Chapter 12:

Expect the Unexpected

The woman walked along the empty street, pulling her knee-length trench coat around her tightly to hide herself from the breeze's icy fingers. Her heels clicking against the pavement and the soft purring of machines were the only noises occupying the road. The rare car would fly past her, its headlights only illuminating her for a second. The buildings she passed were quiet, apart from the sparse small windows filled with dim light.

Footsteps suddenly started to follow her. On instinct, she quickened her pace, her work duffel bag swinging with every quick stride. She hurried down the sidewalk, but the person matched her movements. Anxiously trying to find a way out, she slid into an empty dark alley. It was hidden from the main road's streetlights, and a simple, rusty lamp hung aimlessly upon an old fire escape. The shoe noise stopped. She moved flush against the big dumpster, her back against the cold surface. She held her breath.

A minute or two passed without a sound, and she took it as a sign that the coast was clear.

As she let out a deep breath and turned to walk back, a gloved hand was clamped against her mouth. She squirmed under their grip, and yelled, but the sound was muffled. She gave up, and the man let go, or at least that's who she thought it was.

"Move, or yell, and I'll pull the trigger on you," the low male voice said. He had a black baseball cap on, and his face was hidden from the flickering lamp. She stood against the wall, her eyes wide with fear.

The man silently pulled out a photo. He held it in front of her. A girl with auburn, or crimson, hair was chattering with a tall blonde boy, and they seemed to laugh. They were set in a green lawn, and they both leaned against what seemed to be the trunk of a willow tree. He had a look of adoration in his eyes as he looked at the redhead.

A flash of familiarity passed in the older woman's eyes. The man moved the photo closer, pointing at the blonde boy with his index finger.

"Who is this boy?" He said, practically growling. The woman shook her head. The man pushed her harder against the alley wall. "Tell me who he is."

"I-I don't remember," she stammered, trying to pin the boy down.

"Tell me, now, or I'll hurt your daughter." The threat sent chills down her back, and her face noticeably paled under the dim light.

"No," she breathed. He slammed her against the brick wall again, clearly disappointed by her answer. His grip on the photo of the kids tightened, and it wrinkled.

"I really don't want to do this. It's your choice. Why don't I just ask your daughter, then?" The woman frantically shook her head, her dark red curls bouncing.

"Okay. It'll be that way." He drew out a small glass vial, turning the metal cap slowly. He grabbed her chin and tilted her head back. He poured it into her mouth, the blurry liquid sliding down her throat. She squirmed, but he put a hand on her mouth to stop her from spitting it out. He watched her swallow against her will, and he held her head between his hands.

Her eyelids slowly started to droop, and her body weakened. Her legs wobbled under her. He looked her straight in the eye.

"You were walking home from work, and you heard a noise in this alley. Deciding to check it out, you slipped, and hit your head against the wall. You don't remember anything else after that."

He grabbed her head and knocked it against the brick wall. He backed up as her eyes started to roll to the back of her head. Her body fell limp onto the concrete ground as he walked away. He slipped into the darkness and was gone.

.w.W.w.

The soft hum of something next to me brought me awake. My eyelids fluttered open. I opened my eyes more.

Jace, a shirtless Jace. His tanned arm reached out, pulling my frail body closer to his. Memories from last night came rushing back. The sobbing, his warm hug, and his body against mine during the night. Against my will, I moved closer to him.

His body was hot against my skin, sending off warm waves. His gold skin moved with every breath, and I couldn't help but just feel safe in his tight hug. His gold hair was disheveled, but in all its glory, glowing under the sun's warm touch.

"You're staring," he muttered suddenly. His eyelids fluttered open, revealing barely awake gold embers. His eyes, softer than they were years ago, were the color of pale yellow glass, catching rays of sunlight and shining.

"There you go again," he said, his voice low and husky. My hair must have been a mess, and I ran my hand through my locks in hope to fix it a bit.

"I'm not staring."

"Right," he responded, sliding his arm under his head, making it flex. But he knew that. "You're admiring."

I turned, facing the other way. I groaned at his arrogance.

"You're so full of yourself," I mumbled, pulling the covers over my head. The heat comforted me, and I felt hands grab my waist. I yelped, but was pulled against something before I could protest.

"Ha, you're mine now." His grip was pleasantly tight against me, and despite my squirming, he didn't let go.

"Do your parents know you're here?" I asked. He stiffened around me.

"Mhm." I knew it was a touchy subject by the way he responded. His jeans rubbed against my bare legs, and his breath tickled my neck. "Does your mom know I'm here?"

"I don't think she cares right now." My simple answer seemed to give away my discomfort, and he pulled me closer. "Thank you," I said quietly.

"For what?" He asked softly.

"For last night. Being there for me. It really means a lot."

Silence. "Anytime," he said. I turned to face him again. Our gazes met, and his Los parted the slightest bit as if he wanted to say something. They closed and he looked away.

"Jace," I started. His eyes looked back at. "I don't feel like going to school today." His face stayed neutral.

"Okay, Berry." A small smile spread out on his face.

"Come on. Let's get dressed." He sat up, his abs rippling with his every movement. He extended out his hand, and I took it. He hoisted me up, and slung me over his strong shoulder.

He moved to my dresser, opening drawers with his hand. I punched his back and slammed my fists against it, but he didn't concede.

He opened all of the drawers, until I heard him open the small undergarment one. I squirmed, kicking my legs all over.

He turned, holding up one of my sexy, thin underwear in his hands. He moved it around in front of me.

