After stepping out of his sportscar, Michelle shut the door and made a beeline for a cute little boutique she had visited when she first got to LA.  

As she entered the elegant store, Michelle began to browse through the various dresses that adorned the walls looking for something suitable to wear out with Chris.  Once she found several outfits that caught her eye, Michelle headed in to the dressing room.  After trying on and rejecting several different outfits, Michelle finally settled on something.  Oddly enough, the deciding factor went to whether or not the look would please Chris.  Something she found rather odd. 

"Did you find something you like?"  the sales lady asked, as Michelle walked out of the dressing room. 

"Yeah, I did."  she replied, looking down at the dress as it draped over her arm.  "I was torn there for a second though.  Your clothes are amazing." 

"Thanks." 

As Michelle made her way to the counter, she saw a small glass case filled with custom made jewerly and stopped to have a look. 
"Is there something  you would like to see?"  

Tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, Michelle leaned down to get a closer look and pointed to a pink heart shaped rhinestone that was dangling from a small silver chain. 

"Can I see that one?" 

"Sure."  the lady replied, unlocking the case and handing the delicate piece of jewerly to Michelle.  "This is one of our custom pieces.  It's a platinum chain and the heart is a pink sapphire set, of course, in platinum."  she replied, a small smile on her face as Michelle glanced down at the price tag. 

"It's a beautiful necklace, but....wow." she continued, handing the necklace back to the lady. 

"Can I see that?" 

Quickly turning around, Michelle saw Chris standing right behind her, his hand extended out to the young lady holding the necklace. 

"Of course.  It's a custom piece.  It's a platinum chain and....." 

"I heard.  Thanks."  Chris said, looking at the necklace and then back at Michelle who was standing there in a complete state of shock. 

"Did you find something to wear for tonight?"  he asked, fumbling with the small satin ribbon that held the price tag in place. 
"Yeah." Michelle replied 

"So, you're ready to go?"  

"Yeah." 

"Do you still have my card?" 

After a slight laugh over their question and answer session, Michelle reached in to her pocket and pulled out Chris' American Express card.  Once she handed it to him, Michelle placed her stuff up on the counter.  

"Can you ring us up."  Chris asked, as he removed his sunglasses and placed them down beside the register.  

"Just this stuff here?"  

"No, this too." Chris replied, tossing the tag on to the counter. 

"Chris.  That's more than the price of a car!" 

"It's not more than any of MY cars."  he replied laughing. 

While Michelle stood there in slight protest to Chris dropping such a large amount of cash on her, the young lady behind the register wasted no time in ringing all the items up. 

"OK, the total...with the necklace....." 

"I don't care what it is.  Just put it on here."  Chris replied, handing the lady his card. 

"Chris.  You don't have to do this." 

"Do you think you need to tell me that?  Trust me.  I don't do anything that I don't want to do."  he stated matter-of-factly.  "Now come on.  Let's see how it looks."  he said, as he proceeded to unfasten the clasp. 

Letting out a slight sigh, Michelle watched as Chris seductively walked behind her.  After lowering the necklace down in front of her, Michelle pulled her hair up.  As Chris' fingers gently grazed against the back of her neck, Michelle closed her eyes and felt a sudden chill wash over her.  

"You can thank me for it later."  he said, softly whispering in to her ear.  

Looking over her shoulder, Michelle studied the look on Chris' face and then looked back down at the necklace. 

"I just need you to sign this."  the young lady said, as she  handed Chris a pen and placed the receipt down on the counter. 

After grabbing the pen, Chris signed the small slip of paper and placed his credit card back in his wallet. 

"It looks good on you."  Chris said, turning to face Michelle who was still standing there staring at him. 

"Thanks."  she replied, her voice barely audible as her mind raced with thoughts over what Chris had planned for the evening. 

"Here you go sir.  Thanks for shopping with us and please stop again."  

"They're not my bags.  They're hers."  Chris replied, quickly taking the bags from the sales lady and handing them to Michelle. 

After offering them both a slight smile, Michelle took the bags from Chris and followed behind him as he headed for the door. 

"So, how long is it going to take you to get ready?" 

"I don't know.  It shouldn't take too long." 

"Good because we have to be somewhere at nine o'clock and arriving late is not an option.  Keep that in mind." 

After nodding her head that she understood, Chris opened the passenger side door and allowed her to get in.  Once she had her bags safely tucked between her feet, Chris shut the door and proceeded to head around to the drivers side.  

"It's almost seven right now."  Chris said glancing down at his watch.  "You'll have a little over an hour to do whatever it is that you need to do."  he continued as he started his car back up. 

"That's fine.  I'll be ready."  she answered and quickly resumed her gaze out the passenger window. 

After letting a small laugh escaped his mouth, Chris put his car in drive and pulled back out on to the road.  Sure, she could put up that wall and block everything out for now, but after tonight, that was all going to change.  

_________________________________________________________________  
Once they pulled in to the drivway of the house, Chris wasted no time in putting the car in park and heading in to the house.   After a quick reminder of the time remaining, Chris tossed his keys on to the table and proceeded to head upstairs to get ready. 

After a few minutes of standing there in the wake of Chris' mad dash to get ready, Michelle let out a heavy sigh and proceeded to head up to the guestroom to get ready. 

As she walked in to the guestroom, she found herself needing and wanting to look good for Chris.  She wasn't sure why, but the urge to please was certainly there.  

"This is just insane.  Just get ready and forget about what he will think."  she reprimanded herself as she tossed the dress on to the bed. "This is nothing more than you being a pawn.  You'll go out, he'll more than likely make you feel like shit and then you'll come back here so he can have his fun.  That's how it works.  You should know this by now."  she said, now staring at her reflection in the mirror.  "Just go get ready." 

After staring at herself for a few more seconds, Michelle headed in to the bathroom to get a shower.  She was hoping that the hot water would relax her at least some, but the anticipation over what would transpire tonight proved to be more than one hot shower could do away with. 

When she was done showering, Michelle grabbed one of the towels from the tall stand that was along and the wall and casually wrapped it around her body before stepping back in to the bedroom.  After grabbing her purse from the dresser, Michelle began to look around the room for a clock.  Once she realized there wasn't one in the room, Michelle secured the towel in place and headed towards the door to find out what time it was. 

"There has to be a clock up here somewhere."  Michelle said, glancing in to a few of the other guestroom that lined the hall.  

"Looking for something?"  Chris asked, as he stepped out of his own bedroom. 

"I was just trying to find out what time it was."  she replied, trying her best to keep the towel from riding up any further than it always was. "There wasn't a clock in there." 

"Ah.  I thought maybe you were coming to show me the little ensemble you picked out earlier."  he said, momentarily glancing down at his watch.  "But I don't think this is it because it that was the case, I got ripped off."  he continued, taking a few steps closer. 

