"I don't know what
it is, but he makes
me want to knock
down all the walls 
I've put up and let
him inside. And it
scares the shit out of me."

~~Kandi Steiner

****************

~~Rory~~

There was something plastic shoved into my nostrils and my body felt like one giant bruise. A headache throbbed inside my skull, irritated further by a steady beep... beep... beep... coming from somewhere to my left. Cracking open my eyes, I immediately shut them again when they were assaulted by bright lights overhead, a groan reflexively tumbling out of me. I raised a hand to shield my eyes, thankful I could move freely, and risked another peek at my surroundings.

A soft white sheet was draped over my body, the odd dotted pattern of a hospital gown covering what was above it. I was in the hospital, the scent of antiseptic and sterile plastic confirmed it, even if the machines on either side of me hadn't. The room was empty except for me. I was grateful for that as everything came flooding back, including the horrid words that Ace McClain had snarled in my face.

The door to the hospital room clicked open and I slammed my eyes shut, trying to pretend I was still asleep. When the person who entered the room spoke, I knew it was a lost cause because he somehow always knew everything.

"You're not sleeping," came Mr. Jay's smooth voice, drawing my watery gaze to his.

His handsome face was sporting a fresh bruise along the right side of his jaw, but his slightly shaggy black hair with green tips and his silver eyes were the same. At some point over the years, Jay had become as close to me as Kas had. Seeing him, when I wasn't sure I would ever have the chance again, set off another wave of tears. He stopped beside the bed, his large hand curling around mine.

"Kas... he's..." A sob ripped from my throat as I stared pleadingly up at Jay. "He's dead, Jay. H-he's de-dead because o-of m-me..."

"No." That one simple word from his mouth was enough to stop me in my tracks, even my heart seemed to stop as I held my breath. "He's alive, Rory. And we have McClain. It's over."

Relief swept over me, and I tightened my grip on Jay's hand like it was the only thing keeping me held to the Earth. Jay wouldn't lie to me, not even to make me feel better. It was one of the things that I loved so much about him. Even though my head was killing me, and my throat ached, making each breath a near chore, I felt my lips turning up in a watery smile.

"H-how? I thought..." Kas had said no one, not even the other members of the Southside Crew, had known where we were or would be able to find us. How were they able to save me?

"Kas... he called us after..." Jay swallowed and cleared his throat, clearly withholding some fraction of information. "You made a good call when you allied with the Crowes. We wouldn't have been able to get to you as quickly as we had if not for Benjamin Crowe."

Benjamin Crowe, Underboss of the Crowe Mafia Family, and the owner of a pair of deep blue eyes that gave me safety even when most people would have looked upon them and felt nothing but fear.

Jay left me alone a short while later, after I made him promise not to tell my sisters about what had happened. One day, when I'd been able to process it all, I'd tell them the truth. Afterall, they were eighteen, adults in the eyes of the law, and would be able to handle it, all of it.

Part of me knew that it might have been better to be honest from the beginning, but too much time had passed to think about the 'what ifs.' It was hard enough to accept the 'what is' parts of life. My eyes drifted closed, exhaustion swamping me and making my body feel heavier than it was, but it was also a relief. Jay had spoken the magic words. It's over. Two words that had dissolved the weight on my chest I'd carried for six years.

The next time I woke, my head felt clearer but my body still ached, my throat tender and raw each time I swallowed. Licking my dry, chapped lips, I slowly opened my eyes and took in the room, an action that immediately caused my breath to get caught in my lungs. Standing with his back facing me as he looked out of the hospital room window, the sky dark and peppered with stars, was none other than Benjamin Crowe.

His broad shoulders and well-muscled build were hidden beneath a black Armani suit, but it was the lightly scuffed, black work boots adorning his feet that made my lips tilt with the hint of a smile. It was at that moment that he chose to turn around, intense blue eyes scanning my face.

