Carina's entrance had become and her moans that she was close.

“I'm so close, Maya, please,” Carina said, not knowing how much longer she could wait. When Maya increased her pace and deepened her thrusts, Carina could swear she was
momentarily breathless from the speed. Carina held back for Maya for a little longer, knowing both of them needed to enjoy it. And she knew Maya could go on longer.

But when Carina looked into Maya's eyes, she couldn't hold back any longer and her legs began to tremble. Maya nodded in approval. Carina tried to remain silent and let herself go. Maya tried to keep pushing, but Carina was gripping Maya's cock too tightly, and after letting Maya finish coming, Maya pulled back after a few strokes and came on Carina's stomach.

Just as Carina's first wave of orgasm had passed, she saw Maya pull back as she watched Maya come. When she felt Maya's orgasm hit her stomach, she tried to understand why Maya had done such a thing. Because she knew Maya always liked to come inside her. But she waited for Maya to come to her senses.

Maya was out of breath, and when she finally came to her senses, she saw that Carina was looking at her differently. For a moment, she panicked, thinking she had done something wrong.

“Why did you pull out? You could have come inside me,” said Carina questioningly, but she wasn't angry. Maya thought for a moment before answering.

“I'm sorry, I'll clean it up right away,” said Maya, avoiding the question. But Carina held her hand to stop Maya from leaving.

“Maya, I don't mean cleaning it up. You didn't have to pull away. I'm wondering if there's another reason behind it,” said Carina.

“Are you on medication?” asked Maya.

“Yes, I told you,” said Carina, frowning.

"Okay, then we don't need to talk about it. It was just a reflex. I did it in the moment; there was no second thought." Maya was still avoiding the conversation.

“Maya, when I said I could see your soul in your eyes today, I wasn't exaggerating. When I look at you, I can tell there's another thought. Is it about the heir issue?” Carina asked, because she had finally caught on to the main point. Maya sighed and closed her eyes; she had been caught.

“How did you catch me so quickly?” Maya asked.

“Because I know you well. What's on your mind?” Carina now wanted an answer.

“You need an heir, but it shouldn't be from me, right?” Maya said, and Carina was surprised by the absurdity of the question.

“Do you want children?” asked Carina. Maya had never discussed this with her. She wondered if that was what Maya wanted.

“This isn't about what I want,” said Maya, who didn't like the conversation turning to her. Carina sighed deeply and began to speak.

"Maya, I'm a mafia leader. I need a child to inherit my legacy and take my place. That's true. Plus, I'm a woman, so I'll be the one giving birth to this child. That's why I'm stressed about it. If I were a man, I could have a child with any woman I wanted at any time and protect them. Right now, it's my turn to give birth, which is why I still don't have a child at this age, setting aside other reasons. But I'm in a position to choose the other parent for my child, right?" Carina said. She wanted to explain to Maya why the issue of an heir had come up. She also wanted Maya to know that the decision about who to have this child with was hers to make.

“Carina, let's be honest. Neither you nor your brother, nor anyone else in this mafia, wants my child to be the heir. That's why I don't want you to get pregnant by accident,” Maya explained, pouring out her thoughts, and Carina already understood. She wasn't excluding Maya from this matter; on the contrary, she didn't want to do it with anyone else. But Maya?

“Why do you think that?” She wanted Maya to answer that. She wanted to know why Maya didn't want it. Was it because she didn't want the child, or was she afraid of the reactions from others?

“Because that's how it is, Carina. I'm not noble like you; I'm a murderer. I can't give anything to the child you'll give birth to, and I don't think you'd want to have a child with someone like me either,” Maya explained, but Carina was starting to get angry. Maya was making excuses and saying things that weren't even on her mind.

“Maya, don't say things I haven't thought about. You can't talk about wanting a future with me and then act like this. Getting pregnant right now would be stupid. I can't protect myself or my child. They could kill my child just to hurt me.” Carina wanted Maya to understand this, but they weren't there right now. “But one day, if everything ends and you want to stay with me, I would want you to give me that child,” Carina said very clearly. Maya saw the sincerity in Carina's eyes. “Would you do that, Maya?” Carina's request was very clear and sincere. Maya looked sad. She couldn't see herself in a happy family photo, even with Carina. She didn't think she was a good person. She doubted she could be the kind of partner who could give Carina the family life she expected. Just tonight, she had said there could be a future with Carina, but now there was a child involved that Carina truly wanted.

