CHAPTER 5-8

PCPD

"It doesn't look as if there's any other taping device. I think that's probably the only copy. What about the photos?" Lucky calmly determined.

"Got 'em right here," Alexis handed Lucky a PCPD file.

"Did you look at them?"

"Not even a peek," she assured him.

"That's too bad," Lucky seized the documents and allowed himself a small smile. "I bet Jason looked pretty hot in some of them."

Alexis regarded him quizzically, assuming he was in some sort of shock from the day's events. "Lucky," she began patiently. "I know you don't want to talk about this, but I think you need to see a doctor, a counselor - Kevin, perhaps."

"Well, Taggert will probably need his services once we're done, but you don't have to call anyone for me. I'm not your client. Jason is."

"I know that, Lucky," Alexis' voice reflected her growing confusion. "But right now, we have to take care of you."

"Taggert already did that. Didn't you, Commissioner?"

Alexis saw Taggert reach for his revolver.

"Lucky, I don't think you want to provoke him," Alexis suggested, trying to figure out where Lucky's sudden bravado was coming from. It was quite a change from the cowering, violated young man she had seen on the floor of the interrogation room.

"Oh, Taggert likes to be provoked, Alexis. Haven't you figured that out yet?"

Alexis was taken aback by Lucky's suggestive tone, but even more by his next words.

"Besides, you don't have to worry about the gun. It's not loaded."

"What?!" Alexis and Taggert shouted in unison.

"You didn't really think I'd shove a loaded gun into your mouth while I sucked your cock, did you, Taggert? The point of this wasn't to get my head blown."

"What is the point of this, then?" Alexis demanded impatiently. "What's going on, Lucky?"

"Let's just say I'm doing your job for you."

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that this tape is going to do what you never could - get Taggert off Jason's back. For good."

Taggert's whole body strained with rage, and it was all he could do to keep from grabbing the tape back and knocking Lucky across the room, then really teaching him a lesson. But a wary Alexis was keeping herself centered between them.

Alexis sucked in a slow breath, considering Lucky's pledge and eyeing him dubiously. "You're blackmailing Taggert to protect Jason?"

"As a Cassadine, you really shouldn't find this all that shocking, Alexis," Lucky scoffed. "Isn't blackmail the family sport?"

"Well, I never thought either one of us would choose to conduct ourselves like Helena," she countered, clearly offended by his remark.

"Well, there's the difference between you and me, Alexis. You get to choose. I'm usually forced. Isn't that right, Taggert?" Lucky established smugly before letting his gaze drift back to Alexis. "You saw the way the Police Commissioner pushed my face down on his dick - can you honestly say I had a choice?"

"But you're using his crime to your advantage - or rather Jason's advantage," Alexis struggled to put the pieces together.

Taggert stubbornly rebuffed her allegation. "I didn't commit any crime."

"No still means no, right?" Lucky strongly challenged.

"You never said 'no.'"

"How would you know, Taggert? I could have recited the numbers and locations of all of Jason's bank accounts, and you wouldn't have noticed. You were too focused on shoving your cock down my throat, unloading and then making sure I drank every last drop."

Alexis looked as if she might be sick.

"What's the matter, Alexis? Can't stomach his form of justice?"

"Maybe she's having trouble swallowing your bullshit story," Taggert grumbled.

"Then I guess you'll have to teach her how to swallow, Taggert. Oh, come on, don't be such a sore loser, Commissioner," Lucky answered Taggert's angry glare. "At least you get to keep your job. And no one else has to see what Alexis saw."

"He has a point," Alexis agreed, knowing that Keesha wouldn't be so understanding if Lucky were to use the tape as evidence to press charges. "I think you're getting off fairly easy, Marcus."

"Twice in under an hour," Lucky quipped.

Alexis couldn't take her eyes off of the slight smile curling Lucky's still cum-stained lips. She had the urge to reach out and wipe the coating from his mouth.

As if reading her mind, Lucky's tongue snaked out to mop up some of the mess himself.

It appeared he was savoring the taste. It was a flavor she too had secretly enjoyed, more than once. Lucky flashed her a knowing smile. "I think you're finished here," she hastily suggested.

"What about Jason?" Lucky reminded her.

Her eyes shifted to meet his inquisitive blue gaze. There was something purely magnetic in his stare. "Right, Jason…" she murmured, eventually turning away from Lucky and casting a stern look on the police commissioner. "Keys," she demanded.

Taggert's defeated laughter punctured the quiet. "You're a master manipulator, Spencer," he congratulated Lucky, passing his keys over to Alexis' outstretched palm. "Now you've got Alexis screwing me over."

"I'm sure it's a task she's pretty familiar with," Lucky observed keenly, watching the nervous exchange between Taggert and Alexis. "Don't worry, I'll keep that little secret locked away with theses mementos," he added, holding up the file and the videotape. He grinned shamelessly at Taggert as he took the keys from Alexis. "Now I guess I'll get Jason off, too."

Neither Taggert nor Alexis said anything for a few moments after Lucky's departure.

"What the hell just happened here?" Alexis finally whispered.

"I think Lucky's the only one who knows the answer to that," Taggert replied. "The question is - what's he going to do next?"

The cell was cold, the bunk was uncomfortable and the metal cuffs were digging into his wrists. If he had to spend the rest of the night like this, he was going to explode.

"Fuck!" Jason yelled in utter frustration, slamming his fists into the wall behind him.

"You shouldn't do that. You might get hurt."

Jason's attention turned to his cell door, and the smart-ass casually unlocking it. The gratitude he suddenly felt didn't show on his face. He wasn't about to give him the satisfaction. "I thought you were going to save me," Jason mocked, moving his cuffed wrists behind his head as he looked up at his tardy salvation.

"You seem kind of tense."

"And you seem kind of late," Jason complained. "Maybe I'm tense because I've been lying here behind bars for most of the night."

"Well, you can relax. I'm here now."

"Is that supposed to be an explanation?"

"I was kind of tied up," Lucky offered, scowling at Jason's bitter tone. His frown curled upward, however, as his gaze wandered over Jason's taut, supine form, arms raised above his head, wrists locked together. "I guess you were, too," he mischievously observed, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, yeah - you can gloat about this later, if I let you," Jason started to grin, his frustration slowly alleviating as he realized that not only was Lucky here, but he seemed okay. Lucky showed no signs of the anxiety he was exhibiting earlier in the evening, before Taggert burst in on them.

