Once Michelle made her way to the VIP lounge, she walked through the door and over to the posters that adorned the walls.  After realizing how many great artists had been through there, she felt slightly overwhelmed and let out a heavy sigh.  She had obtained a job most people would love to have.  Yet now, she hated being around the place.  It was beginning to represent everything wrong with the Hollywood lifestyle.  More importantly......everything wrong with her life.

After tossing her purse on one of the sofas against the wall, Michelle slowly walked over to the large window that overlooked the dance floor.  She knew she was taking a risk of being seen, but she also knew that she wouldn't be able to relax until she saw how Wade acted around Justin.

As she studied the crowd of dancers below her, she saw Wade walk through the door of the studio with that look of aggrevation she was so familiar with.  Taking a deep breath, she tried to relax as he tossed his bag against the wall next to the stereo.  She knew that there was no turning back now.  He was now in the same room with Justin and if anything was going to happen, it was going to happen tonight.

"Michelle?"

Hearing someone call out her name, Michelle turned around and saw Stephanie standing in the doorway with a concerned look on her face.

"What is going on?  Why are you here with Wade?"

"Steph, don't.  I can't talk about this right now.  Please.  Just go back downstairs."  she replied, quickly turning her attention back to the window.

"Oh god Michelle.  Please tell me you didn't get back together with him."

"Look, I already told you I don't have time for this.  Why does everyone feel the need to get involved? Why won't you just leave me alone?"

"Because I know what's going on.  That's why."

Shaking her head with fustration, she turned back around to face Stephanie.

"You just don't understand.  No one does.  Everyone sees this facade, this image that he wants people to see.  People think the worst they could ever see from Wade is his sterness when it comes to work, but no one knows exactly what he is capable of."  she said as a tear rolled down her cheek. "If they did, they would realize that their involvment is only making things worse for me!"

"We're not making things worse for you.  We're trying to help you."

"WELL YOU'RE NOT!"

Shocked by her outburst, Stephaine stood there and watched as Michelle quickly wiped her eyes and once again spun back around to focus her attention on the people below.

"Steph, please......just go back downstairs.  There's nothing you can do."

Feeling her heart break over Michelle's seemingly hopeless situation, Stephanie hesitantly walked back out of the room and headed downstairs.

Once Michelle heard the door shut, she let out a heavy sigh.  She hated the fact that any possible assistance was out of reach to her.  She couldn't get anyone else involved in the mess she created for herself and that would be exactly what she would be doing if she went to Stephanie for help.  She just hoped that she understood why she had to do things her way.

As Stephanie walked back down the hall, she heard the office phone ringing and ran down the stairs to answer it.  After glancing down at the caller ID, she quickly picked up the receiver.

"Hello?"  she said, slightly out of breath.

"Not working again I see?"

"No, I was working.  Just working on something more important than sitting at the desk. You know, someone needs to put a stop to this.  Unfortunately, I just don't know what else to do for her."  she replied.

"Huh?   You don't know what else to do for who?"

"Michelle.  Would you believe she came in with Wade earlier for Justin's rehearsal."

"She came in with him? In the same vehicle?"

"I assume.  I mean, he had a hold of her hand when they walked in. Kind of tells me they did."

Hearing a click on the other end of the phone, Stephanie briefly pulled the receiver away from her ear and then placed it back.

"Hello?   Hello?"

After getting no response, Stephanie hung the phone back up and shook her head.  She wanted to believe that the lost connection was due to some technical issue with his cell phone, but unfortunately she didn't think that was the case.  She knew where he stood when it came to Michelle's relationship with Wade and now that he was back in town, she couldn't help but worry that he was on his way over to Millennium.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

As the music started to play, Wade noticed that Melanie was glancing up at the VIP window and began to worry.  He didn't want anyone knowing that Michelle was upstairs.  Especially after everyone believed she wasn't there. 

"Do you plan on working today Mel?"  Wade said, stopping the music and walking over to her.

"What?  I was ready." 

"Yeah well....that's not what it looked like.  Let's keep the focus on what we're doing, shall we?"  he growled.

Immeadiately, the group of dancers grew silent and realized that this was not the night to play around.  Wade was clearly in no mood for any goofing off.

"Now, if we are all done.....let's try this again."

Once Wade turned around to head back up front, Melanie got Justin's attention and motioned towards the VIP room that over looked the dome.

Quickly turning his attention towards the window, he saw the back of a female figure moving away from the glass and wondered what or who it was that Melanie wanted him to see.

As he turned back around for some sort of explanation, Melanie noticed that Wade was once again watching her.

"I'm ready.  Geez!" 

"Keep it up Mel. Just keep it up."

"What?!  I'm not doing anything!"  she yelled back at Wade.  "What's your problem today anyway?  You're being an asshole for no reason!"

"You know what, get your shit and get the hell out of here.  I don't have time for this today." he said as he headed over to her bag. 

"Excuse me?!"

"You heard me!  Here, now get the fuck out." he said throwing her bag at her. 

Finally feeling the need to step in, Justin headed back to where the two were arguing.

"Ok, this is getting ridiculous.  What is going on?"

"Why don't you ask him!" 

Seeing that she was getting upset, Justin wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to him.

"Yeah, why don't you ask me." he said smugly.

"Wade, is there a problem?" 

Feeling everyone's eyes upon him, Wade just shook his head.  He knew without a doubt that there was a problem, but it wasn't the one Justin was asking about.

"No.  You want her to stay....stay, I don't give a shit. I just want to get this over with so I can go home."  Wade said, storming his way back up to the front of the room.

"Fine, then everyone take a few minutes to pull themselves together and then we can start the rehearsal over." 

"Whatever."

Once Wade was back up front, Melanie turned to face Justin.

"I'm sorry.  I didn't do anything though.  I don't know what the hell his problem is today.  Stupid shit is just setting him off."

"Don't worry about it.  I have a feeling I know what the problem is and it has nothing to do with you.....trust me.  Just go warm up some more and we'll get started in a few minutes." 

Concerned by the look on his face when he made the comment, Melanie attentively watched as Justin made his way up to where Wade was standing. 

"Hey man, is everything alright?"

Slowly turning around, Wade offered him nothing more than a cold glare and walked away.  He didn't want to do this in front of everyone, buthe knew that if he kept pushing him he wasn't going to hold back. 

"Hey!  What the hell is your problem?"

Feeling his blood start to boil, Wade stopped dead in his tracks and spun around.

"My problem?  MY PROBLEM?!  What the fuck is your problem?"  he asked, quickly walking back over to where Justin was standing.

"I don't have a problem, but obviously you do." 

"You're damn right I do!"  he growled through gritted teeth.

"And that is?" 

Taking a deep breath, Wade tried to pull himself together.  He knew that his contempt for Justin was growing every second and the mere fact that he was being so arrogant was making things even worse. 

"Where the hell do you get off thinking that you can just do whatever you want with whomever you want?"

"What's that susposed to mean?"

Realizing that Melanie was watching them, Wade mumbled a few choice words under his breath and took another step closer to Justin.

"You know damn well what it means.  Now get the fuck out of my face before you start something you're not ready for." Wade said, trying to walk around him.

"Hold up."  Justin yelled, grabbing a hold of Wade's arm.  "Was that a threat?!"

Hearing the commotion and raised voices coming from the other side of the room, everyone stopped what they were doing and turned their attention towards the two. 

"First, don't ever put your fuckin hands on me again!"  Wade yelled, quickly pulling his arm away from Justin.  "Second, you can take it however you want.  Take it as a threat, take it as warning.  Just make a mental note though that you were given plenty of notice." 

Caught off guard by his sudden change of demeanor, Justin stood there and began to put two and two together.  The fact that Wade could be aware of what had happened between him and Michelle was now a very real possibility. 

"Let me ask you a question J!  Did you really think I wouldn't find out that you fucked Michelle?!  I mean, shit.  You probably figured I was in New York and you were in the clear huh?!"  he said as he moved closer. 

There it was. That sentence right there confirmed Justin's worst fears and he braced himself for what was sure to be a battle.  Wade obviously found out about the two of them hooking up and wasn't about to act like he didn't know any longer.

"Look, this isn't......."

"Fuck you man.  DON'T EVEN TRY TO MAKE THIS LOOK LIKE SOMETHING ELSE!!  YOU KNOW DAMN WELL IT WAS WHAT IT WAS!!!"  Wade yelled, forcefully shoving Justin backwards.

"Man, don't put your hands on me."

