Taehyung watched as Y/n grabbed three glasses and filled each with a shot of whiskey. She grabbed one glass, downed it, pulled a face as if she was disgusted with the taste, and filled it again.

Hoseok sipped at his while Taehyung swallowed his down. By the time he put his glass down, she was already onto the fourth shot.

"Don't you think you should slow that down?" he asked.

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"I've been shot at, nearly killed, and I think having a little drink will calm me down."

"It's what her father did," Hoseok said. "After her first attack mission she was shaking and terrified. The whiskey, it helps to calm her down."

"It does?" Taehyung asked. This woman was just getting better and better in his book. She could fight, take care of herself, and she had damn good taste in whiskey. He nodded for her to give him another shot.

"Doesn't it for you?" she asked. "Let's not talk about what can and cannot calm me down and actually focus on why the hell I was targeted."

"This could go all the way to the top."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Taehyung looked toward Hoseok. "You think this comes from the Boss?"

"Why not? He's capable of a lot worse, believe me."

"Wait a minute," she said, drawing his attention. "You're telling me that tonight's attack came from the very top?"

"What other way could it be?" Hoseok asked.

"I'm still a capo's daughter. I'm worth something, even if it means marrying me off to some evil bastard he has control over. Killing me could overthrow his power. To simply wipe me out would put a whole lot of other families at risk, believe me."

"She's right," Taehyung said. "If he wanted to get rid of her and keep her position, he'd have to be smart about it."

"Meaning what?" Hoseok asked.

"They'd have to find some way of making it look like she was a traitor, which we know she's not." Taehyung tossed back the liquid, loving the burn as it slid down his throat. "I'm going to need to see everything her father had on these men."

"Not happening," Hoseok said.

"Excuse me, but I don't get to decide that?" Y/n asked.

"Those documents are important."

"And my father trusted Taehyung. Even you do. You can't tell me who to trust one moment and then take it back," she said.

"Then it's important you know that the Boss is in that documentation. He's the one who tried to get rid of me," Hoseok said.

Taehyung stared at him. He was well aware of the rumors surrounding this man. What he didn't know, nor did anyone else, was exactly who his father was.

"Wait, if he tried to get rid of you, then that means..."

"Yes, that man is my father, which is why I know he's capable of finding any means necessary to kill you."

"But he could have assumed that information died with my dad."

"Do you really think the Boss is going to leave something like that up to chance?" Hoseok asked. "It's at least worth us staying alert and being prepared for anything."

"Agreed. Do you have an issue with me moving in?" Taehyung asked.

"No." Hoseok started to pace. "With you here, at least I know she'll be protected and people will be less likely to try to kill her. If she's alone, she's exposed to whatever crap they want to put her through."

"I need to shower and get some sleep," she said.

"Do you want a doctor to check your ankle? Your neck?" Taehyung asked.

"Nope. I've had worse, believe me. Besides, being in pain helps me feel like I'm alive to live another day. Yay."

He watched her go and smiled. "She's really something."

"That she is."

Returning his gaze to Hoseok, he saw the other man wasn't happy. "We'll keep her safe."

"I hope so. I promised her father. He took me in when no one else would. He helped me survive and I promised him my loyalty and honor ever since."

_

The sun was glorious and Y/n was more than happy to soak up as much Vitamin D as she could. Lying back on the ground, she closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. Placing a hand on her stomach, she felt a shadow fall on her.

"Let me get this straight. Your home was attacked last night. You were nearly killed, and you're out here soaking up the sunshine?" Taehyung asked.

She opened her eyes and placed her hand above her eyebrows, looking at him. "And?"

"And, you really do surprise me." He dropped down beside her and she tried not to be aware of his closeness. He was just a man, nothing important.

"There's nothing to surprise. I don't like to sit back and dwell on everything that happened. Besides, the decorators are already dealing with the bullet holes and blood." She cringed. "It still freaks me out how we have a different service for everything. Doesn't it you?"

