A/N:

Mizzy681: This chapter was loads of fun to write. One of the things I like most about writing this story is how sadistically I get to be. Hope you'll enjoy it too and will take the time to leave a little review. I gained myself a beta, but this one isn't beta-ed yet and we wanted to post now.

LegacyChick: Sorry for letting you wait so long. Blame it on me, my personal issues and my fucked up mind. :) We'll try to post a new chapter every 6-7 days from now on and would both be more than happy if you also check out our other stories.

As said, we've cut down the chapters a bit. It might interfere with the story every now and then though.

WARNING: Bad language, human trafficking, violence, mention of M/M-love/sex.

DISCLAIMER:

Mizzy681: Not mine! I own a crazy mind and even crazier muses.

LegacyChick: I own a wicked mind, an apartment, a cat and... oh wait. That's not the point, right? I own no one, sadly enough.


A good hour later, they pulled up in front of the motel. The tension in the car was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Wade had tried to make conversation, but soon gave up and stared out the window instead.

Both Mike and Jake were still seething because of what Cody had asked of Mike. Cody had no idea how important the chance for revenge was for Jake, what exactly it meant to him. Randy was supposed to be his ultimate prey, the proof that he was the king of the jungle, and refusing him that prey would be like telling him to bow down for a superior.

Cody also did not know how much things had changed between the two lovers and that it was not as simple anymore as Mike forbidding Jake to kill Randy as it would have been a month ago. Cody had basically asked Mike to choose between his best friend and the man he loved and a part of Mike hated him for that. And the irony of it all was that Cody had done the same and chosen his lover.

Mike knew for certain that Jake would be gone if he gave that command; Jake would obey and he might come back, but things would never be the same again. Therefore, he had asked him, nicely. He had explained why this was important for him and told Jake to use his own judgment. Jake had been furious, as furious as Mike himself was. However, as always his rage had lifted after a few minutes and cold-blooded venom came into his eyes. He had promised to keep away from Randy as long as his unexplained good behavior endured and as long as he was still injured himself. Nevertheless, he swore, one day, the viper would be his and he would not let anyone step between him and his prey.

When Mike nodded at those words, some of the anger lifted, but the tension in the muscled body stayed and the normally cheerful grin missed from his face. Now Randy had already exploded in Jake's face only moments ago, only moments after Jake had promised to stay away from him, Mike did not think Jake would be able to keep his promise for long. Without Randy knowing it, he had already thrown his life away. The only problem was that Mike did not want him to go after Randy before Jake was 100% fit. So he realized that he needed to give his lover someone to kill to keep him from exploding.

When they stepped out the car he squeezed the blonde's biceps and whispered, "I'll let you kill John soon, okay babe? I know it won't be as much fun, but it's all I can give you right now."

Jake looked down into the sincere blues of his lover and sighed before flashing him a quick grin.

"I thought you wanted John yourself? That's your revenge, not mine."

Mike shook his head. "No matter how much fun it would be to slit his throat myself, it's more important that you're happy. I took Cena from you, didn't I? He was supposed to be yours. And I know how much you need some real-life target practice."

Wade chuckled when he heard the couple discussing murder this matter-of-factly - as if they were discussing who would cook dinner tonight.

Jake leaned down to brush his lips against his lover's. He knew how much Mike wanted to kill John himself and for him giving that up to make Jake happy meant the world to him.

"But first revenge part one. Let's get that little bug and deliver him to his new master, shall we?" Mike threw a dazzling grin to the two big men and signalled them to follow him.

Ten minutes later they were on their way again, a bag with drugs and money exchanged for the gagged and securely bound young man that was now safely stuffed in the trunk. His tears did nothing to soften the three men, it only made them chuckle and mock him.

Matt was softly sobbing. Until now he had the feeling this was all a bad joke, he kept hoping that they would let him go any minute. Yesterday he had had a sack over his head and he had not seen his captures. However, when he had seen the blond and the smallest brunette, he knew he was in big, big trouble. The stories John had told him about these two had made his blood freeze. John had the tendency to overreact, so he had thought most of it had been lies. Considering his current situation, John might have been telling the truth this time. Matt was trashing in his bindings, hoping to come lose, praying that someone, some cop would hear the unexplained noises coming out the trunk and would investigate.

