17. A Bullet For a Bullet

Hello, please vote! This chapter was fairly difficult for me to get just right. The plot is thickening :)

On a side note, I'm in Arizona for two weeks so that's why the update wasn't on time.

Enjoy!

17. A Bullet For a Bullet

"This sucks." I pouted, slumping in my seat as I crossed my arms, wishing the shaking in my hands would stop. "He's going to murder me."

"Don't be dramatic." Ashley stuck her tongue in my direction as she slowly drove her car down the drive. The house was in the distance, the overwhelming largeness of it only adding to the anxiousness I was beginning to feel. Jace was on our tail, revving his engine impatiently every so often. "Remember, don't give in."

"I'm not going to. The ass totally deserved it." I muttered, feeling my temper rise with every foot we got closer to the house. "I'm going to really lay it on him."

Ashley snickered, an amused expression settling on her face. "I'm sure you will. The only thing is that you just don't have the most threatening appearance." She giggled, clasping a hand to her mouth.

I turned to scowl at the blond. "What's that supposed to mean?"

She shook her head. "You're really short and you have these non-threatening puppy-dog eyes."

"That's not true!" I cried out, reaching over to smack her arm. "I'm five foot three!"

"Only proving my point." She shot me a pointed look. "I'm five inches taller than you."

The corners of my mouth turned down and I shut my eyes, slumping in the seat. "I don't need to intimidate him anyways. I just need to stand my ground and not let him push me around."

She chuckled, shooting me a pointed look. "And remember our bet? Keep that in mind."

Pulling in front of the house, Ashley quickly hopped out. "I'll let him retrieve you." She winked, strutting towards the front door after slamming her car door shut.

Mumbling curses towards Ashley, I waited, holding my breath and knowing that Jace would be opening my door in no time.

And sure enough, he was. He appeared, a furious look masking his face as he nearly tore the door off to get to me. "Get out," He snarled, jerking his head towards the house.

"Sir, yes, Sir!" I shouted, saluting him before I shoved myself out of the car. I immediately began to march towards where he had ordered me to, feeling his eyes burning two holes into my back. I could see the looks of amusement Jace's men had cast each other from the corners of my eyes.

"Not funny, Savannah." He muttered, moving to catch up with my quick strides before gripping my arm.

"Stop man-handling me." I swatted at his tight grip. "I'm perfectly capable of walking on my own. If you're so insistent on holding someone, go grab Layton. I'm sure he would be more than willing." I added, hiding my smirk behind the palm of my hand.

"Savannah," Jace hissed out, giving my shoulder a light shove so I stumbled through the doorway clumsily. "I don't enjoy your sense of humor."

"But, I do." I gave him a cheeky smile. Enjoying his expression of agitation far too-much, I let my mouth spread into a smug smile.

He only grunted, the stormy-look in his eyes deepening as his hand wrapped around my arm once again. He tugged me into the dining, his grip steel.

The people seated at the table didn't seem shocked to see us. I shot Ashley an annoyed glare at the sound of her tinkling laughs.

"Sorry, Mother, but you'll have to excuse us from dinner." Jace politely spoke to his mother, who was calmly sipping from a wine glass. Jace's gaze flickered to mine, his lips pulling down. "It seems that some people need to be punished for their actions."

"Ignore your son, I'll be down for dinner, Mrs. Kingston." I ignored Jace's words, sending him a dark glare, before sending a forced look towards the woman who seemed to loathe me.  "Jace may not want to attend, but I surely do."

His grip increased on my arm, becoming too tight. His muscles were strained, his posture tensed. "Savannah - shut your mouth."

"No." I disagreed, digging my heels into the ground when he began to pull me towards where the staircase was located. "I refuse."

"So disobedient..." Marc slowly shook his head from his place at the table. I shot him a menacing look, done with his attitude.

"Shut up,"

Needless to say, the man looked appalled before his anger sunk in.

"Jace-" Marc stood up, looking furious. "You need to-"

"This is not your business, Marc. Sorry for the interruption, please carry on with your meal." And with Jace's last words, he laced one of his arms around my torso, his free hand latching itself over my mouth to silence me. In this position, he clearly had the control, so I gave up struggling thirty seconds in.