“If I had a normal life and you wanted it, I would do it without hesitation, Carina. But consider everything and make this decision. If you want to be with someone else, I will understand.” Maya said. She saw herself as capable of doing this, and one day Carina would see it too, and she might be sad, but she wouldn't be angry with Carina.

“Maya, why are you always bringing others into this? Can't you see we're falling in love? We're trying to understand our feelings in all this chaos. Maybe this will turn into real love, so why would I want someone else?” Carina was trying to correct Maya's thoughts.

“Carina, how could I be a mother to your child? You're perfect, but I'm a mess. I don't even have a child's love inside me. I never wanted this. I don't think I can do it,” said Maya. Carina was disappointed.

“But you said you'd do it without thinking if I asked,” said Carina, her voice low and sad.

“Yes, because if you ask, I'll give it to you, but I can't promise I'll be a good parent to that child. That's why I told you to think it through carefully,” said Maya. Carina understood now and stood up to look for her clothes. She wasn't looking at Maya.

“Alright, Maya, I understand. You're saying that if I get pregnant, you won't be here for the child. Is this the end of everything between us?” Carina asked.

"No, Carina, don't interpret everything your way. Look, we're both drunk, and we're obviously talking nonsense. Besides, there's no such situation right now. You're taking medication, I'm being careful, and we're trying to work out our relationship. That's it. If one day you decide you want to have a child, then we can talk about everything, and you'll start to understand my concerns," Maya said, trying to close the subject.

“Okay, Maya, I understand you. I hope you understand me too. As you said, that's not what we're talking about right now. But if one day you don't want this child with me, then there's no point in imagining a future together,” said Carina, going into the bathroom in her room and closing the door. Maya knew she had messed up. This night wasn't supposed to be like this. Of course, she wouldn't leave Carina if she got pregnant, but she didn't want Carina to regret it. But she had been misunderstood. Carina was being emotional and couldn't see the potential problems. But Maya believed she could see the bigger picture. Everything was out in the open. She believed she wasn't good enough for a woman like Carina or for a child she might have with her. It was that simple for Maya.

When Carina entered the bathroom, she turned on the water. She was nervous and sad while waiting for the water to heat up, and there were tears in her eyes. She got under the water and washed away Maya's presence, then waited under the water. When she came out, she wondered if Maya would be there. Even though this conversation seemed to be over, it would always remain in their minds. It would even play a major role in shaping their future relationship.

Carina took a quick shower, wrapped herself in a towel, and came out to find Maya getting dressed. She didn't want Maya to leave. No matter how angry she was with Maya, she didn't want her to leave. She didn't want to be apart from Maya because there was something they needed to talk about. They had already missed each other for days.

“Stay here, take a shower, I'll wait for you,” said Carina, her voice clear and commanding. Maya tried to gauge Carina's thoughts. Without saying a word, Maya went into the shower. When she came out, Carina was getting ready to get into bed. Carina got into bed and looked at Maya. She knew how much Maya was burdening herself over this issue.

“Come here,” said Carina, pulling back the blanket next to her and showing her where to lie down. Maya quietly got into bed. “Don't push me away. Don't think about this now. I can't lose you over this issue,” said Carina, holding Maya's hand. Maya looked at Carina's face. Who could be angry with such a beautiful face?

“You won't lose me. Because I can never be angry with you, I can't leave you. I want you to know these things beforehand so you don't do something you'll regret later,” Maya said.

"Let me decide that. Just be here with me. I know what your concerns are. But they don't matter right now. Just be mine." said Carina. They lay down on the bed, Carina resting her head on Maya's chest.

“I'm already yours. But if you ever ask me for this, I'll be there. I won't run away from you.” said Maya. Carina lifted her head and looked at Maya.

“One day you will give me that baby, Maya Bishop, and all your worries will disappear because we will be together. You are kind enough not to run away and to fall in love with that baby immediately,” Carina said clearly. Maya was now even more certain that Carina could read her soul. She leaned in to kiss Carina. There was no need to say anything; Carina already knew everything.

---

The next day, Carina's uncle insisted that they stay a few more days. Because Carina didn't visit very often.

