As Wade watched her turn away from him, his sadness quickly turned in to rage and he balled up his fist.  He couldn't believe that she was basically choosing Chris....over him!  It was almost more than he could bear.

"So that's it?  You're staying here?  With him?!"

Not even bothering to look in his direction, Michelle simply nodded her head.  She knew given her track record that even making eye contact with him would be a mistake and it was a mistake she couldn't afford to make.  She had to stand her ground. 

Shaking his head with utter disgust, Wade glanced over at Chris one last time and then back over to his two companions who were still waiting in the wings.  He just couldn't believe this was happening.

"You know what?  Fine.  You wanna stay here with him, then stay here!  I don't give a shit anymore!  You're nothing but a fuckin whore anyway!"

Feeling his words cut right through to her heart, Michelle bit down on her bottom lip and tried to fight back the fury of emotions that were quickly building inside her. 

"What?  The truth hurt?!"  Wade asked, moving around to the other side of the table to make eye contact. 

"Nothing..but..a..whore."  Wade continued, his voice deep and harsh.

Unable to take any more of his hurtful words, Michelle quickly jumped up and ran over to where he was standing. 

"How dare you!" she yelled, placing her hands on his chest and shoving him backwards. "I fuckin loved you Wade!  I loved you more than I've loved anyone else and all you did was treat me like shit!  This is your fault!  All of it!" 

"You LOVED ME?!  That's a fucking joke!"  Wade yelled, eyeing her up.  "If you loved me like you said you did, then I never would have found you sprawled out on top of that prick's piano!  He never would have 'got it' it you loved me."  he said bluntly.

"And if you loved me like you claim you did, then you never would have 'taken it' from me!  You hurt me Wade!  Time and time again...and I stayed!  I stayed with you because I loved you, but what you consider love...I don't need." she said, tears rapidly flowing down her already moist cheeks. 

"Oh, so it's not alright for me to take it, but it's alright for him?!"  Wade asked, pointing over at Chris who was watching the drama unfold from the other side of the room.

Forcefully wiping her tears from her eyes, Michelle did her best to stop crying and looked directly in to his eyes.  She was determined to hurt him as much as he hurt her and if she couldn't physically do it, then she would do it emotionally.

"He doesn't have to take it Wade.  I just give it to him...like..a..little..whore."  she said, immitating the same tone he has used with her only seconds ago.

Then before anyone could even realize what was about to happen, Wade flew forward and wrapped his hands firmly around Michelle's throat, slamming her lower back off the edge of the wrap around bar before her head finally made contact with the wall behind her.

"YOU NEVER DID KNOW WHEN TO KEEP THAT MOUTH OF YOURS SHUT!  DID YOU?!"  he yelled, tightening his hold on her thoat as Jackson and Tanner each grabbed an arm to try and pull him off of her.

"Let her go man!"

Seeing the scene that was being played out in front of his very eyes, Chris let go of every inhibition he had held on to since Wade walked past that velvet rope and ran over to where they four of them were standing. He had seen enough. 

"Maybe you didn't hear them!  They said GET THE FUCK OFF HER!”  Chris shouted, forcefully delivering a shot from behind in to Wade's kidneys.

Letting out a low painful groan, Wade instanly released his hold on Michelle and collapsed down to his knees.  The pain coursing through his mid-section making him feel like he was going to throw up. 

"You alright?"  Chris asked, stepping around Wade and over to the booth where Tanner had pulled only seconds ago.

Caught in a state of shock over what she had just happened, Michelle fought off the pain radiating down her back and simply nodded her head.

"I guess you made your decision!"  Chris growled, quickly turning around to face Wade so that he could pull him to his feet. "Because you sealed your fate the moment you laid you hands on her."

Then without so much as a warning, Chris swung once again, this time his fist connecting with Wade's jaw and knocking him back down to the floor a few feet in front of Michelle.  As he continued to deliver punch after punch, Michelle's reflexes finally kicked in and she jumped back in her seat. 

As she tried her best to get a grip on what was happening, confusion quickly faded away and panic took over. Clearly Chris wasn't planning on stopping any time soon.

With her eyes as wide as they could open and her jaw dropped in shock, Michelle watched in horror as Chris’ fist connect with every exposed part of Wade’s body over and over again. It didn’t even look like he was fighting back anymore and surprisingly she was beginning to get worried.

“Somebody do something!” Michelle screamed looking around the sparsely populated room frantically. 

When no one even acknowledged that she had said a word, Michelle slid across to the other side of the booth and jumped up.  Placing her hand across her back to help allievate some of the pain, she ran over to where Jackson was standing and grabbed him by the front of his shirt with both hands.

“Jackson please do something! He’s gonna kill him!” she cried out, looking up at him with tear filled eyes. 

Briefly looking down at her, Jackson saw the fear in her eyes as she pleaded with him to do something, anything to get Chris away form Wade.  He would be lying if he said that he didn't feel for her, but she had to understand that there wasn't anything he could do.  This was out of his hands.  Atleast for now.

"I'm sorry."

Seeing that Jackson wasn't going to do anything stop Chris, Michelle ran over to where the two men were fighting and tried her hardest to break them up. Grabbing Chris’ arm mid swing, she used all the strength she could muster to try to pull him off of Wade. 

“STOP! You’re gonna kill him!” she screamed at Chris, as she pulled on his arm. 

Pulling his arm away, Chris pushed Michelle back toward Jackson, giving her no more attention at the moment than he would a nagging insect.

“I gave you a chance to leave Wade!” Chris yelled before sending another punishing blow to Wade’s ribs. “But you just couldn’t leave well enough alone could you?!” 

As Chris continued his attack, Jackson couldn't help but begin to wonder if his best friend had completely lost his mind. He was putting so much energy into every punch that he delivered to Wade, that he was now sweating as if he had run a marathon. His hair, which had been meticulously styled was now all over his head and falling in front of his face. His normally calm, laid back demeanor was now replaced by sheer rage with each labored breath that he took.  At some point he knew he was going to have to make a decision on whether or not he was going to step in, but for now he would remain on the sidelines and watch. 

Making one last ditch effort to try to break the two men up, Michelle once again made her way over to Chris. Grabbing desperately at his arm, if for nothing else just to try to slow his assault on her former love. 

This time when he pushed her away, he turned his attention to his two associates, who seemed to be almost unfazed by what was going on. Pointing a finger to TJ, he ordered him to ‘keep Michelle out of his way’ and for Jackson to ‘get everyone the fuck out of the club’. 