I made a sound of annoyance when we reached the stairs and he slung me over his shoulder instead. "Is this really necessary?" I wondered out loud, wiggling uncomfortably.

He didn't reply and I rolled my eyes, knowing he was in a black rage. I could feel how tense his form was.

"So, what did you do today?" I asked nervously, wishing he would slow down so we wouldn't reach his dreaded bedroom as fast. The adrenaline that had been pumping through my veins had clearly worn off, leaving me with anxiousness bubbling in my stomach.

When he didn't answer, I scratched at my forehead. "Oh, that's nice..."

"Shut up," He commanded, one of his big hands reaching up to wrap around my calf.

"Can you put me down?" I ignored his command, poking his backside. "I won't try anything." I lied, forcing my voice to sound relaxed.

Obviously he didn't believe what I had preached because there was no response, he only tightened the hand draped on my leg.

"Let go," I demanded, nervousness building in me at the sight of his bedroom door. "I am fully capable of w- oof!"

"You dropped me!" I accused, rubbing at my backside as I let out a groan of pain. I glared at the man leaning over my form. "You can't just do that!"

"Just did, Babe." He harshly laughed, shoving the door open. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, jerking his head towards the room. "Go in,"

I stared up at him with a narrowed gaze. I could tell he would chase me if I attempted to run and that would get me nowhere. Leisurely, I picked myself up from my place on the floor, watching him carefully. He stood stone-still, his eyes never leaving me as I slowly inched past the man before darting into the room.

The door slammed, the lock clicking and I threw myself at the bed, burrowing myself into the blankets.

"Get up," He growled, tugging on the blankets threateningly. I didn't release my hold on them, instead rolling myself up like a burrito to avoid having to face him.

"You can't get me." I hissed, which was clearly muffled by the comforter. Obviously it didn't have the affect I was hoping it to because he rolled his eyes.

"This is childish. You are going to be punished for your actions." He shook the blanket and I could feel his overpowering strength threatening to rip it from my hold.

"Isn't this childish, as well?" I shot back, arching my eyebrow at him. "Punishing me?"

He ignored my words as he pondered something. "If you don't get out, I'll get my handcuffs and latch you onto the headboard." He nodded to the iron bars that would make that task easy for him to do so. I gulped nervously, tightening my grip on the handful of blanket in my fists.  Jace nodded to himself, as if satisfied by that plan. "I think that's what I'll-"

"No, you won't!" I cried, shooting out of the bed and smashing a pillow into his face. It seemed to daze him enough for me to start running towards the door, deciding that there was no way I was going to allow myself to be chained to a bed.

"Did you just hit me with a pillow?" He growled out, sounding quite annoyed as his footsteps echoed in my direction. I frantically wiggled the doorknob, which didn't open unsurprisingly. "Open!" I groaned, wiggling it frantically, though it was too late.

I whirled around to the approaching body, taking a step forward.

"Let me out!" I shoved a finger to his chest, before crossing my arms. "You can't keep holding me in places I don't want to be."

"Yes I can." Jace raged, stumbling closer to me as I frantically pressed myself against the door. "I can do whatever I want. Do you know how much money I have? The amount of power I have? More than you could ever wrap your head around. So yes, I can hold you wherever I'd like."

"I'm not some kind of object." I spat at him, my hands moving to rest on my hips. To say I was pissed would have been an understatement. "Just because you have money doesn't make you better than anyone."

Jace didn't reply, the fury in his eyes wanting made me want to shrink back, but my pride wouldn't let me.

"So, you think what you did today was okay? Sneaking out like that?" He questioned, leaning forward so his face was level with mine. "I thought you were trying to escape."

"Well, obviously I wasn't." I spat back, sarcasm beginning to leak into my tone. "Would I have gone with Ashley if I was? You also never specified that I was supposed to stay in the room, so you're in the wrong here." I pointed out, cocking my eyebrow at him.