Poor Matt did not know that in neighborhoods like this, there were no heroic rescues; there was no cop you could trust. Those who were not bought stayed away from here fearing their lives. A guy like Matt, who was not from around here and with a boyfriend that was hated in this part of town, did not stand a chance. No one would call the cops or reach out to help, no one would care.

For this reason the three men driving the car did not care about the noises he made. His panic only helped their cause. The weaker Matt would be, the more panicked, the more his new master would like him.

They pulled in behind the building that was their agreed meeting place. It was a perfect place for a man like Glenn Jacobs to hide out. It was truly one of the worst places in town; anyone who did not have business here avoided that place and anyone who had to be here minded only his own business and looked the other way. Even guys like Mike and Jake did not come here unless invited. It was the kind of place where you were either heavily armed or dead. This particular street was made of deserted warehouses that the city counsel had wanted to demolish for ages now, but somehow did not have the guts to do so. There was no sign of inhabitation of this particular building, but Mike knew he was at the right address.

Jake and Wade were the first out of the car, guns in hand, senses on full alert, checking if all was safe. Only then did Jake signal Mike to get out the car as well. Without hesitation, Mike stalked towards the door, knowing very well that their arrival would already be noted and that the way they had acted would mean they would be taken seriously.

He leaned casually against the wall, not nearly as relaxed as he acted. He had never dealt with anyone this big before. Considering the information he gotten from Vicky, even Vince in his glory days was nothing but a petty thief compared with Glenn. The guy controlled multiple cities and he could take over theirs in a second if he wished. Mike was determined not to let that happen, or at least being included in the hostile take-over. This little deal was the first stepping-stone to what hopefully would be a fruitful working relationship.

A quick sign of Mike's hand was enough for Wade to get the boy out the trunk and for Jake to step behind Mike. The brunette was all business now, cocky, commanding and radiating self-confidence. Both Jake and Wade had their professional faces on too. They knew what they could expect and understood the danger involved.

When Wade had the thrashing boy hauled over his shoulder, Mike knocked on the wooden door without a moment hesitation. They were left waiting for a few minutes. Mike had expected this so he leant against the wall again, staring into the blank, a small smirk on his face. Jake and Wade stood tall and on alert, every now and then checking the surroundings for any sign of danger.

Suddenly the door opened and a heavily muscled man opened the door. Mike gave the man a piercing look, not intimidated for one moment. This man was muscle, nothing more. No intelligence spoke out of his watery blue eyes; his shaved head and his fake scowl made him look like the village idiot. The heavy Southern brawl did nothing to lessen this effect. Wade and Jake eyed the man and wrote him off the same moment. All three of them knew that this guy opened the door because he was expendable.

"You're Mizanin? The boss expects you."

Mike nodded and passed the gatekeeper without wasting another second to bother with him. Jake and Wade were admitted behind him. He entered a dimly lit corridor, obviously designed this way to keep anyone coming from outside as a disadvantage. There were two more men guarding the door, by the look of them they were twins. They were a little taller than Mike, nasty looks adorned their darkly tinted faces and the look in their piercing black eyes was guarded as they checked out Jake and Wade, obviously not regarding Mike as a threat. Boy, were they wrong. Of course, Mike did nothing to set this misunderstanding straight. The twins signalled him to follow them and they guided the three through a maze of corridors and stairwells before arriving on what Mike assumed was the top floor.

They halted before a closed door, yet again guarded by two huge men. They were at least seven foot tall, eyes quickly measuring up the three men before them. These were the first that Mike saw as a real threat. The bald man was nothing short of a giant, obviously well muscled despite his weight, his fist must have been the size of Mike's head. The blue eyes were menacing and a denigrating smirk displayed around his lips while he stroked his goatee. The other was as tall, but much fitter and a bit older. He had long, dirty black hair and also sported a goatee. The man was dressed all in black and had an intimidating presence. Mike had to repress a shudder when he saw the cold and calculated expression in the ice-blue eyes and he had to force himself not to avoid the piercing gaze. He suddenly understood why their weapons were not taken from them yet. They had no chance to get past these two, armed or not.

"Weapons, please." The dark man partly asked and partly commanded in a coarse voice.