"No.  I'll be ready in a few minutes though.  I know it's almost time to go." she said, glancing down at the floor. 

Letting out a heavy sigh of frustraion, Chris crossed his arms in front of him and stood there staring at her, the look of disappoinment evident on his face.  

Feeling her heart race inside her chest, Michelle knew that he wasn't pleased and tried to quickly remedy the situtation. 

"Just give me ten minutes Chris.  I'll be ready, I swear."  she said, attempting to side step him so that she could head back to the guestroom. 

 Then without moving from his position or even saying a word, Chris placed his arm out to the side and stopped her in her mid-stride. 

"Uh uh.  Get back over here."  

After hesitantly taking her position back in front of Chris, Michelle stood there on the verge of tears and once again looked down at the floor. 

"WHY DO YOU KEEP DOING THAT!  STOP!"  Chris yelled, forcefully grabbing her chin as he lifted her head up.  "LOOK AT ME WHEN I TALK TO YOU!"  

Unable to hold back the tears any longer, Michelle brought her gaze to meet Chris' and stood there like a helpless child about to be disciplined. 

"Jesus Christ.  Don't cry Michelle."  Chris groaned, letting go of her chin.  "Was it that bad?  I mean really?  What the hell did he do to make you so afraid that you can't even maintain eye contact with someone?"  he asked, surprising them both as he reached up to wipe away a trail of tears from her cheek. 

"Chris, please don't ask me that.  I don't want to talk about him." 

"Well I do.  I want to know.  Why can't you look me in the eye for more than a few seconds?  What are you afraid of?  Are you afraid that I'll see something you don't want me to?" 

"Maybe that's what your afraid of Chris!  Did you ever think of that, because I can't help but think that this tough guy act is just that.  An act."  she said, trying her best to maintain eye contact.  Unfortunately after only a few seconds, she broke down and diverted her gaze to something other than Chris.  

"An act?  You think this is an act?!  That's I'm some fuckin misunderstood Prince Charming here to sweep you off your feet?!  That I'm here to defend your honor and make your life better?!  What in the hell would lead you to believe that you were here for anything more than my amusement?  Do you think I care about you or something?  Is that it?"  Chris yelled, now hovering just mere inches from her face.  "DO YOU?!"  

Unable to take the yelling any longer, Michelle turned around and began to walk in the opposite direction.  She knew that if she didn't put some distance betweem them, and soon,  that her mouth was going to say something she could only regret. 

"Whoa!  Where do you think you're going?!"  Chris yelled, forcefully grabbing her by her arm as he pulled her towards him.  "Don't you EVER walk away from like that again.  Do you hear me?  AND LOOK AT ME GOD DAMN IT!"  

As Michelle stood there trembling against him, strands of hair now clinging to her tear soaked cheeks, she began to rethink her perception of Chris.  Sure, there was something about him that just didn't add up, but she also knew that if he even remotely cared about her, that he wouldn't be treating her this way.   Unfortunately before her mind even had the chance to process another thought, Chris released his hold on her and casually brushed the hair away from her face.  

"Hurry up and get ready.  We're leaving here in ten minutes."  he said, the tone of his voice cold as ice as he quickly made his way down the stairs.  

Once he was at the bottom of the stairs, Chris let out a frustrated groan and headed over to the large Victorian mirror that hung above the bombay chest in the hall. 

"Let it go there again and you know what's going to happen." he said, reprimanding himself as he straightened the color of his shirt.  "This one, you won't be able to just walk away from.  You won't want to." 

Chapter 132 

Once the police officers arrived at their car, the officer in charge opened the back door and stepped to the side. 

"Watch your head."  the other officer said, helping guide Wade down in to the car.  

After Wade adjusted his position in the backseat, the police officer reached across and fastened his seatbelt.  Once everything was secure, he engaged the security lock so that the door could only be opened from the outside and shut the door. 

"You want to drive Steve?  I want to start getting this report filled out.  The sooner we get him booked, the better." 

"Sure."  he replied, letting out a slight chuckle as he headed around to the other side of the car.  "First timer?" 

Looking back at Wade as he sat hunched over in the seat, the officer scanned through the paperwork he was holding and nodded his head. 

"Yeah.  I don't see any record of any prior arrests or anything.  Looks like he just made a bad judgement call tonight when he got behind the wheel.  He's lucky he didn't kill anyone." he said, opening his door so that he could get in. "Wait, did they run a toxicology report on him as well or just do a blood alcohol?" 

"I don't know.  I would assume they ran both.  Why?  It's not there?" 

"No."  he answered, continuing to scan through the paperwork.  "Wait, here it is."  he said, removing the sheet of paper from it's position in the folder.  

After letting out a audible groan, the officer looked back at Wade and then towards the set of double doors that led to the emergency room.  "Did you happen to search his belongings?" 

"No.  Why?" 

"He tested positive for methamphetamines."  he said, tossing the stack of papers on the the dashboard of the cruiser. 

"You think he still had some on him when they brought him in?" 

"Judging by the amount in his system, yeah, I think he did.  It would certainly explain the behavior now, wouldn't it?"  he continued, opening his door so that he could get back out.  "I'll be right back." 

Once the officer stepped out of the car and headed back inside, Wade leaned back and let his head fall back against the seat.  

After a few minutes, the officer walked back through the double set of doors and over to the car.  

"They gave his shit to his sister." he said, getting back inside the cruiser.  "I tried to find her, but she must have left already."  he said slamming his door closed. 

"Well, there isn't anything we can do now.  As far as I'm concerned, he didn't have anything on him.  It's not like that's why we were taking him in." 

Shaking his head in frustration, the officer motioned for his partner to head to the station and continued to fill out the paperwork.  After fifteen minutes of near silence, they arrived at the police station and parked their car in one of the open spots out front. 

"Think he is going to go quietly?" 

"Seeing as how he looks like he is on the verge of passing out." he said, looking through the partition at Wade "Yeah.  I don't think he is going to give us any trouble." 

After opening his door, the police officer stepped out and handed the folder of paperwork across the roof of the car.  

"Here.  Take this in to Grayson and have start typing this up.  I'll bring him in." 

"Are you sure you don't need me?" 

"No.  He's pretty much out of it."  he said, opening the back door of the cruiser.  "I got him." 

"Alright.  I'll see you inside." 

Once the officer headed in to the police station, the officer in charge unfastened Wade's seatbelt and gave him a light shake. 

"Let's go buddy." 

After letting out a heavy sigh, Wade lifted his head and stared blankly at the officer.  

"Can you just put me in a cell and do whatever it is....that you do...tomorrow.  I just want to lay down." 

Letting out a hearty laugh at Wade's request, the officer shook his head no and motioned for him to get out of the vehicle. 

