Second Chances(blair/lady)

Rhys paused, leaning against the doorframe as he watched her study. “What are you reading?”He said smirking a little as he crossed the room, looking amused as he slipped into bed with her, smirking as he flicked a glance up towards her face as she concentrated on her book, squirming lower to nuzzle his face against her bare stomach, though he’d get distracted later, for the moment the man was content to just hold her.

~~

Nyx glared up at him through her blond bangs, “Training doesn’t include sending other women to be sold and raped.”She scowled feeling sick but letting the man help her up. Swallowing hard she let him lead her upstairs, shifting to wrap a arm around his waist. Even if she knew she shouldn’t, she was taking comfort in the man’s presence, offering him a half smile. “Want company for that shower?”she muttered though still looking shaken now that they were in private she sighed softly as she made them both drinks before joining him out on the balcony.

“I’m sorry.”She whispered looking down at the grounds as she sipped her drink, feeling that she disappointed him with her bad reaction. Not only as a pretend girlfriend, but because he expected better of a cop. And she’d failed utterly. For the first time in a long time, feeling young and naïve.

Annabel looked down at him, arching an eyebrow. His mood seemed to shift again, which was no surprise. She knew that being cold and aloof took hard work for Rhys, as odd as that was. "Jane Eyre," she murmured, showing him the book, "I found it at the top of your book shelf, all dusty and everything. Apparently you don't have an appreciation for classic literature of the realism era." She smirked at that and closed the book, putting it off the the side. Her hand strayed down to stroke his hair, wondering how on earth she had managed to get herself into this situation. She was a captive, living here against her will. Her days were numbered, and she knew that. She was not naive, after all... And here she was, cuddled against her captor's son, desperate wanting his comfort and affection. Life was cruel, simple as that.

"His name is Bosley," she said after a few moments of silence. She nodded over to the box on the floor. The little kitten was curled into a tiny ball, purring with contentment. "Can't we at least find him a good home?"

~*~

"You have nothing to feel sorry about," Winston said, taking a puff of his cigarette. "Your reaction was the reaction that any normal human being would give. I, on the other hand, was not raised under normal circumstances. You have to understand this." He leaned against the railing and rubbed a hand over his face. Her presence reminded him so much of his sister and mother, two women who did not survive Balthazar's rage... The thought of it had him feeling sick with guilt.

"I just think you should maybe... abandon this case," he admitted, looking over at her, "I've done this by myself for a long time, and right now, there is not anywhere to go. My father has the best detective in New York cornered... It's a stale mate, and it's not right for you to be here if you will not benefit from it some how. Eventually, my father is not going to agree with your presence."

Reaching over, he tucked her hair behind her year. "I'm not getting out of this business, Nyx. It's more dangerous to leave than it is to stay. I need to submit to that before I get Rhys or anyone else hurt in the process. That includes you."

Rhys smiled looking amused, “I have plenty of time appreciation for the classics, just not any that were written in that period of time.”He said snickering a little as she stroked his hair, absently sliding his hand up and down her thigh, not so much to get her thinking about sex, but a absent gesture that said he was used to just laying around and talking with his lover. Frowning a little at her words he sighed.”The cat doesn’t have a name, I thought I told you that.”He muttered frowning, before thinking about it. “…offer it to Nyx. My brother’s girl might have more of a chance of keeping it, then finding a home out in the world for it.”He said after a moment’s thought, because really, even though he wanted to be cold and aloof, the man wanted her to have her cat.

~~

Nyx sipped her drink before nodding.”I know.”She looked frustrated before looking over at him before shuddering, wrapping her arms around her waist as she thought, wondering if she should tell him. And make him understand that she didn’t want to leave his side. “No.I wont.”He said looking startled as the man tucked her hair behind her ear, turning to look up at him, biting her lip a little. “I wont leave you.”She shuddered a little looking up at him before swallowing hard.

“My father…was a mafia son. He fought to get me and my mother out, turned states’ evidence against his family to make sure that we would be safe.”She shuddered sipping the drink, trembling a little. It had been so long since she’d considered her family, that she had thought about why she was coming here, for him. “They killed my parents when I was five. And…my grandfather became my legal guardian, saw that he could have the heir he wanted.”She closed her eyes, swallowing hard. “Until I was 16, I lived this life Winston, not…not as brutal, my grandfather was many things, but your father puts him to shame, but enough. My best friend got me out, gave me a place to go, to get away, and my grandfather has let me go, thinking eventually I will return.”She muttered rubbed a hand over her face, refusing to look at him.

“My father and best friend gave me a chance to walk away, and someone to trust. I cant help you get out of here any better then you could by yourself, but I can stay and be someone you can trust.”She swallowed hard, not understanding why she was risking everything, including coming to the attention nof her family again, to just help this man. Except that she could only see the wounded, jaded man he’d become, and wanted to hold him. No matter how much she refused to admit that she wanted him, just for him. She knew it would never work, so she didn't even bother pretending it could.

Annabel leaned against the head board and closed her eyes, sighing softly as he stroked her thigh. The touch was so gentle that he comforted her in ways that she was sure he would not understand. "I guess we can see if Nyx wants him," she said, although her voice sounded rather sad. She was secretly hoping that she'd be able to keep the cat around for company. That way she wouldn't feel so lonely when Rhys had to leave her from time to time.

