Disclaimer: The Mortal Instruments is owned by Cassandra Clare. I do not own anything except for the plot of The Falling Star. I'm just having fun and messing with the characters ;)
Previously on The Falling Star:
He did a double take when he saw who she was with – the bastard who had several sordid sex tapes on a little thumb drive.
Chapter 4
Jace felt a bubble of rage in his chest at the sight of Clary in such close proximity to the sorry excuse for a guy. He strode over to them and draped a hand over Clary's shoulders and smiled at Raphael. He felt rather than heard her gasp in surprise.
"Thanks for keeping her entertained for me," he said, and proceeded to drag her out of the club.
"What do you think are you doing?" Clary protested, shoving him away the moment they were out, ignoring the curious looks from the people who were still queuing to get into the club.
"We'll talk in the car," Jace hissed, taking her hand and leading her to his Audi.
"If you think I'm going to get into a car with you, you are sadly mistaken." She struggled against his grip, but it was too strong.
He opened the door to the passenger's seat. "Just fucking get in," he growled in annoyance.
Clary glared at him defiantly.
Jace deliberated for a short moment before shoving her unceremoniously into the car and slamming the door shut. He hurried over to the driver's side and got in, locking the doors before she could even move to get out.
"Where's your house?" he asked, starting the engine.
"Seriously?" Clary gaped at him incredulously. She couldn't believe the nerve of this boy, staking a claim on her and then dragging her out of the club like she was a little kid and forcing her into his car like that.
"Oh, I'm serious as hell, baby. Now where's your address? If you don't tell me, I'll keep you prisoner in this tiny confined space until it's time for school," he promised.
"I don't know who you think you are, Jace fucking Wayland, but you can't just manhandle me and act as if you have any right to shove me into your car!"
"I have every right to take you away from that son of a bitch. Now put on your seatbelt," he ordered.
"I told you before. My name isn't 'little girl'. It's—"
"Clary. I know. Now put on your fucking seatbelt!" he snapped.
Clary felt a delicious tingle when he said her name. She felt her face heat up, and was grateful for the dimness in the car.
"Make me," she said defiantly, angry at herself for reacting in such a ridiculous way to him saying her name.
Jace turned his head to look at her, his lips curling into a smile as a glint appeared in his eyes. Clary barely had time to let out a gasp before he had caught both her wrists in one hand. He wiggled his fingers at her with his free hand, his grin wicked.
Her eyes widened as she realized his intention. "Don't you dare!"
Jace lowered his free hand to her side and started tickling her mercilessly, laughing as she squealed and tried in vain to squirm away from his fingers.
"Stop it," she pleaded breathlessly, half giggling and half squealing.
"Ticklish, aren't you?" he taunted, laughing at the way she reacted to his wriggling fingers against her side. "Say the words and I'll stop."
"Okay! Okay! I'll put on my seatbelt!" she surrendered.
A triumphant grin spread across his face as he stopped moving his fingers. He lowered his lips to her ear. "I win." His breath was warm against the shell of her ear.
Jace pulled back to look at her face. His grin dropped slowly from his face as he realized how close he was to her. She was pressed up against the door, and he was leaning over her, her wrists in his right hand and his left still against her side. He let his hand slide down to her waist as he met her eyes, and then his gaze dropped to her parted lips.
Clary was still breathing hard from the tickle attack. She belatedly realized their proximity when she saw Jace's smile disappear. She met his eyes and watched as they fell to her lips. Her eyes fell to his lips as they parted and he exhaled. Without any conscious thought, she moved closer to him and dragged her eyes back to his.
Jace inched closer to her as well, his hand clutching her waist tighter. Clary slipped her eyes shut.
Suddenly, the grip around her wrists and waist disappeared. She opened her eyes in confusion.
Jace was back in his seat, his fingers clenching the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles were white. He worked on slowing his breathing. "Put on your seatbelt." His voice was hard and he stared unblinkingly in front.
Clary did as she was told as she continued to stare at him in confusion. Without another word, Jace backed out of the parking lot and sped off into the night.
"Address. What is it?"