After giving the other two men their orders, Chris turned his attention back to Wade. Unfortunately, the few seconds he took to talk to them seemed to be enough time for Wade to gather some kind of strength. As soon as Chris turned his head back in Wade’s direction, he was greeted by a sharp right hook to his jaw. 

Seeing that he had caught Chris off guard, Wade seized the opportunity to get in as many blows as he manage. Staggering up as best he could, Wade swung at Chris again, hitting him in almost the same spot as before and again taking him by surprise. 

After a couple more wild swings in Chris’ direction, Wade managed to get himself completely upright, but he didn’t stay that way for long. Almost as soon as he found his bearings, Wade felt all the wind being knocked out of his lungs as Chris plowed into him. 

As both men slammed in to the mirrored glass wall behind them, the sound of shattering glass echoed throughout the club as the pieces of mirror fell to the floor around them. 

Seeing that the situation was beginning to spiral terribly out of control, Michelle tried desperately to pry herself away from Tanner’s arms so that she could somehow stop what was happening. 

“Tanner PLEASE!” she cried, desperately trying to push and pull herself away from him. “Please, they’re gonna kill each other!  We have to do SOMETHING!” she pleaded again. 

"Michelle please!  Just stop!"  Tanner begged, trying his best to keep her beside him.  "There's nothing you can do!"

Seeing that TJ was starting to lose control of the situation, Jackson quickly made his way over to where the two were standing and relieved him from his duty of holding on to Michelle. Once he was certain that he had her under control, he ordered TJ to go have the manager clear out the club. 

As Jackson held her firmly in his hands, all Michelle could do was cry hysterically and scream for both of the men to stop. The pain in her back all but forgotten as they both watched Chris and Wade go blow for blow with one another, each throwing every ounce of strength they had in to every punch. 

It was obvious that Wade was giving everything he had into fighting Chris back, but Chris was clearly gaining the upper hand once again. As Wade’s punches became fewer and weaker, Chris only seemed to gain more momentum. After delivering another series of painful blows to Wade’s entire body, Chris took a step away from him. 

Bringing his right arm to his forehead, Chris wiped the sweat from his brow and brushed his hair out of his face. It wasn’t until then that he realized that his right hand was on fire. Taking a closer look at it, he noticed that his entire fist was covered in blood and completely swollen. Realizing that the blood his hand was covered in was his own, Chris felt a new rage building up inside of him and momentarily glanced over at Jackson and Michelle. 

When Michelle finally saw Chris’ face, her entire body began to shake. Even Jackson, who had witness more than his fair share of fights where Chris was involved was beginning to get a little scared. His eyes had gone completely hollow and his face looked as if he was completely devoid of any emotions. It was enough to send a chill down both their spines.
As Chris slowly turned his body back towards Wade, the only way to describe what Michelle felt at that very moment was sheer horror.  Unfortunately that horror would take on a completely new meaning when her eyes focused Chris' next action. 

In fear, Michelle watched as Chris lifted his shirt and slowly pulled a silver 9mm pistol from the waist band of his pants.  Holding the gun out so that it was now exposed to the three people remaining in the room, Chris examined it for a moment, a peculiar smile tugging at the corners of his lips. 

As Wade stood half hunched over, still against the now shattered wall, the sight of the gun sent an overwhelming wave of fear over him. Quickly darting his eyes around the room, he searched desperately for Michelle’s face.  When he finally found her, the look in his eyes made her lose all resolve. It was a look that said he had given up, that he knew this was going to be the last time he would ever see her…..that he was sorry. 

'Why did he have to come here tonight.' Michelle asked herself. 'Why couldn’t he just leave things alone?'

Unfortunately none of those questions mattered now, as Chris began to walk closer and closer to Wade with the gun. 

Once Chris was standing directly in front of Wade again, he grabbed him underneath one of his arms, pulling him up so that he was now in a fully upright position. Positioning the gun under Wade’s chin, Chris moved in closer to him so that his mouth was now just a hair away from his ear and Michelle prayed that something, anything would happen to stop what she feared was about to occur. 

Chapter 147

“Chris please……please don’t.”  Michelle pleaded, her voice barely above a whisper as she croaked out the words. 

Not so much as acknowledging that she had said a thing, Chris kept himself close to Wade, practically holding him up at this point. 

“I could end your shit right here and now. You know that right?”  he asked in a voice loud enough that only Wade could hear. “I could blow your brains through the back of your skull and not even blink. And you know what Wade?” 

Turning his head slightly his direction, Wade waited for Chris to answer his own question. 

“We both know that I’d get away with it.” Chris said with a smile on his face. 

Grabbing Wade by the back of his hair, Chris positioned him so that he was now looking at Michelle. 

“Take a good long look at her. Look long and hard Wade, because she’s mine now!"  Chris growled, momentarily glancing over at her.  "You had a good thing when you had her in your life man, but you fucked up.  You pushed her right in to the path of LA's most dangerous man.  How's that make you feel?  To know that I'm going to be the one who gets to pick up the pieces and kiss away her tears." 

Shooting Chris a glare that was a cross between pure hatred and annoyance, Wade took a deep breath. 

“If your gonna kill me then do it!”  Wade spat out. “Don't stand here and try to convince me that she'll ever look at you like she looked at me, because it'll never happen.  We both know that." 

Laughing lightly, Chris gripped Wade’s hair tighter in his hand. 

“Its funny that now is the time you choose to develop some balls.” Chris said pushing the gun deeper into his chin. “If I didn’t already know what a bitch you were I’d almost be impressed.” 

Not saying a word, Wade just stared at Chris for a moment. The intensity in the two men’s eyes heating up the room. Then, without so much as a warning, Wade sent a blood filled mound of saliva flying directly at Chris’ face. 

Bringing his hand to his face, Chris slowly wiped it down his cheek, before finally bringing his hand into his own line of sight. Staring at it intently for a few seconds, he began to laugh lightly to himself. Repeating the same motion, he wiped his face once again and examined his blood stained hand, his laughter increasing each time. 

“You mother fucker.”  he said, still laughing.

Letting his laughter fade and hang in the air, Chris suddenly sent the handle of the gun crashing against the side of Wade’s face. The impact of the blow causing Wade’s head to snap to the right, as blood flew from his mouth onto what was left of the mirror behind him. 

Then as Wade was about to double over in pain, Chris pushed him back against the wall by his shoulders and repeatedly began to strike him in the face with the gun. As the blood continued to fly in all directions from his unforgiving blows, Michelle let out an ear piercing scream and again struggled to slip from jackson's grasp. 

