*Edited Version*

AN: Quick warning that the italicized parts that appear in the middle of the chapter are strong T. Now, read on…

Chapter 15: Broken Flashes

Cammie's P.O.V.

My eyes searched the crowd as I stood still in a room full of chaos. "Gallagher girl!"

I turned and saw Zach waving me over to a corner of the room.

"Where is everyone?" I asked

"Hiding," he answered, "Just like you should be."

I shook my head. "Zach, what is going on?"

He sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair. "It's complicated."

I groaned. "There you go with the secrets."

"Fine," Zach scanned the area before grabbing my arm and pulling me towards the nearest closet.

My body pressed against his in the tight space. "Why are the closets so small in this casino?"

Zach took a deep breath. "You have to listen carefully when I tell you this."

"Okay, what?" I waited for Zach to further explain.

"Caleb wasn't always like this. There was a point where I looked up to him, but after he left Blackthorne he changed."

"I still don't understand," I replied.

"Have you ever wondered why you've never heard anything about my dad? Just my mom?" He questioned.

I shrugged. "No, I just always assumed-,"

"He disappeared," Zach interrupted me.

"What?" I stared at him in disbelief. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Zach shook his head. "I never thought it mattered."

I remained quiet for a moment before clearing my throat and saying, "So your father disappeared."

Zach nodded. "My father was a secretive man. To this day I don't know whose side he was on. What I do know is that he left something behind and now everyone wants it."

"What is it?" I asked.

"I don't know exactly what it is," He stated. "But I have a theory. I think my father may have-,"

The door to the closet suddenly opened revealing Bex and an empty lobby. She seemed flustered and out of breath as she looked at us and said, "Liz and Grant are missing."

(***)

"Where could they have gone?" Macey asked as she paced across the room.

"Macey, you're creating a draft. Sit down," Bex demanded.

Macey sighed as she plunged into the bed behind her. "I'm serious. They couldn't have just evaporated into thin air."

Zach sat up from his spot on the floor where he had been looking up at the ceiling. "What if they didn't disappear?"

"What do you mean?" Jonas asked.

Zach got up and walked over to the window. "What if they left, but are still here?"

"God," Bex groaned. "Do you ever stop talking in bloody riddles?"

Zach rolled his eyes at Bex's comment. "I mean, what if there are passage ways here? Caleb didn't choose this hotel at random. There has to be a reason why he came to this casino out of all the ones in Vegas."

I nodded and walked over to Liz's bag where she had a layout of the casino. "I saw Liz looking at this the other day. She seemed a bit frustrated about something…" My eyes scanned the blueprint until I spotted something. "Here! There is a whole portion of the blueprint that's blank."

Zach rushed over to me and looked over my shoulder. "I know where that is."

"Where are you going?" Macey asked as she saw Zach practically run to the door.

"I'm going to get Liz and Grant." He turned to us. "Are you coming?"

(***)

"It's always dark places full of cobwebs," Bex shook her head, "What's so wrong with rainbows and butterflies?"

I held my flashlight up as my eyes ran over the room searching for anything that might lead us towards Liz and Grant. Suddenly, I spotted something in the back of the room. I walked to a bookcase in the back and ran my hands across the books before I noticed one that was placed away from the others. I grabbed the spine and pulled. A low rumbling filled the room before the bookcase slid aside revealing another dark room. I could just barely make out a light in the back and I stepped in only to have the book case close behind me.

I turned and stared at the back of the bookcase before sighing and turning back. My flashlight lit a path to a secluded part of the room that was glowing. I placed my hand on the wall and let it glide across the stone until I reached the lit part of the room.

"Hello?" The only sound that could be heard was the soft sound of my footsteps echoing against the cobblestone. My hand suddenly hit something and the whole room became visible with a dim yellow glow. "What the-,"

Walls and tables of different devices and weapons occupied the space. I walked over to one of the metal tables and picked up a rifle that lay in the middle. My hand glided across the weapon and I pointed it at the wall. All of a sudden I heard something drop and I turned to the source of the noise.

"No need to point the gun." Grant had his arms raised and I let out a sigh of relief before setting the weapon down.

"Where's Liz?" I asked.

Grant gestured toward the open space in the wall. "They opened the bookcase."

I nodded. "Why didn't you go?"

