Free Falling

Suicide Dive

Earning a million dollars doing what he knew best and enjoyed doing the most put Jamien in a partying mood, which was how Pierce and Zimos had talked him into going back to the HQ with them instead of going back to Safeword. As soon as he stepped off of the elevator and saw that the place was filled with Saints, strippers, and hoes, he couldn't help but grin and let out a loud cheer. Everyone immediately answered with a cheer of their own and the party began in earnest. The lights dimmed as neon purple ones cut on. Glow sticks were passed around along with drinks and blunts. The music was turned up as louder as bodies gravitated towards each other.

He noticed Candi making her way towards him another girl equally easy on the eyes and turned towards Denitra. "Why don't you go have fun? Mingle a little bit?"

If she had seen Candi, she didn't let on. She only nodded and turned on her heel, then headed towards the kitchen. For a moment, he considered going after her.

"Hey." Candi's voice was seductive, like something lacy sliding across his skin. "Surprised to see you here."

His arm slid around her waist and he anchored her to him. "I felt like partying." He pulled her friend close to him. "You two enjoying yourselves?"

Candi all but purred, leaning her head on his shoulder as she pawed at his chest. "Not yet, but hopefully you'll change that by the end of the night." She giggled as she leaned even closer and caught his earlobe in between his teeth.

It felt wrong.

Automatically, he pulled away from them both. Candi's rose-colored lips parted to ask him a question but someone called him. He turned around fully to find Pierce and Shaundi sitting in the living area of the massive penthouse, both waving him over. "Ah, I thought I heard someone calling me. If you'll excuse me." He tried to give them his trademark smile that melted hearts but found it this side of impossible. It felt wrong to give anyone that smile but her. Maybe it was because no one would react like she did.

"Yo, Boss!" Pierce smiled as he stood to hand Jamien a drink. "Here's to the baddest mothafucker in Steelport!"

Jamien nodded his head appreciatively and held up his drink.

Shaundi reluctantly touched her martini glass to theirs. "I heard you did fucking awesome. Congrats."

Jamien knew how hard it'd been for her to say something nice to him after what happened that morning. "Thanks, Shaun." He sipped his drink. "So, why did you let it 'slip' that Denitra's with me?"

"Who doesn't know?" She gave him a half-assed innocent look.

"That shit's irrelevant. You purposely went out and told someone, who you knew would tell the fucking world, that she's with me. And you didn't even bother to make sure they had their facts straight, you just let them think what they wanted."

"If you're gonna be with her, then be with her."

Jamien bit down on his bottom lip until it hurt enough to possibly be bleeding. "You keep stepping on my toes, girl. Eventually, you're gonna find my foot so far up your ass, I'll be able to flick your tonsils out with my fucking big toe."

"Then just let her go home, Boss! We have shit to do."

Jamien looked at Pierce and gestured towards Shaundi. "Do something before we have to replace her ass, man!"

Pierce nodded his head once and sipped from his drink. "I think we should keep her."

"What?!" Shaundi's screech almost drowned out the music. Almost.

Pierce held up his hands in surrender. "Hear me out. Boss is using Mayor Fuller to help us weed out the Syndicate back home. Boss says a Morningstar pimp was trying to hand her over to Killbane, so I'm willing to bet if he got his hands on her he'd try to do the same thing we're doing. Even you agreed that using her was a good idea, but if we let her go and Killbane gets his hands on her, we lose our hold over the Mayor." Pierce lowered his voice. "Johnny fought hard with us to get the hold we have over Stilwater. To let the Syndicate of all people take that away from us..."