Songs for the Chapter:

Tears Are Falling- KISS

The Lady In My Life- Michael Jackson

Scars on this Guitar- Bon Jovi

{J A X}

I saw the look in her eye as soon as she spotted the flyer.

"That fucking prick," I spat distastefully and tore the flimsy piece of paper off the side of the lamp post. "Advertising, trying to win over these soft-headed rich people. I can't believe he'd advertise for his own rager around here."

The night breeze blew softly. Her dark ginger curls fluttered aimlessly beside her perfect face.

"He is one of them, after all."

Her eyes flitted to the ground. My stomach churned a little. How the hell did she know that? How the hell would she know anything about him after what I told her to do?

"Yeah?" I said roughly, tugging her toward my front door and away from the street. "And how would you know something like that?"

"I'm not stupid you know," she said smartly. "I've heard things."

She'd been short with me lately. I couldn't tell whether it irritated me or turned me on, or possibly some combination of both. I got the feeling she was hiding something from me-- a normal man might've been bothered by it.

But me? No. Everything done in the dark eventually reaches me.

I took her into the house, irritated to find that Vick, Danny, and the twins were already waiting for me. They'd helped themselves to my fucking food.

Danny looked up with a dorito in his mouth. "Hey. Thought you might be out a little longer... so we raided the kitchen..."

I gave him an irritated glance. "Yeah, whatever. The fuck do you guys want?"

Vick stopped her intense glaring at Little Red for a moment. "You did hear about that rager going on in our territory didn't you?"

"And?"

"Plans of action!" Danny said urgently. "You know this is crucial."

Little Red looked at Vick with obvious disgust. "You know, I'm not too keen on catching syphilis. God knows it's radiating in here," she said, eyes narrowing at Vick. "I'll catch you later Jax, when you don't have company."

"No," I quickly shut her down. "This won't take long. I want you when I'm done."

She sighed, looking reluctantly at the door. She resolved to go lean against the wall with her head down, eyes closed, and her arms crossed.

Danny looked at her skeptically, and then to me. "You wanna talk about this type of shit with her around?"

"Does she look like she's paying attention?" I snapped.

Twin number 1 pushed his glasses up his nose. "I've been informed of a list," he began, revealing the notebook he was previously curled over. "A list of who we thought was loyal to us, but has now surrendered their territory over to Williams."

"Okay..." I said slowly. "I fucking told you I had a plan, why are you rushing this?"

I swallowed hard and stood my ground, washing over their worried faces with my own. They had reason to be scared, and maybe deep down I was too. I hadn't yet had to face anyone who challenged me, not in my ability to control and fight.

But Williams, and those stupid eyes of his... they were a force to be reckoned with.

"Time is running out man," Danny said quietly. "And we gotta do something. He's just sayin, this rager might be an opportunity to win some territory back. Or at least beat some asses."

"With the list," Twin 2 continued where his brother had left off, "We could easily identify... and destroy the traitors. It would make getting our shit back all the more pleasureful. Stick it to Williams."

"There's only one problem," Vick pointed out.

"What?" I hardly looked at her.

"If we're getting into that rager to find that list," she said slowly, as if she were explaining algebra to a five-year-old, "we have to find someone who can go undercover and infiltrate. Williams knows us all from a mile away."

Little Red opened her eyes just in time to see everyone in the room staring at her expectantly.

She swallowed hard.

"Oh fuck no," I immediately said. "You really wanna send her into a fucking trap?"

"Why do you care?" Vick fired back. "Other kids from school are being invited, and they'll be fine. She can hold her own, she's not a kid."

"No," I replied darkly. "But he's a monster."

"I don't see what's so dangerous about him," Little Red whispered lowly. "He's just a person."

"Who murdered three people the other day, might I remind you," I snapped at her from across the room. "You're not going into that rager, not under any circumstances. Get that shit out of your head."

"Michael," Twin 1 said intelligently. "It's a smart idea. He does not know her at all to be one of us. It'd be a simple sting, get in, find the list, get out. If you're that worried, we can shadow her outside for backup."

"We need that damn list Jax," Danny snarled at me. "Who esle has to die for you to realize that?"

"Alright, alright!" I yelled. Silence followed.

I turned and looked at her. "If you get hurt, I fucking warned you. Don't you come crying to me."

She matched the intensity of my gaze. "When have I ever?"

