Chapter 11- Breaking In

His lips are warm and soft, but the kiss is anything but gentle. He applies so much pressure I have to push against him to keep myself from laying back on the table, planting my hands behind me as firm pillars of support.

I'm trying hard to keep up with him, but I've never really done this before. I can't think about what this means right now, so instead I find myself lost in this breathless kiss.

When we break away, my face is red and I'm gasping for breath. Insecurities and worries fill my head. What if I wasn't any good at it, and he just thought it was gross? I can't bring myself to look up at him.

"Bella," he growls next to my ear, "Look at me."

I force my flaming face to look up, and his dark eyes sink into mine. I finally find my words, not finished with my previous point. "I'm- um, I'm not done with our talk," I get out between breaths.

His laughs a smooth, gentle sound that I would love to hear again. "Okay then, talk away."

I pout a little. "Everyone will think I'm some... slut now," recoiling at the 'S' word.

"Don't think that. They won't," he twirls the ends of my hair, then his face darkens, "I really am sorry," his voice dropping a few levels.

"I need to change your bandages soon," I muse in an effort to rid the painful topic. I don't want to think about it at all anymore.

"We can't right now, I have to go," he backs away a little, "People will get suspicious. I'll be by later tonight though."

"I don't know if that's a good idea..." I frown.

"Don't worry, I have a plan," he winks, then backs away and is gone.

I'm immediately cold without his presence, not enjoying the sudden solitude of the room. I gape at the events that have unfolded, so many different emotions coursing through me. But out of all of them, only one thought gets snagged in my mind.

I carefully scan each corner, checking twice just to be sure. Only when I'm absolutely positive do I make my conclusion.

There's no security camera's in this room.

*****

Shower water beats down on my head, my attempt at muffling the odd noises in the ceiling. I first suspected broken pipes, but the shower I'm currently taking disproves that theory. Maybe the AC?

Its to late at night for anyone to come fix it, and I'm surely not the only one experiencing the situation, so its not worth saying anything.

I step out in to my room, cold air hitting my exposed skin. The towel around my body does little to shelter me from the temperature in here. It's certainly colder than usual tonight.

But something else is wrong too. I can't pin down what exactly, but the unease drives me straight to my closet to dress.

I slip on a sweatshirt and shorts, hoping to warm up a bit. I feel better, but when I lay down on my bed I notice the noises in the celling getting louder and more prominent. Like they're right above me.

Then something falls from my ceiling. And another. Is the whole ceiling about to fall in? How many tons of stone are above me at this exact moment?

I see a third fall, and realize the screws are falling from the large air vent overhead. My blood runs cold and I freeze. Someone is trying to sneak into my room. They probably think I'm asleep. What are they planning to do to me?

I creep carefully across the carpet, stepping as lightly as I can. The fourth screw drops. How many more are there?

I grab my shampoo bottle, as it's heavy and.... I don't know. I can't find anything else! My pulse throbs so hard I can feel it in the side of my neck. I just have to swing really hard.

The fifth and sixth nail drop, and then the grate is shifted out of place. I hold the bottle over my shoulder like a bat, ready to swing at the first person who drops down.

A small, swift blur streaks down from the ceiling, and I swing. A thunk sounds through the room, and Cidney's small frame knocks to the side. "Anna!" She shrieks.

I scramble to help her up. "Oh my god, Cidney! I'm so sorry I thought someone was breaking in!"

"Well we technically are, but," She staggers to her feet.

My face crumples in confusion. "We?"

Right on cue, Lusso swings down. As his arms are stretched up above his head, I don't miss the painful wince he sighs out.

He lands on his feet, and watches me with a smirk. "Told you I'd come see you tonight."

"Lusso! You guys scared the shit out of me!" I exclaim, dropping the shampoo bottle to my side. I finally let go of the breathe I was holding, and try to relax my body.

He chuckles. "Sorry, Bella." Oh he is so not sorry.

I almost blush at his laugh, instead of scolding him like I'm supposed to for calling me Bella. What is wrong with me?

Lusso turns to Cidney. "Thank you again, Cidney. You need help up?" Cidney looks confused for a moment, but agrees. She steps on his hand and is hauled into the vent. She sets the grate back over it, leaving Lusso and I alone.

"I snuck some new bandages from the wing," I say, walking into the bathroom to retrieve them. Last night I used bandages I had left over from my injuries, as I was given some back up after my injuries in case of a tear.

I return to find Lusso already shirtless on the bed, and around the gauze I trace every one of his muscles with my eyes.

When I finally pull my eyes away, I find him watching me with a smirk. "Like what you see, Bella?"

Shit, he caught me. My face burns and I look away, feeling light headed and giddy. He laughs, then shakes his head. "Sorry," I mutter, not able to think of any other decent response.

"I know you think it's hot," he winks, and I want to die. Why is it so hot when he simply winks at me?

But I hold it together, and roll my eyes. "Whatever you want to believe, King."

His deep chuckles rumbles the room, and I make my way over to check his back. I peel the bloodied wrap away from his sensitive skin, and he breathes a sharp gasp.

The actually slices themselves seem fine, but the skin around them... Well, no so much.

"Lusso, how much time passed between the time these happened to the time I cleaned them?" I asked softly, breaking the stiff silence between us.

"You mean from the first round or the second?" he replied, obviously uncomfortable with the question.

"What do you mean the first round or the second? This happened twice?" Horror was surely written on my face, and I know I felt the blood drain from my skin.

"I was lashed in sets, Bella," he gave an excruciating attempt at a smile, "But it was cleaned after the first," his face falls.

"Cleaned with what?" I think I'm going to faint, and cry, and kill the person responsible for this.

"Salt water."

"They poured salt water on your lash wounds? Th-that's so... barbaric! Who did this?" I yell. This wasn't a beating. This was torture. Someone intentionally tortured him over a period of time. And somehow the mafia king couldn't fight back? This isn't right.

"It's not important. You shouldn't have had to see me like this," he almost whispers, and hangs his head.

I rack my brain for a response, but can't think of anything to say. The shame so evident in his tone destroys me, and I want so badly to mend this all for him. But I can't, not like that, so instead I let my body take over, and my instincts to comfort lead the way.

My hand tenderly cups his face, and I feel him sink into it. He gazes up at me under his dark lashes, and he the emotions written in his eyes tell me he's utterly vulnerable to me. "There's absolutely nothing wrong with you. After everything you've done to help me, I owe you."

And I meant it. As crazy as that is, when I really break it down, none of Lusso's actions have truly been malicious. He took me away from my home, yes, but he kept me alive. It would have been so much simpler to kill me, but instead he found a reason to let me live. He took me out of my chambers that first night here, and let me sleep in his bed then and to recover.

Why he's done all this for me, I really have no clue. But I do know I have a debt, and I also have a feeling. A feeling that Lusso isn't evil, and that he to, is a piece of prey in this compound.