I slowly opened my eyes groaning as I felt pain travel down my body. My head was pounding like crazy. I looked around noticing I was in a room, bigger than the one in my apartment. The bed felt so comfortable and smooth.

I tried sitting up but the pain in my body made me fail. I rubbed a hand through my now matted up curls. I really needed a shower and a drink.

I was attached to machines that beeped over and over which were starting to drive me crazy. I needed peace and quiet.

"What the hell happened to me." I mumbled to myself. "And where am I." I looked around.

All I could remember was being attacked at the club and everything going dark.

"You were drugged." A woman in a long white coat said with an alluring look on her face. She was coming from a side door, that I didn't notice was there.

She was a beautiful woman. Tall, pale skin, black long hair and her face was defined perfectly.

"I'm Dr. Krue. Roman brought you here. You we're pretty banged up." She stared at me.

I bit my lip as she announced his name. It was hard to believe he brought me here and made sure I was taken care of. I started smiling at myself thinking about him.

Dr. Krue eyed me down. "You we're close to death. Whoever drugged you must of wanted you dead. Because it wasn't your typical drug, it took a lot to flush out your system. But I know what I'm doing and got it out pretty quickly." She spoke as she wrote something down in a notebook. "And you're at Roman's empire. I'm sure you know what he does for a living?" She asked walking toward me, staring at me more intensely than before.

His empire? He's never talked about it before. I'm surprised he'd bring me here instead of just dropping me off at a hospital.

"I do." I responded with a sigh. "It doesn't bother me." I couldn't tell if what I said was a lie or not. It did bother me, but at the same time it didn't... ugh I don't know.

"And why not. Girls like you," She paused with a frown. "Don't seem to talk to men like him. Well, I'm surprised he'd go for you." She admitted with an annoyed tone.

I frowned back at her. "What do you mean?" Was she talking about my skin color? Because I've never said anything to her for her to say something like that.

"You know what I mean." She laughed. "A white successful man. With a black girl who strips? It gives him a bad look." She shrugged. "He has an Empire to run, he doesn't need people seeing him in that way." She shook her head.

My body was completely boiling. How did she even know what I did for a living?

"Who the fuck do you think you are?" I didn't expect those words to come out my mouth, but I was pissed.

"Sweetheart. You need to calm down." She chuckled shaking her head. "The truth hurts. You're damaging his image."

She really thought this was funny. Or that I'd laugh and agree with her.

"Fuck you. I don't want Roman." I yelled as I got up, ignoring the pain. I snatched out the needles of fluid going into my body, which hurt like crazy, but I ignored it. "Thanks for saving my life, but I won't sit here and let you talk to me like that."

"You can't just leave." She said calmly. She talked like what she said wasn't wrong.

"Watch me." I left the room, not looking back. I slouched myself against the wall as I let myself fall to the ground. I didn't know what to do or where to go. There were so many halls and doors. But I knew I had to find Roman. I needed to talk to him.

I still had on black lingerie from the club, that's probably how she assumed what I did for a living. I hoped nobody sees me like this. Only work was acceptable, but not in public.

I forced my aching body up and started my search for Roman. I walked around for at least 10 minutes before I heard noises coming from the kitchen, I walked past 15 times. I was definitely lost and going in circles. Maybe it was Roman?

I slowly approached the kitchen noticing a black-haired girl getting a glass of water. I didn't know if I should run, speak or continuing watching her.

She turned with her glass of water but dropped it when she seen me. "Who the hell are you?"

I held my hands up in surrender. "I'm Blake."

Really that's the best I could've said. I was in panic mode. Even though she looked around 16, she looked like she was ready to rip my head off.

"Roman. He brought me here." I quickly mouthed.

She focused her full attention on me. "Roman?" She whispered. "He hasn't been here in months. He's actually here?" Her eyes lit up.

"I don't know. I'm trying to find him."

