Arranged Marriage To The Princess Of The Red Scorpions

Lena knew that it was likely a fool's move to go on her to meet Marcus. What else was she supposed to do, though? With all the chaos that had been taking place, there was no one that could go with her. Clive and Romeo were out of commission until further notice. She couldn't ask Julius to leave her father or brother. Not after the former had only woken up. Gabriella was out of the question as well. Someone level-headed had to be there to watch out for Dino. 

Another unexpected puzzle piece she still needed to figure out. No way had he decided to show his face without anticipating something in return. What was the question or even who decided to send him their way_.

Lena shut her eyes as the cool breeze washed over her. The helmet and bike jacket did little to buffet her from the bitter, cold wind. Under normal circumstances, she would have been cursing the weather for choosing now of all times to be cruel. Today, however, she welcomed the biting cold that numbed her body. The nipping chill that ran through her body gave her something other than the strong emotions and thoughts that were stirring deep inside of her to focus on.

You're going to have to be more careful from now on. I don't know how you usually operate but you need to consider more than just yourself. Lena gritted her teeth as the doctor's words swirled through her mind. Was that some kind of joke? Did the man not understand the type of lifestyle that she lived? Not only that but as a stranger, what right did he have to act and direct her as though he knew her? Being safe and being a mafia princess didn't exactly go hand in hand. Pushing the words to the back of her head along with the pain that began to build up in her chest, Lena revved the motorcycle, forcing it to go well above what she knew the speed limit was. For now, she would do what she had to. Once everything had passed, she could figure out how to explain the situation to everyone else. 

"Fucking asshole!" Lena was forced to break abruptly as a car darted out in front of her instead of yielding. It took almost all of her weight to maintain her balance while not losing speed as the motorcycle shook from the unexpected reaction and the bitter unrelenting wind that seemed keen on tipping her motorcycle over. A leather-gloved hand instinctively moved to cover her stomach as she braced herself for a potential crash. 

Luckily, it never came, as the shift in the weight was enough to keep the motorcycle moving until she could find a point to turn off the interstate and come to a halt. It didn't nearly fast enough as Lena had less than three seconds to remove the pitch-black helmet before the dry heaving started. 

Unable to move or force her body to stop, the princess could only grip the bar handles of the motorcycle until her knuckles turned white as she waited for the moment to pass. Tears pricked the corner of her eyes as the bitter wind battered her exposed face. Fuck! Why, of all times, did all of this have to be happening right now? 

As usual, no answer came to her unspoken questions. More dry heaving brought a bitter taste to the back of her throat. Her body had begun to shake from the force used to try and expel the non-existent food from her stomach that made it near impossible to catch her breath. It would be years before she would think about eating again after this. 

Lena didn't know how much time had passed before her stomach finally decided to settle. She just knew that it didn't come soon enough. She rested her head against her ice-cold helmet as she tried to catch her breath. What a picture she must've looked like to everyone who passed by. 

The thought forced a bitter laugh past her wind-chapped lips. Her tongue came out to swipe against the rough skin in a futile effort to stop it from cracking. She grimaced as the taste of bile coated her mouth. It would definitely be a very long time before she'd eat again.

Even as her breathing started to return to normal, her eyes remained closed. 

Could she actually go through with everything if this was what it meant? Lena didn't need an answer to this question, though. This one was the only one that she could answer. 

After what felt like a century, the adrenaline finally wore off, and the only thing that left her body shaking was the bitter cold. By the time she put the helmet back on, she knew that her face was likely white as a sheet. 

Lena allowed herself one more moment of reprieve before she knew that it was time to go again.

Pushing back the nausea that threatened to overtake her again, Lena turned the motorcycle on once more. Leaning back, she forced herself to take in another set of deep breaths.

Every passing minute wasted weighed her down like an invisible stone. The princess had yet to see Marcus in the flesh but she could already tell he wasn't the type to make idle threats. Still, she needed to clear her head before she could leave.

Maybe though she's wouldn't be the only one he'd come after if she didn't show up. Men like him never directly targeted their intended victim.

The thought of that had Lena once more spurring the motorcycle on well past the speed limit as she took off. One day was all that she would have to spend. One day in which every second of every minute needed to count.

If she was going to do it right, she would have to stop at the estate first.

There were a number of pieces that needed to be put in order first. She would comply with what Marcus wanted but her family still came first.