Wolfe turned around and abruptly walked out of the kitchen.

I stared after him for a second, annoyed. I heard his footsteps retreat past the foyer and disappear as he stepped onto the plush carpet of the living room. Oh no, he was not getting away from me this time. I was done with people leaving me. I needed answers and he was going to give them to me, or else...or else what? Cry? Like that'll help.

I flicked the stove off and dumped the last burnt pancake into the trash. The kitchen looked a mess, but we could clean that up later. Fixing up two plates with pancakes, I drowned mine in syrup and drizzled just a bit on Wolfe's. For a man who killed as easily as he breathed, I didn't think Wolfe really liked sweet things. Although he did seem to have an unusual amount of Twizzlers around...I also dropped a whole bunch of chocolate chips over both of our plates. I tucked the pancake syrup bottle under my chin, put the bag of chocolate chips under one armpit, bag of Twizzlers under the other, carefully balanced both plates on each hand, and began to slowly make my way into the living room.

It was a nerve-racking journey from the kitchen to the living room but I made it without spilling anything, and I think that's an accomplishment all on its own.

Wolfe was sitting on the couch, staring hard at the plasma screen tv hanging over the elaborate fireplace. There was yet another soccer game on but the sound was on mute so I don't know what the hell Wolfe thought he was doing. He didn't say anything as I came in but did look up.

"Wanna talk now?" I asked, dropping the two bags and syrup bottle onto the glass table in front of the white leather couch. Stepping around the coffee table, I put my plate next to the bag of Twizzlers and gave Wolfe his plate.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." I sat down next to Wolfe and took a bite. Not terrible, but they weren't the best thing I ever tasted. Too eggy. It was probably my fault, but could you really blame me? Cooking with Wolfe Sterling wasn't exactly the easiest task in the world. I didn't have much experience around drop dead gorgeous men, and a criminal at that. I was surprised I made it this far without completely losing all my marbles. For example, out of the seven metaphorical marbles I have, I might have lost, like, two or three. Which still left me with four or five marbles. I love math and stupid analogies.

We ate in silence for a few seconds, but those few seconds were all I could handle. Putting my fork down and swallowing noisily, I glanced at Wolfe. "Can I please know now?"

Wolfe stared at me for a second, chewing slowly until I lost another marble and reached over to hit him. "What do you want to know?" He finally asked.

"Why would my best friend try to ki-" Catching Wolfe's irritated glare, I swallowed again and changed my words. Wolfe wasn't going to give me any answers if he was angry so it was probably best for me to not be so annoying for once. If I could stop myself, that is. Kinda hard to stop being annoying when being annoying was your default personality, but I'd try. "Why do you believe Ade Sinclair had a part in the assassination to take us both out?"

"Because he's not the guy you think he is."

I took a deep breath to calm myself down. Wolfe and his vague responses was going to be the death of me one day. "Elaborate or I'll stab this fork right through your kneecap."

"Because-" Wolfe said, clearly amused at my ridiculous threat. "-he's been lying to you ever since you both met. I asked Jasper to run a background check. He tapped into the government's civilian information and ran Ade Sinclair's face and prints through every database there is. Do you know what we found?"

"He's a good guy, Wolfe. Like I said, Ade wouldn't hurt a fly." I knew the conversation we were having was going to be a hard one, but that didn't stop me from getting frustrated. Wolfe's words just weren't clicking with me. I couldn't picture Ade as anything except a good friend who made some icky choices, and to have Wolfe paint him in such a bad light was difficult for me to accept. "I don't expect much. Maybe a traffic violation? I don't know. What'd you find?"

Wolfe's lips turned down at the corners. "Nothing."

"I told you!" I said triumphantly. "He's never broken any laws-"

"No, Florence. That's not what I meant. According to the NYPD, Ade Sinclair does not exist."

It took a moment for his words to sink in.

"That makes no sense." I glared at him. "Wolfe, come on. Of course Ade exists. He's real, you've seen him. I've seen him. I've kissed him. He goes to the New York University, he's been there for two years. I've seen him with his friends. What do you mean, he doesn't exist? Ade's as real as you and me. Of course he is. Don't say silly things like that-"

"Wait a second." Wolfe sat up straighter, his jaw clenched. "You kissed him?"