“I know I don't come very often, but I can't stay in the same place for long, and I need to go home soon. I've neglected my work too much,” said Carina.

“Alright, I won't insist anymore, but promise me you'll visit me again later,” said Ricardo. Carina immediately hugged her uncle.

“I promise. I'll miss you so much,” said Carina, still hugging him.

“Maya, thank you for looking after Carina. It was a pleasure meeting you,” said Ricardo.

“It's an honor sir,” said Maya. The farewell took a long time. Sera hugged Carina for a long time. She just smiled at Maya.

When Maya was sure the cars were ready, Carina got into the car. They were ready to go. When they set off, Maya was sitting comfortably next to Carina.

“Where are we going now?” Maya asked. Carina hadn't yet revealed where they were heading.

“You'll see when we get there. Rest now, nothing will happen on the road,” said Carina. Maya settled into her seat, she was really sleepy. She decided to rest her eyes. Carina was reading a book. Carina occasionally stroked Maya's hair. Maya smiled at every touch from Carina because she couldn't fall asleep.

When they had driven for an hour, the car suddenly braked. Maya and Carina sat up quickly. While Carina tried to figure out what was going on, Maya reached for her gun and got out of the car to see what was happening.

“Don't get out of the car, Carina,” Maya said before getting out. The driver waited in the car when he saw Maya get out. A black car had cut them off. The car with Carina's bodyguards was nowhere to be seen. But no one was getting out of the car. The windows were blacked out, so they couldn't see who was inside. When Maya saw the license plate, she turned back to Carina. The license plate was not Italian, it was American. When she turned back, she realized she should never have gotten out of the car.

A man—a man Maya knew very well—was standing next to Carina with one hand covering her mouth and the other holding a gun to her head. They had trapped Carina. There was shock and fear in Carina's eyes. Behind the man, two other men were pointing their guns at Maya. Maya knew that any foolish move on her part would cost both of them their lives.

“It's so nice to see you again, Maya. Mission accomplished,” said the man holding Carina.

“Hello to you too, James,” said Maya, lowering her gun.

Chapter Text

When he saw Carina standing in Maya James' arms, he lowered his gun. He didn't want Carina to get hurt because of a wrong move.

“Put Bishop in the car. We'll be in the same car with this beautiful lady,” James told his men. Two men came up behind Maya, took her gun, and grabbed her arms to force her into the car.

“Wait, no, I want to come with you,” said Maya. She wanted to be in the car with Carina. She couldn't leave Carina alone.

“Believe me, Bishop, if I were that much of a failure in such a mission, I wouldn't be talking so much,” said James.

“I have things to say, let me stay,” said Maya, trying to free herself from the men holding her arms. Two men coming from behind approached Carina with ropes in their hands.

“Alright, come on,” said James. They tied Carina's hands and mouth and put her in the car. Even if her mouth wasn't tied, Carina couldn't speak right now. She was in shock.

Had Maya been lying all this time? Was Maya the real mole? Was Maya acting friendly toward Carina while actually helping her enemies? Was Maya in contact with these men? She was looking at Maya's face, but Maya wasn't looking at Carina. The expression on her face was unreadable. Carina was searching Maya's face for any sign that she wasn't lying. Maya was expressionless but tense. She didn't have the ease of an agent who had completed her mission. Carina felt like an idiot. She had trusted this woman, almost fallen in love with her. She had given herself to her. After last night's conversation, she never imagined this could happen.

“Where are we going?” Maya asked as she got into the car. James laughed. Carina tried to free herself from the ropes in her hands, but it was useless.

“You're asking too many questions. We're going to finish our mission, of course,” said James. Maya was still nervous, looking at the road and trying to figure out where they were.

James was a manager in the organization where Maya was an agent. He distributed missions to the agents. He didn't get his hands dirty easily. But when he wanted to make sure that important missions were completed, he would go out into the field. There was an unfinished mission here that had become a problem.

“Are you okay, sweety?,” James said, smiling at Carina. He tried to fix the hair that had fallen into her eyes. Carina tried to move away from his touch. Maya clenched her jaw and her hands into fists.

“James, she’s not a doll. Leave her alone," Maya said. James pulled his hand away from Carina and looked at Maya.

“So what they said was true. You didn't hit the target, you slept with it. You've changed a lot, Bishop,” James said.

