“Thank you for a…interesting evening.” Evangeline stood up to leave.

Against her better judgment she had agreed to a nightcap at Capricorn with RJ. She had decided that this would be her final attempt to gain information on him. She would wait till he was in the back making their drinks then look around his office for anything she could find on the Santi’s and their connection to this man.

But RJ hadn’t let Evangeline out of his sight, he had stayed close by, at all times, watching her every move.

“If only those cops would get off my back…” he spat.

“They were just doing their job RJ,” she answered hesitantly, careful of his reaction.

“Of course, and that now includes bending the arm of the law to facilitate personal vendetta’s”, His eyes held hers, making her aware of the true meaning behind his words.

“RJ, John would never do that, he’s not that kind of guy.”

The laugh that escaped RJ was deep, and genuine. There was a hint of malice behind it and although a grin was plastered on his face his eyes were deadly serious.

“My dear Evangeline, are you actually defending that cop?”

Her heartbeat immediately raced, was she slipping up?

“If I didn’t know better I would swear you still had feelings for McBain.”

She turned away abruptly, a pathetic attempt to mask the real answer.

“RJ, I told you things were over between John and I, why don’t you trust me?”

She could tell he was taken back by the emotion in her voice.

“Right, right, we should just forget all about McBain and his sidekick and concentrate on us.”

He was sitting uncomfortably closer to her now; she could feel is breath on her cheek. Evangeline watched as he leaned in closer, not knowing what to do as his lips came to meet hers. As she felt his tongue attempt to dive deeper into her mouth she tried to stay calm, act normal. But she couldn’t, she couldn’t feel anything but a cold emptiness towards him that made feel sick. There was nothing there, no feeling; and now more than ever she was sure there had never ever been, it just wasn’t the same. He wasn’t John.

“RJ, stop,” She pushed away, blocking his chest with her arms. “I can’t do this,” her voice was shaky.

The look on his face showed a lack of surprise and for a moment he just stared at her.

“You really are a tease, first you want me, then you don’t, then... You know Evangeline, some women say no when they really mean yes.”

She knew what that meant; she had been around enough criminal to recognize a thinly laced threat.

“You wouldn’t dare.” she held his stare before getting up to leave, “I think we should call it a night.”

“Why,” he got up and walked around her, “So you can run back to McBain like the good helper you are.”

He was standing between her and the door.

” I wonder what he would think about that kiss. Tell me councilor when did your job description extend to undercover work, it must make for great pillow talk.”

Suddenly Evangeline was deathly afraid, afraid of the look she saw in his eyes. The contempt, the rage, the hate.

How did he know?

“How long have you known?” she was trembling.

“Long enough,” he smiled, “I don’t know what’s more disturbing. That you thought I would be so easy to fool, or that McBain would actually pimp out his girlfriend to get to me. My, my Evangeline how times have changed, you would lose your dignity and self-respect just to bed that cop!”

Evangeline made an attempt to leave but suddenly RJ’s hand came up blocking her from the exit.

“Get out of my way,” she seethed with anger as she looked into his eyes.

“Tell me,” he ignored her request, “is the sex really that good?”

Evangeline tried to push his arm away but there was no change. She hated him so much right now; she had to get out of there.

“There it is,” he smirked, “the rage, it looks good on you. The pain of hurt and betrayal.”

“I’ve tried to be civil about this RJ, but you insist on making things ugly, I admit I hurt you and I truly am sorry for that. But I chose John and that’s something you have to learn to deal with.”

“Aaah yes, paint me as the jealous ex-boyfriend shall we. Look, I maybe a lot of things but I never used you to get back at my enemies, or put you in the middle of any of my battles. You must have had to really scrape the bottom of the barrel to come up with scum like McBain.”

The words hurt her, it hurt that they were blatant lies and that they cheapened what she had with John. Before she knew what she was doing, her knee made contact with his crotch area, RJ let out a howl of pain, as he slumped over.

“For your information John is more of a man than you ever were or will ever be. I don’t know what I felt for you. But I know now it wasn’t love, you don‘t know how to love, all you do is destroy everyone around you. What you don’t understand RJ, is that I actually love him, he’s everything you could never -”

But before she could finish she was suddenly weighed down by his large hands as they tightened around her throat. His strength was on top of her as she fell to the floor, hard, her ribs banging painfully into the furniture as she did so. She felt the pain rip through her side as she gasped for air, staring into his hateful eyes.

RJ’s grip on her long neck tightened as his body pressed her painfully into the cold floor. There was a strange look in his eye, a different RJ had surfaced. He was foaming at the mouth as he stared at her. Watching her face contort in pain and the air dissipated from her lungs. She tried to move but she was too strong. The pain that shot through her hip where she had made contact with one of the barstools was unbearable. She tried to speak but no words surfaced.

I can’t breathe…I can’t BREATHE.

She knew RJ was talking but her ears wouldn’t stop ringing, she was starting to feel light headed ash she watched him speak.

“I will destroy you and everyone around you. I want you to feel the pain I feel, the way I felt when you ripped my heart out. I want to watch McBain lose you and watch his heart turn into a black hole filled with hate and rage and pain. I want you to feel, exactly how I feel.”

I can’t…

“RJ get off her!”

Suddenly a woman was pulling RJ’s off of her. Evangeline had never been so happy to see Sonya Toledo in her life.

“What the hell are you doing?!!”

Evangeline felt the grip on her throat loosen as RJ tore himself away.

She lay on the floor coughing and spattering as Sonya hovered over her. Sonya’s eyes shifted from her to RJ, who stood in the corner, breathing deeply as he eyed the two women.

“Jesus, you almost killed her!!” she was helping Evangeline up.

Evangeline leaned against the wall to steady herself as she felt her lungs burn. Her hands move to her throat, where only moments away RJ had almost made claim to her life.

” You better get out of here” She quickly handed Evangeline her purse as she helped her up to the door.

Evangeline placed a shaking hand on the door handle before she looked RJ’s way. He wouldn’t look at her. He just stood there like some foreign creature, a man she had never seen before.

“Evangeline,” Sonya spoke beside her. “If I were you, I would keep this little…incident to myself. You never know who might get hurt.”

Evangeline looked up at her in disbelief. Is she threatening me?

“You never know how John might take it.”

Oh God, John. Evangeline made a quick exit as Sonya closed the door behind her and turned back to her partner in crime.

“Are you out of your mind, your going to ruin everything!!”

“I-I don’t know what happened?”

His voice lowered to almost a whisper.

“Well, you better pray she doesn’t run to McBain and ruin everything.”