I do not own WATCH_DOGS. Only my OC. And the dog.

Also, I don't live in Chicago or the States for that matter. I'm a little Canadian girl from Montreal and I've never been out of my country. I just took random street names and yeah, used those to write. So the locations aren't supposed to be based off of an actual place in Chicago. It's all in my mind. I know nothing of Chicago really although I'd love to visit :)

Just wanted you guys to know.


Shattered_Illusions

Chapter_2

Reality

For the third time that night her phone had rang but being the oh-so-good citizen she was, answering was not an option. Especially while driving. To say that the frantic calls didn't make her anxious would be a lie and she bit harder on her bottom lip as she looked at the lit up screen of her phone sitting on the passenger seat. Going from the screen to the road back ahead of her soon became irritating and she pulled over. She took the phone in her hands and her thumb stood over the screen for what seemed like hours before finally pressing down on the 'answer' button.

Bringing the phone to her ear she answered, "What's so important that you've been calling so many times, T?"

"You anywhere near Franklin Street?!" Her friend asked as her eyebrows furrowed. She looked through her window and tried finding the name of a street before answering.

"I'm on Washington, heading west…why?" She heard him grunt and cough. "Hey T, you okay?" She asked, worried.

He coughed one more time, "Yeah, too much running."

She rolled her eyes, exasperated, "What kind of trouble have you got yourself into?"

"Can you change cars and head to Franklin and Randolph in less than five minutes?" He hurriedly asked as she grunted, her free hand gripping the steering wheel as she pursed her lips and closed her eyes. Why did he bother asking if he probably had tracked her before even making that call?

"Yes, why?"

It was silent for a few seconds, "Do it. You'll get it." He then hung up, leaving her speechless. Keeping her eyes closed for a few seconds.

"Fuck it." She took the keys from the ignition and shoved them in her bag, leaving it under her seat, before heading out, taking out a pair of leather gloves to cover her hands. I can always hack my own car. The sound of light rain hitting her leather jacket strangely allowed her to concentrate on the task at hand as she worked on hacking the closest car to her as she walked. Soon a black sedan came into view as she looked around before locking her eyes on the screen. "Please work, you better work or I'll—" she heard the door unlock and with a sigh of relief she entered the car. With the press of another button the car started as she smirked. She drove as fast as possible, concentrating on her surroundings as best as she could. She wondered why she was still surprised to be called at any time, day or night, by her friends to go on some crazy suicide mission but she could never not do it.

She took another right once she recognized Franklin Street and knew her target was close by as she heard police sirens not too far from her. The lights of a police car coming her way on the one-way street made her realize how serious this was as she dangerously approached Randolph. It was the flickering traffic lights that caused her to come to a sudden stop as the car swerved to the right before coming to a stop sideways in the middle of the street. The blockers suddenly rose up and the loud collision happened before the police cruiser could break to prevent it. It was during that moment that a dark, tall figure she could recognize stopped and analyzed the setting all around him. She pressed a button, which rolled the window on the passenger side down before yelling out two times to the figure, attracting his attention. He ran towards her before opening the door and getting in the car. He stopped to look at her as she shook her head.

"I should've know it was you." She mumbled as she turned around and went against the traffic, which wasn't much of a traffic considering the time. She carefully took a left on a street, not really paying attention to which street she was on. Her grip on the steering wheel was as tight as it could be, tension lining her body as she carefully drove down the street. "Which way?" She turned her head to him but he looked ahead as if he hadn't heard her.

"Aiden, which way?" She tried again and this time he whipped his head to look at her. He simply pointed to her left and she took the turn, remaining quiet after that. The silence became almost overwhelming as she considered saying something but knowing Aiden she knew she wouldn't get much of an answer.

She had met him a little over two years ago after pestering T-Bone about him. He had been the one that had sent her that text on that fateful evening about her stalker and it was also thanks to him that he hadn't, her stalker, hurt her. T-Bone also had explained that Aiden had been the one to insist on going to her building that night before going somewhere else. It'd taken her a couple of months to get used to the fact that most of what they did was illegal and most of time endangered themselves along with others. But the more she was being told about what people used the CtOS for, the colder she became when it came to the consequences that ensued. T-Bone had become a sort of mentor to her as she learned more and more about hacking. She was far from being an expert but she had a few tricks up her sleeve. On one disastrous night she happened to have been in an accident created by Aiden himself. It was when the gunfire started that she had been able to prove herself to be more useful than just a pretty face. Once she recovered from the shock of the accident, the sound of bullets flying by had immediately put her on high alert. She snuck out of the door and had surprised one of the guys shooting at Aiden, knocking him out before taking his gun. It was that night she'd first killed someone.