"Oh, I think you'll let me do a lot of things, once you see what I've brought you," Lucky predicted, finally slipping inside the dimly lit cell.

"What is it?"

"Patience," Lucky insisted, throwing the video and file down on the chair and moving closer to the prisoner. He pulled the flimsy blanket off of him, licking his lips at the sight of Jason's prominent arousal bulging underneath the denim.

"It must have been a long three hours if you spent them like this," Lucky sympathized. Jason moaned as Lucky's fingers lightly squeezed his rock-hard erection, then slowly undid Jason's zipper and began to stroke him.

"It sucks not being able to use your hands when you want to, doesn't it?" he teased.

"I don't need my hands when I have your mouth," Jason asserted. He reached out with his bound arms, catching them around Lucky's neck, then pulled him up to his lips for a fierce, possessive kiss.

He wasn't expecting the surprise Lucky gave him. Jason drew back in shock almost immediately, spitting in disgust.

"What the fuck was that?" he angrily demanded, yanking his hands back to wipe at his mouth. He glowered at Lucky and noticed for the first time what he wished he'd seen before the kiss.

"Surely you know the taste of cum by now, Jason," Lucky laughed, his face still bearing the evidence of his encounter with Taggert.

"Yeah, well usually you’re covered in mine."

"But not always," Lucky corrected, his eyes clouding over briefly. For a moment, Jason could see the haunted look on Lucky's face again, the same wounded expression he'd witnessed earlier that day.

But then his eyes focused on the Police Commissioner's cum on Lucky's face, and Jason's jealousy and suspicion kicked back into gear. He waited for an explanation, but wasn't offered one.

"What the hell happened, Lucky?" Jason finally asked. "What did he do to you?"

Even in the dim light, he knew Lucky was glaring at him.

"Okay, okay - what did you do to him?"

"That's more like it," Lucky smiled, then smugly revealed, "For starters, I gave him the best blowjob of his life."

Jason clenched his fists, unable to contain his shock, or his jealousy. He spit on the cell floor again, then sneered with displeasure. "And you came to me with the taste of him still all over you?"

"Well, I could have cleaned up, I suppose, but I knew you were waiting for me," Lucky retorted. "I can go brush and rinse now, if you'd like. But are you sure you want me to leave you like this?" he asked, glancing at Jason's erect cock. "It's up to you. You know I'll do whatever you want me to do."

Jason let out a slightly reassured breath - hearing the words he'd been doubting all evening.

"Fuck it," he muttered. "Just wipe your chin off. I don't want to taste Taggert on you - ever again."

Lucky obligingly licked his fingers and slowly wiped his face clean.

Jason's expression darkened as he watched the performance.

"Hey, come on," Lucky tried to placate him with a smile. He pushed Jason back down on the cot, raising Jason's restrained arms over his head. Then he knelt in front of Jason and looked directly into the older man's eyes. "It's not like I enjoyed it."

"Really?" Jason asked, still angry. "Why not? Wasn't he rough enough for you?"

Lucky pulled back, stung a bit by Jason's mocking tone. He handled it the way he usually did - by raising the stakes.

"Oh, he was plenty rough," Lucky countered, snaking his hand around Jason's prick. "And plenty big. I'd say he has at least a few inches on you. I wasn't sure I'd be able to take him. But I did - all the way."

Jason fumed at Lucky's unfavorable comparison, then groaned as Lucky toyed with him. He wanted to force Lucky's face onto his dick, as he had so many times in the past. But he hesitated, remembering Lucky's earlier state, trying to figure out what Lucky was doing now. And why.

Lucky's eyes twinkled as he watched Jason try to adapt to his plight. He stood up, pulling tightly on the cuffs.

"Afraid they're not tight enough?" Jason asked with a tinge of suspicion.

"Ssh," Lucky silenced Jason's complaints with a swift, insistent kiss, parting Jason's lips with his tongue. The kiss was all too distracting, and before Jason could react, Lucky had the prisoner's right hand released from its shackle, and his left arm locked to the metal frame of the cot. Jason gave a quick tug of his cuffed wrist, realizing what had happened, and groaned under Lucky's mouth.

"Remember how you always tell me not to fight it. It's so much better when you just give in, Jason," Lucky murmured, sliding his tongue down Jason's chest, then flicking it over the tip of his aching cock.

Jason swore under his breath. He'd had as much irony as he could handle for one evening. Lucky looked up and smiled, seeing Jason's eyes close, his lips part, his chest heave.

"Do you really think we should be doing this, here?" Jason warned, knowing he was going to do whatever Lucky wanted at this point.

"Yeah, I really do," Lucky dismissed his concerns. "We're all alone, Jason," he breathed. "There's no one here but me and you. We can do whatever we want."

"And what do you want, Lucky?" he breathed, totally surrendering to the situation.

Lucky’s eyes glimmered triumphantly. He leaned over and kissed Jason deeply before lowering his mouth to Jason's throbbing erection. "What I always want," he whispered, causing Jason to suck in a deep breath.

Jason was filled with a surge of desire and relief as Lucky knelt before him again, lavishing him with attentive affection.

Lucky bathed the hard, thick prick with adoring kisses, licking Jason's shaft from top to bottom, sucking his balls in and out, then taking Jason's organ fully into his mouth. The long, frustrating evening made Jason's release swift and powerful - he came almost instantly, flooding Lucky's mouth with his salty juices.

Lucky was surprised at the immediacy of Jason's orgasm, but he managed to take it all in, swallowing every drop.

"Mmm - much better than PCPD issue," he lewdly declared, licking Jason clean.

The reference to Taggert darkened Jason's eyes immediately, disturbing the pleasant buzz he usually enjoyed after Lucky's services.

"What's wrong?" Lucky asked. "Didn't it feel good?"

"Not really," Jason lied. "I guess you wasted your best effort on the Commissioner tonight."

Lucky flinched, trying to interpret Jason's gloomy mood.

"Where is he by the way?" Jason questioned. "Do you have him waiting around the corner, so he can jump out and take some more pictures, like he did upstate?"

"I have no idea where Taggert is," Lucky shrugged, put off by Jason's tone. "He's probably somewhere with his cock buried in Alexis by now. They looked like they were ready to jump each other when I left."

"Alexis?" Jason tried to figure out what had been happening this evening outside his cell block. "So I tore you away from a party."