He laughed out loud, though the sound wasn't one of entertainment, instead it was filled with bitterness. "Then maybe I should make it more clear for you. You don't go places without my permission, okay, Cupcake?"

"Don't call me that." I bit back in response, "I don't need your permission on what I can do or not. I'm twenty next week. I think I can make my own decisions."

"You're twenty next week?" That fact seemed to distract him as he leaned back suddenly, shock coloring his face. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I just did." I rolled my eyes. "And it doesn't even matter. Wouldn't you have known that about me from the background checks you took?"

"Of course it matters." His voice was strangely soft as the tension in the room wavered.

I forced myself to let out a snort, not wanting to be distracted by the look that had grown in his eyes. "Well it shouldn't matter to you."

His eyes narrowed. "I don't like your tone."

"You have to earn respect to get respect." I pointed out, running a hand over my hair. "And so far, you haven't been respectful to me."

"I wouldn't keep believing that." He snorted, rolling his eyes. "You'll never make it in a world like this if you do."

"I think you need a reality check." I snapped at him, resisting the urge to flip him off.

"I think you need to be quiet, before I chain you to the bed." He retorted, smirking when I frowned.

"That won't be happening."

"Think again, Babe."

"I'm leaving this house anyways." I levelled a challenging gaze on him. "I'm not staying here anymore."

"Stop it, Savannah." Jace darkly replied, pressing his hands on either side of the wall I was now pressed against. "You're acting stupid." His eyes rested on mine, as if he was searching for something.

Anger brewed in my stomach and I forced myself to exhale. The need to cause bodily harm to the man in front of me was growing with every second - it didn't matter that he was the leading illegal arms dealer globally, I wanted to slap him more than anything. "Get off." I crossed my arms defiantly.

"No," He cocked his eyebrow, almost as if he was testing me.

"I'm leaving," I spoke confidently, arching my own brow at him as I crossed my arms. "If you want to stay, by all means do so. Though, you will be calling me a cab to get me back to your penthouse. I refuse to stay here anymore."

His gaze turned calculating as he studied me. His warm breath washed over my face at how close we were.  His eyes narrowed slightly. "I don't have to do that, Savannah. I don't have to do anything you want. As soon as you realize that, your world will be a hell of a lot easier to understand."

I bit my lip, an idea suddenly occurring to me. I shut my eyes, praying that I wouldn't regret this anytime soon.

"Jace," I purred, taking a step closer to the man in front of me. "Are you sure you really want to go there?" I traced one finger down the side of his neck, licking my lips nervously.

His eyes immediately narrowed, suspicion written on every edge of his face. "Yes, Kitten. I really do."

I pursed my mouth, before I gave him a tiny little smile. I moved closer, tilting my head up innocently at him. "I just want to leave. You understand why, right?"

His suspicion had turned into confusion as he stared down at my wide eyes. I sunk my teeth into my lip, hoping I portrayed the picture of innocence. "It's not easy being here. You should understand that." I murmured, looking down at my bare feet.

Jace let out a noise in the back of his throat, his hand reaching out to press against the small of my back and I resisted the urge to smile. "You know that I won't let anything happen to you. I need to stay here to discover what my Father's plans are. You should understand that." He pressed, his free hand reaching to tilt my chin towards his.

I peeked up at him under my lashes, remembering what Ashley had advised me. I wasn't going to give up.

"Then, why don't you let me go stay at your penthouse with my babysitters and you can stay here for the remaining time? I think that would work perfectly." I smiled brightly up at him, hesitantly placing one of my palms flat against his chest. He tensed slightly, his eyes darkening as I trailed my hand down to settle just above his abs. "Don't you think?"

"Of course not," He finally forced out, clearing his throat. "You really think I would allow Linc, Duke, and Trevor to watch over you after the champagne incident? I don't think so." He pressed his hand flat against my back and I stumbled closer to him.

A girl's gotta do...

My teeth clenching together, I looped my arms around his neck and pressed my breasts flat against his chest. "Please, Jace?" I whispered, watching the arousal swirl in his eyes.