She felt herself being grabbed from behind as she was quickly shoved hard against a car, the impact knocking the heck out of her. Dizzy from what just happened she tried shaking her head before the person who held her against the car grabbed her chin and lifted her head up, giving her the chance to stare into the stranger's eyes.

Her eyes widened as her jaw slackened and her mouth opened slightly, unable to handle what she'd just seen. Or whom. The same green eyes, the olive drab baseball cap, the brown overcoat and that same damn bandana covering his nose and mouth. He definitely had not expected to see her because she saw his eyes widened as his grip became loose. She knew he had recognized her. She could see the battle within himself of whether to leave her right there or take her with him as the sirens became louder the more they stayed still, his grip still tight on her. She held his gaze, determination set in her eyes. She carefully watched his left hand as it traveled down the right side of her body to grab her wrist and for the first time he tore his eyes from her. To his left, getting closer, was the police cars approaching and to his right was his, their, escape route.

"Can you run?" She nodded to his question and with her wrist in his hand he darted to his right, along an empty street.

She didn't know how long they ran but once he started to slow down was when she allowed herself to take in her surroundings. They were in a dim lit park, park she didn't recognize. There were apartment blocks and a corner store just a few meters from them. She suddenly remember the 'them' part when Aiden finally let go of her wrist. She swiftly turned around to look at him. He was looking straight at her, his black bandana still covering half his face. He took a few careful steps towards her and stopped when his chest almost pressed against hers.

She looked up at him, "You think this 'invading your space' thing is going to intimidate me?" She continued to look at him as he stared her down. "Because it isn't." He glared at her as a smirk appeared on her face. He took a few steps back still. She was about to start walking away and just as she turned hoping he'd stop her, he did.

"Where'd you learn to shoot like that?" He asked.

She looked back at him and her eyes widened. His bandana was down, revealing the full face of the man that saved her and whom she'd been told about. She tried to hide how much it surprised her by sending a small smile his way, "Wouldn't you like to know?" She heard a grunt coming from him. He obviously wasn't used to someone being like that towards him. "You've got questions? Ask T-Bone, he'll know the answers." And this time she's the one that left.


The soft 'pop' of a gunshot suddenly shattered the window to her left, the piece of glass flying in every direction as she lost control of the car. The impact of the car and whatever it collided with threw her forward, causing the seat belt to dig into her chest as it knocked the wind out of her. All she remembered was the airbags deploying and then it all faded to black.

When she reopened her eyes everything was blur. The sounds and images were all so confusing as she tried regaining consciousness. She looked ahead of her and noticed a lamppost as she grunted. She attempted to straighten herself as best as she could but the more she moved, the more pain she felt. Slowly but surely the blurriness was leaving and things were becoming clearer. As she swallowed she tasted the blood and with her right hand she touched her lips, looking down at her fingers and seeing the blood. She suddenly whipped her head to the ruckus outside. She could finally distinguish the noises and the gunfire soon became evident as she tried figuring out from which direction it came from.

"Aiden…" She then whipped her head to where he was seated and found the passenger seat empty. Ugh, where did he go? She thought as she struggled to get the seatbelt off, it being too tight and keeping her from moving. She winced as she looked down to her left leg, an obvious gash to add to the list of injuries clearly visible. She froze. It was too quiet now. She looked out the window and waited, the only noise present being the sound of rain. But it wasn't long before it was joined with the sound of faint footsteps running towards her. She swallowed hard, hoping it was Aiden or anyone else for that matter. She just needed to get out of here. Her eyes finally found the person running and a sigh of relief escaped her lips. Aiden was finally reaching her as he started tugging and kicking at the door, grunting as he tried to open it.

"What happened?" She asked as she tried helping him by pushing the door from the inside, the handles becoming useless seeing as they were wrecked.

"Wagner's people." He simply said, anger clear in his voice. He stopped tugging and looked at her. "Are you alright?"

She waved a hand at him, "I'll live. I just wanna get out of here. Not too fond of being stuck." She whimpered as she winced some more as he leaned closer to the window.

