"Then do it," I breathe. "Fuck me again."

He laughs to himself, turns away. "Not yet. But soon, I promise you. I'll make you feel it soon. Now eat up. I want you strong for later." Then, I hear the door open, and I assume he steps outside.

I nod. My heart is already racing at the prospect of this illustrious "later," so I eat my breakfast as quickly as possible. I look out at the marble walls, my eyes moving across the painful darkness of the room, and once again, I find myself wondering if I'll ever get out, or if, when the time comes, I'll even want to anymore. Sebastian is still trying to save me, and I know he will keep me here until he's certain I'm safe. But in a really twisted way, I'm starting to like being his captive. I like having him all to myself. I like when he kisses me, when he fucks me, and now I want more.

But what if it's not enough?

I'm busy contemplating the possibility as soon as I hear the cars pull up.

Cars.

As in, multiple cars.

As in, not Sebastian.

My whole body freezes. My stomach goes tight, and my heart thrums in my chest. The whole safe house is dark and empty, but there doesn't appear to be anyone here. "Sebastian?" I call, fear clinging to my voice. Shit. Where is Sebastian? Did he leave the safe house? I don't even remember. Shit shit shit. I was too busy thinking about fucking him again that I don't even remember where he went.

Car doors slam outside, and I hear men barking orders, running outside. They're definitely not anyone Sebastian's friends with. And definitely not here to be especially friendly to us, either.

Shit. I glance around the room desperately, searching for a weapon, a hiding place, anything to protect myself with. But I can't even remember where Sebastian keeps the guns. Oh god, where does he keep the guns? My heart is thudding in my chest now, and I jump off the bed, heading straight to the one place of protection I see: the bathroom.

The men are circling the safe house now. I can tell by the crunch of their boots outside, by the nearing sounds of their shouts. But there is no sign of Sebastian. My heart moves faster and faster. My head has started throbbing. Where is he? Where is Sebastian? Fuck fuck fuck. There is no way I stand a chance unless he comes.

I dart straight into the bathroom as I hear the men loading their guns outside, then slowly circling the building, starting in the back first.

I'm going to die. I know it then. Just like that.

I'm. going. to. die.

There is no way out and these men are after me, and I don't even know why. My whole body shakes as I slip into the bathroom and start to close the door behind me, inching back to the shower and behind the curtain, when the front door explodes open and a burst of sunlight fills the room, blinding me.

At first my heart stops, because I think it's the men, here to kill me. But then I see Sebastian running toward me, slamming the door behind him and calling my name, guns in his hands. He tosses me a machine gun as soon as he reaches me in the bathroom, keeping me protected behind his back with his hand.

The men have full circled the building now, and I hear them shouting to each other, saying words I don't understand.

I take the gun gingerly, trying to find the safety, and when I do, I immediately click it off. I cock the gun and load it, listening as a single bullet shell falls out and clinks against the tile bathroom floor. I barely know how to shoot the damn thing. I just hope like hell they are no different than shooting a handgun.

"Who are they?" I hiss to Sebastian, whose eyes are wild now, glancing back between me and the front of the safe house.

The men reached the front door now. I can hear them circling it. "They're in here!" someone shouts, and then more shouts I can't make out follow. The next thing I know, something is banging on the door.

They're trying to break in!

My head spins. My heart just keeps pounding. And I just start shaking my head, because I can't die this way. I can't die yet. I can't die here, like this.

"They're men working for Marco, the drug dealer who hired me," he says quietly, eyes transfixed on the door. "They're here to kill us."

The pounding on the door gets louder and louder, and I hear something cracking, the heartbreaking sound of the marble door starting to give way. My heart sinks. I squeeze my eyes shut. This can't be happening. This can't fucking be happening. I'm going to die and I don't even know why.

"Tell me why," I say desperately. The sound of rock cracking has gotten louder. "Tell me why they want to kill me."

"No." His eyes stay fixed on the front of the safe house. He leans against the door of the bathroom, gun raised, ready to fire. He keeps me behind him with his hand, making sure I'm out of range of the gunfire. "I promised not to tell you."

"Promised who?" I ask, needing some sort of answer, but he doesn't respond.

The cracking turns to shattering, and more yelling follows, and I know it's only a matter of time now before they break in. My heart races furiously. I need to get out of here. I need out, now. "Stay behind the shower curtain," Sebastian says suddenly. "Stay tucked away. They may not even know you're here. They'll kill me, but they may not stick around to find you."

My eyes go wide. "No, Sebastian. I'm not leaving you. I'm not ever leaving you."

The shattering turns desperate, urgent, and I know the door is one hit away from breaking.

Sebastian whips his head around. "Don't do this, angel," he pleads. "Don't throw your life away for me. Please. We still have time."

Crack.

"I'm not being left alone again," I say. "I'm not leaving anyone else behind."

But before Sebastian has time to argue, the front wall to the safe house has completely shattered, and a giant silver truck comes crashing in through it, right into the safe house. Guns start blazing immediately, and the whole room goes up in an explosion of shouts and shattering rock and gunshots everywhere.

My heart races and I feel like this is the end, this is how I'm going to die. Sebastian says, "Are you ready?" and I whisper, "Yes" and then the next thing I know he's leaping out of his place in the bathroom and letting off a round of gunshots at the men. I hear someone scream, hear more shouts, and then a round of gunshots are showered at Sebastian, one narrowly missing him.

He stands behind the door and reloads, then peeks his head out to see if the coast is clear. I watch him with a mix of awe and horror as he jumps into the clearing and releases another round of bullets, his eyes burning with something bright and oddly… satisfied? More screams come from the entrance, and I know he's hit another man, maybe two. The gunfire from the other side keeps on going, growing faster, more intense. Sebastian has to dive for cover to avoid getting hit.

The blood in my head pumps and pumps, and I feel like I'm going to be sick but the adrenaline racing through my body keeps me focused. I know I have to do this. I know have to end these men. I know have to, for me and Sebastian. For us.

Then, for a second, the gunshots stop. Everything goes silent. Sebastian turns to me, his eyes wild, and whispers, "Go, angel. Run to the bed and shoot. This is our chance," and I feel my stomach heaving, but I have no choice but to obey him. Together, we burst out of the hiding place behind the door, turn to face the painfully bright front of the safe house, and shoot. I shoot blindly, letting all of the bullets out of the gun and barely keeping myself from stumbling back. I barely know how to operate the gun. I shoot as I run to the bed, sure I'm missing everyone, but I know Sebastian has hit a few because I hear more screams of men hitting the ground. The gunshots come right back at us, earsplitting, shattering the wall behind me and reverberating throughout the room. I dive for cover behind the bed, panting and gasping, and Sebastian is right there behind me. My head pounds and my heart races, but I feel alive somehow, scared and horrified but so freaking alive.