"Basically," Lucky laughed, still trying to lighten the mood. "But you know, she's really not my type."

"That's true - there's nothing she can do for you," Jason agreed, wounding Lucky with his verbal blasts. "But if you’d stayed, Taggert could be fucking two pussies right now."

Lucky stepped back - this was not going at all the way he'd intended.

"I guess I'm supposed to just be happy that you took a break from sucking on Taggert’s giant cock long enough to give me a second thought," Jason forged ahead, ignoring Lucky's distress. "It’s not like you had something more important to do - like getting me the fuck out of here!"

"That is what I was doing," Lucky insisted.

"By blowing the Police Commissioner? How was that going to free me? Sounds like you were more concerned about his release than mine," Jason accused, rattling his handcuffed wrist along the bed frame.

"Are you through?" Lucky inquired, managing to compose himself. His cool demeanor irritated Jason even more.

"No. I want to know what the fuck you've been doing for the last three hours, other than performing your usual services on the son of a bitch who wants nothing more than to make this cell my permanent address. For all I know, the two of you were just celebrating the brilliance of your plan - you both finally got what you wanted."

"What the hell are you talking about, Jason? You think this was what I wanted, that I what..." He looked directly at Jason, whose own eyes blazed with anger. "Jesus - you think I set you up."

He was tempted to tell Jason every last detail of the agonizing evening he'd spent, securing Jason's freedom. But his rage was matched by a growing sense of regret.

"What the hell am I supposed to think?" Jason spat, his patience completely spent. "You can't tell me that wasn't perfect timing, Lucky. Taggert bursting in right as you..."

"As I what?"

"Oh, right - now you're going to pretend you can't remember. Give me a break, Lucky. You need some new material. I can't believe I didn't figure this out earlier. You got freaked out the other morning in my bedroom - in my bed, and you decided to end things because you think pulling away is safer than opening up. But you couldn't just walk away, no - you had to make sure you controlled where and how this ends."

Lucky just shook his head. "You really think I'd do that to you."

"I know exactly what you're capable of, Lucky," Jason declared. "I think the past few months have proved that."

"But I never...I mean...all I ever wanted was..."

"What? What exactly did you want, Lucky? What is this all about?" Jason demanded. "You could get any number of guys to fuck you, as you're all too willing to tell me. There had to be a reason you wanted me - I guess tonight, I'm finding out what it was."

"You don't trust me at all," Lucky whispered in amazement.

"After what you just did with Taggert?" Jason scoffed, even as his confidence in Lucky's betrayal began to falter. "Give me one reason why I should."

"Because I trusted you."

Jason found himself instantly shamed by Lucky's aching sincerity. He was one of the few people that Lucky trusted, maybe the only one, and what did he just offer in return? Doubt, suspicion and jealousy.

He couldn’t take Lucky’s wounded look. His gaze drifted over to the chair by the cell door. "What the hell is that, anyway?"

Lucky picked up the file and videotape he'd brought with him. "Proof," he said flatly.

"Of what?"

"Of your perversion and my loyalty," Lucky angrily retorted, throwing the items at Jason.

Jason cringed as the lurid pictures spread out on the floor - images of Lucky submitting to a variety of Jason's sexual whims. Taggert must have taken the surveillance photos earlier that day, and Lucky had somehow gotten them back.

"Want to know what's on this?" Lucky goaded, holding up the video cassette. "I'll list the highlights for you: let's see, there's me cuffing Taggert, stripping him, then sucking his cock. And then, the best part - I turn the tables on him to make it look like he forced himself on me. It's too bad we don’t have a VCR handy, I think you'd enjoy watching it. Of course, you'd have to wade through a couple of hours of Taggert trying every trick in the book to get me to roll over on you before you get to the good stuff."

Jason looked away, beginning to realize the depth of his error in questioning Lucky's devotion.

"It's funny - all I could think about the whole time was how to play it so that you would get out of here. I would have done anything to make sure you were okay," Lucky honestly admitted. "It didn't matter how deceitful or dangerous or degrading. But then it never does, as long as it's what you want or need."

Jason swallowed back the lump in his throat, staring at the floor where the pictures confirmed Lucky's point.

"And I did it," he continued. Jason looked up in belated realization. "Yeah, that's right, Jason. You were almost off the hook. I got Taggert to hand over the pictures, and I got him on tape, doing something you could hold over his head so that he'd have to give up his pathetic fucking vendetta against you."

Lucky paused, his bitter laughter chilling Jason to the core. "He tried to tell me you weren't worth it, but I didn't listen. I didn't care who I had to deal with, or what I had to do, as long as I was protecting you. I knew you were counting on me. I knew you put your faith in me."

Jason hung his head in shame and regret.

"Do you know what that is, Jason?" Lucky demanded, gathering the pictures together and tucking them, and the videotape, inside his shirt.

"Irony," Jason said softly, avoiding Lucky's wounded expression.

"No, that's my limit. Who's pulling away now?" Lucky challenged. He shook his head at Jason, leaving him cuffed to the cot as he walked out of the cell.

Stepping beyond the bars, he slammed the door shut as the lock clicked behind him. Lucky reached into his pocket, pulling out Taggert's keys and dropping them to the floor just out of Jason's reach.

Jason met his weary gaze as Lucky turned to speak one last time before leaving.

"Free at last."

He repositioned himself, nearly prone on the dank floor, stretching his body to the limit. One more inch and he'd achieve his release...but he thrust too hastily, his impatience getting the better of him.

Jason growled as his latest attempt to retrieve the ring of keys managed only to push it further out of his grasp. His foot slipped, kicking the damn thing and sending it skidding to the right. He drew his leg back through the bars and pulled the cot with him across the floor.

The metal frame scraped over the concrete with a sharp shriek. He moved down a couple of feet and repositioned himself again, his arm wrenched uncomfortably behind him, wrist still chained to the bunk, as he tried once more. He was focusing on this difficult endeavor in order to forget Lucky's last words, the disappointment in his eyes, the look of agony and anger on his face as he left. But Jason's usual powers of concentration were weakened, and he couldn't help obsessing over Lucky's parting shot.

"Free at last."

Jason rose from the floor and sank back down on the cot, giving his sore, cuffed arm a rest. He wondered if Lucky really believed that - if he could turn his emotions off so easily. Then again, Lucky had insisted all along that this relationship, this arrangement, didn't involve the heart. That was the one body part he kept off limits.