She ran over to me. "So, like who are you to him? He never brings people in the house. So, for him to bring you here, you must be important." She excitedly said. She looked me up and down. "Wait."

I knew she was now looking at my lingerie. "It's not what you think. It's a long story."

She nodded. "I'm Nora. And Roman's my older brother, I haven't seen him in months." She looked away. "He always leaves and doesn't tell anyone."

I honestly didn't know what to say to her. She looked truly upset but tried hiding it with a smile.

"I'm sorry."

She gave me a smile. "It's okay. It doesn't bother me anymore, but If you're looking for him, I can help."

"Really?"

"Of course. I have a few cuss words I need to say to him." She laughed which made me laugh too. "Let's start with his room."

She grabbed my hand guiding me through the halls.

She was a pretty girl. She was short, same features as roman with black hair and green eyes. In the picture with her at her brother's funeral, she looked younger. I wonder how long ago it was since their brother's death.

"Here. His room is the farthest away from everybody else in the house. Typical roman." She joked.

We walked up to a single door that stood by itself on a hall.

"This is a huge house." I sighed out.

"Just wait till you step outside. I'm surprised you didn't see it all when you were arriving, it's much bigger." She laughed softly.

She opened the door and we stepped in. It was noticeable he wasn't in here, but I wanted to take a look around anyways.

His bed sat in the middle with matte black nightstands on each side. Everything was so dark. The sheets on the bed were black, his walls we're black, even the curtains and chairs were too. This man had a thing for the color black.

"Well looks like he's not in here." Nora said with a pitch of sadness in her voice.

"Anywhere else you think he'd be?" I asked.

"Hmmm, maybe in the basement. He does go down there a lot."

"Well let's go check the basement out."

As we walked, I gave her a small grasp of my life. Basically, the question I know she's been wondering, why am I wearing lingerie and looking for her brother. She seemed very interested in my story too. Maybe I shouldn't have told her everything, but I did anyways. I had nothing to lose.

"Wow. I'm sorry. Seems like you've lived a rough life."

I nodded in agreement. "No need to give me sympathy." I smiled.

She grabbed my hand and squeezed it. I looked at her and smiled.

"It's crazy for my brother to show interest in other people."

"What do you mean."

"Ever since our brother Cyrus died. He's been closed off, not talking to people. Sticking to his regular, pick a girl up, taking her to a hotel. He'd go on rampage missions killing people, like rapist, women beaters, you know, just because he wanted to let his anger out." She shook her head. "Nobody could stop him."

I took a deep breath as she said he killed people. What did I truly get myself into? I knew what he did, he told me him damn self he was evil. But he saved and stood up for me. There's has to be some good in that dark heart of his. Or am I just too naive for thinking that.

"Here." She pointed at the stairs. "The basement is down there."

It looked like every basic basement stairway, extremely scary.

"I've never been down there before. Roman always kept people from entering."

"Won't there be guards at the bottom blocking us from going down there?"

"No. The guards only guard outside the houses inside the empire. Never in the houses, because nobody should make it to that point."

"Make sense."

"Let's go." She grabbed my hand as we headed down the steps.

It was freezing cold, and a strong odor was coming from the basement. A strong stench, like wet dog and spoiled meat.

I gasped as I couldn't believe what I was seeing. We made it to the bottom and there was Roman with a gun pointing at the bastard who put that needle in me. There was also a woman and three men standing around him.

Nora gasped. "Oh my god."

Roman turned facing us. His hair was messy, and his face was stone cold. He had his shirt off which revealed tons of tattoos all over his chest, stomach and arms. His muscles were defined perfectly. He slightly opened his mouth but closed it as he stared at us. It's like he was thinking of his next moves.

"Get them out of here!" He demanded as he gripped his gun harder turning back around.

I didn't know what feeling was flowing inside of me right now, but I couldn't let him do this. I couldn't let him kill someone that didn't do anything wrong to him. It might sound stupid, but it sounded right in my head. He hurt me, not Roman.

"Roman, wait."

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