Author's Note: Thank you to those who gave me reviews, favorited this story, myself, and added us to your alert lists. That means so much! I hope you all enjoy this chapter. My husband is still in the hospital, and probably will be for a while but I am going to try and update as much as I possibly can. Thanks Again!

Chapter Two
Homeless, Hungry & Hurting

Thursday May 29, 2014

She shook her head. "Why do you want to feed me?" She questioned softly. "What do you want from me?"

I cocked my head. It now occurred to me that her voice was hoarse. The bruises are her neck were much more recent than I thought. I took a deep breath.

"What makes you think I want anything?" I asked honestly.

Her tongue peeked out once again, gliding along her lower lip. "Because they always do."

I took a deep breath and motioned towards her chocolate shake. "I don't want anything from you. I just want you to eat. You need to eat."

She watched me closely as she grabbed her shake, fixed her straw and took a drink. Watching the straw slide against her tongue created imagines in my head that had no business being there and I was thankful when Sophia arrived, bringing us our burgers and fries. I took my eyes off my companion to cover my burger with catsup, mustard, lettuce, tomato, and just a hint of hot sauce. I enjoyed spicy things. I brought the burger to my mouth and my eyes immediately widened in shock when they land on the girl in front of me. She had almost completely inhaled that whole burger and half her fries. She didn't put anything on it. No catsup, no mustard or lettuce and tomato. She just shoved it in her mouth and went to town. Holy shit! Damn, she really was starving.

I finished chewing and sat my burger done. She had yet to look at me as she polished off her burger and went to work on her fries.

"When was the last time you ate, little one?" I asked lightly.

She shrugged, but stayed silent. I took a deep breath. I guess it was a good thing I was a patient man.

"What's your name, Sweetheart?" I tried that angle again.

She licked her lips, finishing her fries and eying my mine. I pushed my plate towards her and her eyes widened.

"You… don't… want it?"

I shook my head. "I can order another one. If you're hungry, please eat it."

She grabbed the plate and yanked it towards her fast. I guess she was afraid I would take it away from her, but there was no way in hell I would do that to her. She needed to eat.

With a mouth full of food, she spoke. "Ashley. My name is Ashley."

I smiled. I didn't care that she just spoke around a mouth full of food, I knew her name now. "Hi Ashley. I'm Roman."

Her eyes met mine and she slowly nodded. "Thank you for feeding me."

"It's definitely my pleasure, little one."

It was silent for a few minutes as I watched Ashley inhale my bacon cheeseburger, my fries and my chocolate shake. She then nibbled on the onion rings. I had motioned for the waitress and when she came over, I ordered a large piece of chocolate cake and a large piece of cherry cheesecake. And I ordered another burger and shake for myself. I looked over to see her watching me with a light in her eyes I hadn't seen before.

I grinned at her and she blushed, bowing her head. That made me chuckle. "Don't eat too fast, Sweetheart." I warn her gently. She nodded and stuffed another onion ring in her mouth. Sophia then dropped off the cakes and my burger and this time it was myself that got busy eating. I pushed the chocolate cake towards her and her eyes went wide. The cake, she took her time eating. One forkful at a time. It was kind of erotic how she was eating that cake and I wanted to slap myself. She didn't need my dirty thoughts. And besides, I wanted answers. Badly.

"Good?"

She nodded, eating another forkful. "How long has it been since you've eaten a good meal?" She shrugged. I took a couple of bites of my burger before I tried again. "How about this, I give you a time frame and you shake or nod. Okay?" She looked up at me and slowly nodded. "Good. A day?" I received a shake. "Two days?" Another shake. "Four days?" She shook her head again. I took a deep breath. "A week?" I wasn't able to keep the anger out of my voice.

She finished her second shake. "It's been eight days since I've eaten anything. I think anyway. I'm not so sure of the days anymore."

I battled with my anger, but managed to hold it in check. "That's a long time, Ashley. A very long time." I stated.

She shrugged. "I'm okay." She was far from okay. She needed to gain about thirty pounds, maybe more. "Do you have any family?" I finally asked after a few bites of my burger.

She shrugged again, acting nonchalantly, but I saw the brief flash of panic in her eyes. "Don't we all have family somewhere?"

My eyes narrowed. "How old you are?" I asked suddenly and a little more force to my voice than I wanted.

She narrowed those caramel eyes on me and I saw the anger flashing. "How old are you?" She shot back.