Could he really do that - spend so much time with Jason, in such extreme, intense circumstances without making a deeper connection, without feeling anything but desire?

Jason's temper flared again as he imagined Lucky upstairs, sucking off Taggert, letting the commissioner unload in his mouth. It made him wonder how many others had been recent recipients of Lucky's skillful manipulations - how easy it might be for Lucky to replace him with someone else. Someone who would play by the rules. Lucky's rules, always, no matter who was on top.

Jason let out a frustrated sigh. How could Lucky blame him for having doubts? At least Lucky knew how Jason felt.

He couldn't say the same in return.

Jason squeezed his eyes shut, futilely attempting to prevent his mind from spinning back to that vulnerable moment, but it was no use.

It had begun with such promise...

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Shaking the memory of that morning from his mind, Lucky stashed the video and the pictures in the safe he kept in his room. He lay down on the bed and shut his eyes, trying to process everything that had happened.

The darkness brought back painful memories, old and new. He had a sudden, intense desire not to be alone. Usually, he'd seek Jason out when he felt this way. But that was all ruined now.

He thought Jason had accepted that one limit - the only one Lucky had. Love didn't factor into this - it couldn't.

That had never been a problem before.

Of course the bastards Lucky had previously resorted to weren't looking for more than a rough fuck or quick suck - and that was all Lucky had needed to quench his compulsion. Those situations he could control. But this thing with Jason…this was getting out of hand.

They should have ended it that morning, after Jason's unwarranted declaration of love. Lucky had assumed it really was over. But then Jason set up today's rendezvous, and it was as it always was: Jason gave the orders and Lucky followed them. The fact that it was all a bit more demanding than usual was a total turn on. Lucky was being made to prove his worth, tenfold.

Then Taggert had to burst in on the fun.

The last thing Lucky needed was another unsolicited savior coming to his rescue, Lucky fumed, glossing over the state of distress Taggert had found him in. Lucky could have handled it - it went with the territory.

But turning the tables on the hounding commissioner didn't seem to make it up to Jason. It just elevated that vein of jealousy in Jason, the one stemming from his heart.

Lucky could deal with being possessed, being used and controlled, but it had taken him time to develop a real bond of trust with Jason. Now Jason's emotions were clouding it, tainting it.

This was a second chance to walk away - to cut Jason out of his life for good before he did any permanent damage.

Instead, Lucky reached for the cell phone on his nightstand. It rang three and a half times before she answered.

"Alexis - are you still at the police station? I thought so," he smirked at her hoarse and hasty response. "I was wondering if you could do me a favor. I left something behind," he explained. "Yeah, he's in holding cell number 13..."

So much for second chances.

A metallic clanging reverberated through the corridor, jarring Jason from his thoughts. The memory left a gnawing ache in his gut. He had tried to push Lucky into accepting something beyond the games they were used to playing. But he’d pushed too far, and now Jason wasn’t sure what was left.

Approaching footfalls sparked a renewal of hope. Jason rose to his feet, wrapping his free hand around one of the bars of his cell door as he tried to peer down the corridor. "Lucky?" he called out.

"Not when it comes to keeping you off the streets," Taggert drawled as he stepped into view, scooping his keys from the floor outside the occupied cell.

He held them up and smiled. Jason was still caged, one hand cuffed to the metal cot that was toppled on its side near the cell door.

"What happened, Morgan? I thought your boy toy was coming here to release you," Taggert sneered. "Did you two lovebirds have a fight? Oh, wait, fighting is how you and Spencer show your affection, isn't it?"

Jason tried to give Taggert his patented, emotionless stare, but he couldn't keep his anger and frustration from shining through.

"I can't say I'm surprised that an amoral sociopath like yourself would get his kicks that way, but I have to say, Lucky was a revelation. I mean, here I am, thinking I'm riding to his rescue, only to find out he was doing exactly what he wanted. And now, we both know how good he is at it," Taggert goaded, riling Jason further. "Makes you wonder why he stayed away for all those years, doesn't it? Maybe he was just enjoying himself and didn't want to come home. Maybe he was at home, with Helena Cassadine and her psychotic stable of servants. In fact, maybe that's where he is, right now, instead of servicing you..."

Taggert's carefully aimed verbal daggers had the desired effect. Jason reached through the bars and grabbed Taggert by the neck, nearly choking him with one hand.

Finally, the Commissioner wrenched free from Jason's grasp. He took a few deep breaths, trying to get some air and to regain his composure. "You were almost off the hook, Morgan, but now I might just keep you in here for assaulting an officer. Though I have to say, you don't do it as creatively as your associate. Is that why you're in such a bad mood?" Taggert gleefully determined. "Upset that your little soldier provided his services to the enemy camp, then left you high and dry? "

Jason just shook his head, trying to ignore Taggert's annoyingly effective goading.

"Come on, Morgan, we both got screwed over tonight, by a real expert. And now he has something we both want. From the look on his face as he stormed out of here, he's ready to use it. I'm not willing to take that chance, are you?" Taggert held up the keys and flashed Jason a conspiratorial smile. "I let you out, you get that tape and those pictures back. You give me the tape, I forget about the pictures and we can both pretend this night never happened. Deal?"

Jason sank down to the cot, his weary arm shaking and strained, his body and mind exhausted. He had to get out of there.

"Deal," he nodded reluctantly.

Taggert grinned smugly - maybe this night wouldn't turn out to be a total waste after all. He unlocked the cell, then bent down to free Jason's bound wrist. As soon as the cuff slipped off, Jason leapt into action, grabbing Taggert's right arm and forcing it behind his back, then pushing him up against the metal bars.

"You and I will never be on the same side, Taggert. Don't threaten me again, unless you have something to back it up," Jason cautioned. He then let go, yanking Taggert by the arm and throwing him on the cot. As he stepped outside of the cell, locking the Commissioner inside, Jason turned for one last warning.

"And don't ever touch Lucky again."

He downed another shot of vodka, closing his eyes as the liquid burned its way down his throat. Then he stood up to leave. Coming here was a mistake.

Lucky had been turning down offers since he sat down. Some of the regulars still remembered him from his previous visits; some just liked the looks of fresh meat. But none of them could give Lucky what he wanted. Not anymore.