My cheeks flushed. "That's not important. Can you please just explain what you mean-"

"No, it's actually a very important piece of information, Florence." Anger laced Wolfe's voice. He put his plate down on the coffee table and turned to face me. Fingers grabbed my chin and forced me to look up. Wolfe watched me carefully, his face expressionless. But in the ice blue of his eyes, there was something dark and burning. "Fuck."

"What?" I asked, my voice shrill. I pried Wolfe's fingers off my face. Our legs were touching, my right slightly on top of his left. At this point my head was too jumbled with thoughts to care, and I didn't realize exactly how close Wolfe was to me until our shoulders bumped and a deep burning flared up on my wound. With a grimace, I tried to scoot away but Wolfe suddenly placed one hand on the empty space beside me, effectively caging me in.

"I never even had a chance, did I?" He asked softly. Time and time again, I expressed how utterly dead, how utterly cold, Wolfe's eyes were. But now they were filled with something, almost like sadness. Could a monster be sad? The blue in his eyes were dark and stormy. Sad. How could he be upset about this? Or was this all an act? Maybe Wolfe was playing the game all along, bringing me in only to spit me back out. Already, I found myself involved in the Crown's mess. What if I had a bigger role to play? What if Wolfe was just using me and I didn't even know it? An unwilling sacrificial lamb. Maybe that's exactly what he saw me as, talking about chances and love as if we could ever actually have feelings for each other.

"What are you talking about?" I said loudly. If anything, my voice rose an octave. Don't freak out, Florence. He doesn't mean anything by it. Don't panic. He's only just implying his undying love for you. No big deal. No worries. "Oh, please. Let's not get off topic. Answers, remember? Now explain what you mean by Ade not existing in the police system."

"Fine." He looked away, his voice kind of cold now. "Jasper ran the birth records through the hospitals of the state and a criminal background check in the NYPD database. He went so far as to even check out the guy's social security number and ID. The information usually comes up in a snap...unless there was no information to begin with. There is no record of an Ade Sinclair that the state of New York or the government has knowledge of. Like I said, he doesn't exist. Either he's been lying to you this whole time or there's been a misunderstanding."

"There can't be." Against my better judgement, I stood by Ade. "There just can't, Wolfe. What, you think he's leading a secret double life? He's been sent by some faceless spy group or foreign government or another criminal organization to take you down? You're the king of crazy, Wolfe, but even you should have trouble believing some wild theory like that. You're wrong, you have to be! I don't care what you say. A broke college student couldn't juggle both school and some Spy Kid life at the same time."

"Florence, you're blinded by the fake affection he's shown for you!" Wolfe growled. "All those years, all those times, he's been lying to you. About his name, his hobbies, his likes and dislikes, his home and his family. Everything, Florence, is one giant ball of hidden agendas. And I do believe he's working with another criminal organization, a foreign mafia of some sort. Whoever Ade Sinclair is working for, they must have known we were coming to Brooklyn for a long time coming. It's all unraveling before your eyes, Flo. There were two bullets. One for you and one for me. Both missed the target but you still caught one. And you can't deny that the phone call from Ade was real sketchy. I've seen this happen before." He said angrily. "A rouge in the matrix, stepping in at exactly the right time to completely destroy the greatest of empires. And I believe, that unfortunately, you are now a target as well."

My face felt cold, as if all the blood and circulation had stopped. "No." I whispered, clinging to the last shred of hope. "That can't happen. Wolfe...no. I can't- I don't understand. Why would Ade do this?"

Wolfe's jaw tightened, and he took a deep breath before speaking. "This is just a guess," He said hoarsely. "But I think there are two reasons why he would now, all of a sudden, turn on you. One, it's because you're with me. I'm a target and being around you, that puts you in as much danger. And the second reason..." He let out a soft, heavy breath. "...I think it's because you rejected him. You pushed him away, didn't you, Florence? When he kissed you? I think that made him angry, although it may not be the main reason for his betrayal. It does add fuel to the fire. I'm sorry, Florence. I know this is hard for you to listen to, but it's the truth. If you want proof, talk to Jasper. He has everything on his laptop."

Tears itched the corners of my eyes but I forced myself not to cry. Not yet, at least. I wanted a breakdown under five feet of blankets and stuffed animals, not one in front of Wolfe. No more boo-hoo-hooing. "What mafia do you think he's working for?"

