Disclaimer:

The following story is completely fictional. It is merely the work of an over-active imagination from the mind of a bored and stressed author. I have no affiliation with A&E or the Chapman family. If I did, I wouldn't be writing this ;)

Chapter 20

Brielle ran across the street and glanced back quickly at the two cars before going in the club. The inside was dim and so smoky that she choked when she inhaled. She recovered quickly when she felt everyone's eyes on her and she walked up to the bar, motioning for the bartender to get her a drink. Her eyes scanned the room quickly for the fugitive and saw him sitting in a booth with one of his friends.

The bartender handed her the drink just as the door opened and Duane Lee walked in, looking around like the worried boyfriend he was supposed to be playing. The people in the bar quieted slightly at the second odd interruption but it didn't bother them all that much. Duane Lee locked eyes with her for a moment and after Brielle looked away, he walked towards her.

"Where is he?"

"Almost directly behind me." She stood up, sending him a disgusted look she made sure a few people could see and moved away from him.

"Stop! Bella, don't go!"

"Nick, I told you! We're done!" She angled towards the booth where Jackson was sitting.

"Bella, please! Give me another chance."

"I'm sorry, Nick. Hey, how's it going?" Brielle said, standing next to Jackson's table.

"That punk bothering you, missy?"

"Not anymore. You wanna go find a room?" she asked, putting her hands on the table and leaning forward slightly so the two men could see down the front of her shirt.

"Hell, yeah." She smiled and stood up, waiting for Jackson, then grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the back.

"Where are you going? The rooms are…"

"I know. I figure Nick will be able to find me there."

"So where are we going?"

"My car. I parked out back and slid through the ally to get to the front." She said, opening the back door. Her mind reeled with thoughts of what she should do if he tried to run.

"Where's your car?"

"Over there. Damn, Nick brought friends. Let's go this way." Brielle wrapped her arm around his and leaned against him, putting on a show for Duane Lee's non-existent friends. Jackson pulled his arm free and wrapped it around her, letting his hand feel all over her body. She resisted the urge to push away and hit him, hoping that they would make it to the street before he decided to pull anything on her. She heard Leland and Duane Lee talking out front, worry starting to edge into their voices, and almost breathed a sigh of relief. They stepped onto the sidewalk and Brielle angled their path towards the cars.

"Bella!" She spun around to face Duane Lee, still in Jackson's hold.

"Nick, I told you, we're… what the hell?" Duane and Tim had jumped out and were running towards Jackson as Leland lunged for her. She threw a couple of punches at him but let him catch her wrists when she noticed the confused look on his face.

"What are you doing?"

"Just play along," she hissed, "hey, let me go!"

"Stop struggling, miss. This is for your own good."

"You're not my mother, you have no right to say what is and isn't right for me."

"Leland, get her out of here." Leland pressed his knee against the back of hers and pushed, taking them both to the ground. The fought for a minute before he was able to get both of her arms behind her back and put the cuffs on her wrists.

"Let's go," he said, picking her up and pulling her towards the car. When they moved behind the car, Brielle tried pulling away from Leland but he held on tight to her arm.

"What gives?"

"You're under arrest for aiding and abetting."

"Le, stop it. Let me go."

"Are you crazy? Do you know how sore I'm going to be?"

"Leland, take these damn handcuffs off me, right now!"

"Nope. Let's go, in the car." He grabbed her around the waist, picked her up and after opening the door, threw her in the back. She yelled at him and reflexively wrapped her legs around him, pulling him part of the way into the car. Leland threw out his arms to catch himself and looked down at her as she glared up at him.

"What the hell? Take the hand cuffs off. Now." He couldn't breathe, the way she looked laying underneath him sparked something inside him. In their scuffle only moments before it was like when they were little but now it didn't seem so innocent. Her messy hair, wrinkled clothing not sitting right on her body, her chest rising and falling as she slowly regained her breathing.

"Hey, little bro, how is she?"

"She's… fine." Leland scrambled back, pushing himself away from where Brielle was laying.

"What is..?" Duane Lee broke off and smiled when he walked over and found Brielle struggling to sit up. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"No. Why would you think that?" Duane Lee looked pointedly at Brielle, who looked a little worse for wear, and Leland vigorously shook his head.

"I know you're kinky and I know she's feisty, but seriously, brah. In the middle of the street, in front of God and…"

"Duane Lee, shut up," Brielle growled, finally able to pull herself up into a sitting position on the edge of the seat. "Take these hand cuffs off now."

