Okay, hear me out... As easy as the last chapter was, I struggled so much with this one.

At first, I couldn't decide on the POV, then it was too long, then it was not good enough.

But then, I realized I was PMSing, and then my whole life suddenly made sense.

So, I decided to cut it in half (it was humongous), and give you guys a double update this week, to make up for not holding our Saturday-deal.

Hope you can forgive me for that!

Thank you to all the people that commented on previous chapters! Your comments give me life and/or crack me up on occasion! Hope you enjoy this as well. x

___

Erika's POV:

"Brandon, I'm serious. Put me down!" I punched his back, thrashing around so he would put me down.

I wanted to go home. Anywhere, away from here. But he had other plans.

"Stop it," his hand landed on my ass, hard, halting my thrashing. But shocked as I was, I managed to settle down and accept defeat.

He pressed the top button of the elevator we stepped foot in, scanning a black card on the sensor to activate our ascend. As the doors closed, all the fight in me left me; the physical, that is, because mentally, I was boiling up.

The elevator dinged, announcing our arrival; a loud and near deafening sound in the silence that caught up to us. Blue hues of light lit the room, creating unique shades and shadows reflecting off the glass walls and windows all around; a true characteristic of the club.

Since I was still upside-down, I didn't know where Brandon's steps were taking us, until all the air left my lungs as I unceremoniously landed on my back, thankfully on a bed's cushions.

Disbelief mixed with annoyance flared my nerves, my eyes still wide at the pure audacity of the situation. If it was any other day, I would take my time to observe my surroundings, but Brandon's unrelenting back and forth was very distracting.

"Do you realize what you did tonight?" He turned towards me; fierce eyes turned to me.

"Where the hell were you?" I said with equal fervor, getting on my feet to face him.

I was feeling small enough as it was but having him tower over me while I was lying down on the bed, diminished the confidence boost I needed right now.

"Don't you get it? We could have been killed," he said, crossing his arms in front of him; I mirrored his stance.

"Oh, yeah. Pin this on me."

"Erika, I swear to God... I turn my back for one second, one fucking second, and you're already cornered by him?"

"That wasn't my fault. He came on to me-"

"What did he tell you?"

"What?"

"What did he say, damn it?"

"He... He knew my name... He knew who I was, and... he implied, he knew about the people close to me."

"Fuck... Fuck, fuck, fuck!"

This was a rollercoaster, both of us getting more intense with our words, not realizing the most important thing; we were here, together, which meant we still had time to fix this.

He resumed his back and forth, hands running through his hair incessantly, while I took a step back.

I was freaking out, the severity of our situation hitting me full force. This whole time I was pretending, trying to keep this façade, of a woman unstoppable in her pursue. But I realized, our opponent wasn't just someone physically or mentally strong. No. The man was a monster, with no inhibitions, no sense of guilt or justice. He could do whatever the hell he wanted, achieve any goal imagined, with a simple snap of his fingers.

What was the objective here? How could anyone defeat him without getting hit in the crossfire? Cause he wasn't alone. He had a whole army, ready at his beck and call.

Deep down, I knew I should've been more scared. But an arrogant part of me, one I newly discovered, still wanted to fight him; see him behind bars, at the bottom, and definitely far away from anyone I cared about.

Somehow Viviana's deal made sense to me. I'd never agree with any of her methods, but it still made sense; making a deal with the devil, putting her own moral compass in jeopardy, in exchange for protection of the people close to her.

Of course, this was just speculation on my part. I still had no idea what their deal was or what she was offering in exchange.

"You shouldn't have come here tonight."

"Excuse me?"

"I should have known that this would happen."

"Don't! Don't you dare give me that."

"I knew, he would eventually find you, get intel on you, because of who you are to me. And to top it off, you decided to be a witness to that? Of all the places you could go..."

"That's rich, coming from you. I was looking for you."

"Angel, I'm serious." His tone was louder, deeper, as he took a step closer to me. "Do you have any idea, how fucking dangerous it w-"

"Were the fuck were you the whole time, huh?" I screamed back, my voice cracking at the end, catching us both off guard.

"Erika..."

"I was looking for you everywhere... desperate to make sense of anything tonight. And you just waltz right in, thinking you have the right to tell me that?"

"You were looking for me, but decided following my mom around was a good idea? Of all people...," he paused. "Fuck, Angel... tell me you know, you shouldn't be snooping around."

He had his head in his hands, rubbing at his temples, trying to soothe his nerves, when he suddenly stopped. And then, like a switch was turned in his head, I was only inches away from him, as he inspected every visible inch of my body for anything that shouldn't be there.

"You weren't hurt, right?" Before I could say a word, he saw my bruised knees, an angry violet beginning to stain the skin from my fall on the balcony. He rubbed them soothingly, fingers brushing the pain away.