Jace's gaze fell to my lips and I resisted the urge to smile. I could see how much he was fighting it, how much he was resisting the urge to fall into his temptation. "I know what you're doing." He muttered, though he didn't release me from his tight hold.

"What am I doing?" I breathed back, our faces too close. I could see now that my plan could possibly backfire. His mouth was too close to mine, his warm breath washing over my face with every shallow breath he took. I could see the way his dark eyes were studying my lips and I could feel every inch of his muscled body against mine. But, most of all, I could feel the tingling in belly, the possibility that I would potentially lose myself in Jace once again.

Yes, my plan was dangerously close to failing.

"It's not going to happen." He gritted out forcefully, his icy-eyes moving back to stare into mine. "I'm not falling for your tricks or your temptation."

"I'm not pulling anything." I mutter, my heartbeat increasing.

"Really?" Jace gritted out, his breathing heavy as he stared down at me. "Because I don't think you would be doing this if you didn't have an ulterior motive. I didn't think you would whore yourself out."

My eyes narrowed and I forced myself not to react to his words. I didn't want to acknowledge the pain that hit my stomach at his words. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm leaving whether you want me to or not."

"Really?" He repeated, his mouth swooping down to press a single kiss against my jaw. "Are you sure about that?"

Abort mission! My mind screamed at me and I struggled to keep my eyes open and my thoughts clear. "Y-yes." I stuttered, forcing myself to plant my hands against his chest to gain some space from his distracting body, though to no avail. His arms stayed locked around mine.

"Really?" He repeated, his tongue drawing shapes on the side of my neck, the hand on my back slid lower. "You really want to leave?"

It was getting difficult to keep my head clear. My breathing had increased dramatically and I pressed my palms a little harder against his chest. "Of course. Now, if you'll excuse me..." I gasped when his teeth gently nipped at the base of my neck.

"You got yourself into this, Doll." He chuckled, one of his fingers tracing lightly up my arm. He pulled back slightly, one of his hands moving to play with the hem of my shirt. "No turning back now."

My teeth sunk into my lip as I watched him carefully.

Jace arched an eyebrow in my direction, his scent clouding my thoughts. "What do I get for taking you back to my penthouse?"

"How about what you won't get? You won't get a kick to the balls, as well as you won't get the stress of realizing that I've gone missing when I do leave."

His eyes remained flatly staring into mine. "That's not enough, Kitten, sorry."

I arched a brow at him. "So, then what?" With another idea hitting me, I trailed my finger over his tie, my hand slowly sliding lower. "What do you want?"

His eyes grew hooded, though they still remained wary. He leaned closer, his lips barely grazing my neck when he opened his mouth. "I want-"

Before I could over think it, I quickly put my plan into action.

I had his gun out from beneath his jacket in seconds. Shock had consumed his figure as I yanked myself away from his body and pointed the gun towards his face. "Are you going to listen to me now or not?"

To my disappointment, he didn't seem fearful. If anything, he just looked bored as he leaned against the wall, his eyes stoic as he crossed his arms. "Well played, Kitten, well played." His lips pressed together tightly. "You won't shoot me." His words were spoken confidently, his head tilting slightly as he met my gaze.

"What makes you think I won't?" My confidence wavered, the weapon suddenly feeling too heavy and too cold in my hand.

"I don't think you've ever held a gun before, much less shot someone with one. You won't be able to do it." He cocked his eyebrows at me. "You didn't plan this out well, did you?"

"Shut up," I gritted out and he took a calculated step in my direction. "Don't come any closer," I threatened, urging myself to at least take the safety off, but my body remained frozen.

"I've been surrounded by guns the entirety of my life, Savannah." Jace chuckled, his eyes growing black as he studied me. "I've faced them more times than I can count. I've even been shot."

My hand had begun to shake and his body was suddenly another step closer. I forced my arm to remain rigid, the gun still pointed at him.

"You won't shoot me." He repeated, his gaze unwavering. "Give me the gun."

"I will," I forced out, my teeth digging into my lip. "If you don't let me leave here I will."