"I'm not sure." Wolfe admitted honestly. "Jasper hasn't found out yet, but he's working on it. We think it's someone out of the US, perhaps a powerhouse gang in Europe. Although we do have some enemies in Croatia. Big gangs there and lots of influential mob bosses."

"Huh. So if the cops don't kill you first, they will?"

Wolfe gave me a grim smile. "At least the cops will be quick about it. You know, we once met this Russian mafia boss, he runs an underground drug cartel and some parts of the Bratva. His boys actually use the Chinese water torture method for killing their enemies or spies, but instead of water, they'd use battery acid. Brice threw up when he once walked in on them doing it to a man. Pretty harsh stuff."

"Harsh?" My mouth dropped open. "Harsh ? More like inhumane! Cruel! Evil!" I was mortified. "Harsh is so not the adjective you should be using to describe that."

The corners of his mouth tugged up in a real smile this time. "You're so cute when you get worked up." Wolfe spoke casually, but there was a lingering iciness that tightened his handsome features. I still didn't understand why Wolfe got so upset over the whole kissing Ade thing.

Speaking of Ade...a sudden memory drifted into my mind. A day in the past, uneventful. A morning of when my life wasn't filled with gorgeous criminals. A bright morning where customers were streaming in and we had been blissfully unaware of the tragedies to come. Before the Crowns arrived at Brooklyn, there was one specific morning when Ade and I had sat in the Espresso House, discussing what superpowers we wanted.

He ordered a latte and tried to pay me with a $10 bill, but I refused.

He had a newspaper clipping from a Canadian publication.

He snatched it up immediately when he saw me looking at it. At the time, I didn't think anything of it. Ade was my best friend, after all, with his funny quirks and seemingly innocent behavior.

But a Canadian newspaper? I never got to read the title...but I had a damn good guess about what the headline had bore.

The Crowns were in Canada. They had laid low, but committing crimes was in their blood. They couldn't have spent two years in a country without wreaking some havoc...some stupid crime that would land them the headline page of a newspaper.

Ade had known  they were coming to Brooklyn. But that wasn't such a big deal, right? Right? Maybe the newspaper didn't even have anything to do with Wolfe. Maybe it was about something completely unrelated. God, I was grasping at straws, anything to believe he was still innocent.

My stomach clenched and I had to train my gaze to the tv screen. It was warm in the living room. The clouds had shifted, allowing the early morning sun to pierce through the glass windows and heat up the coldness that always seemed to linger over New York as the winter months began. The floor of the living room was the same as the ones in the bedrooms, white marble with gold accents. Patches of warm sun fell over parts of the room. Dust particles floated in the air. I wanted to float away with them, land somewhere inconspicuous, and be wiped from existence. The revelation left me exhausted and near tears, and the only thing that kept me from losing it completely was the man sitting beside me.

His eyes were bright blue, the sunlight catching some of the reflections of his liquid gaze.

Wolfe flicked his cherry red tongue out and wet his lower lip. His hand travelled down to mine, forearm rippled with veins and muscles. Surprisingly, I didn't jerk away from him this time, but instead, welcomed the feeling of his fingers curling through mine. I felt hopeless. The feeling that had become so familiar now, the sad deflated balloon, was clenching my insides. What scared me the most was that I realized the feeling wasn't as harsh when Wolfe's skin touched mine. There was a certain, alluring presence that Wolfe had. How could I enjoy the touch of something so dangerous?

"Florence." His words were quiet. "Look at me."

After a moment's hesitation, my eyes flickered up to his.

"I am sorry." Wolfe said. I watched his lips form each word carefully. He looked sincere enough, but I couldn't shove down the doubt that it was still just an act. Wolfe had the reputation he did for a reason. Sure, people made up rumours and spread lies blown up to massive proportions. But those lies, those rumours, were still based on something that was true. He glanced at me. "I don't know how many times I can say it until you believe how truly, deeply, sincerely sorry I am that this happened. I am sorry about everything. You're right, you know. We wouldn't be so fucked if we had never met. You could live your life happily. You will  live your life happily." Wolfe's face darkened. "I mean that. I will do everything I possibly can to keep you safe and protected. I won't ever let anyone hurt you. I promise that to you, Florence."