With a heavy sigh, he straightened up, eyes still a storm finding my own, as he inched closer.

"I can't fucking lose you like this," he said, words soft, spoken just for my ears to hear.

I closed my eyes, allowing his warmth to seep through me, as his fingers caressed my jaw.

I knew what he meant.

'Like this...' Like lying on cold cement floor, staining the wooden floor with deep red, eyes unwavering, lifeless... while leaving no visible trace on black fabric.

"That man, Cyrus..." I broke the silence between us, words spoken softly, unlike the heavy topic. "Was he behind your dad's death?"

He clenched his jaw, taking deep breaths through the nose.

"I think so."

"You think so? God... what the hell's going on... and he's Jax and James' dad?"

He nodded, eyes still pinning me down.

"Did you know about this? Did you know he is this... Capo or mobster or whatever people call them?"

"I wasn't sure back then." His voice was even, with no emotion, like he was a machine. It took me a moment to realize, I was talking to the lawyer right now, and he wouldn't give away his emotions that easily.

His body, on the other hand, couldn't hold in the anger as effectively as his mask.

"Back then? What about now?"

Instead of giving me an answer, he pulled away; suddenly I felt colder.

"Answer me, damn it."

"I had my doubts. But with everything that's been going on, and Liam and Alex' help, we found out a few months ago."

"When? When did this happen?"

"That night at the hospital. The guy they sent, that threatened you with a knife, said Big Jim was sending me a message. That was Cyrus' father. And right after that, after you were gone, James called. It didn't take long for us to find out."

"And you didn't think of telling me? That your friend was part of a mafia family?"

"It's not like that."

"Not like what?"

"James... he's..." He took a deep breath, and I took another step back. This was the first time he looked so defeated. "These people are pledged to him with blood and sweat. Cyrus is untouchable."

"But what about James?"

"I don't know yet," he said, patience long gone. "I'm not sure."

And the mask cracked, and with it, the pain and anger were now visible for everyone to see.

No. Not anyone.

After everything I came to know about him, this wasn't just a fluke. He wanted me to see, to know how he felt.

And what he felt was, that being stabbed in the back, time and time again, sucked.

But looking in his eyes, there was a glimpse of hope. He was hoping things would turn out differently.

It was quiet for a few moments, the air thick around us, my own breathing vibrating in my ears.

His eyes were locked with mine, taking a few moments to scan my whole being once more for anything that didn't belong there, before, with a deep sigh, he found my eyes again.

With every second that ticked by, his features relaxed. I was safe. And so was he.

His next steps were slow, almost like he was too afraid of scaring me away; like a wounded animal.

His fingers caressed my own, his touch like a feather. When he was assured I wouldn't push him away, he pulled my trembling body in his warm embrace. It felt safe, and I was able to breathe again.

"Stop!" I said, with no intent of escaping his embrace. "This isn't over-"

Oh, but it was.

His lips stopped my torment, the minute they met my own, finally shutting me up.

I melted in his arms, trying to shut the annoying voice at the back of my mind, saying this was not over.

I knew what he was doing, my fury returning tenfold.

"You don't get to shut me up. I need to know." I locked my hands in front of me, eyeing him with all the vexation flowing through my veins.

"What." His own anger seethed back to the surface. "What do you want to know?"

"Where were you all night?"

"I was on my way, trying to get through the crowd to meet you and the others, but I was held back by the paparazzi. They were demanding answers for something I first heard of tonight."

"So, you had no idea about the rumors?"

"This was bound to happen. It was about time they uncovered everything about my past drug abuse. But after the last game with Lowel, the rumors spread so fast, my legal team had no power to hold them back."

I knew he didn't want to involve me in any of this, but after the newest revelations, I had to know. So, without a beat, I continued with my questions.

"What was your mother doing there?"

He was silent, avoiding my gaze. After another breath, his eyes found my own, turmoil brewing in those deep green orbs.

"I... I don't know that," he faltered, but otherwise, his gaze never left me.

"You're lying." I heard my own voice lose its power, as I was caught off guard.

"I'm not!" His voice held strength, his eyes never leaving my own.

I believed him; with every cell in my body.

Which begged the question: Why would Viviana King be a part of this? Be a part of anything? Her own son's guilt and her family's downfall?

"I thought that's why she left me ten years ago. I thought she was scared of them. I thought she ran away to protect us all. But seeing her there tonight... Fuck, this is such a mess."

"What are you talking about?"

"Tonight... that was a warning for her too. I don't know what their deal is about, but he has her right in the middle of his palm."

"But she's on your side... right?"

"I hope so, but right now I want her to go back where she came from. Away from Chicago, away from me, and as sure as hell, away from you."

