Justin opened his eyes, blinking as he tried to take in his surroundings. The back of his head throbbed, which just added to his confusion. He went to lift his hand to touch the sore area only to find that he couldn't. His arms were tied behind his back and a thick rope was wrapped around his chest, keeping him in the chair he was sitting in.

Then, everything came rushing back.

He'd been on the way to the airport with Lance and Joey. Chris was supposed to have been with them, but he'd refused to leave JC alone. So it'd just been the three of them with Dre and Mike accompanying them back to Orlando. Only they'd never even made it to the airport.

They'd been driving along the freeway when there had been a loud pop and the SUV had jerked. Dre had carefully pulled the vehicle onto the shoulder of the highway to investigate the problem. He and Mike had both gotten out and quickly reported that the front, right tire had blown. None of them had thought anything of it because that wasn't the first time something like that had happened, and they knew their bodyguards were more than capable of fixing the problem with just the slightest delay. Though, Justin had been secretly hoping it would take long enough that they'd miss their flight home and have a good reason to return to the hotel where Chris and JC were.

That was when another car had pulled up behind them. Something that hadn't been all that alarming, but when Justin saw two muscular men with large tattoos on their forearm get out, he got a bad feeling. Then one of the men punched Mike in the head, taking him by surprise and causing him to fall to the ground, and Justin knew things were about to get a lot worse.

Joey and Lance had recognized the same thing, but before the three of them could even try to prepare themselves, the door to Justin's right opened. He was hauled out of the car by the second man, and before he could tell Joey and Lance to run, the other side had opened and the first man had grabbed hold of Joey's arm.

Justin had struggled, but the man's grip had been too tight. As he was being manhandled away from their SUV and towards the other vehicle, Justin had caught sight of Mike and Dre. Both of their bodyguards had been on the ground motionless, obviously unconscious. Justin wasn't sure what'd happened, but it'd just made him fight harder.

All he'd succeeded in doing was pissing off the man holding him. The guy had whipped out a gun that had been hidden in the waistband of his jeans and had pointed it at him, ordering him into the vehicle. It'd been clear what would happened if he didn't, and Justin had gotten in. Lance and Joey had been forced to join him, and in a matter of seconds, they'd been driving down the freeway again. This time though with two strange men.

It'd been a long, tense ride with the three of them exchanging nervous looks with each other. None of them had been brave enough to say anything to their kidnappers though. Justin had known it had everything to do with the gang leader JC was supposed to be confronting though. It would've been too much of a coincidence for them to be taken by people completely unrelated to the situation JC had found himself in.

When they'd finally arrived at their destination, Justin had been surprised to see it was an old, run down house in an isolated area. Though, knowing that there weren't many houses in the area hadn't stopped him from elbowing the guy when his door had opened and trying to make a run for it. He hadn't gotten far though as he'd been tackled and forced into the dirt by one of them. Then, the last thing he'd remembered was getting coldcocked by a gun.

"Justin, are you okay?" Lance asked, breaking Justin out of his thoughts.

Justin almost nodded, but he managed to stop himself in time, knowing that doing so would just aggravate his headache. "Yeah," he said. Lance and Joey were tied similarly to him in their own chairs just feet away. "What about you? Are you guys alright?"

"Yeah," Joey said.

"We were just worried about you," Lance added.

Justin eyed both of them carefully, trying to see if there was any sign that they were lying to him. He couldn't see any injuries, though he knew that didn't mean there wasn't some hidden in places he couldn't see. Ultimately it was the fact that neither of them looked to be in much pain that convinced him they were relatively unharmed and allowed him to breathe a little easier.

"Where are we?" Justin asked, trying to twist his body in the chair so he could fully take in their surroundings. He was tied tightly though, and the only thing he could easily turn was his head.

The walls were made of wood, what surely used to be a dark stain having faded and chipped over the years of neglect. It was cluttered full of random objects and tools. It looked like a garage or barn of some kind.

Joey shook his head. "We don't know." He paused, and Justin looked at him, watching as his brow furrowed with concern. "JC was here though."

"What? How do you know?"

"Those guys that took us. We could hear them talking," Lance said. "He apparently left in a hurry."