I grinned. "I'm twenty-nine, little girl. You?"

"Twenty-one." She replied back. I cocked an eyebrow, letting her know I didn't believe her. She sighed. "Fine, I just turned twenty. Honest."

I knew my next question wasn't going to go over well, but I was going to ask it anyway. "How did you get the bruises, Sweetheart?"

Immediately panic and then fear filled her eyes and she stopped eating. Maybe I should have waited until she finished eating first. I wanted… no I needed her to eat. She sighed, meeting my eyes.

"I knew you wanted something. They always do." She stated before standing to leave. Now that I would not let happen.

"Sit down." I ordered, my voice leaving no room for argument. And she didn't. I hated the fear in her eyes, but she quickly sat back down.

I took a deep breath. "I'm curious, yes. I want to know what happened because no one deserves bruises like that ones you have on your neck, face, and arms. I want to find the bastard who dare put their hands on you, on a woman so small she probably couldn't do much damaged even if she tried, and I want to beat the fucker within an inch of his pathetic life."

Her eyes widened and then she blinked. Shock was screaming on her face and I was hoping she was softening just a little bit towards me. Her next words blew that all to hell.

Shrugging, she grabbed her fork and started back on her cheesecake. "Trusting you will probably get me killed, but what do I gotta lose, right?"

I let out a sigh. "I'm not going to hurt you, Ashley. I promise you that."

Her fork dropped again and she met my eyes head on. There was a lot of emotions swimming around on her pretty face, uncertainty, fear, curiosity, wariness, and I was sure I saw a little hope in there too.

"Don't give me promises and don't lie to me. Men are nothing but trouble. They're liars and jerks and they're only out to help themselves. So fine, you wanna know my life story, I'll give it to ya. Well, the gist of it, but don't bother lying to me and I don't ever want to hear the word promise again. It's crap."

I didn't know what to say to that. She had definitely been dealt a shitty hand in life. I wouldn't lie to her, I wouldn't hurt her and I would never promise her something if I couldn't deliver, but something told me that if I tried to make her believe that, she would leave and I would never know.

"Okay. You got it." I told her.

She nodded and reached once again for her fork. "My dad died when I was a little. My mom married Jet when I was twelve. He slapped me around all the time. When I was sixteen, he crept into my room and tried to…" She took a deep breath and gave herself a shake. "I kneed him in his junk and took off. I waited until the next day when I knew they were at work and snuck in to the house to get a few things. I haven't been back since. I've been living on the streets since I was sixteen."

I had a feeling there was more to the 'slapping around' thing, but for now I let it go. "Those bruises on your neck are fresh, Sweetheart."

She nodded and tears filled her eyes. "Apparently after I left, my mom went crazy." She rolled her eyes. "Well, more crazy than she already was. She buried herself in more drugs and alcohol. Heavier drugs and alcohol. She died when I was eighteen. That was first time Jet found me living on the streets. He beat the crap out of me and almost managed to rape me, but a bunch of teenagers interrupted him. I run, but he continues to find me. And every time he does, he beats the crap out of me in anger, I guess. The last time was a few days ago."

"What does he want with you, Ashley? Why won't he leave you alone?"

A tear fell silently down her cheek and I fought the urge to pull her into my arms. I knew she wouldn't care for it and I didn't want a knee to my balls.

"He wants a replacement for my mom. I look almost exactly like her."

I inhaled sharply and nodded. I wanted to kill this Jet, but I knew showing my anger to Ashley wasn't a good idea. Thank fuck I had a way to release my pent up anger and aggressions. I would have to call up Dean or Seth and see if they wanted to spar a little tomorrow.

"How come you ran away? How come you didn't tell your mom what Jet tried to do?" I asked, curious.

She finished all her food and her second milkshake (or was it my first) and once again met my eyes. "She didn't care if he slapped me around, burnt me with cigarettes, squeezed my breasts, or slapped my butt, so why would she care if he raped me?"

My eyes widened in shock. "Damn, Sweetheart, I'm sorry."

She shrugged. Again. "She liked her drugs and she loved her alcohol. She was a good mother, she was just scared to death of Jet."

I nodded. "So she always used drugs and alcohol?" I asked softly.

She nodded. "After my dad died, she couldn't handle being without him. So she lost herself in drugs and alcohol. That's how she met Jet. He was a major crack head."

