The week had already been grueling enough, and today didn’t seem like it would be any different. Caleb had spent half of the day in the small office that sat in the back corner of the bar attempting to figure out where the missing money was going, and the other half of the day was spent on the phone with Jimmy’s family trying to organize the funeral arrangements.

Jimmy had been Caleb’s best friend since he was first recruited; they were a few years apart, Jimmy being the eldest, and he had taken Caleb under his wing to show him the ropes. They soon became inseparable, always having each other’s backs on jobs or just being there to talk to one another, and Caleb couldn’t imagine the crew without him.

Well, now he didn't have a choice.

Jimmy had been killed four days ago in a drive by as some sort of retaliation over turf. It wasn’t an unusual occurrence – most wrote it off as part of the lifestyle – but Caleb was having difficulty coming to terms with the fact that he was gone. The past three days were spent investigating on how the rival group got their intel on Jimmy’s location, and all signs pointed to a junkie that was all too familiar to Caleb and his men: Connor.

He had owed the group a lot of money at this point, so much so that Caleb stopped fronting him any narcotics and threatened that if he didn’t get his cash in forty eight hours, he would be paid a visit. Caleb had later found out that Connor, stricken with the fear of getting roughed up, turned to a rival mob and gave up information in return for both cocaine and safety from them. That information was used on the drive-by that killed Jimmy only three feet away from Caleb.

Now, he was planning his vengeance. The boss would not approve of such action, so Caleb only informed one or two of the members about what he was scheming: Connor was known to frequent a bar called Paddy’s a few blocks down the street, often getting so hammered that he didn’t know his own name by the end of the evening. Caleb would go late in the evening and drag him about back, possibly kick his ass within inches of his life, and then leave. He knew he couldn’t kill the man – the fallback would be too risky – so he would have to settle with just getting a message across.

As the day crept into the night, and the clock had hit 11:00 PM, Caleb and two of his men, TJ and Happy, dressed in all black and walked down the street to Paddy’s, which seemed to be bustling on that Friday night by the time they arrived. It was packed, and they took a small pub table in the corner as they watched Connor sitting at the bar, seemingly having a heavy buzz on already. He was waving his hands in the air sloppily as he spoke and losing his balance on the stool he sat on.

“We wait for a few minutes,” Caleb spoke quietly. “Then we’ll make our move.”

A bartender served them beer, but Caleb kept his eyes trained on the man as he took gulps of the cold, brown beverage. His focus was intense, but something momentarily distracted him. A girl, blonde and freckled, who was with a group on the other side of the bar. After eying her momentarily, he returned his attention to his target.

“Not the time, Blue,” Happy chimed in with a smirk on his face. “You can get laid after we fuck this guy up.”

“Shut up,” he replied, returning the smirk. “He’s probably gonna get up for a piss soon. That’s when we’ll move in.”

"Jesus Jessica. We'll go on a bar crawl she said, it'll be fun she said. Oh yeah, this is just fricking swell. I'm stood in a damn Irish bar in a grass skirt and a coconut bra. Dick."

The blonde glared at her friend and much loved roommate with more distaste than a teacher regarding inappropriate behaviour, and said friend merely laughed at Lola's rather blunt outburst. Had she not been used to it, the frankness with which her opinion was delivered may have taken her by surprise. Waving her hand dismissively, the brunette smirked as she twiddled her straw in the strong blue liquid that adorned her glass.

"Calm down darling. It's a blast. Take your hoody off. Don't be such a priss."

As the roomate started to tug at her friends clothing, she fell victim to a swift, but gentle shove.

"This is verging on assault right here."

"Take it off. Or we will be dealing with an assault, and that face is far too pretty for fighting."

With a roll of her enigmatic green eyes, Lola disapprovingly removed her bulky college hoody. The young woman was by no means a prude. She was in fact a little hard to handle after a few drinks, but she was quite reserved when it came to dressing up and flaunting it. Especially in a coconut bra. She felt far more comfortable in a pair of chaps and riding boots.