Without hesitation, Mike gave up his gun. Jake did doubt for a moment. He had the feeling this operation was more dangerous than Mike had imagined and he suddenly wished his love had found a less risky way of taking revenge. The raised eyebrow of the brunette was enough for Jake to give up his resistance and he handed the ravenette his precious weapon. The man examined the gun with obvious admiration.

"This is army stuff. Where did you get this? We've been after stuff like this for ages."

Mike absentmindedly waved his hand even though his mind was reeling with the possibilities. He needed to find out who Randy's contact in the navy was. Maybe Wade could come in use there.

"There's more where that came from. We can supply you with about everything you want, as long as it fits in the trunk of a car."

"I'll talk to my brother about this. Now let's bring him his toy. I have a feeling he's gonna like him."

While they were talking the bald giant had walked up to Wade who still had Matt hoisted on his shoulder. The goon stroked the crying boy's cheek with one finger and smiled as Matt's eyes widened and he started thrashing again.

"He's cute," he chuckled. "The boss is gonna love him. This one is gonna make a great sub for his collection."

Matt almost choked on his next sob. He finally realized that this was not a crude joke; he was being sold to some unfamiliar man. This was so sick it made him gag.

The dark man knocked on the door and after a crude "yes" he opened the door and motioned Mike to follow him. When Jake and Wade wanted to follow him, the giant stopped them.

"One can come."

Mike realized it was already a huge privilege that he was allowed to bring one bodyguard with him, so he did not complain and without thinking about it, he signalled Jake to follow him. Wade put the cowering kid down and Jake grabbed him by the back of the neck, forcing him to stand and shoved him forwards through the door. Their eyes immediately focused on the bald man sitting behind his desk, who was seemingly unaware of their entrance. It was easily recognized as the trick that it was, a way to make people nervous.

Mike immediately took on a bored expression himself and walked towards the window, staring out of it, at the same time turning his back to everyone in the room. It took minutes before the large man unfolded himself from his chair and focussed his attention on his visitors. A smile had reached his lips when he had realized the young brunette was doing exactly what he had been doing, pretending as if he did not care. It impressed him. Not many people had the guts to do this in his presence.

"You have balls, Mizanin. Coming to find me when I have not invited you to this challenge. And I'm impressed that you managed to find out who I was, what I wanted and how to find me."

Mike turned around to meet scary eyes, which were the lightest blue he had ever seen and had a familiar insanity flickering deeply inside. Not much saner than Randy, Vicky had said. This was no man to piss off and live.

"I have my sources, Mr. Jacobs and I know an opportunity when I see one."

"Me and your boss, Chris Irvine, we have a very unpleasant history. I can't imagine he'd agree on you coming anywhere near me." Glenn raised an eyebrow at the cocky young man.

"I might work for Chris at the moment, but I'm very much my own man and I don't need to tell him of every small thing I do. This is a personal issue."

"Personal, huh? And what's so personal about it?

"The boy," Mike grinned, "Let's just say I don't like his boyfriend very much, and he had just pissed me off one time to many when I heard of your challenge. Well, one and one equal two."

Glenn threw his head back and roared with laughter. "You're pretty ruthless, aren't you? I can appreciate that. Imagine, selling someone's boy off for revenge. That's one I never heard of before. Most people just kick someones head in."

"Been there, done that for the last 20 years. It didn't work, so now it's time for a little more… how shall I put it… permanent."

"Permanent?"

An evil smirk appeared on Mike's face, mirrored exactly on Jake's.

"I'm gonna make him suffer and go crazy wondering where this little bug has gone too. Then I'm gonna lure him in with information, give him some hope again. After that I'm gonna tell him exactly what happened. And to top it all off I'll let Jake here kill him, slowly if I have something to say about it."

His ice-cold blues stared into the huge green eyes of his victim. Matt had paled and now hung weak in Jake's grip. He was close to fainting, trying to shut out the amused voice of his lover's nemesis.

"Yes, Matty. It's that boyfriend of yours that you can thank for the way you'll spend the rest of your life. Though it can't be worse than being fucked by Hennigan. Personally, I love my men big and strong."

He winked at his lover that had an amused grin on his face. He sensed no more danger here now Mr. Jacobs seemed to like Mike and so could relax a little bit.

