First You Fall

Zacky's P.O.V.

Her pulse was the only thing keeping me sane. Or as close to sane as I could get right now. I laid Toni's still limp body on my bed and pulled the sheets over her. It had been a forty minute car ride home and she still hadn't woken up yet but her steady pulse let us all know that she was going to be fine. Whoever pulled this shit wouldn't be though. I ran my fingers over Toni's wrist again before turning and leaving the room to find everyone standing outside the door.

"Get me when she wakes up." I said to Val. "Everyone else, meeting, now." I knew I sounded harsh and on the brink of insanity but I had no control over it. I'm not even sure I want to control it; this rage has to be released somehow.

The guys followed me into my office and everyone but Brian took a seat.

"You had something to show me." My voice came out clipped and harsh.

Brian walked forward and dropped a large manila envelope on my desk. I picked it up and spilled the contents onto the table. Pictures fell onto my desk and scattered. I grabbed one and gripped it in my hand. It was a picture of Toni at the grocery store but a small red dot marred her features. I grabbed another picture, this one of Toni on her way to work, and the same tiny, red target marked the back of her head. Dropping that one, I lifted yet another picture off the desk. Toni walking towards her apartment building, this time the tiny target marked her chest. My eyes quickly scanned the numerous other pictures strewn across my desk. All of them had that deadly red mark. And then I snapped. The pictures and everything else laying on my desk went flying from the force of my hands. Seconds later I was flying at Brian. We landed on the floor and rolled around throwing punches. I felt a pair of arms try to grab me but I pushed away and launched myself at Brian again. Jimmy and Johnny had a lock on Brian's arms so it was Matt that grabbed at me again, this time succeeding in holding me away from Brian.

"HOW FUCKING LONG HAVE YOU HAD THOSE?" I shouted.

"Calm the fuck down." Brian replied, yanking his arms away from Jimmy and Johnny.

"HOW LONG?" I shouted again.

Before Brian could answer the door flung open and a warm body wrapped around me. I yanked my arms from Matt's grasp and wrapped my arms around Toni, burying my head in her soft hair.

"I don't know what the fuck happened I was just in the bathroom and arms came out of nowhere and I tried to kick and then I couldn't fucking see and holy shit." Toni rambled into my chest.

"It's okay, baby. Nothing's going to happen to you."

Suddenly I felt Toni's body stiffen in my arms. I looked down and followed her line of sight to the scattered pictures on the floor. She pushed my arms away to kneel down and pick up the pictures.

"Shit." I heard her whisper.

"Baby" I took the pictures from her hand and helped her stand up again. "Why don't you go run a warm bath and just try to relax. None of us are going to let anything happen to you."

She stood there stunned for another moment before Val took her hand.

"I'll talk to her." Val whispered as she led Toni from the room.

I looked at the pictures in my hand again before letting them drop back to the floor.

"They came about a week ago." Brian said walking over and handing me a small piece of paper. "This guy is playing some sick game."

I've lined up my target now all I have to do is pull the pretty little trigger, but then again, where's the fun in that? This is just the warning. Call it strike one.

I let the paper fall from my hands and land with the picture on the floor.

"I was trying to figure out the best way to deal with it before showing you. You know I've got your back man. I just didn't want you to cause trouble until I figured out if it was a real threat or not. I care about her too. We all do." Brian said, motioning around the room.

"Thanks man." I said, shooting Brian a quick glance. We'd known each other long enough to know that a couple of punches wouldn't tear our friendship apart.

"So how are we going to find this mother fucker?" Jimmy asked.

"I want a list of everyone who was at that fucking party." I said, throwing myself back into my chair.

"I'll take care of it." Johnny replied.

"And I want someone with Toni every fucking minute of everyday."

"I'll get some guys-"

"No." I said cutting Jimmy off. "One of us. I don't trust anyone else right now. I'll be with her most of the time but when I can't -"

"I'll do it." Johnny jumped in.

"Good. And when we find this mother fucker-"

"I've got all sorts of torture planned." Matt said with a sadistic smirk on his face.

Brian bent down and picked up the note that came with the pictures. "Let's hunt this bitch down."