“The person who gave you the information must have gotten pretty close, but they gave you the wrong information,” Maya said. Carina tried to figure out where the conversation was going.

“Yes, the spy at home did a great job, but you ruined it again, Maya,” James shouted. Carina's eyes widened when she realized the spy was real. Maya knew the spy was real; she had made Carina think that. Did Maya know who it was? Had Maya lied about that too?

“There was nothing to ruin, James,” Maya said. Carina still didn't understand. Was Maya betraying someone? Was she betraying Carina or James?

“Maya, you didn't have to throw yourself in front of the bullets just to keep fucking this woman longer. If you had told me, I would have found you much better ones,” James said, grinning at Carina. Maya wished she had her gun with her right now. “But don't worry, today this will be over, and you'll be the one to end it,” James said with a smirk.

“If I ruined everything, why didn't the spy at home finish the job? He could have easily killed me and Carina,” Maya said.

“Maya, but where's the fun in that? If my spy at home had killed Carina peacefully in her bed, wouldn't that have been too easy?” James said.

“But you gave me this job and wanted me to kill her from a distance,” Maya said.

"Yes, then she would have died tragically in front of everyone. But you couldn't do it, and then you got in the way of the one who could. I never expected this from you. Do you realize how much trouble you've put me in? Because of you, the people who gave us the job are pressuring us. They're on our backs. If you hadn't been so reckless, everything could have been better. What were you risking everything for, Maya? Do you realize you should be dead right now? I'm saving your life," said James.

“I just did my job. I only missed once,” said Maya.

“Then what, Maya? What then? There was only one thing you had to do: let this woman die. But you didn't. Now you're both going to pay the price,” said James. Carina was stunned. Was Maya responsible for what had happened today, or had Maya also fallen into a trap? But Maya never showed it. She never looked at Carina.

Carina didn't make a sound or do anything to draw attention to herself. She believed she had reached the end of the road. She couldn't even describe the disappointment she was feeling. She would rather die than find out that Maya had deceived her. She was afraid that everything Maya had said and done up until now was a big lie. She didn't want to believe that Maya's sweet words of love were lies.

---

They had arrived at an old abandoned factory far from the city. All they knew was that it was somewhere far away; they didn't even know where it was. They forced Carina out of the car. Carina tried to resist, but the men were insistent. After Carina got out, one of the men pulled Maya by the arm and dragged her out. They weren't treating Maya very well either.

They took them to a filthy warehouse that smelled of dampness and mold. Everything was probably dusty and rusty. She didn't know if it was the smell or what had happened, but Carina felt like vomiting. When they entered, they immediately sat Carina down on a chair and tied her up. Maya was just standing there. Two men were standing next to her. They seemed to be waiting for Maya to make a sudden move.

James entered the warehouse after everyone else. Carina fidgeted in her chair as she tried to free herself from the ropes. Carina looked at James as he entered the warehouse. James took out his gun and pointed it at Maya's head. Maya just closed her eyes. James had approached from behind. Apparently, Maya was going to be punished. No matter how hard Carina tried to loosen the tight ropes around her wrists, it was impossible. Maya took her hands out of her pockets and raised them in the air.

"Maya Bishop is the organization's most successful agent. I didn't expect to visit you here. To be honest, I was surprised when I heard that you had failed in your mission. As soon as I heard that, my teams sprang into action. We thought you had already been killed by the Delucas and thrown aside, but thanks to Sullivan, we learned that you were alive.“ James said, and Carina and Maya locked eyes at that moment. Both of their eyes were wide open. ”Of course, the foolish Andrea Deluca was there. He didn’t know who to trust. If it weren’t for him, Sullivan wouldn’t have been able to give us all the information,” James said.

“Of course, the only authorized person would be the agent,” Maya said to herself. Carina was surprised that the agent was Sullivan instead of Maya, but he was among the suspects. How had Andrea gotten involved in this? Had they tricked her brother?

“Don't tell me you don't understand, Maya. You were focused on other things and couldn't see what was right in front of you,” James said with a smile. Maya and Carina's closeness seemed to be no secret anymore.

“What about Andrea?” Maya asked, and Carina silently thanked her. That was the only thing she was curious about.

“He's just a pawn in the big game. He didn't know that his actions would lead to his sister's death. He was just naive. He doesn't know what he's caused without realizing it. I guess he knew about the unlimited authority he gave Sullivan,” James said dismissively. Carina became very angry.

