One

Chapter 1

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The air is thick with smoke and smells of gas. I walk through the oxygen deprived haze and choke on the polluted air, running my fingertips along the brick wall. Broken glass bottles litter the ground, giving the street an eerie feeling. Sirens sound in the distance, cars chasing after criminals. It's a corrupt neighborhood, but it is as close to a home as I've ever had.

The plastic grocery bags are clutched tightly as I walk down the sidewalk. I use this route every day, but this time, something is different. It's a shift in the air around me, barely noticeable, but evident enough.

My foot catches on a deep crack in the sidewalk. I flinch, preparing myself for the fall, but my skin never touches the cement. A large pair of hands firmly grasp my waist, holding my body above the ground. My strangled scream is silenced as one of the hands covers my mouth. The anonymous attacker pulls me back into a dark alley. The person's palm is still clasped over my mouth, but their grip loosens, allowing my to turn slightly and catch a glimpse of them.

Green eyes stare into my blue ones and I gasp thorough the man's long fingers. Before me is a curly haired man, tattoos covering his skin. His height looms over my small frame. He seems too wonderful to be a criminal. What does he want with me?

The hand holding my hip tightens, and the palm holding my mouth closed is removed.

"What is a girl like you doing in a place like this?"

His voice is low and rough, sending a shiver through me.

"I- I um-" My brain is working overtime, trying to send words to my speechless lips.

"Are you going to answer me?" His hands travel downward and cover my backside, giving it a light squeeze.

Something snaps inside of me and a sudden burst of courage rushes through my veins. "Get off of me." I spit. The bags in my hands drop to the ground, and I press my palms flat against his hard chest in an attempt to push the stranger away from me.

His strength catches me off guard as his hands grip my wrists, trapping them by my sides.

"I don't appreciate people telling me what to do." He seethes, the anger in his voice is barely contained.

The sharp edge of a brick digs into my back as he presses my body against the wall with his own. The corner continues to stab my skin and I whimper. His dark eyes fill with realization, and he takes a small step back, my hands still in his firm grip.

He gathers both of my wrists in one of his large hands and brushes back a runaway strand of hair that has fallen over my face. I flinch as his fingers brush my forehead, a frown forms on his hard features. "Tell me your name." He commands, his husky voice monotone.

"R-Rae." I stutter, his intimidating stance making me weak.

The green eyed man smiles. "Rae." He draws out my name, savoring the feeling of it on his tongue. My name no longer sounds like my own, his accent turning it into something more elegant. "I like it."

I don't know why, but for some unknown reason, I feel oddly at peace with this stranger looking down on me, my wrists trapped in his grasp. My mouth is dry, and my captured wrists shake. But there is an invisible string tying me to this man it seems, asking me to trust him. The problem is, he has a rough look to him, frightening all who glance his way. Maybe it's his square jaw or his hard eyes. His black clothing and heavily inked skin are somewhat alarming, the muscles contracting under his skin prove his strength. I am frightened by him, but at the same time, I feel as if I know him. My gut tells me that he is good, though my mind disagrees. His harsh tone and cocky demeanor don't appeal to me. I constantly fight the urge to surrender to him, to trust him completely.

The sound of cars and rustling leaves fill the alley, the sun setting in the west, tainting the sky pink. Above my head, a lamp flickers to life, the light it provides pierces the darkness of the alley.

"Would you like to know my name?" The man whispers, his voice low.

I stand still, my body and mouth are frozen, but my mind is racing. I mentally run through everything I know about self defense. My upper half has been rendered useless by this tall stranger, so punching and elbowing are sure to fail. If I kicked at his legs, I doubt I'd be strong enough to do much damage. His body is a few inches from mine, providing me with just enough room to connect my knee with his groin.

As if he is able to read my mind, he moves me slightly to the side, away from the jagged brick, then presses me to the wall, foiling my plan of action.

His height looms over me, and the light being provided by a small street lamp casts shadows over his eyes, disabling me from seeing them. Curls tickle my face as his lips travel to my ear. His breathing is deep. "I'm Harry." He introduces himself.

Harry. The name sounds vaguely familiar, barely a whisper in the midst of my screaming thoughts. I know this man. I feel as though I met him once, a long time ago. Harry. I've heard that name before, I know it. A voice echos in my mind, clouded and blurry. The sound is buried by all the other memories, questions, thoughts, and concerns occupying my brain at this moment.

A kiss is placed to my temple, and I flinch away from his touch. Only when his face is directly in front of mine, jade eyes searching me, do I realize who this tattooed man is.

Harry! The voice of the middle aged man calls to him, the young boy running to him, clutching his hand.

"Harry." I whisper his name. He was there. He was with that criminal. He watched them die. I can't believe I hadn't realized this sooner. The memory of that day will be forever etched into my mind, impossible to erase, unable to be removed.

My knees are weak and I collapse on the ground at his feet, bits of gravel pressing into my skin. A stabbing pain shoots up my arm as a bit of glass forces its way into my flesh, causing me to cry out. Hot tears stream down my face and I pull my knees to my chest, curling into a ball on the ground. My hands shake from the shock of what I've just learned, my body unable to cope with the hard hitting emotion.

"Rae?" Harry's voice sounds as if he's underwater, but the worry in his tone is evident. Strong arms scoop up my body. I want to push him away, but I can't. I am frozen, paralyzed in fear and agony. I just met one of the men I spent almost my entire life fearing.

Soft lips are pressed to my forehead as the steady rhythm of his footsteps rock me to sleep.

Where is he taking me?

That's the last thought that crosses my mind before everything goes black.

READ THIS IT IS HIGHLY IMPORTANT!!!!!!! Sooooo... This is the 1st chapter and I will update every other day, but first I need to finish my story, One in a Million, and if you haven't read it, please do! It makes me super excited to update. :) So to clarify, this story will not be updated until chapter 100 of One in a Million, but when I do update it, I will update every other day. I might update chapter 2 soon just so the wait isn't so long. I have big plans for this book so please enjoy! I'll have a cover up for it soon. Please vote and comment below. <3 Thank you! ~Ashley~ Xoxo

March-10-2014