"OR WHAT?!"

"Just don't man."

Fearing that things were going to quickly escalate between the two, Eddie and a few other dancers began walking over to them. Someone needed to put a stop to this and fast. 

"Hey guys, this isn't the time or place for this.  Incase you forgot, we are here to work."

"Yeah, come on Justin.  You don't want to do this."  Melanie said, cautiously working her way in between the two.

Taking a deep breath, he knew she was right to a point.  Sure, they did need to get it all out in the open, but now wasn't the time.

"Look, you want to continue this when rehearsals are over, fine.  But I'm not going to stand here and discuss what did or didn't happen with Michelle in front of everyone else.  I have a little more respect for her than that."

"You fuckin little prick!"  Wade yelled, reaching around Melanie to grab Justin by his shirt.

"God damn it!  Knock it off!"  Eddie said, quickly stepping in to break the hold Wade had on Justin. 

Letting out a slight snicker, Justin slowly allowed Melanie to pull him away from the situation and over to the other side of the dome. 

Deep down he hoped that Wade wouldn't find out about him and Michelle, but now that he had...he was rather enjoying Wade's discomfort with his new found knowledge.  After all, it's how Wade had made him feel about Britney.  As far as he was concerned, it served him right.

"Wade you really need to cool down."

"No, what I need to do is beat his fuckin ass!"

"Look, you have to get yourself together.  You have the tour to think about as well, you know." 

"The tour, yeah right!  Screw HIM and his FUCKIN TOUR!"   Wade yelled, loud enough so that Justin would hear him.  "Don't think for a second this is over!"

Snatching his bag from the floor, Wade gave Justin one last icy glare and then threw it over his shoulder as he headed towards the door.  All he wanted to do now was get Michelle and get the hell out of there.  If he didn't, he knew he would surely spend the night in jail for aggrevated assault.

As Wade stormed down the hall towards the VIP lounge, he began to hear a familiar voice coming from inside.  Unfortunately, it didn't belong to Michelle......it belonged to Stephanie.

"This just keeps getting better and better doesn't it."  he mumbled to himself as he pushed the door open.

Although he fully expected to just make his way past Stephanie to claim Michelle with no questions asked, things didn't go quite as planned.  Apparently, Wade wasn't the only one who wanted to get Michelle out of there tonight.

"I see your knight in shinning armor has returned from his trip.  Do you plan on accompanying him somewhere?"  Wade asked, noticing that Michelle had gathered up her belongings.  "Because, you know I can't let you do that right?"

"Wade, don't."

"Don't what?  Don't try and stop you from leaving here with him?  Michelle......you should know me better than that by now."  he said almost sadistically.  "Now, it's been a long day.  You can either get your stuff and follow me out or........"

"Or what Wade?  You're going to drag her out of here?!  I don't think so.  I told you before that this shit was going to stop and so help me god........one way or another it will stop tonight.  I promise you." Marty said, firmly standing his ground in front of Michelle. "Steph, Wade and I have some unfinished business we need to take care of.  Can you take Michelle downstairs."

Realizing exactly what was about to happen, Michelle began to panic.  This isn't what she wanted to happen when she agreed to leave with Marty. 

"No!  Don't do this!  Please!"

"Just go downstairs and wait for me.  It'll be alright."  Marty said, motioning for Stephanie to come and get her.  "Can you please get her out of here."

"Yeah.  Come on Michelle, let's go downstairs."

Then before Stephanie even made it three steps, Wade forcefully grabbed her by her hair and pulled her back to him. 

"Sorry Steph, but I can't let you do that."

In a panic, Stephanie began to try and break free from his hold.  Unfortunately, she quickly realized that her efforts were in vain. The harder she fought to get away, the tighter his grip got.

"Wade!  Stop it!  You're hurting me!"

"Let her go Wade.  She has nothing to do with this.  This is between you and me."

"Now see, that's where you're wrong.  This doesn't have anything to do with you. This is between me and Michelle.  Now, if you want to make a little trade, I'm willing to do that.  All you have to do is send Michelle over to me, and I'll let Stephanie go."

"You know that's not going to happen, so why don't you just let her go."

"Not until I get what I came here for.  Now, send her over!"

"She's not leaving here with you Wade!  How many times do I have to say it?!"

Fustrated with Marty's determination to keep Michelle with him, Wade knew what he had to do.

"You know what, I don't have time for this bullshit anymore."

After taking a few steps backward, Wade unlocked the door to the lounge and shoved Stephanie outside.  He knew that holding on to her didn't quite give him the leverage he sought and obviously Marty wasn't about to back down.  He was going to have to do this the hard way......regardless of who ended up getting hurt.

Chapter 102

"What the hell is going on?!"  Melanie asked, as she rushed over to where Justin was standing.

"Nothing. Look I have to take off."

"Why?!  Justin, is everything alright?  Your freaking me out here!"

"Mel......stop.  Just let me get my shit packed up." he said walking over to where he had sat his bag earlier.

Slowly stepping back, Melanie stood and watched as a slightly frantic Justin began firing everything back in his bag.  She knew that there was something behind Justin's questions about Michelle earlier.  She knew it.  She just never imagined that he would get involved with her while she was still with Wade.  Then......all of a sudden it hit her.  She knew why he wanted to leave.  He wanted to find Michelle.

"Justin....."

Then before she could even get another word out to tell him that Michelle was upstairs, a loud bang echoed through the dome and everyone looked up.

"Oh my god!  What the hell is he doing?!"

Stepping back, Justin glanced up to the VIP window where the sound had come from and saw Wade pinning Marty against the glass by his throat.

"Jesus christ!" 

"Someone go stop him! He's gonna kill him!"  Melanie yelled.

After quickly tossing his bag back down on the floor, Justin ran for the door.  But just when he thought things couldn't possibly get any worse, he heard Melanie call after him.

"Justin!  Michelle is up there too!"

Almost as if he had hit a brick wall,  Justin stopped dead in his tracks and turned around to face Melanie.

"What did you say?"

"Michelle.  She's up there in the VIP lounge with them.  I saw her earlier."

"Are you sure it was her?" he asked, almost in a panic.

"Yeah, I'm sure."

Then just as Justin was about to bolt out the door, Stephanie came running in completely out of breath.

"You guys....I need your help.  Hurry!"

"What's wrong?" 

"I don't....I don't have time to......explain right now.  You just.....you have to go stop Wade!"

"Oh shit!  Marty!" 

Remembering that Wade had pinned Marty to the glass, he pushed past Stephanie and ran up the stairs to the VIP lounge. He knew that things had gotten out of hand before with Wade and Marty and given the state Wade was in at that very moment, he honestly couldn't rule out the fact that it wouldn't go too far.  He had to get up there.........fast.

As soon as he got to the top of the stairs, he heard Michelle screaming and ran the rest of the way down the hall. This is exactly what he didn't want to happen.

Once he got there, he threw the door open and saw Marty laying on the floor below the window with Wade standing over him.  But before he could even think about what had happened, he spotted Michelle trembling in fear as she stood against the wall a few feet away from Wade and knew he needed to get her out of there.

Unfortunately, before he got the chance to get her, Wade realized what he was planning and quickly grabbed Michelle.

"What do you think you're doing J?  Coming back for seconds?" Wade yelled, forcefully squeezing her arm as she winced in pain.

"Hey man, this is between you and me.  Not her."

"Oh this has everything to do with her.  See, she doesn't seem to know right from wrong...not that she ever did come to think about it...but you know...fucking you while I was in NY....that's something that has to be dealt with.  In one way or another."

"Look what you're doing to her?  She's scared to death!  Let her go!"

"She has every right to be scared, doesn't she Wade?"  Marty asked, as he slowly made his way back to his feet and over to where Justin was standing.  "After all, that's how you programed her to be, right?  Afraid of you?"

Confused by his comment, Justin stood there and looked on as a very disturbing feeling set in. 

"Haven't you learned your lesson yet Kudelka?  I mean, come on now.  How many attemps will this make for you?  When are you going to realize that no matter what you do, Michelle will never leave me.  Isn't that right?"  he asked Michelle, pulling her against him.

Hanging her head, she knew what he wanted to hear and even though it killed her to say the horrific lie in front of Justin...she knew she had no choice.

"Yes."

"Yes what?"

"Yes, you're right. I'll never leave you." she said softly under her breath.

"That's what I thought."

"Michelle, don't keep telling him that shit!  This nightmare is going to end for you....right here, right now.  Trust me."