“What happened when you found out I was alive? Why didn't you come after me right away?” Maya asked.

"Actually, I didn't want to go after you because I thought you'd finish what you started, but when I heard you jumped in front of the bullets, I realized I needed to give you a proper punishment, Maya. Sullivan told me about your heroism. Sullivan initially thought you were really there to finish the job, but when he saw you risking your life for this beautiful mafia leader, he realized he had to get involved. We’ve been watching you for a long time, and to be honest, Carina was quite careful compared to the others. It wasn't easy, but I found a punishment that suits you perfectly," said James. Maya was about to lose her mind. She needed to play her cards right. She needed to buy time. She was praying that someone would find them. She needed luck in this desolate place.

She had never lied to Carina, not even for a day. Everything she said was true. She was in love with Carina. She would do anything to protect her. Right now, she would die to protect Carina. But she needed to think clearly. She had to find a way to get Carina out of here safely. She needed to buy time for her.

“Tell me, Maya, how much do you value this woman?” James asked.

“What does it matter? Why are you asking?” Maya replied. She wasn't going to discuss her love for Carina with James right now.

“Maya, don't lie to me. You're sleeping with this woman, aren't you? Are you in love with her? Is that why you gave up on killing her? You don't miss your shots. You must have given up,” James said.

“She's innocent,” Maya said simply. When Carina heard Maya's answer, tears welled up in her eyes. She felt relieved. Maya truly believed it. Maya wasn't lying. The real culprit was this man and that damned Sullivan. Carina was angry with herself for suspecting Maya but not Sullivan. She should have realized it sooner and taken action. But regret was useless now.

“How do you know, Maya? Besides, this doesn't concern you. You were supposed to do your job. It cost us millions of dollars. They spent millions just to kill this woman, and you're giving up because you think she's innocent? Who asked for your opinion?” James shouted angrily. He pressed the gun harder against Maya's head. But Maya wasn't afraid; she stood straight in front of him.

"Who? James, who wants us to kill her? For years, I never wondered who was going to be killed. I didn't distinguish between the guilty and the innocent. But for the first time in my life, I thought about it. James, please believe me, if I didn't really believe it, I would have finished the job. But who wants this? Who gave us this job?" Maya asked pleadingly. It was the question Carina was most curious about.

“Who it is doesn't concern you, Maya. You're not a cop. It's not your place to decide who's guilty and who's innocent. You were just supposed to kill her and it would be over. But you chose to put us in a difficult situation,” said James.

“James, let me prove to you that she's innocent. Let me show you that there's no point in killing her,” Maya said. But James got angry and raised his gun toward the ceiling, firing a shot. Carina flinched at the sound, her eyes filling with tears. She was upset that they were going after Maya. Maya wasn't a liar. Maya hadn't deceived Carina. She just wanted to protect Carina until the very end.

"Who cares about Maya? I don't care. Do you know what I've lost because of this? Do you know how much harder they're making my life because you couldn't shoot this woman? People don't trust us anymore because of you, because of this woman. So I don't care. I'll take care of my money and my reputation. I don't give a fuck if this woman is innocent or not.“ James said. ”And now Maya. Are you in love? Yes, she's a beautiful woman, I'll give you that. I hope you had enough fun with her. You know what I mean.“ James said with a wink. It made Maya sick to her stomach. ”Now it's the end of the road. Do you want to live, Maya?" James asked.

“Yes,” said Maya, but she wanted to live with Carina. Carina could do nothing but listen to their conversation.

"Then you'll take this gun and finish what you started. I'll leave you here alone with this woman and this gun. And you won't leave this warehouse until you kill this woman, do you hear me? Your punishment is that you chose to believe in and love this woman, Maya, but that choice wasn't given to you. You misused your mission. Normally, your punishment would be death without question. But I can’t afford to lose an agent like you. So this punishment will bring you to your senses.” James said. Carina let the tears flow from her eyes. She hadn’t expected her final moment to be like this. But if she was going to die, it might hurt less if Maya did it. She couldn’t decide right now. She knew this day would come someday. But she couldn’t predict who would do it.

“I can't do it, James. No,” said Maya. It was impossible for her to do this in this world. She couldn't kill the only woman she had promised to protect, the only woman who made her heart beat.

