Damned Either Way [Jacques]

[Rain (DELETED 5917)]

The studio was quiet when she arrived, and she found herself oddly thankful that the rest of the crew had cleared out. She had thought about shutting it down and keeping it for personal use, but every time she did, she remembered the pride in Megan’s eyes when she would speak of the youth she helped. How could she turn them away, when she hadn’t batted a lash to help Rain? Shaking her head, she dropped her bag to the floor and moved her hand along the wall until she found the switch. Giving it a flick, she flooded the room in a dull yellow light and smiled. It was the first real smile she had worn in days, and she found her body relaxing as she moved towards the DJ station. Brushing her fingers over the speakers, she gave a quiet sigh.

She hadn’t danced since she’d been turned, and her body ached to move. She couldn’t explain what held her back, though. She was stronger, faster, and more dexterous. Her body was made to dance, and yet she hadn’t been able to get her feet to move. Her mind was clouded with doubt when she shrugged from her hoodie and leaned up to press ‘play’ on the player. She wasn’t at all surprised when Halestorm began to play, the volume turned all the way up so the walls and mirrors shook with the bass. Tossing her hoodie behind her, she headed for the center of the floor and rolled her neck. You can do this, Rain. Just stop thinking. That was easier said than done. Even as she stretched her arms over her head, her mind was racing.

She was going to fall apart. Her skin was too tight, her muscles tense. Curling her fingers into fists, she pressed them to the sides of her head and doubled over, her scream drowned out by Apocalyptic. The release from the shout was therapeutic, and she felt some of the tension in her body ease. Remaining bent, she pressed ‘restart’ on her remote and tossed it to land on her hoodie. When the song started over, she straightened back up and closed her eyes. The lyrics had to mean something to her, and as she listened to them, she realized that it reflected the kind of relationship she wanted. Something dangerous and all-consuming. She wanted passion, desire, anger and mystery. As the song continued to play, she began to move.

Spinning in a full circle, she tossed her arms above her head as she bowed back, her bared stomach stretching as she dropped to the ground and threw her leg out. She incorporated ballet, hip-hop and breakdancing into a song that had none of those things, and she realized that it was… beautiful. Flawless. As she took off in a short run and dropped to her knees, finishing the path by sliding against the floor, she laughed. Moving back to her feet, she spun again, her body being pushed to the limits and beyond as she trembled with the adrenaline. She never felt as alive as she did when she danced, and as her blonde hair whipped across her face when she moved, she was at home. The song didn’t miss a beat as it switched to I’m so sick by Flyleaf and neither did she. She continued to move, letting the anger she felt translate into her motions, oblivious to the world around her.

[Jacques (DELETED 6254)]

Jacques leaned against the brick wall of the building across from the studio, watching in the silence of the late evening as the studio’s patrons filed out, a pair of girls in tight pants that seemed painted onto their slim figures were the last to leave, their laughter loud and obnoxious as they piled into their Volkswagen, the lime green of the beetle standing out in the dark night. Each of their gym bags were tossed into the back seat and they quickly abandoned the parking lot, leaving just his lonely figure and the silhouette of a single car tucked into the far corner of the lot. That, he was certain, was either Rain’s car, or someone using the studio as their personal long-term parking.

He shoved his hands into his pockets as he pushed through the front door, the hinges silent as they moved on their well oiled track. He quietly pulled away from the brick wall, making a mental note to thank his mother profusely for doing him this favor. It had taken bribery, ***-kissing, and some good, old-fashioned beggary to get the woman to agree to track down his new “sibling,” as they called her. He also made sure to make the note that she was to not know about Tigra’s involvement in finding her.

He smirked, the look smug on his features as he easily found her. All he had needed to do was to follow the music. Unlocked doors, loud, drawing tunes. It wasn’t like she was exactly hiding anyway. He chuckled softly at the thought as he watched her move in silence, her body twisting and contorting in ways that he was sure cheerleaders and gymnasts everywhere were envious of. He ran his tongue along his lips as his frame quietly slipped into the room to take a seat with her things in the DJ booth.

