Jax used to always say the only thing about me that every annoyed him was the lengths I went through when I was curious about something.

I never really understood what he meant until we were thirteen and I let my curiosity get a little too far out of hand. We had ended up in the back of a moving truck, surrounded by piles and piles of some unknown people's boxes, half way across the Canadian border—but that's a story for another time.

That had been years ago, and I've learned to control my actions a little better since then. I didn't necessarily do crazy things anymore to stop the curiosity, especially after I officially came home. But, well, this was Rex Turner we're talking about—and there was nothing I wasn't willing to do when it came to that boy.

I absolutely, one-hundred and twenty-five percent, should not have done what I did that night though. It was a huge invasion of privacy, and kind of stalkerish. The worst part was that I knew all this going into it. I remembered the way Jax had been furious last time I did something so- well, reckless—but I couldn't help it.

I followed Rex and the others—to whatever they were doing that I 'didn't need to know' about.

I had "borrowed" my dad's 2018 Jeep Explorer that he kept safely tucked away in the garage. He was never home to use it, Luce had her own vehicle, and I still, um, didn't have my license. So, it just sat away in there, collecting dust when it desperately wanted to be taken out and seen. At least, that was what I told myself, so I wouldn't feel bad for taking it.

I was a little apprehensive about driving anything after the whole vomiting-sports car fiasco, but then I had that whole curiosity problem, so my mind evened itself out.

Rex had dropped me off that afternoon with a small, rather apologetic, smile pulling at that beyond gorgeous face of his, and that same promise that we would do something tomorrow. He had no idea I had been planning on following him ever since he walked me back to class. I knew it was a super, duper, bad idea at the back of my mind, but that never really stopped me before.

I edged the Jeep forward onto the driveway just as the sun started to set and parked it conveniently so I had a perfect view of Trey's house to my left. Creepy, I know, but I was on a stakeout. I would have sat in my living room until I saw them leave, if only to seem a little less stalkerish, but just as I was coming to that decision the boys stepped through Trey's front door.

I slouched down far in the seat, despite the insanely tinted windows and dark night sky, and peaked just barely over the side of the door. They all stood outside Trey's SUV and Rex's car, for a few, long, nail biting seconds before they finally got in. The Dimajios and Trey into his huge vehicle, and Rex into that infamous convertible.

I waited until they had all pulled out of the driveway and started down the street before I let dad's Jeep purr to life and followed. I tried to keep a far enough distance where they wouldn't notice, but close enough where I wouldn't lose them—and let me tell you driving at night was not fun. I was barely passing Driver's Ed as it was and having to sneakily follow people in the dark was not on the curriculum.

I didn't do too bad though, not even when they pulled out onto the highway. Thankfully there wasn't a lot of traffic after eight.

We drove for a solid hour, and the entire time I kept telling myself that this wasn't a good idea, that I should let this one go. But the curiosity never let me do that, and if they were going somewhere dangerous I wanted to be there to help—though I wasn't stupid enough to pretend I would have been much use. I probably would only make the situation worse, but I wasn't ready to admit that to myself.

We were probably thirty minutes over the Maine border, and the towns we past kept getting scarier, and scarier looking until the boys finally pulled off into the only crowded parking lot for what seemed like miles around. Though I would have felt much safer if they went to juvenile facility.

Cities like these always brought back bad memories.

I gulped.

Old and broken-down apartments loitered the street, abandon warehouses sat on almost every corner and the buildings were rotted and covered in some weird slime looking substance. The people surrounding the building were all—terrifying. This really, really, wasn't a good idea.

Was I going to turn back and go home like a smart person?

Absolutely not.

The warehouse itself looked abandoned, there were no lights flickering from the broken glass windows, and graffiti littered the old, broken bricks and I didn't even want to guess what that slimy looking stuff leaking from the cracks was.

"What in the h-e-double-hockey sticks is this place?"

I turned the engine off and watched quietly, even though I knew they couldn't hear or see me, as Rex and the others climbed out of their cars. They stood talking for a moment, before walking casually towards the crowd like this was a normal everyday thing for them. Heck, it probably was. I didn't know anything about them—about Rex.

I tried not to let that sting.

Despite what looked like a ridiculously long line waiting to get in, the crowd let the Big Four slip past them without a fight, and they all disappeared into—what I assumed—was the front door. Or, at least the door to get them where ever they were going.

I took a few deep, calming, breaths, waited a solid three minutes before gathering what little courage I had and climbed out of the safety of the Jeep. I locked all the doors, pulled the hood of my sweater over my head, then buried my hands with the keys in my pockets. This was the perfect place to go for that lovely panic always swirling in my chest.

I tried to stay hidden in shadow as much as I could as I eased into the crowd, even though the stench made me want to gag and run for the hills. These people were ten times worse up close then from the view of the street. They were mostly all men, though there were a few rather gruff looking women, all shouting and hollering at what looked like a bodyguard in front of the door.