"Rhys," she whispered, her eyes opening to look at the ceiling. She took a deep breath in order to force herself not to get emotional, or at least not allow him to see her do so. "I'm scared... I know that there is not a chance in hell I'm getting out of here." She swallowed hard and rubbed a hand over her face, pinching the bridge of her nose in effort to keep herself from crying. "All I wanted was to get through school, to start teaching... And here I am."

~*~

Winston scrunched his eyebrows together as he listened to her talk, and it didn't take long to figure out exactly what mafia she was speaking of. It was a mafia that did not compete with his father with sexual slavery, but with drugs. If Balthazar knew who she was, Nyx would be dead in a heartbeat. Sure, her grandfather didn't threaten his lively hood, but Balthazar was not reasonable enough to think in such a manner.

It took a few minutes for the cold, emotionless man to register the information, and when he did, he wasn't sure how to react. He took a step back from her and shook his head. "Do you realize how much danger you are in if he figures out who you are?" he said slowly, shaking his head. "Dammit, Nyx! This is not something to play around with because we feel bonded by our fucked up childhoods. You should have never came here. You should have stayed away. Far, far away."

He angrily put his cigarette out and barged into the room, slamming his glass down on the counter and tearing off his clothes. He quickly flipped the shower on, so frustrated that all he wanted to do was shower.

Walking over to her in just his pants, he sighed in frustration. "Now we have no choice but to follow through, because if we take the risk of him seeing through your act as my devoted girlfriend, then you are as good as dead. You understand that?"

While the man looked furious (which he was), it was out of concern... Because it seemed that he cared about her far more than he was willing to let himself believe.

Rhys stirred, turning his head to look up at her, “Well, there’s always a chance. Father has you here on a whim, he’ll let you go back.”He said as he pressed his face into her stomach, comforting her, though she didn’t sound overly confident. Because he had no doubt that she was right, but the man wasn’t about to admit that she was as good as dead.”You can teach. You will.”
~~

Nyx sighed softly, running her fingers through her hair before glancing up at him. “I know I should have.but I couldn’t.”she sighed softly staring at the ground, her shoulders slouching a little. While the woman knew that he was right, that she shouldn’t be anywhere near here, because the moment his father figured out who she was, she was dead. But he’d drawn her to him, and she couldn’t leave. Not without taking him with her, and she knew he’d never leave rhys. So, she’d stay. Wincing as he slammed back into the room, she turned to look up at him, tears spiking her eyelashes as she looked up at him. So upset, and scared, that he’d reduced her to tears.

“I do. I knew coming here could get me killed, win. Even before I met you.”She sighed softly looking away from him, not about to think about how much she shouldn’t care for him. Not when her own grandfather would see her dead, before seeing her with a rival mafia son. Because she knew her grandfather would either be pissed that she was with Winston, or be pleased that Winston had managed to drag her back into this life. Either way, she was alive as long as she could hide. And that was the true reason she’d come….and it wasn’t just because of Winston. She knew she was going to get herself killed, but in the last few years as her life closed around her, she’d become suicidal. It was only after meeting Winston, starting to care for him, that she’d wanted to live.

And that scared her, because she was starting to care more for his life, then her own.

Annabel shook her head. "Stop lying to me," she murmured, "I know you are, so just stop."

Shifting down into the bed, she snuggled up against him and rest her head on his chest. Her arms wrapped around his waist, pulling herself into him with the desperate need to be comforted and protected. "I have a feeling that nothing your father does is on a whim," she murmured, tilting her head up to look in his eyes. Balthazar was a man who calculated every move he made, down to the detail... So why was it that he gave his youngest (and kindest) son the job of taking care of her? Why was it that he would give his son something to do that he knew he would most likely fail at in some way or another?

"Can we watch some television or something?" she murmured, letting out a side.

~*~

"Fuck," Winston grumbled, watching her break down. He was not good with his own emotions, let alone other people's emotions. It was one of the things that came from being raised under Balthazar's wing. His father kept his close for years, unlike Rhys, and he was taught to stay cold and aloof at all times.

However, she reminded him of the two people in his life that had taught him differently - who taught him to care and love for those around him. It was hard to reach inside of himself and pull out that little piece of vulnerability that his mother and sister left him with, but he did, something he never did for past girlfriends. When they would cry and moan about how life (while dating him) was unfair, he'd always have a drink and tune them out until they calmed down... He couldn't do that with Nyx.

Reaching over, he grabbed her by the arms and pulled her into his chest. One of his hands moved up to stroke his hair, and for a few long moments, the only noise that could be heard was the running shower.

"You were foolish in doing this, but it's done, and I guess we will have to deal with it," he sighed. He was never very good at saying the right things to comfort someone, but he was trying.

Rhys sighed as he rested his head on his hand, looking down at the woman as he laid on his side. “You could at least let me have the delusion that I’m making you feel better.”He muttered sighing softly as he studied her. Because he knew just as well as she did, that his father did few things on a whim, if he had been charged with Annabel’s care instead of Winston, who really would keep her as a captive and refuse to be kind, there had to be a reason.

