"Where is she?"

Vincent's voice boomed through the warehouse, and I glanced up from where I was sitting at his desk. Lucas had wrapped me in a blanket when we first got back. The shaking had subsided a while ago, but the cold hadn't left. But when Vincent barged into the room, his forest eyes locking on mine, warmth finally began to trickle into my chest again.

"Hi," I murmured.

His chest heaved as his gaze roamed. Assessing the damage. I watched as that muscle in his jaw began to tick. His focus zeroed in on the cut above my eye, and the bruises that I knew ringed my throat. His fists clenched, and then unclenched. Over and over.

"Vincent," I said, rolling the chair back from the desk. "Come here."

He was across the room in three long strides. He stopped before me, sinking to his knees so that we were eye to eye. His hands cupped my face, thumbs brushing with a heart-stopping tenderness over my cheekbones.

"Lucas said you didn't tell him anything," he whispered, his brows pulling together.

"I couldn't."

"Are you okay?" I shook my head. "Aside from what I can see, did he hurt you?" I shook my head again, knowing what he was truly getting at. Some of the tension fell from his shoulders, and he laid his forehead against mine. "How did he find you, princess?"

My own eyes slipped closed, and I took in a deep inhale. Letting it out slowly, I braced myself for the conversation to come.

"Jaxon is Jack, my trainer."

There was a beat of silence. Two. And I could feel the pressure in the room change.

When my eyes fluttered open, I was looking into the same harsh gaze I had met in this room on that very first night. Murderous, unchecked rage was waltzing across Vincent's face, making that muscle in his jaw feather with a vengeance. But when he slipped his hands from my face to take my own in his grip, it was with a care only he possessed. How this man always kept that boiling anger wholly separate from me, I'd never know. But I would always appreciate.

"Tell me everything," he breathed.

And so, I did.

From the moment I first met Jack, to every training session, to running into him at the club, all the way down to how everything had devolved so quickly today. Tears pricked the backs of my eyes again, and I fought them back. Jack didn't deserve another ounce of my emotion, let alone my tears.

"He knew I was seeing someone, and he knew it was someone I had initially considered a threat. When he saw you tell me to leave, everything clicked. But only because of what he knew about me. I'm so sorry."

"Don't be sorry," he said. "Not for a moment. We were expecting someone who's eyes would be on me, not you."

"Still, how could I not have seen it?"

"Because you weren't looking for it," he reminded me, tipping my chin up. "You said it yourself. He was laying low. The last thing any of us would have expected would be for him to be running a legitimate business."

He was right, and I needed to accept it. It sucked, and I came out of it with a few cuts and bruises, but I did make it out. I was alive.

"What now?" I asked, injecting a little steel into my voice even as I leaned into Vincent's touch. I wasn't above borrowing from his strength when I needed it.

"Now we find him. He won't go back to the gym. Unfortunately, he's not that stupid. We'll make rounds to his old contacts, see who he's been seen with."

"Sebastian. That's who he was with at the club that night." That muscle in his jaw ticked again. "You know him?"

"Sebastian Rathbone is the one who carried out the hit on Alana."

My stomach rolled.

"I'm going to be sick," I told him, dashing from the room as fast as my unsteady legs could carry me. I knew I wouldn't make it all the way up the stairs to his apartment, so I headed out the front doors. I was barely around the side of the warehouse before I lost the fight. Doubling over, I emptied my stomach.

Vincent was beside me within seconds. He smoothed a hand over my back, keeping my braid behind my shoulders. When I didn't have anything left to heave up, I canted to the side and leaned against the wall. Without a word, Vincent pressed a bottle of water into my hands. I unscrewed the cap and took a swig to rinse my mouth out. After spitting the acidic taste out of my mouth, I took a few hesitant sips. The last thing I needed was to shock my system into puking again.

He pulled me into him, tucking my head underneath his chin as he stroked his hands down my arms. I hadn't even realized how cold I was.

"He was hitting on Devyn that night," I explained after I had found my voice again. "If they hadn't mentioned the Black Lantern, she might have gone home with him."

"But she didn't. She's safe and has people to look after her."

"Jack knows she's important to me." My eyes met his, and I knew he understood even before I continued. "He could go after her."

"We'll make the men aware. I'm sure Brandon will stay with her."

My lips twitched into my first smile in what felt like days. "Arkin too?"

"Probably."

"And what about you?"

"What about me?"

"What are you going to be doing?"

"I'm still going to be figuring out everything with this deal." My eyebrows raised. Glancing down, he eyes settled on my throat. He raised his hand and brushed his fingertips over my skin. Even the softest touch made me flinch. I hadn't had the chance to look in a mirror since we got back, but judging from the look on Vincent's face, the bruises were every bit as bad as I thought they were.

"That it?" I teased. I wasn't sure who I was turning into, but I wanted to hear what he had planned.

