My Worst Enemy

Chapter 12._

The strangest thing about being an identical twin was the fact that you could literally look at yourself in the face of another person. Not exactly like a mirror because most of the time, each individual didn't reflect each other's feelings and it felt weird, in instance, to feel happy while the other one who carried your face, looked sad or angry. It was more like looking at yourself in another dimension and not sure at all if what you're feeling is good or bad, since your face wasn't exactly showing what you felt inside.

But Elisabeth had grown to accept the fact that she and her sister were always so different and even though sometimes, she always made sure to check in a mirror to make sure that her own face reflected her true feelings, she always recognized herself looking at Shelly. But nothing, nothing prepared her for the livid, lifeless and severely beaten face that she almost didn't recognize.

Death was a notion that she had yet to comprehend just as much as the creepy feeling that made her heart break into a million pieces and her body hair spiked up, seeing herself laying on that cold metal surface in the coroner's office. Pain and sadness were foreign to her. Just… fright and a frozen stare. The bluish lips, tightened shut eyes, frozen body belonged to her and were all her own. Head spinning and body violently shivering, she immediately stepped away, retching. A good amount of bile mixed up with the rest of her breakfast splattered on the floor, and she had just the time to grab the side of the cold palette not to fall on the floor.

"Madame Commissioner, are you all right?" the coroner, standing on the other side, asked her while running up to support her. "Why don't we go sit down?" he added seeing her pale face and heavy breathing.

But Elisabeth ignored his hand offering and ran out of the office, pushing everybody out of her way and only stopped when her burning lungs finally grasped some fresh air, allowing her to breath without having the impression that she was suffocating. The whole world was crumbling around her, all the people going on their way, not bothering looking at her. Very few frowning, seeing a cop looking around haggardly. She spotted her SUV with the police siren lights on top, parked at the corner and swallowed the other burst of bile crawling up her throat before taking a wobbly step forward.

A heavy silence welcomed her at the station, every other police officer knowing about the death of her sister and they each respectfully bobbed their heads down to her, not even trying to break her lethargic state. Her gestures were mechanic and robotic, her breathing slow and regular, her vision blurred by painful tears that refused to get out. She sat down behind her desk, her hands flat on the veneer surface, staring at the closed door in front of her, her mind still trying to understand what happened.

When Ryan had called her about one hour ago, telling her that Shelly was at the morgue, she had immediately ran out, blinded by an immense fear. But after she had brought the body back to the coroner's, that's when she felt the creepy feeling invade her guts. Everything she suspected was true. She had been killed by a Varmint grenade. A powerful bullet that exploded right in contact with the objective, not leaving the slightest chance of survival. It had exploded, perforating her neck and went through her skull, killing her instantly.

Varmint grenades were very expensive and not even the police department could offer such a deadly weapon. Only one person could. And for Shelly to die from their own bullets, it only meant one thing: that she had been executed. Her own sister was murdered and of course, there were no proof or evidence pointing at Patron or anyone else in his clan and nobody will have to go to jail or pay for her Shelly death. So many crimes she had been covering up throughout the years and now, she would have to do it for her own sister.

Her eyes went on the computer's screen in front of her, knowing that she should type her report and as usual, the result of the investigation was to be marked as ongoing, with no warranty that it would ever be resolved. Elisabeth swallowed the big lump clogging her throat and she felt her whole body tremble again. She refused to do it. There was no way she was going to let her sister's death pass by without having her revenge. She had to avenge her sister, no matter what it cost, even her love for her husband and her fear to lose him couldn't make her step back. She had to make sure that Patron and everyone else involved in her sister's death, paid the appropriate price.

But how? She needed to do it so subtly that neither Patron nor Andryse would ever suspect her of any wrong doing, otherwise, it would really be her face frozen eternally by death and the one of her... son. Elisabeth felt an accrue pain eat at her chest and she frantically grabbed the phone, her shaky fingers dialing the number. She had to make sure that he was all right. She had kept him hidden even from her husband who had no idea if she ever was pregnant with their child. She had no clue on how Andryse had discovered about him, but she agreed to do as she was ordered, just to keep him a secret and alive. From Patron, from her husband, the people working for her, the population she swore to serve and protect.