"Let me see what you brought me. Untie him!"

With swift movements of the blade that the dark bodyguard produced Matt's bindings were cut lose. A quick snap of Jake's wrist pulled the duck tape from his mouth. His legs folded under him making him fall on hands and knees. Jake wanted to pull him off again, but Glenn signalled him to leave it.

"I like it when they kneel for me. This one is born to submit. I wonder if his boyfriend realized his true potential." He towered over the cowering boy that kept his eyes focused on the shoes of his new master. "Look at me boy!"

Matt was trembling when he raised his head to obey the man and cringed when he met the insane eyes. He had thought that Mike was bad but the dominance radiating from this man made him want to cower and crawl into a hole somewhere. A cold chuckle was heard when Glenn took in the terrified look on the handsome face.

"Stand up and let me look at you properly."

When Matt did not obey soon enough, Glenn backhanded the boy through the room. Matt held his cheek, tears falling freely, desperation quickly seeping in.

"NOW!"

Again, Matt did not listen quickly enough and Glenn grabbed the kid by his throat, nearly choking him while he dragged him up.

"I'm not gonna be this nice if I have to tell you again. We are gonna do this, whether you like it or not. It's your choice how hard I'm gonna make it before you completely submit to me. You are gonna be so much fun. I will enjoy breaking you, sweetheart."

With a quick snap of one hand he ripped the t-shirt of Matt's chest and let that hand glide over the muscled chest and abs.

"And he's in perfect shape. What a perfect toy you've found me, Mizanin. What did you say his name was?"

"Matt."

"I already have a Matt. Your name is Evan now. And you will call me Master." A grin crossed his face when the crying boy managed a quick nod. "Mark, can you take him and lock him up for me? I will see to him later. And rearrange everything to leave the day after tomorrow. There's no need to stay all week, when some smart kid can meet the challenge that he wasn't even supposed to know about in two days."

"Yes, Glenn," the eldest nodded his head to his brother. "By the way, they might have some more interesting stuff to sell." He threw Jake's gun on the desk and left the room.

"Hmm… So you don't only have the most interesting sub that I've seen in ages, but you can also sell me decent guns? Sit down man and have a drink with me. We'll talk business. I have the feeling you and I will see each other more frequently in the future. But one condition… I only work with you. If I ever see Chris he's dead."

Mike smirked, "I'll remember it Mr. Jacobs. We can't have that happening can't we?"

"Call me Glenn… I like you, kid."

A good two hours later they stood outside again. Jake was carrying a big bag filled with more money than they had ever imagined earning on one job. Mike had agreed on the sale of all the weapons they still had in storage and he would meet them tomorrow to deliver the goods. Glenn would also call him whenever he needed more weapons or anything else.

Jake weighted the heavy back with a goofy grin on his face. A quarter of a million for a job that took less than two days; the profit they would make on the weapons would be double from what they had expected, for the simple promise that Glenn would get first pick of every new shipment. Mikes position was skyrocketing and he would take Jake up with him. Offhandedly Mike had advertised Jake's skill as an assassin and Jake almost burst from pride when Glenn had heard of him. He even had a nickname for him - the blond shadow - and had promised to try him for a job sometime soon.

They drove to a deserted parking lot where Mike divided the money into four bags.

"Seventy-five for you, Wade. Seventy-five for Jake, a hundred for me and Chris and Randy can play with the fifty that's left. And the nice thing is that we'll have another hundred fifty to divide tomorrow after we sell the weapons."

He turned to Wade who stared wide-eyed at the bag of money in his lap. He was used to getting a bonus at a job well done, but this was a first.

"This is how I work, Wade. You help me make money and I make that worth it for you. The only thing I ask in return is your loyalty and your silence. I trust you, so I include you in this. Besides Jake, no one knows and I would appreciate it if it stayed that way."

"But… what about Randy and Chris? Don't they notice?"

Wade shuddered from the memories of the psychotic tattooed man that had snapped on him this morning. Randy was not someone he wanted to cross. He had locked eyes with Mike, fingers stroking the crispy paper.

"Bah… they get exactly what they expect to earn and that's more than they would get if I wasn't around. So are you in?"