Grant shrugged. "Admiring the scenery, like you."

I shook my head. "Not admiring, just observing."

Grant lightly nodded as he strolled over to where I was and picked up the rifle I had previously been holding.

"You know what's sad?" He asked.

"What?" I questioned.

Grant pointed the weapon at me and said, "That I know how to take this apart and put this back together under 15 seconds… It'd only take me one second to shoot."

I noticed a twinkle of sadness spark in his eyes and I put my hand on the gun and lowered it. "We should be getting back."

Grant remained still before he sniffled and put the rifle down. He stared at me before shaking his head and walking out the room. He refused to look back.

Liz's P.O.V.

I sat in our hotel room at the desk with my head buried in my work. Macey, Bex, and Cammie had gone to sleep an hour or two ago, but I decided to stay up and finish some work I had started awhile ago.

Sleep seemed to be taking over, but I resisted the urge to dose off and continued looking over the stack of papers in front of me. At that moment my eyes began to feel heavy and I let them close for a second.

His hands ran up my legs as he groped for the knob of the bedroom door. Once he found it he pushed the door open and we walked back into the room until I fell back on the bed and he collapsed on top of me. My hands went to his shoulders and I pushed off the black suit jacket he was wearing. Once it had fallen on the floor, I let my hands unbutton his shirt and toss that to the floor with the other article of clothing. He leaned down and pressed his lips against mine.

My eyes snapped open and I let myself adjust to my surroundings. I let out a deep breath before getting up and walking over to the coffee maker across the room. I pressed the on button and waited as it brewed. "Just two minutes and then you'll have your coffee…" I spoke to myself.

The coffee maker beeped after two minutes and I poured myself a cup before walking back to my work. I brought the cup to my face and smelled the sweet warm aroma as I stared at the ticking clock on the mantle. I could feel a wave of tiredness wash over me and take over.

His lips traveled down my body placing kisses on my skin and leaving a trail of fire. He paused below my collar bone and reached behind me to unclasp the black strapless bra I was wearing. Once it was off he continued his journey downwards causing pleasure to rush through me and my eyes to roll to the back of my head. "If you want me to stop, just say so."

Once again, my thoughts swirled in my brain and I couldn't produce an answer. "Do you want me to stop?"

His lips left my skin and a groan of protest left mine. He smiled before looking into my eyes. "I'll take that as a no."

Goosebumps formed on my pale skin as he placed a chaste kiss on my belly button. A shiver ran through my body and his fingers traced abstract shapes on my legs. At that moment he hooked his thumbs in my matching underwear and pulled them down.

My head shot up off the desk as my heart thumped in my chest. I looked at the clock and it read 4:02 AM. I gulped as I sat back in my chair and waited for my heartbeat to steady. "You have to stay awake… stay awake Liz."

I sighed, took a sip of my now cold coffee, and returned my eyes to my work.

(***)

"Wakey, wakey Liz." Macey shook my shoulders and I groaned.

"Please let me sleep," I muttered.

Macey pulled me up out of the chair. "No time. We have to pack."

"Where are we going?" I asked as I tried to shake the sleep out of me.

"We are heading to Russia," Macey answered.

I sighed and walked over to the dresser filled with my clothes.

(***)

"There you are," Cammie smiled at me.

I returned the smile and watched as she took a seat in front of me.

"How do you think Zach was able to get this very expensive looking jet?"

I shrugged. "Guess it's one of the many things we will never know about Zachary Goode."

Cammie nodded in agreement. "You should get some rest. You look like the life has been sucked out of you."

Cammie got up and headed back to her seat and I returned my gaze to the laptop in front of me. My fingers hit the keys as I mumbled under my breath, "Don't fall asleep, don't fall asleep, don't fall…"

A yawn escaped my mouth and my eyelids slowly shut.

My heart pounded in my chest and my hands gripped the sheets creating fists. A string of moans had left my lips and I felt as if I was going to explode with pleasure. Suddenly, my eyes went wide and I cried out as my back arched up off the bed and a hot white heat filled my body.

I gasped for air as I fell back and he collapsed beside me. We remained there without saying a word, looking up at the ceiling before he turned to face me. "I know who you are."

Before I could even react he crashed his lips against mine and the sentence I had on the tip of my tongue melted away.