"Just you wait until my birthday Jessica. You have no idea what is going to hit you."

As a dangerously satisfied smirk crossed the blondes features, she flicked a curious gaze around the crowded bar. Now she knew why she'd never been to Ireland.

“The fuck are they doing?” TJ asked as he eyed the group of girls.

“I don’t know, TJ,” Caleb replied as he removed his eyes from Connor and glared at him. “Thanks to you guys, I never got to go to college.”

“Like you woulda gone to college,” Happy laughed. “There aren’t any courses about pushin’ coke.”

Caleb smiled as he took a sip of his beer. “You’re right.” His eyes looked past Happy to the blonde girl across the bar again, cracking a smile at her obvious discomfort at what she was wearing. When they made eye contact, he winked at her, but instead of waiting to see her reaction, he looked over to the bar.

“Shit, there he goes,” Caleb nearly whispered as he signaled the men to follow him. They stood up nonchalantly and began to weave their way through the crowded bar, and as he passed the table the girl had been at, he bowed his head slightly and let out a “Ladies” as he passed them.

“Oh, what a gentleman!” TJ exclaimed mockingly in a feminine voice, causing Happy and Caleb to burst into laughter as they continued to navigate their way to the hallway located in the back that held three doors: two single-person bathrooms, and a back door leading out to an alley way.

Caleb lit a cigarette as the three men waited in the hallway for Connor to exit the bathroom.

“The second he comes out,” he whispered to TJ and Happy, “You guys grab him, I’ll open the door. Someone cover his mouth, too. He’s a loud bastard.”

The two nodded in response, and as Caleb took the last drag of his cigarette, the door swung open forcefully, and they were greeted by a wide-eyed Connor as he instantly recognized Caleb.

“Blue, I – “ He his arms were grabbed and held behind his back, and TJ gripped his face to keep him from talking.

“Let’s go, boys,” Caleb said as he opened the door and led them into the alleyway which looked to be completely empty.

They threw Connor on the ground, and Caleb paced in front of him slowly.

“You really fucked up, Connor,” he began as flicked the cigarette at him. “You got Jimmy killed because you’re a broke, greedy bastard.”

“B-Blue, I swear, I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I just needed my fix man,” Connor begged as he began to drag himself backwards away from Caleb, but TJ’s legs stopped him from getting further than a few feet.

“Pull him up,” Caleb instructed calmly, and when Connor became eye-level with him, he struck him with a powerful blow across the face, causing blood to spatter onto the ground beneath them.

“I-I’m gonna pay back the money, I – “

Another blow, this time on the opposite cheek.

“I don’t give a fuck about the money any more, Connor,” Caleb nearly growled as he grabbed the man’s chin and forced him to make eye contact. “You’re gonna pay for the damage you caused.”

"Did he wink at me?" Intelligent as Lola was, she was rather oblivious to advances of the opposite sex. Sadly, Jessica suffered from non such a problem. There had been many an awkward morning in the girls student house, which usually entailed Lola bumping into some dazed looking male whilst still in her pyjamas. Her roommate brought any poor sod back that so much as breathed at her. At first, the blonde was unnerved and disgruntled by the scenario, but now she took it on the chin and made them pancakes. She really was rather charming.

Slurping from her own heavily alcoholic mix, she was starting to forget about what she was wearing and relax. Alcohol was alarmingly good at taking away mother natures inbuilt alarm system, and some would argue that it wasn't a good thing.

"Lola, he totally checked you out. You think he's cute?" Jessica studied her friends face critically for some kind of reaction. She was just so damn hard to read sometimes. Biting her lip thoughtfully, Lola allowed her gaze to follow him sneakily in a side ways direction, before leaning against the bar nonchalantly, "Meh, he wasn't bad." In actual fact, she thought he was rather delicious, but she wasn't going to tell Jess that. Sighing, Jessica shook her head in despair. "You're impossible." To which the blonde snorted in amusement, "No Jessie, just choosey." Feigning a delightfully innocent expression, Lola downed the rest of her drink before straightening up.

