"I don't care what you do with her," Sal said, waving a hand over the young woman passed out in his brother's bed, "Fuck her, fight her, kill her. It's all the same to me."

But that was something they couldn't do. Not to one of the nieces adopted by one of the largest mob families in town.

It'd be all out war, even though the family she was in was low on the syndicate pole. They were cutthroat and ruthless and found any means necessary to rise to the top. This only happened because the syndicate was taken over by Eddie Swann when his brother was murdered. Before that, the Swann family ranked second, followed by the DeMarco.

Saul stared down at the girl laying on his bed. She'd been snooping around the grounds for a few hours.

Sophie Swann.

Another rogue from the Swann family probably having to pay off a debt.

"Wake up, Sophie!" He popped her lightly on the cheek as she roused, moaning softly.

That was hot and he was curious to know what she'd sound like in the heat of passion.

"Hey, sleepy head," Both DeMarco brothers stared down at their prey as Sophie's green eyes fluttered open.

She went for her weapon, but Saul shook his head, brandishing a gun in front of her, "Looking for this?"

Sophie went to grab it, but her mind was foggy, and her vision blurred. Her head was spinning as she fell back into the mattress, seizing.

"How much did you fucking give her?!"

Saul held onto her as Sophie seized even more violently. Sal ran for help. Sal, the reckless bastard who was quick with a fist and a tranquilizer dart gun. Not that anyone stopped to ask if a lurking threat was allergic to anything they were given, especially not when it came to the security of the family.

"Sophie!" Saul wanted a hostage, not a fucking dead body in his bed.

She went limp in his arms, her eyes rolling in the back of her head before her eyelids closed.

Before Saul could perform any resuscitation, one of their medics rushed and triaged quickly. Upon assessment, her heart had stopped beating. He pulled out the adrenaline and thrust the syringe in.

Sophie wheezed and jolted upright in the bed, looking dead eyed at Saul DeMarco, "Son of a bitch. Ya tried to kill me!"

They quickly moved her to the infirmary as Saul and Sal followed closely behind.

"You're in deep shit, brother," Saul said to Sal, lighting a smoke in the hallway He knew the gun had been mixed with a lethal combo of amphetamines and benzos.

Nurse Lynn pulled it from it from his mouth, "Jesus Christ, Saul. Not in the hospital."

Very few people could boss around the DeMarco kids and Lynn was one of them.

"Your girlfriend will be OK," Lynn said to the boys, "Who does she belong to?"

"She's a Swann, Lynn," Saul leaned back against the wall, his blue eyes narrowing.

Lynn's tanned skin crawled, "Fuck is wrong with you two?! A Swann?"

"She was on the property-"

"She was near the property," Sal confessed, "She's a rogue. You know the Swann's. They want their family intact no matter what. Sophie, well, I don't know..." Sal looked to Saul.

"She left the family," he said as they stepped into Sophie's room where she was hooked up to some IVs and BP cuffs, "They reeled her back in, I guess."

"How do you know?"

"She's a talker when she drinks."

Sal knew what he meant. The last party they'd gone to, Sophie was hammered and talking about running away. That was a year ago.

"Swann's are ruthless, man," Saul nodded, "They probably didn't let her get far before cutting off credit cards and everything else."

"She's made?"

"She's enough."

But that wasn't their problem.

The problem was the Swann's were sworn rivals of the DeMarco's and now they had one of their daughters–in the infirmary no less.

"We could keep her," Sal offered.

"Christ, Sal, she's not a dog," Saul laughed, "Once Dad finds out–"

"Finds out what?"

The booming voice coming from down the hall startled them both, including Lynn.

Alexander DeMarco rushed past his two youngest sons and straight to Sophie's bedside.

"Get this Swann trash out of here," He growled, his voice husky from years of drinking and smoking.

"She was snooping around the grounds," Sal told him, "Luca caught her trying to breach the gate."

Alexander studied Sophie's face, "What's her condition?" He turned to Lynn, "Besides drugged up, she's pretty battered."

"Come again?"

Nurse Lynn was strong and turned Sophie onto her side, revealing a brutal beating on the girl's back.

"I didn't do that!" Sal defended, "I just tranq'd her."

"Yeah, she was up to something, but I'll make sure Eddie gets notified," Alexander turned on his heels, "She's ours until they make a move."

With that, he left.

Saul and Sal knew what he meant: hostage.

"Let me get on security detail then," Sal sighed, "We don't need a bunch of Swann bitches tainting the place."

"Wanna stand guard?" Sal asked his younger brother who was already handcuffing Sophie to the bed rail, "Yeah, I got nothing better to do."

He sat there for the longest time just scrolling through his phone, both guns strapped to him. Sophie stirred every now and then, but she didn't rouse.

Suddenly, he could feel eyes on him. Without even turning his head, he smiled, "Good afternoon, sunshine."

"Fuck you."

"Kiss your mother with that mouth?"

"Where am I? Am I sti

He turned to look at her, those big green eyes staring back into his light blues, "Question is, why the fuck are you here?"

She scoffed, turning away from him. He knew he wasn't going to get an answer. She was too smart for that.

"You tried to kill me so what does it matter?"

