Phoebe sat in the passenger's seat of Carol's car as they sped toward her apartment. She wanted to pick up a few things before they made their escape to the Hamptons. Phoebe glanced over at Carol, who was driving with one hand and typing on her cell phone with the other.
"What are you doing?"
Carol responded without looking at Phoebe, "I'm texting my maid. I want my things ready to go when I get there. We'll just grab them and go."
Phoebe was concerned by her answer. "Should we really be telling anyone where we're going?"
Carol finished the text and dropped her phone into her purse. "Don't worry about Lucia. She barely speaks English. Plus, she doesn't know you're with me. She thinks I'm alone."
Phoebe nodded. She was in no position to complain about Carol's decisions. For now, she would have to trust her judgment and hope for the best.
It was late and the place was virtually abandoned, but Joey decided to walk the halls anyway. He thought that he might find Rachel working late in her office or hanging out in their break room. He had stopped by her place and she wasn't there. She wasn't answering her phone, either. She was obviously trying to avoid him and Joey wasn't happy about it. He planned on taking his frustration out on her body as soon as he found her.
He made the familiar turn around the corner and up ahead he could see a light on. It was the office next to his – Jill's. He walked up to it and peeked his head inside. Jill was sitting behind her desk, staring straight ahead. Joey had never seen the beautiful woman look so out of it. "Jill?"
The sound of Joey's voice startled her and she nearly fell out of her seat. "Jesus Christ, Joey. You almost gave me a fucking heart attack."
"Sorry." He entered her office and sat down in the chair opposite her desk. "What are you still doing here?"
"I don't know. I meant go home after closing but I…I just didn't. Weird, huh?" Jill was feeling the stress of the recent events. It was all a lot to handle. All of the Assassins kept secrets for a living, it was just part of the job, but never before had the secrets so directly affected their group as a whole. There was so much happening, so many things to keep straight, that for the first time in her life Jill felt like she might be losing her mind.
"Nah, I know the feeling. I went home and came back and I'm not even sure why. It seems like the world is falling apart and I haven't the slightest clue what I'm supposed to do about it." Joey was good at lying. He knew exactly what was going on and what everyone was doing. Secrets and lies were his bread and butter.
"Yeah." Jill placed her elbows on her desk and leaned forward. Her voice dropped to a near whisper and her eyebrow arched inquisitively, "Do you have anything that could help with the stress? Something to take the edge off?"
Joey thought about this for a second and then smiled. Without speaking, he reached into his jacket pocked and pulled out a baggie full of powder. He swung it back and forth in front of Jill's face like a hypnotizing watch.
"Oh God you are a life saver. That is just what I need." Jill reached out to grab the bag, but before it was in her grip Joey yanked it away.
"Come on, Jill. You know that nothing is for free. Phoebe worked hard to teach you that." Joey smirked.
Jill frowned. Indeed, it had been Phoebe who had shown her the ropes on that fateful night. Thanks to her, Jill now knew how Joey's little system worked. He didn't need money, so he didn't charge money. He asked for things that he really, really wanted instead. "Joey, I just don't know if I feel comfortable – "
"Save it," Joey interrupted her. "Save your excuses and I'll save my drugs." Joey stood up from his chair. "Anyway, I should probably go. I have to find something to do with my night."
Jill stood up quickly. "Wait!" She was torn. She really wanted that baggy full of fun, but she just wasn't sure if she was willing to pay its price. She was a fan of sex and Phoebe had sure seemed to have enjoyed Joey's moves… but still, something about the whole arrangement seemed wrong. Her inner demon and inner angel continued to debate the issue in her head. Finally, the demon won.
Jill walked around her desk and stood in front of Joey. "Tell me what you want."
Before Jill realized what was happening, Joey's hands were on her body. With force, he spun her around and then pushed against her back. All of the sudden Jill found herself bent over her own desk. She felt her skirt being pushed up onto her waist and at the moment decided that she would just bury her head in her hands and take it.
Joey was grinning from ear to ear. He literally tore her underwear from her body and through the shredded remnants across the room. He looked down at her half-naked form and almost laughed out loud. He was making his way through the Assassin females one by one. It was almost, too, good to be true.
Jill heard the sound of silk tearing and cringed. Those were her favorites. She could feel him pressing against her now. She closed her eyes and told herself it would be over soon.