"If I do that, you'll kill Leland."

"If you don't, I'll kill both of you later."

"I like your logic," he said, helping her out and turning her around to remove the handcuffs.

"What are you doing? She's a criminal now; you can't take those cuffs off!" Tim said, coming up behind Brielle and holding her lightly against the door.

"God damn it, Tim, let me go!"

"Language, baby girl. Where'd you learn to talk like that?"

"Ask the guy who cuffed me," she said as she glared at Leland over her shoulder.

"A little pay back, hey, brah? Well, take care of your prisoner, Leland," Tim said, giving him a meaningful look as he handed Brielle over. Leland took her arm gently as he nodded at Tim, wondering what he meant. Brielle tried kicking his leg but he moved out of the way and reached for her wrists.

"Knock it off, Bri. I'm taking them off."

"It's about time. If you ever do that again," she threatened, hitting his shoulder once she was free, "I will kill you."

"And how are you going to do that?"

"Oh, I'll find a way. I always find a way."

"Great," he sighed, hopping into the drivers side of the car.

"Ow!"

"You deserved that! And this!"

"I surrender! C'mon, I said sorry!"

"Sorry covers your ass most of the time but that was ridiculous!" Leland ducked behind the couch and put it between himself and a very pissed-off Brielle.

"And funny as hell."

"And you!" she yelled, rounding on Duane Lee when he walked in, giving Leland a much needed reprieve. "You just HAD to open your big mouth!"

"I'm not the one that bought you lingerie!"

"That I could've handled under normal circumstances but NO! You went and told Beth and made a huge deal about it in front of the family and the ENTIRE camera crew! That's like having Teresa chasing you down on a hunt calling you 'Mr'…" Duane Lee lunged for her and covered her mouth.

"Okay! I got it, I'm screwed! But please, save that."

"Save what?"

"The nickname Teresa has for Duane Lee when they… you know."

"Oh great, that's a lovely picture I did not need to see," Leland said, falling onto the couch. Brielle walked around the couch, smacking him on the back of the head and ignoring his glare as she sat in front of him. Duane Lee took a deep, relieved breath before taking his chair and turning on the TV as Brielle leaned back against Leland's legs.

"Holy shit am I tired," she said, yawning and stretching out her arms. She winced as she pulled on a sore muscle and reached up to rub her shoulder.

"You're tired? I had to wrestle you to the ground and hold you down."

"Yeah, how'd that go for ya?" Brielle asked innocently, leaning her head back and looking up at him.

"Not very good. I was trying not to hurt you and making sure you didn't hurt me."

"Aw, you're such a good friend."

"Aren't I?" Leland reached leaned forward and reached down, massaging her shoulders to relax her.

"Ow!"

"Sorry, but you have a lot of knots in your back. You stressed out, princess?"

"A little," she replied, rolling her shoulders under his hands. He gently worked on her shoulders and upper back, carefully massaging out the knots. As he continued to rub her back, he felt her relaxing and she was soon asleep against his legs.

Duane Lee had continuously watched the two as they watched the show on TV. He knew just from watching his brother that Leland held something more for Brielle then he was letting on, but he was too stubborn to admit it.

Brielle, on the other hand, was so guarded and kept her emotions hidden so much that it was difficult for him to even guess at what she felt. He had noticed, though, how she reacted in Leland's presence and how he would catch her watching his brother when she thought no one was looking. Brielle told him a lot and though she thought he didn't know there were things she didn't tell him, he had figured out a lot of the things she had kept from him.

"What are you going to do with her?"

"I'll sleep out here with her tonight," he whispered, sliding one arm behind her back and the other under her knees, pulling her up onto the couch.

"I'll grab some pillows and blankets," Duane Lee said, shutting off the TV as he stood up. Leland moved back slightly and positioned her so her head was resting against his shoulder. His brother handed him a pillow and a blanket before heading to his room and Leland spread the sheet over both their bodies. Brielle shifted slightly in her sleep and he stilled his movements, scared that he had woken her but she was still sleeping soundly against him. He moved her slightly so his chin was resting gently on the top of her head and wrapped his arms around her before falling asleep.

**A/N: If you would like photos, go to and search for 'dark-princess04'. Click on my name and go to the 'Right Here Waiting' folder for the pictures. For some reason doesn't like me trying to post the link here.**

**Reviews are much appreciated :)**