Title: The Stranger
Characters: Red John, Lorelei
Spoilers: Spoilers for season four finale.
Summary: A man walks into a bar...but what happens next is far from a joke.
Notes: I originally wrote this with the intention of it being a gift for hollygolightly/browneyesparker, unfortunately it turned a little darker and more adult themed which I don't think she would appreciate. However, I do believe it is perhaps perfectly placed in my redjohnlovesyou slot over on Livejournal...
x
He met her in a bar, like so many of his conquests. A girl of twenty-one; jaded by the harsh reality of the world around her, riddled by drugs and poverty. He knew on first inspection that she was special, someone that he needed to bring into his world, to show her that life could be better if only you knew the right people. He didn't introduce himself on that first meeting; instead he went back every week for a month until she recognised him, smiled at the thought of a regular customer.
An elusive man old enough to be her father, not quite grey but neither a head of dark curls, approaching the prime of his life; a time when younger women were attracted not only to his charm but also his power and the danger of being with someone so much older.
'Keep the change,' he said, handing her a twenty. Her eyes widened then creased at the brow, she appeared confused but he knew that he had her attention. She was his; flattered by his kindness, overwhelmed by his generosity and hopeful that maybe the stranger could change her life.
'I don't even know your name,' she said, a brief smile lighting up her whole face.
He reached out a hand, emulating her expression. 'You can call me Johnnie.'
'Lorelei.'
He held her hand in his, leant forward and placed a soft kiss upon her knuckles. She blushed like only a young woman could, nervous at the attention and excited to be approached in such a way.
He left soon after his drink, not wanting to tip the boat too quickly for fear of sinking them both. Red John had a game to play and he wasn't about to spoil it all on some floosy in a bar. She could be valuable but like any disciple, he needed to tread carefully in order to ensure her allegiance. He'd taken risks in the early days, some had paid off whilst others had jeopardised the whole operation. He wouldn't do that again, he couldn't.
Besides, a girl like Lorelei needed wooing. She needed to feel safe in an otherwise dangerous world, she needed to know that she could rely on him, be comforted by him and ultimately, have faith in his words. Some might say he was the leader of a cult, a dangerous group of people who battled against the good in the world. He couldn't deny that it made him feel powerful, the leader of the pack, admired by many and feared by more. Who wouldn't be excited by the opportunity to join something so special?
He returned to the bar the next night with a hundred dollar bill. Lorelei looked weary, her shirt barely covering the track lines at the bend of her arm, large bags sitting underneath her eyes. He sat down silently, waiting for her to approach as she usually did and without fail, her face lit up when she spotted him.
'I'll have a scotch on the rocks,' he said, handing her the note. 'You can have the rest of that, honey.'
The surprise on her face quickly faded as she retrieved the change and passed it back to him.
'I can't take that. It's too much.'
'You look like you need it more than me,' he said, lowering his hand over hers. She stared at his fingers as he wrapped them around her hand, rubbing the back with his thumb. She flinched, pulling her hand away as if he'd burned her. She held it close against her chest, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. They had a long way to go before she would trust him enough to make the next move, but it didn't matter because he knew that she'd spend the rest of the week thinking about him.
He left the money on the bar, winked in Lorelei's direction and carried his glass off to a table in the corner. He would watch her from afar as she watched him, wondering whether it was too good to be true or if perhaps he was actually a kind man wanting the attention of a beautiful young woman.
After six months of regular visits Red John watched Lorelei from his table in the corner, conscious of her ever weary expression and enlarged pupils. She disappeared off to the bathroom before he left, looking around suspiciously. He waited outside the bar, his cell phone resting against his ear.
'Hello?' he said, once the person on the other end of the phone picked up. 'I think you should know that the girl who works for you is on drugs. She's in the bathroom right now snorting a line or injecting herself.'
The bar manager asked a question, but Red John had already hung up. He wasn't there for a conversation, he just had to tip the boat in his direction, in the hope that he could push things along. Ten minutes later and Lorelei was out in the street, her eyes red with tears and her shoulders hunched over. She stood on the sidewalk, looking lost as she waited for a cab.
'You need a ride home?' John asked. She turned, fear in her eyes until she settled at his familiarity. She tried to smile but it barely got past her lips. She shook her head and wiped a couple of tears. 'Come on honey, it can't be so bad.'
'I've been fired,' she said, sniffling back the tears. 'My boss caught me snorting coke in the bathroom; if I can't pay my rent by the end of the week I'm out on the street.'
'You've got your wages from the bar.'
'Bill won't pay, says I don't deserve any more money from them, that I could have closed them down.'