Wade nodded eagerly, he was in this for the money after all and this first bonus topped his yearly salary.

"Good… for you I mean."

Wade looked to the right when he saw a movement in the corner of his eyes and he suddenly realized that Jake had a gun pointed at him.

"Put that thing away, Jake. I told you he could be trusted. Besides I hate getting blood in my car. I just bought this thing. It would be a shame if I had to ditch it again."

"Nothing personal, Wade. I just prefer Mike in one piece and that's gonna change when Chris or Randy ever find out what happens with a part of what they see as their money."

"It's okay. But you guys are surely protective of your lovers, first Randy and now you, Jake. Is there anyone safe left to fuck?"

Jake and Mike looked at each other and started laughing.

"Just Chris. I have the feeling he'd like Wade here, don't you think, Jakey?"


Mike barged into Chris' office without knocking; Wade and Jake on his heels.

Chris had been staring at the same contract for ages but couldn't quite understand what he was supposed to do with it. Maybe that last pill hadn't been such a good idea. He took another large sip of his whiskey to solve this problem, but somehow the letters only wobbled more. He startled when the three men stormed into his office and squinted his eyes at the intruders, willing the room to stop spinning so he could count them.

A goofy grin appeared on Chris when he recognized his visitors, at least two of them.

"If it isn't the beauty and the beast. Are you here to get some more? I knew you'd start missing me soon."

Mike and Jake let out annoyed sighs at the drunken ramblings of their boss. It was yet another thing they wouldn't miss. Wade was standing a few feet back trying to figure out what was between those two and their boss. One thing was certain, Irvine seemed to like them a lot, more than they liked him. The gleam of lust and something more was obvious in the eldest eyes as he checked out the brunette. Suddenly Chris noticed Wade and stumbled up to him.

"And what have we here? It's another beast. Or another beauty? I can't decide. A beautiful beast I think. Did you bring him for me, Mikey? That is so sweet of you."

"This, Chris, is Wade Barrett, our new hit man. Please don't scare him away, he's pretty useful."

"Ah Mikey… you're so mean to me. There was a time that you liked me, when you kept coming back for more."

Chris wanted to grab Mike's ass, but Jake was quick in hitting his hands away.

"We made a deal, Irvine! We kept our part of it. Now keep your dirty hands off him."

Chris pouted and turned back to Wade.

"Do you hear how they treat their boss, Wade? No respect for authority! Do you have respect for authority, Wade?"

Wade grinned down at the blond that had his hands all over his chest. He was a little sloppy, but cute at the same time. Now he couldn't have Cody, this might be interesting. He liked older men and the experience they brought into bed. Slowly he ran his hands down Chris' side and to his hips.

Mike sighed annoyed and scraped his throat. He was in a good mood and wouldn't let Chris ruin that by having to witness him make out with someone. He also questioned their new man's taste. He wanted him to make Cody forget about Randy, not sucking up to Chris.

"We brought you a little present, Chris. And no… I don't mean Wade."

He threw the bag of money on the desk. Chris reluctantly ripped himself away from Wade to turn to that desk and zipped the bag open. Blinking confused he peered at the money inside. He took one pile of 100 dollar bills and sniffed them. The smell of money always sobered him up.

"Where did you get this? I didn't send you on a job today."

"Let's just say I sold some stolen property. I also sold all the weapons and we will deliver them tomorrow."

Chris frowned thinking hard. He hated it when someone made him feel dumb and incompetent. The blond knew very well that it was Mike that kept the business running, but he liked it a lot more when Mike sucked his dick while giving him advice. In the past, Mike had at least pretended that Chris made the decisions. He blamed Jake for this change in his employee. He wanted the brunette back, no one could satisfy him like he could, nothing felt like Mike's mouth working on him, no one writhed beneath him like that boy. In his drugs-affected brain formed a brilliant plan at least that was what Chris thought. If only he could lure Jake away from Mike, if he could make Jake cheat on Mike, his boy would surely come crawling back. A demented grin formed around his lips and he focused all his attention on Mike again.

"Do I want to know what you've sold? And who you've sold it to?"

Mike shook his head. "Vicky gave me a tip." He knew that only the mention of that name was enough to make Chris stop asking.

"Vicky, he? How much did you have to pay her for the information?"

