I get up the next day and decide to look for a car. After searching online, I find a sketchy guy selling a Honda for cheap and he's only a couple blocks away. My black baseball cap partly conceals my face and I stuff a pocket knife into my wool socks for protection. I throw on an oversized hoodie, shimmy into my leggings, and stuff my feet into my converse before grabbing my keys and running out the door. I'm hoping Hanna won't have the chance to question where I'm going. Once I hop on the elevator, I watch as the doors slowly close and thank my lucky stars that she didn't follow me. I close my eyes for a moment of peace when I'm startled by a large foot stopping the door at the last second. It slides back open and I come face to face with Wolf. Kobra is trailing behind him, without a leash this time. The dog is incredibly muscular and intimidating, with golden eyes and silver fur. His behavior is impeccable. He keeps his head focused on the wall in front of him. He kind of reminds me of one of those silent body guards in the movies, the ones that don't look at or talk to anyone and are built like a freight train.

When I pull my eyes away from the majestic creature, I see that Wolf managed to get 25% of his shirt on this time. He has one arm into one hole and the rest of his shirt is bunched around his neck. He catches me staring as he places his other arm into the shirt and pulls it down over his body.

"What are you looking at?" he asks tersely.

"Nothing important" I retort sarcastically. He shoots me a death glare and my hand quickly flies to my mouth as I look at him in horror. I can't believe I just said that. I don't even know where it came from. I think all this time on the run has created an overflow of unmanageable rage. That's what hiding does to a person. I had to erase every single part of who I was. I also had to sever every single connection I ever had without a proper goodbye. So now I'm left with an angry shadow of a person.

His eyes drift down to my hands. "You are funny, verstecktes Juwel" he states dryly, giving me the impression that he does not, in fact, believe that I am humorous. He keeps calling me names that I can't understand, which adds to my irritation. I'm sure he's calling me "freak eyes" or some other offensive nickname people have come up with over the years. I peer back up at him in defiance before Kobra snaps his head in my direction. I instinctively lean down to pet him, and we come eye to eye.

"I wouldn't" Wolf warns, with no trace of concern in his voice. He doesn't even look in my direction. "He will hurt you."

I ignore him and place my hand out for the dog to sniff. Wolf turns and watches the interaction intently, his jaw ticking ever so slightly. The dog grumbles, assessing me. After a few seconds, he bows his head down into my hand and I rub him gently.

Wolf eyes me suspiciously. "That is impossible" he states. "Kobra" he warns and the dog snaps back to attention. "Don't touch my dog again" he says to me flatly, staring straight ahead.

"Your dog touched me" I challenge him.

"So brave" he smirks at the wall. At least I got something out of him. The elevator dings to indicate that we've reached the ground floor and I stomp out childishly. I feel a calloused hand grab my arm and I glare back at him.

"Don't touch me" I hiss.

"Do you want to die today?" His question causes a crazy laugh to escape my lips.

"Are you insinuating that you're going to murder me? That's a big statement. Especially for a guy who struggles to keep his shirt on."

He grimaces at my assumption. "I'm talking about the car" he explains, pointing to the papers in my hand, which display pictures of the car ad and a map. "That is for sure a scam" he adds, matter-of-factly.

"How do you know?" He eyes me with irritation at my question.

"Follow me" he commands, stalking off into the parking lot.

You've got to be kidding me. This guy is so full of himself. I follow him anyway though. Mostly because I'm curious. Partly because I don't want to die. He opens up the back door of his car first and Kobra leaps in. Then he opens the passenger door for me, which I find amusing and have to stifle a laugh. He scowls at me and motions for me to get in the car before slamming the door as soon as my right foot makes it inside. I roll my eyes. If this guy thinks he can intimidate me, he is sorely mistaken. I lived my whole 19 years of life under the thumb of a ruthless drug lord, who also happened to be my father. The great Koren Daniels, more fearfully known as King Koren. Nothing Wolf could do would ever be as terrifying or brutal as that man and his consort of thugs.

"Why are you so stiff?" I ask him when he pulls out of the parking lot.

"Why do you drown in your clothes?" he whips back faster than I expected.

"Touché" I reply, shaking my head. I see a threat of a smile play across his lips but it vanishes in an instant.

I change the subject. "Do you all speak English this well?"

He sniffs and looks down at his watch. "You talk a lot, don't you." It comes off as more of a statement than a question. I cross my arms and look out the window. I can sit silently too, that's easy for me. I've trained myself to be invisible since I was three years old.

"No" he continues, catching me off guard. "We do not all speak English this well. I spent some time in America as a child. Lena and Alivia struggle with English sometimes. And some of the guys too."

"Maybe that's why Lena looks at me like she wants to end my life" I joke, hoping for another ghost of a smirk that never comes.

"Lena is jealous of you. You are American for one, and that can be intimidating. But, you are also different. Those girls spend hours and hours trying to fit in, while you are comfortable to be an outsider. That's dangerous to them, because you have nothing to lose."

I nod my head in consideration and look back out the window. We spend the rest of the car ride skillfully ignoring one another. When we finally get to our destination, he opens my door and calls Kobra who jumps out behind me. I walk forward and the dog seems to be confused for a moment, following me instead of Wolf. I snicker and Wolf snaps his finger. I'm not sure if it was his intention but the snap makes me stop in my tracks. It also lights a fire under Kobra's ass to correct his allegiance. Even though I'm not particularly scared of Wolf, he does have an energy that is difficult to disobey. It's this commanding presence that not many people have. I see it when he walks into this auto body shop he's brought me to. Every girl turns to look at him in awe, which he ignores. And, every man's back gets a little straighter. They all seem to levitate in anticipation, waiting for him to direct them.