"I got something that will taste much better goin' down, kid," an amorous, anonymous biker leered, grinding his crotch into Lucky's rear, then reaching around to grip Lucky's dick.

"Which part of 'get the fuck away from me' don't you understand?" Lucky glared, twisting the guy's arm until it nearly broke off. "Do you need me to explain it more clearly?"

"No, no - I get it - just let me go, please," the man begged. Lucky relented and released his arm.

"Man, you have a pretty strong grip," the guy breathed as Lucky turned to leave. "I don't remember you fighting that hard last time you were here.  We had some real fun in the back room. I just figured you might want to try a repeat performance - see if you can outdo yourself. I've been dying to fuck that sweet ass of yours again. Isn't that what you came here for?"

Lucky looked away, unable to respond. That was exactly why he'd ended up here tonight. He'd had to get out of his house, out of his head. He wanted to prove to Jason that he didn't need him - that he could get what he wanted, whenever he wanted it, from whoever he wanted to give it to him.

He cast a wary glance to the backroom. What was the big deal? He'd performed for Jason earlier in the day. That didn't mean anything, right? And neither would this.

But someone else had the floor in there already, as the hooting and catcalling made clear.

"Don't worry about that," the biker assured, sensing Lucky's determination wavering. "They'll be through in no time. The guy in there's a pussy. Not a real pro like you."

Lucky paled as the oblivious biker continued his praise. "I still get a hard-on thinking about that night, kid. I've never seen anything like it. I don't know where you learned to take that much..."

"Who said I learned it anywhere?" Lucky interrupted, throwing a twenty on the bar to pay for his drink. "Maybe I'm just a natural."

Harborview Towers

Morgan Penthouse

Jason stared at the ceiling, listening to the seconds tick by. The bedside clock, combined with Carly's deep sleep, made a perfect, balanced pattern, a soothing, familiar rhythm that usually lulled Jason into his own slumber.

But not tonight.

Tonight, all Jason could do was lie there and try not to think about where Lucky was right now. He didn't want to think about the days' events, either, but his mind had other ideas, reliving them in haunting, excruciating detail. Thinking about Lucky at the PCPD, with Taggert, still made Jason's blood boil.

He tried, instead, to focus on the earlier part of the day. His big gambit to get Lucky to open up to him that had, instead, led to Taggert discovering them.

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The quiet beep of his cell phone broke Jason out of his bleak rumination.

"Boss, it's me."

"Where have you been?"

"Following your orders."

"Francis drove by the house - he didn't see your car. He's been there all night."

"I know - I just saw him as I pulled up."

"I told you to stay on Lucky...where the hell were you?" Jason asked, his heart sinking in anticipation of the answer he knew was coming.

"I followed the kid to the Battering Ram, Jason. He stayed there for a while, then I followed him home. He's inside now."

Jason shut his eyes and rested his head on the pillow. On the other end of the line, Johnny cleared his throat, awaiting instructions.

"Do you want me to stay here?" he finally asked.

Jason was tempted to tell Johnny to go home - he knew Lucky would hate being watched. The image of Lucky on his knees, sucking off Taggert, battled in Jason's mind with the desperate picture of Lucky under that hood, fighting for breath, for mercy. Then Jason imagined Lucky in the Battering Ram's backroom, taking on one sleazebag after another.

Jason had no idea which one was the real Lucky.

But he knew one thing - it didn't matter to Helena Cassadine. As long as she was a threat, then Jason would protect Lucky.

"He has to know that I don't hate him..."

"Excuse me, boss?" Johnny muttered, trying to get Jason's attention again,

"Stay on him," Jason snapped. "But make sure he doesn't see you."

"Will do."

"One more thing, Johnny," Jason whispered. He had to know. "Is he alone?"

"Yes, sir. He's alone."

"What's going on, Johnny?" Lucky asked again as they walked into the penthouse.

"I honestly don't know, kid. Jason just told me to find you and bring you back here." The bodyguard shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, lingering at the closed door, looking as if he'd rather be anywhere but here.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Johnny replied uneasily. "But, Jason...left some... umm... instructions. He sort of wants you to, well, strip - you know, take off all your clothes..."

"Yeah, I know what 'strip' means," Lucky scowled, looking around the living room. No sign of Jason, or what he might have planned. "He wants me to do it here?"

"That's what he said."

"With you in the room?"

Johnny just shrugged, and Lucky began shedding his clothes. He wasn't embarrassed, really. Johnny had seen him in some pretty compromising and perverted positions. It didn't bother him that Johnny knew what went on between him and Jason. Jason didn't hide it from Johnny. So Lucky didn't, either.

Lucky's real focus was on why Jason sent for him again. Lucky had been going crazy, wavering between writing Jason off and trying to figure out a way to work things out. It seemed like Jason was having a similar battle. Lucky hoped this was a sign that Jason wanted to resume their relationship, without the strings.

Lucky's contemplation was disturbed by noises from upstairs. He could hear people talking. He lowered his voice to a startled whisper.

"Carly's here?"

Johnny nodded.

"And Michael?!"

"No, no," Johnny assured him. "He's with AJ."

"So what now, then?" Lucky snapped. "I just wait here for Carly to come down and find me buck naked in her living room?"

"I don't really know," Johnny apologized. "But you're not just supposed to wait. Jason wants you to...umm..."

"Yes?"

"To you know, jerk, er, arouse yourself, but not to..."

"Come?" Lucky helped him along.

"Right," Johnny grimaced, averting his eyes. "Look, this wasn't my idea, Lucky..."

"It's okay, Johnny," Lucky said calmly. He knew what Jason was doing - trying to embarrass him, testing him to see how far he was willing to go. He wondered where it would lead them this time. "Am I supposed to stand or sit..."

"I have no idea."

Lucky almost laughed as the big, tough bodyguard turned red, trying to look anywhere but at Lucky, who stood there, pumping himself furiously. He knew if he wasn't ready for Jason, there would be hell to pay.

He couldn't wait.

After a few minutes, Lucky slowed his feverish stroking, just in time for Jason to arrive downstairs.

"I see you can still follow instructions," he sneered at Lucky, surveying his handiwork. "Sorry if Johnny tore you away from whatever fun you had planned tonight."

"I never make plans," Lucky answered cockily. "Something always comes up."

"So I can see." Jason's voice softened as he tried to read Lucky's expression. "You know, we never got to talk about what happened upstate..."

