Hi there all! So sorry for the long break in updates. Here is the next chapter, let me know what you think.

Chapter 11

"Don't forget, we have midterms on friday. You get one side of a notes sheet for any formulas you deem relevant. Good luck, I will see you all bright and early." Professor Mikealson spoke to the economics class.

Allison shoved her items in to her backpack and made her way out of the small lecture room. She wished she had focused on the lecture more, her grade in the class really counted on that midterm. She didn't know how she was supposed to focus, not when her mother had called only minuted before the start of her lecture. They had found out who wasn't cleaning the money and now she, Mary Pat, was blackmailing them to the tune of a hundred thousand dollars.

She was lost in her thoughts as she walked across campus she didn't notice when a dark form approached her, matching her strides. "You got any insight on our lil problem." His deep voice made her jump slightly.

"Um, what do you mean?" She shot a glance at his smug face before focusing on the path in front of her. Her heart beat harshly in her chest as she forced her feet to carry her forwards.

Rio's hand shot out to stop her strides. "The bitch that ripped me off."

Allison was annoyed, at her entire situation. Annoyed with the fact that she was having… feelings for an all too dangerous man. "What makes you think I know anything? Ever since you held a gun to my face, no one tells me anything." Her lie seeped smoothly. Well it was half true, she still knew what was going on, but she kept out of the house as much as she could. She'd have dinner on or around campus and got home well after the kids were asleep. "They all seem pretty content hiding me on campus."

His brow pulled up and he rand his eyes over her body in a way that made her shiver. "Ya can't hide from me, sweetheart." Rio flashed his teeth.

"Oh I know that." She finally turned to him. "What do you want from me?"

"A name." He responded shortly.

She scoffed, of course that was the only thing he came for. He made it pretty clear what value she was to him when he pointed a gun at her. "They'll get your money washed. It was a mistake. It'll get taken care of." Allison argued trusting her mother to handle it in a humane way.

"I prefer to take care of problems myself." Rio growled, frustrated by the lack of control.

Allison shrugged. "I prefer a lot of things. Doesn't mean they happen." His lips twitched. "Ya gonna put a gun to my face again?" Her eyes glanced around her noticing the setting sun, and the small amount of students moving across the pathways. "Assert your clear control? You think that's what makes people talk?" He raised a brow enjoying the flush that covered her skin in her heated rant. "No. It just makes people say whatever they think you want to hear. So you won't kill them." Her lip raised in a scowl. "You'll get the rest of your money, we'll wash it. It was a mistake."

He wasn't anywhere near satisfied with her answer. "Mistakes get people like us locked up."

"People like us?" The frustration she was feeling was clearly written on her face.

Rio shrugged indifferently. "Yeah. Ya wash cash, for a gang. That's what you do." For some reason his words insulted her.

Her eyes narrowed. "That may be what I do, but that's not who I am." She took a gamble and stepped slightly closer to him. "And I really don't think that's who you are either." Her face was soft as she looked up at him, her eyes begged to see a glimpse of the Rio that she had seen on Halloween.

For a moment, she thought she might get something out of him, his eyes having studied her for a long moment, but he shut down and a cruel look set on his face. "Ya don't know shit kid." Her lips pulled down.

"Yeah clearly not." She mumbled as she looked away from him. "No one knows everything." She was annoyed by his coldness, how he could flip a switch and act like he didn't care. Rio watched as she met his eyes with a defiant look. "This tough guy thing, the need to be above everybody, control everything." His jaw clenched. "It's pathetic."

His hand was suddenly around her neck at the triggering words. Only is fingertips applied pressure, it didn't hinder her breathing, but it made blood rush to her head, caused a light rush in her mind. "Use that pretty head and think bout the next words comin' out ya mouth."

She blinked away from him, realized she had gone too far. Allison took a breath and bravely met his eyes. Her lips twitched upwards and her body, against her better judgement, she stepped closer to him. He loosened his grip on her neck, but his fingers lingered. Her inhibitions rendered, she felt fearless, they were in public, she was aware he couldn't do anything to her without witnesses. His jaw ticked. "Screw you, screw all this. Did you really think you were gonna come here, all intimidating and shit and get me to throw some mother, even more in over her head than my family, under the bus?"

Her eyes stayed on his, she didn't want an answer to the question, it was rehtorical, and he knew it. So she continued. "You really think I'd let you 'handle it'?" She held up air quotes. "When I've literally seen your way of handling things."

Rio's lips pursed slightly. "I ain't say I'd've killed her."

