Hey all. I know you're anxiously awaiting a sequel to TFK, but for the moment I need a break from the story considering I've been working with the same characters for three years now.

But I am still writing! I started a new book that I think I might continue and I figured I'd share a preview with you guys as a holiday gift. I'm posting it here instead of as its own book because 1. I'm not sure yet if I'm going to finish it and 2. I'm not sure yet what the title would be, so I'm hoping those are two things you guys might be able to help me figure out. If you like the first chapter let me know, it'll give me more motivation to write. Criticism is always welcome! Happy holidays <3

***

"Beautiful night to ruin a life, ain't it?"

There was something about Danny's condescending smile that gave me more motivation to get the job done. I had known that he didn't support my line of work for a long time, and for a while I'd given it up just for that reason. Soon enough though, life got in the way. It was a simple decision for me: a lifetime of debt or a few pictures. Call me selfish, but I'd trade the privacy of a few righteous celebrities for a couple hundred thousand dollars any day of the week. I think it takes a certain kind of privilege in life for anyone to be able to abide by all the moral standards they set for themselves without consequence. Danny didn't exactly agree, but considering both of our financial states and the fact that I paid all our bills, he didn't have much place anymore to criticize how I made my money.

"If you're so against how I make my money, perhaps you should stop eating the food I put on our table, or living in the apartment I pay for, or letting me pay off your med school loans-"

"Aye yai yai Luce, I'm just playin around. You can't take a joke can't you?"

"Jokes are meant to be funny," I muttered, watching my target's Ferrari turn the corner down the street. I let out a low whistle. "What I wouldn't give for a car like that."

"I hate this part," Danny sighed. "You know, the stalking part is almost sort of fun, and the waiting game's alright too because it's like getting paid to study, but this part..."

"Is the biggest adrenaline rush you'll ever get, Danny boy. Go start the car, if my hunch was right about tonight and we pull this off, we are going to be sitting very pretty for a while."

He grumbled, picked up his textbooks and tip-toed away. Eventually, the darkness surrounded him and it was just me, crouched behind the bushes of one of the biggest mansions on the west coast. The low hum of the Ferrari grew closer and I shifted in my position, trying to get a better grip on my camera. I'd only have one shot at getting this picture; they'd be expecting company. There'd be a few measly seconds between the moment they stepped foot in the bedroom and the turning off of lights, the closing of the blinds. The moment where the aura around the house would settle and it'd be like no one had entered at all.  

The Ferrari drove right into the garage as I anticipated and I took that as my cue to hop the bushes and start moving towards the master bedroom. I jumped the fence with ease and moved around the edge of the house without making a sound. Right about now she was probably pouring him a glass of wine. There'd be a little flirting, she'd grip his tie with her free hand and pull him forward, place a gentle, tempting kiss on his lips. It'd burn a little in that amazing kind of way, only for him though, not for her. And that's when it'd happen; she'd turn and strut towards the bedroom without another word, and he'd follow like a lost puppy entranced by her astonishing beauty.

At least, that's the way I always imagined it.

The bushes across the backyard shifted a little bit. I licked my finger and lifted it up: no wind. Not even a little bit, which meant one thing and one thing only.

I wasn't the only one stupid enough to spend my night crouched outside this house.

I hid myself behind the trees and strained my eyes far enough to see a youngish looking boy squatting out in the open, just underneath the window. I rolled my eyes, amateur. The place had cameras, and she'd at least be smart enough to check those before doing anything that could jeopardize her career. He was about to ruin payday for the both of us, and I'd be damned if I let that happen. I had spent countless nights piecing parts of Jamie West's life together, and I wasn't about to let that time go to waste.

I quickly rounded the backyard and when I made it to where the boy was crouched below the window, I acted quickly. I grabbed the back of his collar and covered his mouth all in one motion. He squirmed against me as I began dragging him backwards. He reeled around out of my grasp and pushed me back, scowling: "This is mine."

"Oh no, I don't think so buddy," I said, pushing past him. I rushed towards his camera, which had fallen on the pavement beside the window when I grabbed him, but he got there first and shoved me backwards into the bushes. Suddenly I heard voices, and in a moment I knew that Jamie and her date had made it into the bedroom. I had seconds, if that. I forced myself up, despite the pain of what I was sure was a broken leg, and hopped onto the boy's back. It happened in slow motion. In reality it was only about ten seconds, but it felt like an eternity. I raised my camera and lined up the shot. I could almost hear my heart beating through my chest; I was a junkie and getting this picture was the hit I desperately needed. I knew the moment I got it would be a feeling for the books, and the anticipation was killing me.