He sat in silence, watching quietly as she twisted, turned, bent, just as she moved. She was fluid, like she was made of an ethereal fog, gliding over the floor without ever really touching it, it seemed. Her body moved without resistance, her muscles taut and trained as she pulled herself through the music, letting it leave its mark upon her soul as it passed through her, expressing itself in the way that her body moved with it. She was a puppet, and the beat was her master.

[Rain (DELETED 5917)]

She continued to move, her body stretching and twisting in almost impossible angles. She was as fluid as water, as smooth as silk as she continued to spin over the dancefloor. As a human, she would have been on her *** minutes ago, sweat drenching her skin as she fought to breathe. In this new body, however, she knew she could go until the end of time. She felt as if she never had to stop. Closing her eyes, she gave a small smile as the song reached its tempo, and stretched her arms over her head. Her mind was clear for the first time in days, and she could finally begin to process everything that had happened to her. She had been killed, had killed, had saved a life – and she was only just on the cusp of her newfound immortal life. She felt more accomplished, more broken, than she had ever been.

As the song reached its inevitable end, she moved to make her last spin. As she arched back, her arms stretched out, pain shot through her chest. It knocked the wind from her, and she collapsed to the ground with a strained cry, her fingers pressed above her heart. Her lips parted on another gasp, the pain nearly blinding her as the memory of her death flashed into her mind. She was sure she had been shot again, but she would have heard the bullet, smelled the gun residue. Tears burned her eyes as she rested on her knees, her body bent so her forehead touched the cool wood of the floor. Breathe through it. That’s it, just breathe. It was impossible advice, as she no longer needed air to survive, but she found her mouth opening to gulp in the precious oxygen. To her surprise, it worked.

She expected to hear nothing when the music stopped, and yet, there was the tale-tell scuff of shoes against the wood as someone hurried to her side. Before he even managed to reach her, she knew who it was. She should have felt him the moment he entered the door, but she had been too lost in her own world and far too oblivious of the real one to pay him a single ounce of attention. That’s going to get you killed, girl. Shaking her head, she kept her hand clutched to her chest as the sharp, burning pain continued. “What the hell are you doing here?” Her voice was strained, yet the sharp bite to her tone was evident as she pushed a hand to the floor and tried to lift herself up. She never wanted anyone to see her weak, to see her unable to care for herself – and yet, she found herself in the presence of the exact person she never, ever wanted to believe her anything but strong.

[Jacques (DELETED 6254)]

Watching in silence, his frame rested against the sound booth as his gaze followed her across the floor. He was shocked, in honesty, that she hadn’t noticed him the minute he slipped through the door. His hands tucked easily into his hoodie as he leaned back, the sharp raptor’s gaze watching her every movement, committing every bend, every angle and every curve to his memory. Her body was astounding, her figure perfect. She was tight, strong in all of the right places, while soft and less severe in places that made her entire form all the more attractive. He watched as she moved, analyzing her body with each twist and bend, taking in the way her taut muscles contracted and moved as she elegantly drifted across the floor, like she was dancing across glass.

He could see it before it happened. The twitch of her leg, the way her thigh quivered beneath her weight as she paused on the last note of the song. Her body stiffened as it fought itself, waging war on gravity as she put all her strength into keeping herself upright. In an instant, she was on the floor, and he was already halfway through the distance between her and the sound booth. When her body contacted the floor with a sharp thump, he all but winced. She had crumpled into a heap, her body unprepared for the fall. As she began to push herself back up, he shook his head as he held out his hands to her, offering her his assistance, even though it was perfectly clear that she did not want, or need his help. Still, he would offer it openly, and freely. It was the very least that he could do.

“I thought I could stop in and see how you were doing.” He said quietly, reaching down to pull her up to her feet as she lifted herself on her own power. He glossed over exactly how he found her. His hands took her arm, inspecting her elbow, making sure she hadn’t landed on it. “You took a nasty spill there. It doesn’t look like you’re doing so great now, but you were amazing.” He said quietly, his hands sliding down her arm as he began to release her from his grasp. “You are quite the dancer.” He said with a sly smile, his fingers lingering on her hands for just a moment before letting her drop from his touch. He grinned, and let his hands slide into his hoodie as he looked her over again.