"We're gonna let her borrow Nick for a few days a week. The guy sells more than Cody can make, so we can miss him on the streets. In the end… it costs us nothing and it saves us a lot of trouble. This client is also interested in buying more weapons if we can supply them."

"Why won't you tell me who it is, Mikey?"

"Because, boss, the guy's one of the many people that you rubbed the wrong way somewhere in the past. If I tell you who he is, you might forbid me to do business with him and that will cost us an easy sale and will cost you two hundred grand right into your pocket tomorrow. Plus the weapons leave town, which means that no one can shoot us with the stuff we sold them ourselves and there's less chance of anything getting traced back to us."

Chris was already bored. The effort of listening to Mike talk, when all he could think about was what those cock-sucking lips could do to him, was too much. He waved with his hand to shut Mike up.

"It's okay… just do whatever you want and bring me the money. But I need Jake tonight."

"Jake is still injured, so you better take Wade. We can't have you in danger, can't we Chrissie? We had another collision with Cena and Farrelly yesterday. I shot Cena by the way, so he won't bother us again."

"Too bad… I was looking forward to spending some time with your darling-lover. After that little threesome we had, I'm really starting to understand what you see in him."

He grinned taking in the similar scowls that formed on the lover's faces. Mike might know how to manipulate people, but he knew how to piss people off like no one else could.

"I'll see you here at eight, Wade."

Wade nodded while Mike was as good as out of the door already, trying to hide the rage that enveloped him now he saw the way Chris was checking out Jake. He knew he shouldn't be scared that Jake would cheat on him; he knew how much Jake hated Chris; he knew that Jake was entirely his, but a small snail of doubt crept into him anyway. Chris had his ways to get what he wanted and he got that most of the time.


Thankfully the last day had been easy for him, silent, no work besides watching the lab. Even though that had meant to once again spend 24 hours –or rather 18- with Cody, he had felt at ease, more than ever before when being around the young brunette. After Randy's outburst the last morning and Cody's shell, the young man had not been a big talker. Forgotten had been the formula he had finally finished, forgotten had been the games he was usually playing with Ted. It had even scared the blond a little to see Cody like this just because he was not used to that situation. Cody had never before been like that, cold, stern, quiet, especially not towards him, especially not when they were alone.

He had been at the lab when the others had come back from whatever they had been doing, all smiles and laughs. Sure, Ted had been suspicious then, but who was he to question Mike or in fact even Jake or Wade? Sometimes it was definitely better not to know anything about what was going on.

Shaking his head, he straightened up, his eyes fixing on the old, decayed house. He had more important things to do now. It was a little after noon and he had left the lab an hour ago to do his job, to get the money, their money, back from Stephen. One of the two who had stolen their precious drugs a few weeks ago, the one who was still alive. It had been easy to talk to Mike about it, seeing that the older brunette was probably even glad to get rid of him, was probably even hoping for Stephen to kill him. He never really got why that punk was hating on him. He was doing his job, not only good but near brilliant, he had never talked up to him or even Jake, had always done what they had wanted. Nonetheless he could not get rid of the feeling that Mike would rather see him dead soon than letting him stay around for much longer.

He had thrown one of those little blue pills in which Cody always gave him before a job, not trusting his own nerves on that special case, not today, not with a psycho like Farrelly on hunting season, out for revenge. This time he had even covered himself up with two of their finest weapons, not only thinking, but knowing that his brassknuckles and his stars would not be enough for a man like Stephen. His orders were clear and simple: get the money from him, each and every penny, and bring it straight back to Chris. He chuckled a little as he thought back to all his assassins and jobs so far, realizing that this must have been the first, the only time that he had gotten an order from Chris instead of Mike. Usually he had always followed the older brunette when it came to business.

Taking another deep breath, he checked for his guns again, making sure they were both loaded and ready to shoot. A small smirk appeared on his lips as he thought about the possible appreciation and possible reward he would get for the job. He knew for a fact that he could beat Stephen as long as the man did not take him by surprise. From what Jake and Wade had told him, or hinted at, Farrelly was probably badly banged up from their encounter two nights ago, plus the shot hand he still had from two weeks ago, he would certainly be no match for him… if he could make the first move.

