The Cunning

68

"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.

"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 since the showing, three days ago. He'd barely slept in the last 72 hours and it showed.

"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, and 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 where a little pile of white powder waited on a set of scales.

Three hours later, he was passed out in the bedroom.

Madison was staring at him. 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 for and if she would be able to keep applying pressure when he struggled until his movements grew sluggish. She backtracked. Once she was done with him, she'd have to get past the others, and a pillow wasn't exactly the best weapon of choice. She looked to his pockets. His switchblade was in the back of his jean pocket, out of reach.

As she contemplated out of the box methods to murder him, his phone started to ring, breaking the silence. He didn't move. The muffled Nokia ringtone played out underneath him.

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

"Hello?" he answered. His voice 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, at 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 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 so brazenly. 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 he did this with scorched Madison's pride, the fact he was laughing the whole time was just the twist of the knife. "Careful Mads, you might turn me on."

"You're sick," she seethed.

Jase shrugged, "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 out of 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." He climbed off, leaving her shaking with anger, smiling at the sound of the pillow hitting the door when he closed it.

Sam looked up when Jase walked into the kitchen.

"You weren't asleep for long," he said, pushing the daily paper 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."