Justin frowned. No way would JC leave them behind, which meant that he hadn't known they were there. As far as JC knew, they were on their way to Orlando by now. So what had caused him to take off, and more importantly, why had those guys let him?

They were all good questions, but he figured he'd start simple. "Why?" Justin asked.

Lance and Joey exchanged nervous glances. Then Lance looked back at him. "From what we overheard...it sounded like they had threatened Chris. That something might be happening to him."

Justin's stomach twisted. "Like what?"

"We don't know," Joey said. "But I wouldn't worry. You know Chris. He can take care of himself."

Normally Justin would agree with that, but he couldn't deny that all Joey's words did was cause him more anxiety. They were out of their league with this gang stuff, and JC had obviously thought Chris was in danger if he'd taken off to try to intervene.

"What's the point of this?" Justin asked. "I mean, they have us. Why couldn't they just use us as leverage instead of going after Chris too?"

As soon as the words left Justin's mouth, he nearly winced as he realized what he'd said and how it'd sounded. It wasn't that he wanted them to be in danger or have the attention of a sadistic gang leader focused on them, but they were already here and in a bad situation. Surely, the gang leader could've used them to get JC to do what he wanted without getting Chris involved. Right?

Joey and Lance shot each other a look, neither seeming to know what to say. Not that Justin blamed them. He hadn't really expected them to have an answer; his anxiety and fear for Chris had him asking stupid, hard questions.

Then, to his surprise, his question did get answered. Only it wasn't by Lance or Joey.

"Tommie's doing it to play with JC."

Justin twisted his head around as much as he could, straining to see behind him. It was hard to see clearly, but there was no doubt who was standing there. Sabrina, JC's ex-girlfriend. Though, as Justin had suspected all along, she'd been much more involved in their LA trip than just simply being an ex.

"What do you mean?" Justin demanded. "What the hell is going to happen to him? To Chris?"

Sabrina stepped forward and held up her hands. "Whoa, somebody's a bit feisty, aren't they?" She walked around Lance so she was facing the three of them, glancing at each of them before looking Justin in the eye. "Chris is fine. Or at least, he won't be dead. Some of Tommie's guys are gonna bring him and JC back here. And then that's when the real fun begins."

"Fun?" Joey repeated, frowning.

"Well," Sabrina smirked, "not fun for any of you I suspect. But the rest of us...yes. Because I have to tell you, watching JC squirm is one of the more entertaining things I've seen."

Justin's muscles tensed. "You bitch!"

"My, my, listen to that temper," Sabrina said, shaking her head. She took a step closer to Justin. "JC showed a lot of anger the last time I saw him too. I'm guessing you're the one that rubbed off on him?"

"JC is strong all on his own. If anything, I learned a lot from him," Justin shot back.

Sabrina moved even closer. "I find that hard to believe. He was such a weak, pathetic thing when I met him. And I loved him that way."

"Then you obviously didn't know him at all," Justin said, glaring at her.

Sabrina raised an eyebrow. "Maybe you're the ones who don't know him. He's been pretending with you four. Lying to you."

"Just because he didn't want to tell us what happened between the two of you doesn't mean he's been pretending with us," Joey said.

"So he's told you about what we did, what he did." Sabrina slowly walked the length of the area they were tied up in. "He stole from people. He helped me scam people. And you want to tell me he didn't pretend with you four? Tell me, if that's the case, then why didn't he ever tell you about the arrangement I had with him?"

"If you're trying to turn us against JC, it won't work," Lance said. "He had his reasons for not telling us, but that doesn't mean we know him less than you do."

Sabrina smile, but it was a wicked thing. "Oh I'm not trying to turn you against him. I'm just trying to point out you're wrong about him. And for the record, I never said there was anything wrong with him being weak. Not all of us women want a big, strong man. Some of us like having power over our men."

Justin fumed at her words, but he was quickly realizing there was no point in arguing with her. He wasn't getting through to her, and quite honestly, he didn't care what she thought. Nothing she said could make him think she knew JC better than they did.

Sabrina, for her part, didn't seem put off at all that none of them were bothering to fight her on it anymore. Instead, her smile turned sly and she sauntered towards Justin, her hips swaying back and forth with each step. For the first time, Justin felt uneasy as he watched her approach, especially with the last words she'd said echoing in his ears.

