Pay the Price

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: I was going to consider this a remake of an old tale I wrote several years ago "Price of Desire", but this is more inspired by it and standalone. It's been a while since I wrote something of this style caliber so I thought I'd do it again for my current readers.

Chapter 1 (Dark and Stormy)

Trina punched forward, each blow from her fist pounding harder into the pads attached to her boyfriend's hands. Sweat flicked off the strands of her hair and her narrow eyes focused on the targets as she dealt each blow.

She was in training, preparing to enter the police academy and leave California behind. Her boyfriend, Jason, was the nephew of her sister's instructor at Hollywood Arts and attended a university in the state of Texas. In a few short months, Trina planned to move to Fort Worth, Texas and enlist in the police force.

For now, she had to train. "Let's take a break," Jason suggested after taking a step back from her most recent blow. She lowered her arms with a huff and stared at him with her head cocked to the right.

The light reflected off the sweat pooling on his bare shoulders, giving a tempting and inviting aura. His usually neat brown hair was clinging to his forehead with sweat, the tips of his bangs sweeping just below his eyebrows. "If you need a break," she said with a smile, "I can keep going."

"I could too, but you've been going all out for a while now. Time to rest." She picked up her water bottle from the floor and whisked it towards her lips. The cool liquid felt good on her parched, dry lips.

With a content sigh, she pulled the bottle away and made her way towards the couch. Jason followed and sat beside her. He placed an arm around her shoulders and she gently set her head on his shoulder, breathing slowly as she tried to wind down the adrenaline.

Jason's hand slowly caressed her right arm and he looked to her with raised eyebrows. "You know if you overwork yourself you'll cause the opposite of improving your body." She shrugged and took another sip of her drink.

"I know." It had always been engrained in her to train, she'd sometimes go for hours on end without stopping. Of course, that did cause her body a great deal of soreness, but it was an outlet for her. "It's my outlet."

"A good one to have." Jason turned his head to the cell phones on the end table and flicked a finger towards hers. "You know your phone's been going off." She took another sip of her water and turned her gaze to the phone.

She was aware it had been going off, but was too focused on her training to stop. "It's just Tori." She had a special ring-tone for her sister. They had a pretty big fight earlier in the day that involved Tori's friends, so she had no interest in talking to the girl. "I'll chat with her when I go home probably." He looked back at her, his eyes halfway closed and his eyebrows falling flat.

"You shouldn't let an argument get between the two of you, especially not when you're planning to move so far away. Do you really want to leave things on a bad note?"

"No, but she's my sister." She scoffed. "She'll always be my sister. Siblings fight, it's common."

"Yeah." He chuckled softly and leaned his head back. "It's not common for a sibling to let their friends tear their siblings apart, but you know she'll grow out of that attitude. She's just trying to fit in and please them."

Trina rolled her eyes and glared sideways at Jason, she had no interest in talking about this argument right now. Jason nodded as though he understood and grabbed the television remote. "Sorry." She shifted a bit and sighed. "Still not over the fight, it's the same damn fight we keep having for the last three fucking years."

"I know, Trina, I know."

She narrowed her eyes and growled, remembering Tori yelling at Trina about her behavior and how it annoyed her friends; as if that was justification. The truth was, Trina had wanted to be a part of their group so much at the beginning; but she's since moved away from how she'd been behaving. No longer did she care to act like a diva; but she still wanted to be a part of her sister's life and group.

Now, she hardly cared. If her sister wanted to spew rumors and lies, make it seem like she was crazier than she actually was, that was perfectly fine by her. "Tori should consider herself lucky I don't cut her off when I move."

"She's your sister, you'll always love her no matter what." He pressed the power button on the remote and started to chuckle. "Her friends, I'm not so sure about." He glanced at her and she raised her eyebrows slowly. "I've seen that look in your eyes when they piss you off. Even Uncle Erwin thinks they push your buttons too much."

"They do, and they know they do." She shrugged. "They attack me relentlessly because when they first met me, I was a diva. Obsessed with getting attention, usually from their little group, I wanted to be recognized. I've stopped being that way, but they keep at it."

