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Sprinting through the familiar alleys of Chicago was something Jacob did way too often. He could hear the gunshots of rapid fire gun behind him, but his knowledge of the alleys and unpredictable patterns helped him to avoid being hit so far, a few bullets still getting too close to comfort. He needed to lose this man, soon, or his luck was bound to run out at some point. Ducking and turning randomly, where he knew there were more branching alleys, Jacob did his best to keep ahead, he was fast and had good endurance, his strategy of throwing trash on the enemy’s path was always a good one when he had to run through tight alleys.

There was the more powerful shot of what Jacob identified as a shotgun. The enemy was very well armed, as he had already figured that out, but at least now he knew somewhat what to expect. He wasn’t paying attention at what he was throwing, more worried about losing the enemy. Trash cans, planks, black trash bags, a random shopping cart, at one point there was a muffled whiny sound when he threw down a pile of trash that apparently had some kind of animal hiding on it, he would keep doing it until he run out of stuff.

He made a sudden turn, and it appeared he would be trapped by the fence at the end of the alley, but Jacob knew what he was doing. He climbed over the fence, dropping down swiftly before he resumed his running with barely any pause, the computer was a minor annoyance once he got used to the weight and kept a mindful to where it was, and the incentive of running or being shot was enough to make Jacob make sure there was no mistakes. He turned away from the fence, going to the more crowded part of downtown, where people milled about going through their business. Would the stranger dare start shooting in the middle of a crowd and call police attention. He would find out soon, he supposed.

If they weren’t so rudely interrupted, how far would they go? On a stranger’s bedroom, passion clouding their judgement, blinding them to the dangers this distraction could bring. What would happen to their relationship if they went too far? But then again, the same could be asked now, how would they bear to be on each other’s presence after this? While unable to reach out, touch and explore once again. Like dam that was open, all these… feelings (because that’s what it was, ugh, feelings) wouldn’t be easily forgotten, and even harden to ignore. But that’s what it must happen, this was just a one time thing, a slip of judgement, it shouldn’t happen ever again, Ruby had Max, they were the cute ones, and Jacob was the same old Jacob, ready to destroy anything good he touched, and he knew sooner or later, this relationship, with both Ruby and Max, would end like so many other things in his life. Jacob making a mess with his feelings and making out with Ruby was just a speed up to the inevitable end.

Thankfulness and annoyance at Jack White for interrupting filled Jacob in strange mixture. On one hand he didn’t want to stop, that moment with Ruby feeling to good, making him crave more and more. On the other hand, it was a horrible mistake, doomed to end in stab wounds and gunshots, as usual. At least they stopped before anything too serious could come out of it. (Couldn’t he have waited a bit longer though? Just a little.) Focused now on the task at hand, and willfully ignoring any further thought on the subject of Ruby and her wonderful kisses, Jacob advanced and attacked, but Mr. White was prepared, and easily deflected, pushing Jacob away from him with by shouldering the mercenary aside.

There was a metallic sound of one of Ruby’s throwing knives hitting the wall, as the target ducked quickly to avoid being injured. He wasn’t fast enough to completely avoid the knife who stuck to the wall deeply, pining the man by the shirt. Jacob took the opportunity to try to elbow him on the head, to hopefully knock the man out, but a swiftly aimed flail of the arm hit him on the face. What was with this man? Since when rich snobs knew how to fight and can hold their own against two experienced assassins? Jacob and Ruby had underestimated the target, and now they were struggling to take him out.

Caution to the wind, Jacob stopped holding back. If the client wanted an accident, they should have told Jacob that the target was more than capable of fighting back. You’d think that was an important detail that should have been added to the file Jacob had received. He slashed with the knife, managing to make a deep cut on the enemy’s face, blood started falling, staining the white shirt and the carpeted floor. Jack White ignored any pain, finally freeing himself and diving for the nightstand. Jacob wouldn’t let him get whatever it was, a device to call for help or a weapon, it didn’t matter.

Two things happened at the same time, Jacob lunged for the target, burring his knife deeply into the man’s right arm, and the Mr. White grabbed what he was after, which turned out to be a needle. It took Jacob by surprise when he felt a pinprick on his neck, some kind of liquid being injected on his bloodstream. He was tossed aside and fell to the ground, before his hand went to his neck and he took off the empty needle. Thankfully it hadn’t broken inside his skin, but there was still the problem he had just being poisoned by an unknown substance.

And whatever it was quick to take effect too. He tried to get up, his plan was to regroup with Ruby and try the two of them take the man out. But as soon as he lifted himself he felt dizzy, the room spinning uncontrollably, his knees felt weak, and a sudden fear that he was going to die from the poison filled his mind. “Ruby! Help.” He called to her, not sure if he screamed or whispered. He didn’t know what she could do to help, but he was scared, and no doubt it showed on his face.