She only stopped when she was standing right in front of Justin. "You remind me so much of him," she said, reaching out a hand to stroke his cheek. Justin wanted to rip her hand away, but all he could do was turn his head. "He tried to put on a brave face, but this city beat him down. He was broken when I met him, barely holding on to hope that things would work out. He didn't have the fire you have, but I can get you there."

Justin stilled. "What?"

"Oh yes. The rough sex with JC the other night was good, but I missed when he would give into my every desire. And assuming Tommie gets his way, I'll need someone else to play with." She climbed onto his lap, her legs wrapping around the back of the chair. "And who better to replace him with than his best friend?"

Justin looked up into her lustful eyes, and his stomach twisted. Only this time it wasn't out of fear and anxiety for Chris and JC but rather himself. They didn't know the story between JC and Sabrina, but it was obvious she had manipulated JC into everything. More stuff than Justin had even considered. Seeing her this close made him realize she had a danger to her, and he got the feeling she could just as easily manipulate him into having sex with her.

"Get the hell away from him!" Joey growled.

Sabrina looked over at him, smirking. "I'd love to see you stop me."

She turned her attention back to Justin, and he felt his heart pound painfully against his chest. Was she really going to do this right now? He couldn't imagine her doing it in front of Joey and Lance, but maybe that was the point. Something fun for her that would also torment them. It was like she'd said - he couldn't do anything to stop her. He was completely at her mercy.

Sabrina slipped a hand under his t-shirt, making him jerk and inhale sharply. It was a fairly innocent move, but there was no question it would lead to much more. He closed his eyes, trying to summon the strength to either break out of his bonds somehow or just endure what seemed to be inevitable.

"Bree, quit fooling around," a new voice said suddenly, and Justin's eyes flew opened. He saw one of the men that had kidnapped them standing in the doorway of the barn, arms crossed as he gave Sabrina a look that screamed of impatience. "The other two are on their way, and Tommie wants us ready."

Sabrina sighed. "Fine." She turned back to Justin and placed her lips on his in an unexpected kiss. "We'll finish this later."

Then she got off his lap and walked out, not sparing another glance at any of them. The guy followed behind her, and then they were left alone again. Justin looked at Lance and Joey and saw the fear he was feeling reflected back at him. They were going to be reunited with Chris and JC, but they all felt was trepidation at what would happen when they arrived.

******************

When JC came to, the first thing he was aware of was the pounding in his head - particularly behind his eyes - and how dry his mouth felt. Something that was only made worse by the fact that his mouth was taped shut. Then he realized that the thing he was lying on was moving. And after a brief struggle to get his eyes open, they confirmed that he was lying on the floor of a utility van where the only seats were the two in the front of the vehicle that were occupied.

JC tried to use his arms to push himself upright, but it became immediately obvious that both his hands and feet were bound. He tried to at least roll himself onto his back so he could have some leverage to push himself up, but his body barely moved, his muscles still weak from the chemical he'd inhaled. It was unfortunate because he'd hoped that by sitting up he could take some of the pressure off his roiling stomach, knowing that if he puked he would end up choking on it.

It was hard to take slow, calming breaths through just his nose, but he did his best, hoping it would help settle his stomach. He only managed a couple of slow breaths before he had to abandon the idea. It was just too hard, especially with his heart beating painfully against his chest which just caused his anxiety-induced nausea to worsen.

As bad as he felt, he suspected that Chris was feeling worse...wherever he was. Though, JC felt quite certain that he was currently en route to the very place JC had left in his haste to get to Chris. He worried about his oldest friend, his mind going crazy with scenarios of exactly how Chris had been removed from the hotel suite. The hope was that there had been minimal force used - like with JC and the involuntary inhalation of a sickening chemical. The worst case scenario was that Chris had been shot and was bleeding. Suffering.

Well okay, the worst case scenario would be if Chris was dead. But JC knew without a doubt that he wasn't. Not only because he had convinced himself he would just know - that he'd feel it if he was - but because Tommie would use him as leverage. For what, JC wasn't sure, but in the end, it wouldn't matter. He would do whatever Tommie wanted if it meant ensuring Chris's safety and getting him out of this terrible situation.