“Yea. TV sounds good.”he said smiling a little as he shifted, drawing her close as he rolled onto his back, turning on the tv with a flick of the remote, flicking through the channels before landing on the tudors, closing his eyes as he relaxed, trying not to think about it to hard.

~~

Nyx winced as the man cursed, staring down at the floor as she wrapped her arms around herself, shuddering a little. Starting when the man pulled her into his arms she swallowed hard, shifting a little as she wrapped a arm around his waist, leaning into him. Treating him more like a real boyfriend then what one would expect from a cop pretending to date from him. She seemed completely incapable of separating her emotions from what she knew she should be feeling and what she really was feeling when dealing with him.

“Well, foolishness is a crime of the young.”She muttered teasing him a little about trying to be comforting, because despite the words, she did feel better, and at 24 she was still years away from being as world weary as he was. Though she knew this was a rare moment, when he tried to comfort someone, she knew they had to step back from the emotions, otherwise they were going to be in a even bigger mess when she dragged him down with her when his father found out who she was. Swallowing she rubbed a hand over her face, wiping the tears away before turning her head a little, nudging him a little. “Come on. Lets get a shower.”She offered him a small smile, though her eyes showed some lust, because who could look at him without lusting after him?- but mostly her eyes showed a need for a disconnect, to get away from the heavy emotions surrounding them.

Annabel snuggled against him, not saying another word. There was nothing left to say, only to try to get some rest. After all, Balthazar would be home the next day, and she was a smart enough girl to know that that was not a good thing for her... He had gone several days without getting some sort of delight in torturing his enemies daughter.

The next morning, when Rhys woke up, Annabel was sitting on the floor with the baby kitten in her arms. She was using a teaspoon to feed it some cream that came with the breakfast that the maids had just delivered. She was naked except for a button up shirt of Rhys', sitting cross-legged and cooking at the small animal. It was not so much that she didn't want to be snuggled up against Rhys this morning, or that she wasn't hungry, but feeding the kitten served as a better distraction.

~*~

"Well, you are quite young," WInston sighed, not that it made him feel any better. He didn't care to think that he was not only dragging a woman into his chaotic life, but a young woman - a woman young enough to have a full life a head of her.

He stepped into the shower and brought her along with him, standing beneath the spray of hot water. The water had his blond hair slicked back and his skin flushed. He began to soap up his body, trying to enjoy the shower, even though all he could do was stress and worry about what was going to happen...

Rhys rubbed a hand over his face as he sat up on a elbow looking at her sitting on the floor. “What are you doing down there? I should get attention this early in the morning.”He said pouting a little before stretching shifting he laid out on his stomach as he watched her with the cat, reaching out to the breakfast tray and snagging a piece of toast. Starting to eat even as he watched her. Frowning at the little bundle of fur in her lap, he tried to decide just how much he wanted to get rid of the thing. Knowing his father would want him to, Balthazar had always hated animals, never letting his sons keep any. So he just didn’t know if his feelings of annoyance over the kitten was because it was taking her attention off him, or because he just knew how his father would react.

~~

“You were supposed to laugh about dating a younger woman, not feel worse.”She grumbled looking up at him, poking him in the side a little. Smiling as he brought her under the water, she raised a hand to brush her blond hair out of her face, looking just as flushed as him as she started washing off. Considering what she could do to make him relax she smirked to herself even as she sank to her knees.

Winding her hair around her hand, making sure it would stay out of her way as she flicked it back over her shoulder she smirked up at him briefly, raising her eyebrows even as she slid her mouth down over his cock, sucking slowly. Closing her eyes as she worked, enjoying sucking him off as much as he probably was enjoying it. Relaxing herself by giving him pleasure. For once, it wasn’t about how good the sex could be between them, but the soft feelings she felt for him made her want to help him relax.

Annabel looked up at him and smiled, though it was not a happy one... It was a smile that said she had a lot on her mind.

"Oh, calm down," she murmured after snapping out of her thoughts, "He was meowing like crazy because he was hungry, and you were snoring away up until five minutes ago." She smirked and finished feeding the kitten before kissing its head and putting it back in the box. Standing up, she walked back over to the bed and sat down beside him, grabbing her plate of breakfast and nibbling on the pancakes. Since the night before, all she could think about was how this was the beginning of the end, and how absolutely cruel it was to have Rhys thrown into the mix. Balthazar should have just given her to his brother to take care of... Things wouldn't be so messy.

"Are you going to have to go see your father when he comes back?" she asked, turning to him after a moment.

~*~

Winston's eyes rolled into the back of his head as he leaned back against the glass wall of the shower. His hand moved down to tangle within her wet hair, grabbing it in a forceful (but not painful) grip. He groaned and started to buck his hips a little, much more commanding and forceful that his gentle brother. It seemed that Winston had had lots of instances where fucking was involved, but none with making love. His body was not programmed for it.

"Fuck... That's it..." His head lolled backwards, and he let his body and mind give in to what she was doing for a few moments, done with worrying for the night. It didn't take long for his orgasm to kick in, taking over his body. He jerked in her mouth, and without much warning, filled her mouth with his seed.