Finally setting his foot into the house, he was surprise to find it as neatly as can be. There were no signs of the chaos from two weeks ago anymore. It looked cleaned from bottom to top, no smell of urine or thrown up but the scent of fresh vanilla filled the air. It was as if he had stepped into a different house, different sphere even. Looking around the room, he closely listened to any sound made, trying to figure out if Farrelly was even home or if it had all just been a set up, but the moment this idea came to his mind, the slightly older red-head came slowly stalking down the stairs, their eyes locking, the friction, the tension between them so burning that it made both of them shiver.

Though Ted knew better than to let his guard up, he could not help but to realize a change to the tall man. He looked worn out, beaten up, not only physically but also mentally, his eyes seeming dull and lifeless, each one of his steps looking painful as he strode over toward Ted, a white envelop in his hands. Minutes –that almost felt like hours- later, Stephen stood before him, a broken man as he seemed. Until now Ted had never spend a thought to how much, to WHAT Cena had eventually meant to the Irish Man, for the simple fact that he never cared. For him –even though he was raised different- Farrelly and Cena had never been more than two scumbags, two dirty little addicts, two no-good bastards. Never in his wildest dreams would he have thought about looking behind the façade of two of their biggest foes.

Ted could not help but to feel guilt running through his veins, guilt for them injuring Cena and Farrelly two weeks ago, for his so-called friends, his partners, killing Cena, for being in that business at all, for dealing with drugs and guns, for the violence and ruthless aggression surrounding him.

Obviously Stephen could see his change in behavior, his guilt, his doubt; the smug look returning to the Irishman's face, smirk gracing his lips as he built himself up in front of Ted.

"Ya came fow the money, Ah guess?"

The younger man snapped out of his trip, finally looking the redhead dead in the eyes, nodding his head as he took in Stephen's changed expression. *He better not set me up* It was all that went through the blonde's head, as he spoke while looking the tall man over.

"Ten thousand. You can be lucky that our bosses didn't put interests on it… especially after what happened two days ago."

His voice sounded as stern and cold as possible. After all he was a pro; he did never let anyone see his true emotions –at least never his opponents. Glancing back up at Farrelly's face, he smiled. The man was certainly unarmed for what he could see. Maybe killing Cena had not been as bad as he thought; maybe it had even changed the man standing in front of him to the better.

The only answer he got was a nod of Stephen's head, expression changed again to one of a broken man, and the envelop exchanging hands. While counting the money, Ted made sure to keep the redhead in his line of vision, glancing at him after every second note. The guy sure was a changed man. There was nothing left of that smug, cold, stoned and ruthless bastard from two weeks ago. Smirking mildly, Ted put the envelop in his back-pocket, looking around the room one last time, the thick, heavy voice of his counter-part almost startling him.

"Ya can tell Irvine and Orten that Ah won't botha them anymow. I've sold the house awlready and will leave town tomorrow. There's nawthing that keeps ma here anymow."

Now, that really surprised him and he actually had to check his ears to see if he did not just hear wrong.

"You're leaving town?"

"Yeah… why? Ya nawt happy?"

Despite trying to keep on his mask, they both ended up smirking at each other, holding back respective chuckles as the redhead glanced at his shoes.

"There's really nawthing left fow me here."

The sudden sadness, the pain, the vibrations in his voice lead to a sigh escaping Ted's lips, the young man raking a hand through his hair.

"Well then… it was nice making deals with you."

Even though it was meant as a joke, none of them was in the mood to laugh, though Stephen managed some sort of cracked smile, nodding his head as Ted retreated out of the house.

Still not trusting the older Irishman, he looked back at the house at every other step, making sure the situation was clear as he made his way towards safe territory. Hands gliding to his guns to check if they were still there –more out of habit than out of fear- he sighed, shaking his head.

Instead of thinking about Stephen's misery and feeling guilty, he was already trying to plan out a story for Mike and the others. If he told them the truth, they either would not believe him or they would mock him for not just killing Stephen to make sure he is really out of the way. So maybe… He grinned widely to himself, the plan already forming in his head. And after that, he would finally tell Cody the truth about Randy and his past… The young boy would be his soon, only his and no one would make a joke out of him ever again.


Reviews, please?