He chuckled. "Not really. This life is all I've known since I was born. My life experiences began the moment I could walk."

She sighed. "I remember my parents having to deal with what was to happen to my brother. When he died, my dad never wanted me to be at the mercy of a man. Yet, here I am. I can't believe he made me train all those years and still made me marry."

"No one is making you marry, Y/n."

"We both know if I don't marry you, it's going to be someone else who can't stand who I am. There's no way they're going to allow me to go off to target practice or spar. I've just got to deal with it. I'm fine. Honestly."

"You were twelve, weren't you?"

She paused. "Yes."

"It wasn't long after your brother died."

"I got pulled out of boarding school. That very night, after dinner, Dad led me down to the basement and my training began. Up until then, I'd never been hit."

"Were you a good kid?"

"Yes." She smiled. "I take it you weren't."

"Didn't matter. I got hit if I cried. I got hit if I didn't cry."

"I know you have to get used to the pain. In case you're ever taken and tortured. You've got to take a lot."

"Were you tortured?" Taehyung asked.

She opened her mouth to respond and stopped. Talking about her training and experiences were foreign to her. What she went through was what her father felt she needed to do in order to survive. "Dad, he ... yes, but it was all for my own good."

"I don't think anyone considers being hurt part of their own good."

She shrugged. "I know he hated what he did and for the long-term, it did me good. Look at last night. I would be dead right now if I didn't do what I did."

"It doesn't piss you off?"

"Taehyung, it does piss me off but I'm not going to change anything, am I? I'm who I am now. There's nothing I can do to change that."

"Were you like every other kind of girl?"

"I have a feeling you're going to insult me."

"Planning your wedding. The perfect husband. Stuff like that."

"You're sneering."

"I'm curious."

"And you're sneering." She blew out a breath. "Let's see, no, I wasn't. I didn't plan my white wedding. Or the man I was going to marry. I read a lot of books. Studied hard. I didn't want to become a wife or a mother. The very thought scares me. Whenever I attended those functions and saw pregnant women and then saw the men, I always felt sick, worried. They're not good men. I don't want to ever bring children into this world who I can't guarantee I'll protect." Her mouth was suddenly really dry. "Do you want kids?"

"I do."

"Oh."

"I know why you're worried. If it's a boy, I'm going to have to train him to be like me. If it's a girl, well, we're going to marry her off."

"So comforting," she said. This was something she was going to need to get a handle on. If she didn't learn to bite her tongue and not speak everything on her mind, it was going to cause a lot of problems. Her father had allowed her to be outspoken. "I'm sorry."

"No, you're not. Don't get me wrong, I'm shocked at how open you are. It's refreshing, but if we're going to have to put on a front for everyone else, you're going to need to keep your thoughts to yourself."

"You're right." She flopped back to the ground. "I'm usually a lot better than this. If I do have a daughter, I know I'm going to make sure she gets to marry for love."

"You believe in love?"

"Yes. Don't you?"

"I don't believe love can exist in our world. It's all a matter of greed, loyalty, and fear."

"My parents loved each other so much. It broke my father when she died. The training and torture aside, he was a really good man. I loved him dearly. I miss him."

"Do you want to fall in love?"

She leaned back on her hands, thinking about it. "I used to. Maybe when I was younger and I didn't have so much ... knowledge."

"You think knowledge is a problem?"

"You can't stop knowledge, can you? Once you know something, you can't pretend to not know it. Love is precious but I know who we are now. We can't have the satisfaction of falling in love. It gets you killed. I don't want to die and I certainly don't want to live past any husband I'm in love with. Did you ever love any of your previous fiancées?"

"No."

"No?"

"They were all a contract. All of them arranged."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You're having to marry me."

"And I suddenly don't like this conversation."

"We're going to have to talk about it. Do you want to wear white? Have it in a church? Large or small ceremony?"