I felt my body being shaken roughly. I desperately wanted to slap whoever it was for thinking they could just manhandle someone lying on the ground with blood running down their face. My eyes fluttered slightly and the shaker paused. " Jessica." I slowly peeled my eyes open taking in the sight before me. Joseph and the man with whitish hair were kneeling over me eyes wide. " What the hell happened to you?" Joseph said to me. I shook my head and shut my eyes tight the darkness was much better than looking up into the lights.

" The lights. Turn them off please." I whispered.

"Turn them off Matthias." He said softly.

I felt his arms slip underneath my body and then I was lifted in the air. I opened my eyes and looked into his eyes. He looked furious. He set me down on the bed and sat next to me. He pushed the hair that was stuck to my face away. I closed my eyes when he started running his hands through my hair.

"Matthias."

" Yes nephew." I almost giggled at the older mans immediate obedience. I only let a small smile tug at the corners of my mouth.

" Go find the doctor. I'm fairly certain she had a concussion."

I opened my eyes and watched Matthias leave and close the door behind him. " Who did this to you little one." He leaned in closer to me. I gulped and shook my head.

" I can't." I whispered and turned my head away.

"You have no need to be afraid. Whoever it was that touched you will be severely, punished." His voice got lower and lower, almost to the point of growling.

"No you don't understand she'll just find someone else, and I can't turn her in."

He cupped the side of my face and kept his hand moving through my hair. It was making it hard to breath and combining that with the pain in my ribs I was groaning in pain. "What? What is it little bird. What hurts?"

I had never seen him this soft before. I had never really heard him give any terms of endearment to anyone. He was always strictly professional. Except last night. He called me little one. I wondered if he called everyone that. If that was just normal for him.

"I- my side hurts. And my head hurts too I guess." I mumbled and fixated my gaze on his nose not wanting to look into his eyes.

He nodded and opened his mouth to say something more when 2 knocks sounded on the door and then light streamed into the room.

She watched the doctor scan the room, noticing the puddle of blood on the floor, and then with wide eyes saw the boss and I sitting together with his hands on my face. I blushed and looked to the side avoiding the doctors gaze.

Joseph slowly stood up. "I'm fairly certain that she has a concussion and broken ribs. I want you to see the extent of the damage and then I want to be updated on her condition." Joseph said. I watched him leave the room without looking at me again. I frowned in disappointment. I thought that that meant something.

" Don't worry love. I'll get you all fixed up." He had a kind warm smile that made me relax and trust him immediately. "My name is Ralph. I'm a doctor here. I'm going to shine this in your eyes alright." I internally groaned. He turned his flash light on and shined the beam into my sensitive eyes. I held back any noise I might have made and looked side to side as instructed.

"Well I do believe you have a concussion. You have a hard head." He chucked to himself."I recommend you stay out of direct sunlight for the next couple of weeks, and for the next couple of days don't do anything too strenuous."

"Does that mean I can't go outside?"

He nodded in response. " For the next couple of days I wouldn't recommend opening the blinds on your windows either." He gathered his things and prepared to leave. "I will tell Joseph of your condition, so don't worry about that."

"Ok." I said lightly as he exited the room and left me in solitude.

**********

For the next 3 days I was completely by myself. Except the occasional maid that brought my morning, midday, and evening meals. Joseph didn't come back. I had just assumed that he had some interest in how I was doing but he was obviously busy and had better things to do than check in one of his girls.

I couldn't stay still anymore I didn't know if I was supposed to just stay in my room or if I was allowed to leave. The last time I tried to leave there was a huge guard right outside the door and I didn't dare leave the room after seeing him.

I skeptically got dressed in the new clothes that had just appeared in my closet one day while I was sleeping. They were exactly my size as well. No matter how convent that was it was still creepy as hell.

I opened the door quickly and shut it behind me so I wouldn't have the choice of retreating back into the room. He stood there motionless. I eyed him wearily as I walked past. I walked down the hall and glanced over my shoulder, and boom there he was. Right behind me. I gasped and jumped to the side away from the big man.

"What are you doing following me?!" I tried to catch my breath and be as continent ad possible. Then again being confidant didn't get me very far the last time I had a run in with one of the the goons that worked here.

" I was assigned to be your bodyguard. If anything happens to you it happens to me too only 15 times worse. Bosses words." His face was emotionless.

"Sucks to be you. " I motioned for him to walk with me. "So your going to follow me around all the time." He nodded and walked beside me silently. "I guess I should know you're name if your going to be following me around everywhere."