Finally I saw her. Jamie West, in all her glory. She'd moved so that the blinds weren't blocking her from my vision. I'd only get one shot at this. I watched her move towards him, and for a moment, her beauty won me over just as it had for her date. She was absolutely stunning in person. She was tall enough to be a model but not too tall, just thin enough to fit LA's ridiculous standards of "beauty" but not too thin. Her light brown hair rested just below her shoulders in waves, and it sort of shone in a way that captured all of my attention. That was, until I saw her eyes. They were blue, of course, but I swear they were different than any I'd ever seen before. They were pure, and electric, and made me feel alive in a way that I hadn't in the longest time. If I had been in her date's place, with her looking at me like that, I think I'd have just melted right there and then.

I'd seen plenty of pictures from her shoots and perhaps one too many interviews, but nothing out there could compare to seeing her in the flesh. She was a more subtle kind of sexy in person. It was her job to look hot in photo shoots, so the pictures always felt a little forced to me. In person though her beauty was all natural, and I think that's what did me in, almost enough to miss the shot. But just in time I snapped back to reality. She stepped forward, slipping her heels off without ever breaking eye contact. Then it happened; she gripped his collar with both hands and tugged him forward. Snap. He went in for the kiss. Snap. Their lips met and I felt all of my financial problems just instantly dissipate.

Snap.

The boy finally worked up the strength to throw me off his shoulders and I hit the side of the house, hard. Hard enough to make me scream in pain, and by the look on the boy's face, I knew Jamie had heard it. He immediately turned and hopped the fence, leaving me to fend for myself. I forced myself to stand despite the nausea and temporary blindness that I was worried might, if I didn't act fast enough, cost me either time or money, both things I didn't exactly have.

The window flew open and I could just barely see Jamie's date climbing out. So I started running. I hurled myself over the fence and ignored the blistering pain in my leg, knowing how set this picture could make me and Danny. I could just see the headlines now. Jamie West commits the ultimate betrayal against long-time girlfriend & America's sweetheart: Cassidy Alexander. The public would eat the story up because for a reason I couldn't for the life of me understand, people actually cared about the lives of complete strangers if there was enough fame and money involved. That's what kept me running, pushing back against my body's pleas to stop the pain. Without even looking back I could feel Jamie's date gaining on me, so I cut through a few backyards and for a moment, I lost him.

A moment was all I needed.

I took the SD card out of my camera and chucked it into the open window of Danny's car. I slammed on the side to get his attention. "Drive!"

He jumped far enough out of his seat to bang his head on the ceiling. I'd apparently interrupted a very important episode of Law & Order. "Luce! But what about you-"

"Just trust me Danny, drive!"

He did as I said and quickly, the car disappeared around the corner. I let myself breathe, but almost as soon as I did so, I felt an enormous body tackle me to the ground. Jamie's date pried my camera out of my hands, and I watched as my baby got destroyed, his foot hitting it over and over again until it was nothing but a hundred tiny pieces.

"You people are scum," he spat, standing over top of me. "Can't you just let us live our lives in peace? We're people too, you know."

As I stared up at him, I realized he wasn't just an average guy. The man standing over me was Zachery Stefan, who was just about as famous as Jamie and her girlfriend, if not more. Holy shit, I thought, that picture would be worth way more than I had anticipated. And it was safe with Danny, who was long gone by now.

"I took care of it," I heard him say, although my vision at that point wasn't doing so good. I blinked and managed to clear my sight well enough to see Jamie strutting towards me. She was calm on the outside, but deep down I knew she couldn't be more terrified that her affair would be publicized by morning. She barely looked at him; instead she walked right up to where I lied in pain on the ground.

"Pick her up," she said. He immediately lifted me to my feet, violently might I add, and held my arms behind my back. I rolled my head forward and threw up; the pain was just too unbearable. Jamie took a step back and sighed, gesturing for him to move me towards her, past the vomit. She stared at me for a while, those blue eyes staring deep into my own, until finally she stepped close enough to me to make me hold my breath and lifted my chin with two of her perfectly manicured fingers.

"This is not my first rodeo," she said calmly. I felt my heart beat a tad faster; her voice was even sexier than the way she looked. "He may be an idiot, but I'm not."

I couldn't help but laugh a little, coughing up blood in the process. I had the upper hand, they just didn't know it yet. "Not smart enough to close the blinds though, apparently."

She smiled a little, refusing to let go of her pride. "You think this is a game, don't you?" She shook her head. "You're all the same. Selfish, greedy, and I bet the best part for you is the rush, isn't it?"

She had nailed me perfectly, but I wasn't about to tell her that. "Whatever pays the bills, sweetheart," I said smoothly. I'm not entirely sure how I managed to keep my voice from wavering. "Quite frankly I don't see how my work makes me selfish. Exposing snakes like you? I don't see a single thing wrong with that. In fact, I'm quite certain I'd be doing your girlfriend a favor."

