VICIOUS

Chapter Eight

I sold papes with Silver the next day for a lot of the day, since both of us were fighting a hideous hang-over from poker and whisky the night before. We grabbed a quick lunch and then got back to selling. We were in no shape to sell papes, but it was the job so we trudged through it with less-than-admirable grace.

We sold until it was nearly time to go to Irving Hall and we had to wash up quick. I walked to Irving Hall at the front of the Brooklynite pack with Spot, which was hideously awkward. I liked blending in, but now I walked beside him in all his fierceness and I must've paled in comparison to him. But he held my hand tightly and unabashedly, and nobody dared tease him about it, lest they have their kneecaps removed via gold-tipped cane.

As per usual, Brooklyn made an entrance, being the last ones there so everyone turned around and watched us walk in. God, I was so embarrassed. Everyone greeted Spot and in the same breath greeted me. It was terribly odd that everyone knew me by name and was very nice to me now that I was Spot's girl. Before, only my good friends from Manhattan would clap me on the back and greet me by name. But, no.

Now every damn newsie in New York City was clamoring up to me, spit-shaking with me and called me Angel. God, it was so creepy.

Most girls would've preened under the attention, giggling and batting eyelashes at the boys who shook my hand and removed their caps in reverence like I was some kind of royalty. But I didn't feel the least bit flattered. If anything, I felt terribly out of place.

I didn't belong in the spotlight.

That's why I never liked dancing on stage alone. At least dancing with Diana gave people another girl to look at other than just me. Feeling eyes on me was possibly the creepiest feeling, other than being touched when you didn't want to be touched.

I squeezed Spot's hand and then left his side to surprise my friends who hdn't noticed me come in yet.

"Heya, girls!" I exclaimed and all four of them jumped up and hugged me at the same time.

"So how's Brooklyn?" Charlie beamed.

"Is he being dreamy as hell?" Iz wanted to know.

"Have you bed him yet?" Pip added.

I smiled and we group-hugged some more. It was kind of funny, and I'd missed them even though I only saw them yesterday afternoon. I sat down at the extra chair they had at their table and we gushed and talked some more until Pirate nudged my arm.

"Maybe you should go sit with His Highness. He's giving us the stink eye," she said, frowning slightly my way.

I rolled my eyes and excused myself politely. I fumed my way towards the King, who was sitting with Silver, Jack and Dave, holding a glass of whisky. He didn't look all that bothered that I was storming his way. I slammed my hands on the table, which made Dave jump slightly (which made me feel bad), and peered at him.

"I don't like being policed," I reminded him through grit teeth. I was trying to hold in my anger, since I never made scenes in public, but he was making it increasingly difficult.

"I know what's best, Angel. Don't go too far," he said with a note of finality. It made me so angry I could've spit.

Silver stood up and grabbed my arm. "Why don't we go dance, Angelface?" he pulled me towards the groups of dancing newsies and I made sure to give the King my own stink eye before allowing myself to be pulled away.

I was passed in between newsie after newsie, trying hard to loosen up and have fun but I was very aware of two blue eyes burning a hole in the back of my skull. It was pissing me off increasingly. So, when I found myself back in Silver's arms, I stopped dancing and looked up at him.

"Let's go smoke."

He seemed to understand what I meant without me having to tell him and we walked outside together. We leaned against the outside of the Hall and Silver handed me a cigarette from his breast pocket, before swearing quietly.

"No light?" I smiled.

"Nah," he shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Gonna see if Conlon's gotta light. You gonna be cool here for five seconds?"

I snorted. "I'll be fine when you light my cigarette. Now go find me one!"

Silver went back inside in search of Spot and I twirled the unlight cigarette in my fingers, pushing off the wall to walk towards the curb. I looked out at the darkened street and sighed.

"Well, well. Hello there, Angel."

Ice worked through my veins and I was suddenly very aware of his footsteps coming towards me. Oh, God. The darkness came rushing back into my brain, pushing down on it. Pushing harder and harder until-

He grabbed my arm and whirled me around to face him. I was instantly a stone statue. He let go of my arm and I inched around him, but each step I took backwards, he took forwards. It was a terrible dance until my back pressed against the brick and I stared up into his eyes.