"Fine.  I just want to get this over with."  Wade said, shifting to the side so that he could place his feet on the pavement. 

"Watch your head."  he said, reaching behind Wade to grab a hold of the handcuffs.  "Just stand up and get your footing first." 

After the officer helped Wade to his feet, he closed the door behind him gave him a minute to get his bearings. 

"Are you alright?  We don't want you falling on your face." 

Not bothering to answer him with a verbal reply, Wade simply nodded his head. 

"Come on." 

As Wade walked alongside the officer, he desperately fought to keep himself sane as thoughts of Michelle began filling his mind.  

Where was she and what was she doing?  Was she aware that he had been in a accident?  If she did, did she care?  Did Justin end up finding her?  Was she with him right now?  

Letting out a heavy sigh, Wade turned towards the officer as they headed up the stairs and in to the station. 

"Can I make a phone call?  I mean, you get to make a phone call, right?"  

"After we get you booked you can make a call."  the officer replied, motioning for Wade to turn around. 

After unfastening the handcuffs, the officer instructed Wade to have a seat on the bench just outside the processing room and refastened the handcuffs in front of him. 

"This won't take long.  It's just a matter of formalities."  he said, walking over to the table where they had the fingerprinting supplies. "You've never been fingerprinted before have you?" 

"Can't say I have.  Didn't think I ever would." 

As the officer looked back at Wade, he saw him once again hanging his head.  Normally he wasn't one to feel bad for people he brought in to the station, especially ones who gave him such a hard time when he took them in to custody, but something about his quick change of demeanor had him a bit concerned. 

"Are you currently taking any medications or are there any medical conditions we should be aware of, other than those relating to the unjury you received tonight?"  he asked, grabbing and pen from the drawer. 

Lost in his own train of thoughts, Wade simply shrugged his shoulders and stared at the handcuffs as they hung on his wrists. 

"Hey, Grayson just finished up his file."  the other officer said, handing a stack of papers to his partner as he walked through the door.  "Did you get his photo taken for the datebase yet?" 

"No.  I was just getting ready to fingerprint him."  he replied, motioning towards Wade. 

As the other officer glanced over at Wade, he saw him staring at the set of handcuffs and tracing his thumb across the small chain that held them together.  

"What's with him?"  he whispered, sitting the folder down on the table. 

"I'm not quite sure."  he said, removing the cover from the ink.  "After I get this stuff done though, can you take him back to my desk and let him make a quick phone call." 

"Yeah.  Just give me a few minutes.  I still need to call down to Pitchess and tell them we're going to need transport to pick him up." 

"Actually, hold off on that." 

"Hold off?" 

"Yeah." 

"Why?" 

After shaking his head that the conversation needed to stop, the officer pulled out a fingerprint card and laid in down in front of him. 

"I'm not so sure we are going to send him down there.  I'll make that decision though when we're done here.  Can you just bring him over for me?" 

"Yeah." 

Without hesitation, the other officer headed over to where Wade was seated and grabbed him by his arm. 

"Let's go."  he said, quickly pulling Wade to his feet. 

Once they got over to the table, the officer unlocked Wade handcuffs once again and proceeded to fingerprint him. 

"We're almost done."  he said, taking the small card with him over to the camera. 

After scanning the barcode from his card in to the camera, he officer instructed Wade to stand on the other side. 

Letting out a heavy sigh, Wade walked around to the other side of the camera and looked behind him at the various heigth markings on the wall. 

"Ok, look towards me." 

As Wade turned around to face the camera, he couldn't help but feel that once the flash of the camera went off that it was all over.  Everything and everyone that meant something to him would be lost forever. 

After the bright light flashed, Wade squinted his eyes for a moment and looked down at the handcuffs on his wrist, almost studying them as the glare of the flourescent light bounced off of them. 

"Turn to your right." 

Without hesitation, Wade turned to his right and the camera flashed once again. 

"Ok.  Officer Douglas is going to take you to make that phone call.   Once you're done he is going to bring you back here." 

Only nodding his head, Wade followed the officer out of the room and over to one of the desks. 

"I can't take the cuffs off, but if you need some help holding the phone or dialing the number, just ask." 

Shaking his head that he didn't need assistance, Wade reached down and picked the receiver of the phone up.  After positioning it between his shoulder and his ear, Wade began to dial the number to Michelle's cell phone. 

After several rings her voicemail kicked in. 

'Mailbox full.' 

Letting out a frustrated groan, Wade reached for the receiver and looked back towards the officer. 

"Voicemail.  Can I make another call?" 

Nodding his head, Wade placed the phone back on his shoulder and held the button down that disconnected the call.  After a few seconds, he released it and dialed the number to Michelle's apartment. 

As he sat there hoping that she would be home and answer, his heart sank once again as her answering machine played a similar message. 

'Memory is full.' 

"God damn it."  Wade groaned, letting the phone slide down his shoulder to his waiting hands. 

"Same thing.  Can I try someone else?" 

"You have one more try.  If you don't get something this time, it will have to wait until after your arraignment tomorrow morning." 

"Thanks.  I appreciate it."  Wade said, once again dialing a number. 

After a few rings, he heard someone pick up on the other end and let out a sigh if relief. 

"Hello?" 

"Chantal, is me.  Look, I need you to do me a favor.  I need you to......" 

"Wade, look.  I did a lot of thinking after I left the hospital and I think Brian is right.  You need to understand that your actions deserve consequences.  You can't just keep going down this path." 

"Thanks for the lecture, really, but I need you to find Michelle.  Don't tell me that she is better off without me, don't tell that she just needs time or that if she wants to be with Justin to let her.  I just want you to find her.  Not for my own personal benefit, but for her safety. Something isn't right. I have that feeling. Please."  

"Wade...." 

"Chantal, I'm not telling you or even asking you to do this for me.  I'm begging.  Please.  Find her and make sure she is alright." 

Knowing that Wade would not let up, she took a deep breath and slowly let it out.  The last thing she wanted to do was lie to her brother, but given the circumstances, she felt she had no other choice.  

"Wade, she's fine.  She's at her apartment.  She just doesn't want to talk to anyone." 

"She's alright?  I mean, did you just talk to her or did you see her?  Because if you just talked to her....." 

"No.  I saw her Wade.  She's fine" 

After adjusting the phone as it rested on his shoulder, Wade let out a heavy sigh. 

"Look, I might as well tell you since I have you on the phone anyway."  she began, swallowing the large lump that was rising in the back of her throat.  "I'm not coming down to post bail tomorrow.  I think you need to just let this thing run it's course." 

"WHAT?!" 

"You can pissed at me all you want, I don't care.  I just can't stand to sit by and watch you throw your life away.  You need help and I can't trust you to get it on your own.  Trust me, this is the best thing for you." 

"Don't pull this shit now Chantal!  You better be here first thing tomorrow morning!" 