No one, except for her brother and sister, knew that all the time she went on 'a mission to investigate on a killer's trails' in the States had been for her to hide her pregnancy and she had left the baby under a nanny's care. She couldn't allow for anyone to know, especially not her husband. She knew that he didn't love her, she knew that he stayed with her just because she was giving him access to a lot of things, people and places and frankly, how could she ever give him a child when he was so blinded on taking his revenge on the man who killed his parents? It was all he was living for, all he was thinking about. It was eating at him. He wouldn't have place in his heart for a child, let alone from a woman he didn't love.

Finally cracking up, Elisabeth let the phone fall down from her hands and cried. She cried for her only sister who had been murdered; she cried for her son that she couldn't be with; she cried for her father's memory that she was dirtying everyday; for the man she was longing after but didn't love her back. How could her life turned out to be so messed up, so miserable?

"No more." She breathed out with determination while forcing herself up and straightening her chest. "Crying will not change anything. I have to make my life better."

She wiped her face, blew her nose on a piece of napkin and spent the next few minutes, trying to come up with the best plan possible. But the more she was thinking about it, the more her mind came up blank and she felt all powerless again. Patron and Andryse had all the city on their payroll and she just had no idea who to trust and who not to trust. Hell, even she, was on that damn payroll.

Maybe her husband could help. Maybe if she told him that she knew about his true activities, maybe their joined forces could finally put a stop to all of this? But how should she do this without warning Andryse and endangering her son's life?

Just as to answer her burning questions, a little beeping sound resounded in the bottom top drawer of her desk. It would have been imperceptible to anyone else in the room, but she had gotten accustomed to it and she couldn't help her heart to skip a beat, anticipating opening the drawer. Her hand automatically found the set of keys suspended on her duty belt and slid the drawer open to see a little green light blanking on the listening device hidden in there.

Her heart beat faster when she pressed on the play button and heard her husband's voice. He was shouting orders around about finding and killing an American who had supposedly vanished into thin air and after his men left his office, she heard him on the phone, setting up details for a new shooter to come to town.

The microphone was placed behind one of his music production plates hanging on the wall behind his desk and he had no idea that his wife had been listening on every single operation he had planned in this same office. She wished she could have bugged his phone as well, just to know who he was talking to, but she knew he was smart enough to hear the delay it would make on the phone line.

So she would quietly take notes on everything he said, to do her own research and locate the assassin he wanted to hire. Sometimes, if she came up blank, she would use her key to his office and get all the information directly there. She had been doing it for years and he still had no clues of her betrayal.

When the tape stopped rolling, marking the end of the recording, Elisabeth locked the drawer back, and read all the information she had in front of her. His name was Tom Manson and his arrival date was still undetermined since he was apparently still busy with some previous contracts. Once she'd gather everything she could find, her next step would be to call Carol and give her all the information and they would take care of the killer from there. But this time, Elisabeth quietly put the paper in her shredder and watched with cold eyes all the information turn into little unreadable tiny pieces.

This time, she was not going to call Carol. This time she was not going to warn them about that Manson guy coming over. This time, the assassin would set foot and kill Patron to end all of his crimes, once and for all. Too bad if Andryse was caught in the crossfire. This time, she was going to do what she should have done a long time ago: keep her mouth shut and watch everything blow up from the sidelines. Her sister would get her vengeance; she was going to make sure of it.

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"You want to talk about it?"

Andryse closed her eyes and bit on her lip not to let more tears fall down. She was emotionally tired, drained, empty and physically exhausted. If she had spent the whole day pulling on heavy weights and fight one hundred men, she would have never felt so worn out. She had to admit that letting her anger all out on Troy did help her calm down but she refused to feel grateful towards him. They were in all this mess because of him, Shelly was dead because of him. Damn him! She told him the truth when she said that she hated him. And she really did. With all her heart.

