Emery’s POV

“Two hours?” Brian asked Shadows and possessively pulled me into his side. He looked down at me with a cocky smirk, but I was too busy glaring at Shadows. That big brute was looking at my sister like a piece of meat and I didn’t like that at all. And how dare he take her hand! If it had been Brian, I wouldn’t have a problem telling him to fuck off, but I’d heard stories about how ruthless Shadows was and I didn’t want to put Jo in harms way.

“Two hours.” Shadows nodded and pulled my sister away without letting me say goodbye. Now who the hell did these guys think they were? We weren’t dolls they could drag around and play with. Not Jo, and especially not me. Brian had another thing coming if he thought he could seduce me again. I was going to maintain the upper hand and that was final. He would not catch me off guard again.

“Come on, Princess.” Brian firmly gripped my waist and dragged me down the hallway. “You heard the man, we’ve only got two hours.” A look of warning and lust were etched in his features and my breath caught in my throat. I had to do something before he caught me off guard with one of his advances, but I knew I had to wait until Shadows was completely gone. I didn’t dare act out in front of him, not after the stories I’d heard—just looking at the guy petrified me. And to think, my sister was with him the whole time!

“I can walk on my own, thanks,” I snapped, pulling away from Brian’s embrace as soon as Shadows disappeared around the corner with my sister. I crossed my arms in front of me and sped up my pace, wanting to put as much distance between Brian and I as possible. Standing close to him was too dangerous.

The last thing I wanted was for him to get me all worked up again, and honestly it wouldn’t take much. The sexual tension between us was undeniable, and just looking at him was making my lady parts ache. Hell, all I could think about were his hands moving over my—No! No! No! Shit! Come on Emery, think of cold showers and wrinkly old man balls! Don’t give into him!

“Oh, you’ll walk with me however I choose, Princess or else you sister will pay,” Brian shot back in a warning tone. He reached out to grab my arm but I stayed a step away, earning a grown from Brain. What’s the matter? Someone didn’t like being in control? Well now he knew how he felt when he caught me off guard with his sexual advances. Didn’t he know that I was trying to maintain my control? God I wish he didn’t affect me the way that he did.

“She’s not even here,” I said narrowing my eyes, still pissed that Brian split us up. We weren’t even doing anything! Well, not anything that really concerned him. I just wanted answers because I had a sneaking suspicion that Jo was hiding something from me about the big brute, Shadows, or whatever he wanted to call himself.

Had Shadows done something to hurt my sister? Did he touch her? Did he threaten her? Hell, just the way Jo cautiously eyed him when we talked gave me an uneasy feeling. I mean, she didn’t seem to be afraid of him, but she was also really good at hiding her emotions, this is with everyone except me. Never the less, something was up and I just needed to get her alone to prod for information. I swear if he hurt my sister, he had another thing coming. No one pissed of Emery Jane Pagano and got away with it! Come to think of it, I had to teach Brian that same lesson.

“And we weren’t breaking your precious rules,” I sneered, thoroughly pissed off. Not only was I mad about losing my sister again, I was also frustrated with myself for letting Brian get to me. I had to maintain control.

Brian grabbed my arm and spun me around so fast that I felt dizzy. “Don’t fucking mess with me, Princess!” So help me god I will call Shads and have him take care of your sister before you could even try and plead for her life. Then how feisty and rebellious would you be? You won’t even get to say goodbye…” Brian hissed in my ear and heart stopping in my chest.

All I could picture was Shadows grabbing his gun and shooting my sister at point blank range in the middle of the mall. I couldn’t let that happen. “No!” I gasped, shaking my head in fear. He wouldn’t do that! He couldn’t! Fuck this guy pissed me off. “You wouldn’t dare!”

“Do you want to try me?” he snapped. “You better get your sweet ass back over here where you belong and cut the crap. You’re mine, Princess and it’s only a matter of time before you realize that fact! You still have a lot of punishment coming your way,” Brian finished, yanking me back into his side as we entered the next department store. “Now you heard the boss, we only have two hours so get your ass moving.” Fine, I would follow his demands, but only for Jolie’s sake.

Reluctantly I let Brian lead me toward the woman’s department, his hand sinking lower and lower down my back until he found a patch of exposed skin. The moment those warm calloused fingers touch my flesh, a spark surged through my body, causing me suck in a breath and stand up to my full height. I could feel the goosebumps spread as I bit down on my bottom lip, avoiding eye contact at all costs.