“GOD DAMNIT JACKSON SHUT HER UP!” Chris yelled over his shoulder, now bent over Wade’s near lifeless body continuing his assault. 

Clasping his right hand over her mouth, Jackson held on to her tightly trying to muffle her screams. Leaning in towards her ear he whispered sternly to her. 

“It would really be in your best interest to shut up right now!” 

Not heeding Jackson’s warning, Michelle continued to scream into his hand which was doing little to muffle the high pitched screeches as she continued to struggle to break free. 

“I’m not kidding Michelle.  Unless you wanna join loverboy over there I advise you...Shut. The. Fuck. Up.” Jackson said through gritted teeth. 

This time taking his advice, Michelle tried her best to calm herself down as she watched Chris brutally beat the man she once loved.  Deep down she knew that wasn't anything she could do, but being forced to watch it was literally killing her. 

Staggering back to his feet, Chris took a couple of deep breathes and looked down at Wade whose breathing was now more a blood filled gurgle. He watched in a state of amusement as Wade seemed to start relaxing his body from the curled up position that he was in and began to laugh hysterically. 

After turning toward Jackson and Michelle, Chris pointed back at Wade with his gun, continuing to laugh. 

“He thinks it over!” he said, now sounding truly crazy. 

Turning back to Wade he repeated his previous statement,this time kicking him as hard as he could in the abdomen. 

“You think this is over Wade?! HUH?!” he asked. 

Unfortunately even if Wade wanted to answer, he couldn't.  At this point, just breathing was a daunting task. 

“This isn’t over. This isn’t over by a long shot."  Chris said, glaring down at him.  "I’ve only just begun!” 

Grabbing him by the collar of his shirt, Chris pulled Wade up to his knees and for the first time fully exposing his face to Michelle and Jackson. Had Michelle not already known it was him, she would have never guessed. Wade’s face was almost unrecognizable. It was completely covered in blood. 

Pulling on the collar of his shirt, Chris half walked, half pulled Wade toward the exit. 

“C’mon Wade. We’re gonna go for a little walk.” Chris said, half walking, half pulling Wade towards the exit of the club as Wade struggled to gain some sort of footing.

Once Chris made his way out of the VIP area, he walked passed Tanner and the club manager who were now the only two other people left in the place. 

“Where are you taking him?” Tanner asked nervously. 

Shooting him an annoyed glare, Chris took a deep winded breath and stopped mid stride to address him. 

“I don’t wanna make any more of a mess than I already have in my club.” he said, giving TJ a knowing glance before continuing toward the door. 

Once he reached the exit, Chris turned back around toward the four people standing behind him. 

“I need you to keep her in here.”  he said eyeing Tanner.  “Jackson….” 

Hearing Chris say his name, Jackson knew he didn’t need to say anything else and walked over to where Chris and Wade stood. Although he didn’t agree with what was going on at the moment, Jackson knew that not only being Chris’ friend but also his business partner meant that sometimes he had to have Chris’ back even in a situation like this.  Just like he would expect Chris to have his. 

As the two men walked out of the club with Wade in tow, Michelle felt herself begin to hyperventilate. This was not happening! This couldn’t be happening! Pressing her hand firmly against her chest, she tried desperately to calm her racing heart. 

Seeing that Michelle was beginning to get beside herself, Tanner walked the few feet over to where she was standing and tried to comfort her. 

“Michelle you gotta calm down.” he said wrapping an arm around her shoulder. 

“No! This is all my fault. If I…….if he just…….and I……he’s gonna kill him Tanner!”  she stammered out, not making sense to either of the men left in the room. "Do you realize that?!"

"Michelle..."

“We have to stop them Tanner!” she said, her eyes growing wide with hope as she placed both her hands on the sides of Tanner’s face. 

Looking over at her, Tanner's could see the fear and pain in her eyes and sighed heavily. He hated the fact that he always seem to get stuck with her when she was having a breakdown. 

Knowing that he needed some way to calm her down and keep her inside the club, Tanner gently grabbed both of her wrists and eased them back down to her sides.  After taking a deep breath, he gave her a sympathetic look. Clearly she was delusional if she thought there was anything she could do to stop Chris and he certainly didn't want to find out what the repercussions would be if he let her slip by him and get in the way.

"Michelle look. I think that the best thing for you to do right now is just stay in here where it's safe…..okay?” he said releasing her wrists. 

“….but he’s gonna kill him” she retorted, her voice whisper soft as tears trailed down her cheeks. 

It killed Tanner’s to see her so torn up over what was going on, but he couldn't help but wonder why she had so much compassion for a man who had tried to take her life less than an hour ago. Grabbing her by the arm, Tanner led her toward the women’s restroom. 

“Here, why don’t you go get yourself cleaned up a bit. I’ll make you a drink and this will all be over before you know it.” 

After glancing around at her surroundings one more time, Michelle reluctantly took Tanner’s advice and made her way into the restroom. As she stood in front of one of the large mirrors that occupied the wall, a overflow of emotions swept over her. She could remember just days ago standing in front of the mirror in her own apartment wanting nothing more than to end all of the suffering that she was in.  It was like Déjà vu.  Just a different mirror...different reason.

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Walking out of the club, Chris wasted no time picking up where he had left off in the VIP lounge. Tossing Wade down on to the pavement, Chris immediately began to kick him in his ribs. 

Knowing that his presence hadn’t been requested to simply receive a private viewing of what was going on, Jackson reluctantly began to assist his partner. Getting in his own blows here and there as Wade struggled to protect his battered body. 

After only a few minutes of both men relentlessly kicking Wade, Jackson’s senses finally began to kick in. Grabbing Chris by his arm, he literally had to drag him away from Wade’s nearly lifeless body 

“Hey….HEY!” Jackson yelled, shaking Chris to get his attention. “Look man whatever it is that you’re gonna do, you need to do it. Now! Too many people saw what was happening in there man. Think Chris!” 

Taking a few deep breathes, Chris looked back at his friend and knew that he had a point. 

“You’re absolutely right!” he said, holding his gun up and cocking it. “This mother fucker has wasted enough of my time already….” 

Walking the few feet back to where Wade was, Chris pulled him up by his collar and led him toward where Jackson was standing. With a tight grip on Wade’s shirt, Chris held him up so that his face was parallel with Jackson’s knees. 

“Give us a goodbye kiss!” Chris said to Jackson, motioning at Wade with the gun. 

Rolling his eyes, Jackson took one step back before delivering a swift kick across Wade’s face, sending his body crashing to the ground on impact. After squatting down next to Wade’s body, Chris rested his hands on his knees and took a deep breath. 

