MADDIE POV
Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter - tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther... And one fine morning -
"So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."
I read the last lines of The Great Gatsby and closed the book as Justin kissed his way up my legs that were currently left naked, wrapped in his sheets.
"I like that book the best so far." Justin's voice was mumbled and he finally looked at me with piercing eyes, "Even though I usually hate it."
"I told you that you would." I put the book on the table next to his bed, "I don't know why you insist that Fitzgerald can't write."
"He's just never done anything for me." Justin stopped his kissing and came to lie next to me.
It was the end of October, only two days before Halloween and I was more than willing to just sit in Justin's house and read forever.
I had gone through about five novels in the span of four days. I would read a little from each of them every night and if I was staying over Justin's, he wouldn't let me go to sleep unless I read to him. It was "our thing" I guess and I didn't understand what it was but Justin always seemed turned on by me reading so that would merge into late night love making sessions that never tired me out.
After the first initial shock of Justin's veracious sexual appetite, I realized that it wasn't an odd thing to go two, three rounds in a night and we would be dog tired by the next morning but I didn't care. He was incredible and taught me things about my body that I didn't ever think were possible. The way I screamed from pleasure should have brought the ceilings down. I was turning into a nymphomaniac because all I thought about was fucking Justin if we were apart and I literally counted down the minutes until I could see him again.
It was pathetic but I didn't have any way of explaining it.
No matter what it was, Justin and I were fucking like rabbits and I was slowly getting used to being in his bed when I went to sleep as well as when I woke up. In the past week, I think I've slept in my dorm maybe once and that was only because I had a group study session that night.
Justin and I had settled into a very comfortable routine. Every afternoon, he would either pick me up or I would just walk to his apartment, which wasn't that far away. Sometimes Olivia would walk with me and stop off at Finn's but most of the time, it was just me alone.
I didn't have a key to the place and I had to ask the man at the front desk for a new one every time. I would hold onto it like a lifeline in my pocket or book bag but whenever I would look for the damned thing, it was gone. I had a suspicion that Justin was taking them while I slept but I hadn't approached him about it yet.
If Justin was home when I came up, then we would order dinner and he made me do homework before the real fun began. We would lock ourselves in his room, reading, having sex, talking.
If he wasn't home then I would just wait until he got back from work before jumping him like a crazed groupie.
That was basically it.
Nothing too exciting to report but it was nice to just spend time together with Justin because I was falling more in love and I didn't know how to tell him.
That was my main problem as of now. I didn't know what to say. Was it too soon for that? Was I just crazy? Did Justin even care? I was going crazy just thinking about it all when I slept so I tried to go with the flow but there was always this bell in the back of my head that would ring whenever Justin touched me or kissed me or looked at me. After awhile, the bell seemed to be chiming three words: I love you.
I couldn't shut it up.
"What are you thinking about?" Justin asked me, bringing my mind back from my thoughts.
"Nothing."
"You can't be thinking about nothing." He chuckled, "It's impossible."
I shrugged and snuggled deeper into his pillows that were surrounding us on all sides, "Do you have plans for tomorrow?"
"Well, it's Friday so...the normal." He replied like a question.
"I have classes early in the morning and then I'm free. If you...want to even hang out with me." I quickly said, backtracking.
"Calm down, Maddie. I have no friends so don't worry. I won't be going anywhere." He laughed.
I loved it when he was like this. There were no barriers and Justin could just laugh freely. I had figured him out somewhat from our time together. I had deduced that the two Justins were so different from each other that it was almost bordering on bipolar disorder.
With me, when we were alone, he would express amusement, joke and play around but as soon as someone came around or when we were in public, a wall went up. I didn't know what that was about but Justin basically shut down, not towards me but towards others. He would be cold and clipped, like he didn't even want to talk to them. It was so strange. Even with Keegan and Finn, he was acting like the leader of their small group. The weird thing was that they followed. Maybe it was just the dynamic of their family but Justin was kind of scary around other people.
I would always make sure to never back down though whenever he went off into Dr. Jekyll mode. He was getting slightly better at opening up to me but there were still things that he kept to himself. I wasn't trying to poke into his life, I simply wanted to know who the real Justin was.
"I was actually wondering if you wanted to come to a baseball game with me and my family tomorrow?" Justin asked.
"Really?"
"Yeah, we always get good seats from the mayor and my father is a huge White Sox fan. Plus, it's the playoffs so..."
"I would love to go." I said, maybe a little too enthusiastically but I didn't care, "I don't know that much about baseball but I can keep up. Freddie usually makes me sit in front of the TV to watch the games."
"I don't usually go but if you are, then I'll be there."
"You don't go? The mayor gives you guys seats and you pass that up every year?"
"I don't get too excited over things like that and the mayor is just trying to get as much money out of us as he can. I sold him his house."
"Wow, I didn't realize you ran in such high circles." I laid on his chest.
"You have no idea." He sighed, "And then Halloween is on Sunday."
"Olivia already has my costume picked out."
"What is it?" Justin got a certain look in his eye.
I hit his arm, "Stop being such a perv and I don't know. She won't tell me. We're supposed to be going to Plasma for the party they have there."
"Finn loves that party." He rolled his eyes, "I guess I have to go this year."
"We could stay in." I suggested.