He knew something I didn't, or at least was suspicious of her. Nonetheless, I knew I pushed enough tonight and received more than I could handle, so for now, I decided to stand down.

"She told you to leave me." It wasn't a question. He didn't know why she was entangled in this mess, but he knew what his mother was capable of.

Instead of answering his question, I asked one of my own.

"How did you know how to find that place? It was built like a maze."

"I didn't... I just knew how to find you."

I didn't understand at first, but then it hit me; the application Jax installed on my phone weeks ago, the one Liam created.

I never uninstalled it, thinking, if it made him feel at ease, then so be it. Besides, it made me feel safe, in a weird, twisted way.

"My phone's switched off."

"Doesn't matter."

My anger might have been slightly satiated, but his was still enraging.

He was done giving me an explanation. Now it was his turn to demand answers.

And after he was done giving me an explanation of tonight's pandemonium, it was his turn to blow.

"What the hell were you thinking," he said under his breath, shaking his head in utter disbelief, before he turned his glare towards me. "What were you hoping to achieve, following her?"

"I don't know... maybe, give her a piece of my mind for the laughs of it?" I said with a shrug of my shoulders. It wasn't my best idea for an answer, but deep down, I knew I wanted to see his reaction.

"For the laughs-," a humorless chuckle left his lips, as he took a step closer, stalking my way. "It was too fucking dangerous, damn it."

"Oh, so now you think I'm weak, too?"

That stopped him in his tracks.

"What?"

"Am I not good enough? Not good enough to be part of your world?

"Who said that?" His tone was lower, hands clenched by his side.

I kept my mouth shut, turning away from him, only to be pulled right back into his arms.

"Tell me."

"It doesn't matter."

"The hell it does."

I huffed a breath, staring at him defiantly.

"Fuck... You've got to be kidding me." His voice was softer, his anger leaving him. And right when I thought he'd push away, he kept his gaze on me, eyes searching my own, brows furrowed.

He reached for my cheek, fingers barely there, never touching me.

"You won't tell me?"

Instead of giving him an answer, I shook my head, not wanting to argue about this further.

"Is that it?" It was amazing how fast his anger turned into mischief, but that smirk revealed it all.

I could have my way on this one thing, but in the end, he'd already won the game; any game I was up against him.

"Fine. Have it your way, baby."

His fingers trailed down my jaw, never touching skin, even though I almost felt them there. And somehow this type of torture was worse.

"But know, I won't let her mess with your head again."

"What?" I couldn't recognize my own voice, as it left my lips, showing him how breathless I was.

I moved closer, needing his touch, but he pulled back. Every time I took a step towards him, he took another away from me, always keeping the distance between us.

This was a game. But by the time I caught up to him, it was already too late for me.

I tried once more, taking two steps at a time, only for him to circle around me, teasing me. He towered over me, his warmth teasing my skin, as he reached out once more, fingers caressing my naked back, barely there. But just when I was ready to turn and lean into him, he moved away again. Tears pricked my eyes, the frustration overwhelming me.

I needed his touch, damn it. After everything that happened tonight, I needed him, skin on skin. Nothing else mattered right now, but this.

"Not so fast, Angel," he said by my ear, voice deeper than before.

"Brandon, please." A whimper left my lips, my eyes half hooded.

His grin expanded. He looked absolutely feral.

"What d'you want, Angel?"

The night wasn't over. Our conversation was not over, but it was for the both of us.

Regretting every moment I spent without him tonight, I pulled him closer, hands wrapping around his neck, kissing his lips with new fervor.

"Not so fast, Angel."

"Wha-"

With a loud thud, my back collided with the glass window.

"It's my turn to get worked up, after your little skit, tonight."

"Brand- oh."

He turned me around, facing the lights illuminating the city, as he pushed my body closer to the glass with his.

The feeling of the cold window against my exposed skin was burning, a stark contrast to Brandon's burning warmth behind me.

He was everywhere. Everywhere, and I realized once more, how much I missed this.

This feeling of being touched and kissed, and feel the deep embrace of lust, that leaves a firm afterthought between his legs, and a wetness between my own.

I wanted everything.

And he would gladly sacrifice the world for me.

___

A little lovers quarrel to get warmed up for the next update.

It's that time, where I need to find a new hideout, cause next chapter is that kind of chapter. You know, the one where we don't talk, and by the end just pretend I didn't write it and you didn't read it...

C'est la vie!

I will take some more time for this one, thinking Friday night max (Time zone 0), since I want to give you the best, rough, raw love these two deserve. (Gosh, someone stop me from writing. I really need to go to bed ^_^)

Hope you enjoyed this rollercoaster of a chapter. And get ready for the next!

Thank you so much for stopping by. Thank you for being here! I take nothing for granted!

Love,

~J 

Next chapter: 18th of November