“Its too bad things have to end this way Wade. You know…..I really liked you man, but you just had to keep pushing my fucking buttons. So now…..I gotta kill you.” Chris said with a shrug of his shoulders, making it seem as if the prospect of killing someone he once considered a friend was a trivial matter. 

Letting out a rather dramatic sigh, Chris looked up into the sky and then back down at Wade. 

“This morning when you woke up Wade...did the thought ever cross your mind that today would be the last day of your life?” 

Chapter 148

Standing behind the bar, Tanner began to make Michelle the strongest drink that he could think of. He knew she had been pretty drunk to begin with, but he figured that she was going to need as much alcohol in her system as possible to cope with everything that was going on tonight. Hell, he needed a drink himself. 

Coming around the other end of the bar, Rick the club manager, pulled out one of the stools and took a seat. Resting his elbows on the stretch of counter in front of him, he took a deep breath and massaged the pads of his fingers against his temples. 

“You get her calmed down any?” he asked Tanner. 

“Yeah I think so.  I hope so. She’s pretty shaken up, not that I blame her, but I think she’s gonna be alright.”  he said eyeing the rows of liquor behind the bar curiously. “I’m gonna make her a drink.  Hopefully it will calm her nerves some." 

“Whatcha trying to make?” 

“Adios Motherfucker?” he asked more than answered. 

“Thats a pretty strong drink for such a small girl, don’t you think?” Rick asked raising an eyebrow at Tanner. "I mean, she's had quite a bit to drink already."

Shrugging his shoulder nonchalantly, Tanner continued to scope out the ingredients for the drink he had in mind. He knew the drink he was making was strong enough to get damn near anyone drunk off of a few swallows and that's exactly what he had in mind for Michelle at the moment. With any hope she’d get drunk enough to pass out before she saw the aftermath of what they all knew was going on outside.

"I'm heading back to the office."  Rick said, grabbing a bottle of scotch from the bar as he let out a slight chuckle. "Hopefully by the time this is over..."  he said raising the bottle. "...it will all be a blur to me too."

Shaking his head, Tanner momentarily watched Rick disappear and then continued on his search.  After he finally found all of the ingredients for the drink, Tanner mixed them together and poured the contents into a large glass. It wasn’t until he had finally completed the drink that he realized how long it took him to actually make it. Then all of a sudden it hit him. Michelle had been in the bathroom the entire time! 

Rushing from behind the bar, Tanner ran to the door of the ladies room and knocked on it a few times. 

“Michelle? Are you ok in there?” he asked 

After a few seconds with no response, he tried again. Still no answer. Pushing the door open gently, he peeked his head around the corner. 

“Michelle?” 

When he still received no response, he swore his heart was about to leap out of his chest.

Walking all the way into the ladies room, his eyes frantically searched around for her. Where could she have gone? The windows where too high for her to climb out, and the only other way that SHE knew out of the place was…….the front door. 

“Oh God no! Please don’t let this be happening.” Tanner whispered to himself slowly exiting the bathroom. "Please tell me that she did not walk right past me out that door."

When he finally stepped back out into the main bar area, he hesitantly looked toward the entrance of the club and at the door that HAD been closed. Letting his head fall back, he let out an exasperated sigh. 

“Mother fucker.” he breathed out before making his way to the door. 

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Pulling himself back into an upright position, Chris tapped his gun against his temple lightly, trying to think of exactly how he wanted to do away with Wade. Wade wasn’t just some random asshole that he had come across in his “business” ventures, they had actually been friends once upon a time. The least that Chris thought he could could do for him was let the man die with some dignity. 

As he toiled in his head over just exactly what it was that he was going to do, Chris was torn away from his thoughts by the horrified sound of Michelle’s voice coming from behind him. 

“Oh my God!” she all but cried out at the sight in front of her. 

Almost as if she were moving in slow motion, her quick steps became slow strides, which eventually ceased when she had just about reached Wade’s limp frame. As she stared down at Wade’s beaten body, the tears that had stopped just moments ago, now found themselves burning trails down the sides of her face. Letting her eyes drift back and forth between Wade and Chris, Michelle felt her blood begin to boil and before she could rethink her actions, she lunged at Chris. 

“You BASTARD!” she screamed as Jackson caught her in mid air. “Look at him. LOOK AT HIM! Isn’t this enough Chris?! Haven’t you proven your point?!” she continued to yell as she struggled to break free of Jackson's hold on her.

Half amused and half annoyed by her little outburst, Chris knelt down next to Wade once again and smiled back up at Michelle. 
“I don’t know. What do you think Wade? Have I proven my point to you yet? Clearly, Michelle is convinced. What about you?” he asked, his voice laced with cynicism 

Leaning his head down next to Wade’s, Chris pretended to strain himself to hear something that Wade had said. 

“Hmph. Guess Wade’s not feeling as chatty as he was earlier tonight. Obviously my point still has yet to reach him.” Chris said, positioning himself so that his feet now straddled Wade on either side. 

Rolling Wade over so that he was now laying on his stomach, Chris pulled his head up by his hair so that it was hovering just above the ground. 

Still trapped in Jackson’s arms, all Michelle could do was plead with Chris to spare Wade’s life. Her sudden burst of anger quickly turning back into despair. 

“Chris please, please don’t do this.” She pleaded with him as she watched him point the gun at the back of Wade’s head. “Chris I’m begging you. PLEASE!” 

Growing increasingly annoyed with her continuous attempts to save Wade, Chris shot her an icy glare. Chris didn’t know what was irritating him more, the fact that she continued to interrupt him, or the power that her broken relationship with Wade still had over her. 

“Give me a reason Michelle. Give me one good FUCKING REASON not to end his shit right now?!” 

“He’s a human being Chris. He doesn’t deserve to die.” Michelle cried out, her voice cracking as she spoke. 

Both Chris and Jackson couldn’t help but laugh at her compassionate words. 

“He’s a human being.” Jackson mocked, still laughing.

Stifling his laughter, Chris regained his composure before looking back at Michelle. 

“Sorry sweetheart, but that's not good enough!” he said re-aiming it at Wade’s head. 

“No! Please!” 

“You know you’re really starting to get on my last fucking nerve! Five seconds Michelle! Give me a reason in five seconds or it's time to say goodbye." 

“Chris don’t do this!” she screamed, struggling to get out of Jackson’s arms. 

“Wrong answer Michelle. FIVE!” Chris began to count. 

“No wait please!” she begged her eyes racing around in the dark parking lot. 