"I'm not bailing you out Wade.  I'm sorry."  Chantal said softly, fighting back the tears. 

"Chantal!" 

"I have to go.  I'm sorry." 

After Wade heard her hang up, he sat there for a moment and tried to let the reality of the situation sink in.  That was it.  He was on his own.  Michelle didn't want to talk to him,  Chantal had cut him off and he had basically burned the bridges to just about every friend he had.  Well, that was every friend he had in LA. 

"Alright, let's go."  

As Wade stood up from the small metal chair, he realized that there was still one person he could try and turn to.  Problem was, she was in New York. 

Chapter 133 

After giving himself a final once over, Chris made his way over to the bar to make himself a drink and wait for Michelle. Once he poured himself a healthy glass of scotch over ice, Chris took a seat on the couch on the opposite side of the room and impatiently waited for Michelle to join him.  

Fortunately for Chris, it was only a matter of minutes before he could hear the rhythmic click-clack of Michelle's high heels coming down the stairs.  

"Nice timing." he called out, not bothering to look in her direction as he took another sip of his drink. 

"Thanks.  Were you waiting long?" she asked nervously. 

"No.  Just a few minutes." 

"Oh, ok."  she said, heading across the livingroom.  "I hope this is alright.  It's kind of hard to dress for something when you don't know where you're headed."  she continued, smoothing out the bottom of her dress as she walked over to where Chris was seated.  

Slowly lowering the glass from his lips, Chris had to force the large drink of liquor down his throat.   To say she looked absolutely amazing would be an understatement.  

The dress that she wore was a little strapless number that seemed to be made just for her. It was a nude color on the bottom that almost matched her skin tone perfectly, with sheer black on top. It was short enough to show that she was a woman, but long enough to show that she was a lady. Everything was just….perfect. From her shoes to the way she had done her hair.   If he had known that she could look this damn good the first time he met her, he would have relieved Wade of her months ago!  

Trying his best not to let his astonishment show, Chris stood from the couch, not once taking his eyes off of Michelle.  

“Ready?” he asked gesturing toward the door.  

Giving him a simple nod of her head, Michelle made her way to the front door with Chris following right behind her, taking her in from head to toe. 

Once they reached the car, Chris walked over to the passenger side and opened the door for Michelle in a very gentlemanly fashion. After giving her a quick wink, he closed the door behind her.  

As he made his way around to the other side of the vehicle, for the first time he didn’t berate himself for doing something nice for her. Instead, he just went with it.  It just felt right.  

As Chris drove to their destination for the night, Michelle rested her head against the back of the seat and let the soothing night air wash over her. The tension that she felt earlier with Chris was now just a fading memory.  Surprisingly, she felt comfortable with him.  

Letting out a small sigh, Michelle tilted her head to the left and studied the look on Chris' face.  As she tried to gauge what he was thinking, he let out a slight chuckle. 

"Something on your mind?"  Chris asked, turning towards her. 

"No.  Not really.  Just thinking." she said softly, brushing away a few pieces of hair as they few in front of her face. 

Watching her desperately try to tame her wind blown hair as it swirled around her in all directions, Chris couldn't help but laugh. 

“You want me to put the top up?” he asked refocusing his attention on the road.  

“No.” she replied, pulling as much of her hair as she could over her right shoulder, holding onto it. “It feels nice.” She smiled.  

Returning the friendly gesture, Chris nodded his head and once again focused all of his attention on the long stretch of road ahead of them. 

"So, care to tell me where we are going?" 

"I have some business to take care.  The closing of a deal so to speak."  he said, once again glancing down at his watch.  "After that is taken care of, the rest of the evening is yours." 

"Mine?" 

"Yeah.  Well, ours."  he said turning to face her with a smile plastered across his face. "You need to relax."  

"So it's going to be that kind of night?"  she asked, disappointment clearly evident in her tone of voice.  

"What do you mean by 'that kind of night'?  Oh.  No.  It's not going to be 'that kind of night'."  he said laughing slightly.  "Well, not for you anyway.  Besides, I left all the good stuff at home and you don't want the shit they are currently trying to peddle at this club.  Trust me"  he said looking at her once again. 

"I don't want it at all Chris."  she said softly as she looked in to his eyes. "I mean, I never should have touched it in the first place.  I only did the stuff that first night hoping to escape the hell I was in." 

Feeling a surge of guilt course through his body, Chris quickly looked away. This was definetly not the subject he wanted to be discussing.  Especially after their little encounter back at his place. There would be a time and place for that, but now was not it.  Right now, he had to stay focused. 

"We should be there in about five minutes."  

"Whatever Chris." 

After turning away from him, Michelle focused her attention on the scenery outside and mentally scolded herself for even trying to have a serious conversation with him.  He didn't care about her or her feelings.  He didn't care about her relationship with Wade or what she had been through.  He just cared about having a good time and if that meant her doing coke, then there wasn't anything she could say or do. 

Once they finally arrived at the club, Chris pulled the shiny red sportscar right up to the door and tossed his keys to the awaiting attendant.  

“The tip is in the console.” he said nonchalantly to the young man as he made his way toward Michelle who had already gotten out of the car.  

“Thanks. Have a good night Mr. Carbonell.” the young man replied as he slid into the driver’s seat.  

“I always do!”  Chris called out, draping an arm around Michelle as they headed towards the door. 

As Michelle took her surroundings, she couldn't help but notice that this wasn't like the other clubs in the city. There were no paparazzi outside hounding patrons at the door, no velvet ropes separating the haves from the have nots.  There wasn't a long line of anxious club goers waiting to get their golden ticket inside or be turned away. In fact, from the outside, the place looked almost deserted.  

“Stay here. I’ll be right back.” Chris said, startling Michelle.  

Giving him a nod, she watched as he made his way over to Jackson and two men that she didn’t recognize. 

Trying her best not to eavesdrop, Michelle occupied herself with trying to maintain her posture as she looked around. Finally after a couple of minutes of what she assumed was “business” talk, the two men exchanged handshakes with Chris and Jackson and made their way into the club. Once they were out of ear shot however, Jackson turned to Chris, irritation written all over his face.  

“What the fuck is she doing here?” he asked low enough for only Chris to hear, but with enough force to show that he was beyond annoyed.  

Only letting out a slight chuckle at the question, Chris merely shrugged his shoulders and gave Jackson a carefree smile.  

“You’re fuckin up man. Bringin that bitch here. HERE Chris!  What if she says something, huh? Lord knows that she’s seen enough to have us both put away for a long LONG time.  I mean, come on!  What are you going to do?  Just babysit her for the rest of your life?!”  

“You need some pussy Jackson?  Is that what it is?” Chris asked with amusement. “I mean really.  You haven’t been this tense…..ever.”  