He pursed his lips, shaking his head. "You won't. I know you, whether you want to believe it or not. And I know you're not the type of person who can fire a bullet into someone."

"What makes you think that?" I spoke, my voice barely above a whisper. "You could be wrong about me."

"I could be." He considered the thought, before he chuckled darkly. "But, I'm not. You're wasting my time. Put the gun down."

"I won't." I defiantly pressed, gripping the handle tighter.

"I've learned that in my work of trade, when you have a plan, you need to make sure you know what you're about to do. You need to know the steps from the beginning to the middle and to the end. You need to calculate risks and chances. You need to know that anything can happen, but you also need to know when you're in too deep." His stormy gaze flickered briefly to the weapon, before focusing back on my face. "And, Savannah? You're in too deep."

Knowing he was right, but not wanting to admit to it, I straightened my spine. "And if I do shoot you?" I pressed, wanting to scurry away from his wrath.

He chuckled, the sound causing chills to spread through my body. "Assuming I don't dodge it? Assuming I don't manage to get the gun out of your hands and turn it on yourself? Well, then Layton and Max will hear the shot, burst into this room and detain you. Then, you'll most likely be tortured." He flashed me a wide smile. "Assuming that I survive - which I always do," He winked, the heated look in his stare unnerving. "Then, they'll detain you and I'll figure out what I wish to do with you."

"Or," He continued. "You do shoot me and my father detains you. And it's clear that he harbors some serious hatred for you."

"But, before you make a choice, there is one more factor." Jace laughed suddenly and I jumped, shocked at the sound. "What I didn't mention, Savannah, is that you always must have a backup plan."

And then I found myself staring into the barrel of a gun.

My chest felt tight, but I didn't back down. An unreadable emotion flickered across his face and his posture remained tense. "Put the gun down, Savannah."

"No," I gritted out, not wanting to give in. I had made it this far, I sure as hell wasn't backing down. But, the sight of a game aimed at my face had me wanting to cower back.

"Put the gun down, Savannah." He repeated, his husky voice sounding strangely calm, which only increased his intimidation. He jerked his chin in my direction "Do you know what you're up against? I've been shooting guns my whole life. I've been in situations which are extremely dangerous, while this is the first time you've held such a weapon. So, who do you think will win?"

I could feel the pressure starting to get to me. "And what happens if I do set this gun down?" I whispered, a bead of sweat dripping down my temple. My hand was shaking so badly I couldn't keep it straight. "What happens now?"

He didn't answer, his eyes narrowed in my direction. "Put it down, Savannah. You don't want me to shoot you."

Knowing that I wouldn't be able to do it, I squeezed my eyes shut. "Take it then." I finally gritted out, "Just take it."

Jace did, moving quickly until he secured his hand around the neck and pulled it from my loose grip. My legs finally gave out and I sunk into a pile on the hard-wood floors. I cupped my face in my hands, willing myself to stop shaking and for no tears to fall. To say I was frustrated would be an understatement.

I heard him kneel next to me. He didn't say anything, though one of his large hands sliding across my expanse of back, almost hesitantly. I tensed under his touch and he froze, before his hand continued its path. "It's okay," He muttered, his other moving to brush my hair away from my face. "I wouldn't have shot you, Savannah. I wouldn't have."

"How is any of this okay?" I muttered, moving my face to gaze at him with watery eyes. "None of this is. I just pointed a gun at you and you just pointed one at me."

He didn't reply, his mouth pulled down into a slight frown. His thumb reached out to quickly catch the single tear that had fallen from my eye. "I know you didn't mean that. You wouldn't have shot me."

"You don't know that." I let out a bitter laugh, crossing my arms around my torso.

"You did what you had to in that moment." He slowly spoke, his hand tracing soothing circles on my back. "I don't blame you."

I didn't say anything only pressing my lips together into a thin line.

"I wouldn't have shot you." He repeated, his voice a whisper as his body drew itself closer. "I wouldn't have been able to."

He seemed to sense the apprehension that was clouding my mind and his hand paused in its path. And then Jace did something I wouldn't have ever expected in that moment.

He hugged me.