“C’mon Michelle, Wades counting on you. FOUR!” 

“Chris stop! This isn’t a game!” she pleaded 

“You gotta do better than that. You’re running out of time! THREE!” 

“Chris please! I’ll do anything. Just don’t kill him!” 

Taking a step to the side, Chris placed both of his hands on the gun to steady his aim. Seeing that her pleading was doing nothing to detour what Chris had planned, Michelle used all the strength she could muster to try and pry herself out of Jackson’s hands. 

“TWO!” he shouted, his finger on the trigger. “What’s it gonna be Michelle?” 

“ONE!” As soon as the word fell off of his lips, Chris heard an agonizing groan come from where Jackson stood and Michelle’s body flew between Wade and the gun. 

Looking down at her in total shock, Chris quickly withdrew his gun. 

“What the fuck are you doing!?” 

“If you wanna kill him then you’re gonna have to kill me first!” Michelle yelled, using her body to shield Wade’s. 

Throwing his head back in a dramatic fashion, Chris groaned inwardly. She really had no idea how close she came to getting shot. Tilting his head toward Jackson, he stared at his friend hunched over in pain and just shook his head.

"What?!  That bitch hit me...in the fuckin nuts...man!"  he growled out, still trying to catch his breath. with an annoyed look.

"And what the fuck were you doing?!  I thought I told you to keep her in the damn club!"  Chris yelled, quickly averting his gaze to Tanner who he saw cautiously approaching the scene from the corner of his eye.

"I'm sorry man.  She slipped out when I was making her a drink."

Shaking his head with utter disbelief, Chris let out a slow steady breath as he turned his attention back to Michelle.

“Get up.” 

When she didn’t move, he quickly ran his hand through his hair and repeated himself once again. 

“Michelle, get up NOW!” 

When she still didn’t move or make a sound, Chris walked the few feet over to where they were. Grabbing her by the wrist, he began pulling on her arm in an effort to get her away from her former love. 

“Don’t!” Michelle cried out, snatching her hand back from Chris. “Leave him alone.” 

Almost shocked by her defiant action, Chris let out a slight chuckle. The situation wasn’t funny by any stretch of the imagination, it was more a laugh of pure frustration. 

“Look man this is all very……poetic, but I have shit to do. So unless you want Einstein over here to help you clean up this mess, you need to wrap this thing up!” Jackson interrupted, cutting his eyes toward Tanner then back at Chris. 

Tucking his gun back into the waistband of his pants, Chris nodded in agreement that Jackson was right. Once his gun was secure, he turned his attention back to Michelle who had somehow managed to maneuver herself so that Wade's head was laying in her lap. He watched for a moment in absolute disgust as she stroked his blood soaked hair, softly whispering consoling words to him. 

“I’m not gonna tell you again Michelle. Get away from him!” 

After just a few seconds with no response, Chris knew he was going to have to take matters into his own hands. Once again grabbing Michelle by her wrist, he began to try and pull her over to him.

"Chris stop!"  she yelled, trying her best to maintain her position as she held on to Wade.

"Don't piss me off any more than I already am Michelle!  I said get away from him!"

"No!"

Letting out another heavy sigh, Chris had finally reached the end of his rope.  Readjusting the gun in his waistband so that it wouldn't slip out, Chris bent over and forcefully grabbed her by the back of her hair.  As he suspected, the pain instantly caused her reflexes to kick in and she reached behind her to try and alleviate the pain.  Once he felt both of her hands grab at his wrist, he placed his foot against the side of Wade's head and in one fluid motion, shoved him away from Michelle as he roughly pulled her to her feet.

"CHRIS STOP!"  she yelled, frantically looking over at Wade who was now slumped on his side.

“Do you think this is a game?!” he screamed, pulling her what he thought was a safe enough distance away. "DO YOU?!"

"Chris please!  You're hurting me!" 

"Trust me baby, I'm not."

"Chris!  Come on man.  Don't grab her like that."  Tanner called out, clearly upset with the quick turn of events.  "She didn't do anything!"

After shooting Tanner a deadly glare, Chris slowly released his grip on her and spun her around so that they now stood face to face. 

"Why do you still care about this piece of shit!?  WHY?!"  Chris yelled, as Michelle’s eyes once again darted over to Wade whose body hadn’t moved from the position it had fallen in when Chris had kicked him. "You like being treated like that?  Huh?!  You like him smacking you around?!"  Chris continued, watching her cower in front of him. 

"Leave her alone Chris!"

Firing yet another look of utter rage at Tanner, Chris squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to keep his temper in check. 

After letting out a heavy breath, Chris once again opened his eyes and looked over at Michelle.

"Why?  Just tell me why?"

Not answering his question, Michelle said the only thing that she thought mattered at the time.

“He’s had enough Chris.” she cried softly, turning her head back toward Wade. “Please….I’m begging you. He’s had enough.” 

Chapter 149

Chris stared at Michelle intently as she spoke. Her words were sincere and the pain in her voice was obvious. How had he let his emotions get involved in this? Tearing his gaze away from her, he hesitantly motioned for Jackson to ‘come here’. 

“Tell Rick to keep a lid on this and have the kid get this mess cleaned up as soon as possible.” Chris said gesturing around at nothing in particular. “Once everything is squared away, have Rick call an ambulance for his sorry ass and then you and Tanner get the hell out of here.” 

“Wait wait wait. What do you mean call an ambulance? And have Rick tell them what exactly?” Jackson asked, shocked at the odd orders. 

“He was in the club, he was drunk and he got belligerent with the wrong person.” Chris said, giving Jackson a knowing smile before turning to walk away from the entire scene as if nothing had happened. 

"Chris?"

"Just get it taken care of.  I'm going home."

“Whatever man.” Jackson said rather annoyed.

Ignoring Jackson's less than pleasant tone and Tanner's apparent look of concern for Michelle, Chris grabbed Michelle by the back of her arm and began to escort her over to his car.  He just hoped that she wouldn't make things any harder than they already were.  He just wanted the evening to end without any more incident.

After grabbing the keys from his pocket, Chris disengaged the security system on his car and opened the passenger side door.  Once he did, Michelle looked at him questioningly.

"Don't.  Just get in the car Michelle.  I want to go home." 

"But...."

"GET IN THE CAR."

Letting the tears once again fall from her eyes, Michelle glanced back one more time at Wade's lifeless body and reluctantly lowered herself in to Chris's sportscar.  After slamming her door shut, Chris studied Wade for a moment over the roof of his car and then turned his attention to Jackson who was deep in conversation with Rick.