“So what was up with the spill?” he asked with a tip of his head.

[Rain (DELETED 5917)]

What made the fact he showed up uninvited all the more agitating was the knowledge that he didn’t seem to care. His easily maneuvered around the unspoken question on how he had managed to find her, and instead chose to jump right into the personal questions. Questions he should not even know to ask. Gritting her teeth as she pressed her palms to the floor, she ignored his offered help and struggled to move to her feet, her chest tightening with another bout of pain. She managed to make it to her knees before his hands were on her, lifting her from the floor with an ease that set her teeth on edge. “I can take care of myself, Jacques,” she snapped, her eyes narrowing as she turned to face him.

Over CrowNet, she was able to handle him. He charmed her with written words, words that she couldn’t hear spoken in that seductive French accent. Words that she couldn’t see the heat in his enrapturing gaze when he spoke them. In person, however, she had to use her strongest defense. She had to shut down her heart and mind, and she did it with such ease that it frightened her. Taking a step away from him, she crossed towards the mirror and tipped her head. She had expected to see her toned stomach stained red from the blood as she stared at her reflection. The pain had been exquisite, there was absolutely no way that it hadn’t been real. “I don’t ******* believe it,” she whispered, forgetting for a moment that she wasn’t alone. It took her a moment to realize that she, in fact, was alone.

Narrowing her eyes, she spun on her heel and prepared herself to follow after him – only to nearly run into him. “What in the hell do you think you’re doing? Either stay or g—“ Her words died on her tongue when she caught her reflection in another mirror, yet there was no one with her. He was standing directly in front of him, her hand pressed to the center of his chest, but in the reflection, her hand was moving through the air. Her eyes clouded with surprise and she jerked her hand back, spinning in a circle to gaze at them in each mirror. Were they defective? “I… holy ****. This is too much.” She lowered her head as she tried to collect her thoughts, her fingers pressing back to her chest. Remembering what had started the entire thing, she turned back to the mirror behind her and tugged at her work-out top. She pulled the hem up in the middle, careful not to reveal too much unneeded skin.

“Where you were turned because you were in a wreck, I was nearly raped. When I fought back and he realized I wouldn’t be an easy target, the **** decided to shoot me. The bullet nearly hit my heart.” She shook her head again as she pressed her fingers gently to the bullet hole, the skin scarred. “You healed, I didn’t. It was explained to me that it happens to some people. If I push myself too far, or even at just random times, it feels like I’m being shot all over again.” Dropping her top back into place, she turned to face him, unnerved by not being able to see his reflection. Tracing her tongue over her lower lip, she tilted her head to the side and narrowed her eyes on him. “Now, no one knows about this place. How the hell did you manage to find me? I know you’ve got it bad, but I never took you for desperate enough to stalk.”

[Jacques (DELETED 6254)]

“Be that as it may, Rain, I am also standing right here and fully capable of helping.” He set her on her feet and lifted a fair brow. “I get that you’re some kind of Betty Badass, but being strong is also knowing when you can use the help.” He brushed the arm of his hoodie and shrugged his shoulders. She was easy to move. He felt like he could lift her and throw her across the room she was so light. The thought sent an amused chuckle from his throat before he pushed his hands through his hair.


She was much more evasive and skittish than she was on CrowNet. Her manner was much more abrasive and angry than her words on the computer. He could only attribute it to a case of keyboard courage. He shrugged again, unsure of what exactly it was that made her so irritable. He watched as she turned to inspect herself in the mirror, though he wasn’t entirely sure why she would. He had no reflection anymore, he had been fully aware after the first night of his new life. He placed a hand on his shoulder as she wheeled around, telling him to stay or go, but he hadn’t moved. A look of realization crossed her features as she nearly ran into him, her hand slamming an open palm into his chest.