His strong hands gripped the tops of my arms and pulled me into his slab of chest, his chin moving to rest upon my head as his arms wrapped firmly against me. The sound of the calm breaths he took was enough to comfort me and I forced myself to inhale a deep breath.

"It'll be fine." Jace reassured me, one hand moving to play with the ends of my hair. My eyes automatically shut at the action and I collapsed against his body, exhausted from the day. "I'm sorry," He muttered, his nose nuzzling into my shoulder. "I shouldn't have reacted like that. You just piss me off, Savannah."

"I started it." I shook my head weakly. "It's fine."

"I promise to never point a gun at you again." Jace solemnly swore, his voice strong and deep and full of truth. "I won't. I shouldn't have done that. Fuck, I'm sorry."

"It's okay." I mumbled, squeezing my eyes shut tighter. "It's fine."

"You're not adjusted to all this shit." He lowly spoke, his voice sounding agonized. "And I need to understand that, I'm sorry." Jace paused, as if floundering what to say. "I reacted like I would have with anyone else if they had pulled what you did. You're different." Silence quickly spread across the room, before he spoke up once again. "Though if you ever pull that shit again, Savannah, you'll find yourself locked up for the day." He warned.

I felt a tiny smile twisting up my mouth and I let out a small laugh. "I don't think you'll lock me up." I smirked confidently. "In fact, I know you won't."

"And how can you be so sure?" Jace hedged, curiosity in his voice. "After all the shit you pulled today, it would be a hell of a lot easier to just lock you up."

"But, you won't." I added, my body curling closer to the warmth his provided.

"What makes you think that, Kitten?" His warm hand settled across my thigh.

"I think you like me." I boldly stated, a small smile twisting my lips when his muscles tensed. "You'll deny it and act like it's not true, but I can see it."

"Bold statement, Doll." Jace's grip tightened slightly, I felt him take a deep breath. "And where did you get this big idea?"

My shoulders lifted and fell, "I can just tell."

"Don't think you're getting out of the punishment for what you did today." He warned, his voices taking on a threatening edge. "You may have ideas that what I feel for you is more than a platonic relationship, but that doesn't mean you can also believe you won't be punished for what you did today."

I only smiled, hiding my face against his chest. "I wasn't thinking that."

"Savannah," He groaned, "You had everyone worried. We figured you were with Ashley, but she doesn't exactly offer protection. What you did was stupid." One of his rough hands floated up to grip the back of my neck gently, cocooning me in his arms more comfortably. "If anything had happened..."

Remembering I was supposed to be mad at him, I shoved away from his embrace, standing up quickly. "I can do what I want to, Jace." I shot back, the calm leaving us again. "Nothing happened - I'm fine."

He let out a sound of annoyance, slapping a hand over his face. "Here we go again,"

"I'm not settling on this." I warned him, positioning my hands on my hips. "I'm not going to let you push me around and serve me punishments just because you don't like something I do."

"Honestly, Kitten, when have you actually gotten a real punishment?" He arched his eyebrow at me, smirking when a dumbfounded expression positioned itself on my face. "You always end up getting away with things. I'm not settling this time."

"You can't just-"

We were interrupted by the door slamming open. Before I could even comprehend what was happening, Jace had pulled me behind his back, tensing dangerously before he turned to the intruder. His hand had flown to the gun that was tucked into his waistband once again.

"Calm down, Buddy." The sound of Ashley's voice floated over to me from behind Jace's overpowering physique. "I just came to give Savannah all the lingerie she purchased today." Her voice had taken on a suggestive tone and I groaned, feeling my cheeks warm as I stepped around his body.

Jace had perked up at the word, his hand reaching over to snatch the bag from Ashley's grip. He dug into the bag, pulling out a red-lace thong that I certainly hadn't picked out.

"I didn't know you were a red lace type-of-girl." He smiled devilishly, hooking the strap through his finger as he held them up in my direction. He winked "I can see why though."

If it was possible, my face darkened even more and I quickly sputtered out. "Those ones are Ashley's!"

A disgusted expression twisted Jace's expression and he quickly dropped the panties while the blond burst out laughing.