Allison laughed and gestured towards him in the small space they had between them. "Ya come in to people's houses flashing guns." When she was composed she looked at him seriously. "And that's exactly what you were going to do when my mother indirectly stole from you. Oh wait, you weren't even gonna do it yourself, just gonna have one of you guys do it."

Her words struck him, but he didn't dwell on it, focused on whatever anger he still had, that hadn't disappaited out of some sort of resect. "You like pissin' me off darling?" He was frustrated. She made him feel things he'd never felt. The protectiveness he felt of her, the primal instinct to claim her as him own was overwhelming. The way she stood up to him made him want to put her in her place as much as it made him want to fuck her, worship her, make her his.

"No." Allison answered honestly. She liked seeing behind the front that he always gave, the need to be in control of every single thing, including his own emotions. He was an impossible book to read, and she was getting tired of it.

He didn't believe her and his face showed it, but she didn't have anything more to say to him, so she turned away. "Allison." His deep voice made her turn back around. "Just… be careful." The words sounded almost caring even in the rough tone.

She scoffed. "Oh I've had to." Her eyes narrowed at him and she appreciated the increased distance she had from his intense form. "Don't ever point a gun at me again, unless you're actually going to shoot me. Cause I swear to god." Frustration seeped into her voice. "I'm pointing one back at the next fucking person who does."

Allison turned on her heel and walked towards where her car was parked, replaying every single word he said to her, annoyed with the fact that she couldn't control how she felt about him, couldn't control how her body reacted to him. She was equally scared and curious about the unknown of Rio, and she was tired of her own lack of control.

He watched her walk away, his own mind reeled from their encounter until it landed on the one conclusion he would let himself think about. She had a gun.

Beth, Annie, and Ruby had taken care of getting the cash Mary Pat hadn't washed to Rio via auto theft. They had paid her, and the month had gone on as normal. Allison focused on her classes, and made sure to talk to Chase, apologize for her drunken self, and agreed to some plans with him to make up for it.

She wasn't sure if she was happy she hadn't heard from Rio or disappointed. She tried to be normal, not think about the fact that half of her free time was spent in chain stores buying and returning. Though on some level she enjoyed it, ripping off the billionaires that caused tragedy in the world.

Everything had been quiet when she got home from her classes one weeknight. Allison had awaken early in the morning to get herself a glass of water. When she made her way down to the kitchen she saw the last thing she expected to. Rio and Felix, going through her kitchen cabinets and compiling the pile of cash that Beth had hidden in their foods. "Hey!" Allison whisper yelled, not wanting to awaken her mother who was the only other person on the first floor. "What the hell are you doing?"

Allison moved quickly towards the kitchen towards Rio. "Shuttin' down for a while." He continued to pull money from the bottom of their cereal boxes.

"What do you mean?" She questioned trying to stop him from taking the money they had worked so hard to wash.

He simply pushed her hands away. "Feds are on my ass. Can't risk it." He slid the money towards his guys. Allison glared at the two men who continued to pile the cash into bags like she wasn't even there.

She moved towards Rio and tried to stop him again, but he just grabbed her wrists and pulled her towards him. His face told her that he wasn't playing but his eyes were light, so she pushed. "Some of that money is ours, our cut! We worked for that."

Rio shrugged and slowly lowered her wrists. "What you want me to say? I got closing costs, we all feel the pain." He let his eyes finally run over her form. She was wearing short stripped shorts and an old high school volleyball shirt. Her hair was thrown up in to a messy bun and not a spec of makeup sat on her face.

"That' not fair." Allison scowled at the two men who were putting the food back in to her cabinets, exactly where they were before. If she hadn't woken up, she would have never known he had taken the money. Until someone noticed it.

"Life's not fair, thought you knew that sweetheart." He patronized her then gestured to Felix to take the money out. The two men went out her back door and Rio turned to her, grabbing a couple thick stacks of twenties out of his jacket pocket. "This'll hold ya over." He threw them on the kitchen island.

Allison narrowed her eyes. "I don't want your money." He shrugged and moved to take it back but her mind flashed to her mother, struggling to pay the mortgage. Sarah's kidney. "Wait." He gave her an amused look, but didn't stop taking the money back. "Please, I'm sorry." He smiled slightly and slid the cash towards her. "Thank you." She was slightly disgusted with herself for accepting the money, but she knew it wasn't just for her.

"Stay under the radar, sirenita." With that he exited the house just as quietly as he had entered.