He couldn’t help but laugh at her confusion. She glanced around the room rapidly, looking into each mirror to see the lack of him against her. He could see as her mind spun, and she physically reeled from the drastic change. It defied the laws of physics. He was, after all, a physical object. Light glanced off of all physical objects, or was absorbed into them and regardless of which, the reflection of light, or the lack thereof, caused a visual distortion of some kind, and thus sight was created. However, there he stood before the multitude of mirrors, entirely invisible to their reflective faces. He was, to them, nothing. A void.


His face contorted as she told her story, his fists clenching tightly against his sides as he knit his brows. He didn’t speak, listening closely as his hands quietly slipped into his hoodie. Emotions twisted through him like they never had before. Above them all, the sharp desire for revenge. He may have been a few days late into her life, but he still felt like he should have protected her from something so horrific. If anything, he was a protector, just like his mother. That was something that she had ingrained into his very being since the day he was born. His brows knit tighter, his jaw set as his dark eyes looked over her face, watching as she turned to check on her wound again. She should never have had to feel that pain, and now, she was stuck with it forever.

“You already know you’re strong. My telling you so doesn’t do you any good, Rain, but you are. I’m very fond of that strength.” He smiled, then, and lifted his shoulder at her question. “I mean, you know. I’m not really a stalker exactly, but I had a little bird tell me that you came here often. I just thought I would stop in and see you. Is that a problem?”

[Rain (DELETED 5917)]

Rain knew deep down she shouldn’t be agitated with him, but she couldn’t seem to help herself. He was attractive, there was no way around that. Gorgeous, well built, and ******* hell, she was certain beneath that vest he always wore waited abs that she would drool over. Though all of those things were everything a woman wanted in a man, they also all added up to one thing that made her want to tuck tail and run. Trouble. She had been with a man like him before, someone that looked at her like she was the only thing in world, a man that held her so tight he made her believe that he would be by her side until the end of time. Instead of the white picket fence and the happily ever after, she’d received five years in Prison while he had run off to live her dream with her best friend. It was a bad romance, and she paid the price.

She could see that she had upset him with her attitude through his body language, and though it made her feel guilty, she had to protect herself. Raking her fingers through her hair, she tried to ignore the sight of pale blonde as it fell in front of her eyes. She could only focus on irritating thing at a time, and her hair just didn’t qualify over the man standing before her. Her eyes narrowed as she watched the way his muscles coiled when she told him about her turning, and the shift in his eyes would have taken her breath away if she’d had any to spare. ****, he’s protective. Damn, girl, you manage to find the bad boys. The warning bells began to signal in her head, and she fell back a step. “You learn to be strong pretty quickly when everyone you ever cared about fucks you over all at once.” Shrugging a shoulder as if it didn’t bother her, she bent down to grab her hoodie off the ground and shoved her arms into the sleeves.

Tempted to tell him to get the **** out, the blonde turned to face him again, but she paused at the last second. He was just as lost as she was, just as new to this life. She had chosen this life for him, a stranger, and now she was treating him like he was the plague. That’s because you’re a *****, her subconscious sneered, causing her to sigh in exasperation. Well, it was true. “Yeah, like we don’t all know who your ‘little bird’ is. Tell your mother I’ll deal with her later.” Swiping her keys from the hook on the wall, she headed for a door across the studio and quickly unlocked it. As it swung open to reveal a narrow staircase, she raised a brow at him. “Since you don’t take hints very well, I might as well let you hang around until you decide that you’ve paid whatever debt you feel you owe me for saving your life.”

She didn’t wait to see if he followed as she began to ascend, her fingers never once grazing the rough railing. She thought to warn him about the splinters, but decided against it at the last minute. After all, if he wasn’t smart enough to see how warped the wood was, then he deserved a few annoying slivers in his skin. “Shut and lock the door behind you.” The words were called over her shoulder, and when he did, they were sent into pure darkness. The only sound was her feet against the stairs as she maneuvered her way easily. When she reached the top, she put the key into a second door. The stairs were once again bathed in light as she pushed it open, revealing a spacious room that clearly belonged to her.