"I didn't come here to talk, Jason," Lucky quickly staved off the chance to be blindsided yet again.

"Then why are you here? Was this your best offer for the night, or just your first?" Jason tried to keep the jealousy from his voice.

"Johnny called and said you wanted to see me. I figured it would be entertaining," Lucky shrugged. "But so far I'm just bored stiff," he smirked.

"Well, we all know what happens when you get bored, Lucky. I guess I'll have to find something here to keep you busy."

Lucky had hoped he would. Despite their latest falling out, he could feel the fiery need reflected in Jason’s gaze. That need drew him here tonight. He approached Jason, who had been keeping his distance. He pressed himself into the man, his full erection jutting against him. "You know what I want, Jason," he whispered as he boldly stroked Jason's cock through his jeans. "You know exactly how to get my attention."

"Yes, I do," Jason agreed, slapping at Lucky's hand, and pushing him away.

Giving in wouldn’t resolve anything. He had to stay strong and determined. He couldn’t have Lucky running this show. Jason had gone over their last encounter in his head during the past couple of days. He thought he had pushed too hard, but maybe he just didn’t push hard enough. He’d been close, very close to breaking through the game. It was all about control. If he could take that away from Lucky, strip him of that sense of security, then maybe Lucky would be forced to search for something beyond the familiar torment.

If someone was giving in tonight, it wouldn’t be Jason. He was going to break Lucky out of this recycled hell, or finally let him go. Either way, Jason would stop playing this damned game.

"Did he give you any trouble?" he asked, rebuffing Lucky and turning to Johnny, who had been desperately trying to blend into the scenery.

"No, sir," the guard asserted, hopeful that he could go back to watching the door and not the floor show.

"Before you go..." Jason stopped Johnny's attempted exit. "I think Lucky owes you something. You brought him here tonight. You've been driving him around for months. Has he ever properly thanked you?"

Lucky sighed, knowing exactly where this was going. While he wouldn't mind blowing Johnny, he knew the poor guy was going to be mortified. And Lucky didn't even want to think about what it meant that Jason was now willing to share him, something he had been adamantly opposed to up until now, as that incident with Taggert had proved.

"Yes, he has, many times," Johnny insisted. "He doesn't owe me anything."

"Really? Many times, huh?" Jason raised his eyebrow. "Is there something you want to tell me?"

"No, no," Johnny practically yelped. "I just mean, you know, he's said thanks, and all. It's not necessary. I work for you."

"Yeah, you do," Jason nodded. "Lucky does, too. And he's a little lower on the seniority scale than you are. So I'd say that puts him under you. What do you think, Lucky?"

"I'd say you owe me some back wages. I didn't realize I was on the payroll."

The sharp retort drew a swift slap from Jason, who grabbed him by the neck and forced him to his knees. "What do you say now?"

Johnny looked helplessly from Jason to Lucky, as they battled for control, with Johnny as the prize. He wasn't sure who he was hoping would win.

"Would you like me to give Johnny a blowjob, sir?" Lucky finally choked out.

Jason released his grip around Lucky's neck. "That's more like it. Get over here," he ordered, beckoning Johnny closer.

"It's okay, don't worry, Johnny, I'm not going to watch." Jason walked over to his desk and opened the drawer as Johnny inched his way towards Lucky. "But I'll know if he doesn't do it. You don't want him to be punished, do you?"

"No, sir," Johnny agreed.

"Then everyone wins," Jason declared. "You'll get the best mouth-fuck you've ever had, and Lucky...well, Lucky will love it because..."

Lucky and Johnny both gasped as Jason rammed a massively long and impossibly thick dildo into Lucky's rear.

"...he gets to show off his best assets - his tongue and his ass." Jason slapped Lucky's bottom and started to leave.

"And what do you get?" Lucky managed to eke out, still reeling from the pain of having his ass assaulted.

"I get to go upstairs and make love to someone who loves me back," Jason retorted.

Lucky winced at Jason's parting verbal shot. Johnny's own embarrassment was alleviated slightly by the sympathy he felt for Lucky, who was obviously hurting, and not just physically.

Lucky was thrown by Jason's behavior and attitude, but he quickly recovered. Clearly, Jason was trying to raise the stakes, and Lucky was determined to show Jason that he could take whatever he was dishing out. And if it came in the delicious form of Johnny's cock, he couldn't be too upset, right?

The pain in his rear end was slowly turning to pleasure, as Lucky's skilled hands freed Johnny's now rock-hard erection from his expensive Italian suit.

"Relax, Johnny," Lucky murmured, tantalizing the bodyguard's twitching dick with his tongue. "You have the easy part. I'll do all the work." He pushed Johnny down on one of the leather chairs, waiting for him to get more comfortable. Then he lowered his head, taking Johnny's breath away as he began to fuck him with his mouth. "Let me take you for a ride this time."

Johnny closed his eyes and gave in, letting go of his guilt and embarrassment and surrendering to Lucky's skillful ministrations.

From the top of the stairs, Jason observed in fascination and frustration. As he watched Lucky unashamedly pleasure Johnny and easily adjust to the dildo in his ass, Jason wasn't sure he'd won that round.

He'd be sure to win the next.

"Lucky, I'm gonna..."

'Come,' Lucky chuckled to himself as Johnny blew his wad. Lucky was surprised the guy had held out this long; he seemed ready to explode as soon as Lucky took him in. He drank in Johnny's juices, reveling in the bodyguard's wide-eyed admiration.

"Did you just - did you swallow all that?"

Lucky gulped down one last spurt, licked his lips and nodded. "Why - doesn't your girlfriend usually do that?"

Johnny looked away, embarrassed. "She says it tastes funny."

"Well, she's right," Lucky agreed, stunning Johnny with a long, lingering kiss. Johnny gagged at the taste of himself on Lucky's tongue, but he couldn't resist Lucky's insistent, pleasing mouth.

"Now you know what she means," Lucky murmured, his eyes twinkling mischievously as he finally pulled away. "Tell her she'll get used to it."

Johnny regarded Lucky with amazement, gazing down at the kid still kneeling between his legs. He could feel himself getting aroused again. Now he knew why Jason couldn't usually go more than a day without having him. It had only been a few minutes, and Johnny wanted Lucky again. And he was straight.

But then again, so was Jason. And Lucky.