The heat of her skin, felt even through clothes, touching and caressing as they pulled each other impossibly close, Jacob felt he could drown on her presence, on every sensation she elicited from him, the urge to get closer and closer, he couldn’t get enough of Ruby, and desperately hoped this was not some trick or a dream. He didn’t know how he would react if all this turned out to be a cruel joke, to show him he wasn’t as emotionless as he led everyone to believe, to prove to him and to herself that the she could manipulate him, drag him down at her mercy if she so wished. It was a fear that plagued him mind more than once when she decided to close the gap between them, cross a line Jacob hadn’t even imagined it could be crossed.

But that was just a stupid fear, wasn’t it? They were friends, he trusted her, even if she liked to tease and play, she wouldn’t be that cruel to him, right? It certainly felt genuine enough, so very real. Her hands playing with his hair, dragging down and down, leaving a trail of fire wherever she touched. He felt her quick hands easily undo the button of his shirt, how far would they go? He had no intention of stopping this, if she kept going about taking off his clothes he wouldn’t be the one to stop her, he was too far gone to even think about self-control, no complaints about his tie either, he wanted this, take off all the layers that insisted in stopping their skin from touching.

The man’s hand on her back, trailing down along the tattoo he knew was there, exposed by the open back of the dress, so inviting, teasing anyone who stopped to look, he let the touch linger, sometimes teasing the cloth, his fingers playing under the blue dress, not daring to go too far. Jacob wasn’t a virgin, inexperienced maybe, but he had tried sleeping with people, found it boring, lacking the hype everyone seem to give it. He half convinced himself that everyone was lying about it being so special, but now it was him who couldn’t get enough of the blonde glued to him, couldn’t take his hands or lips away. The hand on the back of her head slid down, his nails lightly scraping the skin towards the back of her neck, it wasn’t his intention to hurt, but to make her shiver, the same way she made him.

The room was very silent, with both of them being the only people around, they weren’t being particularly noisy, only the rustle of clothing and the noise shifting as Ruby tried to stand in a better position. It was no surprise he caught the small moan Ruby let escape, satisfaction that she was enjoying herself as much as he was filled his chest, It made his blood rush, his heart was already beating fast and the room felt awfully hot. He had never being this turned on from just kissing, it wasn’t just his body responding to stimuli while his mind wandered bored to all the things he’d rather be doing. All his attention belonged to Ruby, her warmness and the sensation of her lips on his, her body under his hands, there was no distractions, not even the notion that Mr. White could arrive at any moment, the target and the job was the least of his worries.

Ruby broke the kiss, and Jacob remained a few seconds with his eyes still closed, before he opened them to gaze back at her still feeling dazed, his breathing was fast and his pulse out of control. He was sure his face was still very red, but the darkness of the room would serve to conceal that for now. He didn’t dare say anything, and what could he say? He swallowed, licking his lips while still looking at her deep blue eyes, usually so full of mischief, but now dark and, dare he say, lustful. The side of Ruby he didn’t think himself ever appreciating. She was approaching again, perhaps he didn’t have to say anything, they could just go ahead, keeping doing this… whatever it was.

Their lips touched, and Jacob was closing his eyes once again when the lock rattled. He opened his eyes wide, the moment being broken suddenly, his breath hitching as it crashed in his mind what they were supposed to be doing. The door swung open and Jacob could only gape as Ruby pressed a hand over his mouth. They were by the window, the moonlight would be enough to give them away if the person even shot a brief glance to where they were. He heard a person enter, the light of the hall obscuring their identity, but with a bit of luck it could be a maid, or some hotel staff. There was a noise of confusion from the person, a very male and distantly familiar voice asking ‘who is there?’ As the man put his key card on the hook that would turn on the light, and Jacob squinted at sudden brightness, Jack White looking at their intimate embrace in confusion, it gave enough time for Jacob to come to a decision.

Pushing Ruby aside, he took his knife out, quickly advancing towards the target. They screwed up really badly letting themselves get distracted, they didn’t have the time to set up anything for the target, the only way now was to improvise. He was sure his client wouldn’t be very pleased, but it was too late now. Jacob attacked with the knife, sure that Ruby would have his back. He didn’t want to kill the man right away, if they still had a way to salvage this mission, they would need to the target alive to set anything up, so Jacob held back, and perhaps that was his mistake, because it appeared Mr. White was ready for an assassin, meeting his movements with more speed that Jacob would think a man like him would have.