After recovering, he gently took her by the elbow and brought her into his arms, kissing her passionately. He picked her up, shut the water off, and walked out of the shower. Instead of going to the bed, he put her on the counter (still soaking wet) and sunk to his knees. Because he was so tall, the height of the counter was perfect, and he began to ravish her womanhood with his mouth. No gentle teasing, no caressing licks of the tongue... He went in full force, his fingers sawing in and out of her while he did so.

Rhys frowned a little as he looked at her, making a face. “Well, feed it, and I’ll go see if nyx will take it. Otherwise, we’ll go out today and drop it off at the pound.”He grumbled because he had every intention of getting rid of the cat, even if something gentle in his heart demanded that he let her keep it. Ruthlessly crushing it he sighed as he started to eat, before nodding. “Of course I will.”he said glancing at her, looking vaguely annoyed at the idea. Not so much because of the question, but because he didn’t want to consider what his father would think of what he was doing with her. No matter how much he tried to freeze her out, he wanted to take care of her.

Winston was right, he was the wrong son to be looking after her if Balthazar didn’t want protesting when he eventually killed her. Because, rhys was incapable of not liking women, especially if he was sleeping with them.

~~**~~

Nyx moaned a little around him, squirming slightly as he grabbed her hair, smirking around him as he bucked into her mouth, rolling her eyes up to look up at the long lean body to watch his face. Gasping a little as the man came into her mouth she backed away, choking slightly as she swallowed, having not be totally prepared for it. Swallowing she wiped her mouth, starting a little as he pulled her to her feet. Kissing him back she tangled her long fingers in his hair, kissing him back just as passionately.

Yelping as her ass landed on the cold marble, she shuddered as she watched him, a slight frown on her face. She hadn’t sucked him off with the intent of having him repay the favor, but she wasn’t about to protest it if he wanted to repay it. Shivering as the coolness of the marble started to make her cold she shuddered a little, shifting to rest her legs over his shoulder, trying to warm herself up even as she moaned, fingers tangling in his hair as she squirmed as he ravished her, whimpering quietly.

Pressing her heels against his back to bring him closer she moaned, her head falling back as she shuddered. No matter how much she wanted to lean back as just enjoy his mouth, she couldn’t, because she didn’t want to lay back on the marble, caught between desires she squirmed, moaning as she came, eyes widening as she slumped bonelessly into the mirror, no longer caring how cold she was, only caring what he was doing with his mouth. Whimpering as she gently ran her fingers through his hair, closing her eyes as she basked in the afterglow of her orgasm.

"If you take it to the pound, they'll kill it, Rhys," Annabel said, shooting him a look. Her lip quivered at the idea of the poor kitten being put to death because someone simply didn't want it. One could say that Annabel had bonded with the kitten for that very reason...

At that moment, Rhys' cell phone started to ring. When he picked up, it was Balthazar on the other line:

"Rhys," the older man greeted. He sounded like he was in a good mood, and he was. In fact, at that very moment, he was sitting on his plane and drinking a martini. A girl was in his lap, lounging about. No one said that Balthazar had an easy life, but he sure had a luxurious one. "I am flying home as we speak. I'd like for you to meet me down stairs when we land. One of my clients has a very specific girl in mind, and I know exactly who to send over to him, so I brought him a long to give her a look. Get the redhead out of cage 57 and meet me in the downstairs parlor. Make sure she's cleaned up, and bind her hands. The little bitch is a fighter."

Balthazar took a sip of his martini. "Just lock the Abernathy girl up in my bedroom while you are busy and leave her there. I have plans for her tonight."

~*~

Standing up, Winston wiped his mouth clean and reached up to pick her up in his arms. Once back in the bedroom, he laid her in the bed and crawled in beside her, holding her close as they both fell asleep. No other word needed to be said, because he didn't know how he felt. Not at all. He wanted her, and then he wanted to make her leave to save her... He was so conflicted with emotions that all there was to do was to try and sleep, and leave his worries for the morning.

When he woke up in the morning, his head was rested on Nyx's chest, snug beneath both her breasts. It seemed that he slept well the night before, and in the process, snuggled into her. He had never been much of a snuggler, but that being said, she was one of the few women he actually let sleep/i] in his bed.

"Morning," he grumbled, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. He reached over at pushed the button on the intercom, calling for coffee, then laid back down. How did the night go by so quickly? Soon enough, his father would be home, and things were going to go down hill from there.

Rhys sighed looking at her.”We’ll see.”He grumbled watching the cat purr before sighing, wincing as his phone started to ring. He knew who it had to be, and he didn’t want to already start facing the music. His stomach twisted at his father’s words,”Good morning father.”he said smiling a little before sighing softly as he stood, already reaching for his clothes to get ready. “I’ll have her ready. Anything else?”He said running his fingers through his hair.

Wincing at the further instructions she swallowed hard, trembling a little.”Any requests for clothes then, father?”He said glancing at Annabel, pain flickering through his eyes. He didn’t want to send her to his father, but he also knew that he had no choice. If he protested, his father would realize just how attached he was, and treat her even worse as a lesson to him.

