Crash ~Justin Bieber~

Chapter 56 ~ White Roses

(Rachel's POV)

Salvador Dali said, "Let my enemies devour each other"

I understood this quote. It was a smart method and a sign of great strength. Why devour your enemies yourself when you can so easily turn them against each other? Why get your hands dirty?

Justin's stunt with the ex-cons had forced Tanner, Oliver and Blaine to turn against each other. They were angry and weak. They were fighting and hungry. It was only a matter of time before they began to eat away at each other and Justin's enemies would soon be gone.

But then Justin saved Blaine.

He took the weakest link and he made it the safest. The act was nice. It was kind. But it was by no means strategically smart.

By saving Blaine, Justin had allied Tanner and Oliver back together. They couldn't turn on each other now; their numbers were too small.

"Are you sure you can trust Blaine?"

Justin sat by me in Quinn's penthouse living room. Blaine was playing video games with Ben and Rob in front of us and the scene looked oddly normal.

"I don't need to trust him"

"Yes you do - by making him your friend you've made him strong again. How do we know that he's not going to backstab us?"

"Rache... Blaine is weaker as my friend then he was as my enemy"

"No, he's safer and better connected now"

"Because of me"

"Yes but..."

"That doesn't make him strong. That makes him safe"

"I don't get it..."

"Well think about it. If Blaine wants to fight someone now then he has to ask me first. If he wants to be friends with someone he has to run it by me first. I'll know what he's doing and when he's doing it...."

"So?"

"So he's completely dependent on me"

"Oh..."

"We can trust Blaine because Blaine can't even walk around this hotel without my help. He has no other options. He has to stay loyal to me"

I looked back over at Blaine and his darkened eyes. I wondered which was worse. Being beat up and free or being safe and Justin's property.

"That reminds me..." Justin scooted on the couch, "I still have to go through Blaine's phone..."

He moved a pillow onto my lap and then rested his head down to sleep.

"Can you do that thing..." he yawned, "That you did at ski trip?"

Justin always asked me to trace lines on his face like I had back at the ski house. It put him to sleep and it made him feel calm. I never said no. When we were close he let me ask questions. When we were close I found out information.

"Have you checked any of the phones..."

"Mmhm..."

I traced two loops around his eyes, "And?"

"Tanner's was disgusting... and Oliver's was blank..."

"Blank?"

"Yeah... it was cleared..."

"Oh"

"But it's okay..." he sighed, "I looked over Blaine's phone today.... He sent some emails to Oliver...."

My hands stopped dead, "He did..."

"Yeah... I'll read them later... I didn't have time to get into them..."