He grinned quietly, like he could smell my terror. It was so unnerving. I couldn't breathe.

"I will have you eventually, Angel. Mark my words," Johnny informed me, his voice thick like he'd taken one too many drinks all ready.

"No, you won't," I said quietly. "Spot won't let you."

Johnny's mouth twisted in a sinister smile and I had to look away. He reminded me too much of my father. I closed my eyes and breathed in slowly through my nose.

"Do I frighten you, darling?"

My eyes snapped open and I glared up at him. "No. You do not frighten me," I said defiantly, with a sudden burst of boldness.

Johnny smiled at me and curled a lock my hair around his finger and tugged on it. Hard. I bit my tongue to hold in the shriek of pain.

"Ah, so you've been hurt before." He smiled. "I will have to remember that for later."

I blinked a few times, my scalp throbbing from where he tugged my hair. He took the cigarette from me, lit it with a match and stuck it between my lips. I glared up at him and he smiled down at me like a man about to commit murder.

"Have a glorious night, Miss O'Rourke."

He brushed past Silver, who was coming back outside with a box of matches. I inhaled quietly and frowned, smoking quietly as Silver bombarded me with questions. What'd he want? Did he scare you?

"He lit my cigarette, and then told me to have a nice night," I murmured, frowning.

We didn't talk much after that, and I was glad. Talking about things always made them worse.

Spot didn't speak to me either on the way back to Brooklyn, but I felt him watching me from the corner of his eyes. I walked in between him and Silver. He took my hand halfway through the trek back home but his hand felt hot in mine, and I wondered if he was just really warm or if my hand was like ice.

I sat with the birds inside the Lodging House when we got home, tossing marbles with them and not paying attention. When I shuffled them off to bed, though, I noticed that all the Brooklynites were in for the night, except two. Frowning, I walked outside and found them on the sidewalk, but they weren't talking anymore.

Silver was on the ground, like he'd fallen over backwards, glaring hard daggers up at Spot, who looked unconcerned and wasn't staring back. He looked distantly over the dark streets, smoking a cigarette. That bothered me the most.

Spot Conlon didn't smoke.

"Did I miss somethin'?" I asked suspiciously.

A vein in Spot's jaw jumped but his mask betrayed nothing. "Nope, just discussin' some things, love. Ain't that right, Silv?" The way he said it made him sound like he was talking down to Silver. It was condescending.

Silver spit in Spot's general direction and I noticed that it was dark. I frowned.

"Yeah, discussin'," Silver muttered.

I was mad. Something went on here. "Well, if you two are quite finished 'discussin',' I'm ready for bed," I informed them testily. "Comin', Spot?"

"Yep, here I come," he said airily and tossed out his cigarette when he was finished with it. "We on the same page now, Harris?" he asked Silver, standing over him. I hated the way he looked down at Silver like that; like he was a bug to be squashed.

"We sure are, Conlon." Silver glared up at his leader but Spot was unfazed.

"Excellent. Let's go, Angel," Spot said and walked back inside.

I stalked after him and slammed the bedroom door shut when he breezed past me after I tried to get him to stop. I was so angry with him and I wasn't even certain what had happened.

"What did you do?" I demanded, watching him walk over to my cot and sit down. He leaned down and began unlacing his boots, smiling at me.

"Just what he said: we was discussin'."

"Bullshit, Conlon, and ya damn well know it," I spat and glared at him.

Spot grinned up at me like a fox. "He had to be taught a lesson, Angel."

I was horrified. Who was this man?

I stomped out of Spot's room and found Silver in the washroom, washing his face and spitting blood into the dirty sink. I crossed my arms.

"What did he do?" I asked. Well, demanded.

Silver smiled wryly up at me. "S'posed to keep ya safe, Angelface. I didn't. So he decked me in the mouth. Honestly, I was expectin' a thorough soakin'. He was pissed like a hornet at me, Angel."

"I know. He was smoking," I said, frowning. Spot only smoked when he was mad. "But he can't hit you, Silver. It's not right."