~~

Nyx stirred a little as he woke, looking slightly startled to find the man snuggling against her. She’d known he wasn’t much of a cuddler, so to find his tall body wrapped up around her, was odd. “Morning.”she muttered watching him as she yawned, snuggling back down into the bed, it was so rare that she got to lounge around all morning, that she liked being here just for that. Having someone to wake up to, even if their relationship was complicated and arranged, was nice. Refusing to look at the hurt that twisted her stomach at the idea that this meant nothing to him, or at least it should, made her sick. She knew they were both emotionally involved, but she had no idea what to do about it. She knew that there was nothing good going to come from this, even if they had sorta a relationship. This was so messed up.

“When’s your dad getting home?”She muttered running her fingers through his blond hair as he laid back down, relaxing. Refusing to consider the complex feelings between them, instead of focusing on what happened next.

Balthazar smirked on the other line, quite pleased with his youngest son's attitude. It seemed Rhys had potential. "Clothes? Don't worry about them, Son. She doesn't need them. Just shove her into my rooms and make sure the cameras are on. I don't want her to try anything funny." He leaned back in his seat, taking a sip of his martini. The girl that was on his lap started to sink to her knees on the floor, unbuttoning his slacks and releasing his throbbing member. Balthazar was quite turned on just thinking about what he'd do to the foolish detective's daughter. "I have to go, Rhys. Just make sure every thing is in order. Tell the kitchen to have brunch ready when I arrive." With that, he hung up.

Annabel looked up at him, her eyebrows knitted together. "What did he want?"

~*~

"Soon," Winston grumbled, standing up from the bed in all of his naked glory. He bent down to grab a pair of sweat pants and slid them on before walking out to the balcony. He had not been awake for five minutes, and he was already stressed out enough to smoke. Lighting a cigarette, he leaned back on the railing and looked into the room at her... He was silent for a long time, puffing at his cigarette. It was clear he was thinking hard about something...

He put his cigarette out and huffed. "We have to make sure my father knows that this is all not an act," he said, "Especially now that I know about... Well, your background. We can't make him suspect a thing. He's a busy man, so as long as we work hard to be genuine, he'll trust me. I've never done anything to give him doubt. Well, until now." He walked back into the bedroom and into his closet, going straight toward the wall safe. With a few turns, he unlocked it and pulled out a box. Part of this felt very wrong, but he wasn't thinking rationally. Hell, he wasn't even sure what side he was on anymore. All he knew was that he wanted to keep Nyx alive in this mess of his life.

He sat on the edge of the bed and looked down at her, opening a box that had his grandmother's engagement ring inside. His mother had worn it before she died, and the only reason Balthazar let him keep it was because it had been his Grandma Skarsgard's ring first.

"We are going to be engaged," he said, "Believe it or not, that's something I've never done - ask someone to marry me. Even Rhys should be taken off guard by this."

Rhys winced a little as he rubbed a hand over his face, but making sure that his voice didn’t show anything of how he was feeling.”I’ll see you son father.And I will, don’t worry.”He said shuddering a little as he hung up, wincing a little at the sound of annabel’s voice. Swallowing hard as he looked at her he tried to figure out how to say what he wanted to before deciding that there was no use sugar coating things, he’d just have to be blunt.

“I have to go get one of the girls ready for a client of my fathers.”He said before swallowing hard, looking her over before standing and moving to look down at her, leaning to kiss her softly, wrapping her in a hug, the action saying that whatever he was going to say, was going to get him hit, and he didn’t want to give her the chance to hit for. “And he wants you to wait in his rooms for him naked.”He said shuddering a little.

~~

Nyx flinched at his tone, shifting t olean back against the headboard as she watched him. Feeling bad for bringing it up now, watching him smoke the woman didn’t want to consider what he was thinking so hard about when it was obvious that he was thinking about her. Wincing again at the mention of her background she swallowed, trembling a little. While the woman knew that she’d been reckless about coming her to help him, the cops were going to make him pretend to be with someone no matter what, and she had known she could pretend to be part of this life more then anyone else. Even if she was afraid of failing, and getting him killed.

Looking startled as he came back in she watched him in bemusement, trying to figure out what he was doing. Eyes widening as she saw the ring, “….Win, are you sure?This… this is going to be hard.”She muttered looking worried about it even as she picked up the ring, looking at it even as she slid onto her finger.”Its so beautiful win.”She muttered.

Annabel was in shock, going still in his arms for a few moments... "H-he wants to see me?" she whimpered, "Why?" She bit her lip and leaned into him, taking the comfort he was willing to give for the time being... She knew this was coming, so she wasn't sure exactly why she was so surprised. Maybe it was the fear of the situation that had truly gotten to her. What was he going to do to her? Whip her again? Rape her? Annabel had never been one to understand why people commit suicide, but she was starting to. Anything, even death, seemed better than continuing on with a life like this. Sure, she felt bonded to Rhys - If the situation were different, she was sure that she'd be the happiest girl in the world to have his affection. However, he was not just any handsome, charming, kind guy... He was the son of the man who was making her life a living hell, and the chances of them being together was slim to none.

"Can I at least take my book?" she whispered, pulling back to look at him with watery eyes. Reaching over, she grabbed the book she had been reading off the night stand and frowned, hoping he'd at least give her something to distract herself with while she waited in Balthazar's rooms.