"Are we here to buy me a car?" I ask, breaking the palpable tension.

"You don't need a car, Läuferin" he replies condescendingly.

"Uh, yes. I do" I say, turning around to find my way back to the apartment, because he's wasting my time.

"Skye" he calls, like I'm a child. "Come."

I don't know why but my feet move in the direction of his voice before my mind can stop them. He walks me into a separate private garage with multiple street bikes lined in a row. They're beautiful, especially the sleek black one at the end of the line, with yellow detailing. It reminds me of a wasp.

"Have you ever ridden one?" he asks. I scoff and roll my eyes.

"Of course I have."

He peers at me before continuing. "Well then, I think this is perfect for you. You're here alone, right?" I glare at him before nodding in response. "Then it makes more sense, because you don't take up a lot of space and you don't have anyone to drive around. Plus it's faster. You can escape anyone or anything on these." I eye him suspiciously. Why does he think I want to escape? Or I guess the better question is, how does he know?

I dodge the comment with a question. "How do I buy one? Do I need papers and an ID? I don't have that."

He shakes his head at me comically. "These are all mine. You don't need any papers. I will sell you any one you want. Except for that red one" he points to a stunning red bike with silver detailing.

"I want the black one" I declare immediately, pointing to the beauty on the right.

"Smart" he admits. I have a feeling it's the only compliment I'll get out of him. Maybe ever.

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I follow Wolf back to the apartment on my new bike and awkwardly thank him.

"I will see you tonight."

I shrug at him before turning and scurrying back to my apartment. I somehow feel more safe in the last day and a half than I have my entire life. Which terrifies me. I constantly have to remind myself that I can't get comfortable here. The truth of the matter is that I may never be safe. Nobody can protect me from my father's "friends". Not Hanna, not Wolf, and not Kobra. Maybe not even myself. The jury's still out on that front.

Hanna is sitting in the living room, flipping through a magazine, when I walk in. "Where have you been Liebling?" She takes off her reading glasses and looks my outfit up and down. "Ugh, Skye, can we please dress you in something that fits your body?"

"This does fit my body" I reply curtly, pointing to my baggy hoodie.

"Let me at least doll you up tonight. That's a thing Americans do right? Makeovers?" She wrinkles her nose at the word. "I promise, I will stick to all black still. Well, mostly black. If you hate it, we never do it again." She holds her palms up in surrender.

I groan. The idea probably would've excited me before, but now I'm overcome with exhaustion and would rather not be on display. "Are you going to keep bothering me about it if I say no?" I whine.

"YES!" she playfully shouts.

"Fine. And light makeup only. LIGHT Hanna, please."

She scoffs. "But of course. We don't want you looking like Lena now do we?" I snort and we both burst into laughter.

Hanna actually ends up being really good at this makeover thing. She could have a career styling celebrities if she wanted. The makeup is tasteful and natural while also accentuating my features. She elongates my eyelashes with mascara, which draws attention to my eyes. She comments on how unique they are and that they will make all the other girls jealous. This makes me smile because it's one of the few compliments I've ever gotten on my eyes. Most people just ask a lot of questions about them and treat me like some kind of circus freak. She also places a small amount of blush on my cheeks, which brings some much needed color back to my skin. She brushes out my eyebrows and strengthens their natural shape with some brow gel. Lastly, she lathers my already full lips with a sweet smelling clear lip-gloss that further plumps them. I rub them together and look up at her awkwardly.

"You look just, mwah" she says kissing her fingers and lifting her hand upward. "Belissima!" she adds with a faux Italian accent. "Come now, I'm going to pick your outfit."

I follow her into her room, which is decorated with way more pink than I expected. She has an expansive walk-in closet that would probably excite most girls. As I'm looking around, she pulls a few outfits for me. All black, like she promised. But so much more form-fitting. We finally decide on a long sleeve turtleneck dress that goes down to just above my knees. It's tight, and all the curves I forgot I had are showing. I open her closet and step out, causing Hanna to shriek.

"Are you kidding me? You are such a babe! Why are you hiding that body?"

I feel self-conscious and look down at my feet. I've always been uncomfortable with my body, which is why I purposely got dressed in the closet, out of Hanna's view. I cross my arms over my chest. "I'm not wearing heels. There's no way. I'm sticking with the black converse."

She smiles triumphantly. "Fine, I will take the small win."

When we're both ready to go, we head out to the underground parking lot where I first met the crew. On the painstakingly slow elevator ride down, I think about how risky this could be. To hangout with a large group of strangers. I don't know if I can trust any of them yet. Particularly Lena and the other girls. It seems like they'd throw anyone under the bus if they had to. Especially if it meant getting Wolf's attention.

I shake the negative thoughts away because I'm already here. There's no turning back now. We walk towards the group, where they are sitting in almost the same position as when we left them yesterday. They're all chatting in smaller groups. Of course Wolf is shirtless, again. I'm surprised the man doesn't have chronic pneumonia. For the first time I catch a glimpse of his bare back, where a tattoo of a skull takes up his entire frame. The eyes look like they're peering into my soul. One of the girls sees Hanna and I first and she whispers something in German to the others. Wolf whips his head around and time freezes when his eyes lock into mine. Everyone stops talking abruptly and they all look back and forth between us. There is a strange energy buzzing in the air.

Lucas breaks the tension with a whistle. "It's time." He slaps the hood of his car and jumps through the open window of his driver's seat. Lena walks around to Wolf, but Kobra growls and she takes a step back. She asks if she can ride with him in German. I'm assuming that's what she says because he says no and she sulks before getting into Lucas's car. Hanna grabs my arm and pulls me toward a nearby car with another girl in the driver's seat.

"Hanna" Wolf calls. "She comes with me."