"And Tori-"

"Defends their fucking behavior." She swept her hand out and sighed. "Even though she's been friends with them for three years now, she still feels like she has to side with them." It certainly didn't help that her mom and dad seemed to be of the same mindset. She hated this, to the point she considered running away several times. There was even a time she tried to convince Jason's uncle to let her move in with him, of course the teacher didn't feel like it would be appropriate.

"Think she's been calling you to apologize?"

"Probably not. Probably calling to rip into me again." She narrowed her eyes and sucked the air in between her teeth. "Can we change the subject now?"

"Yes. What movie do you want to watch?" He smiled at her and she raised a finger towards her lips.

"Something action."

"Action? Okay…"

"Or maybe a food program, but I'm tired of competition shows."

"Okay."

"But then, I wouldn't mind a history documentary." Jason raised an eyebrow and handed her the remote. She pressed her lips together and flicked her eyes towards him. "You know, I'm not all that interested in tv right now."

"No?"

"No."

With a nod, he shut off the television and a sigh left his lips. "So what do you want to do? Just sit here?" She turned sideways, pressing her body against his warm skin. Her lips curled into a smile and she slid her hand up along his abdomen and chest, her fingertips curled in slightly and she closed her eyes as his scent delighted her nostrils.

"That sounds great." He wrapped his arm more around her back and gently kissed the top of her head. She nuzzled his neck and her eyes fluttered. She turned her head a bit, pushing her chin onto his shoulder. "What do you think, Lindsay's birthday is coming up, maybe I'll make a cake…"

He laughed, it was warm and delightful to her ears. "Travis loves anything you bake, so he'll certainly welcome you making a cake for his girlfriend."

"You love my baking." He smirked. She'd been learning to craft a lot of different confectionaries by watching the food channels throughout the day. She'd look up recipes and watch youtube videos as well and recently began experimenting and making her own recipes.

So far, her boyfriend, her best friend and his best friend as well as Mr. Sikowitz could never get enough of her food. Tori's friends, however, decided ultimately they never wanted to bother trying any of her food because they just assumed she couldn't cook and her food would be horrible. Tori, always sided with them. Even though Tori had tried her cooking and said before that she loved her food.

"I was thinking a marble cake with triple chocolate frosting and candy pieces to garnish." She grinned from ear to ear as she watched Jason's eyes grow large. He put a hand to his stomach and whistled.

"I'm just envisioning that."

"Maybe I'll make a pudding filling."

"Oh, are you trying to make me hungry?"

With a laugh, she leaned up and kissed his lips. "I'll surprise you guys." He wagged his eyebrows and leaned down, kissing her in return. She raised her hand to the back of his head and leaned into the kiss, adding her own push as she felt his arms lock around her waist.

Within the hour, they were laying together on the couch with him spooning her. He had an arm draped over her waist and she had her hands folded beneath her head. The front door opened and Trina lifted her head to see Mr. Sikowitz entering.

His brown leather jacket was wet from rain and he was shaking off an umbrella outside. "It's coming down like hell out there," he muttered. She heard the rumble of thunder and saw the sky outside light up with streaks of lightning.

"Didn't know it was even storming."

Sikowitz looked over with half-lidded gaze, then slowly shook his head. "I can't imagine why." Jason raised his head and Trina looked at him with blood rushing to her cheeks. "It's late, are you good to get home?"

"Of course." She sat up and grabbed her clothes off the floor. "How late is it?" Jason grabbed her phone from the table and handed it over. When she checked the screen, she was shocked to see it was a quarter past midnight. "You're getting in late."

"I was trying to wait out your training session." Sikowitz removed his coat and threw it on the coat rack next to the door. "You know I like to give the two of you your privacy."

"Did you grade papers at the bar?" Jason asked. It was something Sikowitz liked to do on occasion. He'd head out to his favorite bar and sit there working on papers while having a beer or two.

"Yes." Trina pulled her shirt on and kissed Jason on the cheek before standing up. "You need to be careful driving home Trina. That rain's coming down so hard it's nearly impossible just to see the road."

"Maybe she can stay until it clears up out there?"

"You know how I feel about that."

"Yeah, but I'd hate for something to happen."

Trina rolled her eyes and smiled at him. "I'll be fine, honey." She glanced at her phone, sliding her finger across the screen to bring up the keypad that she needed to unlock her phone. When she saw five missed calls from Tori and two from her mother, a sense of dread struck her heart. "I need to be going home anyway, I didn't realize Mom and Tori both were trying to reach me."