"No, we can go but I'm not dressing up so tell Olivia to back off." He said seriously.
"If I have to dress in something then so do you."
"Absolutely not."
I was about to say something else when Justin's phone rang on the table. He reached over me to pick it up.
"Bieber." He answered professionally, telling me that this was a business call. Dr. Jekyll was about to come out.
I couldn't hear what the other line was saying but it sounded pretty serious and Justin started shouting, "What do you mean he got away...fuck you....well bring him back....you're worthless...why can't you take Jaxon to find him...alright...no, I'll be there in a second." He stumbled out of bed and pulled on some boxers, still on the phone.
I sat up and watched him gather the components of his suit, throwing them on his body. He made sure to smooth out any wrinkles and stood in front of the mirror, fixing his sex hair so that it was straight.
He hung up the phone with a growl, "Idiot!"
"Who?" I asked quietly.
"What?" Justin turned to me with a small fire in his eyes.
"Who's an idiot?"
"Oh, no one." He calmed down, putting up his mask so that I couldn't see how frustrated and angry he was, "I have to go handle some business." Justin snapped a watch on his wrist and stuffed his feet in some shoes.
"You have to sell a house at...eleven at night?" I checked the clock.
Justin stopped when he was at the door but didn't turn around, "I'll be back later."
That was all he said and bound down the stairs. I heard the door slam a second later.
Like it was happening in reverse, the door downstairs opened and Justin stomped back up only a couple seconds after. He came into the room and didn't even stop as he glided to my side of the bed and gave me a passionate kiss. His lips were strong and fierce with a hint of adoration mixed in as he held my face in place with unyielding hands.
All too soon, he pulled back, "I'll be back, I promise."
"Alright" I replied in a soft voice, "Be safe."
"I always am." He kissed me once more before leaving the room again.
I didn't know what Justin was up to but I figured that it was something dangerous and something illegal. I had dwindled my options down to two paths. Drug dealer seemed obvious but I never saw any evidence. I had also gain the farfetched idea of assassin-for-hire. It only got more absurd as the days went on and my imagination wandered.
My body was telling me to get out because I was in a hazardous situation. Being with Justin was risky but I couldn't move. He had a hold on me that was stronger than my mind was willing to admit. I had never felt like this before and even though I knew Justin was a dangerous man, in some way I also knew that he would never hurt me. There was something different about him when it came to us.
But that left me in an even worse situation.
I was the cop's daughter, the one who never got into trouble, the one who didn't even have a parking ticket to her name. Now I was the girl who was with the bad boy. What would Freddie think? What would Rebecca think?
The sad thing was that I didn't care what they thought about my relationship with Justin. It was hard to turn my back on the law but the pull was too strong. I couldn't help myself. I was slipping further and further away from everything I was taught. I wasn't supposed to be in this man's bed but I couldn't leave.
I didn't desire to.
I sighed, not wanting to think about my current predicament anymore, and got out of the bed to take a shower.
I went into the bathroom and got the ocean spray body wash that was in the cabinet. It was the only scent in there since I had cleaned all the other ones out when I learned that Justin used them for when his many women frequented his shower. I wasn't having that so I threw everything but his scent away. He scowled at me the whole time but didn't say anything.
I got into the massive shower and let the hot water run over my body as I stood under the faucets. It was very relaxing and I thought I was at a spa somewhere as the ocean spray steamed around my muscles.
Half an hour later, I was wrinkled like a prune and got out before wrapping myself in a soft red towel on the counter. I stood in front of the mirror as I brushed my hair until it was tangle free.
I went back into Justin's room and didn't even hesitate as I searched through his top drawer for my favorite sleep clothes. I pulled on the navy blue, silk, Armani boxers and then a plain, white undershirt. I had been wearing these clothes whenever I came over and Justin even set them aside for me.
I climbed back in bed and noticed that an hour had passed since Justin left. I was too tired to wait up and I had an early morning class so I decided to skip out on more reading. I rested my head on the comfortable pillows and was out like a light minutes later.
That night, I dreamed about something but I can't really remember. There was a lot of red through. I wasn't really a big believer in dreams but this one kind of scared me. Wasn't red supposed to be the color of death or something like that? The dream made for a very restless night of sleep.
Sometime around three in the morning, I was woken up from the sound of water dripping on the shower tiles. I squinted my eyes and waited for them to adjust to the dark before sitting up. I figured that Justin was home.
I just wanted to make sure that he was okay.
I got out of bed and quietly walked over to the bathroom door where the light was coming from underneath. I pushed it open softly and was immediately hit in the face was the smell of rusty, tangy blood. It wasn't that bad since the scent was mixed with the steam of the shower but I could still smell it.
I walked into the bathroom further and saw something that must have come out of a horror movie.
On the pristine marble counter, were Justin's clothes. His suit that I didn't even think could wrinkle was bloodied to a point that it was unrecognizable. There was a lot of red liquid dripping onto the floor and I saw drops as they led to the shower.
Even through the glass of the door, I could see Justin scrubbing his naked body that was stained an off color of red. I wanted to run over and make sure he was okay but the blood didn't seem to be his. He was just washing off. It was oddly erotic but I kept my wits about me.