The lump in my throat made it hard to speak, but I did it anyways. "The only way you can keep me safe, keep my family safe, is if you leave." I slowly pried my fingers from his. The tattoo of the crown on his finger seemed darker in the light. His hand was warm, but rough with bruises. I gently played with the edge of one of the bandages wrapped around his cuts. "My life wasn't exactly in any danger before you arrived in Brooklyn, Wolfe. And I don't know why you would make such a silly promise like that, although I do appreciate the sentiment. Criminals don't keep promises, and I'd rather you not say things you can't hold your word to."

"We'll see about that." He mused softly. "We're nothing if not complicated. And I know we're wrong for each other. A girl like you has no business hanging out with a guy like me, because someone always ends up getting hurt in the end. But-" Wolfe shifted closer. "-you're here, Florence. You're sitting here with me, alone in the middle of nowhere, with nothing to protect yourself except for your words, and I don't think that's going to be much help. You're sitting here, with rosy cheeks and lips red from being bitten so many times, with a wounded shoulder and high pride. You still think you're a good girl, huh?" His words were amused, with a razor sharp edge to his growl.

"I know I am." My pride got the best of me and I spoke without thinking. "But you're just bad, Wolfe. There's no changing me and there's no changing you. But that doesn't mean we can't..." The uncompleted sentence hung in the air, suspended over our heads. A challenge. A dare. Did I dare? I'd be tearing down every wall I built to protect myself from Wolfe, I'd be completely crazy to do a thing like that. No, one kiss was enough to satisfy my thirst. I could, but I shouldn't.

"You're in power here. Make a move, I'm all yours, Florence." Wolfe's eyes flickered with amusement. The bid that my words had held was reflected in his inviting voice. Liquid gold and completely reckless. His eyes pierced mine, the challenge still there, simmering under the surface and growing into a bigger flame by the second. So was the desire pooling into the core of my insides, goading me to try. Try. But the consequences of trying would outweigh the euphoria of his lips meeting mine.

A kiss from the devil. Who could resist such temptation?

It happened so quickly I didn't realize what happened until after it happened. Wolfe took a firm hold of my elbow and shifted his body beneath mine in one fluid movement. My breath caught in my throat as I found myself suddenly in the position of what could only be described as straddling Wolfe, my knees on either side of him and my hands on his shoulders. I suppose, it was kind of my fault we were in this situation. I had, after all, poked the bear with a stick when I was told specifically not to.

I'm all yours, Florence.

No, Wolfe wasn't mine. And I wasn't his.

Somewhere in my tight chest, in my brain jumbled with a million thoughts all at once, I found my voice within me. Raising one finger, I traced the cut on the corner of Wolfe's mouth gently. He looked up at me, his gaze roaming all over. "I don't know what you want from me." My voice was hoarse, a dry whisper.

"I know what you want, Florence." Wolfe pulled me closer, his voice low and soft, as if he was afraid of someone overhearing this intimate conversation. The skin on his neck was taut from craning up to meet my eyes, and I gave in to the urge to touch. The careless stubble Wolfe forgot to shave was slowly creeping down his neck, scratching my fingers with the prickly hairs. His skin was cold. "You want me to leave you alone...because you know everything I said holds some truth and you don't want to face the consequences that your emotions will bring. Was I correct in my assumptions, Florence?" He spoke smugly, knowing he was right. "Hmm? Do you want me to leave? Do you want me to stop touching you? All you have to do is speak. Look me in the eye, Florence, and tell me you don't want me. Or you can say nothing and we'll see how far your silence can take you."

I chewed my bottom lip hard enough to draw blood. I wanted to say something. The words were right on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn't force them off. Wolfe was waiting for me, watching carefully, for a response.

My response was to lean down and press my lips against his.

Breaking the silence with words would have been easier than breaking my heart with love.

But words couldn't bring that euphoria of satisfaction.

He tasted sweet, like maple syrup.

God, he tasted so good.

The realization of what I'd done didn't settle in with me under after a few seconds later, and by then, I was too far gone to do much of anything. It was a reckless thing. A stupid decision, the worst choice of my life, whatever you want to call it. A mistake. That's what it was, it was a mistake. Why did mistakes have to be so tempting?

Unlike before, Wolfe was cautious. He kissed back only when I kissed him first, and I did kiss him first. I kissed him hard until my lips burned, until my heart felt like it was about to stop, until the clench of desire keeping my veins captive slowly loosened and all the fight drained out of me with reckless abandon. I couldn't stop fighting but I was slowly losing my will to do it. Emotions had a way of wearing someone down until everything drains away and you're left with nothing but a thousand empty bottles of whiskey and teary eyes. Was this my surrender? Should I accept my feelings for Wolfe now? Maybe I should buy a diary and write all about how I fell in love with a wanted criminal.