What the hell was this affect he had on me? Did he feel that too? I was curious but didn’t even dare look at him, afraid that I might give him the wrong idea. But really, what was the right idea? How could I want and dislike someone so much at the same time? God this was so confusing and the sexual tension between was agonizing! But I had to stay strong no matter what I may have I felt.

“Go ahead, pick something out,” Brian said after clearing his throat. He pulled away ever so slightly, eyeing me with an unreadable expression on his face. Though I wasn’t really paying attention to that. I was more concerned with trying come up with an explanation for what I just felt. Maybe it was just the air conditioning? Yeah, that had to be.

I took a deep breath and stepped forward, looking around at the different displays and racks of clothes. The store department store was nice but the styles were made for an older generation, which in my opinion left something to be desired. In the end, I only found a pair of black, pink, and purple yoga pants and some socks that I liked.

“That’s really all you want?” Brian asked with a raise brow as we left the store. “A pair of pants and socks? God, I never thought I’d ask woman that question.”

“Yep,” I replied shortly, popping the ‘p’ the in a bored fashion. “Just be glad that I’m not racking up your credit card bill.”

Brian chuckled and snaked his arm around my waist. “We don’t use credit cards, princess. We only have cold hard cash…no paper trail,” he explained, pulling me closer.

I had admit that I liked his bad-boy appeal. There was just something about him when he wasn’t being a huge dick that enticed me. But the question was, who was the real Brian? Was he the man next to me that I met at the club, or was he screaming asshole from the compound? “You get away with more that way…” Brian said, his words teeming with double meaning.

Oh, I hoped he wasn’t talking about me because he wasn’t getting anything from me. I was not going to back down on this—we were not going to sleep together! No matter how wet he made me or how persuasive he was. I was not going to give in. I was in control!

“So where to next?” he asked, breaking up the Brian intervention in my head. God this would be so much easier if he was repulsive. “We’ve got about an hour and half left. Don’t you need bras and panties?” he smirked, wigging his eyebrows at me. “Though you wont really be needing them. I’d rather see you—“

“Aerie will be our next stop,” I interrupted, a blush spreading over my cheeks. I knew where he was going with this conversation and I wasn’t having it.

Brian chuckled, looking around at our surrounding. “Suit yourself…but don’t say I didn’t warn you…” he warned and I rolled my eyes. He could think whatever he wanted but the truth differed from the illusion in his mind.

Suddenly Brian grabbed my wrist and dragged me into jewelry story. And before I could even register what was going on, Brian he pulled me into his chest, his intoxicating cologne hitting me like a brick wall. Damn he smelled good. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath, leaning into his embrace. Shit! No, Emery, get your head in the game. I instantly stiffened and put a little bit of space between us. His aroma, touch, and proximity were really challenging my resolve against.

I shook my head and looked up to see Brian looking around us with narrow eyes. So this wasn’t one of his little tricks—something was wrong. “What is going on?” I asked but Brian just shushed me and shook his head.

I frowned and looked backwards over my shoulder at the display, my thoughts wandering back to Jo. I wonder if she had to put up with any weird behavior like this? Was that big brute keeping his hands to himself? Ugh, I really needed to talk to her about that. But when? Would I see her again after this or would we be separated again? I didn’t know but I was going to find out—Brian wasn’t the only one who could use seduction to get what he wanted.

Without hesitation, I bit down on my bottom lip and look up at Brian, just has I had done countless times with father’s guards. They loved my little innocent look and I’m sure Brian wouldn’t be any different. As I closed the remaining distance between us, I let my thumb rub over his hipbone underneath the waistband of his pants. I heard a sharp inhale escape Brian’s lips and I knew I had him right where I wanted him.

“Brian?” I whispered, letting my finger move up his chest. He looked down at me with a small smirk before he responded with a husky, “What?”

“Will I see my sister later? I mean... after this trip?” I practically purred, letting my hands move up and gently message his shoulders. Brian closed his eyes and let a soft moan escape his perfectly shaped lips. Damn, why was he so handsome? And don’t even get me started on his taut muscles. All I could think about were the sexy tattoos and ripped muscles hiding underneath his shirt…

“We will see about that.” My hands continued to move up, massaging small circles on his neck, earning another moan as I pressed my breast to his chest. That’s right, Gates, I could play games too…and this is what it looked like when I was in charge. Though just when I thought I had him, Brian opened his eyes, grabbed my arm, and pushed me behind him. What the hell?

