When Haley woke up the next morning, she instantly knew that she was alone in the bed. Keeping her eyes closed she slowly stretched her arm out only to find the empty spot next to her, the sheets already cold. Dean wasn't in bed anymore. She should have known better. Of course, he would regret that he had let her so close to him again and had sought distance the minute he woke up. Haley sighed and opened her eyes, trying to push the pain away and be understanding.
The sun was shining brightly and Haley knew it was probably past noon, but as she laid there in Dean's bed she couldn't bring herself to get up. His scent lingered on the soft silk linen, the sunlight tickled her face pleasantly and she closed her eyes again as she listened to the silence in the room. It was way too quiet and she wondered where Dean was. Had he left for the club already? Without letting her know? He wasn't obligated to tell her where he was going, but still... it would have been nice if he had. It would have been another step forward.
She heard a noise coming from the bathroom and sat up in bed in surprise, seeing Dean sneak into the room and closing the door behind him carefully. He crossed the room quietly, trying to not make any noise and stepped in front of the full length mirror with his back to Haley. He was talking to someone on the phone quietly and trying to do his tie at the same time which was impossible to manage. He cursed under his breath when he had to start all over; the tie was already crinkled.
Haley smiled and got out of bed to help him when she saw him struggling. Dean saw her reflection in the mirror and turned around, obviously embarrassed. Haley grinned at his reaction, but didn't say anything. She motioned for him to step closer and let her fix it. Dean did as he was told, letting go of the material and Haley tied the tie for him in the blink of an eye; it was perfect and flawless. She adjusted the collar before taking a step back to admire her work.
Dean found himself not able to concentrate on his phone call anymore as Haley was standing so close to him. Her breath sweeping through the fabric of his shirt, the scent of her shampoo, the soft rise and fall of her chest as she breathed... She was only wearing a thin tank top and pyjama bottoms. A memory from the past hit him hard as he remembered how she used to help him with his tie every morning before he went to work.
"What?" He said confused when the voice on the other end of the line pulled him from his thoughts. He forced himself not to dwell and focus on the conversation. "Yeah, okay. You'll be at the club tonight, right? Okay, see you then." He ended the call and looked at Haley who quickly ran her hands over his chest to smooth the material of his shirt.
"Alright, you're perfect." She said shyly, looking up at him with sparkling eyes.
Dean put his hand on top of hers, pressing it to his chest before she could pull away. "Thank you, babe."
"You're welcome." She replied and swallowed before before adding hesitantly, "I always liked doing that for you."
He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "Sorry, did I wake you?" He asked nervously and scratched his head. "I tried to be quiet."
"Yeah, I've noticed." Haley replied, chuckling softly. "No, you didn't wake me."
Dean nodded, suddenly losing the ability to speak as he remained standing still, just looking at her. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't avert his eyes.
Haley waited patiently for his next move, sensing that he wanted to say something. Her heart rate picked up under the intensity of his gaze. The heat of his chest beneath her palm, his calloused hand on top of hers, still holding her hand. She couldn't breathe anymore.
Dean noticed that he was still pressing Haley's hand to his chest and quickly let go, clearing his throat awkwardly. He felt anger rise inside him at this sign of weakness, but managed to push it down. The alarm in his head went off, telling him to be careful. He didn't want to hurt Haley with his reaction though, so he tried to stay cool.
Haley clasped her hands, blushing terribly. She saw how uncomfortable Dean was and feared he might have distanced himself from her again.
"So... " He started, hurrying to cover up his feelings. "You gonna be at the club tonight?"
It took Haley a second to process his words. "Uh... yeah. But you're the boss, you should know that." She added jokingly.
Dean laughed. "Yeah, well. Sammy manages all the schedules and stuff, I usually don't sit in that filthy back office. I prefer direct contact."
Haley smiled. Sam's office was anything but dirty. "I know. Bossing people around and firing them, that's your thing."
"Exactly." He smiled back at her, a devilish glint lighting up his eyes. "I'm only there because of the show and the drinks."
"Right." Haley said and then her smile quickly faltered when she remembered what he had done with Mandy, the waitress, in that office. No wonder he loved to let employees go if that was one of his techniques.
Dean saw how sad she got, but refused to ask her what the matter was. He sighed, deciding it was time for him to leave.
"Let me know when you get to the club, okay?" He said quietly. He wanted to keep an eye on her, just in case dubious strange men like the ones from the day before showed up again.
Haley nodded, watching him pick up his jacket and shrug it on. Dean turned to her again, sighing heavily. He simply couldn't help himself. Cupping her face, he leaned down and before she could even realize what was going on, he had pressed his lips to hers. Hot, hard and demanding. His frustration was almost tangible.
"Sooner or later I'm gonna find out what the hell it is that you're hiding from me." He declared in a low, almost threatening tone. He let go of her and left the bedroom without another word.