"I did no such thing," He waved his hand, looking back at his phone, "That was all Sal's fault." His dark hair covered part of his eyes, but he didn't move the strands out of the way, "You should wear a hat or dye your hair, Sophie. For someone trying to be fucking stealthy, you stand out with those red curls."

"You're an idiot," She sighed, "When can I go home? And where's my phone?"

"Go home?" He stood up then and loomed over her, but she didn't even flinch, "Honey, you were casing our property. You don't get to walk out of here without some sort of punishment. And your phone is in my pocket, along with your wallet. You can get those later."

"I didn't even violate any codes, asshole," she said, "I was along your perimeter, but I was nowhere near the compound."

"So why was my brother able to tranq you?" Saul asked, leaning closer to her.

"Because he's a tool. I don't know. I wasn't on your property," She said, sighing into herself.

"You know the rules. Without clearance, you can't be within a few miles radius of other families, "Saul stepped back and took her in, "Do you have clearance?"

"Do you have clearance?" He repeated, leaning into her face when she didn't answer. His cologne lingered in her nostrils, causing a stir somewhere in her soul.

"Get a grip, Sophie," she thought to her self.

She lowered her gaze, "No."

"That's enough chatter," Alexander came striding in, "Your uncle says you didn't have clearance or authority to be anywhere near this compound."

"Nope," She smiled, "I didn't have his permission."

"Loyalty at its finest," Alexander gripped the bed rails, "I could take you out for this."

She shrugged, "Kill me, torture me, I don't care."

"Tempting, but I'm keeping you intact for now," Alexander smirked, "Seems as though your uncle also wants you to learn a lesson about sneaking around. I have no desire to kill or torture you—yet."

He motioned for Saul, "As it is, I am allowing my son to look after you."

"I don't need a nanny."

"Consider him your warden, sweetheart," Alexander's gaze darkened, "I know you were cleared by Eddie no matter what you say just so you can get back into the family. I know the Swann's are assholes when it comes to that shit. Didn't let you leave, huh?"

She didn't answer, but Alex had spoken to Sal before coming back to the infirmary.

"Something like that," Sophie said.

"This is a life you won't leave until you're dead, Swann," Saul spoke up. Alex nodded, "He's right and you know it."

Sophie stopped talking and they knew they'd get nothing out of her after that.

"I'll send for your belongings," Alexander turned, "Do you have a sister you can trust to pack your things?"

"Suzy."

Sophie knew she was stuck. It wasn't unknown for the families to play the other like pawns. What was a few weeks with the DeMarco's? She was better off, but they didn't know that. Or did they?

"Saul, a word."

Saul and Alexander stepped out into the hall.

"I don't trust her or the situation, and I am 100 percent sure she was canvassing for herself. She needed back in, or they'd do far worse than beat her."

The DeMarco family had a different ruthless way of dealing with family members and enemies who turned or needed "punishment," but Eddie Swann and his crew were notoriously evil.

"Sal told me she was pretty vocal about leaving the family and Eddie won't stand for that," Saul nodded, lighting a smoke as they walked out of the infirmary, "Eddie doesn't just let people leave."

"She probably didn't get too far before she was hauled back," Alexander lit up his own smoke, "Aren't you two in class together?"

"Lit," Saul nodded, coming to the realization that he'd be babysitting a Swann, "Do you think they'll leave her alone at school?"

"They'll have to. They know the rules," Alexander stomped out his smoke, "I will have to notify the other families about our little situation. Do you want to sit in on it?"

"Let Sal. He tranqd her."

Alexander laughed, "My boys!"

Saul made his way back into Sophie's room. She'd drifted back off to sleep, but he knew she was going to pissed and understanding when she woke up and found herself cuffed.

He settled back in the chair and drifted into a slumber.

"You're drooling, DeMarco," A voice was teasing, "That's not the kind of hot playboy I thought you were."

She was up and feistier than ever. He wiped his chin, trying not to

"Why am I cuffed to the bed? Planning on being kinky with me, Saul?" If only, she thought to herself.

"Maybe," He was looming over her now, checking the monitors. The Swann women were hot, but he wasn't about to let her know he thought so.

"Oh, he's a fucking doctor now!"

"Shut up, Swann."

She sighed, "Can I go? What's the hold up? I was caught and there's no damage done." If only she believed that to be true. Then she could try to get away from this God forsaken place again.

"No damage? You know better than that," he stood back, crossing his arms. She hated how his body made her feel. It'd been like this since puberty took them both in chaotic directions, but she'd never admit it.

He smirked, "Like these guns?" He flexed his biceps for her and even though they were impressive, she scoffed and turned her head.

"I'd rather be gored by a bull than look at you."

"Look, I don't know what's going to happen, Sophie, but I'm sure I have a good idea," He sat down on the bed and sighed, "You might be stuck with us for a while."

Her ovaries went into overdrive, but she just shrugged and played it cool.

"Lucky me."

"You'd be lucky to marry into this family, Sophie."

"That's rich, but I don't want to get married."

"That's why you're in trouble now. You're stubborn and won't follow the rules--even your own family's law."

"I am not sorry for wanting a life outside of this bullshit, Saul."

"There's no life outside of this, Swann."