“We need to move quickly, I think someone is following us,” he hissed before dragging me out of the store and down the corridor. With each step, my heart hammered in my chest, having no idea what kind of threat we had. Was it one of my father’s men? Were Jo and I going to be rescued?

Only I didn’t have time to think about it because Brian pulled me into him and crushed his lips to mine. His tongue was demanding as it moved into my mouth and I responded like a ravenous animal, devouring and encouraging him to give me more. He caught me off guard and I couldn’t say no or fight off the inner demon that craved his touch. I wanted him even if my brain was screaming for me to stop—my body’s sexual desires were winning the battle.

I slid my hands into the back of his hair, my finger wrapping around the strands, pulling and tugging, trying to draw our hungry mouths closer. I just couldn’t get enough of him. The sexual tension had finally exploded and I found myself caught up in his sudden demands. He just tasted too damn good and ached to feel him deep inside of me.

“Bathroom…” Brian grumbled against my lips seconds before I heard a door open. “Now…you’re mine…” Now if that wasn’t the sexiest thing I had ever heard, I didn’t know what was. Like the kiss hadn’t made me wet enough.

The next thing I knew, my back was pressed into a cold metal door and Brian’s lips and teeth were feverishly working at my neck and chest. Oh god, I felt like I was in a euphoric heaven as I threw my head back with a moan and wrapped my legs around his waist, his need teasing me through his jeans. One of his hands moved to my breast, claiming it through the fabric of my shirt while his other hand firmly squeezed my ass. I moaned and let my hips move against his strained erection, causing Brian to squeeze my ass harder. Damn, how did he know I liked it rough?

“Fuck, Em,” Brian growled, his voice thick and husky. “You are—“

Suddenly someone was loudly knocking at the door. “Emery? Emery! Open up! I know you’re in there!” a voice sounded on the other side of the bathroom door, startling both of us. The door moved back and forth but the deadbolt lock kept it from opening.

I froze and stared back into Brian’s haunting brown eyes, my heart pounding in my chest. I was terrified with what he was going to do. It was obviously one of my friends but who? I was so confused and frustrated at the same time that it wasn’t even funny, though maybe this was fate reminding me to stay abstinent with Brian.

“Shit,” Brian hissed. “Occupied!” he called back only to hear a familiar laugh. Was that Tracy?

“Cut the crap, Emery! I know you’re in there with that guy I saw you with!” she called, her musical voice light compared to the pounding on the door. “You better open up and tell me what is going on before I call your dad! Especially since you and I both know you snuck out again!” Tracy continued and Brian let me stand back on my feet, his fingers running through his hair. He was obviously trying to decide what to do in this situation.

I turned around to open the door but Brian stopped me. “Don’t! Don’t respond to her! She’ll go away if we don’t acknowledge her!”

I shook my head at Brian, he obviously didn’t know Tracy Madigan. She was one stubborn person and she never backed down until she got her way. “We cant just ignore her! You heard what she said, she’d call my dad!” I argued. But why was I advocating for Brian? I wanted to go back home, which is exactly what would happen if Tracy called my dad.

“And I cant believe you would sneak out with telling me! We always meet up on your outings. Though I have to give you credit, sneaking forty minutes away is pretty ballsy. That’s a new record for you, Em,” Tracy continued to yammer while Brian paced back and forth in the small restroom. After another few seconds he stopped and pulled the gun out of the back of his jeans.

“No!” I gasped, taking a step forward with wide eyes, shaking my head wildly. “You cant! Please let me take care of this! She is harmless and wont tell a soul we are here if we play our cards right…” I begged, feeling like I was going to be sick. Oh, god he couldn’t shoot Tracy…she was really only friend I had besides Jo.

“Come on, Em! I really don’t want to turn you in but if you wont come to your senses and open the door…I have no other choice!” Tracy said as I looked at Brian with pleading eyes, my chest rising and falling rapidly with adrenaline and fear.

“Fine, you have five minutes to get ride of her or else I will,” Brian snapped before motioning me to the door. He put his gun back into his pants as I shakily unlocked the door.

“Just follow my lead,” I said before I opened the door to find a very irritated looking Tracy. “Hey, Trace,” I said with a fake smile as I tried not to let my voice shake. To be honest I was petrified of anyone with a gun and up until now, I forgot he had one.

“About time!” Tracy huffed, sweeping her dark bangs to the side. “What the hell took you so long?” She pulled me into a hug before she pulled away and narrowed her eyes at me. “And where have you been? I’ve been texting you like crazy for the past week and I haven’t heard anything.”