“What I need is for you to quit fucking up. Quit bringing her around Chris. This is business. The shit isn’t funny anymore.”  

“You let me worry about Michelle.  You just worry about lightening the fuck up.” Chris said before turning around and heading back over to Michelle.  

“Everything okay?” she asked when he reached her.  

“Couldn't be better!”  Chris smiled, opening the two large doors in front of them.  "After you."  

As Michelle walked through the set of doors, Chris caught one of the new attendants glaring at Michelle and stopped abruptly. 

"You see something you like Rich?" 

Caught completely by surprise, the gentleman quickly looked away.  

"No Chris.  I'm sorry.  I mean she's gorgeous but......" the young man began before Chris interrupted. 

"Yeah she is, isn't she?" 

"Yeah." 

"Nice body, tight little ass.  Looks likes someone you could really have fun with huh?"  Chris asked, studying the young man as he once again glanced over at Michelle.  

"Oh yeah."  he replied, the tone of his voice only confirming what Chris already knew.  "A lot of fun." 

As Jackson watched what was clearly a setup on Chris part, he couldn't help but worry that this was only a sign of things to come.  After all, he knew exactly where this conversation was headed.  

"You want to take her to the back and have some fun with her?" 

"What? No man. I was just saying."  he quickly answered as he turned away from Michelle once again.  

"Are you sure?  She's quite the little vixen in bed.  Likes it rough."  Chris said, draping his arm across Rich's shoulder.  "You should see the shit she let's me do to her." 

After swallowing the large lump in his throat, Rich once again looked over at Michelle.  Just the mere thought of what Chris was offering him had his heart pound in his chest.  Unfortunately, Michelle's take on the whole situation was completely the opposite and she began to panic. 

"If you wanna have a go at her, you can.  Just take her back to the office." 

"Are you serious?"  the young man asked, quickly adverting his glare from Chris back over to Michelle.  "You'd let me take her to the back and fuck her?  Just like that?" 

"Sure, why not." 

After letting the idea bounce around in his head for a few seconds, a smile crept across his face and he turned to face Chris. 

"Ok, then.  Yeah, I'm game."  he said, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.  "Is there anything that's off limits with her?  I mean, you said she likes it rough right?" 

"You can do whatever you want with her.  Just make sure you bring her back in one piece." 

Almost immeadiately after the words left his mouth, Michelle began to freak out.  She just couldn't believe he was standing a few feet away from her offering her up to a complete stranger! 

"Chris!  This isn't funny.  I'm not some toy you can just pass around!" 

"It's ok.  Come here."  Chris said, extending his hand to her. 

"No." 

"Come on baby.  Come say hi." 

"Chris, if she doesn't want to do it, it's ok  Don't worry about it"  Rich quickly replied. 

"Relax man.  It's cool." 

After motioning for Michelle to join him once again, Chris leaned down close to Rich's ear so that no one else could hear what he was saying. 

"Look, she's not the type to go quietly.  You have to know how to take charge with her. If you want to take her back, then just take her back.  She's not a piece of fine China.  She won't break, trust me."  

As Michelle stood there on the verge of a nervous breakdown, Rich slowly started to walk towards her. 

"Look, I don't know what you think is going to happen between us, but whatever it is, you're mistaken!"  Michelle yelled, her voice cracking slightly. 

"It's ok baby.  Relax.  I just wanna have a good time." 

"Well go have it with someone else!"  

Letting out a slight laugh, Chris headed over to where she was standing and took up position behind her.  At the same time, Rich adjusted himself in his jeans and reached out for her hand. 

"Get the fuck away from me!"  

"You're only making this harder on yourself, you know that right, or is that what you want?  You want me to just pick your ass up and carry you back, because I will.  I just think you should know that if it comes to that, you're gonna pay for it once I get you back there." 

"What the hell is wrong with you people?!  Why are you doing this to me?!" she yelled, tears quickly filling her eyes. 

Seeing Michelle fall apart in front of him, Rich was about to back off when he saw Chris motioning for him to continue. After he finally composed him, Rich once made his move. 

"Look bitch!  This is the last time I'm telling you!  You either walk your ass over here or I'm dragging you back!" 

As Chris listened to Rich lay down his threats to Michelle, he gently placed his left hand on her lower back and began to whisper in her ear. 

"Is this the shit you had to deal with when you were with Wade?  The threats?  That arrogant, do what I say behavior?"  he asked, his own heart pounding with rage as she trembled against him.  "Do you want to let him take you in the back and do whatever he wants to you?"  

Looking over her shoulder at Chris, Michelle felt a wave of confusion sweep over her and quickly shook her head 'no'.  

"Then do something about it.  Don't just stand there and wait for him to make his move. Hit the mother fucker.  Let him know he isn't going to get what he wants." 

"But..." 

"Come on baby. Quit stalling.  Chris will be here when we get back.  I promise." Rich said, firmly grabbing a hold of her left hand. 

"Hit him Michelle.  Don't let this fucker put his hands on you."  Chris growled.  "Hit him!" 

Then before Michelle could even think twice about what she was about to do, she ripped her left hand away from Rich and forcefully slapped him across his face with her right. 

"Don't fuckin touch me!" 

"That a girl, now watch out."  Chris said, quickly shoving Michelle off to the side so that he could finish the job. 

"You really are dumber than you look!" Chris yelled, quickly landing a right hook to Rich's jaw, knocking him to the ground.  "That was for looking at her when we got here!"  Chris growled, quickly stradling over Rich's body.  "And this..."  he yelled, grabbing a hold of Rich's shirt.  "This is for fucking touching her!"  he continued, his fist once again connecting with Rich's face. 

"What the fuck is wrong with you!  You broke my nose you asshole!" 

"And if you don't get your ass off of my property in the next thirty seconds, I'll break something else!"  Chris said, forcefully pulling the young man to his feet.  "Consider that your severance pay!" 

"You know, you may have a say in a lot of shit around here Chris, but this place isn't one of them!" he said, wiping the blood that was dripping from his nose.  "Incase you weren't aware, Tommy owns the club.  Not you!" 

"Incase YOU weren't aware, I just bought the club from Tommy." he said, quickly glancing over his shoulder at Michelle.  "Now, are you going to get the fuck away from my club or am I going to break something else?" 

After letting out a breathy laugh, Rich once again wiped the blood from his nose and headed towards the parking lot. 

"Better keep an eye on her Chris.  You wouldn't want something bad to happen to her." 

"Are you threatening me mother fucker?!"  Chris yelled, as he headed after him. 

"Whoa!  You had your fun.  Let him go!" Jackson yelled, quickly grabbing Chris by his arm as he walked past him. "You know, I'm not down with this little game you're playing with her, but that stunt you just pulled?!  That was low Chris.  Even for you. You had that girl freaking out thinking she was about assaulted." 