The carpet was black, the walls painted with a mural of a dangerous storm. The curtains were pulled back so she could see the midnight sky, and it was clear that the windows were able to protect her from the light when the sun rose. Tucked in a far corner was a king sized bed that was covered in black and teal bedding while a large entertainment center set across from it. Her television was turned on, Grey’s Anatomy playing, though muted. On the other side of the room was a loveseat and two recliners with a table in the center that was covered in books. The rest of the floor was left open aside from a dog bed beside her bedside table. Yet she knew none of this would catch his eye.

No, the thing that would draw his attention would be the wall covered in old newspaper clippings next to the door. ‘Teenage Bandits Strike Again!’ ‘Can Anyone Save Casen?’ ‘Miami Sweetheart Gone Bad’ were only some of the titles, and below each one was a picture of her with Jaeden’s arm around her shoulders. Crumpled on the floor beneath them was a bright orange shirt, her inmate number written in bolded block letters. The largest of the clippings was a full-fledged article, her picture taking up the center with the title ‘Miami Sweetheart In Custody’. She didn’t turn to look at him as she kicked off her shoes and made her way across the room to curl into her bed, her back to the wall. Instead, she reached for the remote and unmuted her show.

“Yes, I was arrested. Yes, I was sent to prison. Yes, I am guilty of the charges. No, I didn’t kill anyone.” She fired off her answers to his unvoiced questions as she finally looked to him. “Five years for drug trafficking and arms dealing. I only dabbled. My boyfriend was the real mastermind, even managed to work me over like a pro. I only realized it when he took off with my best friend with the words ‘I’ll be back in five’ and I found myself being assaulted by FBI twenty minutes later. By then it was a little too late. He always was pretty crappy with the birthday presents.” Resting the remote on the table, she watched him, her eyes clouded as she drew her knees to her chest. He’d stay and ask more questions, or he’d go.

She was betting on the latter.

[Jacques (DELETED 6254)]

“Still, you shouldn’t have to learn to be strong because of your shitty friends and the poor decision to put your trust in them.” He shrugged, strong shoulders moving lazily as he tipped his head back, letting the black hood of his vest fall from his frame, the gold foil catching the light in a flash before it fell from sight. “You should learn to be strong by overcoming hardship with your friends, not because of them.” He shook his head, and set his tongue to press against the inside row of his teeth. “Nor should any man do what he did to you and live. Shooting you was bad enough, but…” he fell silent and shook his head in disgust.

Letting his eyes slide back to her, he lifted his brows as he smiled. “Well, firstly, I never said that it was her. Secondly, any ‘dealing,’ that you’re going to be doing with her, you should save your breath. Her head is hard as stone, and she doesn’t have a timid bone in her body. You’re very unlikely to persuade or frighten her.” He chuckled, amused at the very thought of the tall blonde woman in front of him even trying to put his mother in her place. The woman was a saint, but she was a beast even before she had been turned. Now, he doubted anyone could even touch her. There was a reverence in his eyes for the woman. He shook his head, that same thoughtful, adoring smile on his features as he focused on the girl, much shorter than he, though much taller than his mother, and shrugged his shoulders. “Though, it would be fun to watch, I suppose.”

He watched as she turned her back, moving with that unnatural grace as she ascended the stairs. They were worse for wear, his eyes moving over the neglected bannister as he knit his brows. He was perplexed, that a dance studio would have something so grossly unkempt right here, to be seen, much less to be accessed in the studio floor. His eyes slid along the rough surface, inventorying its poor condition, and taking care to keep his hand away from the hazardous planes. His eyes rose, then, to where she was nearly atop the staircase. Her body swayed with each step, the tight, black cotton fabric of her yoga pants clinging to her figure like they were her very skin. A silent approval flicked through his mind as he watched her take the last few steps before she mounted the staircase, and moved into the room at their peak. He shook his head, his hand lifting to his chin to check for drool once she was finally away from his sight.