And she hated the fact that he understood what she needed to feel better. She hated the fact that he was still there by her side, hours after she had finally stopped crying and fell helpless on the ground. She didn't even realize when he had left her, so she was greatly surprised to find herself laying on a big pile of dead leaves that he had tussled together and, defeated, she had just laid against his chest, crying softly. With all the terrible images of Jack shooting Shelly popping in her head, she had no idea if she fell asleep and was having the same nightmare over and over again, or if she was fully awake and was just reliving everything for at least the hundredth time.

She hated that he was so sweet and tender with her. He was an assassin for God's sakes. Shouldn't he be rude, ruthless and take the opportunity to make her pay for shooting him? But what she hated the most was the fact that his silence, his muscled arms around her and his all strong masculinity surrounding her, actually soothed her.

And now, that she had found some dignity back and forced herself out of his wonderful embrace, he was slowly massaging her shoulders, releasing her tension and she felt ashamed that for a few minutes, she had completely forgotten about the large Pandora's box they both have opened. Until he spoke and brought her right back to the harsh reality she had to deal with. She tried to roll her shoulders out of his hands and muttered with anger.

"What do you care? It's your job to take people's lives. Why would you care if someone dies?" She had cried so much and yelled so loudly at him, that now her throat was burning and scratchy and the pain in her heart was just as cutting as earlier.

Troy sighed and left his hands fall down. Maybe he deserved that. "Andryse that's not fair." He however replied and quickly regretted he said anything at all, watching her glaring at him.

"Fair?" She half shouted, her eyes shining with a mix of anger and sadness. "If fairness was part of this world Troy, it would have been you laying dead right now, not my friend."

"I'm sorry." He said again, not sure of what to say. "I wish I could change things and…"

"And what?" she talked over him, sarcasm enveloping her tone. "Would you have killed my father earlier? Would you have listened to me and go back to your country? Or would you have traded places with Shelly?"

This time, he stayed in complete silence, letting her brown eyes pierce through his soul, hoping that she could really see how sorry he really was that it all turned out to be such a big mess. That he was ready to turn the sky over to fix everything for her.

"I never meant for any of this to happen. I wish I could turn back time and prevent your friend from dying." He finally stated with a firm voice, his blue eyes still attached to her brown ones. "I wish I could go back and undo everything but I can't. But I will make sure that your friend's death wasn't for nothing." Andryse scoffed and tuned her eyes away but Troy quickly grabbed her chin and turned her gaze back on him. "Believe me Andryse." His voice softened without he even realized it, his thumb slowly grazing her skin. "I am truly sorry."

Andryse frowned, her heart suddenly pounding loudly in her chest, not sure to believe him or not. What would his 'sorry' going to do anyway? It couldn't bring Shelly back and she would still hate him, so it didn't really matter if he was sincere or not. But as her eyes looked deep into his, she saw a vulnerability she'd never seen in them before.

She saw him suddenly become a human, not the treat he always was but a friend, someone she could trust and lean on. It scared her as she saw that he really was sincere and it troubled her to realize that it really did matter to her. She turned her head away again and stayed silent, trying to adapt to this new image of him sitting next to her.

"She knew very well that one of the guys would shoot her down as soon as she picked up the gun." She finally talked with a dry tone, her face twitching under the memories. She sniffled and closed her eyes, freeing two lines of fresh tears. "She shot the guy standing next to her but Jack was so quick that I didn't even have time to see what was happening. The next thing I knew, she was laying on the ground, a big hole on the side of neck, her eyes… all empty." She stopped talking, her throat closing and she felt Troy's hands on her shoulders again, trying to bring her comfort. "She could have as well put the gun against her head and pull the trigger. She sacrificed herself Troy and it's all my fault."

"Hey." Troy said firmly, his fingers pressing a little more of her shoulders. "It is not your fault all right?"