Clary told him. After staring at him for several long moments, realization smacked her straight in the face. She remembered the girls he was dancing with the night before at the club. Though she didn't have a good look at their faces, she knew she couldn't hold a candle against them.
Guys like him go for girls that are tall and beautiful. Not girls who are short, average, flat-chested and clumsy, she thought to herself as she turned away from him and stared out the window. She wondered, as rejection seared through her veins, why the thought bothered her. It must be his pretty face, she decided, knowing fully well that his personality was anything but attractive.
Throughout the entire drive, he didn't even acknowledge her. It was as if he was alone in the car.
He pulled up outside her house some ten minutes later. He threw his head back against the head rest and squeezed his eyes shut.
"Thanks for the ride back," she mumbled without looking at him. She moved to get out of the car.
"Clary," Jace said, turning to face her.
She paused.
"Stay away from Raphael."
"Why?" She turned around to face him.
"He may seem charming, but he's not the person he appears to be. So, please," he reached out as if to touch her hand, but changed his mind and pulled it back. "Keep your distance from him."
"He's not who he appears to be? What does that mean?"
"Trust me on this, Clary. He's dangerous."
"Dangerous how?"
Jace hesitated. "Let's just leave it at that."
"Well, thanks for the warning, but I'll judge him for myself." And with that, she let herself out of the car and headed into her house.
TFS*
"Dammit!" a voice hissed from somewhere to his right. Jace kept his gaze on his locker and continued extracting books as if he hadn't heard anything.
A locker door slammed shut and an extremely irate Raphael stalked past him. Jace bit the inside of his cheek to keep from grinning. He shut his own locker and turned to head for his next class, nearly bumping into a nervous-looking Kaelie.
"Hey. Are you all right?" he asked.
Kaelie jumped a little and clutched the envelope she was holding tighter to herself. It was a small movement, but Jace noticed it nonetheless. Was that the package Raphael was referring to?
"Yes, I'm fine. Why do you ask?" Kaelie said quickly. Almost too quickly.
"You don't look so good. Is there something wrong?"
"No, everything's just fine. Now, if you'll excuse me —" She turned on her heel and walked away abruptly.
Jace headed back to his car and made a call to Angel.
"Did you save the school records from last night's mission?"
"Good morning to you too, Jace," Angel replied sarcastically.
"I don't have time for this Angel. I think I just saw the package."
Angel became serious immediately. "You saw it? What is it?"
"I just saw Kaelie holding a brown A4 sized envelope. That may be it. I'll try to swipe it when I have the chance."
"I did save a copy of the school's records. I suppose you'll be wanting Kaelie's schedule for today?"
Jace heard a faint tapping noise in the background.
"Got it. First period gym, second period biology—"
"First period gym! That's perfect!"
"Wait wait wait wait! What the heck do you plan to do? You can't possibly sneak into the girls' locker room with at least three CCTVs to catch you in the act! And what makes you think she will bring it there with her?"
"I'll manage. And no one wouldn't leave something of great importance lying around. She will carry it with her," Jace said confidently.
"You're downright lucky I decided to come down just in case," Angel added smugly.
"Shit. Seriously?" Jace whipped his head around and his eyes searched for the silver van from last night.
"Searching for a van?" Angel chuckled.
Jace scowled. "No," he lied. "I'm waiting for you to give me the okay."
"Yeah yeah," Angel teased. There was a faint tapping sound in the background again. "Do you still have your comms unit from last night?"
Jace reached over and pulled open the glovebox, rummaging around inside. "Got it."
"Switching to comms," Angel replied, putting his phone away. "Okay, start walking back into the school now, and go to the bathroom nearest to the girls' locker room. I'll loop the camera feed once you're in there."
Jace did as he was told, making sure all the bathroom stalls were unoccupied. "Done."
"Okay, I've looped the feed. Boyscout, you were right. It's with her. The package," Angel said.
"Of course it is," Jace replied smugly. "Has gym started yet?"
"Yes, and the coast is clear. Kaelie's locker number is 670."
Jace hurried out of the bathroom and rushed into the locker room. "670... 670..." he muttered to himself. "Got it!"