Well, he wasn't so sure about Lucky, but he was about himself. Or, he had always thought he was...

Johnny moaned involuntarily, silently signaling Lucky to take him again, but a loud voice over the intercom broke through his contemplation and longing.

"If you're done, then you can leave," Jason ordered, snapping Johnny to attention. "But don't forget my instructions." Then the intercom clicked off.

"Sorry, Lucky," Johnny apologized, zipping up his pants. "I'm going to need you to... I don't know how to put this..."

"Where does he want me?" Lucky asked, unfazed. He was disappointed that the encounter with Johnny had to end, but anxious to know what else Jason had planned for the evening.

"On the floor, I think you're supposed to kneel and sort of, umm, bend over the ottoman. And I'm supposed to..."

"Cuff me?" Lucky offered helpfully, raising his wrists so Johnny could restrain him.

"I'm sorry about all this, Lucky," Johnny mumbled.

"Not all of it, I hope," Lucky grinned.

"No, no, I'm not sorry about that," the guard blushingly admitted. "But the rest of it..."

"Don't be," Lucky reassured him. "It's my choice."

Lucky lowered his head, adjusting his arms and squirming a bit, the pressure in his ass more noticeable now that his mouth wasn't pleasantly occupied. The carpet was burning his knees and his back protested at the awkward position, but Lucky knew it was just the beginning of the evening's tortures.

The hardest part was always the anticipation, the uncertainty of knowing what was next. At least, until tonight, that had always been the worst thing. As Johnny departed, Lucky heard the intercom kick on again, and the sounds of sex - no, of lovemaking - filled the room.

Johnny shook his head and departed, leaving Lucky alone and in agony, listening to Jason and Carly in the master bedroom.

"You'd better still be hard," Jason announced, as he walked, completely naked, into the living room. He grabbed Lucky's head and pulled him to his feet, surveying Lucky's twitching erection. "And you better not have come on my floor."

"I didn't," Lucky pledged.

Satisfied, Jason tossed him back down. Lucky leaned against his knees for a moment, trying to rest his back, but Jason yanked him up, using the nipple ring. "Get back into position," he ordered. Lucky complied, rising to his knees and settling his handcuffed arms on the ottoman.

"Did you enjoy that?"

"What?"

Jason slapped him.

"Did I enjoy what, sir?"

"Well, I know you liked blowing Johnny. What about the rest of it? Did you like listening to me make love to my wife?"

Lucky took a deep breath, wincing at the memory of the unbearable hour he had just spent - on his knees, writhing in pain, hearing every murmur and moan as Jason showered Carly with adoration, emotional and physical. Caresses and touches he had gifted Lucky with right before Lucky spurned him. He'd had a hard time remembering why it was that he had rejected Jason's vow of love, hearing Carly so freely accept it.

"Tell me the truth, Lucky."

"I loved it," Lucky lied. "Where is my cousin now, anyway?" he continued to goad Jason. "Did you fuck her into a coma - or just tie her to the bed? I can't imagine Carly likes being gagged..."

An enraged Jason pushed the dildo further into Lucky's weary ass.

"My wife is sleeping soundly," Jason finally answered. "After I made love to her, she fell asleep in my arms. You know, instead of running away..."

Lucky had to stifle his scream as the pain flooded his rectum, and Jason's words tore at his heart.

"What's the matter, Lucky - can't take it?" Jason asked hopefully.

"I can take anything you have to give, Jason. You know that."

"Well, not everything," Jason pointed out.

"As long as it's within the rules," Lucky reminded him.

"Right, the rules - I keep forgetting. They cover everything, except how I feel. And how you feel, even though you won't admit it, Lucky. Why can't you just say it - that it got to you, listening to me upstairs, knowing it could have been you and me, that it was you and me, before you pulled away."

"I had to do that, Jason. I didn't belong here - I don't belong here. This is your home, for your family. I'm not a part of that. I can't be."

"I don't get a say?"

"No - it's already been decided. Game rules, remember?"

"Why don't you remind me," Jason requested, hoping Lucky would realize how unrealistic, how limiting they were. That maybe he would see they were already far beyond them.

"You can use me wherever and whenever you want. You come first, last and always. I come only with your permission. You can fuck any part of me that you want, with anything you want, in any position, with any restraints."

Jason nodded at Lucky's matter-of-fact recitation of the terms of their arrangement. But he wasn't prepared for Lucky's final strike.

"And the most important rule, which you have trouble remembering: you can't fall in love with me."

Jason's swift, forceful slap sent Lucky reeling, but he recovered quickly.

"Oh yeah, I forgot one. You can hit me."

"I don't want to hit you, Lucky," Jason asserted, his fists clenched as he tried to regain his composure.

"Really? You seem to have gotten into it more lately," Lucky charged, remembering the inadvertent slap the other day, as well as the shot his head took at the safehouse, not to mention tonight's slaps. That wasn't the kind of pain he was used to getting from Jason, and it hurt him more than he'd admit.

"Maybe we need to change the rules then," Jason offered, sensing a break in Lucky's commitment to such rough treatment.

"No, no way," Lucky insisted. "Some things are nonnegotiable, Jason. It doesn't matter how you try to persuade me. I'm not going to give in on this."

"Maybe - maybe not."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You don't get to ask questions, Lucky," Jason reminded him. "Unless you're afraid. I don't want to do anything to upset you, like when we were at the safehouse..."

"You didn't upset me."

"Come on, Lucky,” Jason urged. “You don't have to pretend."

"I'm not pretending," Lucky insisted, immediately defensive. "I was tired, and I wanted a break. When I saw Taggert, I knew it was over. You know I could have stayed like that for hours, but I didn't think I had to prove myself to you anymore."

‘You don't, Lucky, that's what I've been trying to tell you,’ Jason grumbled to himself. But nothing he did seemed to persuade Lucky. Jason knew his own jealousy and mistrust had only caused Lucky to close himself off even more.

Maybe tonight he would finally break that pattern and get Lucky to open up at last. He walked over and lightly touched the side of Lucky’s face, then ran his fingers down one muscular arm and unfastened the metal restraints around Lucky's wrists, setting the cuffs on his desk.

"I want us to start over, from the beginning," Jason declared. "Maybe then, you'll be able to see that there's another way for this to work."

"And if I don't?"

"Then you win," Jason answered, misleading his intentions. He couldn’t play by Lucky’s rules anymore. He’d have to win or walk away.