"Can you remove your seatbelt?" He urgently asked as she shook her head.

"No," she panicked, "the damn thing's stuck." She uttered. He looked back towards the other cars that had showed up.

"I'll be back." He said as he ran back to where she'd originally heard the gunfire coming from. It wasn't too long before he came back. He had his baton in his hand as he cleared the rest of the glass that hadn't broken when the bullet went through. "Lean back." She did as he ordered and watched him lean his body halfway inside the car, holding out a pocketknife. She couldn't see what he was doing but whatever he did worked since the belt loosened up completely and she found herself free from it. Aiden leaned out and threw the knife on the ground as he tried tugging at the door one last time but it still hadn't budged. He hit the door in anger and looked at her as a familiar sound caught their attention. Sirens.

"Go!" She urged him. He didn't move. "Aiden, go!" He looked at her as if she'd gone insane. She yelled at him to leave as he took a few steps backwards. They looked at each other and her lips fell into a thin line as she waited for him to just leave. But he instead got close to the car again. "What are you—"

"Getting you out." He stated. "Come on, we'll get you out through the window." It took her a few seconds for what he said to register but she soon found herself taking her legs out and extending them sideways to rest on the passenger seat. She pushed herself up, feeling Aiden's arms wrap themselves around her as he carefully squeezed her out of the broken window. Relief finally hit the both of them as her legs hit the ground, still feeling wobbly and dizzy. She felt Aiden turn her around as he looked her up and down checking for any other injury before gently grabbing her forearm, making her look at him.

"Can you run?" He asked, the worry seen from the way his eyes looked at her. She'd just realized now that his bandana was up yet again.

She nodded, "I can handle it." He seemed unsure of her answer but as the sirens grew louder he knew they couldn't just stand there anymore. She's the one that tugged on his coat. And they ran. They ran because yet again their lives depended on it.

Where they ended up was far more different than the first time. They had slowed down as they stepped into an alley, a dark one at that. She joined up with him, slowly limping as she leaned against a wall. She held her hand against the gash on her leg as she looked up at Aiden whom was standing still.

She winced and opened her mouth, "Don't apologize." Aiden said before she could utter a word. "It wasn't your fault."

"I shouldn't have lost control of the car like th—" "You're alive and that's all that matters." He argued as she still faced his back.

"We're alive." He swiftly turned around as she corrected him, a frown apparent on his features as he dropped the bandana. His face held an interrogative look as she opened her mouth again. "You only mentioned me, but we are alive. The both of us and that is all that matters." She finished.

He walked up to her and stood in front of her, "Stay here, I'll be right back." And with that he left her alone in a dark alley. She pursed her lips.

"And there goes the caring Aiden." She muttered under breath. She understood the way he was, in some ways. She could feel the soreness spreading throughout her body the longer she stayed still and she almost regretted not following him. But he eventually showed up in a car, honking to catch her attention. He came out of the car and with a small jog, reached her. He draped an arm around her waist and helped her walk to the car as he opened the door to the passenger side. He helped her settle in before leaning in as she looked up.

"This time," He paused, "I'm driving." He finished as he closed the door. He opened the door to his side and settled in as he gave her a look.

"Way too soon for car jokes, Aiden." She plainly said as she shook her head, seeing the eyes of her friend grow with worry. "I'm fine…just, just drive." He gave her one last look and started driving. She kept applying pressure on the gash as she looked out the window, paying attention to everything around them. Don't be too paranoid now.

"Where'd you leave your car?" She turned to him and shook her head as she tried remembering.

She frowned before telling him, "On Washington…near Michigan I think. Left the keys in."

"Planned on hacking your own car?" He asked as she gave a small scoff.

"Yup." Was all she answered with as they fell silent again, the events running through her head over and over. He could have just ran and left me there. But he hadn't left her. Truth is, the lack of selfishness she'd willingly shown by telling him to leave had thrown him off. But he'd never tell her. Which is why instead of running away and leaving her to the cops he tried everything to get her out. What was turning out as a normal day for her ended up being more eventful than she had hoped.