"Are you kidding?" Andryse retorted, her anger starting back up. She crossed her feet under her to be able to turn and look at him. "It's my entire fault and Adeline is right. She's dead because of me and now, all these people, they're…"

"Listen to me." Troy removed her hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear before forcing her to look at him. "I don't care about what anybody says, in my book, you are saving their lives and they should be grateful that you are taking so many risks to keep them safe. You are sacrificing yourself the same way Shelly did."

Andryse exhaled deeply before wiping her tears and looking away. "I have no idea what to do now Troy." She confessed feebly.

"Then we will figure it out together." He answered immediately. "I will not let you all alone in this mess Andryse." He stopped when she looked at him again but swallowed to finish what he had to say. "I get that if I had left when you asked me to, your friend wouldn't have died and everybody would still be in security here. So I can't just leave now."

Andryse pulled her knees up, wrapping both her arms around them before shrugging. "You can't stay here indefinitely. You have to go back to your home eventually and I'm sure that…" she hesitated, the cruel reality of his job hitting her. "I'm sure that you have other people to kill and places to be. Girlfriends to be with."

She had said the last words very softly, her cheeks blushing a bit and he couldn't help to smile, feeling his heart beat a little faster. He took his time to tuck her hair behind her ear again but as they seemed to want to escape again, he swiped them completely on the side, revealing the tender skin of her neck and a part of her right shoulder. He barely contained himself from putting his lips against her skin and he felt his chest closing up when his heart beat even faster than before.

All of this was new to him. This thing that made his pulse race for her, his hands getting a little moist and the sudden tenderness he found out he was capable of. He always wanted her, since the first day in that plane, he always knew he wanted to have her naked in his bed but now… he sorta cared about her. And mostly, he admired her. She was one, if not the strongest, smartest, fearless woman he had ever met and he was mostly certain now that behind all of this hardcore she wanted to profile, she had a very big and sensitive heart.

Maybe he should tell her that all he had waiting for him back in LA was just an empty apartment and a handful of friends, who didn't even know about his real job. They all thought he was some sort of bachelor, wasting the money he inherited from his deceased father and never refused to party excessively with him, whenever he wasn't on a trip. Maybe he should tell her that even if he had one hundred contracts waiting for him, he could have never left her alone, fearing that something bad might happen to her. But he took too long and she turned her eyes away again.

"Are you still planning on killing my father?" she whispered but strangely, her voice echoed in the silence around them.

"Do you want me to?" he slid his hand up and down her back and her body relaxed a little.

"For just one minute." She said quietly after a short but heavy silence. "I wanted him to die and I hated myself for having thought about killing my own father." She lowered her head and squinted. "But I couldn't."

"I can." Troy answered sternly. "Just say the word." She stayed silent again and Troy read all the agony she was going through, written on her face. He smiled faintly and put his lips on her shoulder but retracted, when her body tensed up again. "But you love him and no one can blame you for loving your father."

"So if I still say no…"

Troy immediately thought about Manson and debated if he should tell her or not. But then again, maybe it was a good idea letting him do the job. Patron would be dead without him having anything to do with it therefore, not guilty of hurting Andryse. All he had to do was make sure he kept a close eye on her.

"Then I won't." he answered simply and he knew that she believed him.

"Why?" she asked him, looking straight in his deep baby blue eyes again. "Why would you do what I ask you to? Why are you being so nice to me? Why do you want to stay here in this hellhole?"

'Because this hellhole seems like paradise when you're by my side', he wanted to answer but he chickened out and just returned her question.

"Why didn't you kill me in the plane?" his voice was steady but he couldn't control his heart from going crazy again.

"Nuh huh." She exclaimed. "This is not the way it goes. I asked my question first so you have to answer me first."

He snorted. "What kind of stupid rule is that?"

"It's a polite way to make social conversation Troy." She answered with a scowl.

"Pfft. Being polite is so outdated and boring. Besides, I've never been good at making conversation." He replied, his eyes going to the back of his head.