He rushed the stairs, feet confident and sure as they hurried each step. The black Chucks were heavy against the wooden structure, his tall frame finding the top in seconds before he ducked inside the same door she had disappeared through, pulling the door shut behind him and sliding the lock into place with a click. He frowned, knowing she had asked him to do so, and knowing just how unsafe the situation really felt. She barely knew him, and was inviting him into… he glanced around for a quick view of the room about him, and inventoried it as her apartment. Inviting him into her apartment, a relative stranger, and asking him to lock the door behind him. For all she could have known, she had just locked herself into the room with a man much more dangerous than the one that killed her. He was, after all, far more dangerous than the creep that had tried to have her. He intended to show that very man just how dangerous he really was.

He turned back to the room again, his eyes catching the dog bed first. He laughed, and knew instantly that they would get along perfectly. His mother had raised him around dogs, as funny as it was that she was a cat person with her own string of canine friends, and he had grown up loving the canine creatures. His mother’s current object of affection, her French Bulldog Lucy, was the namesake of Lucille. His mother’s harsh jab at the redhead that clearly got under the woman’s skin. He could tell that she hated it, and hated the dog, too.

Second, he turned to the door he had just left, the wall plastered with newspaper articles. As his eyes moved over the clippings, a short laugh left him. It was like a bad joke. She even confirmed their authenticity, and still they seemed just as fabricated and surreal, even with her confirmation. He shook his head, and turned to look at her again with a small grin. “That beautiful face must have gotten you off easy. Trafficking usually lands you a hell of a lot more than just five years.” He shook his head, his eyes landing on the jumpsuit discarded in the floor. “And I take it you didn’t stay for the full five? You should probably get rid of that, if you don’t want people finding you out. That, and these…” he waved his hand at the clippings on her wall. “Or, at least, hiding them someplace.”

He chuckled, and pushed his hand through his hair as he moved to her, sitting on the edge of her bed at her feet. “Or do you want to be caught?” he asked the question genuinely. He was well aware that some women, even men, were quite allured by the thrill of discovery, of the danger, the chase. He felt that vibe strongly from the blonde curled at his side. “And where are these… ‘friends’ of yours, now?”

[Rain (DELETED 5917)]

“What he did is in the past, Jacques. I don’t even know where he is now.” She didn’t want to hear the concern in his voice, to know that he was something that she could depend on. She would rather paint him the color of a villain and leave it at that. Yet, each second she spent in his actual presence, she found it becoming increasingly harder to make him out to be anything but one of the good ones. That makes it even worse. I would ruin him. The thought came unbidden as she slipped further up the bed, her eyes watching his every move. She didn’t miss a single twitch of his lips or darkening of his eyes, even when he stared at the lock for a second longer than necessary. She had no reason to be a telepath to know what thought had entered his mind. He was questioning her intelligence for bringing a man up and locking him inside with her. He thought she had a reason to worry about him, to fear for her safety, when she knew it was the exact opposite. It had nothing to do with the fact that she was miles ahead of him in training, any of their kind with eyes could see that. He might not fully understand that concept, but it was what it was, and that wasn’t what mattered. No, what mattered, what had possessed her to lead him into her apartment was the knowledge – the utter confidence – that he wouldn’t hurt her. She might have made wrong assumptions in the past, but she knew he wasn’t one of them. He was as pure and strong as they came, and it made him deadly to her, but not in the way that his mind seemed to be concocting.

As she hadn’t removed her gaze from his form, she had seen the moment his gaze had first found the dog bed and the way his eyes had sparkled with amusement as he seemed to come to some inner conclusion that he chose to keep her out of. Deciding not to let that bother her, she finally tore her attention from him to sweep the room in a futile search for the dog in question as she lifted her thumb to her lips and began to chew on the side of her nail. She knew she was merely distracting herself as he turned to the wall with the clippings, his gaze scanning each of the pages where her life was laid out in full display for his mental consumption. Each article held more and more information on her past, some even going as far as to point out her favorite foods or favorite lingerie. Whatever secrets she had hoped to keep from him were laid out like a buffet, and she knew once he had his fill, he would be out the door. As he finally took a step back, his muscles tense beneath his vest, she closed her eyes. She hadn’t realized how much she had actually wanted him to stay until the bed dipped beneath his weight, causing her eyes to fly open in surprise. No, no. You should have gone, Babyboy. You’re making this difficult.