~*~

Winston looked at her a smirked, shaking his head. "Am I sure?" he asked, "It doesn't really matter right now, Nyx. This entire situation is not exactly built on rational decisions." He took her hand, looking at the ring on her finger. It was a beautiful ring, and it fit her finger perfectly... "I was my mother's," he admitted, swallowing hard. It was always so hard to talk about his dear mother, a woman who was far too kind to have ever been with his father. She loved her three kids with her whole heart, and Winston adored her. However, sometimes he was bitter about being the only child of the three that had actually seen her murder take place. It made for a rough childhood, simple because he always had that dark secret hanging over his head.

"It was my grandmother's as well, which explains the style," he said, "It was made in the 20's. My grandfather was a bootlegger. He made an insane amount of money... And I guess you could say that his type of business influenced my father's."

Rhys nodded as he dipped his head resting his cheek against her hair, curling that tall lean body against her, hating himself and hating his father for doing this to her. Though he hated himself a little more, at least his father didn’t know better, he knew better then to let this happen and he was still taking her to her father. Swallowing hard as he sighed, stepping back as she looked down at him. Looking like he was considering it before nodding.”…yes. As long as you’re not dressed, he shouldn’t care.”He said after a moments thought, “come on.We better get you down there, I still have to get the girl ready.”he said looking nervous as he headed for the door.

~~

“Well, that’s true.”she muttered watching him look at her hand, her eyes softening a little, “I like it better then any of the modern bands I’ve seen.”She said before laughing quietly. “Well, that explains so much about your father.”She snickered before growing serious, watching his face. “You miss her. I’m sorry…”She whispered, even not knowing what happened to his mother, she could tell it was hard for him to not have the mother he’d obviously adored. Looking down at her hand again, she pulled her hand away, sliding the ring off, holding it back towards him.

“I can’t. Winston, we cant.”she shuddered a little, looking away from him. “You deserve to marry someone who loves you and you her. I cant take this.”She said reaching out, gently touching his face even as she slid her fingers through his hair before moving away from him, feeling heartsore and pained. She knew that it was a foregone conclusion if they pretended this, they’d probably end up married, and he didn’t deserve that. He deserved someone he could love, and she had no doubt that it wasn’t her. And that if they pretended this, Balthazar would expect them to start planning a wedding.

Annabel nodded and shakily moved to her feet, taking the book along with her as she walked behind him. Once they made it to his father's rooms, she turned around and embraced him, giving him a passionate kiss on the lips. She wanted him to remember her this way... "I'll see you later," she whispered, then swallowed hard.

When he was gone, Annabel went to work on her plan. See, she was thinking very hard about something this morning, and she was very concentrated on her book the night before. In the book, she had circled random words... But if you read the random circled words left to right, it was a message to Rhys:

"I'm so sorry. This has nothing to do with you. You have to understand that I had to at least try to get out of here. And I hope that you will one day understand that not being like your father is a good thing. You are better than him."

Annabel put a bookmark on the page her message was on, then went into Balthazar's closet. There were not many perks to being a detectives daughter, but she did learn a few useful things. She knew how to pick a lock, to open a locked safe, and to silence a gun... And that's exactly what she was about to do.

Once in Balthazar's closet, she sighed in relief at the sight of the wall safe and immediately went to work on getting it open. She quickly grabbed a stack of bills and a handgun, making sure it was loaded and had a silencer on it. When she got to the door, she picked the lock with the paper clip that was around the money, and sprinted down the hall and toward Rhys' room. She tossed the book on to his bed, knowing he'd find it, then ran toward his closet to grab some of his ex girlfriends clothes, finding some jeans, shoes, and a sweater.

She quickly shoved the money into the band of her jeans and ran out toward the hall way. There was two guards, but she didn't hesitate before shooting them in the head with the silenced gun. She had no time to be sensitive. She needed to get out.

Once she had passed the guards, ran down the stairs, took two more guards out with her gun, and sprinted toward the car garage. Luckily enough, Balthazar had so many cars that he kept the keys to most of them on a wall in the garage, making it easy for Annabel to grab the keys to an Aston Martin Vanquish... Tossing the money and gun into the passenger seat, she started the car and sped off down the winding high way, driving straight through the guarded gate, and off toward the highway.

And she was bawling her eyes out... Because despite the fact that (for the moment) she was free, she was heartbroken over leaving Rhys behind.

~*~

Winston huffed and shook his head, handing the ring back to her. "We have to," he said simply. He took her hand and slipped the ring back on her finger, his head leaning into her hand in an uncharacteristically vulnerable manner. Closing his eyes, he sighed. "I do miss her. She was a very kind woman who deserved much better..." He opened his eyes to look at Nyx, analyzing her and trying to decide if he could tell her the one thing he'd never told anyone, not even his own brother. Swallowing hard, his eyes dropped to their hands, glancing at his mother's ring.

"My brother thinks that my mother died of illness," he sighed, "Something like that... He was just so young when she died, and for some reason, I couldn't bring myself to ever tell him that our father blew her brains out for having an affair with the principal of my elementary school - a man who was a much better man than my father could ever be. Genuine, respectable..." He tightened his grip on her hand, as if telling her was extremely painful to do. "I feel guilty for that everyday, for not telling him, but I was young too, and my father made it very clear that I was to never tell Rhys or Ginger. He wanted those two children to see him in a better light. It was me who he wanted to see the dark side of everything, being the oldest and all."