“I was grounded and dad took my phone,” I lied, though it wasn’t out of the realm of possibilities. Even though I was twenty-two, daddy still ruled my life and refused to believe I was an adult capable of making my own choices.

“Ugh, that sucks!” Tracy huffed just as she caught sight of Brian standing behind me in the bathroom. He narrowed his eyes as Tracy pulled me into her side and whispered, “Damn girl, he’s hot! No wonder you were making out with him the open and had to sneak away…” she said, elbowing me in the side as I blushed. “Though he does need some help with his fashion choices…I mean all black?” She really didn’t have a filter, but it was part of the reason I loved her.

“Well aren’t you going to introduce me to your new boyfriend?” Tracy continued, her eyes growing wide as she looked between us. My jaw dropped with her question but I quickly recovered. Boyfriend? No, no, no, Brian was certainly not my boyfriend. Hell he was the farthest thing from it, but I couldn’t exactly tell her that, not without one of us losing our lives.

“Yes, why don’t you introduce me to your friend, babe,” Brian said with a smirk on his face, obviously finding amusement in the expression on my face. “Then we need to get moving or we’ll miss our next appointment,” he warned, his tone back to being dark and dangerous.

I narrowed my eyes at Brian before I turned back to Tracy. “Tracy this is—“

“Nick, nice to meet you,” Brian said shortly, nodding his head at her but refusing to shake her hand. What the hell was he doing? His name wasn’t Nick! And that’s when it hit me, he was maintaining his identity so if she did tell someone she saw me, they wouldn’t be able to trace back to the Avenged guys.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Nick,” Tracy said in her flirty tone as I rolled my eyes. I didn’t miss her looking him up and down as she took my arm. “So why didn’t you tell me about your new hottie?”

“Em, we really need to go,” Brian urged, his hand moving to the back of his pants where he hid his gun. My heart raced wildly as I quickly nodded my head in agreement, knowing that if I didn’t hurry this little reunion along Brian would take over. And I took back what I said before; Brian was just as terrifying as Shadows…

“Yeah, sorry, Trace but Bri—N-Nick is right. We have to go…but I should get my phone back tomorrow and I’ll tell you all about it. Deal?” I stammered just before Brian grabbed my hand and started to pull me down the hall.

“Yeah, sure,” she shrugged. Tracy shook her head at us. What did she think we were going to find a place to hook up or something? Absolutely not! What just happened in here was a mistake and I just got caught in the heat of the moment. I vowed that it wouldn’t happen again, and yet somehow it kept happening. “You two crazy kids have fun…and I want all the details, you hear!” Tracy called behind us.

“I could fucking kill those guys,” Brian huffed, practically dragging me behind him. “They said this place would be safe and who the fuck do we run into? You’re fucking crazy friend…and you had to talk to her. Hell, I should punish you just for talking back to me!” Brian raged, obviously pissed off. “I should have just taken care of it like I was tried to do. One bullet and done…easy and no witnesses!”

“I took care of it and she won’t tell anyone,” I shot back, looking up at him with pleading eyes. “And-and I-I’m sorry,” I breathed, trying to keep up with his long strides. Even though I didn’t do anything wrong, Brian sure knew how to make me feel guilty. Though it wasn’t like I planned this or even invited Tracy here. It was just a coincidence.

Brian scoffed and shook his head. “You better hurry the hell up because now we only have forty-five minutes and that’s with dinner. Keep your head down and get your ass moving,” he instructed. Well, I guess that answered my question from before—the real Brian was the dick. “The next person that stops us is a dead man…”

Matt’s POV

“Alright, so we’ve got a burger, fries, and a chocolate shake for you,” I said with a smile as I pulled each item off the tray and set it in front of Jo. “And a two burger, fries, and a vanilla shake for me,” I finished looking down at Jo. She looked down at her meal excitedly, her eyes dancing with joy. What? Had she never had fast food before?

Jo looked up at me with her gorgeous blue eyes and a small smile. “Can we eat now?” she asked and I laughed. “Of course you can eat, Jo. You don’t have to ask for permission.” What did she think this was?

I watched as Jo hurriedly unwrapped her burger and took a bit. She threw her head back and let out a moan as she chewed. Damn, that was a sexy sound and my mind instantly went back to our heated night. “Mmm…damn it’s been so long since I’ve had a good burger,” she moaned, licking her plump lips.