Finding the sudden need to distract herself, the small blonde swung around and bent over the edge of the bed, her knees pressing into the mattress as one hand found the floor, effectively putting her *** in the air, the black of her pants stretching even tighter. The other hand curled beneath the comforter, and she lifted it up to search the darkness for her puppy. The second she did, a squeal left her as a warm tongue found her cheek, and the sound of claws tearing against carpet was heard as the dog all but rocketed out from the shadows. As his form rushed across the room towards the water dish, she dropped the comforter and folded herself back into a seated position, her eyes focused on the Aussie. “I haven’t named him yet,” she explained, as if still trying to buy herself time as she rested back against the wall. “I found him two days ago. He was in the trash behind the studio. I know we really shouldn’t have animals, but I’ve never had a dog and he was so…” Her voice trailed off, and as if remembering herself, her lips pressed together. You can show weakness to him, mija. I do believe he might be the only one that would never judge you now that I am gone.

She hated that the spirit seemed to be right, and as she tipped her head back to rest it against the wall, she lifted a hand to scrub at her face. She had let his questions go unanswered, his concern still hanging in the growing silence between them. Pulling the corner of her lower lip between her teeth, she began to abuse the flesh as she stretched out her legs on the bed, her calf pressing to his thigh, the pressure sending a thrill through her. “Nah, I got out,” she finally answered, her voice soft as she focused on the painted lightening on the ceiling. “I would have been out sooner for good behavior, but I have this small problem with my temper. I can’t seem to pull myself away from a challenge, you know? Someone fucked with me, they paid for it. It didn’t matter who it was, a fellow inmate, one of the men from across the yard or a security guard. They were the worse.” She seemed to leave herself, then. He had wanted answers, and she felt obligated to give them. She spoke as if she was reading a story that belonged to someone else. It made it… easier. “This last time, though, they struck a deal I couldn’t refuse. They would let me go if I gave them Jaeden and Dominique. They still believed I knew where they were, and though I knew I didn’t, I took it. My lawyer made the deal that I had a year to deliver them, and in that year, I was to stay with my family in Miami. It didn’t seem like that bad of a plan, right? It only took me a week to realize it wasn’t for me. The judgement in their eyes, the way they acted as if I was a ticking time bomb. I couldn’t handle it. I packed my **** and left.”

Finally, she turned her attention to him, her eyes clouded. She felt the bed tremble as the dog tried to climb onto it before giving up and slinking to his own bed. He curled up with a loud huff, the only sound for the longest time before she cleared her throat. “It doesn’t matter. I never planned to turn them in. I plan to find them, yeah, but turn them in? Prison is too good for them, for what they did to me. You don’t get it, not many people do. Not only did he betray me, but he betrayed our daughter. Our little girl is growing up with someone else, a family that isn’t her own. He has to pay for everything he put me through.” The words tumbled from her lips quickly, and that vulnerability sparkled in her eyes before disappearing. Releasing a breath, she gave another shrug of her shoulders and leveled her gaze with his. “So, I hope you see why I push you away. It’s not exactly been a life of roses for me, Jacques. You’re the kind of guy that wants a good time, and I’ve had enough of that for my lifetime.”

[Jacques (DELETED 6254)]

“That hardly matters.” He muttered in response to her dismissal. He was sure that he would find the man in question. He was certain that, regardless of what was said or what might happen, that the man would pay for his crime. Quietly, he shook his head as he shrugged from the vest he wore, leaving his chest bare as he pulled the fabric over his arm, leaving it draped across the limb as he lifted his free hand to push through his shock of golden strands, even as she lifted herself onto the bed, her *** lifted nearly to his face. He, being merely a man, watched as she twisted her body, fighting the urge to lean over and bite into that perfect, taut *** just as her pup burst from beneath the bed in a blur of fur and sound. He laughed, watching the Aussie run the length of the room to the water dish and returning to try and lift himself onto the bed, to make his way to the two of them.

