A/N: Since I made you guys wait so long before an update, I figured I'd give you another fun little filler chapter. Hope you enjoy!

"Do not try to walk back to the warehouse." My eyes rolled of their own accord as I hopped out of the SUV. Rounding on Vincent, I made sure to let him see the glare I was giving him. "I'm serious."

"Okay, Mom. You're giving Dante a run for his money in the mother hen department."

"I just want –"

"Me safe," I finished for him. The look he gave me promised punishment, and as amusing as it was to push his buttons, I knew I had to let up. At least a little. "Vincent, I love you. But what are you dropping me off for?"

"Self-defense."

"With who?"

"With your trainer that you've been seeing for months."

"And?"

"And he's the reason you were able to put me flat on ass earlier."

I beamed at him, slinging my duffel onto my shoulder. "See? I'm going to be fine. And I know you've got a lot to do with Weasel-Face –"

"Henry."

"Whatever. I know you have a lot with that deal going on. Who are you taking with you?"

"Brandon and Arkin."

"So, as soon as I'm done, I'll call Lucas. I promise." I had a sneaking suspicion the boys were going with him to avoid me, but I'd let them get away with it. For now.

He crooked his finger at me. Arching my brows, I simply crossed my arms and leaned against the seat. Vincent smirked, and that was all the warning I got before his hand shot out. His fingers wound into the front of my shirt, and he yanked me forward. A yelp of surprise escaped as he hauled me back into the car with him.

Before I could even think about chastising him, he kissed me.

"That mouth is going to get you in trouble," he murmured, pulling back enough to snare me in his gaze.

"It usually does," I replied. I leaned forward again to peck him on the cheek, and then I disentangled myself from his grip. "But you're going to make me late. I'll see you tonight."

He grumbled something unintelligible as I shut the door. Trying not to laugh at his expense, I waved before entering the studio. Vincent only pulled away from the curb once the door was shut behind me. Trying to tame the smile on my face into something less dopey, I turned to the reception desk.

As I expected, it was empty. Sherry was rarely here whenever I had my afternoon appointments with Jack. As much as I loved meeting with him in the mornings, I almost preferred the later times. The gym was quiet, and it was usually only the two of us when we met this late. Sometimes I would stay for hours practicing whatever new technique we had gone over in training. It had gotten to the point where Jack was about to let me have a spare key so that I could lock up if I wasn't ready to leave when he was. It happened more often than I cared to admit. I wasn't sure why he still put up with me.

The man put a lot of faith in me. And I was so thankful he had taken that chance all those months ago.

The light was on in the studio we typically used, so I made my way back to it. Jack was in the far corner, working through a series of jabs and punches against one of the punching bags. For a moment, I just studied him. He was carrying so much tension in his shoulders, more than I had ever noticed before. His hits were short, clipped, and precise.

Frustration.

He had taught me how to recognize which emotions were the driving forces in my exercises, and how to redirect them in order to be the most beneficial. It was an invaluable skill, and I was glad I was getting to the point where I could see it in others as well. He was so zoned in, that he hadn't even noticed me approach. Which was off for him. Jack had always reminded me of a cat. Aware of his surroundings, and ready to adapt at a moments notice. Not to mention how quick and light on his feet he was. Another skill he had helped me hone.

It was the reason I was able to outsmart him half the time.

The door creaked as I pushed it open farther. His head whipped up so fast I'm sure his neck cricked. When he spotted me, he flashed a grin before waving in greeting. My own smile slipped over my face as I shut the door behind me and walked over to him.

"Rough day?" I asked, pitching my bag, phone, and jacket into a corner.

"You have no idea," he said, stretching his arms out as he turned towards me. His tawny eyes ran over me. Searching, assessing, and taking on that calculating gleam I was growing more familiar with. Ever since Jack had stopped pulling punches with me, the way he looked at me had changed. He still seemed to see way more than I ever intended for him to, but now and then I caught a glimpse of predatory glee when I managed to pin him. Or vice versa.

"Enlighten me." He chuckled at my words. The sound rich and warm as he motioned for me to head for the mat. Fighting not to roll my eyes, I flounced over. When I pivoted to face him, I found that he was barely even a step behind me. My eyebrows arched before I crossed my arms over my chest. "So scared I'm going to beat you that you're resorting to intimidation?"

"Jules, you've never backed down from a fight with me," he pointed out, taking a step back. "I don't think intimidation could ever work on you."