She punched his long leg stretched next to her. "You are so… rude and... a jerk and... frustrating."

"I believe the other day you used the word 'charming'." He smirked, flicking his dirty blond hair.

"I do not remember such time." She lied brazenly. "Maybe one of those short seconds of insanity that I go through."

"So you admit you're crazy?" Andryse gasped, offended and he quickly held her wrist to prevent her from hitting him again. Andryse opened her mouth to give him a reply well placed but stopped when she saw that particular look in his eyes that made her heart ache with longing.

Troy's smile grew bigger while he looked at her. Her eyelids were all puffy and her eyes bloodshot from all of her crying. Her face still bore some traces of her mascara, leaving dark thin lines on her cheeks and her hair was anything but controlled, flying all over her face, dry and brown dead leaves, hanging everywhere. His eyes went down on her lips and he knew that he was lost. He could never resist his desire to kiss her when he looked at her lips and this time was no different. Without giving her time to fight him, he turned his torso on her, completely ignoring his pain that was getting stronger and stronger by the minute.

His hand quickly released her wrist and grabbed the back of her head to pull her against him. She gasped with surprise when her lips were crushed with so much force by his. She instinctively put both hands on his chest to push him away but his lips lessened their pressure and became very soft. Her heart thumped loudly, hurting her chest when he gently nibbled on her lips before parting them with the tip of his tongue. But he pulled back almost immediately, teasing her.

She raised her eyes on his face staying at just a few centimeters from hers and she felt mesmerized by his strong and beautiful sculptures so close to her and his hot unsteady breath mixing with hers. Her right hand ran along his long neck and her thumb lingered on his Adam's apple that jolted under her sweet caress. And when his thumb stroked her cheek just as gently, she felt her breath cut short, feeling her desire to kiss him back waken up. Was it really that same man she was yelling at, punching so hard and hated with all her strength just about an hour ago?

"What is this?" she questioned with a frown.

Troy's jaw danced. Was it too early to make his move? "Yeah, you're right." He replied before letting her go and turning away. "That was uncalled for. I'm very sor…"

He was taken aback when two small but firm hands turned his head back, but she didn't crush his lips like he did hers but at the same time, they were urgent and he immediately felt her burning passion. His hand went back to the back of her head and he quickly took control, kissing her back with the same eagerness and hunger, feeling himself melting into her. Her hand nested on the back of his neck, meshing with his hair and a pure animal instinct woke up deep inside of him, to eat her, taste her and his other hand went around her waist with authority, bringing her closer to deepen the kiss.

Andryse moaned breathlessly, once again feeling him control her, bringing her into submission. He was transmitting to her a strange feeling of want and need that her body responded to and she found herself on her knees, pressing herself against him, both her hands around his neck. After a long time of just eating each other's faces, they both pulled out, breathless, feeling slightly light-headed and dazed.

"You're so intense." His voice was kept inside his throat and came out all husky by his desire. He placed her right hand on his chest and Andryse held her breath as she felt his heart beating very fast under her palm. "That's all you."

"And that's you." She replied unsteadily, placing his other hand on her own fast beating heart. "But what is it? This... thing between us?"

Troy frowned. "I don't know." He answered truthfully. "But I'm feeling it." He added, removing his hand from her chest to cup her face. "I've always felt it."

"Me too, but… it confuses me." She confessed while sitting down on her heels.

Troy stayed silent not knowing how to reassure her, him feeling just as lost as she was.

"Then let's just leave it at that." He answered after scratching his throat, not sure at all of what he was saying. It just felt right to him. "Let's not try to spoil it by putting a name on it. Let's just go along with it."

"As in… taking it slow?"

No, that was not what he meant. He meant letting the 'thing' explode and take control of them. But maybe with everything she had to deal with at the moment, she didn't want to have to deal with him. Maybe 'taking it slow' was what she needed not to feel confused anymore. Who could blame her? He should be ashamed of himself for wanting to get with her after everything that's happened.