"How does this even work, Thorn? It's like a jungle thong." He grabbed the black lace cheekie draped over the side. "Definitely in the yes pile," he said, with a smirk. He put me down, and I smacked his hands away from my clothes.

"Pervert," I said, pushing his chest away. He sighed.

"Just get ready," he called, walking over to his things. "Tiger," he added with a 'rawr', standing in a model position with his hand on his hip. I groaned in exasperation, and he chuckled.

He simply went and opened his gym bag, and I moved inside my walk-in closet. I slipped on a simple pair of light blue ripped overalls, cupping them around the ankles. I wore a peach tee underneath it, and a pair of white Converse on my feet. I put my hair in two French braids, and they fell down my back.

Jace's eyes scanned me as a I stepped out, and I did the same to him.

He had brought his gym bag in from his car, changing into a loose black wife beater, jeans ripped at the knees and black motorcycle boots.

We were like Mr. Bad Boy and Mrs. Goody-Two-Shoes.

"Eh. It'll pass," he commented, faking a lazy tone.

"Excuse me?" I scoffed. We bickered all the way to his pick-up. Once we were seated inside, we discussed the day's plan.

"What if we each do something we like? I have an idea." He gave me a smirk full of mischief and danger.

"Alright," I said. "You first." I secretly was excited for whatever he had in mind. It can't be too bad if there's Jace, right?"

"Mhm."

.w.W.w.

He parked along the side of the main road, and climbed out to open the door for me. We walked along the sidewalk silently. He stopped, and we slid into a shady store. It looked like a convenience store, but the smell of weed was very apparent. Jace gave his famous head jerk to the cashier, and he nodded in response. He led me down a dim staircase.

We arrived in a small room, where long leather seats were set up. Drafts of drawings were hung up along the walls. Towards the last few seats, a man sat in one, and a woman was inspecting his arm, with a long pen-like object.

I turned to Jace angrily.

"You did not bring me to a tattoo parlor," I hissed. He just smirked. My mother would have gone berserk if she was here. Breaking the news to her would be no easy job. I was planning on hiding it anyways.

A lean man came in front of us. His arms were covered in all kinds of tattoo designs, from skulls to roses. His ears had a more then legal amount of piercings.

"You gonna do it 'ya-self or do ya want me to get someone?" He asked, his voice laced with a heavy accent, Russian, I presumed, from the sound of it.

"I got it," Jace responded coolly. The man nodded and Jace brought me to one of the leather chairs. I was stressed, but still partially excited.

"Do you do yours?" I asked, referring to his tattoos.

"Sometimes," he answered, and shrugged. I had noticed intricate designs all along his arms and back, but he had mentioned nothing about them.

"What do you want done?"

"Um... Any recommendations?" I asked shyly. Jace chuckled.

"Want a surprise one?" I trusted Jace, more then I should. Without thinking, I nodded. "Where do you want it?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

I shoved him gently, saying, "Ew." He laughed darkly at my discomfort.

"Shoulder? Neck? Hip?" He asked seriously. He prepared the needle, dipping it in ink.

"Which is less visible?"

He put a hand to his heart. "Already scared of what I have in mind? I'm hurt." His face went back to serious. "I think hip."

"Okay," I said. "I'll have it there, then." Surprise danced upon his face. "What?" He shook his head, and I unbuckled my left overall strap. I pulled my shirt up a bit, and I saw his eyes widen at my movement. He swallowed, grabbing the needle.

"This is gonna hurt. Tell me if gets too painful, and we can stop. Are you sure about this?" His eyes were full of worry and hesitance. I nodded, and after a pause, I felt scorching pain at my side. I slightly jerked, and Jace backed up. Once I composed myself, it came back again, but softer.

He continued for at least an hour and a half before he was finished. He had a small smile on his face, and I took it as a good sign. He stood up, and helped me up. He smirked.

"Looks like I popped your tattoo cherry."

"You never stop, do you?" I sat up, and he pulled the shirt down quickly.

"Don't look now," he said, explaining himself. "It'll ruin the surprise. But if it starts to sting, tell me, alright?" I nodded, excited to see he what he had drawn. "It'll hurt for s while, so do you want to go back to your place and relax?"

I figured, him, as a tattoo expert in my eyes, would know what would happen. I agreed.

We pulled into my driveway in record time, and we settled on to the couch. "Can I look now?" I pleaded. He shook his head, like he had done the last five times. I pulled down my overall straps to be more comfortable. I brought out chips and salsa, and we started up our gaming consoles on the TV.

I made my way to the kitchen and moved to the cabinet. Cursing my height, I stood on my toes as I reached up for the snacks. The shirt rode up. Staring at what have been exposed, I stomped into the living room. Jace was sitting on the rug, his back against the couch, scrolling through game levels. His head turned at my racket.

"You tattooed a strawberry on my hip?" I hollered. Shock was written all over his face. Hurt started to spark in his eyes.

"I told you not to look!" He protested. He stood up, and his shoulders slumped. He slid his hands into his pockets and looked at the ground. "If you don't like it, we can get it removed," he mumbled.

The tattoo was about an inch tall and wide, and it was a chubby strawberry, the cute kind. Everything was contoured in thin black line. The top was dark green and the inside red, and it looked great against my pale skin. Pinkish skin surrounded it, from irritation.

"It's really cool," I said. His eyes looked up suddenly, joy glazing them. A huge goofy smile spread on his face.

"Thanks, Berry. Now, c'mere. I'm gonna kick your ass."

~FEEDBACK IS WELCOMED~

Hey, guys! So I dropped by to give you all a little something since I haven't updated in so long. An update on the Assassin and the Maid is coming later as well!

Love you all :)

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