Fall from Grace

Gavin stared up, from the chair he was tied to, at the man who had emerged from the shadows. Shawn Lewis was not a person that he recognized instantly. Victoria, Kurt, Madison; they were the ones who had mostly dealt with this man. Even Heather, Ashley or Brandon, any of the more social students, would recognize and know Shawn from his time at school and around town. But Gavin only vaguely knew him, from the description of his shaven head, cold eyes and smug, detestable face, and from vague recollections of seeing him in the background when he lusted after Taylor Bishop in his earlier teens. Being physically confronted by him though was something else entirely, sending a cold shiver tingling down his back.

The young man circled Grace, glancing only once or twice at Gavin, as he looked her over, making no effort to disguise the fact that he was openly ogling her firm ass in the tight, black yoga pants, or gawking at how her hoodie swelled with the small breasts beneath. But he was doing more than just admiring her body. He looked into her eyes, dazzling green, almost emerald, almost very familiar to him but not quite right. He stopped in front of her and raised his hand towards her face. Her body tightened and she began to recoil away from him, but he stopped, waiting. Swallowing, she relaxed and allowed his fingers to brush a few strands of brown back behind her ear.

“Grace,” he repeated her name, as if testing its weight upon his tongue. His fingers slid down, over her cheek to the edge of her face mask. “Grace…Smith…”

In a single movement, so quick that Grace barely had time to sense it coming, he ripped the mask away, revealing her small, wet lips, parted slightly as she inhaled sharply, her identity revealed. Gavin straightened up in the chair, desperately wishing that he could put himself between them, but the ropes were too strong, too tight, so he could only glare menacingly, a warning that went ignored by Shawn as he analysed her entire face now. He lifted his hand back to her face, but she took a step back, too strong-willed not to be openly defiant. Though he didn’t seem annoyed. He just smiled, and dropped his hand back to his side.

“It’s nice to finally put a face to the name, ‘k3Y$Tr0kE’,” he said, using her alias mockingly. “I much prefer seeing this than doing dead drops with money in playgrounds and picking up flashdrives taped beneath park benches.”

“I like to maintain a certain amount of professional distance between myself and my clients,” Grace said simply, trying not to show how much it bothered her.

“Oh, I think it’s more than that.” Shawn smirked as he took a few steps closer to her, closing the space she had created between them. “What would Arthur say if he knew his daughter was a criminal?”

That he had pieced together that much from her first name, and so quickly, shocked her, and she couldn’t help asking, “You know my father?”

“I wasn’t certain, but I recognized the family resemblance,” he told her, almost laughing as he stepped behind her, circling her again. “Not to your father, of course. But, you see, there was a girl, at school, just the year above me, so pretty she had all the boys falling over themselves just to eat lunch with her. Pathetic. I hear she’s a model now. I always figured she’d end up selling her body.”

“Petra…” Grace whispered, completely blindsided that Shawn knew her sister, that he was able to see that they were family. Petra had always been beautiful, and always garnered a lot of attention. Grace thought herself pretty, but they were in completely different leagues.

“Yes, Pietra. She talked about you. You were an excuse, so she’d didn’t have to date the boys she was using. ‘Sorry, I have to babysit my little sister, Grace’ she’d say, but it was obvious that she just wanted the attention without the commitment,” Shawn said, from behind her, so close he could see her neck hairs dancing beneath his breath. “When she left, she told the year that would be seniors ‘my little sister is joining next year, so be nice to her’. Honestly, I doubted you were real, but here you are, alive and…” he pressed his pelvis against her ass, pushing his cock against her cheeks. “in the flesh.”

She jumped away from him, turning to face him as he laughed, loudly and baring his teeth. Gavin strained in his chair again, futile as ever, but unable to help himself from trying as he saw how uncomfortable Shawn was making Grace. It was clear that Shawn was every bit the piece of shit that Kurt and Victoria had made him out to be, if that hadn’t been completely clear by how he’d exposed Victoria for the world to see that morning. It was only then that Gavin realized that Shawn couldn’t have done that himself. He would have needed technical assistance, such as that offered by ‘k3Y$Tr0kE’.

“The Lewis’ were always dirt to you Smiths and Wynwicks,” he continued, surprising Grace further by showing the knowledge of the friends she kept. “Even the Ravers, with one almost driving the business into the ground, and the other debasing himself with sex parties, were more acceptable. Your father even did deals with the Harrington’s, literal criminals, rather than working with us. It’s little wonder my father wanted to get out of this town.”

Grace shook her head. “I don’t know anything about that. I have nothing to do with my father’s business. I want nothing to do with my father’s business.”

However, Grace assumed that most of what he was saying was true. There were enough facts that she could put together what he was saying with her own experiences and saw how it fitted together. Her sister did often babysit her when she was younger, her parents were always attending some gala or charity for some society that was being supported by either the Wynwick or Thirlby name. And while she professed to having nothing to do with her father’s business, Fletcher Wynwick was always openly discussing the close ties that their family businesses had, saying that his mother would meeting her father to discuss business on this day, or lamenting that Fiona would be negotiating with Robert Ravers on that day.