'Want me to go in there and sort him out for you?' said John, but she shook her head, smiling briefly in his direction. He smiled back, resting a hand on her shoulder. 'Listen, I know a few people, give me a call?'
He handed her a card, she took it and stared at it for a while, then smiled and nodded her head. John reached out and cupped her cheek.
'You're a beautiful young woman and people like you; you land on your feet every time. Everything's going to be alright, I promise.'
'Thank you,' she whispered, closing her eyes and resting her face against his hand. He leant down and pressed his lips against her own, something which appeared to take her by surprise. She pulled away, tears still covering her lids. 'I'm sorry.'
'I'm not.'
Red John leant back down to her mouth, capturing it with his lips, nibbling gently on the edge of her skin. She responded as he had expected, her tongue dancing around against his as they fumbled in the dark. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her against him until he could feel her breasts pressing into his chest. Hunger and excitement propelled him backwards, or perhaps it was Lorelei. They stumbled into the alley behind the bar, his back colliding abruptly with the stone wall as they succumbed to the passion raging between them.
They woke the next morning in his bed, her arms still tangled around his waist and her hair fallen into his open mouth. He brushed the dark tendrils away and scooped her into his arms, dropping kisses onto her shoulder blade as she reacted to the touch of his cold fingers. She opened her eyes, a smile falling easily across her face.
'Good morning,' she said, reaching out her hand which cupped his cheek. He smiled back, capturing her lips with fresh passion.
'I'll make us some breakfast,' he said, slipping out from under the covers. She wrapped the sheets around her shoulders, watching with her lip under her tooth as she followed his naked walk to the bathroom.
When he returned thirty minutes later, Lorelei was dressed in one of his shirts, her hair hanging loosely around her cheeks until she tied it up with a band. Red John wrapped a hand around her waist, kissing her briefly as she stumbled backwards, a tray resting in his left hand. She fell backwards onto the bed, a look of seduction spread across her smile.
'I'm starving,' she whispered, her voice laced with a passionate husk. Red John placed the tray beside them and fed her strips of toast, followed by jelly flavoured kisses.
Under any other circumstance, he'd have left her sleeping in his bed long before she'd woken. He was a busy man with many acquaintances to communicate with. But as he kissed Lorelei repeatedly, a plan formulated in his mind and he couldn't risk tossing her away too soon. She succumbed to his charm, over and over again, until the sun began to set across the city.
A couple of long days in the arms of a beautiful woman, Red John knew that time was moving quickly. She was close to being ready, ready to join him in his battle against the CBI and most importantly, Patrick Jane. The man's obsessions were clearly too much, if there was anything Red John knew about, it was himself. Under no circumstance could Patrick Jane find him, not without him wanting him to, of course. And one day that would happen, but not today. Today, Red John had a beautiful woman to attend to.
Today, he would finish the task he'd been working on for several months now. He had captured the heart of young Lorelei; the only thing left to do was take hold of her financial situation. She would need to attend rehab, anything to help her in her search for a happier life. Then she would need a job; something menial, in an office, perhaps. Then when a suitable amount of time had passed, he would send her to work in a bar again. And that would be when he would put the final stages of his plan into action.
The rehabilitation centre was in the middle of nowhere, a hundred acres of green land carefully cultivated. A small fortune that was well worth the investment; money was no object where Patrick Jane was concerned, not that Lorelei knew anything about it. She probably knew little about the man previously known as the Boy Wonder, after all, she'd grown up in near poverty, had fallen into a bad crowd before she'd even left school.
'Farewell, honey,' said Red John, kissing Lorelei on the tip of her nose, smiling as he stroked a finger down her right cheek. She was in safe hands at the centre; Red John had acquaintances who kept an eye on anyone he brought there. If it all got too much, they were under his instruction to sedate her for as long as was needed. He didn't expect much of a fight from Lorelei though, she was strong willed but ultimately a scared little girl looking for someone to help her.
'Will you come visit?'
Red John nodded, kissing her again, a gentle peck on the lips which she deepened with a passion he'd longed to feel. Sometimes he wished that his feelings were real and not false, created as a means to an end. He responded all the same, whispering the right things into her ear to appease her worries and wishing her luck.
Three long months apart were enough to drive any girl crazy; Red John ought to know because he received calls and messages almost daily. Lorelei was becoming an irritation that he could ill afford. He had things to do, people to speak to and an occasional murder to prepare for. Sending Lorelei to rehab had been the right thing, even if feeding her with drugs would have kept her closer than his kindness.