Haley stared at the door where Dean had disappeared, shocked and confused. Fear started to creep up her spine. How much did he know? She didn't want to drag him into all this, but it was probably too late. She was here with Dean and it made him automatically a target to the people who were after her. Her only hope was that they didn't know anything about her and therefore would never be able to find her.
But what if Dean knew the men? What if he decided to turn against her once he found out the truth? Then she wasn't safe here with him at all. With an uneasy feeling in her gut, Haley went to take a shower, hoping it would help take the fear away. But the uneasiness stayed with her the whole day, until it was time for her to go to the club.
The club wasn't as busy as usual that night, customers were sitting here and there, drinking and watching the girls perform on stage. It was still loud and the dancers were asked to do a few private shows, but it was less hectic than the nights before.
Haley wiped the counter clean, enjoying the few calm minutes while everyone in the place seemed to finally be supplied with alcohol, glued to their seats and mesmerized by the show. Zoe had taken the opportunity and stepped outside to make a phone call; she had been on edge the entire time and Haley wondered whether everything was alright with her.
Before she had started her shift, Haley went to Dean's office to announce her arrival, just as he had asked her to do. She had feared he would be cold and distant after spending the night with her in one bed and after the intimate moment in the morning that had stirred some memories, but that wasn't the case at all. He had been in an exceptionally good mood and even smiling, although he had a lot of work to do. It had made her a little uncomfortable, she wasn't used to him being so nice.
Was he finally starting to trust her a little? She had the feeling he had wanted to say something like earlier in the bedroom, but then his phone rang and she quickly left his office to give him some privacy and went to the bar to serve the customers.
Haley finished wiping the counter and moved to clean the glasses, sighing as she thought about how she could regain Dean's trust. She understood that he needed time, but still... she just wanted to be with him, to be his wife again.
She gazed around the club, lost in thought when she suddenly felt his eyes on her. Haley turned her head and saw Dean leaving his office. As soon as their eyes met, a broad smile appeared on his face and once again her heart began to pound rapidly in her chest. She swallowed hard and watched him heading towards her, never breaking the eye contact.
Dean stepped out of the back and glanced at Haley; he couldn't help but smile when her eyes locked with his. She was all alone behind the bar, no one was sitting in one of the stools or ordering something to drink, so he could walk over and talk to her.
"Hey." He said and placed his arms on the bar, folding his hands. Haley hesitated for only a split-second before leaning against the counter and crossing her arms on top of the smooth, wooden surface. She could feel his breath sweep over her face and neck and count every little freckle on his face, that's how close he suddenly was.
Dean took a look over his shoulder to let his gaze roam around the club before looking back at her. "So, everything alright here?" He asked, but the music was too loud and Haley could only guess what he had said.
"Yeah." She nodded eventually and Dean leaned further in, so he didn't have to yell. "Think you handle this alone for an hour or two? I have an appointment." He said in her ear and Haley pulled back a little with a surprised expression on her face.
"At this hour?" The words left her mouth before she could stop herself and Dean's jaw tightened, she hoped he wasn't all too pissed. "Sorry, I didn't mean... "
"It's okay. He's an ex business partner and we need to discuss a few things." Dean interrupted her gently, still smiling at her.
"Oh, okay. Well... who knows? Maybe you two will work together again, right?" She said cautiously, knowing Dean wouldn't want to tell her anything concerning business since she had betrayed his trust before.
"Maybe." Dean simply replied and put his hand on her bare arm, slowly caressing it up and down. "I'll be back soon. Call me if something doesn't go according to plan." He said, swiftly brushing his lips against her cheek. Haley tensed, a shudder running through her.
Dean grinned at her reaction, but then raised an eyebrow as his eyes wandered further down. "Where's the hot piece from last night?" He asked a little disappointed when he noticed the simple navy blue t-shirt she was wearing. Haley was baffled for a few seconds and then laughed at his sad tone. Her laughter was one of the most wonderful sounds in the world to him. He had honestly missed hearing her laugh and seeing her so happy.
"I just... don't feel very comfortable walking around in something like that... here." She said and looked down; his hand was still stroking her arm. "But I could wear it at home. After all, I promised you to, didn't I?" She added nervously and looked up slowly to meet Dean's eyes again.
"Looking forward to it." He brushed a strand of hair out of her face before leaning in and pressing his lips against hers, pulling her closer to him as far as the bar between them allowed.
Haley was shocked, having not expected him to kiss her there, at the club, where everyone could see them. What if someone found out he had a wife? Wasn't he concerned about his reputation?
She moaned into his mouth as he kissed her sweet and slow, her hands moving up to his shoulders. At first Dean thought she was going to push him away and he quickly put a hand on the small of her back, pinning her to the counter. But Haley tangled her hands in his hair to pull him closer. Unfortunately, the bar was still between them, separating their bodies and Dean cursed inwardly, wishing it would disappear.