{M A U R A}

I watched him emerge through the crowd and turned my back, hoping that he might leave me alone.

Jax was more than pissed at me. For one, he was mad that we spent so much time arguing about the rager that we didn't have time to have sex (the reason I came over in the first place), and while I didn't really care, it was enough to send him over the edge, and not in a good way.

He grumbled under his breath as I walked toward the mansion which I perceived to be Jesse's house. "Don't get fucked."

I coughed up the twenty dollar admission fee and slipped into the house, filled to the brim with drunk teenagers, dancing clumsily with red solo cups overfilled with spiked punch. The music blasted so loudly the walls shook, paintings and mirrors fell off the walls.

I turned the corner just in time to avoid some idiot puking into a lamp shade right behind me. It's a shame, the lamp itself goes for thousands in the catalogues.

I swept the hall with my eyes, wondering where I could possibly find the list. Looking back, I probably could've been a little more discreet, but a fleeting sense of danger kept me on my toes.

I looked over my shoulder hastily. Everyone seemed distracted enough by the alcohol and half-naked girls, so I assumed it safe to begin the search.

And that's when I saw him emerge slowly, step by step. It was like the party ground to a halt, and all that mattered were his hypnotic eyes.

I searched the area for a quick place to run, but it was no use. Green Eyes had caught me.

Somewhat of a smile twitched onto his lips as he approached, just inches from my body. I felt the heat rolling from him and backed into the wall.

"I'm... glad you could make it," he said slowly, choosing his words carefully. "I have to say... I didn't really expect to see you here."

I held my breath, my heart beating like a drum. "I heard about this party a few friends from school were headed too. I figured why not."

He seemed to relax a bit. "Well, it's a little low brow for our standards, don't you agree?"

His gaze pierced mine. I couldn't look away.

"Uh, yeah," I breathed out. "You could call it that."

He nodded toward the staircase. "Let me show you the same... hospitality you showed me. Can I show you my bedroom?"

I opened my mouth to decline, but then I remembered the list. What better place to search?

"Oh," I cleared my throat. "Well, I guess that's fitting."

His smile blossomed, and he nodded toward the staircase while offering me a hand. I stared at it for half a second before lowering my own hand into it. His grip was tight as he lead me through the crowd, up the white-carpeted staircase and into a bedroom.

Something was off about the room- it was extremely dark in there, though the lights were turned on. The shelves were black, the walls were black, the bed was black, the carpet was. The spaciousness of it was masked by dark shadows, almost as if we were standing in a dungeon.

I turned and looked at him. He shut the door.

"Do you like my vinyl collection?" he said, completely ignoring the obvious and pointing to the black shelves in the corner of the room.

I turned, hardly having noticed the neat configuration of records. "Uh..."

"I was very inspired by your collection," he continued, stepping toward the shelves. I followed him. "I picked up a few of the ones I saw you had." He smoothly opened his closet door, revealing stacks and stacks more.

How is that possible? He hardly even looked at my collection...

"Careful," I swallowed, though my mouth felt like sandpaper. "You leave them stacked like that, you'll end up with a lot of ringwear."

He gave a wry smile. "Thanks for the tip. Would you like to hear one?"

"I doubt you have what I'd like to hear-"

"Tell me Cherry, what would you like to hear? I know your favorites. Kiss? Deep Purple? Boston? White Lion? Dokken? Maybe you're in an R&B mood, how about some Debarge? Babyface? Pebbles? Rap, maybe?"

His eyes narrowed. I wracked my brain for something he hadn't mentioned, just so I could seem unattainable.

"How about... A-ha? 'Hunting High and Low'?"

He didn't move. He studied me for a little while longer, and his lips parted. "What was that?"

I gave a little half smile. "Oh, you probably haven't heard of them. They're a New Wave group. Norwegian."

I bit my tongue. I'd picked up the record, but I hadn't even bothered playing it yet.

"What else will suit you?" He said, turning his back. "I'm sure I have everything else."

I shrugged. "I'm in a Jim Morrison mood. You got 'LA Woman'?"

"You bet."

As soon as he disappeared into his closet, I made a beeline for his desk. Looking over my shoulder to make sure it was safe, I quietly thumbed through the looseleaf papers on the surface of his desk.

"LA Woman? Or would you prefer Morrison Hotel?"