"How did your dad die?"

Tears filled her caramel depths and I instantly felt bad. Damn it, I didn't want her to cry. "He was a Marine. He died in Iraq."

My eyes softened and I reached out and touched a finger to her cheek. "Oh Sweetheart, I'm sorry."

She backed away from my touch, but I still felt it down to my soul. She was someone special, I could feel it. I didn't want to let her go, but I hadn't a clue how to keep her from running the minute she finished eating. I had to think of something and quick.

"Don't touch me. Ever." She bit out between clenched teeth.

I held my hands up in front of me. "Won't happen again." For now. I added silently. There was just something about her that I didn't understand, but I was drawn to her.

She nodded and went back to her cake and shake. She was definitely going to be a tough shell to crack. I watched her as she took her time, savoring each bite of the cherry cheesecake. My eyes once again skimmed her small form. Her hair was dirty, hanging around her shoulders in strings. She was definitely covered in bruises, her face, cheeks, neck, and I could see the faded coloring of bruising around her collarbone, peeking out from beneath her faded and ragged grey t-shirt. Bruises marred her arms, but I didn't see any sign of track marks so I didn't think she was a drug addict. The bones around her collarbone and wrists jutted out, screaming malnutrition. I could also make a distinct pattern of bruising around her wrists. She had been handcuffed at one point in her past and it was recent. So drugs or prostitution? My stomach turned at the thought of either, but I couldn't fathom this young woman selling her body.

"You into drugs?" I asked casually.

Her head lifted and her eyes met mine before they dropped to my chest and scanned along my shoulders and down to my upper arms, one at a time before meeting my eyes once again. I fought the urge to shiver at the caress of her eyes. Damn, I need help.

She cocked her head. "Are you on steroids?" She blinked, her voice normal but I could feel the acid dripping from the question.

I gave her one of my more charming grins. "No, Sweetheart, I am not. It's illegal in my business and if I ever tested positive, I would lose my job." Her eyes narrowed and I flexed my biceps. "I work my ass off for these muscles, little one."

She rolled her eyes, not impressed. "I don't take drugs."

I nodded towards her wrists. "You've got bruises from handcuffs, Sweetheart. You've been arrested. For what?" My stomach churned once again at the thought of prostitution.

Her hands jerked and she hid them in her lap. "You don't know everything." She spoke softly and she wouldn't meet my eyes.

My chest tightened. Could I be wrong about her being arrested? Anything was possible, but if she hadn't been arrested than…

"Ashley, look at me." I demanded.

She took her time but her eyes finally met mine.

"Tell me truth… Have you ever been raped? By anyone?" I asked, keeping my voice soft and low.

She shook her head. "No. I've never been raped. I've been lucky."

She calls this... lucky? Wow! "But you were restrained by handcuffs? Correct?"

She nodded. "But I don't wanna talk about it." She hissed harshly. But the pain in her eyes took the bite out of her words. She was hurting. I couldn't help but wonder if emotion pain was the only one she was going through. Was she hurt elsewhere? Did those bruises hurt? Could she have internal bleeding? Shit, I hoped not.

She suddenly jerked to her feet. "I need to go."

I forced myself to stay seated. She hadn't ran yet because I knew deep down she didn't want to leave. "No, you don't need to go."

She licked her lips and glanced around the restaurant. "I need to find a place for tonight, away–"

"You can stay with me." I cut her off. I didn't even want her to finish that sentence.

She immediately shook her head. "You've given me enough and I told you I wasn't sleeping with you."

I sighed. "Sweetheart, sit down." I spoke softly and gently, but the order was there.

And she didn't defy me. She sat.

"I've got a hotel room. It's nothing fancy because I don't need fancy, but it's got two beds and a bathroom. You could use a hot shower and a warm bed or a cool bed since it's so damn hot. No ulterior motives, little one. You need some real rest. Let me provide that."

"I could have a shower?" She asked, her voice so low I barely heard it.

"Yes. A long one if you want it." I replied.

"And I could brush my teeth?" My heart was breaking at the sound of desperation in her voice.

"Of course you can brush your teeth, Sweetheart."

She nibbled her lower lip, her eyes filled with hope and wanting and a little bit of pain and wariness. She wanted to say yes, she was dying to say yes.

"What do you say, little one? Do you want a hot shower, a clean bed, and a toothbrush?"

She opened her mouth and…