"I need to go outside and call Rosie. She should be finishing work right about now, I promised to let her know where we were." The young woman pulled her cell phone deftly out from underneath one of her coconut shells, and slid her glass to her friend along the polished marble of the bar.

"Fill me up darling."

Carefully, Lola picked her way through the crowd. It sure was a busy spot. As the fresh air hit her exposed flesh, she felt refreshed. It was a surprisingly warm night, and the stars were all blinking brightly. It made her feel a little homesick. The sky seemed far more beautiful back home away from the city smog. Walking along the edge of one of the steps that led around the corner to what look like a recycle point, she dialled Rosie's number. As Lola listened to the dial tone, she noticed a small gaggle of guys in the near distance, but she'd grown used to male squabbles, and paid it no mind as she sung softly to herself as she waited.

There was a show girl, her name was Lola..

“TJ, go get the van,” Caleb said between breaths as he wiped the sweat forming on his forehead.

“Blue, you know you can’t kill him,” TJ replied with wide eyes as they both looked down to the bleeding man moaning on the ground.

“TJ, get the van,” he spoke again, this time in a stern voice.

TJ took off in a jog to grab the van parked a few blocks away, leaving Happy and Caleb alone with Connor.

Caleb crouched down next to the man and eyed him up and down. “Was it worth it, Connor? How was the fix that you got from all this, huh? Was it worth a man getting a bullet put between his eyes?” He stood up and abruptly kicked the man in his side with his boot. “Answer me, asshole!”

“Please,” Connor whimpered after another kick to the ribs. “Please don’t kill me. I swear, I swear it won’t happen again.” He gripped his side in pain and curled up into a fetal position.

Caleb rolled his eyes before stepping on the man’s hand, using the heel of his boot to grind them into the asphalt. Connor screamed in pain until he picked up his foot. “You are responsible for the death of my best friend. You don’t deserve mercy.”

Happy stepped in and put a hand on Caleb’s shoulder. “Blue, are you sure you – “

“I’ve got this, man,” Caleb interrupted him before he kicked the man in the stomach. As he lifted his foot to kick him again, he heard a woman’s voice singing down the alley, and he snapped his head back to see the woman he had winked at earlier. “Go inside!” his voice echoed as he yelled to her.

Happy decided to try again to give him advice. “You know, man, if you kill him, the boss is gonna – “

Caleb turned to face Happy in with anger in his eyes. “I don’t give a fuck what the boss thinks. He didn’t care about Jimmy like I did, man.” To punctuate his sentence, he kicked the man on the ground, this time in the head, and a loud cracked confirmed what he had just done, along with the warm red blood that began to pool at his feet. “Where the hell is the van?” He looked back behind him to see the girl still standing there. “Shit,” he whispered at the realization of what she had just seen.

"Okay Rosie, I'll see you later." As Lola hung up, she was distracted by a loud cracking noise that broke through the darkness of the night. It was a noise which she had heard before. However, she'd only ever heard it when one of the horses had to be put to sleep back on the farm. She was under no illusion of what had just happened to the dude on the floor. Too scared to look at, or even hear the events that were now unfolding, she ducked back in to the bar, and leant against the door more than a little bit breathless.

After a few moments composing herself, a quick scan of the room located Jess, and a few of their male pals that had finally caught up with them. Jess was of course half way down one of their throats. Forcing a smile, and a light hearted persona that she certainly didn't feel, Lola rejoined the group. Tom, one of her all time best friends started to goof around and mess with her grass skirt, which was a welcome distraction to the painful knot that had now formed in the pit of her stomach.

Mind reeling, Lola couldnt focus. How can she have just seen that? Why did she have to go outside? Why did she always end up in these messy situations?! Her mother was right, the city was a bad idea. Excusing herself from the group, she headed to the bar. This problem certainly required more alcohol.