His fear and worry for Chris made JC's heart race even faster, and his breathing was speeding up to match it. He had to try to calm himself down, or he would surely pass out since he couldn't open his mouth to help draw in more oxygen. It hurt to push down his feelings for Chris, but not doing so would likely put him in an even more vulnerable position. He wanted to be fully aware of what was happening by the time they arrived at the house Tommie and his crew were at.

JC turned his eyes to the front of the car, wondering just how far they were from Tommie. Lonnie was driving and another man was in the passenger seat beside him. JC recognized him as the man that had chased after him, and he could hear the echo of pounding footsteps in his head as he remembered the dizzying race to the bottom of the stairs.

Even though JC could see the rearview mirror, he was too low to actually be able to see what was reflected in it. He got the feeling though that Lonnie was glancing at him periodically, checking on him as much as he could. Because while JC couldn't see his face, he could see the tension in his shoulders and arms. Lonnie was worried about him.

While Lonnie had been the one to subdue him, JC couldn't bring himself to feel any anger towards him. Obviously he was involved with Tommie, or Sabrina, or even both. JC didn't know how or even how long he might have known them, but he knew from experience how manipulative Sabrina could be. A quality Tommie had too, especially considering the way he'd hinted about Chris and let JC go as if he had a chance of saving him.

Did it make what Lonnie had done right? Of course not, but JC wasn't in a place to judge. He'd done terrible things when he was with Sabrina, and sadly, it'd gotten easier the longer he was with her. She had a way of making things that he knew were wrong sound okay - that whatever stunt they pulled would be completely harmless. Of course, that wasn't true, and even if they got away with it, JC had always felt a twinge of guilt. But nothing compared to the first time.

JC was sitting at a small round table in a coffee shop, scouring the newspaper for a job when Sabrina joined him. She sat with a sigh, and without any prompting, she launched into her latest complaint. This time it was about how the barista was someone new and hadn't saved her a blueberry muffin like the usual guy did, but that she'd at least gotten her drink free for the trouble of it all.

JC nodded absently, half listening as looked for not only auditions but anything he could do along with his job at the restaurant. They had only been together a month, and he was already used to the way she would complain about little things. Normally it was kind of cute because her cheeks would flush, and her eyes would turn a shade of green that was breathtaking. And he could usually turn her mood around pretty quickly just by smiling at her, but this time he had more on his mind. Something she was quick to notice.

"What are you doing?" she asked, leaning forward and turning her head so she could read what he'd circled. A grocery store clerk with a close proximity to his neighborhood. She shook her head. "JC, that job is completely beneath you. Working at the restaurant is bad enough."

JC frowned. She'd never liked him waiting tables at the restaurant they'd met at, saying he was wasting his talent. He didn't disagree, but he couldn't get any callbacks for the auditions he went to and he needed something to pay the bills along with other expenses, which included taking her out.

He reached out for the coffee she'd placed in front of him and took a sip, trying to occupy his mouth with something so he wouldn't snap at her. As soon as it hit his tongue, his frown deepened. He normally ordered a black coffee because it was the cheapest thing on the menu, and she always insisted on coming to these expensive coffee shops. But what he was drinking instead was sweet - almost sickeningly so compared to his usual order.

"This isn't what I ordered," he said, gesturing to the coffee as he set it back down on the table.

She gave a little sigh. "I know you always order that dark Brazil roast or whatever, but honey, you need to gain a little weight. You're too skinny."

JC gave a sigh of his own. He'd lost a couple of pounds since he'd moved to LA, but he didn't think he looked much different than he had before. It was one of the things she always pestered him about, but what she didn't seem to realize was money was so tight for him that often all he ate for dinner was ramen noodles or peanut butter toast. And in addition to his bills, he was trying to save up for some studio time so he could record a demo.

It was something he'd told her a few times, and he didn't want to get into it again. So he just let it go and got back to their original topic. "I need a second job. The restaurant has been cutting back my hours, and I've nearly obliterated my demo fund to make up for it. Now I owe $200 for the Jeep."

His Jeep had broken down on his way to work yesterday, and it'd already cost seventy-five dollars to be towed to the garage where one of Sabrina's friends worked. An hour ago he'd learned the issue was something with his engine, and according to Sabrina, her friend was really giving him a discount only charging two hundred. Still, that was money he didn't have.