"The locker combination is 27-6-18. I repeat. 27-6-18. Got it?"
"27-6-18. Got it," Jace confirmed.
He worked on spinning the dial, hoping to get it on his first try. The door opened with a satisfying 'click'. He pulled out the brown envelope and replaced it with an empty one.
"Is the coast clear?"
"Incoming in twenty seconds. Go for it!"
Jace dashed madly toward the boys' bathroom and shut the door just as the person Angel saw on the CCTV feed turned the corner.
"Good job, Boyscout," Angel praised him. "Are you able to come outside so we can see it together?"
"Sure. I'll ditch school for the day," Jace replied, placing the envelope into the inside of his jacket.
"Hang on. Let me unloop the feed... Okay go!"
Jace left the bathroom and walked at a measured pace to the parking lot.
"Leave the school and make a left turn. I'm in the maroon van."
Jace followed the instructions and rapped thrice on the sliding door of the van. Angel slid it open immediately and stepped aside to let Jace in.
"Where is it? Where is it?" he asked eagerly, almost pulling Jace into the van in his haste.
Jace slid the door shut and yanked the envelope out of his jacket. "Right here." He ripped it open and tipped it upside down. Out fell several sheets of paper and a stack of cash.
"These look like..." Angel trailed off.
"Answers. To a History paper," Jace finished.
Angel looked from the papers to the stack of fifty dollar bills. "What in the world..." he trailed off.
"That motherfucker!" Jace slammed his fist onto the table.
"We've got to do something. We can't just let him get away with this."
"Did you manage to get a list of all the girls in those videos?"
"Not yet. I'll get on it."
"I'll help you out." Jace grabbed a chair and moved to sit at the table.
TFS*
"Fifty girls. Can you believe that?" Jace threw his head back and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Sure. Why not? You've fucked at least twice that number since your junior year," Angel shrugged.
"What the fuck?" Jace leapt up and leaned over the other boy. "I certainly have not! And even if I did, I didn't tape them."
"Christ! You've really slept with that many girls?" Angel widened his eyes in shock.
"We're in the tens for God's sake," Jace growled, sitting back down in his chair. "Okay, so now we can turn this son of a bitch in."
"Not yet," Angel piqued, leaning back in his chair and looked thoughtfully at his partner.
"Not yet? What do you mean? We've got the tapes. It's obviously him in those videos."
"Without his face or any distinctive feature, it's going to be difficult to prove it's him in those videos. It could be anyone. And we don't have evidence that he's committing blackmail," Angel pointed out.
"Looks like we'll have to snoop around his house after all," Jace shrugged.
TFS*
"Doesn't look like anyone's home," Angel said after pressing the doorbell thrice.
"You disable the alarm. I'll pick the lock," Jace said and proceeded to get his lockpicks. Glancing around to make sure no one was in sight, he got to work on the lock.
"C'mon, c'mon,c'mon," Angel chanted to himself and announced triumphantly a few minutes later when he got the job done.
"Almost... almost... Got it!" Jace pushed the door open and slid into the house.
"Let's split up. I'll look around here and you go upstairs," Angel suggested. "Your comms unit still with you? Good," he added when his partner nodded.
Jace headed upstairs quickly and started searching the rooms carefully.
"Nothing in the master bedroom. Did you find anything?"
"Not yet. I did find his porn collection hidden in some DVD cases though," Angel said in disgust.
"Seriously dude. The way you regard sex and the like makes me feel like you have some aversion to it or something," Jace shook his head.
He entered the bedroom across the hall and instinctively guessed it was Raphael's. He searched through the stack of DVDs and found nothing of interest.
He then looked through the drawers and found a stash of weed and more brown envelopes like the one he'd swiped from Kaelie.
"Boyscout, we have a problem. I think Raphael just came home and he has a red head with him. I'll go out the back and move the van there," Angel warned him as he hurried out to the back door.
"Dammit!" Jace grabbed the envelopes and the MacBook sitting on the desk. He strode over to the windows just as he heard the front door open. The jump didn't look too far.