"Right." He acquiesced, with a weak voice. "Take it slow."

Andryse lowered her eyes, feeling disappointed. She had hoped he would tell her that he didn't want to take it slow. That he wanted to ravish her and make her loose control like each time he was kissing and touching her. But maybe he didn't want to complicate his life anymore than it already was because of her. And besides, it was all because of him that her best friend had died. If he didn't confuse her and therefore, bring her into making bad decisions, they would have never be in this mess to begin with. She should feel ashamed of herself for wanting him so much.

"Okay." She nodded, her cheeks lightly colored of a red shade. "We'll take it slow."

They both stayed silent, pondering on what exactly it meant to take it slow, what was allowed and what wasn't. How long would they take it slow for and how would they know when to speed it up. Andryse sighed before standing up and dusting herself up to remove all the dead leaves.

Now was not the time to think about her feelings. She had so much to do. First, own up to her mistakes, explain everything and apologize to Ryan for his sister's death. Second, say goodbye to Shelly. Third, explain to everyone how in so much more danger they were, now that she didn't have control anymore and at the same time, reassure them that they could still believe in her.

Yep, so much to do and to apologize for. Hooking up with Troy Colt should be the last thing on her mind right now.

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And slow was exactly how he could describe time as it went by. Restrained by his wound, Troy spent the next few days, practically liking at it to help it heal faster and pining over Andryse. He was biting his tongue and going through all the cursing words he had in his vocabulary, not believing that he had agreed to such stupidity as in taking it slow. The only look of her made his heart jump and he would turn and toss at night, knowing that she was sleeping just a few feet away from him in the bedroom of the little shack they had decided to share after Adeline refused that he'd stay with them anymore.

He could hear every single noise her covers would make each time she'd turn in the bed, keeping him awake all night long, wondering if she slept au naturel or in one of those red, sexy, see-through things. But his insomnia was nothing compared to his morning hard-on as he caught a glimpse of her, only dressed in a short, white nightgown and scurrying to the bathroom.

Whatever idiot had taken over him to put himself in such ridiculous position? So he felt really relieved when a few days days later, scared that her absence would be suspicious, she decided to go back to the city, leaving him alone and bored to death. Until he checked his e-mail and found the message waiting for him.

He was like a shadow in the night. All dressed in black, his head buried under a beanie of the same color, he leaned against the big wall, patiently waiting for the right moment to strike. He felt a little discomforted by his left side and he quickly swallowed four pain killers from the bottle that he always carried on him. The pain wasn't as breath taking as it was a few days ago, but after all the running he'd just done, the little itch was still very much present.

Although he had to wait until the whole camp fell asleep to be able to sneak out, it was rather easy for him to slide down the mountain and find the little two doors truck he had hidden under a pile of branches. At first, nobody wanted him there. He even had to spar a little with Mario Cross who was responsible for the security there.

But Andryse had quickly convinced him that he was on their side. Many of the men had left with their families, refusing to endanger their lives anymore than they already were. They had to cope with a few less hands to guard the place and albeit he only stayed at first to take his time to heal, he had finally agreed to help out, hence the reason why he knew perfectly well how to get out without none of them spotted him.

A faint noise stole his attention and he turned his head to the left, his gun already in hand, ready for anything. But the security guard, on the other side of the wall, just quietly made his round before walking on the other side again. Seeing his chance, he tucked the gun back on his waist and swiftly jumped up the wall, pulling one leg over, ignoring the fact that his scar was stretching under his skin that had yet to heal completely. Bracing all of his weight on both his arms leaned on the wall, he quickly checked underneath to see the man who had walked by him earlier, only a couple feet away.

Swinging both his feet over, Troy the assassin, landed on all hands and feet as noiselessly as a cat and without wasting a heart beat, he crawled up behind the man and, one hand under his neck, he turned it with his other hand and slowly put the dead body on the floor, all without making the slightness noise. He didn't really have to kill him but where was the fun in letting him live and call out his other buddies to spoil his surprise? His empty eyes ran all around the yard and he ran at an angle of the big green house, his back still making one with the cement. His feet went on top of each other as he walked transversely until he reached the back entrance he was looking for.