"I got a call from her too," Sikowitz remarked with a frown, "But I don't take personal calls from students."

"Okay, well I need to see what's going on. They're probably asleep by now." She grabbed her purse off the floor and put her phone inside as she made her way to the door. She put her hand on the knob and looked back at Jason. "Talk to you tomorrow. Love you."

He flashed a smile and waved his hand. "Love you too, drive safe out there. Text me when you get home?"

"Sure."

Sikowitz cleared his throat and lifted up his umbrella. "Would you like me to walk you out to your car?"

"No thanks."

"Okay. Goodbye, let us know when you get home safe."

"I will."

She raced out to her car, shielding her face with her arm. The rain drenched her hair and clothing quickly and to the point she felt like she'd flood her car once inside.

Even with the windshield wipers on full speed, the rain pelted her car with such force that it was impossible to see past. "Shit," she muttered, "He wasn't wrong. Guess I'll take the back roads home."

Eventually she made it to her house without issue, and the rain was a slight bit lighter than before. Lights were on inside the house, so she figured someone was awake. When she reached the door, she was shocked to see it unlocked.

Her brow furrowed as she opened the door and stepped inside, something did not feel right. Her father usually locked the door after ten o'clock at night, even if anybody was awake. He didn't want to take chances.

Once inside, she was shocked to see the living room looking like a tornado had swept through it. The couch was overturned, the dining table chairs were on the floor, the television was on the ground and busted.

"What the fuck?" She pulled her purse strap up over her shoulder and looked around. "Mom? Dad?" A broken cell phone lay on the ground beside the couch. "Tori?"

No one answered her calls to them, so she carefully walked through the house, scanning it with her eyes. Nothing seemed to be taken. On the kitchen counter was the expensive pearl necklace Jason got for their anniversary, she'd left it there earlier by mistake before heading out.

Tori's friends had been over, so she wondered if they might know what transpired. "Hello!" She looked up the stairs and was stunned to see some of the wooden rails snapped and broken. The piano at the bottom of the stairs was also damaged, with a few keys pulled off. It was as though someone were grabbing them and trying to cling on something.

Fear started to course through her veins as she looked up the stairs and called for Tori to come down. She looked over her shoulder and carefully made her way to her father's study. The door was partially open, a sign that made her hesitate. "Dad?" She carefully pushed the door open and cried out at what she saw.

Her father was lying face down in a pool of blood just a few feet away from his desk. Bullet holes tore through the back of his shirt. "Dad!" She knelt beside him and reached for him, but stopped before she touched him.

She remembered learning about crime scene contamination and thought better of further contaminating the scene. Her trembling hand flew over her mouth and fear began to turn to rage.

As she stood up, she heard a noise from behind. She spun around and saw a man dressed in an olive green turtleneck sweater and long denim jeans. He had a black ski mask pulled over his face and was holding a knife in his hand.

He began to rush her. Thinking fast, she dodged to the right and grabbed his wrist. She started to twist his wrist backwards, then rushed behind him, pulling his arm with her.

The man let out a scream as she raised her leg up and brought it down on his elbow. She heard the sound of bone snapping and his dagger hitting the floor. Before the man had time to react, she ran to her father's desk and opened the drawer containing the gun her dad was likely trying to reach.

She pulled it out and aimed it at the man, who immediately stepped back. "Who are you?" She screamed. "Why did you do this?" Tears filled her eyes and ran down her cheeks. "Why!" The man turned and ran from the room, screaming as he hit the front door.

Panting heavily, she turned her eyes to her father and dropped the gun on the desk as she brought her hands to her face. It took a few minutes for her to call the police. They asked her to wait outside after instructing her to see if she could find her sister or her mother.

When she could not, she did as instructed despite the deathly chill that clung in the air and the rain that drenched her. Dropping to her knees, she continued to weep until the police arrived-followed by Jason and Mr. Sikowitz who instantly ran to console her.

Something horrible clearly happened, something that Trina clearly escaped by being over at Jason's house. Whatever argument she may have had with her sister might've saved her life. Still, she's not going to sit and do nothing, because that makes for a rather dull tale doesn't it? Whoever screwed with her family has just earned a powerful enemy.