The next day Allison explained that Rio had taken the money. Beth had wanted to talk to him herself and only gotten the same answers Allison had. The feds were on him, and he couldn't risk going to jail. The downside was Allison was out of a job. She had really taken for granted the first two years of school that she was utterly oblivious to her family's financial troubles. Now she couldn't feel like she was doing something if she wasn't working. Even though she had copious amounts of school work, she knew she needed a job, if for anything to offset her education costs, she still had no idea how her parents were paying her tuition.

Allison had gotten a bartending job at a bar near campus. One of her friend's uncle's owned the place and got her a job with just a quick introduction and interview to make sure she knew what she was doing. She was happy to at least have a way to make legitimate income. Plus she loved the social setting, so working didn't feel too much like work.

She was working out after one of her classes one day. After getting done living weights with Chase, who she had recently made up with, much with the help of Liam, she was stretching out, so her muscles wouldn't be as sore when she felt someone approach from behind her. His tongue shot out to wet his lips as he watched her bend in to a flexible position. "Pretty limber there, princessa." She blushed at the nickname remembering halloween night.

Allison glanced over her shoulder, holding her stretch. Her eyes scanned over him, a black wife beater tucked in to maroon basketball shorts showed the many tattoos that littered his skin. How the fuck did he get in here. You needed a school ID and a fingerprint to get in to the school gym. But she wouldn't have put anything past him. "What are you doing here?"

He shrugged. "I like the weight room."

"It's for students." She quipped.

He laughed deeply. "I'm tight with the Dean." She looked at him in disbelief and his eyes dared her to question him.

"Tight with him or have him on your payroll?" She turned towards him, maintaining her sitting position, looking up at him.

His lips twitched and he leaned casually against the wall. "Wouldn't ya love to know, sweetheart."

Allison let out a long breath and rolled out her shoulders from her stretch. She turned towards him and pulled her knees to her chest wrapping her arms around them. "What do you want?"

He sat down on the hard gym flooring mat. "I need an excuse to see ya?"

Her eyes narrowed. This man was confusing the hell out of her. One minute he was cold and calculated, the gangster that provoked fear. But then he would pull a 180 and she would see something in him, a crack in the mask. "Rio." Her voice was tired. "What are we doing?" He raised a brow wanting her to elaborate. "Seriously, if you just want to sleep with me, let's get it over with." His lips pulled in to a smile making Allison roll her eyes and stand up. "Fine, come on." She figured all this sexual tension that had been building since they first laid eyes on each other would be gone. That he would get his fill and move on. You don't want him to move on. Shut up brain.

He looked up at her, amused, his eyes ran over her body. She had on high waisted leggings and a sports bra with a zipper running down the middle. The sketchy athletic fabric hugged her skin, leaving little to imagination. Not that he needed to imagine, he had seen her bare as the day she was born, standing in his shower. He shook his head and jumped to his feet. A hand shot behind her back and rested against the exposed inches of her spine. He pulled her in to him and toyed with the ends of her long ponytail. "Tempting, sirenita." Allison slowly dragged her eyes up his body until she met his. "Ya see, that's not the only thing I want from ya. Really wish it was."

Ugh he's so confusing. Her chin ticked up defiantly at him. "So what do you want?" His fingers trailed along the texture of her spine, causing shivers to run through her body.

He licked his lips and shook his head while pulling away from her. A small frown pulled at her lips before she was able to hid it. "I don't know." She could hear the frustration in his voice.

She rolled her eyes and moved to turn away from him. "Well figure it out."

His jaw clenched and he matched her strides as she moved out of the workout room. "Why don't you tell me what you want sweetheart."

"I have." She growled and spun around to face him, finding him much closer than she anticipated. Her mind flashed to their intimate moment in the shower. "I want you. Why do I want you so much?"

He scoffed. "After a night of fuckin' round." She flushed in embarrassment and anger for him throwing that in her face. Her hand came up and she slapped in. The sound rung through the empty hallway outside of the locker rooms that they were now standing in.

His lack of reaction pissed her off more so than scared her like it should have. Rio's eyes darkened as he moved his head back to front and ran his tongue along the inside of his cheek, feeling the faint sting, she had an arm. "At least I said something you asshole."

He backed her in to the wall and placed his hands next to either side of her head. She tried not to let her eyes run over the exposed and incredibly toned arms, but as they tensed and rippled as he tried to get his temper under control, she couldn't help herself. "Ya sure said something."

She scowled at his tone. "It's better than hiding behind a mask, or a gun." She struck a nerve, like with every powerful man, when they're questioned, challenged.

"Watch it." He growled and her mouth snapped shut. "Remember who you talkin' to sweetheart."