After glancing over at Justin, Michelle turned back to Wade.

"Can we just leave?  Please?"

"Michelle! You know what is going to happen if you leave here with him!" 

"I also know what will happen if I don't." 

"I'm not going to let you do it."  Marty said, straightening himself in preparation for a fight.

"I CAN'T LET ANYTHING HAPPEN TO EITHER OF YOU!  CAN'T YOU UNDERSTAND THAT?"

"NO, I CAN'T!  DON'T TRY AND PROTECT ME.....OR JUSTIN!  WE CAN HANDLE OURSELVES!"

"Well I'm sorry.  I can't take that chance."  she said, slowly wiping away the few tears that ran down her cheek.

"Well isn't that sweet.  You two should feel so honored." Wade snickered.  "Sacrificing herself.......for her two lovers."

"You fucked her?"  Justin asked, quickly glancing over at Marty as if he had been ripped from a trance.

"Jesus Christ!  No, I didn't fuck her!  I never touched her!  That was just what Wade kept telling himself so that he had a reason to keep hitting her!  Except even after he thought I was out of the picture, he didn't stop.  Isn't that right Wade?"

Instantly the color drained from Justin's face and he turned to face Michelle.  He wanted to ask her if what Marty had been saying was true, but once he looked in to her eyes, he felt he already knew the answer. Now he wanted to hear it from Wade.

"You hit her?"

"Justin stop.  Wade, come on.  Let's just go.  PLEASE!" 

"Justin asked me a question.  Don't you think he deserves an answer?" 

"No, I don't.  Now can we please just go!"  Michelle pleaded, as she began to pull on his arm.

"No, let him answer the question."  Justin said, coldy staring Wade down.  "Because so help me god if he says yes, this is going to get ugly really quick."

"Oh is that so?"

"You're damn right.  Now answer the fuckin question."

"I can't take this anymore.  I'm leaving."  Michelle said, breaking out in tears.

Then without even thinking, she let go of Wade's arm and started to head for the door.  Although she temporarily forgot the situation she was currently in....Wade didn't and immeadiately went in to action.

"Oh no you don't."  he said grabbing her by the back of her hair and pulling her towards him.  "How quickly you forget who's in charge here."

At that point, Justin had heard and seen enough. 

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF HER YOU SON OF A BITCH!" 

Without even giving it a second thought, Justin charged forward and slammed Wade in to the glass window behind him.  Unfortunately in his anger, Justin forgot that Wade still had a hold of Michelle and she ended up taking the majority of the force as she fell backwards in to the wall.

"Oh god, I'm sorry.  Are you alright?"  Justin asked as he let go of Wade to help Michelle.

Seizing the opportunity that was now in front of him, Wade grabbed a hold of Justin and spun him back around.

"It's a shame you can't think with anything but your dick man!  If that was me, I would have left her ass lay there. " Wade laughed before landing a hard right hook to Justin's jaw.

"Well that's the difference between me and you.  I would never hurt her!"  Justin yelled back, landing his own punch in to Wade's stomach. "So go ahead.  Answer the question mother fucker!  Did you hit her?!"

As Wade straightened back up from the blow, he saw the look of rage on Justin's face and smiled.  He was going to take full advantage of the fact that Justin probably thought it was because of him.  If nothing else, the guilt alone would surely eat him alive.

"Did I hit her?  Oh yeah, I hit her."  he snickered.  "You know, she might have even saved herself some punishment if she wouldn't have been trying to protect your sorry ass!  Bet that feels real good, doesn't it?  Knowing that she suffered because you." 

"Man, this bullshit was going on way before Justin even entered the picture!"  Marty growled.  "She's been through hell and back and it wasn't because of Justin.  It's because you're one sick mother fucker!  That's why!"

"By all means man, if you feel the need to come and try to vindicate her.....bring it.  We've been down this road before.  It won't turn out any different this time either."

"We'll just see about that." 

"You're damn right we will."

Then almost as if Marty had read Wade's mind, they both made a mad dash for Michelle.  If he was going to get her out of there without being hurt any further, he had to do it now.  He just hoped that Justin knew what he had to do once he made his move.

Seeing them both headed her way, Michelle shut her eyes and put her hands up in defense.  She knew that if Wade got to her first, he was going let Justin see first hand what he was capable of.

As soon as she felt someone grab her arm, she screamed out.

"Oh god, please don't do this!"

"Michelle, it's me.  Come on.  We have to get you out of here."

Opening her eyes, Michelle saw Marty standing above her with his hand extended.

"Come on!"

Once Michelle placed her hand in his, he pulled her to her feet and quickly glanced over his shoulder to make sure that they were clear. 

"Ok, let's go."

"Where's Justin?"

"Taking care of Wade.  Now come on."

Hearing the commotion coming from behind him, Michelle stepped to the side and saw Justin and Wade completely going at it.

"NO!  STOP IT!  MARTY, STOP THEM!  THEY'RE GOING TO KILL EACH OTHER!"

"I'm not worried about them.  I'm just worried about getting you out of here and that's exactly what I am going to do.  Now let's go!"

As Marty began pulling Michelle towards the door, she did the unthinkable and pulled away from him.

"NO!  MARTY PLEASE!  WE CAN'T LEAVE JUSTIN HERE!"  she yelled, completely aware of the fact that Wade was getting the best of Justin. 

"We don't have any other choice."

"YES WE DO!  WADE STOP IT!!"

Realizing that she wasn't about to leave on her own while Justin was still there with Wade, Marty once again grabbed a hold of her hand and pulled her towards the door. He knew that Justin could hold his own when it came to Wade and that he would want him to get her out of there.  That's exactly what he was going to do.

"MARTY LET ME GO!"

"I can't do that and you know damn well that Justin would do the same thing.  Now we have to get you out of here."  he said as the tears once again fell from her eyes.  "Don't worry.  Justin can handle himself."

As they quickly headed for the door, Wade decided to play on Michelle's concerns in hopes that she would somehow manage to stay there. 

"Ae you sure you want to leave loverboy here?"  he called out to her, before once again hitting Justin and knocking him to the floor.

"STOP IT!!!!"

"You want it to stop?  Then get your ass over here!"

Worried for Justin's safety, Michelle began to frantically pull away from Marty in an attempt to take Justin's place.

"Let her go man.  She obviously doesn't want to go with you."

"It's not going to happen Wade.  You know that."

"No, what I do know though is that either she walks her ass over here or Justin leaves this room on a stretcher." he said coldly starring Michelle down.  "What's it going to be baby."

Letting out a spine chilling scream, Michelle elbowed Marty in the stomach and took off towards Wade.

"NO!!!!  LEAVE HIM ALONE!!!"

Seeing Michelle headed their way, Justin gathered all the strength he had and jumped to his feet.  He knew that if Wade got a hold of Michelle she would end up getting hurt and he wasn't about to let that happen. 

Hearing Justin get to his feet behind him, Wade quickly spun around and found himself being hammered in to the wall.

"I don't know exactly what has been going on between you two, but I guarantee it stops right now."  he said, kneeing Wade in his side. "Don't ever let me see you anywhere near her again!  You hear me!"  he yelled, repeatedly kicking Wade over and over before looking up at Michelle.

"Marty, get her out of here!  NOW!!" 

"I'm trying man!"

Seeing that Justin had finally gotten things under control, Marty walked over to where Michelle was standing and took her by her arm.

"Come on.  You don't need to see this shit."

As Marty led her out of the lounge, one last glimpse back at Justin kicking Wade proved to be more than she could handle and she broke down.

"I never wanted any of this to happen Marty."

"I know you didn't.  It's is going to be alright.  Let's just get you home."

Chapter 103

As Justin continued his assault on Wade, Stephanie came running in to the lounge accompanied by a few of Justins dancers and fellow staff members. 

"Whoa man.  What the hell is going on in here?!" Brian yelled, quickly pulling Justin off of Wade. 

"I'll give you one guess."  Stephanie said, quickly scanning the room for any sign of Michelle. 

"Please tell me this isn't because of Michelle too."

"We're are talking about Wade here Brian.  What else would it be about?!"

Hearing her snide comment, Wade shot her an icy glare and slowly made his way back to his feet. 

"You want to be next?!"  he growled.

"Man, knock it off already!"  Brian said, pushing Wade back against the wall as Stephanie took shelter behind Justin. "What the hell did you do to her now?" 

"Are you kidding me?!"  Justin yelled.  "You knew something was going on between them too?!"