He shrugged his jacket off and wrapped the items securely with it. He then dropped the bundle onto some bushes in the garden below him. He was about to make the jump when he heard Raphael addressing the red head he had downstairs.
"Oh fucking crap."
TFS*
"Wow. This is a really nice house, Raphael," Clary said admiringly.
"Thanks, Raphael grinned, revealing a dimple on one side of his cheek. "Have a seat. Do you want anything to drink?"
"What do you have?"
"I think I have beer, vodka, cherry coke and water," he shrugged.
"Water, please. Thanks," Clary said with a smile and proceeded to take a seat on the white leather couch.
Raphael shuffled off and she heard the muffled sounds of him preparing their drinks. She was about to get more comfortable when a blond-haired guy stepped out from behind the wall to her left. Her mouth fell open in surprise.
Sensing that she was about to speak, Jace hurried up to her and covered her mouth with her hand. He bent down so that his mouth was next to her ear.
"Hush," he whispered, and leapt over the back of the couch and disappeared from sight just as Raphael returned.
"Here," he said, handing her a glass of water. "Shall we get started with the project?"
Clary quickly masked her shocked expression and forced out a smile. "Sure," she said, closing her fingers around the glass.
"C'mon, let's go to my room," he said and gestured to the stairs.
"Okay," she shrugged.
Raphael led the way and just as she was about to ascend the stairs, a hand caught hers and pulled her back.
Jace put a finger to his lips and started to head upstairs.
"What are you doing?" she hissed.
Jace quickly ducked out of sight from the stairway.
"Saving your ass," he hissed back.
"Clary?" Raphael called and peered down at her from the second floor.
"Coming," she replied and proceeded to head upstairs.
"Don't you dare!" Jace whisper-shouted at her.
"Watch me."
When they reached the second floor, Jace suddenly overtook Clary, having ascended the stairs quickly and soundlessly, and threw a piece of white cloth over the other boy. And then, he proceeded to slam his elbow into the back of Raphael's neck.
"Come on, we have to leave," Jace took her hand.
Clary gaped at the boy on the floor. "What did you just do?"
"I knocked him out. He'll be awake soon. Come on, we have to leave," he tugged at her hand.
She continued to gape at Raphael, her feet rooted to the floor. "I don't understand. Why are you doing this?"
"I'll explain everything later. Now come."
She hesitated.
"Damn it," he said harshly and scooped her up.
Clary's eyes flew to his in surprise when she felt her feet lose contact with the floor. She threw her hands around him instinctively.
"I can walk," she protested.
"Yeah, yeah," he retorted sarcastically.
He set her down once they stepped out of the house and rushed over to the rose bushes to grab the bundle he dropped earlier.
"Come on," he called out to her as he raced to where Angel was waiting.
"You're taking her along with us? What about the equipment in the back?" Angel screamed at him through his earpiece.
"Put up the divider. She'll sit in front."
"Jace, who are you talking to? What's going on?"
"Later. I promise I'll explain everything later. Now get into the van," he said and ushered Angel out of the front seat.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Angel hissed.
"I'm not taking her to the agency, you idiot. I'm dropping her off at her house. Now get in the back."
"Nice. You get to sit with the pretty girl and I get to sit with the computers?"
Jace rolled his eyes and tossed him Raphael's computer. "Look through that on the way there, will you?" He headed back to the driver's seat and paused at the door. "Wait. You think she's pretty?"
Angel waved him off and slid into the back.
TFS*
"So, what did you find?"
"It's all here. The original footage for all his sex tapes, and yes, his face is in them," Angel replied as they walked to their superior's office. "Your mom is going to throw a shit fit," he added.
"Don't I know it."
"Well, I'm glad that you know that, Jace Wayland," a voice said from behind them.
The two boys whirled around, shock evident in their expressions.
Jace looked at the woman who addressed him and stiffened his posture instinctively. "Mom."
Author's note: I apologize once again for the very very long duration between updates. I am writing whenever I have spare time (which sad to say isn't much time at all). Thanks again for those who have stuck with and have been patient with me. I really appreciate every single one of you. :)
Until my next update ~ Cassie