"Okay," Lucky confidently agreed. This was a dare he could easily conquer.

"Do you trust me, Lucky?" Jason asked sincerely as he opened the drawer again.

"Yes," Lucky nodded. Despite everything, there was no one else in the world Lucky trusted.

Jason smiled, even as his throat clenched. He didn’t want to have to break that trust to break Lucky, but he wasn’t sure he could avoid it. He handed a blindfold to Lucky. "Then get dressed and put this on."

Lucky regarded the blindfold warily.

Jason knew it would throw him. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to. Just tell me if it’s too much," he assured.

"No, it's okay," Lucky dismissed his coaxing concern. "But are you going to tell me where we're going?"

"You'll find out soon enough. Unless you want to surrender before we even begin..."

"Nice try," Lucky smiled as he pulled his clothes on. "But I'll never give in, Jason."

"We'll see," Jason countered, securing the blindfold on Lucky and cuffing his wrists once again, behind his back.

Jason stared at him for a few silent seconds, then leaned in for one last, long, lingering kiss. His eyes started to cloud and he pulled back quickly, blinking away the sting as he led Lucky to the door. "Johnny will take you from here..."

Lucky was trembling, his body feeling the chill of the November air even though the heat was on in the limo. His heartbeat was racing as he tried to determine where he was, what was happening to him.

"Just tell me where you're taking me..."

"You know I can't, Lucky; I don't even know," Johnny apologized, startled to hear Lucky speak. He hadn't said a word since Jason handed him off. Jason's apparently unexpected disappearance had seemed to unsettle Lucky.

Johnny also wondered if the kid was embarrassed after what they'd done earlier, though he didn't seem to care at the time. "Are you okay, Lucky?" he inquired.

"You'll never get away with this. Do you even know who owns this building? His name is Jason Morgan, and I don't think you want to mess with him."

"Jesus," Johnny exclaimed. The kid was obviously having a flashback. He remembered Jason saying once that he didn’t like covering Lucky's eyes because it brought back the kidnapping. He looked back again, and Lucky had stilled once more. "What the hell are you doing, boss?" Johnny wondered aloud.

"Johnny, is that you?" he heard Lucky ask in a shaky voice.

"Yeah, yeah, it's me," Johnny was relieved. "Are you all right, kid? Can you reach the blanket?"

"I don't think so," Lucky said, squirming and shivering as he tried to get comfortable on the cold leather seat, his arms pinned behind him.

"Are we there yet?" Lucky attempted to joke, even as unbidden tears rolled down his cheeks, slipping past the blindfold. He angrily pressed his face into his shoulder, trying to wipe them away, relieved that Jason wasn't in the car to see him so vulnerable. "Are we still following him?"

"Yeah," Johnny confirmed, tailing Jason‘s motorcycle as his boss led them down the highway. "Just try to relax, okay, Lucky. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

Johnny's sincere pledge made Lucky tear up again, but he refused to give in. "It's okay, Johnny," Lucky confidently asserted. "I can take care of myself."

Johnny didn't argue - after all, Lucky had been doing that for five years, hadn't he? Obviously, he needed help, but it didn't seem like anyone who supposedly loved him could see that. And Lucky wasn't going to let them. What could Johnny do?

"Shit," he muttered as Jason turned his bike off the road and into a parking lot.

"What - are we here?" Lucky inquired, sitting up in the seat and trying desperately to see through the dark material.

Johnny pulled in behind Jason and parked the limo. An approaching figure caught his attention just as his cell phone rang. Johnny answered it in an instant.

"Johnny - this guy is going to take Lucky inside. You wait here until I call you," Jason ordered.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, boss?" Johnny dared to question, but Jason merely hung up.

"Lucky, if you want me to, I'll drive right out of here," Johnny offered. "You don't have to do this..."

"Why - where are we?"

Johnny hesitated, knowing he was risking Jason's wrath, but unwilling to let Lucky walk into this completely blind.

"The Battering Ram."

Lucky remained silent, absorbing the information. "Oh, I kind of figured it would be something like this," he finally acknowledged, his voice catching even as he tried to maintain a brave front. "I wish he'd chosen someplace else, but I guess that wouldn't have done the trick. He said he wanted to start over…from the beginning."

Johnny clenched the steering wheel, trying to figure out what the hell Jason was doing.

"You didn't come in the other night," Lucky said suddenly, jolting Johnny.

"What do you mean..."

"It's okay, Johnny - I know you followed me here."

"Damn it."

"I knew how to spot a tail by the time I was three years old, Johnny. You didn't stand a chance."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"I knew you were just doing your job. But why didn't you come inside?"

"I...uh...I guess I didn't feel like it was any of my business."

"That's fair," Lucky nodded. "I wish you had come in, though. Then you could have told Jason what happened. I didn't do anything - or anyone. Who knows, he might have believed you, and maybe we wouldn't be here now."

"You don't have to be here, Lucky," Johnny declared, dreading the approach of the leather-clad figure Jason had just mentioned. "You don't have to go in. I can take you back..."

"Really?" Lucky asked wistfully.

"Absolutely," Johnny snapped into action, turning the key in the ignition. "Wherever you want to go."

"1999 sounds good - April 16th, to be specific. Think you can swing that?"

Johnny just shook his head as he killed the engine, Lucky's words cutting him like a knife.

"I'm guessing that's a no," Lucky laughed sadly. "Thanks for the offer, Johnny. But I think I have to be going."

Johnny got out of the car to open the back door for Lucky.

"You don't have to do any of this," Johnny made one last attempt to dissuade him, looking over his shoulder at the leering guy coming towards them.

"It's the only thing I can do," Lucky contended. "Thank you, for everything," Lucky reiterated, as Johnny helped him from the car. "You are a real gentleman, Johnny."

"I'll see you later," Johnny insisted, trying to stop what felt like Lucky's farewell.

"Sure, Johnny," Lucky went along. "I'll see you on the other side."

The eager stranger grabbed Lucky by the collar of his shirt and pulled him away, leading him toward the bar.

Johnny tried to interpret Lucky's parting words, not understanding his allusion to the phrase the Spencers used on the run, whenever they were separated. He cursed himself for not following his instincts and just getting the kid out of there.

But the chorus of hollers, whistles and catcalls told him it was too late. This match was going down to the final bell.

He hoped Lucky would still be standing at the end.