"Liz! Liz! Liz!" My eyes snapped open and I looked at Grant.

"Are you okay?" He asked. "You were sort of going a bit crazy there. Were you having a nightmare?"

I stared at Grant before slowly nodding. "Yeah, it was just a nightmare."

"Well, we have three hours left. You should try and shake it off." As Grant stood up to leave I took hold of his hand.

"Why aren't you mad at me?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

I gave him a look. "You know what I mean."

Grant sighed. "It wasn't your fault. Like you said, I'm not your boyfriend. Though I will say that sleeping with the enemy isn't a good move."

"I'm sorry about the boyfriend comment. I like you and I got caught up in the moment and I kissed Caleb. I don't know why I slept with him... I don't even remember it much," I replied.

"The bastard must have drugged you," Grant frowned.

"Kind of sucks that my first time was under those conditions," I added.

Grant's eyes shot to me at the statement and the sadness on his face was replaced with anger. "I won't let him get away with it Liz. You don't deserve what happened."

I nodded and gave him a small smile. "Thanks for defending my honor, but it's not like I can remember anyways so... I'm over it. I just want to forget it ever happened."

"Consider it forgotten," Grant returned the smile and bent down to place a kiss on my hand.

I threw my head back and groaned as my eyes fell close and the sensation filled me. "Oh god…"

The words left my mouth and for some reason I wished I could take them back. I kept my eyes on the ceiling as my hand found its way to my chest and I let it rest where my heart lay beneath. It grew quicker by the second as gasps of air drifted out of me, followed by noises I had never made before in my life.

I suddenly felt that familiar feeling of pleasure in my stomach as it spread sparking a wildfire. My body trembled and once again I cried out.

His eyes locked on mine as he tried to control his breathing. He smirked and said, "I didn't think you were the type to scream."

"You keep zoning out." I looked up at Grant before shaking my head.

"I'm sorry… Can you excuse me?"

Grant nodded and watched as I stood up and ran into the bathroom. I locked the door behind me and gripped the sink with my hands as I stared at myself through the mirror.

"Everything's okay Liz… Everything's okay… You just have to forget." I shook my head and opened the faucet before splashing some cold water on my face. "I have to forget."

Cammie's P.O.V.

We entered the building at the corner of the street and dropped our bags on the side. "Wow Zach, you shouldn't have," Bex stated dryly.

Zach glared at her before saying, "You should learn to stay quiet Rebecca."

Bex narrowed her eyes at him and Zach smirked. "We have to lay low, which means no credit card charges and no trail left to lead back to us."

"Okay, so what do we do now?" Macey asked.

"We work out everything we have and try to figure out what Caleb wants," Zach stated.

"I thought you knew," I responded.

Zach sighed. "I might know. There's a big difference."

"Doesn't matter," Liz said, "Tell us."

Zach took a scroll out of his bag and opened it up so we could see it.

Liz scoffed. "Is that-,"

Jonas shook his head in disbelief. "That can't be. It's a myth."

"Can someone just tell us what it is?" Macey asked.

"This," Zach pointed to the scroll, "is Pandora's Box."

(***)

"Pandora's Box is a Greek myth. It's a box that holds all the evil in the world," Liz stated.

"Where did it come from?" I asked.

"Supposedly, Pandora, the first woman on earth who was created by Hephaestus, the god of craftsmanship, was given a beautiful container that she was forbidden to open under any circumstances. Taken over by curiosity Pandora opened the box letting all the evil escape and fill the world. Pandora closed it, but only one thing was left in the box, the Spirit of Hope named Elpis." Liz explained.

"Hold on," Bex walked over to Liz. "You said the box was full of all the evil. How can the Spirit of Hope be evil?"

"Well, a philosopher once argued that 'Zeus did not want man to throw his life away, no matter how much the other evils might torment him, but rather to go on letting himself be tormented anew. To that end, he gives man hope. In truth, it is the most evil of evils because it prolongs man's torment,'" Jonas answered.

"There are good interpretations of it and there are bad," Liz added. "Honestly, it could go both ways."

"Okay, so let's say there is such thing as Pandora's Box," I began. "What would Caleb do with it?"

Zach shrugged. "That is what I want to find out."

"It's also what you will never find out." My head turned to the owner of the voice and in one of the doorways stood Caleb.