"What did you think would happen, Maya? Did you think we would leave you and this woman alone? Did you think you would be happy with this woman? Maya, you're an agent, a killer. How could you believe this woman could have a future with you? She seduced you with her beauty and made you give up your mission. Once she was done with you, she would either kill you or kick you out. But I'm giving you a chance. A chance to live. There are thousands of women out there more beautiful than her. They'll all line up for you, Maya. Don't burn your life for a woman,“ said James. Maya still said she couldn't do it. ”If you don't do it, I will, Maya. The choice is yours," said James, and Carina shook her head as if to say no. She wanted Maya to be the one to do it. Maya grabbed the gun from James. She couldn't let James do it. She couldn't let anyone hurt Carina.

“I'm leaving now. Say goodbye, then finish the job. I'll be waiting for you outside. You don't have forever, Maya. If this takes too long, I'll come and finish it myself,” said James. He approached Carina. He ran his fingers over her cheek. Carina looked at him with hatred. Her eyes were bloodshot. “You're so beautiful, it's a shame to waste such beauty. Who knows who you've driven mad,” said James, and removed the tape from Carina's mouth. Carina began swearing in Italian. “Shut this woman up right now,” James said to Maya. Maya knew her eyes were filling with tears. Only one person would get out of here alive. How could she point a gun at Carina? She could shoot herself in the head right now and end her own pain. But she couldn't leave Carina in someone else's hands. When James came out of the warehouse, Carina had stopped cursing and was just staring at Maya.

“Maya, you didn't lie to me, did you? Please tell me I understood everything correctly. Don't lie to me in my last moments,” Carina begged for the truth. Maya approached Carina and knelt in front of her. She stroked Carina's cheek. She kept the gun down, away from Carina.

"Carina, I swear to you that everything I said was true. You knew they were after me too. I never lied to you once. If we fail the mission and don't die, we'll keep going until it's done. But for me, the mission ended the moment I saw you. I swear to you. I tried to protect you, but I couldn't. Please forgive me. I failed." Maya's voice sounded as if she were about to cry. Carina held back her own tears. She could see how much pain Maya was in right now.

"Maya. Maya, look at me. You won't let those men get their hands on me, no matter what. If I die here today, I want it to be because of you. They won't even be able to touch me. This is my last request of you." Carina spoke with determination. Maya was now truly crying, shaking her head in refusal, but deep down she knew. She couldn't let those men take Carina.

“Carina, how can I do this? I can't live without you. How can I hurt you? I can't take your life.” Maya looked at Carina with pleading eyes. She hoped Carina had a solution.

“Do you want those men to kill me, Maya?” Carina asked. Maya shook her head. "Then you will do it, Maya. Afterward, you will help my brother find those who did this to us, tell him it was my last wish, and take revenge for me, Maya. You will take possession of everything I own. Did you hear me?" Carina was trying not to cry. She had to convince Maya. She was tired of all this running and chasing. She wouldn't die suddenly in an attack. It would be Maya who did it, and she would leave Maya behind. She had reached the end of the road.

“Carina... Without you, nothing makes sense. You showed me life. You made me feel love. You put your love into my empty heart, and now I'm losing you before I can even have you. How is that fair? Without you, my life has no meaning.” Maya said. Maya would rather die than live without Carina.

“No, Maya, you will live after me. You will keep my love, my feelings, and my family alive. You will protect my brother and the mafia I belong to. Without you, my love cannot survive,” said Carina.

“You know I didn’t betray you, right? I would never betray you.” Maya wanted to make sure Carina had no doubts.

“I know, bambina. I know. Others betrayed me. Not you. Even my brother got involved in this business unwillingly, but you always protected me. Please take revenge on everyone who betrayed me from now on, Maya. Take revenge so that I can sleep peacefully,” said Carina. Maya would do anything for Carina.

“I will take your revenge, Carina. I won't stop until there is no one left who hasn't been avenged. But until the end of my life, until my last breath, I will carry you in my heart. And with every breath I take every day, I will remember what I did to you.” Carina rested her forehead against Maya's. “If only you had killed me when you found me, none of this would have happened. They wouldn't have found you because of me. They wouldn't have made me do this. I promised to protect you, and now I'm breaking my promise,” said Maya, looking away from Carina, hating herself.