The thing that shocked me about this whole scene wasn't all the blood but the massive, golden gun that was situated next to Justin's suit. It was beautiful in its deadliness with a black holder and was actually shimmering in the lights of the bathroom.
The shower was still running and I was just standing there, looking at the pistol on the counter. I don't think I had ever seen a gun that big and it was almost completely covered in blood with fingerprints along the handle. From their shape and size, I could tell that they were Justin's.
I didn't even notice that I hadn't taken a breath until my head started to get light.
I didn't touch anything and backed out slowly, going into the bedroom.
Stay or go?
I decided that Justin's apartment wouldn't be the best place to be if I needed to think about things so I cowardly pulled on the clothes that I came in and almost tripped on my way down the stairs. I was out of the door in a split second and in the elevator, heading down. I just needed to get outside so that I could breathe again. The smell of blood was clinging to the inside of my nose and I realized that I was running away.
The chilly October air was perfect for me to rid my mind of the stench and I took deep breaths outside of his building.
"What the hell have I gotten myself into?" I asked quietly and just stood in front of the doors.
Once I got my head cleared, I hailed a cab and jumped in the back, calling Olivia to tell her that I needed to speak with her. She said she would be waiting in my dorm when I got there.
He tried to warn me. Justin told me that he was a bad man but I didn't listen. I figured he just had a low view of himself but that obviously wasn't the case. He had blood on his hands, literally and figuratively; did that change the way I felt about him?
By the time I got back to my dorm and paid the cab driver, I had my answer to that question.
I still loved him and there was nothing I could do about it but I needed some answers. I wanted to know why Justin got a call in the middle of the night and came back with a bloodied gun. What was going on?
I made it up to my room and Olivia was already sitting on my bed waiting.
"What the hell's going on?" She asked, "You sounded really messed up over the phone."
"I know, I know." I sat down on the chair and realized that I didn't grab my backpack before I left. Oh well. There were more pressing matters.
"Are you okay? You look as white as a sheet." Olivia sat on the edge of the bed.
"What do you know about Finn's work?" I pulled off my jacket and got straight to the point.
As soon as the question was out of my mouth, I knew that Olivia understood what I was talking about but was covering up, "His restaurants?"
"No, other stuff." I shrugged, "Have you noticed anything strange?"
"No." She laid back down.
"You're lying." I accused.
"I am not." She shot back.
"Yes you are and I know something's going on. I saw a gun."
Olivia sat straight up, "Okay, I've wanted to tell you for so long but I couldn't and I had to warn you. There is so much shit going on right now." She slapped a hand over her mouth.
"What do you know?" I went to sit next to her on the bed.
"I can't say really but about a week ago, Finn got completely drunk and let a lot of things slip."
"What do you mean?"
"They...the Bieber's don't really deal in the most legal types of activities."
"Like drugs or something?"
"...among other things." She replied cryptically, "I can't tell you anything until Justin does, if he chooses to. What happened?"
I told Olivia about my night that was basically normal until Justin got that call. She said that Finn got the same call and left around the same time but she went back to her apartment right after so she wasn't there when he got home.
"I don't know what to do." I held my head in my hands, "My father is a cop and now my boyfriend is a drug dealer?"
"I didn't say that, Maddie. You need to talk to Justin."
"What am I supposed to say?"
"I don't know." She said sadly, "Finn was drunk and let everything slip. I think Jeremy was really mad but there was no taking things back."
"I'm so confused and scared right now."
"Do you love him?"
"Yes." I answered immediately.
"That's the only thing that kept me sane. I know that I love Finn and he loves me. I could never live without him so I have to accept him."
I envied Olivia and Finn. They just met each other and were basically already planning a wedding. They seemed to have things so easy and had nothing compared to the relationship I had with Justin.
"But it's easier for you because you know what's going on. I'm still in the dark about all of this."
Olivia sighed heavily, "I know and to be honest, I don't think Justin's going to tell you anything. I freaked the fuck out. I literally scaled the walls when Finn was letting things out. Justin is more guarded."
"I was afraid of that. What should I do? Should I tell him that I know something's up?"
"I bet he already has some kind of inkling that you suspect."
"Just tell me if they're doing something illegal." I begged.
"It's worse." Olivia packed up her purse and gave me a hug before getting off the bed and leaving the room.
I didn't go to sleep that night but by the time I was settled down, it was already seven in the morning so it was stupid to even try and get some rest.
I changed clothes and didn't even bother getting breakfast because I knew I couldn't keep anything down. I walked out of my dorm and I don't know what it was but my body just seemed to know that he was here.
I raised my head and saw Justin leaning against his BMW with his arms crossed; my backpack in his hands. He had on a navy blue suit and sunglasses so I couldn't really tell the expression on his face but his body position looked rigid. I let out a deep breath and started walking towards the car with feet that felt like boulders.
When I reached him, I kept my head down so that I didn't have to see him or I would surely lose control of myself.
"You left last night." Justin said calmly.
"I know. I had...things to do." I lied.
"I brought your bag back." He handed it to me and as I went to reach, our hands touched slightly. I pulled back, remembering his long fingerprints on the handle of the gold gun last night.
Justin let out a deep breath, "I understand if things are too complicated for you. I should have been more careful last night."
I looked up at him and could tell that Justin was really sorry although he would never say those words, "I'm begging you to tell me what's going on."