"I wasn't going to let anything was going to happen to her, you know that.  Besides, I did it for her own good." 

"Yeah, well I'd like to see you try and convince her of that."  he said, pointing over to Michelle.  "She looks like she is about to be sick." 

Letting out a slight sigh, Chris looked over at Michelle and felt a sense of guilt wash over him.  

"You better get rid of that bitch Chris!  I'm not kidding!" Jackson said, forcefully brushing past him as he headed in to the club.  

Chapter 134 

After the officer walked Wade back to the processing room, he motioned for him to have a seat and joined his partner at the file cabinet by the door. 

"Well?" 

"What?" 

"Did he make his call?" 

"Yeah.  Well, he talked to someone.  He didn't reach anyone on his first two attempts though." 

"Any idea who he was originally trying to call?" 

"Girlfriend, wife.......someone along those lines.  I heard him make several references to the person he spoke to about a female.  From what I could make out, he's either currently involved in a relationship with her or he was and things ended recently." 

"Yeah, I kind of figured there was something like that going on."  he said, writing a few things on Wade's folder.  "I'm just going to hold him here tonight.  Keep an eye on him so he doesn't hurt himself." 

"You think he's that bad off?"  the officer asked, almost questioningly.  "Because I think he looks completely fine." 

"Yeah, for the most part he does.  It's his mental state that I'm worried about though."  he said, closing the folder and handing it to him.  "He basically went from night to day right before out eyes and you don't do that unless you have a lot going on." 

"You're marking him as a suicide watch?!"  the officer asked questioningly as he glance down at the folder. 

"Just take him downstairs and have De Luca put him in cell where he can keep an eye on him." 

"It's your call."  he said, tucking the folder under his arm.  "Alright, come on.  We're going to take you down to your cell for the night.  Then after your arraignment hearing, if the judge allows it, you can have someone post your bail." 

"Will I get to make any phone calls after my arraignment?" 

"Yeah.  If you need to, we can let you place a call to make arrangements." 

After nodding his head, Wade stood up and the officer grabbed a hold of his arm and proceeded to walk him down the hall to the holding area.  After the officers exchanged paperwork, they placed Wade in a cell and unlocked his handcuffs. 

"Alright Joe, I'm heading back up front.  My shift ends in twenty minutes and I still have a few reports to write up.  You all set here?" 

"We're good.  I'll catch you later."  the officer said, closing Wade's cell door.  "Tell the big boss man that I still need relieved for my lunch break while you're up there." 

"Yeah yeah.  That's all you do is eat.  I'm surprised you fit behind that desk." 

"Yeah and all you do is criticize people.  I'm surprised you found someone to put up with you.  I feel for Sharon man, I really do."  he said, letting out a slight chuckle. 

After looking back and forth at the two as they exchanged idle chit chat, Wade walked over to the small metal bed and laid down.  Clearly the night wasn't going to get any better and the only hope he had to escape it all was to fall asleep, so that's exactly what he did. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

The next morning Wade found himself heading to court with a massive headache and a nauseaous feeling churing in the pit of his stomach.  This was definetly not the way he wanted to start the day. 

His attempts at sleep were constantly interrupted throughout the night by various officers carrying on and the occassional roomate joining the small line of cells that adorned the long hallway and with his mind fully focused on making bail, all he could do was hope that the judge would show some leniency. 

"Alright, we're here.  Your attorney said he would meet you inside." 

"My attorney?"  Wade asked, caught off guard by his comment. 

"Yeah." 

His attorney?  He never called an attorney.  The thought had never even crossed his mind!  Was this guy just assuming that he had? 

As confusion took hold of Wade, the officer helped him out of the backseat of the squad car and they headed up the stairs of the LA County Courthouse.  

Once they made their way through the metal detectors and in to the courthouse, they took a seat in the back of the courtroom and waited for their turn.  As Wade looked around at the various people waiting to go in front of the judge, he couldn't help but wonder exactly what the officer meant about his attorney.  Fortunately for him, he wouldn't have to wait long to find out what was going on. 

"The State of California vs. Wade Robson."  

As the bailiff called them to go up in front of the judge, a man dressed in a black suit stood up on the other side of the courtroom and proceeded to join Wade as he took position behind a small table. 

"Wade, I'm Mark Rosenfeld."  he said, extending his hand.  "Your sister called me last night and asked me to come down." 

"My sister?"  

"Yeah."  he answered as he took a seat beside Wade and opened his briefcase up.  "I got a copy of the charges from the LAPD and from what I can see, we shouldn't run in to too many problems.  I assume you are entering a plea of not guilty?" 

Still confused, Wade looked at him once again as the prosecution continued to present their case to the judge. 

"Uh, I guess?" 

Letting out a slight chuckle, Wade's attorney shuffled through some papers and began taking a few notes.  As he did this, Wade heard the judge say his name and he stood up. 

"It's going to be fine.  If the judge asks you a question directly, answer him.  If not, let me handle it."  Wade's attorney said, standing up beside him. 

"Mr Robson, you are being charged in violation of California Vehicle Code, Section 23152 (a) stating that it is unlawful for any person who is under the influence of any alcoholic beverage or drug, or under the combined influence of any alcoholic beverage or drug and Section 23152 (b) stating that it is unlawful for any person who has 0.08 percent or more, by weight, of alcohol in his or her blood to drive a vehicle. Do you understand these charges being brought against you?" 

"Yes your honor." 

As the judge flipped over a few more pages of the formal complaint, he motioned for Wade to sit back down." 

"How does your client plead Mr Rosenfeld?" 

"Not guilty your honor."  

"So noted.  Mr Robson, your attorney will be provided with information concerning your next scheduled court date in a few days.  If you fail to appear, a warrant can be issued for your arrest. Do you understand?" 

"Yes your honor." 

"Do you have any questions?" 

"No your honor." 

"At this time I requesting that bail be set at $10,000." 

After the judge slammed his gavel down, Wade's attorney placed his folder back in his briefcase. 

"Is your sister posting your bail?" 

"Not that I know of.  Actually I take that back.  No, she isn't"  Wade said, looking over at the police officer who waiting to take him back in to custody.  "I'm surprised she even sent you.  Things are kind of tense between us right now." 

"Do you have someone else you can call?" 

"Yeah, actually I do.  I'm going to make a call when I get back to the station." 

"Here.  Use my cell." 

"Are you sure?" 

"Yeah." 

"Thanks.  I really appreciate it."  Wade said, grabbing the cell phone. 

After dialing the number, Wade placed the phone to his ear and prayed that she would come through for him.  Deep down he knew that things weren't on the best of terms between them, but he also knew he had to at least try.  Especially when he knew she was his only hope.  

Finally after the third ring, he heard her pick up the phone. 

"Hello?" 