Eventually the young girl would let him go, rehab was about changing her life in more ways than one. The most important of which, for Red John, was her doctor's request that she remain single whilst recovering. He'd known that fact from the beginning; had used and abused it in all the ways possible. Red John's focus had to remain on Patrick Jane and the CBI team, his targets were important to him and Lorelei would not ruin the plans he'd spent nearly a year perfecting.
'Hello there honey,' he said, on approaching Lorelei in the centre. She looked well, her sullen eyes were full of life, her skin blushed with a natural zest for life and the track marks on her arms were fading with time. He scooped her into his arms, placed soft kisses against her cheek until she pulled away.
'I'm sorry, I can't.'
'But,' he faltered, purposefully surprised by her rejection of his affections. He played hurt and she apologised again. He sat down beside her, avoiding her gaze and staying silent until she requested his attention.
'Johnnie, it's not about you, I can't be in a relationship. I'm recovering from an addiction, the doctor said…'
'I don't care what the doctor said,' he snapped, gritting his teeth.
'Please don't be like that; you've done so much for me. I can't thank you enough.' Lorelei knelt down in front of him, her hands resting on his knees, desperation laced with tears resting in her eyes. 'But we can't be together.'
'I thought we had something special,' Red John said, staring down at the floor.
'We do, did…we can again, just not for a while. We can still be friends.'
Friends. Exactly. He feigned a frown, something which took all of his energy not to turn into a smirk. He had Lorelei right where he wanted her, feeling guilty and needing him to still be in her life. He nodded, the slightest of smiles floating across his face and away again. She wrapped her arms tightly around his shoulders. She smelled of vanilla and honey blossom. Sometimes he wished he could ignore the plan and succumb to feelings that he tried to evade.
The visit didn't last long, though he promised to visit again soon. He left her with a peck on the cheek, an offer of friendship and a home for when she finished her treatment. They'd agreed on six months, the cost was high but the reward was even higher.
When she got out he set her up with an apartment, a job in a law firm and an expense account. Nobody would ever say he didn't treat his friends well; after all, she would no doubt be paying the ultimate price for his cause. It was only fair that she get something in return.
'Lorelei?'
Red John knocked on her front door, tapping repeatedly, to no avail. He didn't like to be kept waiting, not least when things were about to take a turn for the better, Patrick Jane was reaching breaking point and he was hoping that Lorelei would be ready to put the next stage of the plan into action.
'Lorelei?' he shouted again, unlocking the door with his own set of keys. What good was his generosity if it didn't provide him with some perks? He pushed open the door and walked across the linoleum towards the living area. The gentle moan of Lorelei was the first sign that something was going on, then her screams. If he hadn't already bedded the young girl then he might have suspected she was being hurt, instead he knew the difference between a call for help and a call for more. He continued into the living area where Lorelei lay on the floor, her legs wrapped around a man's torso as he collapsed against her.
Red John smirked, excitement leaving him a little shaken until he pulled himself together. Anger surged through his body; he lifted a lamp and threw it across the room, feeling the power of it smash against the opposing wall.
'Johnnie,' Lorelei jumped, her eyes wide with fear and shock as she covered herself in pillows to maintain her modesty. The man jumped behind her, protecting his own modesty with his hands. Had the situation been different, Red John might have suggested the three of them continue the fun, but he had a job to do and Lorelei would not betray him for the sake of a cheap thrill.
He stalked across the room, his feet hitting the ground with such force as he grabbed the man by the nipples. He winced and Red John twisted his fingers around, increasing his pleasure from the pain of this miscreant.
'Get out,' he snapped, pushing him against the ground and throwing a pair of jeans at him. The man scurried to his feet, slipping into the pants as he fled the room. Red John smiled at his success, but his smile faded when he noticed the look of trepidation on Lorelei's face.
'We were having fun,' she said, hitting him hard across the cheek. Red John didn't take violence from his women, from anyone. He scowled at her, scooping her up in his arms as he pushed her hard against the wall. His hand cupped around her neck until she looked nothing short of petrified.
'Do you know what I'm capable of?'
She shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. The pillows had fallen to the floor and he couldn't help but take in the gentle curves of her naked body, he licked his lips and captured her own in a passionate embrace. Lorelei didn't appreciate his attention, pushing him back.
'I have needs,' she shouted.
'Then you come to me.'
The fear had vanished and Lorelei stared at him with concern and confusion, he scooped her up again and carried her into the bedroom. If she was going to defy him then he was going to make sure she understood that he was the most important person in her life. She would not sleep with another man, unless he specified otherwise, and soon she would realise what the consequences were if she didn't listen to his instruction.
For now, he would enjoy her body because soon enough it would be tainted and he would no longer desire her in the way he did now.