He hung his head and kicked a rock on the pavement, "I can't. Finn told Olivia and he's in a shit load of trouble from my father. I can't tell you but I want you to know that it's because I'm trying to protect you."
"Protect me?"
"Yes, I don't want you living the life I have. The only problem is that I can't stay away from you but I don't want you mixed up in all of this."
"I can take care of myself; just tell me what's happening. I think I deserve to know."
Justin looked at me behind his sunglasses, "I'm a coward Maddie and I just can't tell you...not yet."
"Not yet?"
"I need to know how far this is going to go between us. If I tell you what's going on now and we break up, what's going to happen to the information I gave you?"
"I know how to keep my mouth shut. I just feel like I'm in the dark."
"Just give me some time to figure out what to do but if you say one word about what you saw last night..." He let his sentence trail off murderously.
I nodded in understanding because if Justin was really doing illegal things, this wasn't something to take lightly. I know that it might sound weak but I couldn't let Justin go. What else could I do but wait until he decided on a course of action. I wanted him, I needed him and even though we just started dating, I could have sworn that we had been together for years. I couldn't drop him even if I wasn't thinking correctly.
My father would kill me, not only for having a twenty-five year old boyfriend but the fact that he was some drug dealer/assassin, would just be icing on the cake.
"Just give me some time." Justin passed a hand over his hair, "I have to figure out the best way to do all of this."
"Okay, I understand." I said stupidly. I should have responded with a 'Get the fuck out and don't come back until you have some answers' but I just couldn't.
He handed me my bag again and this time I took it.
Justin leaned in hesitantly and gave me the most delicate kiss yet that I almost didn't feel.
"Don't hate me. I will tell you." He said firmly, just inches away from my mouth.
"I know." I nodded and he then kissed me one more time before going around to his side of the car.
"Should I expect you at the game tonight?" He asked when he opened the door.
"I'll be there." I smiled but it wasn't real.
"Okay. I'll pick you up at four-thirty." He got in the car and the engine came alive with a smooth sound, driving off a second later.
I didn't feel like going to school now and it seemed like the day was already over but I had to get to class so I made my feet move. I was already ten minutes late but the class was so large that no one would notice.
I sat in my normal seat next to Daniel.
"You're late." He muttered quietly.
"I know. I had to get my backpack from my boyfriend." I start pulling out my notes.
"Boyfriend? Damn and I thought we could go out sometime." He chuckled.
"Fat chance"
We stayed quiet for a couple of minutes and made sure to seem like we were paying attention.
"Any weekend plans?" Daniel asked me when we had finished an equation on the board.
"Not really. I'm going to a baseball game tonight but that's about it. Maybe a Halloween party later." I shrugged.
"Sounds fun. You taking the boyfriend?"
"Probably" I answered without giving too much away. I was a very private person when it came to relationships. I didn't even really tell my parents when I had a boyfriend and I hardly knew Daniel so I didn't want to just gab to a new friend.
"I wish there was something fun I could go to for Halloween. Where is this party you mentioned?"
"Uh...I'm not sure." I said easily and was slightly shocked at how fast the lies came to my mouth. I didn't want Daniel knowing that I would be attending a party at Plasma. That would just raise more questions about my age and things like that.
"Well be safe. The freaks come out on Halloween." Daniel wiggled his eyebrows.
"I'll be sure to keep that in mind."
Truth be told, Daniel was kind of weird and if it weren't for the fact that we were from the same state, I wouldn't have any reason to talk to him. I was always nice but Daniel liked to ask questions and that got annoying really quickly.
By the time my classes were finished for the day, I was exhausted so I took a quick nap for about two hours before I got a call from Justin saying that he was on his way. The sound of his voice was thick with worry and still held a little bit of apprehension towards me. It wasn't necessarily awkward but I could tell that he had some things to say and didn't know how.
It was kind of cold outside so I dressed in jeans and a dark green sweater while letting my hair stay in its waves to cover my neck.
Justin said that we were all going out to dinner so I didn't need to eat anything and I was wondering how much money I should bring even though I knew I wouldn't be using it. Justin never let me pay for anything.
I went downstairs and saw Justin in the same spot I did this morning, up against his impressive BMW. He had taken off his suit jacket and was now in the pants with a white, collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He looked extremely delicious and I was happily surprised that I actually felt good to see him. With all the bullshit that had happened last night, I was still joyful from just seeing him.
"Hi." Justin said when I was closer to him. He held the door open for me.
"Hi." Just to show him that I wasn't mad or scared, I stood on my tip toes and gave him a sweet kiss that didn't last more than a couple of seconds but it did the trick because Justin smiled at me.
He was in the car a couple of seconds later and we were off.
"Okay so I know we have some things to talk about but if you could keep whatever you saw under your hat until later that would be much appreciated." Justin said as he drove through late afternoon traffic.
"Will I get you in trouble with Daddy?" I teased.
"Finn is currently being ringed through the torture chambers." He sighed.
"So what I don't get is why Olivia can know but I can't?"
"It's not that you can't, it's just that Finn wasn't supposed to say anything but his drunk ass...the point of the matter is that Olivia shouldn't know anything and luckily, she just got a general picture."