"Jackson, you might wanna have him hurry up that call.  If you wait too much longer, it's going to be pointless." 

After taking a moment to let Chris' comment register, Jackson quickly turned around and realized just how bad off Wade was.  What had once been a small pool of blood under Wade's head had now doubled in size.  Clearly the situation had just gone from bad to worse in the blink of an eye.

"Hey Rick, you need to go make that call man.  We'll figure out the rest later."

Looking over at Wade, Rick rubbed his hand across his face and inwardly groaned with frustration.

"Jesus Christ!  The LAPD are gonna have some fun with this man.  You know that right?"

"Who said anything about the LAPD?!"  Jackson asked, watching Chris pull out of the parking lot and leaving him with his mess.

"Do you seriously think they won't be called the second paramedics unload him at UCLA Medical?  I mean come on Jackson!  Think!  Someone has to for Christ's sake!" 

Letting out a heavy sigh, Jackson knew he was right. Clearly the police were going to be called in to investigate the fight and the likely hood that Wade would rat out Chris wasn't only a possibility, it was a certainty.

"I'll go call them, but you better think exactly how you want this to play out before they get here."

"Just go make the call man.  I'll figure it out."

As Jackson watched Rick disappear back in to the club, he saw a set of headlights headed towards him.  Placing his hand to his forehead, he tried to shield his eyes from the bright light as the car pulled to within a few feet of where he was standing and stopped. 

Blinking his eyes to clear the spots from his eyes, Jackson suddenly realized who had just gotten out of the car and felt his heart skip a beat.

"Oh my god!  OH MY GOD!  WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!"  Cameran yelled, rushing over to where Wade was still laying. 

"Cameran? WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"

"Jackson, what happened to him?!"

Unsure of what to say or do, Jackson just stood there in a state of shock.  To say that Cameran's presence had taken him a bit by surprise would definitely be an understatement.

"Jackson!"

"What?"  he asked, looking back towards the club to see if Rick was on his way back yet.

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO HIM?"  she yelled, her hands shaking just a few inches above Wade's body as she debated on whether or not she should even touch him.  "CHRIS DID THIS, DIDN'T HE?!  BECAUSE OF HER!?  BECAUSE OF MICHELLE!?"

Tilting his head to the side, Jackson felt an unsettling feeling wash over him as he heard Michelle's name just float from her lips like the two had been friends.

"Michelle?"

"Don't play games with me Jackson!  Michelle! You know, the little whore that my brother is fucking!  The one that he used to date!"  she yelled, pointing down at Wade.

"And how do you know about Michelle, Cam?"

"That's none of your business, now is it?"  Cameran replied, looking over at Rick as he approached them from behind.

"I called them.  They should be here in a few minutes.  Did you figure out what the hell you are going to say to them yet?"

As Jackson ran over all the options he had up to this point, his more menacing thought process suddenly kicked in and he knew exactly how he was going to handle things...and Cameran was going to help.

"Come here."  Jackson said, taking a few steps back towards the club as he signaled Cameran to join him.

"I'm busy." 

"Don't give me that attitude Cameran.  Get over here."

"You better make this fast."  she yelled, quickly getting up from her crouched position beside Wade to join Jackson.

"You know as well as I do, that your presence isn't welcomed or wanted here.  Do you really want to subject him to any more punishment?"

"And what's that supposed to mean?!" 

"You know what it means.  The second your brother finds out that you're here in town, the shit is going to hit the fan.  Not to mention the fact that from what I'm hearing and seeing, this wasn't a chance run in with Wade either Cam.  What do you think Chris is going to do when he finds outs?"

"You don't know what you're talking about Jackson.  What makes you think that he is going to find out anyway?  He's not even here!" 

"Trust me, I know you Cameran.  That little good girl shit isn't going to work on me.  You may have your brother fooled, but I see right through you.  And as for him finding out about you two, what makes you think I won't tell him?"

Letting a slight chuckle escape her lips, Cameran placed both hands on her hips and stared at him with a fire in her eyes that he swore had to run in the Carbonell gene pool.

"What do you want Jackson?"  she asked, all to knowingly.

"When that ambulance pulls up, you are going with him.  As far as you're concerned, he got in to a fight with some random guy at the club.  Someone you've never seen before."  he said, glancing back at Rick.  "That's what we're telling them...that's the story you are going to make sure the cops hear at the hospital as well."

"You think Wade isn't going to serve my brother up to them the second the police ask?  Are you fuckin crazy?!"

"That's why you are going Cam.  You're going to make sure that Wade knows it's in everyone's best interest that he keeps his mouth shut.  He has a lot more to lose than Chris does.  Make sure he knows that too, because if he opens his mouth, he'll never make it out of that hospital to testify.  You know that."

Shaking her head with disgust, Cameran looked back at Wade and felt her heart pounding in her chest with rage.

"This was because of her though, wasn't it?  Just tell me the truth Jackson."

"Cameran, you know I'm not going to sit here and fill you in on what your brother does or why.  If you want to know what went down, then you're going to have to get it from one of them."

"Whatever."  she replied, glancing back at the quickly approaching ambulance.  "But don't think for one second that this is going to be the end of this...because it isn't.  And as far as my brother is concerned, don't do me any favors.  If you want to tell him I'm here, then go right ahead."  she continued and headed back over to Wade's side.

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

As Chris and Michelle drove back to his house, she tried her best to be remain as quiet as possible.   Because as angry as she was at Chris, she didn’t want to do anything to make him lash out at her the way that he had at Wade. 

Bringing her knees into her chest, she glanced over at Chris briefly before laying her head against the cool window.  All she could think about was Wade and whether or not he was alright.  The sheer fact of not knowing was practically eating her alive. 

After a good ten minutes of driving in complete silence, Chris’ phone began to ring.  Flipping the phone open, Chris barked into the receiver. 

“What?!” 

"Hey man. We have a problem." Jackson’s voice came through on the other end. 

"What do you mean....problem. Problem with what?" 

"Wade." 

"What the hell problem could we have with Wade? If I'm not mistaken, I already solved that problem." Chris replied, already annoyed with the conversation. 

"Yeah, well you're about to have a bigger one." 

"Meaning?" 

"Meaning I happen to still be here when the ambulance arrived at the club. I wanted to make sure things were taken care of and that Rick followed through with what he had to do." 

"And did he?" 

"Yeah." 

"So then what’s the problem?" 

"The problem is that while the paramedics were tending to your handy work, boy wonder quit breathing." Jackson replied, beginning to lose patience with Chris’ attitude. 

