Wolfe lunged forward and grabbed me before Ade or Elliot could do anything.

His fingers unintentionally clenched down on the bullet wound above my elbow and I squeaked in pain as he pulled me up. His strong arms were the only thing that kept me standing because I would have fallen right back down to the floor if they weren't around me. Wolfe shifted so that my back was turned to them and he was facing forward. I closed my eyes.

His arms were tight around my back, and mine around his neck. I buried my face into the warm curve of his shoulder and cried softly, my sobs unheard to the world except to Wolfe and I. I felt his fingers bite into my waist. I felt the way his chest moved against mine. His breaths were heavy and even and I could feel his heart racing as fast as my own. He crushed me to his body until there was nothing left between us, not a single atom that could squeeze in. He was possessive and beautiful and I was so recklessly in love with him that suddenly, all the stories bounded together by the concept of love made sense in that moment.

Wolfe shifted slightly but didn't let me go. The pressure his arms were exerting around my back didn't loosen, but rather tightened until I couldn't breathe. I didn't want to breathe, I would gladly give up oxygen for more seconds spent in his arms. My whole body protested against the movements and keeping my arms around his neck took more effort than I wanted to show. In a matter of seconds, my blood had soaked into his expensive suit, but I don't think Wolfe cared.

"You said you didn't hurt her." Wolfe said quietly. He spoke over my head, holding me tight. His words were calm and leveled and deadly. I almost wished he would shout. It scared me when Wolfe was like this, when he shut down completely to take on another identity of what he needed to be in order to survive. From behind me, I heard the sharp intake of breaths. They were scared. I didn't need to turn around to know that. They were scared and I was too. Wolfe touched the back of my head lightly with the tips of his fingers as if to emphasize his point. "Tell me why I shouldn't just kill you right here, Elliot. I agreed to a very delicate deal. You hurt her and that wasn't part of the plan. The girl goes unharmed. The rest is game. Tell me why."

"This got a little rowdy." Elliot answered after a moment, sounding annoyed but nervous. "We didn't expect her to get so...wild."

One of Wolfe's hands brushed down my back, almost like he was proud of me for fighting back. I wanted him to be. I had to rely on myself to do what I did but now that he was here, I could give up that false strength. I'd be happy to die in his arms. I didn't care for much of anything at that point, but I didn't want to give up that easily. I didn't need a necklace as my anchor anymore because I had Wolfe now. If he left, I'd float away, piece by piece until there was nothing left. 

"I'm not going to negotiate a deal with you." Wolfe said. "You have no leverage against me anymore. I don't care, Elliot. That's what it comes down to. I don't care. I don't give two damns about what happens next. I'm not going to put a bullet through your head."

I loosened my grip from around Wolfe's neck and took a sharp breath. Did Ade and Elliot deserve to die? No. Even after all they've done, I could forgive them for it because I believed in second chances. I don't think Wolfe did, though, and the fact that he wasn't going to kill them was unsettling because it meant that he had something worse planned. I couldn't lose that part of myself. I could forgive them. I was  going to forgive them. That's what my parents would have wanted. I wasn't going to lose my morality like Wolfe did, but I wasn't going to fix Wolfe either. He was what he chose to be and I would love him for it even if it killed me in the end. 

I pulled away from Wolfe and faced them. With Wolfe by my side, Ade's eyes weren't as scary to look into. Ade glanced at me, his face passive. I forgive him. His friendship meant a lot to me, even if he was just pretending. I couldn't forget the past six or seven years of my life with him or erase any memories, but I wasn't going to dwell on it any longer. Whatever happened next in my life, he would have no part in it. That was all that mattered.

"Here's what is going to happen." Wolfe slipped his fingers into my unbroken hand and squeezed tightly. He looked at Ade. "Florence and I are going to walk out those doors. If you're thinking about killing us, don't bother. You won't get to pull the trigger before those snipers get you first. We'll get in a car and drive very far away. You chose what happens next. You can wait for the SWAT team to raid, or you can go to Rosario and beg for mercy, or you can live. But just know that if you ever come back to New York, I will personally be at hand to see to your well deserved execution. If you ever harm, threaten, or contact Florence Remy or her family, so help me God, Elliot. You made your choice to betray me. I made my choice as well. That's more than you both deserve."

A scary, threatening Wolfe was also kinda hot.

Ade and Elliot stayed silent. They looked like scolded children and I felt a surge of guilt run through me, although I had no reason to feel like my heart was breaking again. They would've killed me if Wolfe wasn't a factor in all this. I was in awe of the fact that Wolfe wasn't going to kill them but also grateful that he wouldn't. 

