Hate or Love?

Chapter Twelve

Jayce sat on the bed in the rundown hotel. Lucas was showering, leaving Jayce alone in the room. They were stopped there for the night, because Jayce's contacts weren't there yet, although they said they would be, which he found strange. Either way, they were in this shitty hotel, having to stay the night again. Jayce was tired, but he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep well tonight. Maybe a drink would help him, after all, he'd seen a bar across the street from his hotel. He couldn't leave Lucas alone though, so he waited for him to get out of the shower. When Lucas was out and changed, Jayce decided he should bring it up.

"We should go get a drink." Jayce suggested, and Lucas looked at him. He was quiet for a moment, considering the suggestion.

"Alright. Let's do it." Lucas agreed, grabbing his sweater and putting it on. Jayce got off his bed, and they went outside and across the street to the bar. They sat down at the bar, ordering two beers and tapping the necks of the bottles together.

"Cheers." Jayce muttered, taking a long sip from the bottle. He was exhausted from travelling all day, and trying to figure out where he was going, and what he was doing.

"Cheers." Lucas replied, taking a sip of his drink. They sat in silence for a while, and Jayce wondered if it was because Lucas had nothing to say or if it was because Lucas was just as tired as he was.

"Are you alright?" Lucas inquired, and Jayce nodded a little, setting his drink down on the bar.

"Yeah, just tired. It's been a long day." Jayce ran a hand over his face, sighing softly.

"Yeah..." Lucas went quiet, taking a long sip from his beer. Jayce found that he was curious as to what Andreas was doing right now. Where was he? What was he doing? Had he figured out where Jayce and Lucas were yet?

A woman walked into the bar, and Jayce saw her out of the corner of his eye. He didn't think much of it, glancing at her briefly when he heard a few men catcall her, whistling and cheering. He turned back to the bar, before doing a double take.

"Oh fuck." he grabbed Lucas' arm, shoving him behind his body and in front of the bar. The woman's eyes were scanning the bar, and when they fell on Jayce, he knew he was screwed. He reached for his knife, but she had him pinned to the bar before he could pull it out, crushing Lucas. He glared at her, jaw clenched tightly as she smirked.

"Hey handsome." she greeted, and he pulled his knife at the same time as she pulled hers. She reached his neck before he could reach hers, grabbing his wrist, the one attached to the hand with the knife, and stopping him. A gleam in her eyes, she smiled at him angelically as he heard Lucas grunt under his weight. The patrons in the bar had turned to watch, curious eyes seeing far too much for Jayce to be comfortable with.

"Let's take this somewhere else." Jayce suggested calmly, eyes searching the bar for Andreas, wondering where that insufferable asshole was. It was no surprise he'd sent in his best friend to start with Jayce before he picked off Lucas. She glanced around the bar, and then her eyes locked back onto Jayce's. She peeked over his shoulder at Lucas, and Jayce tried to make himself bigger, trying to shield him. At least if she killed him, Lucas could hopefully make a run for it, right? She reached around Jayce, and Jayce closed his eyes, ready for her to take Lucas and go. But, instead, she grabbed his beer, taking a long sip and putting her knife away, moving beside him and leaning on the bar. He followed her with his eyes, curious as to what the hell she was doing. He pushed Lucas so that Jayce was in between them.

"What do you want, Quinn?" he demanded, and she looked at him. Her eyes were shining, but not with glee, or malice. No, it almost looked like she was about to cry.

"Andreas fucked up." her voice was low, a whisper in the bar. Almost as if she was trying to keep it a secret from the patrons, and Jayce wondered if she intended for him to hear it.

"What do you mean, Andreas fucked up? That's not my problem." Jayce retorted, curiosity almost getting the best of him, and she looked at him.

"Jayce. I need your help." Quinn said softly, and that got Jayce's full attention, and he looked at her curiously.

"Why do you need my help? I have my own shit to deal with, Quinn." Jayce glared at her, and she sighed softly.

"He got caught by some... people, I don't know. I can only assume they're working against Andreas, which could mean it's your people. Andreas is in deep shit with his boss, Jayce. If he doesn't kill you and Lucas he's done." Quinn spilled everything, and when Jayce met her gaze, he could tell she was being serious. She looked vulnerable, scared and unsure as she met his eyes.

"Why don't we go back to our hotel." Jayce went against his gut, trusting her and getting up. He put money on the bar for their drinks and put an arm around Lucas, keeping him away from Quinn just in case. They went across the street and into their hotel, up to their room and finally behind a closed door. The moment they were behind closed doors he was ready for anything, nerves getting the best of him. But, she pulled out a crumpled piece of paper, holding it out for Jayce. Lucas sat down on the bed, watching the two as Jayce unfolded the paper, reading the note that was obviously from Andreas. It was short and sweet, but told Jayce enough. Quinn was serious, and Andreas was in trouble. So, Jayce had a choice to make, did he help her, or did he abandon the one man that had screwed him over countless times, the man that had fucked up so many goddamn jobs it made his head hurt just thinking about it.

"Fucking hell, Andreas." Jayce muttered, sitting down on the edge of his bed with a heavy sigh.

"There's only so much I can do, Jayce, and you're the best at protecting people. There's a reason you and Andreas are rivals." Quinn persisted, and Jayce rubbed his forehead tiredly. He wondered what his boss would think, how Lucas' dad would react.

"I have to get Lucas to Peru." Jayce looked up at her, and she frowned a little, pulling out her phone.

"He's in Venezuela." Quinn locked eyes with him, and if he hadn't made his mind up before, he had now. He shook his head, holding out the note for her and opening the door.

"I'm out, Quinn. That's the opposite way, find me after I'm done with Lucas and then we'll talk." Jayce declared, and she was silent.

"Fucking coward." she spat, before walking out of the room, leaving him with the note and a slight sense of regret.