"I know that you're not squeaky clean and I don't expect you to change but I just want to make sure you're not in danger."
"That doesn't matter but I will promise you that you won't ever have to worry about your safety." He looked at me with deep eyes.
"My safety?"
"Just give me time to think about this, Maddie." Justin groaned and I backed off the questions.
We drove in compatible silence for a while and I didn't feel scared at all even though I should have been giving the evidence I saw last night.
I decided to change the subject, "So...you said it was the playoffs?"
Justin visibly relaxed, "Yeah, I'm not much of a baseball fan but Jeremy loves it so we usually go when October hits."
"Are the White Sox going to win?"
"The White Sox never win." He laughed in his beautiful baritone, "But we always go to watch."
As we neared U.S. Cellular Field, the traffic became unbearable and I thought that we were going to be in line for hours but Justin masterfully veered off into a section of the parking lot that I guess was reserved because there were security gates blocking it off from the general population.
"Box seats always get the best parking." Justin explained to me when he pulled into the underground garage of the stadium that was filled with expensive cars.
"Do you guys live like this all the time?" I asked, slightly stunned that anyone had this much money.
"Only the best." He answered and moved into a parking spot next to a giant black Hummer that I knew was Keegan's.
I got out of the car when it was turned off and Justin took my hand as we walked through the parking lot. We got into an elevator and went up.
"Is your whole family going to be there?"
"Yes and I promise that Jeremy will be on his best behavior."
"Does he still hate me?"
"No, he never hated you but he's under a lot of pressure to protect his family and he had to make sure you were alright."
"That's the same excuse Bridget gave me."
"They have similar views on the subject but who cares. You're not going anywhere." Justin wrapped an arm tightly around my waist as we went up.
I looked at the ticket that was in my hands and saw that the game started at seven but that was two hours from now.
"What are we going to be doing for two hours?" I asked.
"We sit in our seats up top and eat basically. We watch warm-ups and then the game starts. Baseball is an all day thing with the Biebers."
"Sounds like fun." I kind of got excited because I had never been to anything like this. I would have to make up some story to Freddie as to how I got such great seats.
The elevators opened and we were in a long hallway that was complete with doors on each side. It was very eerie and the lighting wasn't that good. I could have sworn that we were in a basement somewhere but Justin knew exactly where he was going and arrived at the fifth door on the left before opening it.
The whole room was huge and everything was spacious with floor to ceiling windows that encased the box but could open onto a patio type thing so that we could get up close and personal. The box was pretty high in the stadium and I was looking straight down onto the field, right behind home plate.
I don't even think I noticed everyone else in the room until Keegan swept me up in his arms,
"Maddie! We've missed you so much." He spun me around.
"I missed you too Keegan but I just saw you a couple of days ago." I patted his shoulder.
"I know but it's been hell being with just Justin, Finn and Jaxon the whole time. They're no fun." Keegan sat me down and I waved to everyone in the box.
"I'm so glad you could come." Pattie got up from the sofa with Bridget and gave me a hug, "Baseball is a very big deal in this family."
"So I've heard." I hugged her back.
There was heaps upon heaps of food that was lined up on a long table with chairs all around it. Finn was talking to Olivia and they both gave me a head nod, Bridget was trying to calm Keegan down, Jeremy was pointing onto the field, trying to show Jaxon some things and Justin stayed next to me.
"Something's missing." Justin tapped his chin and then snapped his fingers, "I got it." He pulled something out of this back pocket and put a blue White Sox hat on top of my head.
"Oh great." I said sarcastically.
"You look so attractive in that." He kissed me, "You'll have to wear it later." He said suggestively under his breath.
"You wish." I hit his shoulder and went to sit next to Bridget and Pattie.
Dinner started about ten minutes after Justin and I got there.
We all sat around the long white table, just like it was Sunday, and dug into a massive feast that was catered by someplace called Levy Steakhouse, which I found out from Keegan, was created to feed all the Diamond Club members of the White Sox of which Jeremy had been a member for thirty years. Food was passed around and conversation was abundant as we watched some warm-ups. I was surprised that Jeremy wasn't mean towards me anymore. I guess he and Justin had a talk because he was actually quite nice in a strange way since I had only experienced the darker side of the Bieber patriarch.
Jeremy and I didn't really have a chance to talk alone but he asked me how school was going and if I had any plans for Thanksgiving, normal stuff like that and I kept up a conversation with him so my night was off to a good start.
By the time seven rolled around, the box was filled with cigar smoke, thanks to Keegan, Finn, Jeremy and Justin. Pattie opened up the French doors so that we could sit outside on our own personal patio that overlooked the field.
Before the national anthem, the mayor came to actually talk to Jeremy like they were best friends and I was introduced like I was actually a part of the family. Some of Pattie's friends came to say hi as well and I couldn't believe that people actually had this much money that they could dress so fashionably. I only thought that happened in movies.
I sat next to Jaxon on the comfortable sofa as Justin was trying to explain to us the rules. I knew some of them but I wasn't very up to date on baseball lingo.
"So...who's that?" Jaxon pointed to the man behind home plate.
"That's the catcher and the pitcher tries to put the ball right in his glove so that they can strike the hitter out." Justin said.
"And when you get three strikes, then you're out, right?"
"Exactly. See, it's not that hard."