Wolfe gently tugged me away. We turned around and with his arm wrapped around my waist to keep me from falling, I limped with him to the double doors. Before we left, Wolfe turned around to give them one final warning glance, his silent message sent. Wolfe meant what he said. I didn't look back. I was going to try to forget this ever happened and move on with my life. 

Outside, the night air was soft and cold. I was right. This was an abandoned warehouse or factory of some sort. Several buildings stood side by side, all falling apart and decrepit in their state. We must be on the outer edges of New York. Graffiti marked the sides of the old brick building and dirty wooden barrels were thrown around. Trash littered the corners and newspapers were scattered around. The moon was a light hue in the dark midnight sky. Out here, in the quiet deserted parts of the city where no one ever visited, more stars were visible to keep the moon company. A river waited in the distance, half hidden by the overgrown dead grass. Beyond that was the rest of New York.

Broken cars lay on the gravel and grass like boulders, but I noticed a sleek black car waiting by the side of the road. One of the backseat windows were rolled down and I could see Brice and Jasper talking animatedly to the person in the passenger seat, who I presumed to be Daniel. Brice caught my eye and waved excitedly like a little kid and I had to settle for a smile because I couldn't raise my hand to wave back.

I turned to Wolfe. "So you're really going to let them go-"

Before I could finish my sentence, Wolfe pulled me into a kiss. His lips were cold and the pressure from his mouth to my bruised jaw hurt like hell, but I wouldn't give up the feeling for anything. Wolfe was careful in the way he kissed me, with delicate brushes and tentative touches. I felt his fingers run beneath my hair to grab the back of my neck gently. He pulled away for a second to catch his breath. The exhale danced across my mouth and I stood on tiptoes to brush my lips against his again, desperate to feel his lips against mine. Wolfe smirked at my impatience and pressed a soft kiss against my forehead before moving back. 

"I think you know me well enough, Florence." Wolfe said quietly. "Do you really think I would let them live after they nearly took you away from me? After they threatened to kill you? After they called you those names? I don't forgive. When it comes to you, I don't care what I have to do. You know me better than that, kitten."

Startled, I opened my mouth to say something but the words faltered when I saw Wolfe pull a little black remote from his coat pocket. I also saw the three military style detonators strapped to one side of the warehouse, almost hidden from view in the shadows.

My heart jumped to my throat. "Wolfe-"

He smirked before he pushed the single button on the remote.

The warehouse burst into a million hues of the sunset with a thunderous boom that shook the ground as the bombs set off. Within a matter of seconds, the entire building was engulfed in flames. My ears were ringing from the blast but I could still hear the tiny clinking noise of glass windows shattering from the heat. The sky lit up with the fire and the flames reached for the stars. Smoke began to billow in clouds and it was impossible to look directly into the fire because of how bright it was against the darkness of the night. The blast was heart-stopping and I could only gape open-mouthed in shock. The world could have ended and I wouldn't have been able to tell the difference.

Wolfe and I were standing far enough that the blast didn't affect us but I could feel the heat it emanated. It was a boiling red hot feel, enough to scorch us if we had been any closer. There was absolutely no way that Ade and Elliot could be alive. 

After my ears stopped ringing, I turned to Wolfe, furious. "You said you weren't going to kill them!"

"No." Wolfe replied carefully. "I said I wasn't going to shoot  them."

"Are you serious?!" I exclaimed. Over his shoulder I could see Brice, Dan, and Jasper gaping open-mouthed in awe at the burning warehouse. I cringed as one of the supports from inside the building collapsed with a loud crash. "What was the point of that, Wolfe? You didn't need to kill them. That was so rude. That building could very well have been a Twizzler factory."

"Florence, I'll buy you the entire corporation of Hershey's-"

The sweetest thing a man has ever said to me.

"-but I did have to kill them. They would not have upheld their end of the deal and they would have come after you again. Besides, I saved them from a worse fate. Rosario would've tortured them to death because of their failure to complete the job. Besides, I'm never one to forgive or forget. That's not who I am. I'm the bad guy, remember? I can't change that about me and I don't think you can either. I suppose it all just comes down to whether you can love me for who I am in the end, and I won't blame you if you never want to see me again." Wolfe paused for a second and swallowed noisily. "But you know what? I don't regret these last few weeks and I don't regret what I just did. There are two things I will never stop doing: hurting people and loving you."

I looked away, not wanting Wolfe to see the tears shining in my eyes. In the white moonlight, I could see the same glassy look in Wolfe's eyes but unlike me, he didn't try to hide his emotions. Emotions. He finally felt something. 