I wasn't sure if it was because the mass majority of them didn't shower, or if it was just the close proximity of the all the people, but the smell wafting from the crowd made me want to vomit. I don't know what Denton was thinking. There was no way I would have enjoyed going to this with them.

"Excuse me... Pardon me... 'Scuse me..." I mumbled more to myself than the people as I pushed through the grimy crowd—and it only earned me a whole bunch of glares and curses I tried not to flinch at.

I reached the front of the crowd just in time for the bouncer-guard-guy to hold open the door for a group of over enthusiastic old guys to go hurrying in. One good thing about being tinier than almost everyone else- blending in easily. I was able to practically merge into the small crowd undetected and squish pass the guard and door without too much trouble.

I tried to keep my face pointed towards the ground and hidden from the mob crowding around me, but it was hard with so many people squished together. Everyone was shouting and yelling about something in the middle of the room. I tried to peer over a few shoulders to see what it was, but I was too short.

It was going to be practically impossible to find Rex and the others in this mess.

I pushed through all the people, trying to get to the center of the basement-like room. The boys would be around there somewhere, I was sure of it. If they came here for whatever reason everyone else was, then they would definitely be at the front of the action.

It was a lot harder than I thought. I got a few 'hey you! Girl!' on the way, even a few gross, grubby hands had squeezed my booty—but I pushed quickly through the crowd in the opposite direction every time that happened. By the time I finally reached the middle of the room, I had already been grabbed, pushed, and pulled more times than I could have counted.

That wasn't what caused the panic though. No, it was the sight that hit me the minute I reached the front of the crowd. There was a small open space in the middle of the room, the mass amount of people forming walls surrounding it, as if there were an invisible line they couldn't cross.

Dirt, blood, and other liquid like substances I didn't want to think about, littered the floor as two shirtless men tried ripping the others throats out in the center of it. And one of them was Rex.

My breath caught in my throat, which happened to be the only thing keeping me from screaming out as him as the crowd cheered on the two fighting. This wasn't... This was not happening. But I couldn't deny what was right before my eyes.

Like all other fights I had seen Rex in, he was winning. He didn't seem to have one scratch or bruise on his bare chest and back, though he was covered in dirt, sweat, and blood—but I knew none of it was his.

The guy he was fighting though, looked ready to pass out. His nose was busted open, his lip completed split open and his black-eye was nothing compared to the bruises already covering his body. Rex didn't let up, he never did. Two quick jabs at the other guys face had him falling to his knees in defeat. The crowd was roaring so loudly in my ears I couldn't hear myself think.

I had seen Rex fight before, seen what those hard fists could do when provoked, but this was something entirely different. That day in the parking lot, when he had completely knocked out Jason's friends and sent that very boy to the hospital, Rex had been filled with a quiet, calm, rage—but I hadn't been scared of him.

Rex Turner never truly scared me—until that moment.

There was no quiet, calm, rage streaming off him—no hate or red-hot fury. Because Rex was smiling. Smiling like I had never seen him do before, like no other smile he had ever given me. It was an undeniable, totally ecstatic, smile.

Completely covered in the blood of another, surrounded by some of the most disgusting people I had ever seen cheering him on, Rex was happy. A true, genuine happiness I had never seen on anyone, especially him. He enjoyed this, thrived on it.

That was what terrified me.

I had seen that completely blissful look at bloodshed before. Seen it on dozens of faces throughout my life time, seen it in thousands of nightmares. It was that kind of smile that flashed across my lids every time I closed my eyes. A sadistic, carnivorous smile that always caused the panic it promised to rise.

One I had worn myself.

I stumbled back from the front of the crowd, my breathing catching in my lungs as my eyes grew wide. This is—This is... I couldn't do this. I couldn't be here. I couldn't see him like this. That wasn't Rex, not the one I knew. This was just another nightmare, one where I could go home and pretend never existed. Because the only way I could push the panic down was by convincing myself it wasn't real.

But then Rex turned the other way, reaching over to grab the rag someone in the crowd was holding out to him, and those dark, sadistically happy, eyes glanced up and locked on mine. He blinked, and that smile slowly faded.

My heart dropped to my stomach and tried to push the contents of it up my throat and out of my mouth. I had to suck in a deep, shaky breath to try and push down the nausea, and the panic, but that didn't help.

"Rose?" A familiar, and extremely confused voice practically shouted behind me over the noise of the obnoxious crowd. "What are you doing here?" A strong hand reached out and just barely touched my upper arm before I jerked away from it and spun rapidly around my heels.

"Don't touch me!" I barked at the person behind me, familiar green eyes widening in surprise. I should have felt bad for snapping at him, but the panic didn't care about who it was or what they were doing—it only sent my mind into danger mood.

Trey glanced down at me with a little hurt, but mostly worry in those bright eyes. But I didn't have time to make him feel better. I had to get out there. Had to get away from the disgusting, loud crowd with the sweaty bodies and the inappropriate touching. Had to get away from the yelling, and shouting, and blood. Had to get away from the Rex Turner that liked hurting others.