"But if you get another job, when will you have time to sing or sleep? Or even see me?" She looked at him with those serious green eyes, burning with intensity. "I'll never see you anymore."

JC sighed. "Don't be ridiculous. We'll just have to rearrange our schedules a bit."

Someone squeezed past their table and inadvertently bumped into it. JC's pen went rolling off the table, and he bent down to pick it up. When he spotted the pen, he saw there was also a small wallet under the table. He grabbed both items and placed them on the table.

"Looks like someone lost their wallet," he said. "We should turn it in on our way out."

Sabrina picked up the wallet and opened it. JC could see an ID in it, and he was glad to know it would get to the right person because he was sure they would realize it was missing and come back for it eventually. He figured that was what she was checking for, but she kept flipping through it and then to his horror she pulled several bills out of the center.

"Sabrina," he hissed, putting a hand over hers in an attempt to stop her. He couldn't help glancing around nervously even though no one was looking in their direction. "What are you doing?"

"Oh come on, JC. This wallet probably belongs to some rich lady. It's only $100 anyway."

"You don't know she's rich," JC said.

"Actually," she held up the wallet, "this tells me she is. It's a designer wallet. And if she can afford this, I can guarantee she won't miss a measly $100. Besides, you leave your wallet some place, you never expect to have it returned to you with the cash still inside."

JC looked down at the table. Everything inside him screamed it wasn't right. He was taught that you didn't take what didn't belong to you. But there was a small part of himself that agreed with Sabrina. If you were careless with your money, you didn't deserve it. And it wasn't like they were taking it from someone who really needed it. If anything, they needed that money more than its owner did.

During his internal struggle, Sabrina glanced down at her watch and shook her head. She stood up, getting his attention. "C'mon," she said. "We have to go if we want to catch our bus."

JC was startled for a second and was going to protest, still fighting to squash the devilish voice that told him taking the money was okay. But she was already moving towards the door, and he was left hastily gathering his newspaper and pen and tossing them in his backpack. He slung the bag over his shoulder and grabbed his extra sweet, fattening drink before moving as quick as he could through the crowded shop to catch up to her. He only managed to do so when she handed the wallet over to the man behind the counter where she gave him a meaningful glance. He said nothing, just ducked his head and followed her outside narrowly missing being run over by a young woman carrying a baby in her arms as she rushed in.

As they walked to the bus stop, JC couldn't help but feel his gut twist anxiously with what they had just done. So much so that at the first garbage can he saw, he dropped the coffee cup into it. He felt guilty wasting the money, but he knew he wouldn't be able to drink it. At least not without making himself sick.

Sabrina glared at him, but he ignored her. He wasn't interested in appeasing her right then, and anyway he had been the one to pay for the coffee. What the hell did it matter to her?

The bus stop was fairly crowded when they walked up, and there was one open seat on a bench. Sabrina quickly sat down and he stood next to her, watching the buses and numerous cars go by. They stood there quietly for a couple minutes before loud footsteps caught his attention. He looked up and saw a woman rushing, pulling up to a quick stop as she arrived at the bus stop. It was the woman who had nearly run into them as they'd left the coffee shop, her baby clutched firmly in her arms. She seemed relieved, likely having made it before her bus could come. JC was about to turn away so he wasn't caught staring when something in her hands caught his attention. It was a familiar looking wallet with a pretty floral print.

JC swallowed, watching her open it anxiously and how her face fell. She was the one the wallet at the coffee shop had belonged to. The way she'd rushed in and now had rushed back to the bus stop. It made sense. She had lost her wallet at the coffee shop and had gone back for it, trying to make it before her bus came. And now she had discovered that her cash - what she needed to pay for her bus ride - was gone.

His stomachache intensified, and his heart pounded in his chest. What they'd done wasn't right, and now he was seeing the direct consequences of it. Contrary to what Sabrina had believed, the wallet didn't belong to someone rich. She wasn't poor by any means, but the crushed look on her face told him that it hadn't been just bus fare that she'd intended that cash for. And considering his own financial situation, he could appreciate that all too well.

He took a step forward, planning on going to her and coming clean. He would make Sabrina give her back the money, and everything would be okay. But he hadn't taken more than a single step before Sabrina grabbed onto his arm and pulled him towards the bus. Their bus had apparently come while he was lost in his moral dilemma.

