The Cunning (18+)

43

"They planted a bomb in the entrance!" Ramon screamed down the phone. "Get it sorted, right fucking now." He hung up. Jase groaned, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

"He sounded pissed," Sam mumbled. Jase looked at him with half-lidded eyes. It had been a month since the pub burning. He'd assumed Mitch had gone into hiding and they had heard the last of him.

"He's just had to close the club thanks to McKinney destroying the front hallway, so yeah, he's a little fucking tilted, Sammy."

"Has anyone died?" Janine asked. She was lying across Sam's lap on the sofa, playing with the ends of her hair. Jase stared at her.

"What the fuck are you even doing down here? Fuck off." She rolled her eyes, heading up to her bedroom. Since the dynamics between Jase and Madison had changed, the energy in the house had been chaotic, to say the least. Jase had been on a coke-bingeing rampage for the past three days, hadn't slept in over 48 hours and it showed in every way imaginable.

"What are we going to do?" Sam asked. Jase puffed his cheeks out, thinking.

"Well, I'm either going to do more coke or no more coke, I haven't decided yet. Then I guess we'll figure something out."

Sam shook his head, "I do not envy that come down."

"Things can't exactly get much worse," Jase mumbled, taking his bank card out and sitting back at the table with a set of scales and a small pile of white powder.

Three hours later, he passed out in the bedroom. It was the first time he had slept in the bed since the night before Toby, the man after little girls. Madison didn't see much of him at all anymore, confined to her room when she wasn't in the bathroom.

She had been asleep when he entered. She wasn't sleeping anymore, staring over him as he slept. She looked at the pillow and wondered how easy it would be to hold it over his face. How long she'd have to hold it and if she would be able to keep applying pressure when he struggled. She backtracked. Once she was done with him, she'd have to get past the others, and a pillow wasn't exactly her weapon of choice. His switchblade was in his back jean pocket, out of reach. And that was only useful if she managed to kill him with a pillow.

As Madison contemplated methods to murder him, Jase's phone started ringing. He didn't move. The muffled Nokia ringtone played out underneath him.

"Jase." She nudged him. He grumbled. "Your phone is ringing." Without opening his eyes, he pulled it out and held it up to his ear.

"Hello?" he answered. His voice was rough and thick with sleep. Madison would have found it attractive if she didn't have to grit her teeth every time she looked at him and refrain from trying to end his life. "Yeah, tonight. About eight," Jase said into the phone, rubbing his stubble. "Alright mate, see you later." He hung up, placing his phone on the nightstand. Madison was still staring at him when he eventually opened his eyes. "What?" he asked, yawning.

"I thought about killing you in your sleep," she said bluntly. The confession shocked even her, she hadn't meant to think out loud. To her surprise, Jase burst out laughing.

"You're fucking adorable," he said. His mocking triggered her, and without giving herself the chance to back out, she made to snatch the pillow. Jase was too fast, grabbing her wrists and throwing her down under him. The ease with which he did this scorched her pride, the fact he was laughing the whole time was the twist of the knife. "Careful, you might turn me on."

"You're sick," she seethed.

Jase shrugged. "So I've been told. Being raised by a whore definitely skews your view on women and the world," he admitted as if it were nothing.

"Fuck you," she growled, trying to pull her wrists from his iron grip. He smiled that predatory smile, flexing his strength and tightening his hold, leaning into her ear.

"Wear something nice tonight and maybe, maybe I'll make sure none of those nasty men put their hands on you again." He climbed off her, smiling at the sound of the pillow hitting the door on his way out.

Sam looked up when Jase walked into the kitchen.

"You weren't asleep for long," he said, pushing the newspaper away—still no articles on Madison. Jase pulled out the chair opposite, looking a little too happy considering the news Ramon gave them that morning. Sam narrowed his eyes. "What's Madison done now?" he asked. Jase hummed a little chuckle.

"She just tried to smother me with a pillow."

Sam's brows shot up, three lines etched into his forehead. "Seriously?"

Jase nodded, lighting a cigarette and leaning back in his chair with something wild in his smile. "Gotta love her spirit."

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