"Ha! Yeah right!" I said loudly. My voice echoed around the room. Staring at Wolfe with disbelief, I shook my head. "That's one heck of a joke if I've ever heard one. Pretty funny, Wolfe. Almost got me there. For a second, I actually thought you were being serious."

He stared back, not smiling. "I am."

I still refused to believe it. Chuckling softly, I began to walk away.

"Florence." Wolfe called behind me. Soft and threatening. He meant what he said, I realized with an extra heavy thud of my heart. "Don't make me chase you. We did that once, remember how it ended? Unless you want to be wet again-" He actually had the nerve to chuckle to himself at that. I was glad that I was facing away from him, he wasn't able to see the blush creeping up my cheeks. "-which I'd gladly do, in both senses of the word, I suggest you get back here. I told you, I have something to show you. And I will, voluntarily or involuntarily."

I turned around, my mouth agape. "What could you possibly have to show me down there? Is the gaping darkness of Satan's stretched asshole really so interesting that you need to drag me-" I jabbed my finger into my chest and winced when it hurt more than I expected it to. ''-the waitress who's already late for work, me, Florence Remy, the eighteen year old adult-child, the girl who has an elite platinum membership to any Twizzler factory in the country, down there to see your oh so interesting thing? Please, you murder people for fun. Forgive me if I refuse to go down a ditch with you."

His jaw tightened. "I will literally shove you down there if you won't do it on your own terms."

I crossed my arms and glared at him. "You would not."

"I would."

"Wouldn't."

"I would." He repeated. Wolfe sounded serious enough that I didn't doubt his words for a second. With a pleasant smile, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a black object. It only took just a few moments for me to realize that it was a gun and that he had every intention to use it. Weapons terrified me alone. When they were in the hands of the cruellest crime boss in the country, my fear reached mountainous heights.

There were two exits. The entrance we came through and the door I was standing close by. Wolfe blocked the one of the exits. To get to it, I'd have to pass him and I knew that wasn't happening. It was almost a 15 feet dash from where I was to the door. The other exit was locked with the control panel beside it. I was stuck in the middle with nowhere to go. Man, I really needed to work on mapping out some escape routes. One would really come in handy right now.

"Listen." Wolfe said. He almost seemed amused that I would be so wary of him. Yes, because a dark trapdoor under a law firm building and a dangerous criminal waving around a gun and trying to force me down said trapdoor where death was eminently waiting for me wasn't threatening at all. "I'm not going to do anything. I promise not to hurt you, not to kill you, not to do anything you think I'm doing to do. I just have to show you something very cool, that's all. You won't be disappointed."

"We have very different definitions of the word cool." I pointed out. I was still edging towards the control panel door. Maybe it was open, who knows. "There is nothing that guarantees you won't brutally stab me or shoot me in the butt except for your word and that's a joke itself. You're holding a gun, Wolfe. I mean, put yourself in my shoes for a second. Figuratively, of course, because these were kinda expensive and I'd rather not have your freakishly large toes and feet ruining them. You want me to go down a hole, a very dark hole, with you and-"

"Please?"

"Okay."

He grinned as I walked back to him sulking. There was no way I was getting out of this. Since I had no other options, I decided to play along. Arguing with Wolfe was taking neither of us anywhere and it was just a waste of time. Rather than be any more late for work than I already was, I could see no alternative and no way to convince him. He was as stubborn as they come. Besides, if I really thought I was in danger, I could just kick him in the family jewels and run away. I wasn't a very fast runner, but never mind that. 

Stopping at the edge of the hatch, I peered down. Still dark as ever. Suddenly, I felt one of Wolfe's hands come down on the side of my waist. Panicking, I slapped him away. "Don't touch me!" I squealed. It would be way too easy for him to just push me down there. 

He smirked, showed me the palms of his hands, and moved back slightly. With a pounding heart, I got ready to leap into wherever the hell the trapdoor led down to. 

"Florence!" Wolfe suddenly growled. He grabbed the back of my shirt and pulled me back. "What are you doing? You can't just jump down there. You'll break all your bones." He pointed to something. "Use the stairs. That's why they're there, you know. So people don't just jump down like you were about to do."