"You know absolutely nothing about my life or my relationship, so do us both a favor and don't pretend to." She looked down at my smashed camera and then back at me, keeping her head high. "Where's the card?"

I batted my eyelashes at her like I had no idea what she was talking about. "What's that princess?"

"The SD card," she growled, her ability to keep calm wavering. "Where is it?"

"Your pretty little friend smashed it into pieces with those obnoxiously large feet of his." I laughed. "That must be quite a shift for you... after being with a woman for so long. If his feet are that big, I can't imagine how big his-"

"That's enough," she said harshly. I could tell I was getting under her skin and maybe it made me an absolutely awful person to toy with her like this, but in the moment, I didn't really care. She was a cheater, and in my book, that was unforgivable. Why not have fun with it?

"I smashed it Jamie. Come on, you can press charges for trespassing on private property and we can put this whole thing behind us."

"Oh see I don't think that'd be very wise of you," I said, smirking. My leg was on fire, but the feeling of having Jamie West of all people at my mercy was all the pain relief I needed. I made an exaggerated frown. "That would make me very, very sad."

She stared into my eyes with a look of such utter defeat that I almost felt bad about doing this to her. "It's gone, isn't it?"

I just stared back, and eventually she turned to her date, shoving his chest. "You idiot! How could you let this happen? You had one job, to shut the fucking blinds! How hard was that?"

"Hey don't blame me," he huffed, "you're the one stupid enough to cheat on America's sweetheart."

"Why the hell are you so damn calm? It's your life on the line too, you know."

"Not really," he shrugged, "I'm not in a relationship, I'm just the guy you used. They might even pity me, best case scenario. 'That poor guy really fell for her... and she was just using him.' Yeah, it's got a nice ring to it, don't you think? Definitely better than cheater."

"I'm not a cheater!" She shoved him again and growled in frustration. "Go home, asshole. I can't believe I was going to sleep with you."

"Personally I can't either," I said, leaning against the lamp pole for support. "I would've gone for someone a little less..." I made the typical 'macho man' gesture and giggled. "I mean, if I was into men."

Zach flipped me off and then started trudging back the way we came. That left just me and the Jamie West alone on a street corner. Her entire demeanor had changed; the cool, calm facade she'd formed to fool me had completely cracked.

"If... if you keep what you saw to yourself, I won't press charges. I... I could get you in a lot of trouble..."

I shrugged. "We both know I'd most likely get a fine, or a year or two in prison, max. And when I get out I'll have quite the pretty penny to get me back up and running. Not too bad of a deal, huh?"

She shook her head. "Why are you doing this? Are you that greedy? Or is it fun for you, ruining lives?"

"It is a little fun," I said, making a gesture with my fingers. "But I mostly just need the money."

"What do you want? A thousand? T-two?"

"You're smarter than that Jamie," I said. Now I really was starting to feel bad. If she offered me enough, I might just spare her the pain of dealing with this mess. I hadn't been joking before, I really did think her girlfriend deserved to know she wasn't faithful. But in all fairness, it wasn't really my business, and Danny was right, publicizing this picture would make me somewhat of a shitty person. I'd do it if it meant paying off all our debt, but I didn't exactly have a burning desire to ruin Jamie West's life. "Those pictures would sell for hundreds of thousands. If you're prepared to write me a check that big, be my guest. If not..."

I made a sort of gesture that said 'I'll be on my way.' Those eyes looked at me with desperation. "I... I can't. I can't tell you why but please... work with me here. I know you think I'm a terrible person, but you don't understand the difficulty of the situation I'm in."

"Maybe not..." I said, her eyes beginning to wear me down. Usually if I got caught, they could beg all they want. I would never crack. But there was something different about her; for some reason, I felt for her. I felt her pain and I felt her defeat, and I couldn't stand the fact that I was doing this to her.

Pull yourself together damnit, I thought, you don't even know her.

"Come back to my place," she said in what I could tell was her final plea. "I'm sure we can work something out."

"It'd be a hell of a lot easier just to sell the picture."

"If you really wanted to sell the picture, you'd have ran the second Zach let you go." She stepped closer to me. "Please, just give me a chance. I know you don't know me, and it'd be a lot easier to sell a few pictures and make thousands. But I'm begging you, come back with me and give me a chance to explain why you shouldn't."

I knew it was a terrible idea to cave. She was right about one thing, I should've walked away a long time ago. The money these pictures would sell for would get me out of a lot of debt and I might finally be able to start the life I always wanted to live. Jamie might've been a snake, but I was a rat, and despite the insane rush it gave me, I didn't want to be one forever.

I gave her a simple nod and watched her relax a little, but it had the opposite effect on me as I made a realization.

I was about to spend the night alone with Jamie West.