This was not some run of the mill criminal like the ones that littered the streets of Chicago, they had barely started a scuffle, and Jacob could already tell he was quite experienced opponent, he had a youthful face that fooled you in a false sense of security, but Jacob knew the more innocent looking were the ones who presented true danger, the reason he didn’t let yourself to trust or underestimate anyone no matter how young or harmless they seem. If you thought they were after you, it was probably true.

The headbutt left Jacob off balance, and the man easily deflect his knife with one of him own. The tackle also didn’t go exactly as planned, the man somehow managed to duck from the full impact, and the knife teared cloth and not much else. It was enough for Jacob to feel he had a gun strapped to his side, that could be dangerous. His foot still connected with the man’s knee, and although that should have made him at least stumble, it wasn’t enough to stop a counterattack. A foot connected with Jacob’s stomach that made him back off and splutter, feeling winded.

There was click of a gun, and Jacob looked up to see the man holding a handgun. Jacob was quick to do the same, switching the knife to his offhand and taking of his own gun, pointing at the man’s chest, finger on the trigger, one wrong move and he would shoot, but he wasn’t going to make the first move. If he was going to be shot, he certainly wouldn’t be the only one. He glared through the eyeholes of his mask, feeling the strap of his bag that contained the notebook digging into his shoulder as the man threatened him.

He held the bag in front of his body, protecting his torso with the notebook that was apparently very valuable. He had no shame in using the prize both wanted to protect himself, he’d rather the thing was destroyed than let the other have it. “Funny, but no.” He answered simply, not feeling very amused at that moment. His torso hurt from the man’s attack, but the man hadn’t shot Jacob on the first chance he got, so now they could only stare at each other.

Doing his job, that could implicate so many things in this house. Oh, I’m just following orders, says the man while dumping hot water in some poor sod who had the misfortune of being caught. But he was sure Valeria had no desire to know these unsavory details, she was only a little better than a civilian, she may know a few things, but vaguely knowing the family did bad things was very different than seeing it or even hearing details, and Jacob wouldn’t be the one to shatter the delicate line. But she was fiery and stubborn, she asked more questions, not appearing to be fazed by the gore, and Jacob watched with only mild curiosity how the big guy would react. He didn’t seem the sort who would have much patience to be grilled by some tiny woman, Bianchi or no.

But she wasn’t here just to interrupt them, of course not, it was a kitchen, a place people went to find food, and that was exactly what she intended. Jacob shrugged, he didn’t much care to keep talking to this man, he was a vicious dog just waiting an order from his master to tear Jacob’s throat apart, he had no will to find out how much the man allowed himself to do without an expressed order. “You’re not disturbing anything, we’re done talking.” He said glaring to the man from behind his mask, he had caught the look the big guy had shot him, as if he tried to stare at Jacob into submission, he was sure the man still had quite some things to say to him, but he wasn’t the one calling the shots here, even with his threatening posture of who knew too much, Jacob wasn’t bound to obey this man.

Valeria pitted about the kitchen, seemed determined to ignore any kind of tense atmosphere that might have settle on the room, Jacob honestly admired her courage, she should know anyone who obeyed the Bianchi wouldn’t lay a hand on a member of the family, but still, they were a bunch of criminals, and the big guy was covered in blood. Instead, she just asked for eggs, no big deal. But when she went to the cooler, Jacob only chuckled. “I wouldn’t go there right now.” He said cryptically, guessing that only would make her ask more questions, or be even more determined to look inside. “Seriously, don’t.”

What was important was up to interpretation, in Jacob’s opinion. For example, if one of them was injured, or if they needed to tell max something, or even if they got the sudden urge to visit him in the middle of the night. Those are all important situations, reason enough for them to pick Max’s lock. He was sure Ruby would agree. “Of course Max, we always have a very important reason to pick your lock open. And besides, last time I knocked you didn’t answer, it’s your fault, really.” Max got himself into this situation, what’s the point of knocking if he’d just be ignored? Jacob would rather just skip the waiting and invite himself in.

It was delight to see Max’s outrage, Jacob shot Ruby a mischievous smile, seeing if she was still recording the whole scene. The lengths they went to make this joke, going as far as buy an actual puppy just so they could call it Max and gift to the cop, it was the only reason they even bothered, even though now Jacob realized it was truly a good gift. But Max was lame if he changed the puppy’s name. “Like she said, it’s fitting! Why would you change it?” His voice carried a slight fake hurt tone to it.