"I knew that!" I snapped. I looked to where he pointed. The first couple of wooden steps, just barely visibly, led down to the descent of darkness. It was slightly underneath the actual floor and completely out of sight from my viewpoint, but that didn't stop me from feeling stupid. And afraid. Just before my feet touched the first step, I lost all my courage and turned back around. "Will you go first, please?" I asked as sweetly as I could muster.

Wolfe flicked my chin with his thumb in an almost affectionate way. "'Fraidy cat."

I moved behind him. To my pleasant surprise, Wolfe actually stepped forward to go first. Now, wasn't that sweet? Of course, I planned on staying behind and locking the trapdoor when he was down far enough, but that idea came to a crashing halt when he reached out and took a firm hold on my arm. Again with the dragging thing. It was really getting annoying.

"Oh God, wait for me." I whispered fearfully as we began climbing down. Wolfe was moving way too quickly for me to think straight, stepping down the steps as if he was just going down a normal set of stairs. Clutching to his arm for dear life, I couldn't see anything ahead of me. The farther we went down, the darker it got. When the staircase finally ended and we were standing in the middle of a dirt tunnel-like path, the trapdoor above was just a small rectangle of light. The air smelled musty and it was freezing.

"Come on." Wolfe shifted around to put an arm around my waist. Suddenly, I was thankful for the darkness. He couldn't see how flushed every word of his caused me to become. Every action overly stimulating, every breath magnified. Something clattered to the ground, right near Wolfe. I gave a little scream and Wolfe cursed. He bent down to pick up the object, which I assumed to be his gun that he dropped. Maybe the gun wasn't to force me to go with him but for protection from whatever lurked down here.

We took a few steps forward and turned two corners until I suddenly crashed face first into a dirt wall. Wolfe, of course, didn't because the universe seemed to love him. Luck was always in his favor.

"Idiot. Why don't you watch where you're going?" He parroted my words back to me with heavy smugness.

Even though I couldn't see him, I shot a glare from the direction his voice was coming from. "Why don't you just go shove that makeshift candy dildo down your-"

"So much anger in such a tiny body. " Wolfe mused quietly, clearly amused. In the dark, it was easier to pick out the emotions from his voice alone rather than to try deciphering it from his passive facial expressions. Right now, it was tinged with amusement. Something touched the nape of my neck. It felt like his fingers, but it could just as easily have been a spider. I think I preferred a spider. "You're not the one in control here, Florence." His voice went soft. "The things I could do to you right now..."

He didn't finish the sentence and for that, I was extremely grateful.

We continued walking. My boots made a loud thumping sound that I tried to mute but couldn't. Dirt had a way of resonating, especially since we were in such a narrow passageway. Strangely enough, Wolfe made no noise and neither did his shoes. It was almost like he was a ghost floating along. At first, I thought this was really weird until I realized he was no longer walking beside me  like I assumed he had been for the past five minutes.

I stopped, horrified at the thought of being stuck down here alone.

"Wolfe?" I whispered worriedly. I couldn't even see my own hands, let alone Wolfe in the dark. Panicking now, I felt around wildly trying to locate him. I touched nothing but dirt walls and air. It didn't take long for me to be set on the verge of tears. "Wolfe? Please? Don't do that. Where did you go? Please come back! I'm sorry for everything I ever did to you-" Entering hysteria now. "-please, please, please just come back don't abandon me here I can't die like this please please Wolfe come back please it's so dark and I'm scared oh God where are you-"

There came a scratching noise from a few feet ahead of where I stood frozen.

Now, I would like to admit that I have the courage of a pencil that's been sharpened too much and is now just a little stub barely useable to write with. Foolish courage, maybe, but courage in the face of a real serious issue? Yeah, right. I would also like to admit that I did not do anything very heroic at this point. If you're expecting some great ninja-like escape or some karate moves, you better lower your expectations of me. Because I did none of that. I literally stood there, frozen in fear, and decided to spend the last few precious seconds of my life thanking the universe for giving me the life I've lived (and Twizzlers) and how grateful I was to have people like Clancy and my parents in my life (including the person who invented Twizzlers) and how much I absolutely hated Wolfe Sterling (and mourning the loss of the two beautiful mint Twizzlers I wasted on him).