My hand went to my neck to touch the necklace before I realized I no longer had it. "Who's Frank Rosario? And why did he send them specifically to kill you? I know you have enemies. I just didn't think he'd hire one of your own men to take you out."

Wolfe exhaled sharply. "Frank Rosario is perhaps the only man who's ever had the courage to so brazenly attempt my execution, not that others haven't already tried. He's just the only one who's tried consistently. Rosario is the leader of the underground European drug cartel, a foreign mafia that rules most of the cartels in the EU. He's also one of my biggest enemies and a powerhouse with connections rivaling mine. As for the reason being, I suppose it was because of one thing: power. If he took responsibility for killing me, he'd be the most powerful man in the eyes of all other criminal organizations because he did what so many others have tried. Criminals would flock to his feet and leaders would worship the ground he walks on."

I nodded, trying to take in what he was saying. Wolfe had clenched fists again, which showed how angry he still was. 

"As we speak now, I've sent one of my best snipers to see to his execution. I should've killed him years ago but his influence was slowly drying out the last I saw of him and I didn't think Rosario could get back on his feet again. I didn't think he'd make an attempt and I sure as hell didn't think he'd use you to get to me." Wolfe let out a hiss of air regretfully from between his teeth.  "And as for Elliot, traitors come easy when this is the life you live. Rosario must've offered him a substantial payment but Elliot realized that I could do him so much more harm than Rosario ever could and he backed out like the fucking idiot he is. Money can make people do crazy things."

I chewed my bottom lip fretfully until Wolfe reached over and affectionately pinched my chin, making me stop. Raising my eyes to his, I asked the one factorable question that I still didn't understand. "And Preston?"

"I knew James Preston was working with the FBI when I allowed him to join us all those years ago. He thought he had the drop on us, but he had been listening to phony conversations while I did my business in silence. But he also betrayed the FBI, and then Elliot when he realized they'd fucked up. Don't know what team he's playing for but frankly, I don't care. He'll be dead by tomorrow. It's better to clean up the messes before they get too big." Wolfe replied softly. 

"And the blood on your suit?"

"That's from you."

"I meant when you first walked in. You had blood on your collar." I reached up and touched the top of his shirt where the stranger's blood splatters had blended in with the blood from me when I hugged him. With uneasy curiosity, I whispered, "Who'd you kill, Wolfe?"

"One of Rosario's boys." Wolfe clamped one of his hands around my wrists and kept me captive to his chest. He took a glance above my head to the waiting car and continued quietly. "He was lurking outside, waiting to finish the job if Elliot couldn't deliver. That's why they let us walk away, you know. Elliot thought the guy would jump me when I went outside. He didn't know I already killed the guy before I came in."

I exhaled sharply, my eyes drifting to the blazing warehouse to subconsciously look for a dead body laying on the ground before I realized the fire must've already taken the corpse as its victim. "So you killed three people over the course of one hour? Okay. Tell me, how many people does a guy have to kill over a certain time period before he's considered a deranged serial murderer?"

His lips tugged up in a grim smirk. "I think I passed the limit to qualify for one a long time ago."

"You sound proud of yourself."

"My job isn't for the faint of heart."

"Job?" I repeated in disbelief. "Jobs are for normal law-abiding citizens. You're the farthest thing from that."

Wolfe's only answer was another smirk.

I took a deep breath and glanced around. The river was not too far from where we stood and on the other side were other darkened buildings, desolate and empty. Behind them I could see several skyscrapers rising up but those were incredibly far away, almost like tiny rectangular fingers reaching up to the stars. The city seemed so far away but I didn't miss it just yet. The shock of it all hadn't settled in with me. Wolfe's presence kept my hysteria at bay but I knew that as soon as he left, I'd break down. "Were there really snipers watching us the whole time?"

A soft chuckle escaped his lips. Wolfe placed both hands on my waist and spun me around. His chest pressed against my back, sending waves of butterflies through my already queasy stomach. I felt his breath gently blow against my cheek and he kissed the side of my neck before pointing to one of the buildings across the river. "Look up there."

I followed the direction he was pointing. A figure was visible on top of one of the rundown buildings. The person was dressed in all black, including a mask that covered any features. A rifle was visible next to the person. Glancing at the adjacent building, I noticed the same thing. Another figure on top of the roof. There must've been more snipers but Wolfe turned me around before I could find anyone else.

Wolfe pulled me closer and glanced at my bruises. His jaw tightened and a flash of indignation and concern crossed his features. "What about you? Are you okay? Fuck, they shot you?" He breathed unsteady and looked at my blood-covered arm. "I'm so sorry, Florence. I never meant for any of this to happen. I almost wish they weren't dead just so I'd have the satisfaction of killing them all over again." He growled.