He shook his head, his hand pushing against his temple as he smirked. “No name? That hardly seems appropriate, Rain. What do you call him?” he asked with a quiet chuckle, watching as she sat upright again. He rubbed his fingers against his brow as he gave an amused smile. “I mean, two days is quite a good chunk of time to go with just calling him, ‘hey dog.’” He said with a laugh, his hand reaching to gently press against her shoulder in a reassuring gesture. “You happen to be his guardian angel, too. That’s got to make us like, what? Brothers or something?” he chuckled as he offered his hand to the dog, letting it lick his palm once before he wandered away toward his own bed.

He shook his head, her legs draping easily over his lap as he let his hand rest across her shin, his fingers digging gently into the muscle as he turned to watch her as she relaxed. “And as glad as I am to hear that you served your time, I think maybe directing that temper into something constructive seems to have done wonders for you.” He said with a wry grin. “You don’t seem so rabid to me, after all.” He shrugged, opening his palms as he flashed her a smile. “Maybe all you needed the whole time was an outlet that didn’t involve someone else’s face.” He chuckled, and squeezed at her shin as he let his hand run over her leg again. He shook his head, his fingers gripping her leg as his other hand lifted to drape his vest over his shoulder. He watched her intently as he heard the dog’s tags rattle, the little pup scratching itself behind the ear as they sat in silence.

“The question about this whole thing, though, is what happens now that you aren’t in Miami? I mean, obviously you left, so what happens now? And do you even know where they are hiding?” he asked, his hand resting across her thigh as he continued to squeeze at her thigh, his thumb digging gently into the muscle as he sat with her. He shook his head and shifted his weight on the bed when she mentioned her daughter. His brows rose as he turned his gaze to her. He could feel it, that anyone that had ever known would have asked her a thousand questions.

Where is she?

How old is she?

How is she doing?

Why isn’t she with you?

Do you see her?

Does she know you?

How could you just let her go?

He shook his head, his hands passing through his cropped hair before he rested his head in his hands. He closed his eyes and gave her a small smile when he looked to her again. “I have to agree. Jail sounds way too easy.” He said roughly, his fingers clenched into fists as they rested against his lap, draped over her legs. “But, the question still remains, what do you plan to do?” he asked as he watched her eyes. She was a mystery to him. She was so ravaged by her short time on this earth. She carried a cross that most people would never know. His mother would understand her. That’s probably why she pushed them together so eagerly, because Rain was someone she could understand. She could see them really making it in this place.

The thought brought a sly smile to his lips. He shook his head and let his eyes turn to the blonde at his side. “Really, though. I’m sorry you had to deal with so much all alone. It must have been terribly difficult.” He said quietly, his hand finally unclenching from the taut fist to gently massage at her thigh again. “Maybe now, you won’t have to deal with that burden all on your own. You have friends and family, and… maybe more.” He said with a smile, fingers working over the cotton fabric of the skin tight yoga pants. “But regardless of what I might be, I’m here to help however I can. You think I’m some kind of playboy, just out for a good time and nothing more, but I was raised better than that, Cherie. I spent most of my life around strong, powerful women, and I know that there is a hell of a lot more to you than what I can see. I know that there’s plenty worth holding onto for much longer than the span of one good night.”

He smiled, and gave her another wink as he let his body move, falling back against her bed so that his bare chest finally stretched out, his back sinking into the mattress as he laughed. “You could have at least asked about what I wanted, you know, instead of pushing from the very start without even knowing what it is that I might be after. You never know, you could have missed out on quite the opportunity.” He said as he waved his hand over himself, indicating that he was the opportunity in question. He laughed, and shook his head again as he let his vest rest on the bed at his side, his eyes looking over the ceiling of her apartment as he finally let himself drift into thoughtful silence.