How could Wolfe abandon me like that? I was getting a bit tired of all these disappearing acts. And yes, I will also admit that I completely lost it and started bawling my eyes out. After about three minutes of this, the scratching noise came back.

And so did the thumping of shoes behind me.

"Hey." 

"You piece of shit!" I shouted when I recognized the voice. Wiping my tears away angrily, I punched the air with hopes that he would be close enough to catch one of my fists. "God damn it, Wolfe! You're a real piece of shit dry bread banana bread wheat-looking goddamn jerk! You're a jerk!" How stupid and hysterical did I sound right now? I couldn't stop myself, I was fuming mad. "Fuck you, Wolfe! Fuck you. I hate you so much! Why would you do that? Are you serious? Are you fucking serious-"

"What? Are you crying?" He exclaimed, as if he was actually surprised I would react like this. Wolfe reached out and held down my arms that were still flailing around. "Calm down, Florence! I was literally standing three feet behind you the whole time, you do not need to-"

"No you weren't!" I smacked his chest. My heart was pounding. "You left me standing there alone in the dark! You were not standing three feet behind me, you weren't even standing ten feet behind me! What was the purpose of that, you weenie? Don't you dare leave me here, Wolfe. I swear to the stars, I will screw your nipples off. I'll screw 'em right off. I won't even use pliers, just my bare fucking fingers-"

He actually had the nerve to laugh.

"That's not even funny." I continued to rant. I was pissed. He left on purpose, just to scare me. The bastard knew exactly what he was doing. But it was my mistake coming down here in the first place. "I mean it, Wolfe. I almost died. You can't do stuff like that and then expect me to trust you. I hate you so much." I sniffled and even to me it sounded pathetic. "You're the worst person I have ever met."

"Hey." His voice softened. Wolfe pulled me closer, almost to his chest. One of his hands was around my elbow and the other arm was wrapped around my shoulders. Protective, almost. "I'm sorry. I didn't leave just to scare you. I had something to do and I didn't think you'd want me to drag you along-"

"So you'll drag me along on every other occasion except for the time I need you most?" I mumbled angrily. "That makes no sense."

He was silent for a second. "I'm sorry." Wolfe said again, letting me go. He sounded sincere enough, I suppose.

Sniffling, I turned to face away from him and covered my face with my hands. And then I turned my back to him, pressing myself against the wall, and refused to move another inch. I was exhausted, emotionally, mentally, physically. It was all so stressful and the weight of all the events seemed too heavy for me to carry anymore.

"Hey." A big, warm palm pressed against my back. Wolfe gently pulled me to him again, and I was unable to resist. I felt something soft touch the top of my head. He kissed me. Wolfe gave me one last hug before sliding his fingers between mine. "I'm sorry, Florence. I won't do that ever again, Scout's honor."

"You weren't even a Scout." I muttered.

"You know what I mean."

I was quiet for a moment. "Promise me you won't leave?"

"I thought that's what you wanted, Florence." Wolfe said, slightly amused.

"You know what I mean."

"Yes." Wolfe answered softly. "I promise I won't leave."

"I do."

"You do what?"

"I want to leave." I whispered. Dredges of an old memory drifted up, and I tasted the bitterness from it. "Hey...remember when we were in that locker room and I was fixing up your hand and you said that I need to stay out of your business? If you don't want me around, then why would you make me come here with you? If I'm so annoying?"

Wolfe made a sound in the back of his throat. "I never said you were annoying."

"It was implied."

"You're taking it the wrong way." Wolfe sounded wary. "I meant that you need to stay out of my business...not out of my life."

"What's the difference? Take me back, Wolfe. Take me back home and I'll stay there, I promise. I'll stay out of your business and your life. Two for the price of one." I tried to conceal the pain in my voice with light humor and failed miserably. "You don't have to deal with me unless it involves my parents. Business is going well, I assume, and we haven't been raided yet so that's great. Just let me go back home and I won't ever bother you again."