"She's lying, Jace." Ashley coughed out between chuckles, "I already have-"

"I don't need to hear it." Jace interrupted quickly, before calling loudly. "Layton - get Ashley out of here."

The man appeared, giving me a nod as he started towards the blond.

"I'm going." She swatted at Layton's hands, rolling her eyes at her brother.  "Enjoy those, Jace, since you paid for them." With a giggle and a flash of blond hair, she disappeared.

A grin curled Jace's lips. "At least the trip today ended with something positive. Lingerie can always make a day better." He grinned devilishly at me. Digging into the bag once more, he pulled out a light-pink lace bra. "Now, this is se-"

"Nope. Shut up," I snapped, reaching over to snatch the bag and my undergarments from his prying hands. "That's enough for today." I rubbed at my hot cheeks, shoving the bra in the bag before stuffing it under the bed.

He was still laughing at my embarrassment so I stomped my foot childishly, before crossing my arms. "Stop," I groaned.

"If you want to get out of your punishment, you'll put those on for me, Cupcake." Jace nodded his head towards the bed, smugly smirking at me.

"Not happening, Jace." Ignoring the blush that had spread through my cheeks, I straightened.

Jace just shook his head, pausing to jerk his head towards the door. "Come on then."

"I thought we weren't going to dinner?" I questioned, feeling my confusion increase. I smoothed back my hair before grabbing a scarf Ashley had insisted for me and wrapping it around the numerous very-obvious marks Jace had left.

"We aren't. Come." I shivered at his husky voice, deciding to see what he was up to.

"This isn't my punishment, right?" I stared at him with wide eyes.

He chuckled, shaking his head as he passed through the doorway. "No, it's not."

I paused in the doorway, hesitating slightly. "Hey, Jace?"

He didn't say anything, only stopping mid-stride to turn and study me.

"I don't hate you." I blushed. "I mean sometimes I do, but I don't. If that makes sense... I just said it in the moment." I stuttered out awkwardly, wanting to tell him that I was thankful for some of the things he had done for me as well. My cheeks burned humiliatingly and I shuffled my feet, holding my breath as I waited for his response.

His lips turned up into a smile. "I know. Because you like me too." He winked, turning on his heel.

Flabbergasted and unable to speak, my cheeks burned. Shaking my head to clear my now foggy mind, I took a deep breath, unable to deny his suggestion.

I followed him at a leisurely pace as he led us into the foyer. He paused to grab my hand before he pulled me into the dining room. A faint smile played across my lips at the action as tingles spread across my body.

"Jace - I thought you weren't joining us tonight?" Alice questioned, her gaze curious as her eyes flickered down to our connected hands once she had looked up. "I see that has changed."

"No, it hasn't. I've decided to return back to the city early. I have a meeting I direly need to attend. My apologies, Mother." Jace lied, his voice emotionless as he spoke.

I resisted the urge to grin in victory, instead choosing to squeeze Jace's hand to show my gratitude.

His warm grip squeezed mine back.

_______________________________________

“I see you survived the Kingston household.” Cameron mused, taking a chair at the table.  “Which is a disappointment to me – I couldn’t wait to get rid of you.” He pouted, grabbing one of the menus off the center of the table. “Guess we’ll have to deal with you still.”

“Oh, shucks,” I rolled my eyes, stabbing at the salad beneath my fork.

“Hold up,” Cameron gasped dramatically, clasping his hands to his cheeks in a shocked fashion. “Savannah is eating a salad?”

“I like eating salads.” I lied, poking at the limp lettuce. I couldn’t hide the disgusted expression from crossing my face.

“It’s her punishment for leaving with Ashley without telling Jace.” Layton snickered, “Jace wouldn’t let her order anything else.”

“This is an amazing salad anyways. I’m glad he made me order it. - you all should be jealous.” I grimaced, forcing another gag-worthy bite into my mouth. “But, why does Ashley get fries when she convinced me to?” I whined, nearly drooling at the sight of them.