"As long as you know."

It was his turn to roll his eyes.

"Let me see the form we went over last time." I moved into position. Jack tsked, moving forward to reorient my hips. The tank top I had on was thin, so the heat of his touch easily seeped into my skin. His fingers flexed, and my whole body went still. Raising my focus to his eyes, I saw the indecision on his face. Sucking in a sharp breath, he shook his head as he took a step back. "You need to stand like this, otherwise you'll lose balance and be finished before you even start."

"You okay?"

"I've just got a lot going on right now, sorry if I seem distracted."

I slowly eased out of the fighting stance to cross my arms again and study him. Jack had always tried to be there for me when my brain was firing off in a thousand different directions, the least I could do was try to offer him the same. If he'd let me.

"Do you want to reschedule?" I questioned, cocking my head. "I don't want to keep you from anything."

"I think I need this more than you for once," he said, giving me a small smile. "But thank you for caring enough to ask."

"You'd do the same for me," I reminded him with a shrug.

He grunted before falling into a fighting stance, motioning for me to do the same. Despite my skepticism, I did. Jack had never pushed when there was obviously something wrong with me. When my head hadn't been in the right place because of Vincent or the gang. So, I wouldn't either. At least not with my words.

With my fists? Oh absolutely. He was going to get it.

Before he could make a move against me, I ducked low and went for his weaker right side.

His breath wheezed out of him as he whirled on me. Grinning, I darted out of the way of his swinging fist. A look of pride flashed across his face so quickly I almost missed it. But it made my heart swell, and I was more than ready for his counter. He threw a couple more weak attacks, and I deflected each one with ease. Well, so much for him not pulling punches anymore. Scowling, I batted away his sorry attempts to land a hit. With a growl of my own, I full out tackled him. The fact that he let me was even more of a testament to how distracted he was.

"What was that for?" he grumbled, a playful glare on his face as I sat on his stomach.

"You're not even here right now," I stated, tapping his forehead. "You'd never let me get away with this if you were focused."

His laughter reverberated through me. His tawny eyes warmed, and he reached up to push a strand of hair that had escaped my braid back behind my ear. Arching my brows at his change in demeanor, I didn't move as he let his hand slip down the side of my cheek. The slight twinkle of mischief in his eyes was the only warning I had before he flipped us.

My breath whooshed out of me as Jack straddled my hips. I glared up at him.

"What?" he asked, laughter lacing his voice as he braced his hands on either side of my head.

"You tricked me."

"You always fall for it."

"Prick," I muttered, shoving at his shoulder.

"Always," he repeated. A shadow passed over his face, settling in his eyes. "Such a shame."

My brows furrowed. "What is?"

Jack didn't answer me. Instead, he shifted so that one of his hands was resting on my collarbone. The touch was gentle, familiar, yet something was off. I had always felt safe in this man's presence. Even when I had suspected he had started to develop feeling for me, he never pushed the issue. Because he knew there was someone else. But a prickling awareness was raising every hair on my body on end. I just couldn't put my finger on what was causing it.

Something was different, and as Jack's hand inched towards my throat, a terrifying thought occurred to me. Not even wanting to let the thought come to fruition, I bucked my hips in an attempt to throw him.

It did nothing.

Jack settled his full weight onto me, and I was already struggling to breathe. The man was not light by any means. So, when his warm hand closed over my neck, I knew the unease was starting to show on my features.

"What's a shame, Jack?" I whispered, trying to catch his attention.

"That all this time," he murmured, brushing his thumb over my feathering pulse. His eyes met mine. And I saw it. I knew. Before he even finished his sentence, I knew how much danger I was in. "I had the key to ending Vincent Monroe once and for all in my hands. I've had you under me like this so many times. Just a little extra pressure . . ." He trailed off, but his hand constricted. Panic flared as he cut off my airway, and my hands flew to his. "And it's all over. I'll have once again taken the only thing he cares about from him."

All of my training flew from my mind as I lost the ability to breathe. If it had just been a random attack, I might have been able to keep my wits about me. But I couldn't think straight. Because the man that I had trusted, the man that I had spent so much time with for months, was so much more than I thought. He had lured me into a false sense of security with how distracted he had been. I had walked right into his trap.

He wasn't just Jack.

He was Jaxon Graham.

And I didn't know if I was going to leave this studio alive.

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HAHAHA. I lied.

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Erin