From the corner of her eyes she watched as Aiden gripped the steering wheel tighter and tighter as time went by, some kind of emotion lining his features or the ones she could see. She cursed the damn bandana he wore for hiding most of his face, which prevented her from putting her finger on whatever emotion was plastered on him. His eyes never left the road as he carefully drove, avoiding any sort of busy streets or bringing attention to their car. She tore her gaze from his form as she bit her lower lip, wincing as she lifted her hand up to take a look at the gash. It was the first time she'd been this hurt following a 'situation' with Aiden. Sure she got some bruises and scratches here and there but nothing as painful as what had just happened. She didn't even want to see what her face looked like as she leaned back into her seat.

She hesitantly opened her mouth before speaking, "Are we gonna talk about this?" He whipped his head around, giving her a mere look of confusion before setting his eyes back on the road.

"What's there to talk about?" She scoffed as the words left his mouth.

"Wagner's people? Them trying to kill us?" She hissed as he looked back her. He obviously was thinking of something if he didn't want to talk about it.

"I'll take care of it." She was about to say something but closed her mouth. No use in arguing with him. No use at all.

"Yeah, well, while you 'take care of it', can you make sure not to die?" Although she'd spat the words in a sarcastic manner, the way her voice shook near the end of her sentence was enough to make him turn around towards her as he pulled over in front of her apartment building.

He pulled his bandana down, "Because you care?" It wasn't how he wanted to phrase the words but they, in the end, came out the wrong way.

She stifled a laugh, "Yes, Aiden, I care! Why shouldn't I, huh?" She paused as she looked at him, clearly surprising him with her outburst even if he tried to hide it. "I'm involved in this too and this whole 'it's none of your business' crap that I'm not buying as got to stop! You can't always be alone to do things and you know that! It's not just your life they threatened, but mine too!" She swallowed the lump in her throat and looked away, biting down on her lower lip. She suddenly feared his reaction seeing as she knew he didn't like to be talked to in that manner and she had never spoken to him that way. From the corner of her eye she saw him doing something on his phone before shoving it back in his coat's pocket.

"I unlocked the door to your place, you can go." She blinked, surprised at the soft tone he'd used.

"Aiden, I—" "Go home and wash up…take care of those." He gestured the cuts she had on her face and the one on her leg before giving her one last look. "I'll be back with your car."

She only nodded, "Okay." It came out as a whisper but she knew he'd heard her. Before stepping out she turned to him, "There's my bag under my seat." He nodded and waited for her to get out of the car. She walked to the entrance of her block and saw him speed off. She stared until she saw him turn a corner, disappearing yet again. She got inside her block and walked towards the elevator. Pressing the button for the fourth floor she waited a few seconds as the door opened in front of her. The ride up was quick and she stepped out, walking to the end of the hallway. She opened the door Aiden had unlocked and locked it behind her before resting her back to it. She gave a small smile as Harley, her German Shepherd, walked to her before going to the living room and setting himself on the couch. She gave herself a small push and went to her room picking a loose dark blue shirt, underwear and leggings as she headed towards the bathroom. For the first time she got a clear look at her face and she could only wince as she touched the small cuts that cover mostly her neck and the few on her face.

She put the toilet seat down and set her clothing on it before raising her body again. Slowly she removed her jacket, started to remove her shirt as she flinched. She finished taking it off and grunted, the bruise visible on her ribs and across her chest bringing bad news—pain. Every time she inhaled and exhaled deeply she'd grimace. Her hand went to her jeans slowly slipping them off, mindful of the still bleeding gash. Once they were off she slipped the last of her clothing off and went into the shower. She toyed with the faucets before she got the warmth she wanted as she let the water fall on her body. She couldn't restrain the moan that came out of her mouth as she started smiling. Nothing better than a warm shower. She thought as she started cleaning herself off, mindful of her injuries.

After a very warm, well-welcomed shower Claire stepped out and only put on her underwear and shirt. She sat in her bathroom as she cleaned the wound on her leg, stitching it up as best as she could before putting cream and gauze on it. She put the last piece of medical tape on the gauze, standing up to see if it would hold when she tried walking a little bit. A sigh of relief escaped her mouth when it did as she reached for her leggings, slipping them on. Luckily the rest was going to be quicker than her leg.

After being done taking care of her injuries she slowly walked to her kitchen, Harley following her every moves from his place on the couch. She went to the fridge, grabbing a bottle of water and some painkillers. She took two painkillers and with a big sip of water she swallowed them before putting the pills back in the cupboard. She walked to her living room, bottle in hand, and sat down next to Harley. And she waited.


"Ugh."

Claire slowly opened her eyes to be welcomed by bright rays of the sun falling directly on her. She frowned as she slowly sat up, yawning while doing so.