Jaxon and Justin had this bond that I didn't know was possible in such a quick brotherly relationship. Jaxon was doing well and looked a lot healthier than he did the first time I met him but I could tell that he had a long way to go until he resembled a normal fourteen-year-old.
He told me when we were eating dinner that Pattie and Jeremy had adopted him. Jaxon looked so happy when he was telling me that and it was almost impossible to dislike the kid because he was genuinely happy to be in a better position than he had been before.
"This is the playoffs so it's usually a big deal, only made bigger because we're playing the Yankees." Justin puffed on his cigar.
Jaxon looked at him with admiring eyes and I could tell that he thought of Justin as a role model. Maybe it was because they were both the youngest or maybe it was because Jaxon just seemed to mesh better with Justin than Keegan and Finn but in any case, they seemed to have a strong bond with each other.
"Can...can I try?" Jaxon asked Justin as he saw him smoking his cigar.
Justin looked at him for a second and then handed it to him, "Don't tell Ma."
Jaxon took the cigar in between his lips and held it there before taking a drag. He shot up and threw the cigar back to Justin, crouching his way out of the room. Pattie chased after him.
Justin rolled with laughter and was clutching his stomach.
"That wasn't funny." I said seriously, "He's going to be sick."
"Hell yeah he is. I threw up for three days after my first puff."
"You can't give him stuff like this and you shouldn't be smoking them either." I snatched the cigar out of his hand and stubbed it out in the ashtray on the table in front of us.
"That was hilarious." Justin calmed down.
"I hope Pattie kicks your ass for that." I crossed my arms, "He's probably puking his guts out and you know he needs to keep every ounce of food down."
"I know but I couldn't resist."
The game started a couple minutes later and Jaxon came back, still sick to his stomach but getting better.
We all sat on the patio to watch the first inning and I never knew fans to be so vocal. There were Yankees shippers and White Sox shippers but they always made sure to let you know who they were cheering for.
By the time the fourth inning was over, the Sox were up by four runs and everyone was pleasantly surprised. Justin told me that never happened.
"Can I buy a souvenir?" I asked Justin who was staring intently at the game.
"Yeah." He pulled his wallet out without looking at me and retrieved a one hundred dollar bill, "Buy anything you want."
"I don't need your money." Justin just raised an eyebrow at me without saying anything, "Okay, fine." I got up from my seat and headed to the door.
"Let me come with you, Maddie." Jeremy stood from his chair and held the door open for me.
"Uh...thanks." I walked out into the hallway.
"So, how are you liking the game?" Jeremy asked as we started walking.
"It's fun. I never thought I would say that about a sporting event."
"Well I'm glad you came."
"Really? I was under the impression that you didn't like me much."
"No, it's not that, I'm just very shielding when it comes to new comers to the family."
"Maybe this isn't my place to say but you weren't like that with Olivia."
"No, I wasn't." He admitted, "Justin is just...different."
I decided not to ask any more questions because truthfully, I was just happy that Jeremy was talking to me at all and I was going to give Justin his chance to explain things later.
We walked out into what was known as the Hull and it was a large area where vendors sold shirts and other souvenirs along with food of classic Chicago sausages and pizza.
"What do you want?" Jeremy asked me, "Take your pick."
"I just wanted a shirt but Justin gave me a hundred so..."
"My son knows how to provide. Let's waste it on something stupid." He got a look in his eye like he was a kid. I never thought I would see this side of Jeremy but it was so easy and the air held no tension around us.
Jeremy and I spent ten minutes looking around and comparing prices before finding a nice man in a corner that had some pretty cheap stuff.
I ended up getting three shirts, one for Olivia, Bridget and myself along with a hat that was identical to mine so that I could shove it on Justin's head when I got back. Jeremy decided to get one of those big foam fingers for Jaxon and then two blow up bats for no other reason than to watch Keegan and Finn fight with them. He said it was really amusing.
"Now, I'm hungry." He said as we started carrying our stuff back, "Let's stop and get some pizza."
"That's fine with me."
We went to the long line that was forming at one of the vendors who advertised 'The best pizza in Chicago' and Jeremy said that it was true so we were fine with waiting.
I never thought that I would have a conversation with Jeremy about anything because he just seemed so abrasive at first but now I saw the gentle side of him that everyone talked about. We found that we had a mutual love for some old rock bands and he even sung me a verse from AC/DC's Highway to Hell.
When he laughed, I could see the face that he gave Justin and everything about them was almost the same, except for their eyes and hair. Justin got those things from Pattie but the majority of his features came from his father.
We had been waiting in line for about fifteen minutes, slowly inching forward when a loud laugh came from the other side of the Hull. It was one of those loud, drunk laughs that alerted everyone to its presence. And then, the laugh spoke.
"Jeremy!" A drunken blond man came stumbling towards us, "Jeremy Bieber. Hot damn, is that you?"
Jeremy pushed me behind him so quickly and smoothly that I almost didn't realize the shift of position.
The man was skinny but well built and long with shaggy hair that looked like wheat as it fell over his deep gray eyes, which I could see even from far away. I could already smell the booze on him but the man's clothes were perfectly intact, almost as pristine as Justin's would be but I don't think anyone could match Justin's fashion savvy.