Another man was guarding the entrance, his cigarette blowing white smoke in the air, unaware of the danger lurking on his right hand side. Quickly understanding that he couldn't get closer without a diversion, Troy leaned down to pick up a handful of dirt and made sure his foot scraped the floor, ready to jump. At the noise, the man turned to his direction, his gun in hand but grunted as the dirt landed directly in his eyes. But he didn't even have time to take a breath of air as life got away from him when Troy broke his neck as well.

He didn't expect the door to be unlocked but took it as a good sign and brought himself inside the room as quietly as he had made it so far. He was completely in the dark and he used the small flashlight that was stuck in one of the big pockets of his black cargo pants and he immediately recognized a dining room placed just across a kitchen. His gloved hand in front of the light to make it as subdue as possible not to alert the other guards of the moving light inside the house and made his way up the stairs, sure that the person he was looking for, was waiting for him in one of the rooms.

He didn't have to look far as the clear noise of erotic pants and moans came to his ears. Getting his gun ready, he tried the door and his jaw danced nervously, unable to open it. Replacing the flashlight in his pockets, he removed a small pin and a few seconds later, the door was finally letting him. Aided by the lamp stayed on in the room, Troy lowered the gun as soon as he saw the man sitting on a chair, what looked to be a very zealous naked girl, straddling him. He looked practically disinterested even though the girl was screaming her lungs out riding him and Troy tilted his head on the side while raising an amused eyebrow.

Their eyes met and Jack quickly stood up, making the girl fall on her feet. "Get out." He said with a cold voice, still looking at Troy standing in front of him.

Finally feeling the presence behind her, the dark-skinned girl yelped before wrapping herself with a cloth from the bed and ran out of the room not without sending a wary look to Troy. He heard the door closed behind him but all his attention was kept on Jack who was putting on some sweat pants. Neither one of the men said a word and Jack was the one to break the silence after he poured himself some colored beverage that Troy identified as the local rum for having drinking it many times at his old hotel room.

"Took you long enough." Jack said after swallowing and offered a shot to Troy who still stayed quiet, his head slightly lowered, all his muscles flexing. Jack put the glass back on the table and sat back down to light up a cigar. "But I guess it wasn't easy after the little bitch shot you."

"Don't call her that."

Jack smiled and blew the smoke cockily, amused by the dry tone. He noticed his body tensing and he smirked even more. "I'm sorry that we're only meeting now. I'm sure you understand the precarious state of our situation here. I can't believe she shot you." He said again, anger on his face. "She's got balls, gotta give her that don't you think?"

"Why did you ask me to come here?" The voice was cold and direct.

Jack snickered. "I can't believe how much you've grown." He said, ignoring the question. He shook his head and nonchalantly crossed his legs. "You're a man now, not the little boy running around in diapers anymore are you? It's been so long… how's your mom by the way?"

But this time, only silence came back to him. So Andryse was his stimulus. Interesting. Jack put his cigar down and eyed the gun Troy was still holding against his leg.

"You're a fine young man now." He continued carelessly. "Following your old man's footsteps and all." He chuckled and shook his head again. "And making the same mistakes he did too. You had to fall for her, didn't you? I mean, I knew that you were her type and that she would have liked you, but you..."

He took another sip at his drink and chuckled before picking up his smoke back. "You failed miserably by falling for her. But tell me." He glanced at Troy who was still fixing him quietly, his right jaw dancing nervously. "Do you think she could shoot you for good this time if she knew the truth about you? About us?"

A/N: Just want to say thank you to everyone who rated the last chapter. Keep'em coming and maybe some reviews please, because the feedback is always greatly appreciated ^__^ And yes, in case you're asking, this is the same Jack, Andryse's father right hand man and yes, Troy and him, have a very heavy past between them. I won't say more lol