"Unfortunately.....yeah."

"Then why in the fuck didn't you do something about it?!"  Justin furiously asked. 

"We tried man.  I mean, seriously.  What the hell did you want us to do?"

"That's just it.  There's nothing you can do."  Wade laughed. "She got what she deserved and came back for more everytime.  I mean, shit.  The harder I knocked her around, the more she defied me.  I think the bitch liked it."

Shaking his head in disgust, Brian stepped away from Wade.  He didn't want to see things getting out of control at work, but it had come to the point where even he wanted to kick Wade's ass.  His treatment of Michelle was out of control.  He couldn't believe that at one point he even tried to help Wade get back together with her. 

"You know what man.  I think you just need to cut your losses with her and move on.  No one is going to stand around and let this shit continue.  We've all had enough."

"Yeah, well I think I'll determine when she's had enough."

"No, it's over Wade.  Don't go anywhere near her again.  These fuckin assholes may have let you get away with it, but I certainly won't.  You can count on that."

"Who are you calling assholes man?  We're not his damn babysitter.  We did all we could do given the circumstances.  Did you ever stop to think that maybe she played a big part in letting this shit continue?"  Brian spat back defensively.

"You're kidding right?!  You're trying to lay the blame on her for what Wade did?!"  Justin asked, half in shock.

"See, told you it's not my fault."  Wade laughed as he attempted to wipe away the blood that was now running from his nose. "Like I said, the bitch wanted it."

Letting out a slight huff, Justin turned around and headed back over to where Wade was standing.  He couldn't believe the words that were flowing from his mouth.  Had he ever even loved Michelle or had she simply been a helpless victim in his sick and twisted new world.

"You know what man......you're really walking on thin ice right now!  You need to get a clue."

"I need to get a clue?  Do you have any idea the hell you just created for her?  I mean really? Did you think that your little 'don't go near her ever again' threat was going to be anything more than a joke to me?!  She belongs to me."

Not being able to take it anymore, Brian grabbed a hold of Wade's arm and pulled him towards the door before he could get even one word out.

"Man, you need to get the hell out of here.  I can't even stand to listen to this shit anymore and it has nothing to do with me."

"Yeah, get him the fuck out of here!"  Justin yelled.

Laughing at the obvious discomfort he was causing for everyone in the room, Wade forcefully pulled his arm away from Brian and grabbed his bag off the floor.  He knew that he could take great satisfaction in dealing with Justin face to face right now, but the fact remained that his main goal at this point was getting to Michelle. 

"I'll be in touch."  Wade growled back at Justin as he threw his bag over his shoulder.

"I look forward to it."

Once Wade was out the door, Justin stood there in a state shock and tried to come to terms with everything he had just heard. 

"Now does someone want to tell me WHAT THE FUCK HAS BEEN GOING ON?!"

"I wouldn't even know where to start."  Brain said in complete disbelief.  "Do you?"  he asked, turning towards Stephanie.

"Not really."

Noticing that Justin's dancers and a few staff members were still hanging around, Stephanie walked over to where Justin was standing. 

"Look, we didn't know something was going between them until later on.  I still don't know all the details of what happened and to be honest....I don't want to.  What I do know is that it has been going on for a few months now and that more than once it got pretty physical.  If you want specifics...you need to talk to her or Marty."

"Why Marty?"

"Because Marty has been in the thick of things for a while now.  He knew something was going on between them before any of us did and he was determined to try and stop it.  Unfortunately, I think he under estimated what he was dealing with.  I mean, more than once he tried to step in and get Michelle away from him.  He just couldn't do it.  I swear to god J, this isn't the same Wade we're dealing with here.  This Wade, scares the shit out of me."

"Why?  It's just Wade we're talking about Steph."

"No Justin it isn't.  The Wade I used to know....would never do the things he has done.  Think about it?  Did you ever even see Wade yell at one of his girlfriends before?"

Thinking back to when the two were still close, Justin recalled several conversations he had with Wade about past relationship problems. Not once had he even heard him raise his voice with one.  Even though a few certainly deserved it after what they pulled.

"Actually......no.  I can't say that I have."

"That's what I'm saying Justin.  Before I made my way back downstairs to get help, he had grabbed me by the back of my hair and was literally using me as a hostage to get Michelle from Marty."

"WHAT?!" 

Hearing Stephanie say those things about Wade scared him to death.  He could only imagine that if what she said was true, that Michelle had obviously been through hell and back.  Why hadn't she told him what was going on.

"Look, all I'm saying it that you really need to think about what you are going to do from here on out.  I'm sure I know what you would like to do, but you really need to stop and think it over.  Cutting any ties that remain between her and Wade isn't going to be as easy as you think."

Letting out a heavy sigh, Justin reached in to his pocket and pulled out his cell phone.

"Thanks for the heads up Steph, but I honestly don't think we have a choice at this point.  Someone needs to step in here before things get any worse."

"I know.  Trust me.........I know.  Just promise me you will be careful, alright?"

"I will, don't worry."  he said, dialing the number to Marty's cell phone.  "Look, I have to go.  I need to find out where the hell Marty took her and if she's ok. I'll talk to you later alright?"

"Yeah.  Just remember what I said Justin." 

"Hey man, if you need my help with anything......call me."

"Thanks Brian.  I appreciate it."

Once Justin walked out the door, Stephanie slowly made her way over to where Brian was standing.

"Are you alright?"  Brian asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine.  I just wish I could say the same thing for Michelle."  she replied, as she rested her head against his shoulder.  "I have a feeling that this is only the beginning Brian.  I'm worried about her."

"She'll be alright.  I don't think Wade is stupid enough to try and take them both on."

"I wouldn't be so sure."  she mumbled.

"Look, everything will be fine.  I'm sure they can handle things, but if it comes down to it, they know they can call me and I'll be there in a heartbeat."

Offering him a half hearted smile, Stephanie hoped he was right and that by some miracle.....tomorrow morning this would all be over.

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As Wade stormed out of Millennium, he knew that this was surely going to test his patience. Seeing Michelle ready to leave with Marty certainly wasn't an expected event for the evening, but now that it had occured, he knew that he needed something to help numb the disturbing feeling that was quickly eating away at him. Also, with Justin now on team Marty, the odds were certainly stacked against him.

"Pull yourself together man." he said to himself, as he opened the door to his navigator to throw his bag in. "Just go get the shit and then find out where in the hell Marty took her."

Jumping in the drivers seat, Wade quickly shut the door and started up his truck.  He knew that it was only a matter of time before he was going to get the release he was so desperately looking for.  He was just thankful that Chris had made him keep the stuff when he stopped at his house the other day. 

As he was deep in thought about exactly how he was going to handle things, his cell phone started to ring.  Leaning to his side, he quickly pulled it out and glanced down at the caller ID.   Laughing slightly to himself, he pressed the button and place it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey man.  Just checking to see how you were doing."

"Funny you should ask."  he laughed.  "Actually, I'm trying to deal with a little problem right now."

"What's up?"

"Just need to take care of some business with Michelle, that's all.  Seems like just when I think things are turning around, they get worse."

"Sorry to hear that man.  This doesn't have anything to do with the other night though, does it?  Because I told you I didn't know the shit was bad."

"No, this isn't because of last night.  This is because right now she is with someone she shouldn't be."

"Ah, I see.  You need any help?"

"Help?"

"This someone else that she is with....do you have it covered?  Because if not, I can certainly bring a little something to make sure you get the result your looking for." Chris said coldly.

Laughing, Wade realized that he certainly could use the backup if Justin would end up showing up as well.  Not that he couldn't handle the situation himself, but with Chris there with him, he would certainly be able to keep things under control long enough to get Michelle out of there.

"Are you free right now?" Wade asked.

"Actually.....yeah.  Just tell me what you want me to do man." 

"Can you meet me at my place in about fifteen minutes?"

"Sure can."

"Alright.  I just need to grab a little something before we head out."

"Any idea where we are headed?"

"Honestly, I think the asshole is either taking her back to her apartment or over to his place.  Not too smart if you ask me, but that's where I think they are heading."

"Michelle's apartment?  The one you had me stop by before?"

"Yeah why?"

"Man, I'm like five minutes away.  Do you want me to swing by and see if they are there?"

"Hey man, if you want to do that, that would be great."

"What kind of car does he drive?"  Chris asked, making the turn down the road that led to Michelle's apartment.

"He has a truck, but unless you know exactly what to look for you won't know if it's his."