She hated how the term made her feel like a child, like she was getting lectured by her father when he patronized her. Allison looked around the empty hallway, it was late, the gym had mostly cleared out, she was surprised that they had let her and the small amount of people still lingering be there. She figured if they were going to hash this out, a place with security cameras would be best.

Her lip pulled between her teeth as her mind ran. She hated how uncomfortable he made her feel, yet completely at ease all at the same time. Her eyes ran over him not in lust, but simply taking him all in, she slumped back against the wall, feeling smaller underneath him. When she was able to raise her chin and meet his gaze again, she was met with scrutinizing look, his jaw was sharp, clenched tight, and his brows pulled in slightly. "I'm not gonna keep asking if you want me, clearly you want something." She took the slight twitch of his lip as confirmation. "And you know I want you. All of you. Every single thing you're a part of. I wanna know everything about you." Her hand reached up and brushed against his jaw, she was relieved when he didn't jerk away from her as she played with the short stubble. "But." She let her hand drop from Rio's face. "If we're just gonna keep going around in this circle, I'm done. For real this time."

Rio pursed his lips and nodded slightly. As much as he wanted to turn it around on her, he couldn't help but respect her standing up to him. "So what? We gonna go on dates, hold hands on the beach, hook up at parties? Not really my thing darling." She didn't expect the hurt she felt, she knew who he was, the kind of life he lived. But yeah, maybe she did want him to do normal things with her. But he's not a normal guy. "Or ya gonna come bang with me?" Well I did get a gun. He saw the look on her face and narrowed his eyes. "Don't even think 'bout it, sirenita." His world would chew the girl up and spit her out, even with her sharp mind. Normally, with any other girl, he wouldn't give a shit, the ones that couldn't handle it, steered clear. A little white girl too smart for her own good would automatically put a target on her back, let alone the bigger one being with him would do.

"I'm tougher than I look." Her mind flashed to the gun she had tucked away safely in her car.

He chuckled at that and relaxed his arms to his side. "Oh I know ya are. That don't mean you a match for the streets."

She smiled tightly. "Never said I was."

"But you a match for me?" He wanted to know why a girl like her would want him. She was a college kid with an active social life. Had everything going for her.

Allison shrugged. "I don't know, I don't really know you. I just know how I feel. And I'm pretty sure you do too." Her mind flashed to the heated moment in Rio's shower, how vulnerable she felt with him. He had seen her at her worst, her lowest points over the past few months. And he had been a mystery, every emotion was controlled, every word. "So what now?" His silence was putting her off.

His lips were suddenly on hers in a heated kiss that she wasn't able to get as lost as she wanted to in before he pulled away. "That answer ya question?"

She just smirked and pressed herself against him. "Mmm, not really." She mumbled against his lips as her arms ran up with tank clad torso, brushing over the toned arms and shoulders, memorizing each muscle with her finger tips and bringing them together behind his neck. She enjoyed the short chopped, yet somehow still soft and light feeling of his hair.

His tongue had invaded its way in to her mouth, covering every inch, pouring every ounce of passion he had felt since he first laid eyes on her, when she played him at his own game. And while she may not have won, she definitely made her mark.

Rio pulled away after a few minutes for air and looked at her. "So what you want now, mí sirenita?" The nickname actually sent a shiver up her spine, the way he drawled out the word in a low husk voice. She bit her lip and met his eyes, they were so dark, yet in that moment, so inviting, she wanted the darkness, she wanted everything that he was.

"Buy me dinner?" Her voice shook slightly, scared of the rejection she would face. His eyes ran down her face and met hers again playfully.

A smirk pulled at Rio's lips, yet his mind was further. Dating was never really his thing. "I'll text ya." He then pulled away from her, and walked down the hallway before turning the corner towards the entrance, leaving her more confused than before.

(Note) Again, very sorry about the late update. Thank you for all the support and encouragement via reviews and private messages. Life's been a little rough lately and I don't really have a clear vision on how I am going to approach season two, I'm open to ideas and inspiration. I also want to make a stronger unique storyline for my character, so I've reworking my plan for the story and seeing where I want it to go.

I also wanted your opinions on something since so many seem to love the story and I want to write for you all as much as I write and enjoy this story for myself. So this chapter was very Rio heavy, which I'm sure is what you all love to read because I do too. But I also want to do more with the main three characters in the show, Ruby, Beth, and Annie and show more of Allison's personality and not just fill in the blanks from Rio for the show but the girls as well. But if Rio is what y'all are looking for I will move on with the story, otherwise I have re written parts of previous chapters and would like to add some of those moments as I have time. But if you guys don't want updates on old chapters, I'll keep writing and posting new ones.