“No, but it’s nice that a Smith and a Lewis can finally do business, don’t you think?” He said, continuing to smile as he slowly, methodically moved closer again, until they were both standing right in front of Gavin once more. “And it’s already been such a fruitful cooperation. Long may it last.”

“You mean when you pay me to **** girls in the morning papers,” Grace growled back, her eyes flickering towards Gavin, wondering what he thought of her now, whether he would still think she was a good person. “You didn’t tell me that’s what you were going to do with the algorithm.”

“Why should it matter?” Shawn asked calmly, stepping up and raising a hand again. In her fluster her hair had fallen around her face again. She swallowed, and let him move it back again, choosing her battles, even though it made her skin crawl to have him even so close. “I paid you for use of the technology, what I do with it after that is up to me. Or is your only problem with it that I did to your cousin?”

Gavin looked to Grace, confused again. He was happy that Grace hadn’t been entirely complicit in Shawn’s violation of Victoria’s privacy, but he had no idea what Shawn meant by cousin. Was there something else they were talking about? But, he got his answer, when Grace replied, surprised as well at the breadth of Shawn’s knowledge of the families in Azure Rocks, or at least the families that he thought mattered.

“Second cousins,” she corrected him. “Victoria is only my second cousin. But, I would be offended if you had done that to any woman.”

“And yet, you still came here, to me,” Shawn noted, stabbing right into the heart of the matter. “I assume thirty pieces of silver will be enough to quiet any offence you might be feeling.”

“Why would I take any more of your money, for anything?” Grace bit back, ready to wash her hands of the whole deal.

“Because you asked to meet me, to deliver the second part of our agreement,” Shawn declared, his hand still in her hair, holding her head, gentle but firm, with just enough pressure for her to know he could tighten his grasp at any moment. “You said, you had Gavin Westher.”

His heart sank in his chest as it became apparent that Grace had indeed brought him here expressly to give him over to Shawn. He had suspected he was being brought to someone ever since he woke in the warehouse, and had been in denial ever since Shawn showed up. He wanted it to be a joke, a sick joke, or some sort of sting operation and any moment now the police would burst through the doors and arrest Shawn. But the warehouse sat in silence and in darkness, leaving Gavin with **** but to accept that Grace had been paid to bring him to Shawn.

“You said you wouldn’t hurt him,” Grace insisted, holding to some last semblance of dignity and honor.

“Actually, you were only supposed to provide me with the technology to find him. I was supposed to do the leg work. If you’ve actually brought him to me, then you’ve went above and beyond what I paid you for. Either way, just as before though, once he’s in my possession, what I do with him is really of no concern of yours,” Shawn said, as he began to look around, his eyes gliding over the boy in the chair with disinterest. “Where is he?”

Grace furrowed her brow. “Are you dense?”

For the first time, Shawn’s expression turned sour. His dark eyes became like thunderstorms, disliking being called stupid by this girl who should know her place beneath him. His gazed dropped to the obvious, staring at the tied-up teenager with an upturned nose. He grasped Grace’s hair in a fist and pulled her face close to his, so she could smell his breath right against her nose as he stared deep into her terrified green eyes. “Are you making fun of me? Do you think I wouldn’t know who Gavin is? What he looks like? That is not Gavin Westher.”

“Then I don’t know who the fuck you’re looking for, because that is Gavin Westher,” Grace gasped, trying to push him away with her hands on his chest, but she couldn’t budge him. “I’ve known him my whole high school life. He was one of my best friends…until…until I…”

“I don’t care,” he said shaking her roughly. “Gavin Westher isn’t this lanky nerd. He’s athletic, blonde and he doesn’t wear glasses. This piece of shit looks more like Dustin than…” The penny seemed to finally drop for Shawn, as he turned his attention back to Gavin, simply staring for a minute before he released Grace, pushing her back so that she fell on her ass. Shawn stepped up to Gavin. “It makes sense actually. Her second boyfriend would be just as much a loser as her first.”

“The only loser is the one who had to trick and trap Victoria to be with her,” Gavin snapped back. “The one who clearly can’t let go.”

That earned him a punch in the mouth, blood flying from his mouth with spittle as the impact burst his lip. His glasses were thrust from his face, his vision becoming blurry, though perhaps that was also from the sudden ringing in his head. In the darkness he could barely make out Grace, still on the floor behind Shawn, but the man himself was so close that Gavin could see him, glasses or no glasses. He choked and spat out more blood, the first punch he’d taken since elementary, though he was certain it was unlikely to be the last.

“Victoria…and Gavin?” Grace mumbled from the floor as she pulled herself on to her butt, sitting up. She was surprised, since Gavin had never had a girlfriend, seemingly unable to put himself out there. And yet, he did, for a blonde haired, green eyed girl.

“The guy I kidnapped before,” Shawn said simply, as he clenched his fist threateningly. “Who was that?”

