Chapter 1

Maxie opened her eyes to find nothing but rubble where the Metro Court lobby used to be. She looked to the left of her to see Three trying to sit himself upright.

He protected me. Maxie thought to herself.

"You okay?" Three asked bringing Maxie out of her thoughts.

Maxie nodded.

"What about you?"

"I'm fine,"

They looked down and realized they had been holding hands the entire time. They looked at each other not letting go of each others hands. After a few seconds they snapped back to reality.

"You need to get that jumpsuit off," Maxie said looking around what was left of the lobby.

Before Three could respond Maxie pulled off his mask.

"Could you have pulled that off any harder?"

"I could have, hurry you have to get these things off so the rescuers think you're a hostage,"

"The other hostages will know I'm not one of them Maxie,"

Maxie sighed.

"You're just are going to have to trust me because the only way you're going to get out of here without getting caught is to pass yourself off as a hostage,"

"Why are you doing this for me?" Three asked as he squirmed out of the black jumpsuit.

"Because you didn't shoot me when we got locked in the vault and when you had a chance to press the button on the detonator you didn't,"

Three started to speak but couldn't get a word out because one of the rescuers came over to them.

"Are you guys okay?"

"Yeah we're okay. Can you get us out of here?" Maxie asked.

"Follow me and watch your step," the rescuer replied.

Maxie stood up and took hold of Three's hand as they made their way out of what was left of the Metro court.

As soon as she and Georgie got home Maxie went straight up to her room and crashed on her bed. She pulled the pink furry blanket she had shutting out the sunlight seeping through her window as thoughts of being stuck in the vault with Three went through her mind, one after the other…

"Am I supposed to feel sorry for you? I mean, you're obviously popular and really smart."

"Oh -- wrong on both counts. My grades are terrible and my friends are lacking."

"I don't believe it -- somebody as pretty as you? And if your grades are bad, it has to be that you're not trying."

"Well, now you sound like Mac."

"The step dad, right?"

"Yeah. He always sees the best in me even when it's not there."

Ok, explain how you're the family disaster.

"Ok. Well, all right, for starters -- ahem -- I got an A in school once. It was the eighth grade, art class. But I -- I do volunteer at the hospital, which came in handy when I needed to steal pain medication for a guy who was addicted. My boyfriend was shot and killed last spring. He was a cop. So I had an affair with his partner, who I've been in love with since I was 12. And it's too bad he's married to the pregnant lady your friends are holding hostage. He's the guy who was addicted to the drugs that I mentioned before, which is really the only reason he slept with me. But he told me he'd leave his wife for me and I believed him. Anyway, I -- I faked a pregnancy to trap him, so, as you can see, "disaster" is really the only word that applies."

"Actually, you're way more interesting than I thought."

"I guess. In fact, compared to you, Mr. Hostage-taking robber, my life is sunshine and roses."

Maxie pulled her blanket tighter around her as another memory came flooding back to her…

"How could you take a job that could get you killed when you have someone waiting for you at home?"

"It's not like that. I mean, there are no strings, no commitments."

"Don't you want to be with someone who cares about you?"

"It's easier when there's no expectations."

"Oh. So you have no problem with being used?"

"Well, we're using each other. I me, the difference is, is we're upfront about it. I mean, not like that guy Lucky you were with. I mean, you deserve better."

"Now you sound like my step dad and my sister."

"You talk about them a lot. But you barely talk about your mom."

"Yeah, well, my mom hasn't been around a lot. In some ways, she's a lot like you. Hates to be tied down, always looking for something better."

"What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing at all if you want to end up alone. But I don't. I want to fall in love with someone and have it last. Just once."

Maxie felt a steady stream of hot tears cascading down her cheeks. She didn't even try to stop them she just let them fall freely because it was useless they just kept coming.

Why do I keep thinking about him? Maxie asked herself.

All of the sudden Maxie heard something hit against her window so she sat up, she wiped her tears away and even if they hadn't subsided they weren't as frequent. She looked out the window and from the illuminating sun she could see perfectly who it was.

"Three,"