He stood up and grabbed a cigarette out of his pocket, lighting it up and taking a drag. It was now clear why Winston was so much differed - so much colder- than Rhys.

By the time she got to the highway a sleek black viper was driving behind her, riding her ass so close that if she’d tapped the breaks he would have kissed her bumper. Getting interrupted in the middle getting a girl ready his father had pissed rhys off, waiting until the woman got to the highway before pulling up beside her, watching her instead of the road as he drove, knowing that this time of day it would be mostly clear this stretch, pointing at her and then the next exit. He wasn’t stupid, if he really did let her go, he was going to get his ass killed, and their Winston sicced on her to bring her back. He wasn’t going to die for nothing.

~~

Nyx frowned watching him, her eyes going sad as he leaned into her, gently running her fingers through his hair. Watching him because she sensed something was wrong beyond just this proposal. Her jaw dropped a little at his words, trying to find the words to offer comfort, yelping slightly as the man tightened his grip on her hand, before curling her fingers around him. Swallowing as she sighed, studying the man in front of her.

“You were a child, in a impossible situation.Even now… it would hurt him worse to know that he hadn’t known, win, you did the right thing.”She muttered though she didn’t sound so sure, she was still making the effort to comfort him. Just as bad at comforting people as he was. Looking sick at the idea of what Balthazar had gotten away with. It was…horrifying to consider the mmobster had gotten away with killing a woman and nothing had ever been done. Watching him smoke she sighed quietly, tilting her head as she studied him, wanting to distract him.

“We should go out for a date. You know, do the whole celebrating engagement thing.”she said studying him, feeling helpless and like a idiot for saying it as soon as she did say it, but she wanted to distract him, to do something for him besides think about his mother

Annabel looked over, her eyebrows knitted together. She wiped away her tears and shook her head, pressing the gas to the floor board and speeding passed him, heading toward an exit that would get her out of the state - the same exit his sister did the night she tried to runaway... Of course, she was surprised to see he had caught up to her so quickly, but she was too far into her plan to stop now. No, she needed to get out of there. It was her only chance.

However, she barely made it out of New York before her gas tank became devastatingly empty, and the sports car slowed to a stop on the side of the interstate. When the car stopped, she slapped on the horn in frustration, then leaned her head against the steering will. Her shoulders were shaking with her sobs. She could see his headlights in her rear view mirror, but she made no move to get out of the car. All she did was cry, so upset with herself for getting so close... so close to escaping.

~*~

Winston took a drag from his cigarette, then leaned on to the railing. The heel of his hand rubbed into his eyes. He was tired, guilty, and frustrated. "I know I was a child, but Rhys deserves to know... When the right moment comes along," he said, "But, it's a good chance that it will never come around." He shrugged and put out the cigarette, moving back into the bedroom. He took her hand and gently pulled her up into his arms, bending his tall body down to press his face into her neck. This was out of the norm for him, of course, but he was feeling particularly vulnerable now that he talked about his mother... He craved her comfort, and he had never craved comfort from a woman. Not like this.

"I'll text Rhys and let him know we'll be out for the night," he murmured, "We can go out for drinks and get a hotel in the city. I'll tell him we are celebrating. It will give us an excuse to get the fuck out of here for a night." With that, he pulled away and went to grab a bag out of the closet.

Rhys cursed as he followed after her, looking fairly annoyed that he was having to drive. Though he wasn’t about to force her to wreck the car, he was still following. Pulling in behind her he got out of the car, walking over to hers and yanking the door open. “Get out. Now.”He growled anger in his voice and none of the softness she was used to. Leaning into the car he undid her seatbelt before jerking her roughly out of the car, barely pausing long enough to lock up the car before dragging her back towards his car.

Not even bothering to yell at her, because he was so beyond words that he had no idea what was going to come out of his mouth if he tried. Opening the passenger door he looked at the girl he was holding.”In.”he said, his voice coming out in those short sentences that said he was so beyond pissed he wasn’t trusting himself to talk more.

~~

Nyx leaned against the sliding door as she watched him, sighing softly. “you’ll find it Winston.”She muttered watching him before tensing as he curled that tall body around hers, hesitating a moment as she tried to figure out what he wanted from her before wrapping her arms around his waist, absently stroking his muscular back as he leaned into her. Turning her head a little she rested her head in the curve of his neck, sighing softly in pleasure. Even if she shouldn’t enjoy it, she enjoyed being held by him, even they were both feeling vulnerable, they were in this together, and she was enjoying it.

“A hotel sounds nice. Especially with a nice big bed.”She teased nudging him a little, trying to get a smile, wading out of the emotional stuff and into more light hearted things. Smiling as he pulled away from her she got a few of her things together two, biting her lip a little as she considered it before putting the red lacy dress he’d liked so much on. Figuring the sight of so much skin and clinging fabric would be the distraction he needed.Besides, it made her feel really, really hot to see him reacting to her, and wearing the bright red ‘fuck me’ heels, the woman was devastating. She was so looking forward to going out with him.