I bit down on my bottom lip as I watched her, wanting nothing more than to claim those perfect lips as my own. God she tasted so damn good last night and I had been craving another taste all morning. She was like the forbidden fruit that taunted me all day, making me yearn for another bite. And damn, I wanted to bite into her so badly that I could already feel the uncomfortable strain in my pants. Why was everything this girl did sexy?

“So you don’t get burgers very often?” I asked, trying to clear my husky tone. I quickly took a bite of my own burger to occupy my thoughts. I had to stop thinking about all the dirty things I wanted to do to her if I planned on walking later.

Jo frowned and took a sip of her chocolate milkshake, only to let out another moan. “No, father only has the chief prepare gourmet meals, and burgers are not on the menu…” she said, pointing a French fry at me. “And either are these delicious little creatures,” she laughed and I swear that was the most beautiful sound.

“Well,” I leaned forward, putting my elbows on the table. “I think we could arrange some more ‘forbidden’ foods,” I said with a dimpled grin, letting my words drip with double meaning. Jo blushed and hung her head, coyly peaking up at me threw her lashes. So now she was going to play shy, huh? Well, I would definitely have fun with that later, especially with her new lingerie. Hell, I could already picture her in that black and purple number that I slipped into the bag when she wasn’t looking. Damn she would look hot…but what would she say? Would she even wear it?

“Matt?” Jo asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

“Hmm?” I shook my head and took another bite. I really needed to get my head out of the gutter and focus on the task at hand. I should be in leader mode, constantly scanning the area for security threats or hell, even checking my phone to make sure Gates didn’t have any problems. Why was my head so twisted with thoughts of Jolie? It wasn’t healthy and it definitely affecting my work. I couldn’t go soft! I was the fucking boss!

“I-I just wanted to tell you again that Em and I weren’t planning anything before…we-we were just talking. I hope that doesn’t ruin our chances of seeing each other again,” she said softly, pushing her fries through her small pile of ketchup.

I set my burger down and whipped my hands with a napkin. “Jo,” I said, carefully reaching across the table and lifting Jo’s chin so she would look at me. “I promise you will see your sister again. You’re not going anywhere,” I assured her, letting my thumb carefully graze her cheek. “Actually, you’re going to be seeing a lot more of compound when we get back,” I smiled.

“Why is that?” Her cute puzzled expression was almost enough to kill me. Damn why was I soft around her? Was I losing my edge?

I cleared my throat and sat up, putting my boss hat back on. “Because I’ve decided that you need some punishment for your actions with Vengeance, or Zack as you know him,” I said, making my face expressionless. Though on the inside I was beyond pissed that she would even try as stunt like that. She was mine and she wasn’t going anywhere—I mean my responsibility. Shit, I really had to get the idea of her staying with me out of my head. It was just fun romp and that was it, or at least that’s what I was trying to convince myself.

“You will be serving as my personal secretary in my office so I can keep an eye on you,” I said curtly. “And if I see any sign of misbehavior, I will have to take away the privilege to see your sister.” Jo gasped and frantically shook her head.

“No…I’ll follow the rules…and you have to understand…I was scared,” Jo tried to explain. “Someone that I thought I had a connection with baited me and then I wound up kidnapped…you cant really hold it against me wanting to escape,” she explained and I shook my head. There were so many blurred lines in this whole thing it wasn’t even funny. I really needed to set some ground rules for myself and abide to them, especially since the girls were supposed to be a paycheck.

“I understand,” I said through gritted teeth, not at all liking the idea of her having a connection with Vengeance. But I would never admit that I was jealous. “But there are rules you will follow, Jo,” I said firmly. “You are my responsibility and you will listen to what I tell you to do,” I said, my tone coming across harsher than intended. “Do you understand me?”

I saw Jo’s bottom lip tremble before she narrowed her eyes at me in confusion. “Yes, I understand,” she replied, her expression morphing into something that looked like hurt feelings. What the hell was that about? How did I hurt her feelings?

“Good, I’m glad that’s clear,” I said before finishing my burger and feeling a little guilty. “Now where else would you like to go?”

Jo crossed her arms in front of her chest with a scoff. “Wherever you think I need to go,” she said in soft tone, her expression hurt. She quickly stood up from the table and took all the garbage to the wastebasket.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I snapped, following after her. “Jo!”