"What the—" She stopped when she realized she was in her bed. She pursed her lips and looked around her. Everything was in its place so far, nothing was out of the ordinary. She removed the covers from her body and winced as she did, reminded suddenly of the bruises she'd acquired the day before. She swung her legs to the side and sat there for a few minutes before actually putting her feet down on the hardwood floor. She took careful steps towards her living room and once she noticed that only Harley was there munching on his food. She rapidly walked around her apartment and checked every closet before ending back in the living room where she finally set her eyes on the small table sitting in the middle. There on the table was her bag. She took it and brought it with her as she sat on the couch, ignoring the pain. She went through her bag and sighed happily when she noticed everything was still intact and where it belonged. She pushed the bag off of her lap and unto the couch before smiling. The bag, the dog being fed and her being put into bed last night, it was all Aiden's doing. She wondered how long he stayed if he'd fed Harley enough so he'd have food left. She knew she couldn't ask because then he'd definitely close himself off.

"Ugh, and I had to go off on him last night. I was such a bitch." She groaned as she slapped a hand to her forehead, frowning and wincing at the same time. Dropping her hand down in her lap she looked around. She felt horrible. Yes, she'd told him she cared but it was the way it came out that had her feeling the way she did. She reached for the remote control and opened the television to watch the news, hoping it would take her mind off of what had happened.

The image that appeared on screen did everything but take her mind off of it. She stared at the scene of the accident seeing it happening from the CCTV's point of view. She tuned out any sound as she watched the accident happen. The car hitting the lamppost, Aiden stepping out and disappearing from view before reappearing to help her get out of the car and them escaping the area. Feeling sick to the stomach she slowly started tuning in to what the news anchor was saying regarding the events.

"…seeing as the young woman being rescued from the crash fits the physical description of the young woman known to the public as Blair. The police department has not released a statement yet regarding the accident or the implication of the young woman in the previous break-in at Marcus Wagner's law firm but based off of those images, we can somehow assume that she is involved with the recent incidents. The police ask for the help of every citizen of Chicago to help identify the presumed accomplice of Aiden Pearce. Once again, she is described as being—"

She tore her gaze off the television and looked to the door where she'd just heard a knock. She frowned and searched for the time. It's past noon already. She thought, getting up and going to her bag to take her gun as she slowly walked to the door. She looked through the peephole and cursed as she opened the door.

"What is it with people and trying to scare me, geez!" She exclaimed, stepping back as he walked in before stopping to take a look at her.

"Wow," He paused as she cocked an eyebrow, "you, uh, you look like crap." She scoffed and raised her middle finger, nearly shoving it in his face before walking to her kitchen.

"And to what do I owe the pleasure of your badly timed visit?" She sassed with a tone of sarcasm.

He put a hand to his chest, mocking being hurt, "I'm paying an injured friend a visit, can't I not?" She rolled her eyes and signalled for him to get on with why he was there. "Pearce sent me."

She whipped her head around, "Aiden?"

"Since when do you call him that?" He asked, a sly smirk appearing across his lips.

"Let me see, uhh, since it's none of your business," He chuckled and leaned over the island in the middle of her kitchen, "can you please get to the point?! I don't know if you heard but last night wasn't all that great!" She gestured to herself and the injuries.

"He sent me to make sure you were okay." Her eyebrows furrowed before Jordi opened his mouth to speak again. "He didn't exactly say that but we both know that's what he meant."

She pointed her finger at him, "Don't go there." She warned and he raised his hands in mock surrender. She heard him chuckle before he continued.

"He's taking care of some business on the other side of the city in hopes that it'll bring the attention back on him and less on you." He explained as she kept her eyes on her task before her, making coffee. "He was very insistent. Well, isn't he always?"

"Yeah." She mumbled. "Coffee?"

"No, thanks though." She waited for him to continue seeing as he wouldn't stay quiet for long and she was always, "So," right. "What happened last night?"

She turned her head and looked at him from the corner of her left eye, "What do you think?"

"I mean, I know what I saw from the CCTV footage but whatever happened for him to come to me the way he did asking for help—" "He asked you for help plenty of times before." She cut in, turning around to look at him with a cup of coffee in hand.

He nodded, "Him asking me for help is demanding weapons." She took a sip and concentrated her gaze on the liquid inside her cup. "He ASKED for help. That's never happened. You know him and I aren't buddy-buddy to begin with."