Because this wasn't real. None of this was real.

"Princess, hey, calm down. It's okay..."

I hadn't realized my breathing was starting to come out in short, sharp gasps, over and over again until Trey had started reaching out again—those green eyes soft and inviting. But I didn't care, not right then. My brain only had two modes, fight or flight, and all I wanted to do right then was fly as far away as I could get.

I jerked away from him again and stumbled in a different direction, my eyes so wide I'm sure they were nearly popping out of my skull. I looked hurriedly around the crowd, trying to find the quickest escape, my hands practically clutching around my own throat as if that could calm down my breathing.

This isn't real. This isn't real.

I spun around almost viciously, wide eyes landing on another familiar body pushing through the crowd, but I couldn't worry about that then. I had to get out of there. I had to-

"What the fuck is going on?"

Then there was that voice practically snarling at me, and the panic only grew in my chest. I spun around in defense, all rational thought practically flying out of my brain as those dark, haunting eyes glared down at me from barely two feet away. I took two shaky, frightened steps back, until I could use the large body of Trey Maguire as a shield if I had to.

Rex's eyes widened at the action, his face pulling into a confused frown that I would have found absolutely adorable in any other situation, but my mind was so far gone I couldn't focus on the perfectness that was his face. He took a step forward, one I matched backwards as the Dimajios finally pushed through the oblivious crowd around us.

"Buttercup!" Denton's voice shouted towards us the same time "What is the kid doing here?" did.

None of us answered, and that confused frown of Rex's slowly faded to a certain fury I hadn't quite seen on him before. It wasn't the calm, collected one with Jason, or the steering-wheel beating one I was used to. If I was in the right state of mine to put much thought into it, I would have said it was more hurt than anything.

Faster than I could have time to react, Rex took the few small steps separating us with dark fury in his eyes. It did nothing to help the erratic breathing I was putting my poor lungs through, or the rapid pace of my heart. He wrapped that hard, rather bloody, hand of his into the front of my sweater and pulled me so close to him our chests were practically touching.

"You really fucking think I would ever hurt you?"

I couldn't gulp like I wanted to, my lungs wouldn't let me, and that furious look in those dark eyes suggested completely against what his words said.

"Rex..." Trey started gently, his bright, concerned eyes flickering between us rather nervously. "You're freaking her out more than she already is. Maybe we should leave-"

"I want to hear her say it."

Rex held me close to his half-naked, sweaty, blood covered body for a few silent, extremely tense seconds. Those dark eyes glared into my own as I tried to reign down the panic. My breathing had actually evened out somewhat, or at least enough for the Oxygen to get to my brain—but that didn't really help the tight grip squeezing around my chest.

"Not... me..." I practically had to force the words past my tongue, just from how hard my throat was trying to close in on itself. I wasn't afraid he would hurt me, even when that sadistic smile plagued his beautiful face.

I was afraid of everything it had made me remember.

"Nice piece of ass, Turner!" Some Neanderthal shouted beside us and caused Rex to tear those chestnut eyes away from me for the first time since he grabbed my sweater. They cut like sharp knives at whoever spoke, and the icy demeanor plastered across his face was the same one he had given Jason before punching him into the ground.

The guy immediately disappeared.

Then those eyes were back on mine for a moment, just a moment, before those ridiculously hard hands were spinning me around and practically shoving me through the crowd.

"Now were fucking moving." One of the boys grumbled behind us, though I was a little too concentrated on keeping my footing to pay much attention. The panic was still there, and my breathing was still a little too hard for what I would have liked but having Rex usher me through the crowd like he did at Echo all those days ago almost put my mind in a serene place.

No one could touch me like this, with those hard as diamond arms caging my back to his chest and keeping the crowd away. It made me almost forget about that sadistic pleasure I had seen staining his beautiful face.

Almost.

The crowd parted for him like the Red Sea, though that did nothing to stop the 'boos' for him leaving the fight, or the cat calls at something else entirely. My wide-eyed gaze darted across the crowded underground, my heart pounding viciously in my chest even as Rex finally pushed us through a solid, heavy metal door and into a dark hallway.

"What the hell is going on?" Brett demanded the minute the door closed behind the last of the Four, but no one answered as Rex continued to push me down the hall. He didn't stop man-handling me until we reached what looked like an old locker room with a bathroom in one corner and a stack of old moldy lockers in another.

"Sit." He practically growled and placed me in a cold metal chair against one of the empty walls before stalking angrily away.

"Rex, man, maybe we should talk about this-"

"Get. Out." He spoke lowly to Trey, his words hard and clipped as those dark eyes turned icy in fury as he glanced at the three standing awkwardly in the doorway. None of them moved, and Trey's green eyes flickered worriedly between the two of us once again.

"Fucking hell! Does everyone fucking think I'm going to hurt her!? Get the fuck out!" That somewhat calm façade he was putting on was slowly slipping away, and the always-present volcano that was Rex Turner was about to erupt.