Lucas Pov,

'BEEP, BEEP.

I wake up to the sound of something beeping. I reach over to shut my alarm off, and then everything comes rushing back to me in full force. I remember Elena standing in my doorway, holding a gun. As I went to turn the light on, she shot me. That bitch is going to pay. I then go to jump up, thinking of Dante and Rayne. Are they okay? Are they hurt? All these thoughts start running through my mind.

As I was trying to get up, I heard the door open. I look to see who it is, and I see Rayne and Frank walking in. I relax once I see she is unharmed. She looks up at me, and what I see breaks my heart. I open my arm up for her, and she rushes to me, wraps her arms around my neck, and starts to cry.

"Shh, Amore, none of that, please. I hate seeing you cry," I say, whispering in her ear. She shakes her head. "This is my fault; you wouldn't have been shot if it weren't for me. I told you about the noises outside. So you went to check on it." She says this as she cries. I wipe her tears away as I laugh at her, shaking my head.

"Amore, this isn't the first time I've been shot at, and it won't be the last. It's going to take more than one bullet to kill me." I say this to her as I laugh.

"That is not funny, Lucas." She yells at me and stands up, crossing her arms and pouting. "How are you feeling, Lucas?" Frank asks as he walks up to the bed. "I'm sore, but I will live. What happened with Elena?" I ask. "So that's the twat waffles name. Well, after you got shot, I beat the fuck out of her; they had to drag me off of her. Then I had the guys take her to your warehouse so I could play with her later on. She made a nice punching bag to take my anger and frustrations out while I was worried about you and could not come to see you. She also got to meet the drunk, pissed-off Rayne. That night was REALLY fun. Apparently, I am really good at torture; ask Collin and Caleub," Rayne says. "Oh, and blowtorches are fun; I see why you have them."

I turn my head to her so fast, I swear my kneck almost snapped. I look at her, and I feel pride and anger coursing through my body. I did not want her involved in this mess. It was my job to protect her, and she is making it very difficult to do that.

"Goddammit Rayne, I wanted you to stay out of this, which is why I refused to let you learn the ropes," I shouted at her, causing her to jump. "Lucas, and what the fuck was I supposed to do? You were bleeding out on the floor. Then laying here in the hospital bed. Our son has been asking about where you are. So tell me, was I not supposed to act and just leave it alone like a little fragile princess? Guess what? I can't be that girl for you. If that is who you want, it is not me." She shouts back.

"Yes, that's exactly what you were supposed to do." I roar at her. She scoffs and walks to the door. "You know what, Lucas? Fuck you." She says this and slams the door.

I sigh and lean my head on the headboard. "Lucas, you know my niece is stronger than you give her credit for. I really believe she can survive in this world." Frank says, looking at me before he leaves and follows after Rayne.

I lean my head back onto my pillow, put my hands on my face, and groan in frustration. This girl is seriously going to be the death of me. Yes, I'm proud of her, but I'm also fearful for her because of Maxim. I know he is still after her. Just because he hasn't tried anything does not mean he has backed down. I know for a fact that he is planning something. But what I don't know.

I look around the room, trying to find something to do until the doctor comes to release me. But I give up. "Fuck it," I say to myself, and I rip the IV's out of my arm. I then remove the rest of the wires and get up. I go to walk, but my legs start to shake, and I get a sharp pain in the lower part of my stomach. It causes me to hiss. I stand there for a minute, and after the pain starts to lessen, I walk to the table and grab the clothes I see on it. I walk to the bathroom and wash up, avoiding the stitches. After I'm done, I get dressed and walk out of the room to head home. I need to go back to work. I cannot and will not let Maxim be one step ahead of me.

As I walk into the house, I see no one in the living room. I shrug, walk up the stairs, and go to my room. As I walk to my room, I hear people talking in Rayne's room. I stop and listen.

"I can't believe that Jack ass; I'm sick of being treated like a glass doll," I hear Rayne say.

"Rayne, you need to understand he is doing this to protect you and Dante. It's not that he sees you as a glass doll," I hear Aurora say. "Aurora, I just want to help. I want to help keep the family safe. It's not fair." Rayne says.

I sigh, lift my hand, and knock on the door. "Come in," I hear Rayne shout.

I enter the room, and she looks at me in shock. "What the fuck do you want?" she says, crossing her arms.

"Can I speak to Rayne alone?" I asked Aurora and Melaine. They shake their heads and walk out of the room.

I sigh, "Rayne, I am sorry; I really am." I respond while walking towards her, but she still backs away and turns her back to me, refusing to talk to me. "Dammit Rayne, I'm trying to talk to you. Are you going to keep acting like a spoiled brat and through a fit?" I say, and this gets her attention because she spins around and stomps towards me.

"That's Rich coming from the Mafia boss's son. Someone who has never had to work hard for anything in his life." She yells at me.

"Are you kidding me, Rayne? I'm not going to fight with you," I say as I turn to leave the room. I reach the door when something comes flying across the room and shatters against the wall. "Dammit Lucas," Rayne says.

I turn to her and walk towards Rayne. I grab the back of her neck and bring her body towards mine.

"That will be the last time you ever talk to me that way. Or throw something at my head." I say in a husky voice and smash my lips against hers. I slide my tongue into her mouth, and we fight for dominance. But I let her win like I do everything else.