I felt heat rise in my body, a flush creeping over my skin and up my neck the longer he continued to study me. The urge to look away nearly overwhelmed me, but I couldn't give in, refusing to show him even a hint of weakness. But the weight of his gaze on me was almost physical, bringing to life aches that had nothing to do with my injuries. Taking in a slow, only slightly shaky, breath, I cleared my throat and then winced. Benjamin's eyes narrowed.

"I fail to understand why that pet psychopath of yours refuses to give me the whereabouts of McClain." The muscle in his jaw ticked when he paused, eyes focusing on my neck. "After all, if not for me, we never would have found you."

"Mr. Jay is not my pet, nor is he a psychopath," I clarified, my tone holding an implied eye roll I couldn't control. "McClain's life belongs to me, and my crew know that, as should you."

It was difficult to keep my voice strong, as if the sinfully attractive man before me didn't turn my brain to mush and make my heart flutter like a teenage girl. His proximity alone was too much to handle and still be able to maintain any semblance of composure. It didn't help that Benjamin slid his gaze from my face to slowly trail over the outline of my body beneath the hospital gown and the sheet pulled up to my waist. Goosebumps erupted on my skin and a slight shiver had me trembling, unable to mask the movement from Benjamin, and his perceptive eyes.

Without taking his focus from me, he stepped closer until his suit jacket brushed the rails of the hospital bed. As if concerned he would startle me away, Benjamin raised his hand and slowly brought it to my wrist resting on the sheet and carefully brushed his fingers over the bandages wrapped around the bruise and marginally raw flesh. I held my breath, unable and unwilling to move away or ask him to stop. The truth was, I didn't want to.

Benjamin Crowe was a dangerous man, the most dangerous man in the city and one of the most powerful, second only to his father. He was cold and ruthless in his endeavors, regardless of their legality, and had never tried to pretend to be anything different.

He was a killer, the underboss like Sonny Corleone in The Godfather, and he thrived on the darkness that surrounded him. Benjamin was a monster, but then again, so was I. The darkest parts of him sang to the darkest parts of me, and I should have been afraid. Instead, I found myself closing my eyes and relishing the feel of his fingers skimming up my arm from my wrist, my heart pounding in my chest.

After what I had just experienced, most of which I didn't remember, I shouldn't have reacted with such hunger. A whimper slipped from my lips when his hand gently encircled my neck, tracing over the bruises so lightly that it didn't hurt but sent a thrill to my core. My teeth dug into my lip to squash any further embarrassing sounds, clenching my hands into fists to hold myself still. My eyes flew open when I felt the pad of his thumb press softly against the abused flesh of my bottom lip and I instantly began to drown in the sapphire orbs staring down at me with undisguised heat.

"Don't hide from me, baby," Benjamin said, his command low and husky. "We had a deal, remember?"

My eyes narrowed and my libido plummeted several levels, but didn't relent completely, at the arrogance of this man.

"Our deal was you go to the mattresses for me if need be so McClain could be taken down," I snapped, ignoring the spike of pain in my throat from my raised voice. "If we were successful, I'd hand over my territory. That didn't include me with it."

One side of his perfect mouth pulled up in a smug half smile that did unspeakable things to my nerve endings, and my brain, as he straightened. I pretended I didn't mourn the loss of the warmth of his hands or the sensation of his skin against mine, but I felt it like being thrown outside naked in the snow.

"Are you sure about that?" Benjamin asked, blue eyes glinting with amusement.

"Yes," I bit out, but it only amused him further.

Benjamin hummed before turning away. "We'll see about that, won't we?"

I gaped at him, unable to find a suitable response that didn't sound immature and would have been at least halfway intelligent. When he got to the door, he stopped and looked back at me with that same infuriating smile.

"I've got men on the door so if you need something just let them know. No one will come or go without my knowledge, so I suggest you behave." His eyes scanned me once more before he opened the door, tossing out a few more parting words. "I'll see you soon, love."

It was both a promise and a threat, but either way, he would keep his word.