“The most legal thing we have done in a long time” he repeated what Ruby said “You should be proud of yourself.” He smirked. That would be that day, when Max actually managed to change something in either Jacob or Ruby, make them stop being criminals, maybe even atone for their crimes, just the thought was hilarious. There was some things that would never change, but it was nice to play pretend, enjoy the moment and not worry about what could be’s. When in each other’s company, they were just a trio of friends, and that’s how Jacob would like to keep, but he doubted it would last very long, people like him couldn’t have nice things and be happy for very long, it wasn’t how the world worked.

He felt Max’s hand give him light tap on his back and turned his head away, staying quiet for now. Thankfully neither of them said anything about Jacob’s sudden inability to speak, and he let them chat away about Ruby’s present box while he tried to get a hold of himself. He was still stubbornly quiet when Max unceremoniously dropped the puppy on his lap. He shot the cop a confused look since he wasn’t really paying attention to what was happening, his hands going to pet the dog distractedly as it tried to nip on his fingers. Soon Max distracted it by giving the pup two plush toys, and little Max took it eagerly in his mouth and run away to play. “There’s something a bit disturbing about giving the dog a bunny and a cat to destroy.” He said, finally breaking his silence, the moment of awkwardness passing hopefully without further comment.

Now that he didn’t feel like hiding in a hole any longer, Jacob turned his attention to the gift box Max was digging through, a sheriff badge, he promptly pined on his shirt, some Harley boxers, really Ruby? “Are those for you to have an excuse to see his underwear?” He asked her with a teasing smirk. And last but not least, there were two dog tags that Max promptly put on as well. “Well, I can argue you already have a pretty good reminder” he poked the cop’s chest, where the J&R brand was carved.

Jacob also had a gift for the cop, but compared to the box of goodies Ruby had brought, he felt it was a little lacking, as it was mostly a joke gift. It was a heavy square package, inside there was a cat book, a story book, and a dog collar and necklace matching set, with Max written on both of them. Seeing how Ruby had also gifted Max a dog collar, Jacob could easily guess which one he would use. “Here, not as fancy, but…” He shrugged, handing Max his little package, hoping he would at least laugh at it a little.

A chuckle when Ruby commented how the room was a familiar, so it wasn’t only him who saw certain similarities. “I was thinking the same, how hard is it to keep your stuff organized?” He tsked in disgust at the mess, doing his best to ignore it. But with the room bathed in darkness it just made things worse. True, they couldn’t see the things thrown around anymore, but every step they took they stumbled upon something. “I don’t need help to find dumps, they are everywhere” He grumbled, shaking his hand after he touched something he wasn’t sure what it was, but he guessed it wasn’t clean.

“We should’ve brought a flashlight.” He said standing still as Ruby tried to get whatever was stuck on her shoe off. He hands delicately gripped his shoulders to keep herself balanced, the moment of embarrassment had passed, so Jacob didn’t feel particularly uncomfortable with her closeness, his hand remained on her waist, partly to give her support, partly because once again it didn’t cross his mind to move it, and still Ruby struggled to free herself. “Did you step on something sticky?” he wondered, what was so hard to untangle? It couldn’t be only the darkness.

She turned her eyes to him, and Jacob was taken back with the sudden movement, a slight hitch on his breath as she gazed in his eyes. The moonlight shone slightly through the window, the light illuminating her features slightly and even with the slight frown in concentration she was expressing, it stuck to him how pretty Ruby was, it wasn’t the first time he had thought about that tonight, which was odd, he usually didn’t pay too much attention to people’s features.

The shoe was a lost case, they probably needed proper light for her to sort it out. Ruby ought to just distance herself from him now, there was no need for them to be this close, but she didn’t, she kept gazing into his eyes, as if searching for something, and Jacob raised his hand to… do what? he wasn’t sure, touch her face? Brush her hair? It didn’t matter because he stopped before he could conclude the action in surprise, his eyes widening as he felt her lips softly touch his.

He froze, not sure how they got into this situation on the first place. It was Ruby, his friend! Wha- why…? He felt his face warming up once again, a full flush covering his face, his heart beat increasing in speed. Was this some sort of trick? One of her mind games? What about Max? But even with all these thoughts swimming through his head, Jacob couldn’t bring himself to push her away. The kiss was very soft, almost hesitant, like not even Ruby knew exactly what she was doing, but he couldn’t deny that it felt nice, unlike other kisses he had shared on the past, the ones he thought nothing beyond how wet they were, with Ruby all it took was just one little touch of her lips, and it was enough to make his heart race.

It took a few moments, but Jacob managed to snap himself out of his surprise, the hand he had lifted was placed gently on her face, to bring her closer or to make sure she was really there, kissing him, and Jacob finally responded to kiss, closing his eyes and enjoying the moment, any thought of protest his mind could’ve throw at him was ignored.