He nodded. "Ruben Allred."

"Nice to meet you Ruben, I'm Jessica." I smiled at him he just glanced at me in acknowledgment. "What is there to do here. I'm not allowed to go outside so it has to be something we can do in here." He shrugged his shoulders and continued to silently walk beside me. " C'mon what do you like to do."

"Well when I'm not working I guess I hang out with the guys in the entertainment room." He glanced at me. "Most of the girls hang out there too."

"Oh." I furrowed my eyebrows. "Uh well, um what do they do in there?" I immediately kicked myself right after asking, what else would they be doing together.

"Umm well some watch movies and play pool. Others, play around.... If you know what I mean." He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "But you don't have to do anything like that. Most of the girls do but I don't, you don't have to."

"Alright." I laughed to try and ease the tension. "I guess I have you to protect me."

He smiled slightly. "Yea. Then again it's the middle of the day so there might not even be anyone in here." He assured me noticing that I was very hesitant to put myself in that kind of situation.

I relaxed a little. That was a good point. It was the middle of the day there most of the men would be out on jobs or something.

By the time we got to the entertainment room I was feeling almost excited. It sounded like from what Ruben had said that this room had everything. It had movies, games, poker tables and basically anything else you could ask for to entertain yourself.

Ruben opened the door for me and my smile instantly dropped from my face. The room was filled with smoke, and the movies that were playing on each of the TV's featured half naked woman or blood was spilling all over the place. There was nothing in between. I stepped in a cringed. loud boisterous laughs and yells filled my ears. I tensed up when I felt someone grab my arm.

"C'mon lets go sit down over there." He pointed to slightly to the left where a group of men sat talking and laughing with each other. "I'll show you to my friends." I nodded silently.

He let me through the crowd of people by the arm his grip never faltering. I felt my butt get groped several times. I squeaked and jumped each time. I felt like I was choking on all the smoke drifting around in the room. My eyes burned and I wanted to run out of the room right then and there. But I didn't dare leave Ruben at the moment he was all that was keeping me from these ravenous beasts surrounding me.

We finally made it to the group of men Ruben had said were his friends. They all had cigarettes. Some had a girl sitting on their laps. I sat down beside Ruben on love-seat. I didn't exactly like the idea people would get if they saw us sitting together but it was worth it not having to sit next to anyone else.

"Ruben!" The group yelled and laughed some more. "Who's your friend Ruben?" They all asked and eyed me. "She knew?"

"Hey! She's the one that poured the wine on Mandy's head!" They all laughed. I smiled slightly at the memory. The girls sitting on the men's laps glared at me.

Ruben leaned over to me and yelled in my ear to be heard over the loud noises in the room. "That's Ren" he pointed to the man sitting to the left of us," that's bastion, but we all call him bast, " he motioned to the man sitting next to Ren. "That's Lenny," he was surrounded by 3 woman and they were all petting his chest playfully. "Stay away from him he's kind of a bastard." He pointed to the man sitting farthest from us. "And that is Eli, he's kind of quiet but if you're ever in trouble you can count on him." I nodded and he leaned away from me.

Ruben was engaged in a conversation with Ren and Bastion when it happened. The room went quiet except for a couple of men shouting. I turned around in my seat so I could see what was going on. They were standing up and both of their faces looked red. I didn't really care much until I saw who it was that was yelling. Joseph.

"How dare you challenge me like this." Joseph snarled. "You're nothing." He spat. "Your like an ant under my foot that can easily be crushed and another can take your place."

The other guy threw the first punch. Joseph dodged it and retaliated with a forceful punch that sent the other guy stumbling to the floor. Joseph took out his gun and shot the guy in the forehead killing him instantly. I gasped and covered my mouth. "Everybody out. Now."

Ruben grabbed my arm and I looked at him with wide eyes. Everyone started filing out of the room not really caring that a man was just shot in front of them. I forced back the tears that threatened to spill from my eyes.

I followed Ruben silently. We were almost out of the room when i felt another hand grab onto my wrist. I yelped and tried to yank it out. I turned around and came face to face with the man who had just murdered someone in cold blood.

"I want you to stay." He said firmly. "Ruben you are dismissed for the night." I looked at Ruben and shook my head frantically begging him not to leave me with a murder.

"Thank you boss." He didn't even spare me a glance when he walked away with everyone else.

Soon the room was cleared and it was just me, him, and the dead man on the floor.