"He can do whatever he damn well wants to and everybody knows it," Silver said angerily. "He soaks anybody he wants to and nobody says nothin' about it because he's the damn king. This is how it's always been, Angel. Don't worry. I'll get over it."

"I won't."

I crossed the length of the bunkroom once again and slid inside Spot's room, crossing my arms after I'd shut the door. I ignored the fact that he was shirtless as he came over to me, his hands surrounding my waist. His mouth found the apple of my cheek.

"Ya look like me standing there with that frown and that glare, Liss," he murmured sweetly against my ear, but I was in no mood for this now.

"You hit him," I accused.

Pause.

"Yep."

"Because he left me outside for two minutes."

Another pause.

"Yep."

I shoved him away and kicked the wall. "Oh, you are some piece of work, Spot Conlon! You can't just deck people whenever you feel like it. People don't' deserve to be hit."

"Then what should I do, Angel? Enlighten me," he growled. He wasn't glaring at me but it was dangerously close. I wasn't afraid of him, though.

"You can't smash your best friend in the face!" I exclaimed.

"He left you alone with Johnny," he informed me through grit teeth.

"He didn't know that," I defended.

"So? It still scared you."

"You can't prove that."

"You're shaking."

"I'm pissed."

"Is that all?"

I turned away from him, frowning. Of course I was still shaken up over the Johnny thing. Any girl in my situation would have been. Johnny was bigger, scarier and had the potential to do the exact same thing my father did to me. Of course I was terrified, but the didn't excuse Spot's actions towards his best friend. Not in my book.

"Still gives you no right to deck Silver. Ain't his fault I'm the way I am," I said quietly, and then turned to face him again. "Ya can't punish your boys for my father's mistakes. Don't make them pay for what he did to me, Sean."

He stared at me for a long time, his face blank, and I waited. Finally, he nodded once and then brushed past me to enter the bunkroom. I leaned against the door post and watched Spot approached Silver, who was walking from the washroom to his bunk.

"Listen, Silv—" Spot started but a grin split Silver's face.

"Yeah, it's fine," he said, cutting Spot off. The two friends spit-shook their truce and Silver put a hand on Spot's shoulder. "Can't blame ya for wantin' to protect ya girl, Conlon. Finally got yaself a good one and we ain't lettin' her get away."

"No kiddin'," Spot agreed and gave me a tiny smile. I was satisfied by this display and beckoned Spot back to me.

He still wasn't wearing a shirt and it made me blush as he pulled me back into his room and shut the door. I undressed myself, folding my trousers and placing them on top of my shoes, sitting down on the edge of my cot as I ran a brush through my hair and then folded myself under the moth eaten blanket.

Spot pulled me in close and I marveled at his easily we fit together, the way his arms folded around me just so and the way my head fit under his chin. We were made for each other, and as silly as it was, it made my heart constrict inside my ribs. Something odd happened then. A feeling I never felt before. It was warm and it covered my body like silk.

His mouth was warm against my temple as he kissed me goodnight there, whispering my name like a prayer to the Blessed Virgin.

I leaned against his chest, listening to the wet thumping sound of his heart beating inside his ribs. It should've grossed me out, but it was steady, rhythmic and it was making me sleepy. I listened until I heard his breathing deepen and even out, his arm slack around me but still encasing me.

I lifted my head and kissed the hollow of his throat gently, like you would kiss a dying loved one, and then moved my lips to his ear, whispering the words I was terrified to say when he was conscious.

"I love you."


So this chapter is my apology for bringing the last chapter so late. xD. No real OCs this chapter, but you all know which OC is yours. Thanks for letting me borrow them and play with them. xD.

Oh, and this is easily my favorite chapter so far. I hope you would agree.

To all you happy hopping NML-ers such as myself, I am thinking about entering Laelyn's one shot fanfic contest. I'm still trying to grind through a plot, so you may see that in the near future. I have an idea, and it'll be a good one. :). Hopefully I place in her contest, though. I'm not all that fabulous of a writer. xD

If you like it, then review it, friends. I love you all.

CTB!

xx Wicked