After a couple desperate minutes, he let go of her and pulled away. Haley stared at him confused and he flashed her another smile before, turning around and leaving the club to go meet up with the man who was apparently after his wife and who had sent his people to him the day before.
He hadn't been too excited when Dean called him but given in reluctantly. Dean grinned as he got in his car and started the engine. His former business partner was going through a lot of trouble because of Haley and Dean couldn't wait to finally talk to him and find out the whole story.
"Apparently, it's a big deal to you since you even sent your people to me." Dean said with a smile, slipping into the booth at the bar where Scott Miller had agreed to meet.
The tall man sitting across from him looked up from the menu he had been studying when Dean suddenly appeared out of nowhere, dark eyes focusing on his enemy. He put the menu down and picked up his bottle of beer to take a sip before speaking up. Dean watched him intently.
"At first I wasn't very pleased that they didn't get the information I'd been hoping for. But now I'm glad you insisted on this meeting and I get the chance to talk to you in person."
"Really?" Dean asked amused, although Scott's tone irritated him. Scott Miller was a pathetic, sadistic bastard. Dean even detested the air this man was breathing.
"Yes." Scott replied matter-of-factly and leaned closer over the table. "I know why you wanted to talk to me, Winchester. And I have a propsition for you."
"The woman in the photo keeps you up at night, huh?" Dean was immediately on alert; his body tensed. Miller was about to tell him that he knew that Haley was his wife and he was definitely going to use that information to blackmail him.
"Yes. Find this woman for me."
Dean narrowed his eyes, processing his words. "What? You still don't know where she is?" He teased, chuckling softly and not showing how surprised he was.
Scott turned red with anger, his fingers gripping the beer bottle tighter. "No. She's a sneaky bitch. She used to work for me, I never suspected anything. She seemed like an ordinary and innocent girl and before I knew it, she up and left with my fortune. A few months later my people managed to track her down and I had the pleasure to freshen up my interrogation skills."
His eyes sparkled at the last words and Dean felt his stomach turn, knowing what he meant. He remembered the scar on Haley's palm and now he knew for sure that she had been tortured by Scott Miller and maybe even... what if someone had... ? Dean swallowed hard and ran a hand down his face, praying silently that this hadn't happened as Scott continued to talk, but he couldn't focus anymore. He called a waitress over and ordered a glass of whiskey. Scott Miller interrupted himself and waited patiently; the waitress brought Dean's drink and left again. Dean took a sip and then cleared his throat, trying to remember where Scott had stopped.
"But then she disappeared again?" He asked, glad his voice sounded normal and didn't betray him. The last thing he needed was for the jackass to get suspicious.
"Yes. I can't find her ever since. She's smart, doesn't leave a trace. And the worst is, I know nothing about her." Scott admitted, pure hate in his eyes. "She tricked me, lied to me. I don't even know her fucking name."
Dean laughed, leaning back in the booth and taking another sip as sweet relief washed over him. Scott would never find her. He thanked the heavens for bringing Haley back into his life. She was safe with him, he would protect her.
"God, I'd love to meet that girl." He said, chuckling as Scott fumed silently. A surge of pride washed through him. His girl was one of a kind.
"I know you're enjoying this, Winchester." He said through gritted teeth. Dean smirked, not commenting on the statement.
"I need you to track her down for me."
"You're offering me a job?" Dean said indignantly. "Why the fuck should I even consider working for you?" He leaned forward, eyes turning dark with anger. "You are scum, not even worth a second of my time."
"But you're still here, talking to me. You wanted the whole story, you got it. You wanna find her, too, huh?"
"Yes." Dean said nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders. "I'd like to talk to her, she could be useful for me."
Slowly a grin appeared on Scott's face. "Winchester, you kinky bastard. What have you planned?" He asked suspiciously, but Dean didn't bother to answer.
"Alright. How much?" Scott said after a few minutes and Dean raised his eyebrows questioningly. "Come again?"
"I need to find her, I have to have my revenge. So how much do you want?"
Dean stared coldly at him, shaking his head. He could forget it, he would never let Haley near this monster. "Go find someone else to do the work for you, Scotty-boy."
"Hear me out, Winchester. I want you to find her for me, so I can play with her a little." Dean saw how a sadistic glint appeared in Scott's eye in anticipation. "But then, she's all yours. You can do with her whatever you want. Come on think about it, you get the money and the bitch on top to do with as you please. How can you resist such an offer?"
A/N: So, this chapter didn't turn out how I expected it to, but oh well... hope you liked it.
Thank you for still reading and big thanks to InkPaperDoll488, Danibaybeehx3, Miss E Charlotte, Carver Edlund and the nice guest for reviewing the last chapter.