"Jeremy, is that you?" The man pushed people out of the way, "I think it is."
Just like his son, Jeremy switched completely into business mode. He stood strong and rigid with a hard look on his beautiful face.
"Jeremy, why aren't you talking to me?" The man laughed and fell the last few steps forward, "I know it's you. I would be able to tell anywhere."
"James." Jeremy nodded, "It's good to see you again."
"You too old buddy." The man, whose name was obviously James, slapped him on the back, "I tried to get up to the box but those stupid ass bodyguards you have wouldn't even let me get a word in."
"That's what they're there for." Jeremy smiled tightly.
Bodyguards?
"They were being bitches." James took a long draw from a bottle of beer, "So, what you been up to? You get the last shipment I sent you?"
"I did and I sent my thanks." Jeremy replied and I could tell that he didn't particularly like this situation, "How are your siblings?"
"Oh, you know, Laurent's a bitch, Tanya's a bitch, and I'm just living life." He shouted.
"Lower your voice." He growled when he noticed that we were attracting attention.
"Why? This is a White Sox game." James started singing something undistinguishable and ended it in a laugh.
"Why don't you go back to your seat?"
"No, I came for some pizza." He shouted and then his head tilted to the side as he noticed me, "Hello." James sang creepily, "And who are you?"
"James, go back to your seat." Jeremy commanded to him and stood further in front of me.
"Stop cock blocking, Jeremy." James sidestepped him and held his hand out for me. I didn't really know what to do and just looked at him strangely.
"Maddie, this is James, a family friend." Jeremy introduced me, "James, this is Maddie, my niece."
I didn't bat an eyelash at the lie and just shook James' hand, "It's nice to meet you."
"A niece? Very nice." James disgustingly slinked his finger over my wrist.
Jeremy nearly snatched my hand out of James' hastily and I could see him gripping James' wrist like it was a stick, applying a painful amount of pressure.
"She's not a toy you can play with." He spoke softly but still had the face of calm.
"Why, is she spoken for?" James snarled.
"Yes so keep your hands to yourself."
"I can do what I want Jeremy. You might run everyone else but if my father was still alive, you'd be cowering in your boots."
"Your father was scum and that's why I kil...did what I did do him."
What the hell was going on?
It sounded like James and Jeremy knew each other but they were old time rivals or something like that. If one wasn't twenty or so years older than the other, they could have been college buddies.
It was obvious that Jeremy was in full control of this situation but James was fighting for dominance that he would never get. The weird thing was that no one seemed to be seeing the same thing I was. I looked around and people were either on their phones or impatiently waiting in a line that wasn't moving forward.
"I can do as I please." James ripped his hand from Jeremy's and turned back to me, "Do you want to go out sometime?"
"Uh...no." I answered, "I don't think that would be a good idea."
"I'm sure I can make you feel good." James reached around my body and squeezed my ass roughly, almost to the point that I yelped out in pain.
I heard a click and James grew inflexible before he even retracted his grasp from my butt. If I wasn't so close to Jeremy, I would have never noticed the golden gun that he was pointing at James' stomach. It was almost identical to the one I had seen in Justin's bathroom but two times bigger.
What was with the gold guns?
"I told you to keep your hands off of her." Jeremy growled, "If I ever see that type of behavior again, especially with a member of my family, I will blow your spleen clean out of your body. Do I make myself clear?"
James drunkenly nodded but didn't say anything.
"Don't ever speak to me again. If you have something to say then say it to my sons. This is why I don't deal with trash." Jeremy pushed James backwards and his hands were suddenly free from the gun.
James turned and took a swig of beer before stumbling away.
No one was the wiser as to what just happened and I felt like I was in a bubble.
Jeremy and I stood in line silently for another ten minutes before we could get our pizza and then carried it back to the box. Not one word was mentioned about the interaction that I just saw but some part of me knew that this wasn't something we would have a heart-to-heart about.
When we went back into the box, almost everything was the same as usual and the family was cheering for a White Sox win. I didn't really know what to do or if I should tell Justin but I kept my mouth shut.
"What did you get?" Justin asked me when I sat down.
"Lots of stuff." I replied but I wasn't really paying attention to our conversation.
"Good. I hope you spent all the money."
"Yeah and I got you a hat." I pulled it out of the bag.
"I don't wear hats, Maddie." He looked at me jokingly.
"You'll wear this one." I put it on his head and made sure it wouldn't fall off, "You look cute."
"I bet." He rolled his eyes but didn't take the hat off of his head.
We watched the rest of the game but everyone could tell that something was off. Jeremy wasn't as he was before and Pattie seemed to be calming him down.
By the time we all left the box, it was dark outside and we were all tired. Justin held my hand as we went down the elevators and when we were in the parking garage; Jeremy pulled him aside to talk. I didn't want to let go of Justin's hand because I knew he was going to be furious with the information he was receiving.
I watched from the car as his face turned an odd shade of dark purple and his fists bunched at his side. Justin's lips turned into one solid line and his eyes grew hard as stones. Even from far away, I felt a shiver of terror go up my body.
Justin ripped the car door open and slouched inside, igniting the engine without a word.
He spun out of the parking space easily and quickly with a scowl of the devil on his face.
"Are you okay?" I asked quietly as we sped through traffic going out of Cellular Field.