"When I find him," he said, his voice going dark. "I'm going to take him apart piece by piece. He could've come after me. He could've come after the warehouse. He could've taken this gang back for all I care. But he came after you. He laid his hands on you. And for that?" His eyes met mine, and a shiver of fear I hadn't felt in his presence for quite some time slithered down my spine. "For that, he'll pay with his life. And this time I won't stop until I see the light fade from his eyes for myself."

* * * * *

"Do you really think I'm going to complain about this situation?"

"Devyn," I muttered, examining the dark purple fingerprints on my neck in the bathroom mirror. "Please take this seriously. You could be in danger."

"Girl, you need to be more worried. I don't know how you always manage to attract this level of crazy into your life, but it's getting a little out of hand."

Tell me about it.

"I know. I'm staying with Vincent for now. I just wanted to make sure you keep an eye out. I can't stand the thought of anything happening to you. Least of all because of me."

I could almost feel her roll her eyes through the phone. But when she spoke again, her voice was softer. "Are you really okay? I know how much Jack has grown to mean to you."

"I feel so betrayed," I admitted, scowling at my reflection. Brandon had looked me over a few hours ago and promised me the cut above my eye wouldn't need stiches, but there wasn't much to be done about the bruising.

"As you should. That guy's a piece of shit and if I ever see him again –"

"Get in line," Vincent said, raising his voice to be heard as he leaned against the doorway to the bedroom.

"Am I on speaker?"

"Yes."

"Listen here, banger," Devyn started, raising her voice despite what I had just said. "This is your fault that she's in this mess. And so help me if she get's one more injury, I'm going to string you up by your intestines."

"Why me?" I huffed, letting my eyes roll skyward.

"Because I love you, that's why," Devyn replied. "But, I've got to go. Brandon just knocked on the door."

"Is he alone?"

"We'll get coffee and compare notes tomorrow," she promised before hanging up.

"Compare notes?"

The question made me drop my head so that I could meet his gaze in the mirror. His eyes were sparkling, and I let a smile slip onto my face as well. Turning to face him, I moved into the arms he was holding open for me. His heat seeped into my skin, staving off the chill. He tightened his arms around me before placing a kiss on the top of my head.

When I pulled back from him, I caught him glancing at the cut and bruises again. I lifted my hands, taking his face between them. His stubble was thicker than he usually let it get. It scratched at my palms as I forced his eyes to mine.

"Stop," I murmured.

"Stop what?" he asked. He placed one of his hands over mine, holding it still as he turned to place a kiss on my wrist.

"Blaming yourself."

"I know," he said, entwining our fingers. He dragged me towards the bed. But the look on his face was soft, anxious. So, I had a feeling the clothes were staying on tonight.

"What're you thinking?"

"You're not going to like it."

We sat cross-legged across from each other. He bit his lower lip, and I started to worry. "Vincent?"

"You need to lie low for a while."

"Okay?" I said, my confusion making it come out like a question. "I thought that was a given."

"Juliette. That means staying away from places Graham knows to look for you."

"I'm staying here, aren't I?"

"Work, princess. You have to take a break from Tuxedo."

"Excuse me?"

"There it is," he muttered. He ran a hand over his face, a light groan breaking free. "He knows you work there. He knows you close a lot. It's the perfect opportunity for him to corner you."

"How?" My voice was threatening to go squeaky, so I cleared my throat. "Please tell me how he's going to get to me with you, the guys, and Dante around."

"It's a bar. And you have a knack for getting yourself into trouble." I opened my mouth to defend myself, but he cut me off. "What're you going to do? Work with that cut? Those bruises? You think you'll make it ten minutes into a shift without someone asking about them? And then what're you going to say?"

My blood was a roiling, seething thing in my veins.

Never mind the fact that he was right.

"You can't ask me to quit my job. I still have bills to pay, whether I'm living in my apartment or not."

"I'm not," he soothed, reaching forward to take my balled fists in his hands. "I would never. I know that place is a second home to you. I'm just asking you to take a leave of absence until he's dead. If you need help financially in the meantime, I've got you."

Taking a few deep breaths, I tried to cool my anger. On a rational level, I knew he was right. The smartest thing to do would be for me to take a step back from everything Jack would be expecting. But the bar was important to me. How long would I have to give it up? Days? Weeks? Months? The thought made me sick.

"We have to find him," I grumbled, trying not to pout as I glanced back up at him.

"We will. I promise."

"Are you telling Dante why I have to bail on my shifts?"

Vincent winced. If I didn't know any better, I would think that it was genuine fear that locked up his spine. "I'll go with you to break the news."

"Oh. So, I'm allowed to go in to tell my boss I need a hiatus, but I can't work?" That muscle in his jaw ticked once. "Just trying to iron out the details of my captivity."

"Princess," he drawled, his eyes darkening as they zeroed in on my mouth. "Watch it."

"Or else what?"

He let me see one of those full-blown smiles for all of three seconds before he pounced. And then he showed me exactly what else I needed to be watching out for.

___________________________________________________________________

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