Joey stood behind her, about to enter the promised land, when he suddenly remembered something he had once read about Jill inside of a bathroom stall. With that thought in his mind, he made the small adjustment in direction and plunged forward.
Jill screamed.
Emily fell out of her chair. She had been sleeping soundly at her desk when a woman's scream pulled her from her slumber. Slowly, her world started to come back into focus and she realized that she was on the floor. It was pitch black in her office – earlier she had closed all the blinds and turned off the lights. She had only planned on taking a short nap before getting back to work. With all of the recent controversy some papers were starting to back up.
She fumbled her way towards her door and opened it. A quick glance around the office revealed Jill's door wide open. She couldn't see what was happening inside, but judging by the sounds pouring out of there it seemed pretty obvious.
Curiosity got the best of Emily and she softly started to move out of her office to get a better angle. Part of her feared it was Ross. Watching him with a girl like Jill, or any girl for that matter, didn't seem like something that would make her particularly happy. Another part of her, however, hoped that it was, just so she could get a glimpse at all that he had to offer.
She stayed close to the wall and took five or six steps when Jill came into view. Emily was shocked by the sight of it. There was Jill, skirt hiked up and bent over her own desk, with none other than Joey Tribianni. Emily had expected it to be Ross, and if not him then definitely a client of some sort. Someone that would offer Jill something to gain. What could Joey possibly have?
Emily had seen enough, and as quietly as possible, she moved back into her office and shut the door. She didn't want to turn the light on. She was afraid that they would notice. So instead she walked back over to her chair and sat down.
Emily closed her eyes and tried her hardest to forget about everything that was happening in Jill's office. It was easier said than done.
Together, Chandler and Monica fell onto the bed. His lips hardly left hers, even as they made the trek from the living room to the bedroom. His hands roamed her body freely, taking her in. She was a beautiful woman, there was no doubt about that, and he wanted to see more of her.
Monica was reeling. Everything was happening so fast. Her feelings were so powerful. The world was spinning. She felt his hands tugging on her clothes and for some unknown reason that was enough to pull her back to reality. Before anything was removed, she pulled away from Chandler and quickly moved off of his bed. "I'm sorry, Chandler, I can't. This is wrong."
"Wrong?" He knew what she meant but at that point he no longer cared. He was at that level, that special guy level of arousal where morals cease to exist and all the matters is satisfying the urge to mate. "Come on, Monica, you're thinking about this too much."
"This is something that I've wanted for a long time, Chandler. But you're hurt and you're in a weird place right now and I don't want it to happen like this. That'll ruin it for me forever." Monica adjusted her clothes and did her best to catch her breath.
"Are you serious? We're really not going to do this?" His heart was racing and his blood was pumping. He was not okay with stopping.
Monica could tell how upset he was. She was afraid she might have blown it for good. "I'm sorry, Chandler, it's just that – "
"Get out." He was passed feeling guilty about the whole thing. Guilt would return once his needs were satisfied and memories of Susie crept back into his head. For now, he only felt anger.
She tried to calm him down. "Chandler –"
"Now." He pointed toward the door. "Out."
Pete Becker stared at the two bodies lying motionless in the alleyway. There were cops and flashing lights everywhere. The site of a double homicide was always chaos.
This whole Wall Street debacle was getting out of hand. Pressure would fall from the mayor to his superiors to him to get this whole thing cleaned up and closed as soon as possible. He knew he might have to reconsider his "Let Chandler do my work for me" plan. He was sure that it was still the easiest way, but it no longer seemed as if it would be the fastest.
Pete's train of thought was interrupted by a young cop named Dwight. "Excuse me, sir?"
"What is it, officer?" Pete turned to face him. He had with him a girl, and a very pretty one at that. She was a beautiful blonde teen with tears in her eyes.
"This girl says she was here having dinner with one of the victims. Richard Burke."
This got Pete's attention immediately. He pushed Dwight away and began to lead the girl away from the crime scene. He needed information and he didn't want to chance her getting a peek at something gruesome. "My name is Detective Pete Becker. What's yours?"
She looked up at him, her face still covered in fear. "Erica. My name is Erica."
Chandler had an idea. He knew it was a bad idea, a horrible idea even, maybe his worst idea ever, but at the moment he just didn't care. He tossed his keys to the valet attendant out front and entered the apartment building like a man on a mission.