"Sabrina," he protested, trying to pull away from her. She didn't listen to him though, just shoved him forward causing him to nearly fall up the stairs into the bus. He quickly regained his feet, but she was pushing behind him so all he could do was move further in. His shoulders slumped as he realized there was no getting off the bus, that he wouldn't be able to do the right thing.

He took the first pair of open seats he saw and slid in so he was sitting next to the window. It was normally Sabrina's seat, but he didn't care. After what she did he wasn't interested in accommodating her. He could see the woman from the window, and he felt unshed tears burning in his eyes as he watched the distress play across her face. But as he felt Sabrina slide in next to him, his anguish quickly turned to anger.

"It didn't belong to some rich woman," he said to her lowly. Both to try to get across how angry he was without shouting and to keep the people around them from eavesdropping.

He felt her shoulder brush against his, and he knew without looking that she'd shrugged. "This time. But it could've easily been true."

JC's anger spiked at her callous behavior, and he turned to look at her. His eyes were narrowed and his lips were set in a thin line. "I am never doing anything like that again."

Thinking back, JC couldn't believe he'd ever gone along with what she'd said after that. But that just proved how good she was at manipulating people. Either that or how weak he'd been. JC had worked hard since then to make sure he wasn't vulnerable - that no one had that kind of power over him again - and all of this just reminded him that it was for naught. He'd screwed up huge, and now he was paying dearly for it.

Regardless of who it was Lonnie was involved with - Tommie or Sabrina - it all stemmed back to a simple fact. None of them would even be in this situation if he hadn't followed her to Marc's so blindly, or if he'd gone in sooner and managed to stop her. Hell, even reporting the damn thing before he'd left LA wouldn't have created this situation he'd found himself in. What made it even worse was knowing that Chris was in danger because of him.

Knowing that Lonnie would be no help, JC tried to focus his mind and come up with some kind of a plan. Or at least some way he could remove Chris from the dangerous situation he'd been unwillingly placed in. It was difficult though since JC didn't know exactly what Tommie wanted. From what he'd said to JC earlier, it'd sounded like he wanted to kill his friends. Had it just been a threat to torture him, or would Tommie actually try to kill Chris?

It wasn't a question JC could answer, and it was terrifying. Whatever happened to Chris was completely on him, and JC's stomach twisted anxiously at the thought of something even worse happening to him. If Chris died today, he would never forgive himself.

JC forced the thought out of his mind. He couldn't afford to think like that; he needed to have his wits about him if he had any hope of getting them out of this situation. He needed to have hope that he could somehow convince Tommie to take his anger out on him and not Chris.

The van came to a stop then, and the engine died a moment later. JC's heart instantly sped up, and he began to sweat. The back door opened, and JC blinked against the harsh sunlight that came streaming into the vehicle. A rough hand grabbed his bicep and pulled him closer to the door. Once there, the zip tie around his ankles was cut, but his hands were left bound behind his back.

Lonnie came up on JC's right, while the other man came up on his left and each of them grabbed onto his arms. They lifted him out of the van and set him on the ground, but as soon as his feet touched the dirt, his knees buckled. He would've face planted if it wasn't for their strong grips.

Tommie's henchman seemed content to drag JC to where Tommie was waiting - no doubt on the other side of the van. But Lonnie said, "Wait. Just give him a second."

The other man scoffed and shook his head, like he couldn't believe what Lonnie was doing. But that was all the confirmation JC needed to know that he'd been right. Lonnie had been forced or manipulated into doing this, and as JC looked him in the eye, he could see it was taking everything Lonnie had not to grab him and try to get the hell out of there.

"Let's go," the guy growled and yanked on JC's arm, like he was trying to rip JC out of Lonnie's grasp. But Lonnie held his grip and moved so he could support JC as much as possible while JC fought to get his feet under himself. He stumbled the first few steps, but thankfully his legs actually held him up as he fell in step with them.

This is it, JC thought as they walked closer to the very spot where he'd left Tommie not hours before.

JC didn't know what was going to happen, but he swore to himself he would do whatever Tommie wanted. He wasn't going to let anything else happen to Chris. No matter what.