The Cunning

106

It wasn't until the party had been going on for a few hours that Madison showed up. Janine had to double-take, expecting her to look withered and drained. After everything with Adam, Charlie, and now Jase, it caught her off-guard to see Madison walk in with her head held high, her makeup applied with beautiful precision, and an attitude that simply radiated off her. She was in one of Jase's t-shirts and a pair of black tights in place of leggings. The t-shirt was long enough to guard her modesty but leaving little to the imagination was a perilous risk given the attendees of the party and her past encounters with the likes of them.

There was a sense of solemn pride breeze through Janine, sadness adorned with admiration for Madison's unwavering dedication to refuse to let anyone think, or at least see, they had got the better of her. Even in her last days, she presented herself as fearless. Janine swallowed the lump growing in her throat; she was going to miss Madison more than anyone she had lost before.

Jase didn't acknowledge her presence as she took her place by his side, feigning engrossment in whatever spiel Tommy was reeling off. Madison didn't tune into the conversation, grazing the room and wondering who there might feed things back to Mitch. It wasn't plausible that the men knew everything about everyone that attended these parties, anyone could be an enemy. To her, they all were. A sharp whistle called for her attention from the other end of the table, Jase's head turned, too.

"Hey, Jase, if she's getting sent on her way, how much for a go before she leaves?" The question had come from someone who frequented their parties. He'd always hovered around the table, waiting to be invited into the group and offered a chair. He'd obviously got there early to nab himself one that night. Madison visibly recoiled at the man. He couldn't have been far off Jase's age with a rounded jaw and a roman nose and facial stubble that didn't connect properly at the corner of his mouth.

"Fuck off," Madison told him, rolling her eyes. Jase chuckled, lighting a cigarette and taking a drag as he leaned back in his seat. He looked Madison up and down, frowning and tilting his head left and right as if pondering a price.

"At least £250," he replied. The other man burst into laughter.

"Piss off! Not unless I can take her home." Jase reached over, tucking Madison's hair behind her ear. She pulled away, scowling at him.

"Aw, come on, Chris. She's worth it, I know from experience." He winked at her and it seemed to send Madison over the edge, her hand flying out towards Jase's cheek. He was too fast, grabbing her wrist and squeezing, drawing out a short cry from her parted lips. "Watch it, princess. This is nothing in comparison to where you're going."

"Fuck you," she seethed.

"Maybe one more time before you get picked up if you're lucky." He released his grip with a shove. Madison cradled her wrist to her chest as the blood rushed back under her skin, aware of all the curious eyes that had witnessed the little spat.

"Are you okay?" Janine mouthed to Madison with a look of sympathy that made her feel pathetic. Madison gave a subtle nod, brushing the ordeal off. Jase was done looking weak, and that's how she made him appear to others, he was reasserting his dominance and it was her bad luck that she was the example he was using to do so. But she refused to look weak as well and Jase's threats wouldn't deter her from standing her ground.

A few moments later, someone touched her leg. From the smile on Chris's face, she didn't need three guesses to figure out who. He sat at the top of the table, to Madison's left. Their knees had knocked several times underneath but now his hand was creeping its way up her thigh, pulling her leg roughly so they opened. She said nothing, casually picking up one of Jase's empty beer bottles littering the table-top. Everyone else was too involved in drug-fuelled conversations to take notice, speaking fervently about people they didn't respect and sportsmen they didn't care for. The smash of glass and Chris slumping back soon caught their attention.

"For fuck sake!" Sam yelled. Jase's hooked his hands under her arms in seconds, violently wrenching her away from the table and dodging the jagged edges of the half bottle Madison was waving around blindly.

"Put the fucking bottle down," he barked, but she wouldn't listen, slashing a shallow cut into his bicep. Her shoulder ached as it took most of her weight when Jase reached after her wrist to stop her from doing any more damage with the bottle. He slammed the back of her hand into the edge of the table and the neck of the bottle rolled to the floor. Unarmed, Madison continued to fight, kicking and punching whilst Jase twisted her around, throwing her over his shoulder. "If you can't behave then you can go sit in time out," he said, purposefully condescending, knowing she felt powerless off the ground and carried like a toddler having a tantrum.

"You better hope they kill me where I'm going because if they don't, I'll kill you," she screamed at him, squirming uselessly, beating on his back.

"Whatever, Madison. Play time's over," he dropped her on the stairs. "Get the fuck upstairs, now!" Jase's throat burned from the sheer volume of his order. He stood over her, daring her to push her luck. She was breathless from the scuffle and didn't fancy her chances, following his demand with indignation and slamming the bedroom door.

The conversation was muted when he stepped back into the living room, all eyes cast in his direction. It took all of three seconds for the whispers to start, Jase caught snippets of it here and there on his way back to the table, the focal point being he must be bored of Madison. The girls slated her for ever being seen as special in the first place, the men made hushed comments about bending her over various things now Jase had his fill.

Kieran took Chris into the kitchen to get his head cleaned up, no one else had moved. Sam watched Jase, trying to gauge his temperament. He could only assume he'd argued with Madison prior to the party when he'd informed her of their plan. It wasn't like there was any other way to take it than badly and she had proven several times over that she wasn't one to go down without a fight.

Madison was behaving like a caged animal backed into a corner. She was panicking and acting out, causing as much trouble as she could before her departure. Her defiance had put Jase in a position where he'd had to choose between her and the house. It had probably both surprised and upset Madison that he'd chosen the house. He'd retracted his protection over her, her little stunt proving to everyone that he was no longer holding her hand.

"Tomorrow, we talk to Ramon and let him know she's going to Mitch. We'll organise a meeting here and he can take her." Jase said, picking up his cigarette packet.

The party shuffled back onto its axis shortly after, people adjusting quickly to the next thing to titter about. Apart from Jase, who still looked pretty pissed, flicking his switchblade open and closed. Sam studied his friend, hoping no one bothered him for the rest of the evening, for their sake. Madison had really pressed a button this time, there was no going back. Jase poked his tongue in his cheek, flicking the blade into the handle and standing up, leaving without a word.

Whatever he was planning to do, Sam didn't envy Madison.