So Dom turned out to be a merc. A merc who packed heavier than the Terminator and could probably kick Rambo's ass. He'd let her see him the day after she arrived, that meant he'd been watching for some time, months even.

All he'd done so far was take pictures... Lots of pictures.

He ain't no Johns, that's for sure. So what's his deal? Even if he's trying to take Riddick alive I'm sure he's had plenty of opportunity. He must know Rick's schedule inside out by now. Why's he holding back?

Jack didn't know. She intended to find out.


Mike Daniels. Riddick said he knew him, the kid mowed his lawn. Jack hadn't given the name a second thought since the day Dom mentioned it, the day they'd met. He said he was a friend of Mike Daniels'. Instead of going straight home she'd stopped to look up which house served as the Daniels residence and then she'd gone over to have a nice long chat with Michael's poor mother.

Dead. Mike Daniels. Age seventeen. No body ever found, only several liters of his blood had marked his passing in the back alleys of the city not far from the high school. He'd died the previous spring. Whether or not Dom had done it, Jack knew for sure it wasn't a coincidence that the only person able to identify Dominic Conte prior to his arrival on Riddick's driveway that day so long ago turned out to be resting in pieces—somewhere...

She had to tell Riddick, immediately. They needed to be gone yesterday.

"Rick!" she shouted upon entering the house. She ran up the steps, finding herself almost frantic to find him. He had to know.

"In the living room, Jack," he shouted up after her. Jack froze, recognizing the tension in his tone. Something was wrong, and she had a feeling it wasn't just Riddick's probable hangover from the night before.

Her stomach in her throat she made her way back down the stairs and walked softly into the living room. Riddick stood, arms crossed over his chest, in the middle of the room just a mere number of feet from a relaxed looking Dominic Conte.

Dom turned, smiling when he saw her as if he couldn't sense the thick tension in the room. "Hey, Jackie. You forgot your coat over at my place, so I figured I'd bring it over."

She stepped forward reluctantly, taking the offering when he held it out to her. "You really didn't have to do that," she said coldly, staring him right in the eye.

He shrugged. "Didn't want my girl catching a cold. Need you healthy for next time," he replied, an evil glint in his gaze. "Trust me, you'll want to have all your strength. Won't she, Rick?" he asked, turning the same look on Riddick.

The old Con-X shifted uncomfortably, a glare coming to rest on the young man before him. Jack didn't know what had passed between the two men before she'd arrived, but she knew she needed to figure out what Dom was up to, and soon.

"Don't think I'm aware of what you're talking about," Riddick growled, the muscle in his jaw working far more than necessary.

Dom's smirk turned to a grin and he cocked his head a bit, fingering the set of shades hanging from his shirt collar before putting them on. "Oh, you know what I mean. I'm gonna fuck her," he said, glancing over at Jack. "Sooner or later. Figured you'd had her long enough. Time to get in on the hot action while it's there to be had."

Riddick's hands dropped to his sides, turning to white-knuckled fists. Veins started to stand out in his neck and forehead. "I don't know who you think you're fucking with, kid, but I don't play these games. Get the fuck out of my house," he snapped, his voice not quite betraying all the anger radiating from his body.

Dom pulled out a piece of gum, carefully unwrapping it as if nothing was at all wrong. "Yup, I'll bet it'll be real sweet. Not like that Shella bitch. No offense, she was fun. I don't think I've been with a girl who liked it that rough in a long time. You're lucky to have that one, Rick. She really keeps it hot between the sheets. I just can't stand a woman who keeps complaining about how she wishes her boyfriend could heat her up like I can." His eyes flashed up to take in Riddick's reaction, the look on his face almost daring the man to try something.

By then Rick's face had nearly turned beet red. "Get out," he hissed. He'd obviously heard enough.

The question was, would Dom keep pushing?