"Never mind then.  I'll figure it out.  I'll call you once I know anything."

"Alright.  Thanks man.  I owe ya one."

“No problem.  I’ll talk to you shortly.”

Hanging up the phone, Wade continued to head back to his place.  He knew now with certainity, that within the hour Michelle would be back at his house.  Chris lived to cross the line and if he had his mind set on helping him get Michelle back, it was going to get done.  No matter who or what stood in his way.  After all, he was the only person Wade knew that had more of a temper than him.

Once Chris pulled up to Michelle’s apartment building, he pulled in to the lot and parked his car.  After shoving his keys in his pocket, he reached under the seat and pulled out a small handgun and proceeded to tuck it in the waistband of his jeans.  If she was there, he wasn’t going to waste the opportunity.  He was going to get her out of there himself and take her back to Wade.

After stepping out of his car, Chris adjusted his shirt so that the gun was completely hidden from view.  The last thing he needed was someone on the other side of the door to see it. 

As he headed up the stairs to her apartment, he secretly hoped that in fact she was there.  He hadn't had any opportunity lately for some action and if truth be told....he loved the idea that this could potentially pose a challenge to him.  After all, he was always up for a good fight.

Once he got to her apartment, he immeadiately noticed that in fact someone was inside.  Slightly chuckling to himself, Chris made one final adjustment to his gun and knocked on the door.

Chapter 104

Once Marty pulled up to her apartment, he knew that they had to move quick. It would only be a matter of time until Wade showed up looking to take back what he thought rightfully belonged to him. 

"How long do you think it is going to take?"

"I don't know Marty.  I didn't plan on having to pack up some stuff and fly out of here tonight." 

"Well if you ask me, you should have done it a long time ago."  he scolded, as he exited his truck.  "We wouldn't be doing this shit right now if you would have listened to me from the beginning."

"Well I'm sorry!  What do you want me to do?!"

"Let's just get your shit and go.  I don't know how much time Justin bought us."

Once she heard Justin's name, Michelle slowed her pace and allowed her thoughts to get the best of her.  Why would Justin even care what was going on between her and Wade if all he thought of her was as a plaything. Could there still be a chance for them?

"Michelle?!"

"WHAT?!"

"COME ON!!"

Picking up the pace once again, Michelle began to frantically dig for her keys as she headed up to the apartment.  Marty was right.  She certainly didn't want to be there if Wade showed up and the longer they took, the more likely that was going to happen.

Once they got to the top of the stairs, Michelle made quick work of the lock and they headed inside.

"Go grab only what you need."

"Ok."

After tossing her keys down on the table, Michelle sprinted up the stairs and headed in to her bedroom.  Grabbing one of her suitcases from the closet, Michelle quickly tossed it on the bed and began to fill it up with clothes from her dresser.  Granted she didn't know exactly where Marty had planned on taking her, but any place where Wade couldn't find her was fine by her.

As Marty nervously paced the room waiting for her to finish, his cell phone began to ring.  Pulling it from his pocket, he flipped it open and placed it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey, It's Justin.  Where are you at?"

"At Michelle's."

"I'm on my way over.  Is she alright?"

"Yeah, she's fine but we aren't going to be here for much longer.  I'm sure this is the first place Wade is going to look once he leaves."

"Do you really think he is going to come looking for her?" 

"There isn't a doubt in my mind.  Trust me.  He isn't going to stop until he gets her back.  Well, he's at least going to try."

"What the hell is wrong with him man?  This shit is like way beyond any behavior I would expect from Wade. I can't even begin to comprehend what was being implied earlier." 

Slightly laughing at the fact that Justin was giving the guy way too much credit for being moral or decent, he knew he had to at least fill Justin in on some of what had been occuring the last few weeks. 

"Look, the shit that has been going down between them is nothing short of horrific.  If you only knew what the hell has been going on, you would think twice about getting involved any further in this mess."

"Well I would know what the hell is going on if someone would have filled me in.  So why didn't you man?  Why in the hell wouldn't you tell me what was going on?  Didn't you ever stop to think that I might have been able to help?!"

"Honestly J, I really didn't know what to think as far as you were concerned.  There were times when I thought I could or that I should, but then something in the back of my mind told me that you weren't being completely truthful about what was going on between you two. That bothered me." 

"Yeah well, whatever was going on between us really wasn't your business now was it?"   Justin snapped back.  "I think you should examine your own relationship with her before you judge mine.  Not that this has anything to do with looking out for her best interests."

"I'm not going to argue with you about this right now.  Like I said, she needs to be out of here before Wade gets here."

"Whatever man.  Just tell her I'm on my way.  I should be there in like ten minutes." 

"Fine."

Quickly shutting the phone, Marty couldn't help but be annoyed with the whole Justin situation.  He had no right to criticize how he had handled things when it came to Michelle.  After all, he didn't have the first clue about what had REALLY been going on between her and Wade.....and he realized after talking to him that it wasn't his place to say.  If Michelle wanted to fill him in, that was up to her. 

As he was about to go up and check to see how much longer Michelle would be, he heard a knock at the door and stopped dead in his tracks.  Had Wade made it to the apartment aleady?

Slowly walking over to the door, Marty peered through the peephole and realized that it wasn't Wade and let out a sigh of relief.

"Michelle, someone is at the door.  Do you want me to get it?"

After a few seconds with no answer, Marty called out to her once again. 

"Michelle?"

Hearing nothing but the sound of drawers shutting, Marty realized that she probably couldn't hear him and decided to just open the door to find out what the guy wanted.

"Can I help you?"

"Yeah, actually you can."  Chris said, quickly drawing his gun on Marty and shoving him backwards in to the apartment.  "Where's Michelle?"

Completely in shock over what was happening, Marty stood frozen in place and didn't say a word.  What the hell was going on?!

"I asked you a question mother fucker!"  Chris yelled, as he took yet another step closer towards Marty to let him know he meant business. "Where is Michelle?"

"Ok, I'm ready to go Marty.  I  just need to........" she started to say, but stopped mid sentence when she saw the sight before her as she descended the stairs. "What are you doing here?"

Smiling at the sight of her, Chris enjoyed the fact that he was going to be able to call all the shots from here on out. This was definetley something he lived for. 

"I hear you and Wade have some unfinished business to take care of.  I'm here just to make sure that happens." he said, slowly making his way over to her without taking the aim of the gun off of Marty.  "You're not going to need this."  Chris said, grabbing the suitcase from her hand and placing in on the floor beside her.

"I'm not going any where with you!" 

Seeing the panicked look on her face, Marty attempted to make a move, but quickly found out that it wasn't the best choice he could have made.

"Unless you planning on dying tonight......" he said, cocking back the hammer on the gun.  "I advise you not try and play the hero."

Stopping dead in his tracks, Marty stared Chris down for a few seconds before turning his gaze to Michelle who had since begun to cry.

"It's going to be alright.  I promise."  Marty whispered, trying his best to comfort her in what seemed to be a hopless situation.  He just hoped that Justin would show up before the guy tried to leave there with her. If he didn't, he hated to think of what the outcome could be.  After all, he promised her on the way to her apartment that he wouldn't let her get hurt again.  Except now, it didn't seem like it was going to be a promise he could keep and it killed him.

"Now, before you do something you may regret, I think me and Michelle are going to take off."

"NO!  Oh god no!  Please don't!"  Michelle pleaded as Chris pulled her over towards the front door. "PLEASE!"

Helplessly Marty watched as Michelle fought to break free of the guy's hold.  This just couldn't be happening.  Not now.  Not when he was so close to rescuing her from the nightmare she had been living in for the last few months.

"Well, I'd like to say it was nice meeting you man, but actually.....it wasn't.  Now if you don't mind, I'd like you to turn around and face the wall. I can't risk you messing this up for me."

Fearing that meant the worst for Marty, Michelle began to desperately fight back. She wasn't about to just stand by and watch him hurt Marty.

"No!  NO!!  Get off of me!!"  she yelled, furiously swinging at Chris and thrashing about hoping to break free.  Unfortunately, all that did was anger Chris and he wasn't about to let her get away with it. He still had at least a twenty minute trip to make with her and she needed to know that he wouldn't put up with any bullshit.

Quickly grabbing her by the back of her hair, Chris forcefully pulled her over to him and stared directly in to her eyes

"Honey, if you think the shit you went through with Wade was bad, you just keep it up.  I'll show you just how much a body can physically endure before it gives up........and love every minute of it." he said, lustfully licking his bottom lip.