But Wolfe manipulated his emotions. Why couldn't I? Why couldn't I suppress these dangerous bursts of affection in hopes of it going away? After all, if Wolfe left, then so would my troubles.

Possessiveness. That's the only word I could use to describe the glory that was Wolfe Sterling. He was possessive, from the way his arms caged me in to the way his lips brushed across mine. He wasn't going to let me go. And the way he was destroying me now, I did the same tenfold. 

He was the fuel. 

I was the match. 

How much more could we burn ourselves until it all crumbled? 

His skin was cold to the touch and the fingers dancing across my skin were icy, but his mouth was warm. And addicting. I felt teeth graze my lower lip, applying enough pressure to make me squirm. My tongue traced the sharp edges of his teeth. Wolfe moved back slightly and I took in a much needed breath of air. His lips pursed and I sensed he was about to push me back, so I captured his neck with one last impulsive kiss, and it was enough to make Wolfe give in again. His hands circled my hips but instead of pushing me away, he pulled me even tighter, as if one whisper of air was far too much distance between our heaving chests.

And we were suddenly moving, my legs wrapped around his torso and his hands tangled in my hair.

"You didn't answer my question." Wolfe muttered against my neck. I kissed the corner of his mouth one last time before I felt the wall behind my back and I unwrapped myself from the warm confinement of his muscles. I was glad I had the wall for support because my legs felt too numb to stand on. Wolfe pinned me against the wall and caught my lips with his again. We kissed for a long moment before he moved back. "Do you want me to stay, Florence? Although what you just did was enough of a response for me, but I still want to hear you say it." His lips curled up in a teasing smirk. "Admit it. Tell me you want me, Florence."

"I want Twizzlers-"

"And me."

"Definitely not." I stuck my tongue out at Wolfe, but even as I said it, I knew it wasn't true. I wanted him. Badly. Almost as much as I wanted Twizzlers. Both were in front of me, but one was better. Candy over men, always. Fries before guys. Foods before dudes. They both tasted so good though...

I couldn't resist. Standing on tiptoes, I kissed the middle of Wolfe's throat. A soft, appreciative sound came from deep within him and his fingers curled around the nape of my neck, pulling me back before I could go on further. He gave me a teeth-baring grin, like a vicious dog, before leaning down to press his lips against mine again. I didn't know how much more I could handle, but I was stuck. The wall and his arms prevented me from going anywhere, but I doubted I'd run even if I had the chance. 

Fingers ran across the sides of my throat, stopping only when they were entwined in strands of my hair, held in a tight fist. Wolfe placed soft kisses along my jawline, each just a little more sweeter than the last. I could sense his desperation now, a clawing, biting thing that left us both breathless. Ever the gentleman, he was the first to move back.

"We need to stop, Florence." Wolfe murmured fervently against my skin. I wrapped my arms around his shoulder, feeling every contour, every indent, every rise against my own body. "Oh God, Florence. I'll hurt you. We shouldn't, we can't- don't you dare do this to me..." He trailed off, destructing his own words with another breathless kiss.

The sound of a strange rumbling noise distracted us. 

I pulled away from Wolfe even though I didn't want to and glanced around. He did the same, eyebrows furrowing with confusion. The noise got louder and louder, as if coming from a distance but getting close. It sounded like helicopter blades whirring outside.

One look out the window confirmed my guess. The tall strands of grass and flowers were swaying madly from the churning wind.

Wolfe took hold of my hand. "Let's see what this is about." He muttered, leading us outside. I followed silently, my cheeks flushed red with heat. How did Wolfe gain his composure back so quickly? It'd take me days before I was okay again. The noise was almost upon us. Before we left the living room, I caught one last glance from the window. The landing slides were descending right outside the house.

Maybe it was the fact that I was in the company of a notorious mob boss or maybe it was the fact that I was miles away from home or maybe it was the fact that my best friend who I had known for a good part of my life was revealed to be a part of some strange mission to kill said mob boss, but I really had a bad feeling that this was not going to end well for me.

Not that I ever expected anything good to come out of Wolfe Sterling getting involved in my not-so-average life anymore.