Annabel was thrashing around in his grasp, trying her damnedest to get away. She was desperate, and she was scared. Now that she saw he was so angry, she was afraid she may have lost the one person who was at least kind to her... "Rhys! Please! I can't go back there. I can't! He's going to kill me!" she sobbed, jerking her arm from his grasp. When she managed to get out of his hold, she made a run for it, sprinting into the open field beside the highway, running as fast as she could. She was a fast runner after all, being the star of her track team back in the day...

However, eventually, she tripped over a stick and tumbled to the ground. And instead of trying to get up, she put her head in her hands and began to cry all over again, not even looking back up at him when he managed to catch up to her.

"I want to go home..." she cried, sniffing and wiping her eyes.

~*~

Winston smirked a bit at the sight of the dress, walking out of his closet dressed in one of his Armani sues. His eyes looked her over with interest. "That's still my favorite," he murmured, then called for a couple guards to come up and get their suitcases. "Come on. We have to get out of here before my father gets a chance to read my text and try to get me to stay and help with something. I think Rhys can deal with one night on his own..." He frowned at that, not liking the idea of leaving his brother alone at the mansion, but he had to remember that Rhys was an adult...

“I don’t fucking care what you want Annabel. You’re going to get us both killed, and for nothing. Do you think he really would let you go, even if you got away?”Rhys scowled as he jerked her back to her feet, though a little more gentle as he walked back towards the car, opening the door and pushing her inside. “Now. Stay put.”he growled as he shut the door and walking around the car, and getting in. silent for awhile, sincing a little as he heard the text tone on his phone, figuring it was his father wondering how it was going, relaxing a little when he saw it was just from Winston, which might not be any easier. Tossing the phone into his lap as he drove, not about to try and read a text going over 100 miles a hour. “Read that to me.”he said his voice gentle again even as he forced himself to calm down.

~~

Nyx blushed a little as she looked him over, smirking as the guards came upstairs.”Don’t think about it. We’ll never get out of here if we do that.”She muttered smirking as she leaned up to steal a kiss before smiling,”I’m sure he can. Come on, you deserve one night out on the town to celebrate getting married.”She teased a little, though still disturbed at the idea, she wanted to distract him from everything, which meant she was sooo going to seduce him in public somewhere. Definitely while they were out having drinks. She had a feeling he had a kinky side, and having sex in public when they could be arrested for it just got her motor running.

Heading downstairs with him, she smiled as she slid into the car, smirking as she watched him slide into the car, looking amused as she considered something, wondering if she dared.

Annabel sniffed and took his phone, reading over the message from his brother. "Its says, 'Hey, I'm going to be taking Nyx to a hotel in the city for the night. I asked her to marry me, and she said yes, so we are out celebrating. Let me know if you need anything. I'll just be in Manhattan.'"

She looked up at him, biting her lip. "Sounds like your brother is engaged," she said, before swallowing hard and looking out the window. If the doors were not locked, she was sure she would have thrown herself out of the car and on to the open high way. No part of her wanted to return to the mansion, only to have Balthazar have his way with her. However, she didn't have a choice. All she could do was hope he'd spare her.

Reaching into the waist band of her jeans, she pulled out the gun and money she stole from the safe. "Here," she said, putting it in the back seat. "I guess I don't need th-." She stopped mid sentence, her eyes going wide. "Fuck." She turned to him and shook her head. "Rhys, you can't take me back. I killed two guards... You're father will notice something happened, and he'll kill me for sure."

~*~

Winston reached over and put his hand on her knee. "I've got my own room in the Ritz Carlton," he said, as if it were no big deal, "We can stop by there and drop our bags off, then got get drinks down in the lobby. I could use a few strong ones..." He started off toward the highway, relaxing at the idea of a nice night out.

He cut his eyes at her as they drove. "What on earth are you plotting?" he asked, raising is eyebrow.

Rhys nearly jerked the car off the road as he looked over at her, startled at the words before straightening out again and driving. “No, it sounds like my brother’s lost his ever loving mind. He cant marry her.”He scowled, not just worried about his brother, but for the girl it was obvious Winston cared about, worried that nyx wouldn’t live up to what Balthazar wanted from the woman Winston married.

Cursing at her words he kept driving, before shaking his head.”Annabel, I have to. I’ll claim I did it, got in a fight with them or something, since we haven’t heard about it yet, or winston’s not yelling about it, you killed them off camera. He’ll never know its not me. But if we don’t get back, he’ll send Winston after us, and I wont put Winston in the position of choosing to let me go, or bringing me home to get killed. I’ll take the risk for both of us going back.”he said as he got off the highway and taking the movie from her, heading back to the house, looking even more worried then before.

~*~*~*

Nyx’s eyes widened a little at the idea that he just had a permanent room at the ritz. That was vaguely disturbing in the idea of just how much money that was. Nodding at his words she smiled.”I could use a drink to.”She said smiling before tilting her head, offering him a innocent smile. “Why do you think I’m plotting something?”She said smiling as she shifted in her seat, squirming closer to him, glad that the car had a bench seat instead of bucket seats since it meant she could get close enough to do what she’d been considering.

Resting her head on his shoulder, she smirked as she dropped a hand to his lap, fingers absently playing with his belt buckle.”Just how good is your control?”She muttered teasing him, having every intention of making sure he forgot everything but how good he was feeling for the night.