"You'd rip each other's throat before that happened." He laughed at her remark. She held back a small smile as she looked up at him. "Wagner's people surprised us and I lost control of the car. I semi-fell unconscious and Aiden took care of Wagner's men. Once he was done he helped me out of the car and we ran. That's it." She explained, hoping he would just take it and leave it.

He nodded, more to himself than to her before speaking, "It's not what I saw." She bit the inside of her cheek and closed her eyes as he spoke. "I saw a reason for Wagner's people to want to get to you."

"Jordi," she stopped him. "You're my friend. We argue a lot, point given but I care about you, so please…do not go there." She pleaded with him, setting her cup of coffee on the counter before looking back at him.

"All I'm saying is," He paused before straightening himself up, "Wagner is dangerous. If he's got his eyes on you, it's either for business or you're on his black list."

She swallowed hard, "Well, we know where I fall in there."

He leaned on the island again, a sigh leaving his lips, "Luckily they don't have a clear shot of you."

"But I'm not in the clear." She stated and he shook his head, confirming what she'd thought. "Does this mean I have to move?"

"For safety it'd be better but until we know what Pearce is up to, I'd say wait." He advised as she nodded, biting down on her lip. He leaned back and stretched a bit, "Look I have a business meeting, I just came to make sure you were alright and so he wouldn't kill me."

She chuckled, "Yeah, I'll be fine. Go." She paused when he took a few steps towards the door and stopped. "Would you just go?!" She laughed pushing him towards the door.

As he stepped out he turned and gave her one last look, "Stay safe." She nodded and waved before closing the door, locking it.

The muffled sound of music startled her as she looked around, a frown apparent on her face before it clicked. Hastily she went to her room and searched for her phone before finding it on her nightstand. She pressed the 'answer' button and brought the phone to her ear.

"Hey—"

"You're alive, thank god." She opened her mouth and then shut it. "Hey, you there?"

"Yes, yes…why wouldn't I be alive?" She had an enormous desire to know why her friend thought she was dead. "T-Bone, what happened?"

He scoffed before answering, "I could ask you the same thing. Neither of you seemed to think that maybe I'd want to know if you guys were okay."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa…wait." She paused before assembling the words in her head. "Aiden didn't call you?"

"No. For all I know you both could've died and I wouldn't have known. Wasn't he with you?" He asked her as she grunted.

"Yeah, but he left me at my place before going to get my car." She pondered on whether or not to tell him about the whole 'Aiden coming in the apartment while she was asleep' thing and decided against it. "He sent Jordi to make sure I was alright. He just left as a matter of fact." She ended.

"You haven't heard from him since last night then?" T-Bone asked her.

She shook her head and answered, "No. You think he's fine? I mean, he's gotta be. Jordi said he had business on the other side of the city so…" she let the sentence hang.

"Yeah…" He mirrored what she'd just done with her last sentence. "You're fine though?"

She gave an exasperated sigh, "I'm kinda getting tired of people asking me that but yes, I am fine." She paused and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry."

He chuckled, "Don't sweat it, sister, I'm not one to take things to heart. I saw the footage of the accident and got worried."

"I get it." She admitted. "Look, I need to take Harley out. Poor thing probably hates me now."

"He doesn't." He reassured her as she laughed. "I'll call later, yeah?"

The young Scottish-French girl nodded, "Yeah, sounds good." She paused then spoke again. "Would you let me know if you hear from Aiden?" She hoped he wouldn't make a comment like Jordi had attempted.

There was silence on the other line, "Yeah, I will."

"Thanks." She was more than thankful that he didn't say anything else regarding the request. "Talk to ya later, T."

"Yeah, careful." She waited and he hung up. She stared at the phone in her hands before throwing it on her bed. She walked back and called for Harley as the German Shepherd barked.

"You wanna go out?" She asked as he barked again, making her smile. "Yeah, me too. Your mum needs it." She exclaimed before going to the coat rack, Harley following her as he excitedly wagged his tail. She grabbed a hoodie and threw it on, pulling the hood to cover her head as she went to grab her phone, keys and leash before heading back near the door. She clasped the leash unto Harley's collar and headed out.


A few days later…

"What's he doing here?"

Aiden heard someone say to his right as he walked slowly and carefully through the crowd. He finally set his gaze on the person he'd come to see as said person began approaching until them met in the middle of the room.