“Even if they couldn't find you, Sullivan would have turned me in. How could I not have realized it was him? But you warned me. You always warned me about other people. This man wasn't new to us,” said Carina.

“You couldn't have known. None of us understood. I should have understood sooner,” said Maya, thinking that all the blame was hers. Carina wouldn't let Maya blame herself in her last moments. She decided to make her final confession.

“I love you, Maya,” said Carina clearly and decisively. Maya's eyes opened. She was surprised. There had been so many moments when they wanted to say this to each other. But the words had never come out of their mouths. “Much more than you could ever imagine, and even in my final moments, the only thing on my mind is my love for you,” said Carina, tears in her eyes.

“I love you, Carina. Thank you for all the love you’ve given me. I will never love anyone else until my last breath. Only you. This moment will never leave my mind,” Maya said, putting the gun down and holding Carina’s face with both hands. Because as she spoke her love, she only wanted to look into Carina’s eyes—those brown eyes she had melted into with love.

“Come, just kiss me, and let this be our last memory,” said Carina in a broken voice, tears streaming down her face. Maya pressed her lips against hers. She kissed Carina several times. Both of them were just crying. After a few kisses, Maya rested her forehead against hers.

“I'll wait until the very end, Carina. I don't want to do this. I want to prolong the last moments I'll spend with you. But no moment is enough; I can never get enough of you,” Maya said.

“Let's wait, Maya, but every moment has an end. But in this final moment, talk to me,” Carina said. The only voice she wanted to hear in her final moment, the only face she wanted to see, was Maya's.

“Whatever you want, baby,” Maya said with a sigh. She looked at Carina's face, wanting to etch it into her mind.

“Tell me about the future we could have had if none of this had happened,” Carina said, stopping her tears for a moment. Maya was even more saddened by the question, but if that was what Carina wanted, she had to do it.

"I would take you to a place far away from everything. You wouldn't be a mafia leader, and I wouldn't be an agent. I would marry you so I could never let you go again. We would have a perfect but small house, and I would take you out on a different date every day. I would kiss you every day, every moment. I could never get enough of you. I would live just to hear your laughter. Then... Then we’d have the baby you wanted. A baby born from all our love. I’d make sure you’re comfortable during your pregnancy and do everything to help you experience the excitement of childbirth. Then we would live the happiest, most peaceful days of our lives with that baby. I would make sure you had everything you needed. Then I would convince you to have more babies," Maya said with a sad smile.

“I’m sure you wouldn’t have any trouble convincing me,” Carina said with a smile. Maya looked at that beautiful smile.

“Really?” Maya asked, wondering if she liked this dream that now seemed impossible.

“Really, Maya. Even though your dream seems like an impossible fairy tale, we could have built this life together,” Carina said, then paused. “But you can still have this life,” Carina said calmly.

“What?” Maya's mind froze.

“Maya, my death doesn't mean you have to stop living. You're too young. You'll fall in love again. You'll meet a woman who wants to be happy with you, have children with you, and share this dream with you,” said Carina, but Maya immediately began to refuse.

“No! No, Carina. There's no one else I could ever want such a life with,” Maya said.

“Life is like that, Maya. You can't carry this sadness forever. Life goes on. You'll go on for me and be happy,” Carina said.

“I can't love anyone more than you, Carina. I can't do this while my heart is with you. But if one day I open my heart to someone else, that person will know that you are the only one who owns my heart. They will know that I live to be with you,” said Maya. Carina didn't insist any further. Because in the intensity of the moment, she couldn't make Maya accept it anyway, but these were the facts. But then there were noises from outside. When the door opened, Maya immediately grabbed the gun. James entered, and Maya immediately stood up. She had the gun in her hand and was squeezing it with all her strength. Someone was going to die here. Why did that person have to be Carina?

“I didn't want to split up the lovebirds, but your time is up, and you still haven't finished the job, Maya. I hate waiting. Or should I finish it myself?” James asked. Maya clenched her teeth.

“I'll do it,” Maya said. Carina just looked at Maya. Then James pulled the gun from his waist and pressed it against Maya's head again.

“Do it then!” James shouted. Maya turned to Carina. Carina whispered, “I love you,” closed her eyes, and Maya closed hers too.

Gunshots could be heard inside and outside the warehouse.