"I really didn't expect a hard ass like her to be all sentimental though. I'll bet Jack won't cry after the second or third time in a night. She's tough for real, a respectable girl. I'll bet she won't beg me to stay when I try to leave the next morning either, like Shella did..."

Not in her wildest dreams could Jack have anticipated the next series of events. With a shout of anger and frustration Riddick's motions blurred as he lashed out, taking a hard strike at Dom. The shout cut off abruptly when Dom's hand closed around the Rick's throat, effectively dissuading his bull-rush tactic.

A horrified whimper escaped her when the scene finally sank in and Jack realized what had happened. The motions were so fast she couldn't immediately follow them, but now she could see how easily Dom had stopped an enraged Riddick with a mere flick of his wrist.

Her hands instinctively went to her face, covering her mouth. The thought of rushing forward to help crossed her mind, but fear unlike any she'd felt before kept her grounded to the spot.


Conte's grin turned wicked while he watched Rick's face turn from red to purple. The older man couldn't breathe and even though he clawed desperately with both hands he didn't have the strength to free himself. With Dom's thumb cutting off the main supply of blood to his brain, only seconds remained before he'd fall unconscious.

Luckily for him Conte needed him both alive and awake—for the moment. He eased the pressure, just a little, savoring the feeling of power that came from holding another's life literally in the palm of his hand.

"I really thought you'd be more of a challenge, Rick. Or should I say, Richard B. Riddick? I heard you could kill people with your eyes shut while I was in slam. Now you're so pathetic you can't even touch me."

"What do you want?" gasped the old Con-X.

Dom looked over at a frozen Jack, still smirking. "What do you think I want?"

Riddick made an attempt at kicking him, only to find the grip on his throat tightening. He immediately aborted the attempt, seeming to realize defeat had become immanent. Yet he projected none of the usual signs of fear. That made Conte a little nervous, but he allowed the man enough air to speak.

"You can't fucking have her!" he growled just below a strained whisper, seething with rage.

Dom shrugged, still appearing deceptively calm and relaxed. "I could've had her today, or last week, or last month. I could've had her the first day I met her with or without her permission. The fact remains that she isn't what I came here for, she's just a bonus. You ask what I want? You're a smart guy, Riddick, figure it out."

He released the man, fading into the background even while he watched Rick fall to the floor, gasping and coughing. Jack snapped out of her shock and ran to her old hero's side. By the time she took a second to glare up at him, he'd already be gone.


"Do you think he really left?" she whispered.

Riddick nodded, coughing harshly from the effort it took him to sit up. His voice sounded scratchy, like he'd contracted a bad case of laryngitis. "Unless he's a complete psycho fuck-up, he's gone. He's a pro, if he wanted us dead now we'd be dead."

"So why didn't he kill us? Why did he let us go?" she asked, her voice rising with barely controlled panic.

"I don't fucking know, Jack!" Riddick snapped, obviously still pissed about the whole incident. "Jesus, what the fuck were you thinking trusting a guy like that? Huh? You just happened not to notice he's strong enough to rip my head off, you believed he's really your age? What all did you tell him about me? What did you fucking tell him!"

Tears immediately sprang to her eyes. This was all her fault... "Nothing, I swear! I didn't tell him who you are, he figured it out on his own. I think he got here before I did, I think he's been watching you for months. He's got pictures of all of us, even Shella and some friend of hers. He's got articles from the crash! He followed you here, Riddick! I think he's been tracking you for years and I came as fast I could to tell you but it was too late!" she sobbed, turning away to go do something, anything to set things right. Even if she had to track Dom down and try to take him on herself.

Riddick's grip on her wrist stopped her, whipping her back around to face him. He heaved himself to his feet, still hanging on to her arm. "Don't go rushing off to do something stupid. Go upstairs and pack your stuff and mine. I'll be back in a few hours," he said, his tone no softer than before.

Jack had barely started for the stairs, wiping at her eyes with the back of one hand when she heard him stomp out of the house and slam the door.