I grinned cheerfully although the pain was excruciating. "Apology accepted. Did you like my dramatic entrance?"

His concerned look turned to one of anger. "Wandering in through the door would've sufficed. You didn't need to fall from the ceiling like a wild thing and get yourself even more hurt. You could've died, Florence! It's not the least bit funny and if you ever pull a stunt like that again, I'll make sure you regret it. The pain you'll put yourself through won't compare to what I'll do to you if you get yourself hurt under your own free will." Wolfe grabbed the nape of my neck and bent down, his low dangerous words brushing across my shoulder. "Is that clear?"

I stood on tiptoes and pressed my lips against the side of his neck. "Yes, sir."

There was still one more question I needed an answer to, and it was the one question I desperately needed answered because that one answer would either make me the happiest girl on earth or it would absolutely crush me. I was terrified of asking it but I needed to know. 

"Are you still going to leave?" I asked softly.

Wolfe didn't answer me for a few seconds. I began to think he hadn't heard me since my voice had been so quiet and just as I was about to ask again, Wolfe answered. "No."

I bit my tongue to keep myself from squealing my happiness. Wolfe wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me into a tight hug, talking so softly that I wouldn't have heard him if we weren't so close. 

"Once the others hear that I'm still alive and Rosario came very  close to killing me by picking out my one weakness, there will be other attempts. At my life and yours. They had me, Florence. I went into that building with just the hope that you'd still be alive. They could've killed me, you know. Bullets travel fast and even if the snipers got to them after Elliot shot me, I'd still be dead. The only thing that could be different is that there would've been two more bodies to clean up. Rosario could have come out on top tonight. Could have." His arms tightened. "I can't leave you, Florence. I thought I could. I was going to force myself to let you go but fuck it, I'm a selfish bastard and you're mine no matter what. I don't care. I don't care. You're mine and I love you and I'll never let you go." His words were ragged and vulnerable. "I don't give a damn what happens next. No one is ever going to take you from me, Florence. I love you."

"I love you too." was all I could manage to squeak out. If I said anything more than that, I would've choked.

We stayed there for a long while until the impatient honk of the car parted us.

I glanced at the distant river, the tears in my eyes blurring the moon's reflection on the river into glimmering dots. "So what happens now?"

"You're gonna have to go back to Brooklyn and give your story to the cops. I'll send my written testimony and take responsibly for everything so they can't pin anything on you. I'll say I forced you." Wolfe smirked. "They'll have their suspicions but they won't be able to trace my location from a letter. I'll also end the co-ownership contract on the Espresso House. It's the least I can do for your parents. They're not gonna let me hang around after this. But you're of legal age so they don't exactly have a say in what you do anymore, right?"

"I know." I averted my eyes from his gaze. "Where do you fit into all of this?"

Wolfe touched one of my collarbones. "There's only one option left."

"Hmm. And what's that?"

He raised his eyes to mine. "Come with me."

"Where?"

"Anywhere. The world's our playground. New York nights and Las Vegas mornings." Wolfe said. He pressed his forehead to mine, suddenly desperate. "Come with me, Florence. Please. I'm not leaving you but I can't stay here. Live with me. Stay with me. I need you." His voice was soft and sincere, almost begging. 

A lump grew in my throat. I wanted to. I wanted to stay with Wolfe more than anything else in the world. He had become my world. A man who was said to be incapable of love, of having a heart, had fallen in love with me and I to him recklessly, truly, and sincerely. There was no going back now. Would my parents understand? Probably not. I wasn't going to turn my back to them and I knew they weren't going to like my choices. But I had to make some now. And I did. I made the right choice.

"Okay." The word left my lips before I let myself hesitate. 

Wolfe pulled me into a bone-crushing hug and I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. The road ahead of us was a treacherous one. But we'd make it if we had each other. I believed that. He believed that. Do you believe that?

"Just one more question." Wolfe's eyes were shining in the moonlight. He moved back and before I knew it, Wolfe was down to one knee. He pulled out a familiar green box and loud hoots and hollers erupted from Brice, Dan, and Jasper from back in the car. My breath caught in my throat and I had to force myself to keep inhaling and exhaling. Wolfe pulled open the box to reveal the engagement ring. "Florence Remy, will you marry me?"

I took a deep breath. "Absolutely not!"

"Please?"

"Oh, alright."

A/N: I worked really hard on the banner and it so badly photoshopped but I stayed up very late making it leave me alone this is the end goodbye I love u thanks