They had been on the road again for three weeks when things started going downhill. Jack was becoming more and more impatient with James and Kate. He snapped at them even if they looked at each other the wrong way. All Jack cared about was making money.

The night that everything went to hell, they were in Raleigh, North Carolina. Kate and James arrived an hour before they were supposed to do their show, due to traffic. Jack was livid.

"Why the hell are you late?" he snapped in James' trailer as the shooter tried to get ready as fast as he could.

"Sorry, boss. Kate was driving as fast as she could but there was an accident on the highway and we couldn't go anywhere. It wasn't like we fucking did this on purpose," James snapped, zipping his pants, and going to grab his boots.

"Well you royally fucked up, James. You know that you guys are the best in the carnival and yet you don't give two shits about this show," Jack snapped, glaring down at James, who was sitting in a chair, buckling his boots.

James finished buckling his boots and the he quickly stood up. Now he and Jack were eye level and the two men stared at each other. "I don't give two shits about this show, Jackie boy?" James snarled.

"No, you don't. All you care about is Kate."

James wanted to punch Jack. He cared about Kate, yes, but they hadn't even kissed. They had spent so much time together since James joined the carnival, but none of it had been sexual. He cared about Kate as a friend. That was all…for now, at least. James thought Kate was attractive, no doubt, but he did not want to mix business with pleasure immediately.

"I care about Kate because she is a friend," James said, glaring at Jack. "We have never done anything and how dare you accuse us of that when you work our asses off so you can get your money."

Without waiting for Jack to reply, James turned and walked out of his trailer. He lot a cigarette and stood by the tent where they performed, trying to let go of his anger. He needed to be calm so that he could focus on the targets. He wanted to do well so that he could make money and save it for his house in Tennessee.

Right before the show, Kate was studying James intensively. "James, are you okay?" she asked, her voice filled with worry.

"I'm fine, Freckles. Just had a talk with the boss before, that's all," he said, looking down at her. James forced a smile and then patted his gun gently before walking out on stage.

The show went on like normal. They made their shots. They beat the competitor. They made their money. After the show James went to his trailer and he changed before heading towards Kate's trailer.

On the way there though, a clown stopped him. "You going to Kate's trailer?" he asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Oh, buddy, I wouldn't go there now. Jack's having a nice little talk with her if you know what I mean," The clown then laughed and walked away.

James' heart started racing and he sprinted to her trailer. Busting the door open, he froze at the scene.

Jack had hold of both of Kate's arms and was holding her still while she struggled to get away. "Don't you even think about running, you little bitch. You can't run from me. I fucking own you," Jack growled, his face inches away from hers.

"Hey!" James exclaimed, running over to Jack and pulling him away from Kate. The southern man started punching Jack in his stomach in his groin, wherever he could reach. Jack groaned and then buckled to the ground.

Kate watched, shocked, rubbing her arms where Jack had a hold of them. Once James was certain Jack was not getting up off the floor for a minute, he turned to Kate and grabbed her hand. "C'mon!" he exclaimed, pulling her out of the trailer.

"Wait! My keys, James," she said, pulling her hand out of James' and turning to grab her keys. Then she started for the door again. She left the trailer and before James left he turned around to get one last look at Jack.

"You're both…fired," Jack gasped, holding onto his stomach and moaning.

James smirked. "Good luck trying to replace the best shooters in the Midwest," he said, shutting the trailer door behind him.

He ran to the car and got in the passenger seat. Kate had already started the car and the moment James shut his door she was speeding away from the carnival.

"Let me guess," she said, glancing at James. "He fired us, didn't he?"

"Damn right, Freckles," James said with a smirk.

"You should have waited until Wednesday to beat the shit out of him. I could have handled him. I've handled him before," she said, matter-of-factly.

"Why Wednesday?" he asked.

"Pay day," she replied with a laugh.

James laughed as well and the two of them drove away from Raleigh, not sure of their destination. But they didn't care at the current moment. James and Kate were relishing in the fact that they were free of Jack, free of endless shows, and free of traveling on a schedule.

They were now invincible.