"Where the fuck you been? You leave me standing here forty-five minutes in this DeMarco art bullshit charity." Jordi spoke, obviously none to happy about the wait. "I spent all afternoon gettin' her ready for you. She's oiled, she's loose, she's perfect…just the way you like it." He emphasized his point with exaggerated hand movements as Aiden rolled his eyes.

Aiden finally spoke, "You done yet?" Jordi shook his head in almost disbelief.

"This is another reason why we don't hangout." Jordi argued as he looked Aiden dead in the eye.

Aiden smirked and took a few steps towards him, "No, we don't hang out because we'd kill each other."

Jordi chuckled and started shaking a finger in Aiden's face, "I heard that one before but no you see, you, my friend, much like this shit-show, have no art, no nuance, no subtlety and it really irritates the shit outta me sometimes." Aiden rolled his eyes as he continued. "So, why the fuck are you here? Is there a target here?"

Aiden crossed his arms across his chest before answering, "You really wanna know?"

Jordi scoffed loudly, "Fuck you," he started turning around and Aiden was about to stop him but Jordi beat him to it by continuing talking. "You know what I wanna know? Is why I have to go every morning to her apartment to make sure she's alright? I mean, I genuinely care for the girl, I do but she's starting to think you don't care at all. Is that your plan, big guy? To just ignore her until she's 'safe'? She's never going to be safe!"

Aiden bit the inside of his cheek, anger flaring the more he spoke, "You really are going to push her away? She cares! Is it that much of an issue?" When Aiden didn't answer his question, Jordi just shook his head before lifting his arms and dropping them in defeat. "I give up, I give up. Who the fuck are you here for?"

"DeMarco." Was all Aiden answered as Jordi, being Jordi, furrowed his eyebrows. The tension that was lining his body suddenly leaving into a state of surprise. Almost like he'd forgotten what he'd just told him regarding Claire.

"DeMarco…oh shit." He paused and looked at Aiden before reaching for something in his back. "Well, you know what, in that case, consider that a donation." He handed the gun to Aiden who took it and immediately concealed it under is coat.

Jordi looked around the room and turned to Aiden, mouth at the ready to ask him something else, "So you got a plan there, tough guy? 'Cause DeMarco is not even here, oh," he paused, "you're using yourself as bait! Oh my god I love it because it's such a horrible idea." To say Jordi was impressed would be an understatement even if he'd never say it to Aiden's face. Something about the fear of boasting his ego. Or maybe he just thought he was crazy stupid for using himself as bait.

Aiden leaned a bit further as he looked over Jordi's shoulder, "Seems to be working to me," He paused and looked around, "Make sure DeMarco knows I'm here."

Jordi stared at Aiden for a few seconds before nodding his head and giving as slight shrug, "I like it. Good hunting." He said, tapping Aiden's shoulder as he turned around, yet again. "Stop pushing people that care away. You might need them one day." And with that Jordi left, leaving Aiden in his place and unable to place one thought after the other for a couple of seconds. He couldn't allow himself to have his mind taken off of his target. He had to focus. He hadn't realized when he 'befriended' Claire that things would turn out the way they were. That things were going to be this chaotic. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his coat and with his left hand, gripped his phone. He regained his focus and looked ahead of him, looking for associates of Joseph DeMarco.

He had a message to deliver.


Whew! That's a whole 6,634 words of WATCH_DOGS and it was exhausting writing it. I can honestly say it was really hard to write this one because a) car accident and I suck at them, b) character interaction, because I always write and erase, I'm never satisfied and c) there's so much going on! I'm not completely sure of how I feel towards this one but maybe it's because it's almost 3AM as I'm posting this and that I'm exhausted seeing as I've been writing this thing for days now.

To whomever reads this, I want to know if there's anything you'd like to see in future chapters? Almost like a request of something you'd like to see but it'd be blended into the story and chapter. I want to push my boundaries and although I won't be writing smut for a little while (it's coming, it's coming) I will try out new things. I want to try out new things.

Don't be afraid to PM me if you wish to speak because I love talking to people on here!

So, if you don't like, don't read but if you do, please review! Constructive reviews are appreciated. Please no bashing!

I will come back later during the day to correct any mistakes because I'm absolutely knackered right now.

Enjoy!

(It's now over 7,000 words, ahhhhh)