"No, I meant what I said!"

Frustrated, I growled to myself. I knew there was nowhere else it could possibly be... until I saw the very bottom drawer on the left sticking open.

I could taste the excitement as I quickly kneeled, pulling open the drawer as silently as I could.

Sure enough, there it was- a list of names scrawled in blue pen on notebook paper. I scanned it a few times just to make sure it was the real deal- Danny had given me a few sure signs to look for to reassure myself.

"Found it," I heard him call. I jumped up quickly and shoved the list in my pocket, scrambling to get away from the desk. "Hiding between Bee Gees and Bonnie Tyler."

I held my breath as he put the record on. He came to me slowly, biting down on his bottom lip as his eyes traveled up and down my body.

I didn't move. He was so close I felt his body heat.

"Have you been recieving my gifts?"

His magnetic gaze returned. I looked up into his eyes, shivering as he softly raked his fingers through my hair, tucking the curls behind my ear. His warm fingers then came down, stroking my jaw and my chin.

I wrapped my hand around his wrist to obstruct his movement.

"Yeah, I have."

He licked his lips. "Peonies are my mother's favorite. So pink, so... fragrant."

I shrugged. "I guess."

He sighed a little. "Come on, Cherry. What more could you possibly want before you give in to me? Jewelry? Chocolates? Fine clothes, perhaps?"

I shook my head. "You can't buy me."

He leaned a little closer. "But remember, I can give you all the power in the city."

"Did you hear about those three kids who got murdered from my school?" I blurted, unable to control my mouth for any longer. "So sad. I bet they didn't do a thing wrong."

His smile faltered for a second. "Chicago can be a dangerous place, especially without the proper protection. Wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you, right?" He paused, surveying my facial expression. "Well, good thing I'm more than capable of protecting you."

I turned my back and paced forward. "Maybe I'm not interested in that type of protection."

I glanced at the door. I had the list in my pocket, literally all I had to do was wait for the right moment to make my escape.

"Oh, I think you are." I felt his hand on my waist. "Or at least, you should be."

"Just stop," I sighed, brushing his hand away. "You've gotta face it. You may have the ability to woo every other girl in Chicago, but not me. I'm just not wired like that."

"Oh yeah?"

"Flattery doesn't fuel me. I've gotta go."

I went quickly toward the door.

"Wait," he said sharply. "Before you go, just one more thing?"

"And what is that?"

"A drink. I've got some vodka lime sour. I think you'll like it."

He nodded to the mini fridge in the corner. I swallowed reluctantly.

"Oh come on, it'll only take a second," he said, drifting toward the fridge with two red cups in his hands. "Let me. It's the least I can do for... wasting your time."

"Alright," I gave in. "Just one drink. Then I gotta run."

I turned and watched LA Woman spin round and round on the turntable, and for a second I was hypnotized. I heard his faint humming and the sound of vodka sloshing into the cups, the tension in the air seemed to vibrate.

I should've run.

He turned quickly, both cups in hand.

"Here you go," he said smoothly, handing me a drink. He took a generous sip of his own to show that it was okay. "I hope you like lime."

"Sure," I said, quickly bringing the cup to my mouth so I could get the drink over with. It burned going down, tasting much like cough syrup with a wedge of lime floating in it. "Strong stuff. You make a mean drink."

I tried to hand it back, but he shook his head. "Ah, no. Don't be a lightweight, I want you to have every drop."

I smirked. My pride got the best of me as I tipped the cup back and consumed every ounce of the vodka, stumbling a little as I handed the cup back.

My head was spinning now. After just one drink? My limbs felt like they weighed a ton. My head felt like a cinder block.

"You're looking a little dizzy there," Jesse pointed out with a smile. "Lemme help you to the bed, huh?"

He forcefully took my wrist and lead me to his bed. Every muscle inside me screamed escape, but my strength was betraying me. I stared up at Jesse, confused and scared as the ceiling spun above my head.

"Just rest there for a second," he said, tucking my hair behind my ears again. "I'll be back."

Panic surged through me. I felt myself slipping away into the dark reaches of unconsciousness, and asked myself bitterly why I would play such a game with a monster. Jax tried to warn me, but I never listen. And now it was haunting me.

Darkness descended. I could no longer feel the sheets beneath my fingertips.

{A/N}

Just saying... she kinda deserves what she gets.

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