“He’s the one fucking Victoria now. She chose him,” Gavin fired back, refusing to give Shawn what he wanted, despite the pain, despite what was still to come. “You got cucked.”

SMACK!

This punch was harder than the last. Shawn’s fist collided with Gavin’s jaw with an audible sound that echoed throughout the dark, empty space, and Gavin groaned as he felt his face ripple with the pain. The ringing in his head grew louder, drowning out all sound for a moment, though he could see, barely, that Grace was talking and looking up at Shawn with a **** expression on her face. His hearing returned just in time to hear the tail-end of her begging him to stop, but Shawn ignored her, staring down Gavin, hopeful that the last punch would be enough to prompt a proper answer.

“Where are they?” He continued his line of questioning, interrupting before Gavin could give another scathing reply that would have no doubt earned him a third fist to the mouth. “And before you go trying to be brave and ever so valiant, let me tell you that I already know that she’s at the Ravers’ Cabin. But Silver Lakes is a big area, and there are a lot of cabins. Now, you could tell me which one in particular belongs to the Ravers, and not have to eat another punch, or I could simply have Grace here pinpoint it for me anyway. Another witty remark isn’t going to save anyone. It’s just going to hurt a lot more and I still get what I want in the end.”

“Go ahead and hurt me all you want. I’m not telling you a damn thing.” Gavin spat out the blood that had begun to fill his mouth again. “I won’t make it easier for you.”

“And you’re crazy if you think I’m going to help you any more either,” Grace hissed from the floor.

“You know, I can respect that, Gavin. Men are supposed to be tough, to be able to take their lumps and persevere. I can even admire it,” Shawn said, taking a step back, his fish unfurling, but Gavin remained on edge, expecting the third punch regardless of Shawn’s genial turn. But the young man turned instead to Grace. “But you, you will do what I want, unless you want your father to find out that his daughter is a criminal. Just think how it will ruin his business, his reputation. Will the Wynwicks still want anything to do with him then?”

Grace didn’t reply, simply letting his words sink in. Her father’s entire world view was predicated upon their family image, carefully cultivating his children to only represent the very best about the Smith name. That one would so utterly disgrace him would be unthinkable. She couldn’t imagine how her father would ever forgive her. She had never intended for him to find out, only to make enough money until she could support herself and strike out in the real world, legally. And after what Shawn had done to Victoria, there was no doubt in her mind that he wouldn’t hesitate to expose her to the world if it was to his benefit.

“Leave her alone,” Gavin growled, from the chair as Shawn stepped in front of her.

She held up a hand to silence him. “It’s okay, Gavin.” She began to rise, back to her feet, as she said to Shawn. “Fine, I’ll do what you ask.”

But his hands were on her shoulders, keeping her from getting up any further than her knees. One hand moved to her chin, trailing a thumb over her soft bottom lip. His other hand moved to his jeans, the sound of his zip lowering breaking the cold, tense silence between the three.

“Really? Let’s test that, shall we?”

Trent’s eyes remained fixed on the warehouse, watching for anyone going in or out. So far, no sign of anyone, but it had been a long time since Shawn had done in and with every passing moment, Trent could feel their chances to catch him, and to save Gavin, slipping through his fingers. He tapped his foot impatiently as he looked back up and down the road in quick glances, not daring to miss a thing that might be happening down below. A few minutes later though, a jeep slowed and came to a stop behind his car.

“You took your time,” Trent admonished the new arrival as he lifted himself off the bonnet of his car.

“Yeah, well, your directions were shit,” Brandon shot back as he hopped down from the driver’s side, before reaching back in and lifting out a steel baseball bat. “Traffic was terrible too, but I’m here now.”

“They’re down there,” Trent pointed over the railing towards the warehouse, with the car and the motorcycle parked in the yard.

“And you’re sure it’s Shawn?” Brandon quizzed his friend, watching him walk around the car to the trunk.

“Well, I’ve never met the shithead, but he looked close enough to the description that Kurt gave me,” Trent replied, as he armed himself with a tire-iron.

“You’re not sure?” Brandon frowned as he looked back at the warehouse. “Because it’s our heads if we go in there swinging and it’s a bunch of gangbangers. I don’t want to get caught up in anything involving the Reapers or the Jackals.”

“No, you’re right, I’m not sure, we should just leave Gavin, I’m sure they’re just having a tea party,” Trent snapped back snarkily, as closed his trunk and pointed at the warehouse with the weapon in his hand. “I’m telling you, I’ve been watching that place and no one else has gone in or out. Just Gavin, Grace and a guy I’m 99% sure was Shawn.”

“Alright, alright,” Brandon relented, holding up his hands in submission. “I didn’t realize you and Gavin were that tight.”

“W-we’re not. I just got to know him at the cabin yesterday,” Trent mumbled, feeling suddenly warm as he tried not to blush. “I-I’d do this for anyone, you know. It’s really about catching Shawn anyway. Shouldn’t we go? We’re wasting time.”

“You’re right,” Brandon agreed, moving towards the passenger side door while Trent slid into the driver’s seat. “Let’s go get this bastard.”