He knew her apartment number by heart. He had been to her place a few times for some group parties and get-togethers. He had never been there by himself, and never for this. He stopped in front of her door and knocked on it loudly and quickly.
He paced impatiently in front of the door while he waited for her to answer.
Cassie and Rachel sat at the kitchen table in silence. Someone was at her door, again. And it was probably Joey, again. And she was going to have to pretend she wasn't home, again. Rachel leaned toward Cassie and whispered. "Go look the peep hole and see who it is."
Cassie did as she was told and walked toward the front door. As quietly as she could, she pressed her eye against the small hole in the door. She pulled away slowly and walked back toward Rachel with a confused look on her face. She whispered, "Its Chandler."
Rachel jumped out of her chair and practically ran to the front door. She yanked it open and found Chandler pacing back and forth in her hallway. "Chandler? Hi."
He didn't bother with greetings. He simply pushed his way into her apartment and pulled her body against his. He kissed her forcefully and kicked her door closed his foot. After a moment, he pulled away and finally spoke. "I need you."
Rachel didn't know what to say, so she simply muttered, "Okay." She grabbed him and pulled him in for another kiss.
Cassie watched the events unfold from the kitchen. The whole thing was a bit to shocking to see, but after the last few days, shocking behavior was almost expected. She grabbed her purse and tried to tip-toe her way passed the two of them. As she reached for the door handle, she grazed Chandler's arm enough to startle him.
He looked up quickly, "Cassie."
She stopped in her tracks, a bit embarrassed. She looked past Chandler to Rachel and flashed a congratulatory smile. Rachel was finally getting what she wanted and she was happy for her friend. "I was just leaving."
Chandler glanced back and forth between the two women for a moment before flashing a smirk and replying, "No, you weren't." He wrapped an arm around Cassie and pulled her to him. Before she could say anything his lips were on hers and all systems were a go.
Will sat alone in his apartment, contemplating his next move. He had to be careful. Once everyone found out about Richard and Susan everything would descend into full on panic mode. There would be watchful eyes everywhere. His every move would be detected and noted. Things were about to get very, very tricky.
For a moment he considered just leaving Phoebe alone. So far, thanks to the drugs they used, none of their victims had remembered anything. She probably wouldn't either, but it was still a risk. Phoebe was a loose end, and Will hated loose ends. Once she was gone, the secret would die with her and he could move forward with his a calm piece of mind.
He yawned and decided it was time for bed. There was nothing else he could accomplish with his night. Tomorrow, he would follow Phoebe and try to find the perfect time to strike. After that, it would all be over.
It was early morning, and judging by the faces of everyone in Room 469, there had been long nights all the way around. They had all been summoned, every single one of them, to meet with Detective Becker before opening bell. Things were falling apart quickly. There were even rumors that Paul Stevens would be forced to fly in and help clean up the mess.
No one spoke. The deaths of Richard and Susan were unexpected and a little too frightening for most of them to handle. Assassins were dying. Quickly. And any of them could be next. For the first time ever, those imaginary targets they all carried on their backs felt very, very real.
Pete Becker entered the room swiftly and with confidence. He took a moment to simply stare at them all. He wanted to send a message. He wasn't afraid of them. They were to be afraid of him. He would arrest all of them if he had to. "What I need from all of you right now is two minutes of uninterrupted silence. You don't need me to tell you what has happened. You already know. What you don't know, is that I'm going to solve this case very, very quickly. See, right now, all of you are tied for first on my list of suspects in these cases. But right now, I'm going to cut that list down considerably." Pete turned to yell for someone outside of the room. "Send her in."
Slowly, timidly, Erica stepped into Room 469. She kept her eyes locked on Pete. She was understandably terrified. "Everyone, this is Erica. She had dinner with Richard last night. As far as we know, she was the last person to have seen him alive. Except for whoever killed him of course." Pete turned away from the group and toward Erica. "Erica, I need you to do me a favor. Take a look around this room. Look at all of these people."
Pete turned his attention back to the group. His eyes darted from person to person. "Did you see any of these people at dinner last night?"
Erica scanned the crowd slowly. She looked from one to the other as carefully as possible, but none of them looked familiar.
Until, of course, her eyes fell upon Will. Erica gasped and took two steps back. She looked quickly at Pete and then back to Will. Pointing, she said, "Him. I saw him last night."