"Cam, it's Wade.  Look, I need your help." 

"I bet." 

"Cameran, I'm serious.  I need you to come to LA and bail me out of jail." 

"Jail?  You're in jail?  What did you do?" 

"Look, that's not important right now and I don't have a lot of time Cam.  Can you do it or not?" 

"Just like that huh?  Just forget all your bullshit in New York and fly right down there?  Do you even realize what you are asking me to do?" 

"Yes, I do.  I just assumed you knew I wouldn't ask unless there was no other option." 

"What about your little girlfriend?"  Cameran asked, a tone of jealous clearly present in her voice. 

"Can you come down or not?" 

"I'm not saying I'm coming or not, but before I can make my decision I  at least need to know how much the bail is." 

"The judge set it at $10,000."  Wade said, looking over at the officer. 

"If I come down there and do this, you owe me Wade....BIG TIME!" 

"Whatever, just get your ass on a plane and come bail me out." 

"It's going to be about four of five hours before I get there." 

"That's fine.  Just get here as soon as you can." 

"Well, I guess I'll see you soon then."  she said, glancing around her room for something to wear.  "You know I can't stay in town though.  I'm not even susposed to step foot in LA, yet alone be anywhere near you." 

"Yeah, well that didn't stop you in New York now did it." 

Letting a smile creep across her lips, Cameran headed over to her closet and began scanning through her clothes. 

"No.....it didn't." 

"Alright then.  I'll see you soon."  Wade said, flipping the phone shut and handing it to his lawyer. 

"Thanks man.  I really appreciate it.  Who knows if and when they would have let me make that call." 

"No problem.  I'll be in touch." 

After exchanging handshakes, Wade's lawyer headed out of the courtroom and the officer that brought Wade to the courthouse proceeded to head over to him. 

"Alright, let's go."  he said ushering Wade back out to the car.  "I assume you were making bail arrangements?" 

"Yeah.  She'll be here in a few hours.  She is coming in from New York." 

"We'll once she gets in town it should only take about fifteen minutes to get the paperwork filled out so that we can release you.  In the meantime we're heading back to the station.  County is pretty booked right now and they have to take in three more after today's hearings." 

"Fine by me."  Wade replied, walking over to the car. 

"Just watch your head." the officer said, guiding Wade back into the car. 

After lowering himself inside, the officer shut the door and headed around to the other side to get in so they could head back to the station. 

'I hope you get here soon Cameran.'  Wade said to himself as he glanced out the window.  'I need a fix....bad.'  

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

As Wade waited impatienty in his cell for freedom, a familar voice echoed through the hall and he quickly stood up. 

"Well well well.  I'd like to say you're looking good Wade, but to be honest, you look like shit."  Cameran said, adjusting her purse as it hung over her shoulder. 

"Thanks a lot Cam."  Wade replied as he watched her head towards him. 

"Anytime baby."  

"Did you post my bail?" 

"Of course.  Why else would I be here?" she asked, stepping to the side so that the officer could unlock Wade's cell. 

"Thanks Cam.  I really appreciate it.  I mean that." 

After offering him a sympathetic smile, Cameran latched on to his upper arm and they headed back down the hall towards the exit. 

"Are you alright?" 

"I'm sure I could be a lot worse off than I am right now if that answers your question."  he said, as they headed down to the parking lot.  "How did you get here anyway?  I mean I know you flew in, but how did you get to the jail." 

"I had a taxi take me to my house to get my car." 

"Think that was a wise move?  I mean, if you don't want people knowing you are in LA you probably should have stayed far away from your place." 

"You know what, I thought about it on the way here and honestly, I'm an adult.  I'm going to do whatever I want and that's all there is too it." she said disengaging the security system on her car.  "If I want to come back to Los Angeles then that's what I am going to do. 

"Uh huh.  We'll see how long that lasts."  he laughed, as he opened the passenger side door. 

"Yeah, we will."  she replied, getting in to the drivers side.  "So, where are we headed?" 

"Back to my place.  I can't even think about anything but getting a shower right now." 

"Anything?"  she asked, handing Wade a small box. 

Giving her a sideways glance, Wade proceeded to take the box from her and open it up.  Letting out a slight chuckle, Wade looked at the contens inside and then looked back at Cameran. 

"Oh Cam, you do know me well." 

After giving him a quick wink, Cameran pulled out of the parking lot and proceeded to head to Wade's house.  A house that at one  time, she frequented quite often. 

"You going to join me?"  he asked, placing the lid back on. 

"Of course.  This is the good stuff." 

Chapter 135 

Once they pulled up to Wade's house, Cameran pulled her car in to the driveway and put her car in park.  It had been a while since she had been there, but it seemed like just yesterday.  It was a time in her life she won't ever forget. 

"Shit!  I don't have my fucking keys!"  Wade yelled, looking around. 

"Do you have an extra set you keep here at the house.  In case of an emergency?" 

"I have an extra set 'in the house', not that it does me any good right now.  I mean, Chantal and Michelle have a set but...." 

"Michelle huh?" 

"Cam, don't.  I don't even want to talk about her right now, alright?" 

Shrugging her shoulders, Cameran got out of the car and began heading up to the front door. 

"What are you doing?" 

"I'm going to see if I can get us inside your house."  

"And how do you plan on doing that?"  Wade asked as he grabbed the small box and got out of the car to join her. 

"Come on.  Do you really think I grew up in that family and didn't learn anything?"  she said, looking through her purse.  

"You're kidding right?" 

"No I'm not kidding."  she said, almost offended.  "I used to watch my brother do this to my dad's liquor cabinet all the time." 

"Yeah...can't say the liquor thing surprises me because your brother is one fucked up individual, but I think it's best that we don't talk about him right now. 

"Should I be concerned?"  

"I thought I said I'd rather not talk about him." 

"Man, how soon you forget who you are talking to.  I mean, come on!  He sent me to New York to keep me away from you!  NEW YORK WADE!" 

"If he only knew huh?" 

"Yeah, right."  she said glancing over at him.  "So, what happened?  Is this something recent?" 

After running his hands through his hair, Wade let out a heavy sigh and leaned against the door frame as he watched her work on the lock.  This was definetly not what he wanted to be thinking about right now. 

"Got it!"  she yelled, pushing the door open.  "See!  Told you I could do it!  All you had to do was have a little faith." 

Without even acknowledging her acomplishment, Wade quickly made his way over to the sofa and sat down. 

"Are you joining me?" 

"You didn't answer my question yet?" 

"I'm not going to either."  Wade said rather harshly, as he proceeded to empty the small bag of cocaine on to the table. "Why sit here and dwell on something that is in the past.  Especially when we have this to look forward to."  he said motioning towards the cocaine. 