"WHAT?! What do you mean he quit breathing?!" Chris screamed, almost losing control of his car. 

"I mean he quit breathing. How many different ways can that be interpreted?!" Jackson replied. 

"Jesus Christ."   Chris groaned out, the tone of his voice displaying that the news was more of an inconvenience that anything.

As soon as the words ‘quit breathing’ left Chris’ mouth, Michelle felt her chest begin to tighten. All of a sudden, the simple task of breathing was becoming harder and harder. As she struggled to inhale, Michelle’s entire body began to shake.  The anger building up inside her as Chris' words echoed inside her head. 

“HE QUIT BREATHING BECAUSE YOU BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF HIM!” Michelle screamed turning to face Chris. 

Turning his head toward her for a second, all Chris could do was stare at her in shock. Still holding his phone to his ear, Chris darted his eyes back and forth between Michelle and the road ahead of him, wondering what her next move was gonna be. 

“YOU KILLED HIM!” Michelle continued to scream, now pushing at Chris’ shoulder. “YOU KILLED HIM YOU SON OF A BITCH!" 

Hearing the commotion on the other end, Jackson quickly mumbled something in to the phone about 'getting sick of this shit and that he would take care of this himself ' before finally hanging up the phone. 

As Michelle continued to scream at Chris, she began to smack at him wildly in anger. She didn’t care what she hit, so long as it was a part of him. 

Trying his best to keep the wheel steady, Chris quickly snapped his phone shut before slamming on the brakes and throwing his car into park. Turning his entire body toward her, Chris quickly snatched Michelle by the front of her shirt pulling her toward him so that their faces were almost touching. 

“I’m warning you Michelle. Your about two fucking seconds away from getting a little taste of what I gave Wade yourself……and I promise you that it’ll take a hell of a lot less to make you stop breathing.” Chris said through gritted teeth, before pushing Michelle back into her seat. "Don't you even think about putting your hands on me again!"

Slowly readjusting himself in his seat, Chris took a deep breath before putting his car back in gear and continuing on his way home.  His mind spinning in all directions as he tried to process that last two minutes.

Trying her best not to hyperventilate from the thoughts running through her mind, Michelle once again leaned her head against the cold window and tried to keep herself together.  Chris didn't make threats he couldn't back up and after witnessing him in action earlier at the club, she knew that his threat against her needed to be taken seriously.  Clearly it could be the difference between life and death. 

Chapter 150

After about fifteen more minutes of driving, Chris pulled in to the driveway and abruptly put his car in park, not even bothering to look at her before he got out.  As he headed to the house, he stopped just shy of the front door and noticed that Michelle was not behind him. Turning back towards the car, Chris saw that she was still sitting in the passenger seat sulking and felt his blood begin to boil once again.  He wasn't in the mood to play her little games. Not after tonight.

Quickly walking back towards the car, Chris grabbed the door handle and forcefully pulled it open. 

“Get out!” he said, motioning for her to exit the vehicle. 

When she didn’t move, he repeated himself a little more firmly. 

"Get out Michelle!"

After staring at him for a few seconds, Michelle finally began to get out of the car. Once she was completely out, Chris closed the door behind her and once again headed to the house.  However, after walking only a few feet, Chris noticed that the sound of Michelle’s foot steps weren't getting any closer....they were getting further away. 

Turning around once again, Chris watched her for a second. She wasn’t running, or even walking at a rapid pace. She was just casually walking back down the driveway as if she were taking a stroll through the park.  Like she didn’t have a care in the world.
After slightly jogging to catch up with her, Chris grabbed her firmly by the arm. 

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he asked tugging her toward the house. 

“What's it look like? I'm leaving! You don't own me Chris!  You can't tell me what to do!" 

"So that's what you think?  That you can do whatever you want?"

"I don't think.  I know!"  Michelle yelled back, quickly pulling her arm free of Chris' hold.

"Well then you are clearly misinformed!"  Chris growled, once again grabbing her by the back of her arm.

Gripping her arm tighter, Chris pulled her closer to him as they walked back up the driveway.

“You’re gonna do whatever the fuck I tell you to do!  Trust me.  Now stop acting crazy and get in the FUCKING HOUSE!” 

Still struggling to get out of his grasp, Michelle reluctantly walked toward the house. Once they reached the door, Chris all but threw her inside. 

“Get out of my face.” 

"Gladly!"

As Michelle stormed up the stairs, Chris locked the front door and then headed over to the bar to make himself a drink.  What started out as a night filled with opportunities and promise had turned in to a complete disaster. 

"God damn him!" Chris yelled, slamming the bottle of burbon down after filling his glass.  "I don't know what the hell you did to make her so devoted to you Wade, but I guarantee I can and will put an end to it."  he chuckled, raising his glass in to the air as if to toast himself. "Chris Carbonell always comes out on top."

After bringing the glass back down to eye level, Chris briefly glanced towards the stairs and then polished off it's contents in one large mouthful.

"It's definitely going to be a long night."  he said, placing the glass back down on to the bar as the warm liquid coated his throat. "Might as well make the most of it."

Grabbing the bottle from the bar once again, Chris was about to pour himself another drink when he heard a loud knock on the door.

"Of course."  Chris groaned, quickly refilling his glass before placing the bottle back down.  "And so it begins once again."

Taking a sip of his drink, Chris walked from behind the bar and over towards the front door. He knew who was more than likely on the other side, but the thought of receiving any more bad news tonight slowed his pace to a casual walk across the livingroom. 
Once he was within a few feet of the door, he heard yet another knock on the door.  This one even louder than the first.

"Jesus Christ!  I'm coming." 

After unlocking the door, Chris pulled it open and saw Jackson and Tanner standing there impatiently waiting to be let in.

"Took you long enough man!  What the fuck were you doing?!"  Jackson yelled, pushing past Chris as he made his way inside.

"I was getting myself a drink. Lord knows I have a lot on my mind."  he replied sarcastically, taking another large sip.

"Yeah, well you better go grab a few more.  They don't offer those in the big house."

"Oh, so now you're a comedian?  Great.  Just what I need right now Jackson and I thought this night couldn't get any worse."  Chris groaned,  curiously watching Tanner as he scanned the downstairs. 

"Yeah well, you don't have anyone to thank but yourself for this mess."  Jackson replied, as he collapsed down on to the plush sofa.  "I hope she was worth it man.  I mean, that pussy better be burned in your memory because it could be the last one you'll ever see."

After casting a look of disgust back at Jackson, Chris once again focused his attention on Tanner.

"What the FUCK ARE YOU LOOKING FOR TJ?!"