Jo stopped ran her hands over her face. “Nothing. It means nothing,” she sighed. “Let’s just get this over with,” she said before turning away from me. Fuck! Now what the hell just happened? Why was she pissed at me all of a sudden? “I need some more clothes so we can head to some department store…”

“As you wish,” I said, putting my arm around her shoulders. Only this time, Jo instantly stiffened instead of melting into my side. What the hell was that about? “Jo…look I—“

“Jolie? Is that really you?” a male voice sounded behind us.

Shit! No one was supposed to recognize us around here! We were forty-minutes outside the territory for Christ sake! No one in their right mind drove this far to go the mall when there was a perfectly good mall fifteen minutes from Huntington Beach. I quickly hurried Jo along as she tried to look over her shoulder to see who was talking. “Don’t look back and don’t engage,” I ordered, following the protocol we developed for a situation like this.

“But that’s—“

“I don’t care, just keep walking and they will think they got it wrong,” I hissed, pulling her closer to me to make us look more couple-like. Somewhere deep down inside I could feel the green monster coming to life when the male voice sounded again. Why was yet another guy calling after her? Did she have some kind of reputation? First Zack and now this guy, really?

“Jo! Come on just talk to me for a minute, you owe me that much,” the guy said as we kept walking. Jo opened her mouth to say something and I shot her a warning look. She was not going to blow this for us. “Don’t,” I warned and she frowned at me. What? I had to maintain our safety.

“JO!” the guy said, jogging up in front of us and stopping our path. “I knew it was you! Why are you ignoring me?” he said, only looking at her. I narrowed my eyes and clenched my fists, possessively pulling her into my side.

“I-I’m sorry I didn’t hear you, Carter,” Jo stammered, looking at me out of the corner of her eye. Fuck, this wasn’t going at all as planned. I guess we needed to travel even farther out of range. “I was just having a conversation with—“

“Jake,” I interrupted, looking this Carter guy up and down. He looked like your typical blonde, surfer, pretty boy burn out. From where I was standing, Jo was too good for him. “Her boyfriend,” I said, offering my hand in a territorial manner.

Carter shook my hand with a frown. “Boyfriend, huh? I thought maybe he was one of your dad’s new cronies,” he scoffed, shaking his head. “How did you manage that one, Jo? Daddy finally let you off his leash?”

I looked over at Jo to see looking between us with a frown on her face. “No he—“

“Oh, so you can sneak out for this guy? I see now,” Carter said, sounding pissed. “I thought that was too risky going behind your father’s back?”

“Carter it’s not like that,” Jo said shaking her head before turning to look at me with a frown. And if she didn’t look pissed at me before this Carter bloke arrived, she certainly was now.

Carter scoffed and shook his head. “I really liked you Jo, but I never took you for a liar,” he said shaking his head and that when I really started to get pissed. I dropped her bags on the ground, getting ready to take action.

“I don’t know who the fuck you think you are talking to her like that,” I said letting go of Jo and stepping forward, my fists clenched. “But she doesn’t deserve your shit.” I stepped right up in this guys face, looking down at his punk ass.

Carter took as step backwards and put his hands up. “And I see Daddy really wouldn’t approve of this one, Jo,” he laughed humorlessly. “I see I made the right choice with not pushing the issue with you. I didn’t need the drama anyway. Look luck with Jake,” he said before storming away, leaving Jo and I in middle of the mall hallway.

“Fucking prick,” I hissed under my breath as I turned back around to look at Jo, who looked mortified. She had a deep frown across her beautiful features and she slowly shook her head at me. I couldn’t tell if she was upset at me or that Carter character, but I didn’t have time to find out because the alarm on my phone sounded. It was time to meet up with Gates and Emery. “We’ve got to go,” I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose before I picked up the bags. I didn’t even know where to begin with Jo, but I knew that I had screwed up somewhere along the line and that I needed to fix it.

We walked silently back to the department store at the very back of the mall, the tension thick between us. Fuck, how was I going to fix this? By the time we made it into the store and saw Gates and Emery standing dangerously close to each other, I decided that I needed to apologize for whatever I had done—even though I still didn’t know.

“Look Jo,” I said stopping her in front of the fitting room. “I’m sorry—“

“GET ON THE FLOOR! HE’S GOT A GUN!!!” Someone screamed before all hell broke lose around us.

Notes

So will Emery's friend rat out Brian and Emery? What did you think of their hot little make out session?

And look at that, Jo ran into a secret ex-boyfriend...I guess this mall wasn't far enough away from Pagano territory was it? Is Jo mad at Matt?

Whose got a gun?

Comments please lovely readers!