Page 214 of The Rules

Ben stopped.

Just like that.

Katherine stared—stunned.

She had screamed for him. Begged. Pulled at his arm with every ounce of strength she had left. And he hadn't even seemed to hear her, like she wasn't even there.

But it was Julian's voice that reached him. One word from his brother, and the storm inside Ben stilled.

Her stomach twisted as she watched Ben's hands—still shaking, still coated in another man's blood. His chest rose and fell in harsh, uneven breaths, the muscle in his chin twitching with barely restrained tension.

The realization hit her like a physical blow: there was a side to Ben she'd never seen before. A darkness she'd never had to face. And Julian knew exactly how to control it.

Katherine watched, still trembling, as Julian wiped his hands on his jacket with casual indifference. His eyes flickered down to the man gasping on the ground, his expression more annoyed than concerned.

"Think, Ben. We need him breathing," he said, voice calm but cutting through the tension like a blade. "He's the only lead we've got."

Ben exhaled hard, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

Kath could see the tension in every line of his body—still coiled tight, still ready to strike again if given the slightest reason.

Julian's gaze slid to her then, taking her in with a quick, calculating sweep that made her skin prickle. She felt exposed under that assessment, like he was cataloging every bruise, every tear in her clothing, every sign of what had happened.

"You should check on her," he said to Ben—his tone light but pointed.

The effect was immediate. He turned instantly, as if pulled by an invisible thread. He was at her side before Julian's words had fully registered in her mind, his presence suddenly overwhelming in its intensity.

"Are you hurt?" His voice was low, urgent, nothing like the cold fury from moments before.

His hands were already moving—down her arms, across her shoulders, brushing her cheek with a gentleness that seemed impossible from the same fingers that had just been covered in blood. He tilted her chin up carefully, examining her face with such focused concern that Katherine felt her chest tighten.

She drew in a shaky breath. Her cheek throbbed where she'd been struck. Her back ached from being slammed against the wall. But she was standing. She was whole.

"I'm fine," she said—quiet, but firm.

Ben didn't look convinced. His eyes narrowed slightly as they searched her face, flicking across every detail as if he were memorizing each bruise, each mark, storing them away as evidence for some future reckoning.

Their foreheads hovered a breath apart as he inclined toward her, each exhale ghosting warmth across her skin. Katherine sensed the atmosphere transform—the space between them charged with something that transcended mere worry, something more primal than the instinct to shield. The air grew heavy with unspoken intensity, pulling at something deep within her core.

"Ben," she murmured, her voice softer now. "I'm okay."

After a long pause, he nodded, accepting her words even if his eyes said he didn't quite believe them.

Kath watched as Julian sighed, rotating his neck like this was all terribly routine. The practiced ease of Julian's movements churned something acid in Katherine's gut—his nonchalance a perverse counterpoint to the men sprawled before them, their blood seeping into concrete. He carried himself with the untroubled air of someone checking items off a mundane to-do list rather than standing amid the aftermath of violence.

This wasn't horror to him. This was routine.

"As fun as this has been," he said dryly to Ben, "we still have business."

Katherine hesitated, her eyes flicking between them. The man on the ground moaned softly, his face a mess of blood and forming bruises. Something cold settled in her chest as she realized they weren't calling an ambulance. They weren't calling anyone.

"What are you going to do with him?" Her voice came out wary, steadier than she felt.

Ben took a breath, his shoulders tensing as he prepared to answer—

But Julian cut in with a smirk that made Katherine's skin crawl. "Oh, don't worry. We'll make him useful."

The words hung in the air between them, heavy with implication. Katherine felt her pulse quicken. She'd known Julian was dangerous, but this was something else entirely.