After Hayley had finished explaining what had happened, I found that I had developed a lot of respect for her.

I placed a hand on her shoulder, looked into her eyes, and said, "I'm proud of you."

She flushed, muttering, "Was nothing."

Carson raised his eyebrows at Jacob and I next.

"So, what were you guys doing in that elevator the whole time?" he asked, grinning mischievously.

Jacob turned a bright shade of red while I merely shrugged. "Thought up names for our band."

Suddenly, there was a groan

We all looked down at where Jeff was laying.

He began to stir, and finally opened his eyes.

The sight of all four of us must have been pretty intimidating, and he gulped nervously.

"Hello, Jeff," I said in a hard, cold voice I had reserved for fellow criminals.

Everyone looked at me in surprise, not recognizing this tone.

"A-A-A-Aileen," he stuttered. "P-please don't hurt me!"

I laughed humorlessly. "Oh Jeff, you're so cute. I'm going to do so much more than hurt you."

He started to tear up a little bit, and I figured he had heard of me before.

I had quite the reputation on the streets.

"I know what you're capable of," he whimpered, curling up into a scared ball. "I'll do anything!"

Everyone was looking at me curiously now, but I merely sighed.

"I'm not going to do anything to you," I told him.

Relief broke out onto his face.

"But," I continued, and his smiled dropped. "That's because you aren't going to tell anyone what happened here, and you're never going to come near any of us again."

He nodded immediately, not wanting me to change my mind.

"But," I said, going down on one knee and leaning closer. My voice became lower, "If I ever see you anywhere close to Hayley or I again, my previous crimes will look like child's play next to what I'll do to you."

He broke out into sweat, and I smiled, pleased. "Now go before I change my mind."

Jeff scrambled up to his feet and took off in a mad dash, probably heading for the stairs since the elevator was out of order. And there was probably a dead body in there.

After he had disappeared, I turned to everyone else to see that they were all staring at me.

I frowned. "What?"

Then they all spoke at once.

"You let him go?" Carson asked.

"That was kind of terrifying," Hayley commented.

"Nice work!" Jacob cheered.

Then they all turned to each other. "That's what you had to say?"

I laughed at them. "Relax, That was just an act. Thugs gotta keep up their reputations somehow."

They laughed with me, and for the first time in a long while, I felt myself relax.

We all looked around the small circle we had created.

"Now what?" Hayley asked, her gaze moving from one person to the next.

Carson thought. "Lunch Saturday?"

"Sounds good to me," I said.

"I'm free," Hayley added.

"I don't know," Jacob mused, "I might have plans..."

We all glared at him.

He chuckled nervously, "Just kidding!"

"Then it's settled," Carson smiled.

Hayley smiled at him and I could tell she wanted to tell him something, so I tugged on Jacob's arm.

He looked down at me and I said, "We should probably start heading back now."

He nodded, eyes flickering down to where my fingers grasped his sleeve. "Sure."

"See you later, Carson, bye Hayley," I smiled at them.

"Bye, Hayley," Jacob said, "See you in ten minutes, Carson."

"Bye!" Hayley called.

"Lates," Carson said.

Hayley turned to him. "Who says that?"

He shrugged. "I thought I'd give it a try. No?"

She shook her head.

I laughed, and Jacob and I walked out the door.

As we made our way to the staircase, I turned to Jacob.

"So," I said, watching him closely. "You did a great job opening that elevator."

He shrugged, smiling. "It was nothing."

"Thanks," I said sincerely.

He simply nudged my shoulder with his arm playfully.

I bit back a smile.

We walked down the flights of stairs together, him being a gentleman and waiting for me to catch my breath after the first two, and then we finally exited the building.

As Jacob and I headed back for our cars, I noticed that we were walking really close together.

Our hands brushed each other a couple times, until Jacob tentatively laced our fingers together.

Out of the corner of my eyes I saw him peek over at me, trying to gauge whether I was ok with this or not.

I ignored him, and just decided to go with it.

He smiled, facing forwards again.

We made our way to my car first, our hands linked.

When we got there, I turned to Jacob with a smile.

He eyed it nervously. "Oh no. Why does that look like one of your 'I'm up to something' smiles."

I laughed lightly, leaning against the side of the car. "Oh Jacob. You know what's coming, don't you?"

He gulped, "I'm scared to ask."

I grinned wickedly, but instead of opening my mouth to speak again, I did something different.

I grabbed Jacob by the collar and yanked him towards me.

He stumbled forwards and braced his hands on either side of the vehicle for balance.

With his arms now creating a cage around my body, I let go of his shirt and placed my hands on his chest.

He looked in my eyes, a hint of panic racing across his beautiful hazel irises.

My eyes told him to relax, and he let out a deep breath.

With a small smile, I slid my hands up to his face, rubbing a thumb across his soft cheek.

He suck in a breath as I grinned, and suddenly my hands tangled in his hair as I pulled his face to mine.

Our lips clashed passionately, and suddenly, gone was the sweet, innocent Jacob who I made fun of.

Like the flip of a switch he turned into the guy who shouted at the cop when we were pulled over: fierce and possessive a bit dangerous.

He grabbed me by my hips and pulled me closer, as I ran my fingers through his thick, dark hair.

As our lips worked against each other, I brought my hands down to the hem of his shirt, sliding them under to feel his hard stomach.

I explored his abs while he reached up and ran his fingers through my crazy curls.

Suddenly, I broke away to breath, putting a few inches between our faces.

As I caught my breath, I watched as Jacob's face became flabbergasted.

"What the hell was that?" he breathed, staring at me honestly.

I merely grinned. "Why are you such a good kisser? Is that another werewolf thing?"

He grinned back. "If you must know-"

But I didn't care, and I just pulled him in for one last, long, fiery kiss that seemed to make my entire body feel ten degrees hotter.

He made a small noise in the back of his throat that I found absolutely adorable, and he wrapped his arms around me.

When we finally broke apart, we stayed in the embrace, my hands on his chest, his arms around me, and we simply looked at each other.

He smiled, and took one of my curls, studying it.

"I love these," he murmured, looking at it like it was a work of art.

"Thank you, I made them myself," I said jokingly.

He laughed, and tucked the strand behind my ear.

"How did we end up here," I mused, thinking back to the days when I was sure I hated him.

"I think you drove," he joked back. Then he became serious. "I'm not sure, but I like it."

"Me too," I said, surprising myself. "I'm glad all this happened."

Jacob smiled wider than I had ever thought possible, and I laughed and pushed him away.

"I need to get back," I said, "And I have to pick up some pizza."

"I'll see you later," he said quietly, staring deeply into my eyes.

I winked, and opened the door to get in my car.

He shut it for me, but before I went I rolled down the window.

I looked right at him, the last boy I'd ever thought I'd end up with, and I said, "I hope my promise delivered."

And I drove away, leaving Jacob a blushing, baffled, adorable mess.