Seeing the fire in his eyes, the likes of nothing she had ever seen before, she took his words seriously and slowly tried to calm herself down.  If anything had the potential to turn in to something bad, it was this.

"Now...where were we?  Oh yeah, I remember.  Turn your ass around!"  Chris said, motioning towards Marty with his gun.

Hesitantly Marty turned and faced the wall behind him.  He knew that it could very well be the end of him, but at that point his only concern was preventing any more harm to Michelle.  He thought if he complied, it would make things easier. It was all he could really do to help her right now.

"Smart guy."  he said, tightening his grip on Michelle as he proceed to walk over to where Marty was standing. 

Then in one swift motion, Chris brought the butt end of the gun up and forcefully struck Marty in the back of the head, dropping him to the ground almost instantly.

"Marty!!  NO!!!!!!!!!!!"

Seeing Marty collapse right before her very eyes scared her more than she could even say. Clearly Chris was on a mission and nothing or no one was going to stand in his way.

"Now let's go.  Like I said before, there's some unfinished business that needs to be taken care of."

Now in a trance from complete fear, Michelle stood there and just stared at the now bright red puddle collecting on the carpet beside Marty's head.

After quickly stuffing the gun back inside the wasitband of his jeans, Chris grabbed a hold of Michelle's arm and pulled her over to the door.

"I said let's go!" 

Fearing that she would meet the same fate as Marty, or worse if she didn't listen, Michelle allowed Chris to escort her down to his car without incident.  She never would have thought that seeing Wade would be a good thing, but this guy terrified her and she wanted to get away from him as fast as she could.  His demeanor was just chilling.

Once they reached the parking lot, Chris unlocked the door and pulled it open.

"Get in."

Slowly sliding in to the sportscar, Michelle kept her eyes straight ahead and tried to avoid any further confrontations with him.

"Don't do anything stupid now.  You hear me?"

Only nodding her head in acknowledgement of his comment, Michelle remained motionless as he slammed her door shut and made his way around to the drivers side.

After getting inside, Chris reached over to the glove compartment and as he did, his hand slightly grazed over her thigh causing her to jump.

"Don't worry baby.  That's not what I have in mind.  At least not right now." he laughed, giving her body a quick once over. "I'm just the delivery guy."

Squeezing her eyes shut in an effort to pull herself together, Michelle heard the glove compartment click shut and an all too familiar sound echoed through the car.

Before she could even think about what was about to happen, the feel of cold metal wrapped around one of her wrists and clamped shut.

"Purely for safety reasons.  I don't want to be driving down the road and have you try to pull some stupid shit." he said, slipping the other end of the handcuff through the door handle before forcefully clamping it down around her other wrist.

After wincing at the pain from how tight he had fastened them, Michelle looked over at him and hoped that the look on her face would cause him to loosen them.  Unfortunately, she quickly realized by the smile on his face that he had done it intentionally. 

"I happen to think pain and pleasure go hand in hand." he said, starting up his car.  "Enjoy it." 

Letting out a soft sigh, Michelle leaned her head against the window and closed her eyes once again.  It was a nightmare for her all over again.  Just this time a different person....different place.

Chapter 105

Once Wade pulled in to his driveway, he quickly jumped out, headed in to the house and down to his office.  He knew that Chris would be calling soon and lord knows he was eager to find out if Marty had been as stupid as he thought and took her back to her apartment.

"Now, where the hell did I put it?"  Wade mumbled, as he pulled out several drawers of his desk.  "I know it's here somewhere."

As he moved a few loose papers, Wade saw the small container in the back corner and smiled.

"There you are."  he said, reaching in to the drawer as he sat down. 

After clearing off a spot on his desk, Wade emptied a small amount of powder on the desk and opened yet another drawer.  He knew that a long time ago that drawer had brought him comfort on many a troubled night and if truth be told....in the back of his mind he knew he would visit it again.  That's why he never even bothered to clean it out.

Looking down at the black box in the bottom of the drawer, he suddenly realized that the one thing he hoped wouldn't happen....had.  Thinking to himself that his use the other day was going to be a one time thing was obviously a mistake.  Although slightly dishearted that he was now on a road he didn't really want to be on, he knew that there wasn't anything he could do about it now.  What was done...was done.  This is what he chose.

After flipping the box open, Wade grabbed a small straight razor fastened to the side and began to cut the powder in to two small lines.

"No turning back now."  he said, as he grabbed the small glass straw and placed in to his nose.  Leaning forward, Wade aligned the end to a line of powder on the desk and inhaled quickly.  Feeling the burn almost instantly, Wade dropped the tube down to the table and wiped his nose.

"God damn!" 

Leaning back in his chair, Wade instantly began to feel the effects of the drug and wondered why he had ever given the stuff up.  This is what he had needed since the beginning of his relationship with Michelle.  If he would have had it back then, she wouldn't have even entertained the idea about being with Justin.  One outburst after taking this stuff would have surely kept her in line.

"Ok, one down.....one to go."  he said, picking up the straw and once again lining it up with the powder.  "Hope this one goes a little smoother." 

After letting out a sigh and trying to clear his now blurry vision, Wade inahled the second line of powder, but this time dropped the glass to the floor and squeezed both hands against his temples.

"FUCK!"

Feeling even more burning this time around, he quickly got up and started to pace the room.  Obviously when he told Chris to get him the good stuff, he didn't spare any expense. 

As Wade tried to pull himself together and calm down, his cell phone started to ring in his pocket.  Knowing that it was probably Chris, Wade quickly pulled it out and flipped it open.

"Hello?"  he said, half gasping as he buckled over.

"Man, what the hell are you doing?" 

"Just getting a quick pick-me-up."  he said, slowly trying to straighten himself up. 

Laughing, Chris had a feeling he knew exactly what he meant.  The first time he used any cocaine from this distributor, he experienced the same thing.  The stuff was definetely potent.

"Perfect kind of candy for someone with a sweet tooth, huh?" 

"I'll say."  Wade said, wiping his nose once again. "You sure know the difference between that everday shit and the good stuff, don't you?" he said, rather impressed.

"That I do.  Jackson actually found this guy a few months ago running shit up from Columbia and business had been pretty damn good.  Dealing top quality to LA's elite is very good for business on my end."

"I can imagine.  Hell, consider myself one of your new customers man."  he laughed. 

"Already do."  Chris laughed back.  "Anyway, I swung by your little lady's apartment."

"And?"

"She was there with some dude.  Neither one of them were too pleased to see me, but then again I can't say I blame them.  I have a way of making people feel really uncomfortable.  Especially when I'm waving a loaded gun at them."

"What?"

"Yeah, you should have saw the look on her face when she came downstairs and saw me standing there.  Classic kodak moment man."

"No, back it up a minute."

"What do you mean back it up a minute?"  Chris asked, not caring for the tone in Wade's voice.

"You said she was there with someone.  You know this....how?"  Wade asked, turning off the light in his office and heading back in to the livingroom.

"I went up there."

"You went up to her apartment?"

"Yeah.  I figured if she was there, why waste the opportunity."

Not liking what he was hearing, Wade began to grow rather annoyed as he sat down on the sofa.

"Wait, you went up to her apartment?!  When did I say I wanted you to do that Chris?!  All you were susposed to do was check to see if she was there.  Not go up to her damn apartment!  I don't recall that being part of the plan."

"So, I guess you're not going to be too happy with the fact that I took her out of there then, huh?  Because that wasn't part of the plan either."  he said, sarcastically.  "I thought I was doing you a favor!"

"Wait!"  Wade said, quickly standing up.  "YOU DID WHAT?!"

"You heard me!"

"Where is she at Chris?"  Wade asked, the tone of his voice cold as ice.

"Don't worry.  She's not going anywhere.  She's under lock and key."

"THAT'S NOT WHAT I ASKED CHRIS!  WHERE THE FUCK IS SHE?!"

Now growing furious that Wade wasn't as appreciative as he expected for his favor, Chris pulled the car over and threw it in park.  He never took shit from anybody and he certainly wasn't going to start now.

"WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM MAN?!  I THOUGHT I WAS DOING YOU A FAVOR!"

"Whatever.  Just bring her to my house." 

"Whoa.  Hold up.  I do you a favor and you jump all over my ass for it.  Now you think I am just going to jump through hoops and chauffeur her ass to you?"

"I'm not kidding Chris.  You better have her here in fifteen minutes or else!"  he growled.