Grant raised the weapon he had been putting away and pointed it at Caleb.

"That's no way to treat guests." Caleb smiled as he walked further into the room. "You shouldn't be wasting your time on myths. They don't exist."

"I wouldn't be too sure," Zach replied.

Caleb shrugged. "Suit yourself."

He looked around the room before his eyes landed on Grant. "Lower the gun." Caleb pointed at Grant who was still gripping the shot gun.

"I said," Caleb approached Grant, "Lower the gun."

Grant gritted his teeth as he threw the gun on the old couch that stood on the left side of the room. Caleb smirked as he turned back to the rest of us. "Do I need to give myself a proper introduction or do you already know how I am?"

"What do you want Caleb?" Zach asked.

Caleb shrugged as he walked to the desk with all our supplies on it. "I missed you brother."

Zach shook his head. "Great, now tell me the real reason."

Caleb sighed as he shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned against the desk. He took his hand out and tossed something to Bex.

"These are the bugs we put in your hotel room." Bex declared.

Caleb snapped his fingers. "Exactly."

"How did you find them?" Macey asked.

Caleb chuckled as he left his spot against the desk and traveled to the other side of the room. "I didn't find them; I knew they were there the whole time."

"But how did you-," Jonas began.

"There you are." Caleb spotted Liz behind Zach. "I was beginning to wonder where you were… Liz."

Liz pushed past Zach and revealed herself. "How do you know my name?"

A smirk settled on Caleb's face. "I remember you. You were that cute little blonde girl we found in Egypt."

"Then why did you play along?" Bex asked.

Caleb shrugged. "I love a good con and I wanted to see if anyone could beat me at poker. Liz, my dear, you are a worthy opponent."

"Hold on," Jonas pointed at Caleb. "If you knew the cameras were there the whole time, why didn't you stop Liz?"

"I wanted to put on a little show." Caleb glanced at Zach. "Did you enjoy?"

All of a sudden Grant lunged for Caleb, but Bex and Macey held him back. "You drugged her!"

Caleb walked up to Grant. "You must be the boyfriend."

Grant struggled against Bex and Macey, but they wouldn't budge. "You took advantage of her."

Caleb whistled and turned before he pointed at Liz. "On the contraire," He turned back to Grant, "I didn't make her do anything she didn't want."

"What are you-," Grant began.

Caleb sighed. "Right, now I have to explain. The so-called 'drug' I slipped into her drink did only one thing. It makes someone forget actions performed after hours of consumption. In no way does it lower one's inhibitions or thinking processes. Therefore, I didn't take advantage of dear old Liz."

"You mean-,"

"I mean that she wanted it just as much as me," Caleb interrupted. "Maybe more. So sweet little innocent Liz isn't as sweet and innocent as she may seem."

"No!" Liz shook her head. "That can't be true."

"Really? Well, just wait and see. The drug is temporary. She's going to remember everything that happened in bits and pieces and by the end of the day she'll be able to piece them all back together," Caleb informed them.

He looked at Liz who was staring blankly at the wall. "My guess is that she's already had a few flashbacks."

"No! No! No…" Liz looked down at the ground. "You son of a-,"

"Whoa," Caleb held up his hands. "Let's try and keep it PG."

"Caleb, this is the lowest you've ever gone," Zach stated.

Caleb laughed as he walked up to Zach. "If you think this is the lowest I've ever gone then you obviously don't know anything about me."

Caleb's eyes suddenly shifted toward me and a ghostly smile filled his face. "This must be the girlfriend… Funny, I thought she'd be prettier. I wouldn't even notice her if I walked down the street, but in our business that's a good thing."

"Why are you doing this?" I asked.

The smile left Caleb's face as fire burned in his eyes. "I believe in a thing called justice. By doing this, I'm achieving it."

"You aren't doing any justice if you're on the wrong side." I responded.

"That's where you're wrong," Caleb turned and headed to the doorway. Before he left he turned back. "I'm on the side that needs me most."

And then he was gone.

AN: I hope you liked the chapter especially since I took my time to make it a bit longer than the others. I would like it if you guys told me how you felt about Caleb because I personally love that he's cocky, has an attitude, and that he has a sarcastic and playful humor. If you enjoyed review, favorite, and subscribe! If you have any questions you can also PM me.

-Karina