Looking like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar, Tanner hesitantly looked at Chris and ran a hand through his hair.

"I was just wondering where Michelle was and if she was alright."

"Why the hell do you care if she is alright?!"

"Because she's been through a lot tonight and in case you didn't know, she wasn't in the best shape when you two left the club."

"Yeah, well she's not your girlfriend so you don't need to concern yourself with her.....or her well being!"

"Yeah, but she isn't yours either."  Tanner mumbled, as he turned away from Chris. 

Unfortunately, it wasn't soft enough to go unnoticed and Tanner heard a slight chuckle escape Chris' lips. 

"You know what...."  Chris began, as he headed towards Tanner.  "You better be glad you're not the one messed up TJ!  I gave you one fucking job to do and did you do it?  No!  You had her for what?  Five minutes?  FIVE FUCKING MINUTES TJ AND SHE OUTSMARTED YOU!"

"Chris, I messed up.  I should have watched her better."

"You're damn right you messed up!  I was seconds away from pulling that trigger!  Seconds TJ!  If she would've been hurt, you wouldn't be standing here right now!  You better think about that!"

"Wow.  Do you even hear yourself man.  If she would've been hurt?  What the hell do you think you have been doing to her these last few days?  Better yet, let's talk about the last few hours!  Do you think you have been showering her with affection?  Gimme a break!"  Tanner yelled back, surprising everyone in the room with his outburst. 

Sitting his glass down on the end table, Chris quickly made his way over to Tanner and grabbed him forcefully by the front of his shirt.

"You wanna do this right now man?!  Huh?!  I'll put an end to you so quick and smile the entire time I'm doing it!"  Chris yelled, slamming Tanner in to the wall behind him.

Jumping back off the sofa, Jackson immeadiately separated the two and pushed Tanner as far as he could across the room.

"Man, go sit down before you get your ass killed!" 

After straightening his shirt, Tanner glared defiantly at Chris and walked past him in to the kicthen.

"You wait TJ!  You just wait!  Your ass is mine boy!" 

"Alright, knock it off already!  This shit is just ridiculous!  Besides, I didn't drive all the way over here to listen to you two go back and forth about this girl. I just wanted you to tell you that you better plan a damn good alibi as to where you were tonight.  Because if you ask me, Wade isn't going to pull through this." 

"Oh my god!  NO!"

Hearing Michelle's voice come from above them, all three men turned towards the stairs and saw her running back down the hall.

"Great!  As if I don't have enough bullshit to deal with already Jackson!" 

"Hey, I'm just relaying the message."

"Well thanks for the heads up.  Truly."  Chris snapped back, offering Jackson nothing more than a sneer as he grabbed his drink once again. 

"Need I  remind you that you brought this little fiasco on yourself?  I told you to get rid of her several times Chris. Didn't I!?"

Unfortunately before Chris even had a chance to reply to his comment, the sound of the bedroom door being slammed shut rang through the entire house, rattling several pieces of art that hung on the wall leading up the stairs. 

"That bitch!"

Noticing Chris' eyes almost instantly glaze over with rage, Jackson reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Let her go."

"Excuse me?  Let her go?"  Chris asked, slightly in shock.  "I don't think so.  She isn't going to slam doors in my house.  I'm tired of people thinking they are going to call the shots around here!  THIS IS MY FUCKIN HOUSE, DAMN IT!  You don't like it...you don't want to see it......hear it......then go!  You know where the door is!"  Chris growled, ripping his arm away from Jackson and heading towards the stairs.

"Don't do this man."  Jackson called out as he took a few steps across the room.  "Chris!"

Ignoring Jackson's pleas, Chris sat his drink down on the small table beside the staircase and proceeded to head upstairs.  As far as he was concerned, it was time to show her who was really running the show around here.  After this, there would be no second guessing what she could and couldn't get away with.  Her place would clearly be defined in a matter of minutes.

After making his way to the top of the stairs, Chris headed down the hall like a man on mission.  Every step he took increasing the rage he felt building up inside of him. 

When he finally reached the guest bedroom, he grabbed the door handle the forcefully threw the door open.  After a quick survey of the damage already done to the room, Chris let out a breathy laugh. He just couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!"

Hearing Chris' voice, Michelle grabbed a vase from the dresser and in one fluid motion sent it flying across the room in his direction.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!"

Quickly turning his body to the left, Chris barely avoided being struck and watched as the vase shattered against the door frame behind him. 

"ARE YOU FUCKIN CRAZY?!"  Chris yelled, wasting no time as he made his way towards her.

Knowing that any confrontation with Chris would be a disasterous one, Michelle quickly moved to the other side of the room. After spotting a set of golf clubs standing in a nearby corner of the room, Michelle quickly ran over and pulled out the first club she could get her hands on.

"DON'T TOUCH ME CHRIS!  I'M SERIOUS!  I'M NOT AFRAID TO USE TO THIS!"

"Then use it!"  Chris yelled back, as he continued to advance towards her.

"I'M NOT JOKING!"  she replied, bringing the club back to a position that resembled a baseball player up at bat.

"Neither am I!  But if you're going to swing it, you better swing hard and hope I'm dead.  Because if you don't, you're gonna wish YOU were!"

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Michelle glanced towards the door and then back to Chris.  Nothing in his eyes showed any sign of backing off and deep down, she knew she wasn't capable of doing anything more with the club than threaten him.  Realizing she was now caught between a rock and a hard place, Michelle began to hyperventilate.

"Well?!  What are you waiting for?  SWING IT!"  Chris yelled, taking a few more steps in her direction. "COME ON MICHELLE!"
Knowing that she had no other choice but to give up, Michelle began lowering the club back down to her side when something caught her eye. Looking down, she noticed Chris clentching and unclentching his fist.  Clearly as far as he was concerned, whether she lowered it or not, this wasn't going to be over. 

Hesitantly bringing the club back up, Michelle broke out in tears.

"WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS CHRIS?!  WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"

“You know what Michelle. I don’t know if it's the liquid courage in you talking or what, but you better watch your FUCKING tone with me!” Chris growled through gritted teeth. 

"AND IF I DON'T?!  WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO CHRIS?!  ARE YOU GOING TO TAKE ME OUT LIKE YOU DID WADE?!" 

"It's always an option." 

"Well don't expect me to make this easy for you."  she said, adjusting her grip on the end of the club.

Letting out a breathy laugh, Chris continued to stand there, holding her gaze to his for at least a minute.  The astonished look on his face alone spoke volumes and she knew without a doubt that she had just crossed the line.