"The feisty little thing put up a good fight though. With a temper like that, I can see why you're so fond of her." Chris said, completely changing the subject.  "Maybe I should just keep her for myself.  After all, if she's that rebellious in bed, it could be quite interesting." Chris said, running a hand up her thigh.

"GET OFF OF ME!"  Michelle yelled, trying to move her leg away from him. 

"You better keep your hands off her man!  I'm not kidding!"

"Just my hands?" 

"I'M TELLING YOU WHAT CHRIS, DON'T FUCK WITH ME!"

"What?  What was that?  You're breaking up." Chris snickered.

"I'M SERIOUS CHRIS!!  YOU BETTER THINK THIS THROUGH.  DON'T DO SOMETHING STUPID!!"

"Sorry man, I can't hear a thing your saying.  Me and Michelle will have to call you back later." he said, pulling back on to the road.

"CHRIS!!"

The next thing Wade knew, Chris had hung up on him.  Laughing to himself, Wade knew that this was about to get really ugly, really fast.  If Chris thought he was going stand by and allow him to play games with him, he had another thing coming.

"WHERE IN THE HELL DOES HE GET OFF!" Wade yelled, quickly grabbing his keys from the table and heading out the door. "ME AND MICHELLE WILL CALL YOU BACK MY ASS!  YOU JUST MADE THE BIGGEST MISTAKE OF YOUR LIFE MAN."
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Once Justin arrived at Michelle's apartment, he parked beside Marty's truck and headed up the stairs.  He knew that things were going to be awkward between him and Michelle.  He just hoped that she would at least let him explain why he acted the way he did at the club.

As Justin got closer to Michelle's apartment, he noticed that the door was slightly open and cautiously moved closer.  When he didn't hear anything coming from inside, he placed his hand on the door and slowly pushed it open.  Immeadiately Justin saw Marty laying face down on the carpet and ran inside.

"Jesus Christ!  Marty!"

After rushing over to where Marty was laying, Justin quickly pulled out his cell phone and dialed 911.  He knew by the looks of his friend that he was in bad shape and needed medical attention immeadiately. 

"Yes, I need you to send an ambulance to the Hillhurst Valley apartments number 1027, right away!  What?  No, he is unconscious. Ok, hold on."  he said, quickly scanning the room for anything he could use to stop the bleeding. 

Seeing the suitcase at the bottom of the stairs, Justin quickly ran over and grabbed it 

"No, I don't know what happened.  When I got here, the door was open and I saw him laying here."  he said, pulling out one of Michelle's shirts to apply pressure to the back of Marty's head.  "Look, just hurry up and send them. I have to.............no, I can't stay on the line.  Just send them!"

"Hold on Marty.  There coming."  Justin whispered down at Marty, his voice shaky and unsteady.

Hearing the sound of Justin's voice, Marty slowly started to come around.  He knew that he had to let Justin know that someone had taken Michelle and that she was in danger. 

"J?"

Glancing down at his friend, Justin quickly realized that in fact Marty was now conscious.

"Just hold man.  Help is on the way."

"J, you have to find Michelle." he said, grabbing the back of his head and rolling on to his side.

"Marty, try not to move."

"I'm fine."

"Well you have a pretty nasty cut back there.  I called an ambulance so just sit still until they get here."  Justin said, crouching down. "What the hell happened?!"

"I sent her upstairs to pack a few things and while I was waiting for her to come back downstairs, someone knocked on the door.  I called up to her to see if she wanted me to answer it, but she couldn't hear me.  I looked though the peephole and when I saw it wasn't Wade, I opened it up.  That's when he pulled a gun on me and asked where Michelle was." 

"Wait a minute.  It wasn't Wade?"

"No."

"Who the hell was it?"  Justin asked, now in a panic.

"I don't know man.  I've never seen the guy before.  She obviously knew him though, because she recogonized him when she came down the stairs."

"This just doesn't make any sense.  Why in the hell would someone come in at gunpoint looking for her?"

"Wade." 

"Wade?"

"Yeah.  This guy was sent by him.  He told her that there was some unfinished business between her and Wade and that he was there to make sure things got resolved or something."

"Are you kiddng me?!"

"I wish I was.  I mean, this guy had bad news written all over him and like our friend Wade, he didn't hesitate to put his hands on her. I was afraid that I would just make things worse for her.  There just wasn't anything I could do."

Removing his baseball cap, Justin ran his hands through his hair a few times and then pulled it back down.  Clearly this isn't what he had expected to be dealing with when he was on his way to her apartment. Now she was even worse off and they didn't have the first clue on where to start looking for her.  How in the hell had things been so bad without him knowing what was going on. 

"Look, this isn't your fault.  We'll find her."

Hearing the sound of people walking down the hall, Justin turned around and saw two paramedics making there way inside the apartment.

"Sir, can you back up please."  the paramedic said, kneeling down next to Marty.

"Sorry."  he said, moving out of the way.  "Are you going to be alright?"

"Yeah.  Just go find her J."

After seeing that Marty was in good hands, Justin headed down the hall and out to the parking lot.  If he was going to find Michelle, he needed help.  In his mind, what better source than the man calling all the shots.

Pulling his cell phone from his pocket, Justin flipped it open and dialed Wade's number.  Surprisingly, after only a few rings he answered it.

"YOU BETTER BE ON YOUR WAY BACK WITH HER CHRIS!!" 

"Excuse me?" 

Realizing that the voice on the other end wasn't Chris's, Wade quickly glanced down at the caller ID again and realized he misread the number. 

"Man, don't fuckin call my cell again.  YOU GOT ME?!"

After mentally scolding himself for jumping the gun, Wade flipped his phone shut and tossed it on the seat beside him. 

"Hello?  Hello?"

Looking down at his phone, Justin saw that Wade had ended the call and just shook his head with frustration.  However, in that short period of time, Wade gave him a very important piece of information. Now he just needed to figure out exactly who Chris was before things got any worse. 

Chapter 106

"Looks like there's been a change of plans."  Chris said, turning towards Michelle and winking.  "Seems as if my little acquisition of you has upset your boyfriend.  Guess I'm going to have to find something else to do with you." 

"How about stopping this car and letting me out!"

"Now why in the hell would I do that?  I mean, come on now.  I'm sure we can find something fun to do while we wait for Wade to calm his ass down."

"I'm sure we can't." she said, quickly growing uncomfortable with the way he was looking at her.

"Well, we'll just see about that." he said, shifting gears as he sped up.  "You like to live on the edge Michelle?  Walk that thin line between doing what you know is right and doing what feels right?"

Noticing that this guy was getting some sort of thrill from watching her reactions, Michelle tried to take a deep breath and relax.  He was clearly trying to break her down simply for a good laugh.

"Sure.  Doesn't everyone?"  she replied, lying through her teeth. 

"Actually, no.  That's the sad thing.  See, I happen to think that the more dangerous something is, the greater the rush." he said, pressing down on the clutch and shifting gears once again.  

After looking down at the speedometer, Michelle began to panic.  For someone driving around with a girl handcuffed to his car and a gun under the seat, you would think he would have been a little more cautious and law abiding, but he wasn't. He didn't care about anything or anyone but himself.  It was like he thought he was untouchable. It was at that point that she knew the guy was completely insane.  

"Do you want me to slow down?"  he asked, turning to face her.  "If so, all you have to do is tell me."

Feeling as if she was being tested, Michelle just sat there and said nothing.  It was obvious to her what he was doing.  She had walked the same path with Wade many times.  He just wanted her to tell him to slow down so he could tell her no. This was a full blown power trip for him and she knew it.

"Michelle? Do you want me to slow down?"  he said, coldly glancing over at her.  "No, wait.  Maybe you want to go a little faster.  Is that it?"  he said, shifting gears one more time.

Now fearing for her safety, Michelle had no choice but to speak up.  This was getting out of control.

"No!  Slow down!  Please!"  she said, tears filling her eyes.

Letting off of the accelerator, Chris slowed down and after a few more blocks turned down a residential street.

"See how easy that was?"  he laughed. 

"Fuck you!"  she snapped back, fear quickly turning in to anger over the game he was playing with her. 

"Aww, how sweet.  We've known each other for such a short period of time and already you are offering yourself to me.  Did Wade get it that easy too?"

Biting her bottom lip to keep herself from saying anything more, Michelle turned the other way and looked out the window as he laughed.  He was right.  They had know each other for only a short period of time, but in that time she grew to despise everything about him.  Especially the smug grin he now had plastered across his face.