"Florence," His voice sounded strange. "I'm not leaving you and you're not leaving me, okay? I'm sorry about what I said before. I've been meaning to apologize for that for a while now but I couldn't find the right time to bring it up. Fear of retaliation isn't the only reason you're alive. You're alive because it's more than just a crime to kill something so innocent. After I drove you back home that day, I've been desperate to say how sorry I was. Am. Your 'okay' nearly killed me. I'm sorry, Florence. It was and never will be my intention to hurt you in any way. Will you forgive me, please?"

"Of course. Apology accepted."

"You don't mean it." Suddenly I found myself wrapped in the embrace of a warm, hard body. Wolfe kissed the top of my head again, and I had to fight the urge not to hug him back. "Florence, to see such pain in your eyes and know that I was the reason for it was awful. Please forgive me. I want you around. I want you more than anything. I'm sorry."

"Wolfe." Resigned, I pulled away. My heart felt lighter than it'd been in weeks. "I told you, I accept your apology."

He stood as still as a statue, silent. I finally came to the realization that we'd never get anywhere unless I truly convinced him, so it was without another thought that I stood on tiptoes and pressed my lips against his cheek. At once he came undone, melted away from the wall like ice to water and became the playfully emotionless man I was accustomed to. 

Fingers rumpled my hair. All was well again. "Thanks, Florence."

We began walking again. There was a light up ahead, the whiteness of it reaching out to what appeared to be a spacious area in the middle of the tunnel we were walking in. Beyond that was more darkness, interrupted again by the same light some few meters down. As soon as we were close enough, I saw that there was a light bulb screwed in to what appeared to be a dirt ceiling. It looked strange, something so electrical and modern in such a barren place. I was so in awe of this misplaced commodity that I didn't realize Wolfe had twisted his fingers through mine until we were standing under the harsh lighting of the single bulb.

"A light bulb?" I frowned. "You wanted to show me a light bulb? What are you, a moth?"

"No." Wolfe didn't look at me for some reason. Instead, he looked down at the ground. And then to the crumbly walls of the tunnel. And then, to the actual light bulb itself as if the bright glare was easier to look at than my face. 

I was getting tired of all this walking and his cryptic words. I wanted to get out of the musty tunnels and I needed Wolfe to guide me back. At first, I had tried to mentally mark the passages and turns we took but I forgot everything as soon as I saw the light bulb. And Wolfe's sudden aloofness wasn't helping, either. Prying his fingers off mine, I frowned. "Then what is it?"

His skin was warm, even his hands, which always seemed to be a few degrees cooler than the rest of his body. Not that I would know the temperature of his, you know, anything. Right now, it all seemed very intimate. Wolfe was standing unnecessarily close, his body heat seeping into mine. Each unlaboured, uneasy breath fanning across the top of my forehead. "Just give me a second." Wolfe said. Almost whispered it. His voice was trembling.

This was the only time I had seen, or rather felt, him to be anything other than coldly composed. He seemed to be struggling with something. Not like the struggle to find the right words to say, but struggling to...I don't know, maybe hold back from something? An urge, a temptation, whatever you want to call it. Wolfe was almost fighting with himself, not seen in his eyes because we couldn't really see each other very well, but almost like it could be sensed from the way he acted. Flushed skin, clenched fists, locked jaw, and body rigid like he was afraid to even move. I didn't understand it. I didn't understand him. Absolutely nothing about this man made sense to me, not the way he acted, not having proper reactions, the lack of emotions. So closed off from the world he had risen so high in. 

A disconnection to humanity, I suppose it could be called.

Without thinking, I reached up and brushed my fingers along his neck. 

And almost instantly, his hand came up and grabbed my wrist, forcing me to stop.

"Don't." Wolfe said calmly. But it was the fake type of calm, almost a facade. The kind of calm that's enforced to hold back the temper fighting to get out. Oh, he had the worst temper. Wrath of a thousand angry gods, or whatever people described anger to. He was furious. Or perhaps that's not the right word for it. I don't know what the right word for him was. There wasn't a single letter in the alphabet that could be composed in any way to describe the creation that was Wolfe Sterling.

"Don't what?"

"Don't touch me, Florence."

"You have no trouble putting your hands on me."

"That's different."

"Humor me, Wolfe. How is that different?"

He was quiet for a moment, and then said one word I didn't understand what it had to do with the context of our conversation. "Control."