"No, Maddie. I'm not okay." He responded coldly, "I'm going to drop you off and then I have some things to take care of."
"Are you going to hurt him?"
I don't know why I asked that but I didn't want anyone getting harmed on my account. I figured Justin would do something rash in the heat of the moment.
"Yes." Justin said, not even bothering to lie.
"Are...are you going to kill him?" I knew he would and with the new evidence I had, it was a strong possibility in my mind that Justin had killed before.
"No, I can't, but I want to. He had no right to put his hands on you."
"He didn't know and Jeremy said I was his niece."
"He didn't know? That's no excuse. He shouldn't be touching anyone that way, especially you and he's going to never forget that." Justin growled.
"As much as I'm turned on by this possessive Justin, I don't think you need to do anything bad."
"I told you that I would explain things later but this is who I am. Someone did something bad and they have to pay for it." He said in a very black and white way.
"Pinching my ass wasn't that bad."
"You have no idea what the thoughts are in my head right now. I feel like I could rip this city apart." Justin stomped on the gas and we shot off.
We stayed quiet as Justin blasted through the roads and I couldn't tell what he was muttering under his breath but it sounded like a prayer.
We screeched to a halt in front of my dorm and he sighed before leaning back, "I'll see you tomorrow?" He asked
"I guess so." I shrugged.
"Good." He leaned over for a kiss, which I gave him but hesitantly.
"Don't hurt him." I got out of the car and shut the door.
I didn't even want to look backwards as I walked into my dorm and heard the car roar off down the road.
I swiped my card at the proctor station and got in the elevators.
The whole time I was going up, I was wondering what Justin might do to James. I had only just met the guy and I was scared for him. The way Justin drove told me how he was going to handle the situation but I hoped nothing bad happened because James got a little frisky. It wasn't worth it but something told me that Justin wasn't going to just let him walk away from this.
That night, I don't think I went to bed but I just tossed and turned so things were really blurry in my head.
I was scared. It was a plain and simple thing. I didn't know what Justin was going to do but I feared that he was going to get in trouble. He seemed like the kind of man who would do something rash to defend me or some macho shit like that.
To be honest, I didn't give a fuck about James but I didn't want Justin getting hurt.
I woke up the next morning and since it was Saturday, I didn't have much to do so I lazily stayed in bed. I was supposed to be meeting Justin today but I didn't know if that was going to happen. I still needed to think about things.
Around eleven, I got hungry and decided to go downstairs for some breakfast. By the time I was finished gorging myself on waffles and bacon, I wanted another nap.
I got out of the elevator and went to my door, unlocking it easily.
When I pushed myself into the room, I kicked something that wasn't hard but I could feel it. I turned on the lights and looked down at the CD case on the floor. I picked it up and rolled it in my hands.
I didn't remember leaving this on the floor and I don't even have any CD's so I was very concerned. Someone must have pushed it under the door.
I opened the case up and in big black letters was: Watch me.
I was suspicious as I started my laptop and took off my jacket, sitting at the desk while I waited. As soon as it was ready to go, I put the CD in and waited for it to load.
Something about these past few days was making me very paranoid and I suddenly realized that hanging around with Justin was a liability.
Suddenly my screen went black and a grainy picture appeared on screen with the words Nicola Rossini under it. The picture got smaller and moved to the top of the screen before a family tree began to branch out.
I saw a whole lot of men all with names and dates under them but I had no idea what I was looking at until I saw Jeremy. Under his name, Keegan, Finn and Justin appeared. All the pictures were candid so that the subjects didn't know they were being photographed.
They vanished and the screen was filled with words like murder, illegal trading, drug dealing, corporate espionage, gambling, tax evasion, arson, grand theft auto and others, but I had to stop reading. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew I should be questioning where this disk came from but I couldn't even think right.
There was newspaper articles that went back to the earliest part of the 20th century and in every headline were the name Bieber along with another charge that was suddenly dropped or forgotten about. Pictures were zoomed in on Jeremy talking or eating with some pretty ruthless looking men who all had last names like Anthis and Denali. I knew those names because of my father.
The Anthis' were a major mob family that did a lot of criminal activity around Seattle. The Denalis ran drug scams all up and down the west coast and were involved in a string of suspicious cases in California as well. Why would Jeremy be meeting with them?
There were pictures of Keegan, Finn, and Justin all holding guns and looking very suspicious. In some photos, they were bloodied and beaten but in others, they were clean cut with nothing more than a scratch on them.
The last thing I saw was a newspaper article from this morning, I had no idea how it was digitized so quickly but there it was. The story wasn't on the main page but was still pretty horrific in its details.
A man by the name of James Denali was found in a back alleyway late last night, alive but badly beaten. The weapon of choice was a thick, wooden baseball bat that was lying next to the victim, bloody and splintered.
James was beaten so badly that he was in critical condition at some hospital downtown. Both of his arms were broken, his right leg was completely shattered, he had bruises that were the size of watermelons, and his jaw was busted in three places. It had to be wired shut and doctors didn't know if he would ever be able to speak correctly again.
There were no suspects and no witnesses.
Things in my mind snapped together in a nano second.
I snatched the CD out of the holder and grabbed my jacket off of the bed, heading out of the door.
Justin and I needed to talk now.
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