After a few minutes, Chris pulled in to the driveway of a house and parked his car.

"Ah, home sweet home." he said, as he turned off the ignition and began searching his keys for the one to unlock the handcuffs. "You know, someone once told me that life is what you make it.  Might be something to think about while you're in my house."

Once Chris removed the handcuffs, he slid them in his back pocket.

"Just in case." he said, offering her a sinister smile as he got out of the car.

As Michelle watched him walk around the back of the car, she knew that this would probably be the only opportunity she was going to get to get away.  After locking her door, Michelle quickly slid across the center console of the car and over to the drivers seat.  She knew the second Chris bent down to open her door that she needed to make a run for it.

"Let's go my dear, time's a wasting."  he said, grabbing a hold of the door handle and pulling it open. 

Seizing the moment, Michelle threw the drivers side door open and jumped out.  Before Chris could realize what was going on, Michelle was almost at the end of the driveway.

"You little bitch!"

Knowing he wouldn't be able to get to her before she reached the street, Chris ran back around to the drivers side of his car and jumped in.

"So, this is how you want to do things?"  he said, starting up his car.  "Fine by me.  We'll play your way." 

After putting the car in reverse, Chris looked back over his shoulder and stepped on the gas.  He was determined to get her before she even made it to the end of his property.  

Sharply cutting the wheel as he exited his driveway, Chris was now ready to take off down the street and enjoy every minute of this cat and mouse game.

"Man this brings back memories." he said, shifting the car back in to drive and heading the street after Michelle. "I actually kinda miss it."

As Chris got closer, he quickly scanned the houses around him to make sure he didn't have an audience watching the events unfold before them.  This needed to go down with as little witnesses as possible.

After stopping a few feet ahead of her, Chris threw his car in park and jumped out.  He knew by the look in her eyes when she saw him coming that she wasn't going to come quietly.  That just made it that much more fun for him.  He always loved a good fight.

"Where you going baby girl?"  

"GET AWAY FROM ME!!  I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU COME ANY CLOSER I'M GOING TO SCREAM!"

"Who do you think is going to hear you?  I don't see anyone around." he said, looking to each side of the street.  "Do you?"

As she continued to back away from him, Michelle noticed in fact that he was right.  The neighborhood was eerily silent and the only people that appeared to be on the street were them. 

"WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?!"

Not answering her question, Chris suddenly began grinning ear to ear.  Little did she know that Chris's best friend and business partner had just walked up behind her.

"Need some help man?"

Hearing a voice come from over her shoulder, Michelle quickly spun around.

"Not that I'm not happy to see you man, but where the hell did you come from?"  Chris said laughing.

"Your house.  I was dropping some stuff off inside when I saw the little fiasco in the driveway. So, do you need some help?"

"Actually....yeah.  See Michelle here doesn't enjoy my company.  Problem is, I can't let her leave and she is really starting to piss me off."

"You want me to take her back to the house?" he said, draping his arm over her shoulder.  

"Yeah man.  Take her ass back up there for me."  Chris growled, staring her down.

After shaking his head, Chris straightened his clothes out and headed back to his car.  He couldn't believe that this innocent looking little thing was giving him this much trouble. 

"Man!" Jackson said, turning to face Michelle.  "You see that right there." he said, pointing out the fact that Chris had just slammed his door. "That tells me that you're in some serious shit.  What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything!  I don't even know why I'm here!"  she said, almost begging for some sort of sympathy from him. "Please, just let me go!"

"Sorry, but I can't do that.  If Chris says he wants you back at the house, then that's where you are going.  You know, to be honest, I think it would be in your best interest if you just head back to the house with me anyway.  I hate watching Chris handle things his way.  He tends to be a little hostile, if you know what I mean."

As Chris drove back past them, he gritted his teeth and signaled for Jackson to get her back to the house.  He hadn't expected to get this fired up because of her, but now that he had, it was driving his crazy.  This wasn't something he was used to dealing with.

"Look, a word of advice.  Work with him, not against him.  It goes a lot better that way."

"What the hell are you talking about?!"  she yelled, as Jackson escorted her back up the driveway.

"Here ya go."  he said, giving her a slight push over to where Chris was anxiously waiting.  "What happened with this one?  Couldn't pay her tab?"

"No, this one isn't even mine!"  he said, grabbing Michelle by the back of her neck and bending her over the hood of the car as she screamed out.  "This is Robson's little bitch!" he said, quickly forcing her arms behind her back and fastening them with the handcuffs he pulled from his back pocket.

"Wait a minute. Robson?  Wade Robson?"  

"Yeah."  Chris replied, pulling her back up by her hair.  "Nice piece of ass, don't ya think?"  he said, checking her out once again.  "He sure knows how to pick them."

"Chris!  Are you fuckin crazy?!"

Offering Jackson a look of disbelief for making such a statement, Chris just tightened his grip on Michelle and proceeded to walk her up to the house.

"Chris?"

"What?"  he replied, opening the front door.

"Seriously.  Are you crazy?!"

"Wade knows I have her."

"And he is alright with that?"  Jackson said, following them inside.  "Even with the history between you two?"

"Well, I wouldn't necessarily say that, but there's really not much he can do about it right now, now is there.  Besides, he doesn't even know where the hell I live."  he said with a slight chuckle, as he walked over to a bookcase at the end of the livingroom and sat his keys down.

"Here.  This is for the shit you dropped off.  Make sure you take that other batch over to the club too."

"Yeah, no problem."  he said, as he stuff the wad of cash in to his front pocket.  "What are you going to do with her though?"  

"Why do you care?"  he asked, grabbing the set keys back off of the shelf. 

"I don't.  I was just asking."  

"Well don't."

After Chris removed the handcuffs, he shoved Michelle down on to the sofa.

"Don't fuckin move!"

Rubbing her wrists, Michelle sat there teary eyed and stared up at Jackson.  She could tell by the look on his face that something was about to go down.  Something he was clearly uncomfortable with, yet too afraid to speak up about.  Why was he so afraid of Chris?  Was he really that bad?

"Is there anything else?"  Chris asked, as he moved in front of Michelle so that Jackson could no longer make eye contact with her.

"No man.  That's it.  I just wanted to drop the stuff off."

"Well you did.  So now you can go."

After quickly showing Chris his disappointment with what was about to happen, Jackson grabbed a small bag beside the table and headed out the door.  He knew without a doubt what Chris had in mind for Michelle.  He had witnessed the cruelty many times before with other girls and had never been able to do anything about it. This time however, things were going to be different.  He knew how to stop it.

Once he was inside his car, Jackson backed out of the garage and pulled his cell phone from his pocket. 

"Come on.  Think.  Think.  What the hell was the number!"  

As he headed to the club, he knew he was running out of time. He had to rack his brain for the one piece of information he needed before it was too late.   Then, in a flash, it finally hit him.  

"Man, please answer your phone."  he said, as he dialed a number and place it to his ear.  

After a few rings, Jackson let out a sigh of relief when he answered.  He just hoped there was still enough time to stop it.  He couldn't live with himself if he let it happen again.

"Hello?"

"Is this Wade?"

"Yeah."  Wade replied, slight cautious. "Who's this?"  

"Look, I just wanted to let you know that your girlfriend is at 1554 Willowbrook Lane, but you need to get there before it's too late."

"Too late for what?"  Wade asked.  "MAN, WHO IS THIS?!"

Before Wade could even say anything else, Jackson had hung up.

After a few seconds of trying to get past the sheer confusion about who had called him, Wade tossed the phone down on the seat and turned around.  Willowbrook Lane was at least a good ten minutes away without traffic and he was beginning to get worried.

"What the hell did he mean before it's too late? He wouldn't be that stupid, would he?"  Wade asked himself, his heart now racing with the thoughts filling his mind.  "No. He's done a lot of stupid things in his life, but he wouldn't be that stupid.  Not with her."

Grabbing his phone back off of the seat, Wade dialed the number to Chris's cell phone and placed it to his ear.

"You better pick up the phone Chris." Wade said, nervously tapping his fingers on the steering wheel.

After a few rings with no answer, it kicked in to voicemail and Wade's heart just sank. 

"I can't believe this is happening."  Wade said, concern apparent in his voice.  

Flipping his phone shut, Wade tossed it on the seat once again and stepped on the gas.  He was beginning to get a really bad feeling about this and there wasn't anything he could do about it until he got there.  He just prayed that he wasn't right.