“Hey! Traitor!” Ashley snapped, waving a fry in my face. “I get them because my brother loves me, isn’t that right?” She sent a sugary-sweet smile Jace’s way but he didn’t even acknowledge it.

“Savannah gets the salad because she should have known not to be influenced into going.” He stonily replied, shooting me a quick glare. “And because she aimed a gun at my face today. Ashley gets the fries because she's buying them.”

"That's not fair." Ashley complained, her lips pouting as she narrowed her eyes at her brother.

“What?” Max looked regretful. “She aimed a gun at you and we didn't know about it?" The man cried, looking fearful suddenly. "That means we aren’t fired from our jobs, right?”

“She managed to aim a gun at your face?” Ashley looked proud. “I taught her so well.” She nodded to herself, picking at her food.

"It seemed like a good plan at the time." I muttered, pushing my food around my plate.

"Jace would've shot my brains out." Cameron winced, shaking his head. "But, then again, it is Savannah we're talking about..." His eyes twinkled as his stare flickered between Jace and I.

"Shut up," I muttered grouchily, just as Jace shot a 'be quiet' at the boy.

"What is next, Boss?" Duke spoke up from the booth next to ours.

It had only been an hour since Jace had decided we could leave his parent's house. He had thrown everything in a bag - making sure my undergarments were first priority - before we took off. It didn't take much to convince him to allow Ashley to come along. That's how we found ourselves settled around a booth in a diner located just on the edge of the city.

"We'll stay in the city for another a week, before we head back to Seattle. There is a charity event on Saturday that I need to attend and I need to oversee how some of the businesses here are running." He blandly spoke, pulling his phone from his pocket. As he read whatever he was seeing on the screen and a strange expression crossed his face.

No one else seemed to notice when he looked up, watching me as if he was trying to figure something out.

Finally, his mouth opened as he readied himself to speak.

"My men put a tracker on Noah's vehicle and he keeps driving back into the city and out, conveniently a few miles away from the house. Would you know why that is?"

My mouth fell open, before I quickly narrowed my eyes in the aggravating man's direction. "You put a tracker on his car? Seriously?" I hissed darkly, crossing my arms.

"We need to know where he's going to be if we want my plan to work." Jace darkly replied, arching an eyebrow in my direction.

"You know I'm not helping you with that."

"Answer the question, Savannah."

I pinched the bridge of my nose, squeezing my eyes shut. "His parents are divorced. One of them lives in the city and the other doesn't, I think."

Jace looked surprised that I had known the answer to such a question and his head slowly moved up and down. "I see,"

"That's it?" I squawked, resisting the urge to chuck the rest of my salad into his face. "What are you up to?"

"Nothing," He waved his hand dismissively. "Nothing at all."

"I know that's a lie." I deadpanned, turning to stare at Jace's guards and then Cameron. Ashley looked just as clueless as me. "Is nobody going to tell me?" I threw my hands into the air.

"You need to understand that if we do this, we can know if Stella is alive. We can have Jared's sister back potentially and end this feud-" Jace began and I quickly cut him off.

"Stella?" The name sounded familiar and my forehead wrinkled as I desperately tried to reckon how it was.

"Jared's sister." Ashley clarified, looking at me weirdly. "Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine." Waving away the concerned expressions that had appeared on their faces, I continued. "It just sounds familiar."

"You probably heard it around the house." Cameron reasoned and I nodded.

I let out a hum of agreement, still fruitlessly trying to understand the nagging feeling in the back of my mind. The others didn't seem to notice, though Jace's stolid gaze remained on mine.

Stella, where had I heard that name before?

And then it hit me.

I started choking on a piece of the damned lettuce I had been mindlessly chewing on, gasping for breath as tears welled in my eyes from my lack of air.

"Savannah!" Max cried out in fear, reaching over to pound on my back. I didn't care about my lack of air, my need to get my next words out my only focus.

Jace just stared at me, emotionless, as if he knew my next words would be something big.

"Jace," I gasped, waving Max away when the offending piece of lettuce had finally dislodged itself out of my throat. "Jace - what if I told you I know where Stella is? She's alive."