Now torn between anger and concern, Cameran quickly walked across the foyer and over to where Wade was seated.  After watching him cut the power in to several thin lines, she reached down and snatched the small glass cylinder from the table just as he was about to grab it. 

"What happened?!" 

"Cameran, give it to me right now." 

"Answer my question and you can have it." 

"This is not a bargaining game!  Drop the subject and give me the fuckin thing!"  he yelled, snatching it from her hand. 

After shaking her head, Cameran slowly walked around to the other side of the sofa and sat down beside him.  She now knew without a doubt that this issue had nothing to do with business.  This was personal.  She could feel it. She could see it in his eyes. 

"Why don't you trust me?" she asked, placing her hand on his thigh.  "Just tell me what happened. Maybe I can help." 

Letting out a chuckle of disbelief, Wade bent over the table and snorted a line of coke. After sniffing a few more times to make sure he inhaled all of the product, Wade wiped his nose and proceeded to switch the cylinder to the other side.  

"GOD DAMN IT WADE!  JUST TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED!" 

After taking a deep cleansing breath, Wade finished off the second line and quickly stood up. 

"Your brother raped Michelle!  ARE YOU HAPPY!?" 

As Wade stormed off to the balcony, Cameran sat there in a complete state of shock wondering if she had actually heard him correctly.  

After letting out a slow and steady breath, Cameran walked out to the balcony to join Wade.  Chances were that any attempts at a conversation at this point were only going to be shot down harshly, but she couldn't just let that comment go. 

"Wait.  Chris raped your....girlfriend?"  she asked, slightly questioning whether or not the Michelle he referred to was in fact 'his' Michelle. 

"Just go back inside Cam." 

"Wade." 

"Cameran I can't do this!  I can't talk about this with you." he said, moving to the other side of the balcony. 

"Why?" 

"You know why!" 

"Why? Because my last name is Carbonell?!"  she asked once again taking up position in front of Wade. "I'm nothing like him Wade.  You know that!" 

"I wish I could say the same about myself."  he said, brushing past her so that he could head back inside.  "Maybe then this mess would have never happened." 

As Cameran followed him back in to the house, she couldn't help but feel there was more to this story than he was letting on.  

"I should have just handled the situation myself."  Wade said, thinking back to the conversation he had earlier that day with Chris. "I never should have accepted his help." 

"You had something to do with it?"  Cameran asked, now more confused than ever. 

Unable to hold back any longer, Wade stopped mid stride and quickly turned back around to face Cameran. 

"It wasn't my fault!  All I did was tell him to go see if she was at her apartment!  I didn't tell him to go up there or to take her back to his place!"  he said, lacing his hands on top of his head as he began pacing the small area.  "But he did!  He took her back to his place and he fuckin hurt her!  I can't fix that Cameran.  I can't go back in time and change what he did to her!" 

"This is just insane.  Why would he want...." 

"How the hell do I know Cam!  I mean, come on!  We're talking about Chris here, are we not?  He doesn't think about anyone but himself!" 

"I don't know what to say Wade.  I'm so sorry." 

"Well not as sorry as he's going to be, trust me!  But you know what?  I'm done.  I can't talk about this anymore." 

"It's alright.  We don't have to talk about it anymore.  Just quit pacing around the room.  You're making me a nervous wreck."  she said, gently grabbing a hold of his arm to stop him.  "You don't look so good.   You feel alright?" 

"Actually.....no.  I think I'm going to be sick."  Wade said, making his way towards the stairs.  "I'll be back down in a few minutes." 

As Cameran watched Wade continue upstairs, the urge to call her brother was starting to eat away at her.  Something about this whole situation just didn't sit well.  Yeah, she knew Chris had always walked the thin line between assault and fetish when it came to his relationships with the opposite sex, but for him to knowingly assault the girlfriend of another?  It just didn't make sense.  There had to be more to this story. 

"Only one way to get some answers."  she said to herself as she headed over to the sofa to grab her purse. 

After pulling her phone out, she flipped it open and began dialing the number to Chris' cell phone. 

"Cam, can you bring me up a bottle of water from the fridge?" 

"Yeah, I'll be up in one second."  

As she impatiently waited for Chris to answer his phone, she heard Wade call down to her once again and let out a soft groan. 

"Are you coming Cam?" 

"Yeah, I'm on my way."  she said, quickly flipping her phone shut and tossing it back in her purse.  

After grabbing a bottle of water from the refridgerator, Cameran headed upstairs and in to Wade's bedroom.  When she walked in the room, she saw him laying on the bed with a cold wash cloth draped across his forehead and felt her heart break. 

"Do you feel any better?"  she asked as she handed him the bottle of water and gently sat down on the edge of the bed. 

"Not really."  he replied, sitting up slightly. 

"You don't look any better either." she said, letting out a slight chuckle.  "Here, drink this and I'll be right back."  she said, removing his wash cloth and handing him the bottle of water. 

"Thanks Cam." 

"You know, the place hasn't changed much since I was here last.  I mean, there are a few obvious changes, but for the most part, it's the same."  she said, walking back out of the bathroom with a fresh wash cloth.  

"Yeah, I guess." 

"Alright, lay back down." 

After Wade took another sip of his water, he placed it back on the nightstand and did as he was told.  Once she placed the wash cloth back on his forehead she began to look around the bedroom. 

"Is that her?"  she asked, motioning towards a black picture frame on his dresser. 

Opening his eyes, Wade sat up slightly and looked over to where she was pointing.  After spotting the small photo that he framed of the two of them, he let out a heavy sigh. 

"Yeah, that's her."  

Getting up from the bed, Cameran proceeded to walk over to get a better look at the girl who had captured his heart.  Once she was standing in front of the dresser, she gently picked up the photo and headed back over to the bed. 

"She's beautiful Wade. You both look very happy." 

"Yeah, well we aren't anymore.  Haven't been for some time."  

"Because of Chris?" 

"No, we had problems before your brother.  He just added the final nail to the coffin so to speak." he said, taking the photo from her and placing it face down on the nightstand. 

"So you two aren't together anymore?" 

"I don't know what we are Cameran and you aren't helping here."  he said, lifting the wash cloth from his head. "Look, I appreciate you coming down to bail me out and everything, but if you are going to hang out here for a while you need to understand that Michelle is an off limits discussion." 

Seeing the pained expression on Wade's face, she couldn't help but ask the one question she feared she already knew the answer to. 

"You really love her, don't you?" 

"Cameran!  What the hell did I just say?!" 

"Fine!  I get it!"  she said, getting up from the bed.  "Look, I'm going to head back to my place for a few hours.  Call me if you need anything before I get back." 

After nodding his head that he heard her, Wade placed the wash cloth back on his head and exhaled deeply.  Once he heard Cameran shut the front door, he let out a heavy sign and answered the question she had asked him only moments ago.  

"Yeah, I really do love her."