What should she do? God, she couldn't tell anyone. Rubbing her head subconsciously, she flinched as she thought of it happening to her. Maybe if she left now, she could disappear before anyone really knew she'd gone...that was it! That's what she'd do. Sliding back her vodka shot, she grabbed her hoody and made for the door.

Head down and walk, do not look up, just walk..

The headlights from the van began to shine brightly down the alleyway as Caleb watched the girl run inside, and he hastily waved at TJ to turn the lights off. “Happy, get him in the van. I gotta take care of our other problem.”

Happy nodded and got to work with TJ to load the lifeless body into the back of the van as Caleb headed back into the bar, quickly stepping into the bathroom to clean off the blood that had splattered on his face before joining the rest of the patrons in the bar. His eyes narrowed as they scanned from wall to wall until he spotted her heading for the front door. "Where is she?" He was about to accept the fact that he'd soon have an APB out for him when he finally spotted the attractive girl heading towards the entrance of the bar.

“Excuse me, excuse me,” he repeated as he quickly began walking after her. Once on the street outside, he looked in both directions and spotted her walking down the street, and he began to jog after her until he was at her side. His tattooed fingers gripped her arm firmly, but he spoke quietly as he walked with her. “Don’t try to scream or run away. I need you to come with me.”

He looked in all directions until pulling her down the side street, and when they had finally reached the van, he pushed her into the back and climbed in next to her as the van took off.

Knowing that the man who caused Jimmy’s death was a small victory, the new problem that he was faced with was ruining the mood he could have been in. Their mob had always agreed to never kill women unless they were a member of a rival gang, but she had seen far too much to let her walk off. He truly didn’t arrive at the bar with the intention of homicide, but now it was too late to go back; he had to finish what he started.

After working a sheet around the body with the help of Happy, he turned on his knees to face the girl in front of him. “Why didn’t you go back inside, huh?” He sighed as he signaled for her to put his arms up, before he checked her hoodie pocket and found her phone, tossing it up to Happy who had settled down in the passenger seat.

“You can either get your wallet for me, or I’m gonna dig for it. Your choice," he instructed as he lit a cigarette.

"You know I hate when you smoke in the van, Blue," said TJ from the driver's seat.

This only got a chuckle from Caleb. "Well?" he looked back to the girl.

Lola was startled when she felt the vice like grip on her arm, but she didn't make a sound. The blonde was not about to become lifeless body number two. Well, hopefully not. Although that all seemed mildly out of her control right about now.

"I did go back inside actually, and you know, it's sorta' rude to go around abducting people without so much as an introduction."

With a roll of her pretty emerald eyes, she held up her arms. Mildly amused as the man patted her down. It really was like being in some kinda' gangster movie, plus he actually smelt pretty good up close and personal. However, she had just realised that she was stood right next to the dead body, and the smell of coagulating blood was overwhelming.

"I'm wearing a grass skirt, exactly where do you think my wallet could be?"

Tilting her head to the side, a dangerously mischievous look crossed her usually serene features.

"But by all means, have a dig around."

The blonde noted that up close, Caleb was more attractive then she'd first assumed. Deciding that she'd quite like to not die, she slipped her hand into her bra and handed over her now warm drivers licence and a few receipts, along with her cash card.

"That is all I have."

It surprised Lola that she felt so calm and composed. Normally, the blonde worried on a humongous scale, but faced with gangsters' and a dead body, she was rocking the poker face. Perhaps she'd do pretty well as a gang broad.

"And in answer to your earlier question, I was going home to bed. I'm not a bar kinda' gal."

Caleb took the cards from her hand and squinted his eyes to read the driver’s license. “Lola Thomson, age twenty,” he read aloud for Happy and TJ. “Lola,” he repeated to himself. “A little young for the bar, huh?” he laughed as he squinted. “Hey, TJ, your girl’s her size, right? Could you get her something other than this fuckin’ skirt to wear?”

“Yeah, we can stop by on the way back to the clubhouse,” TJ announced as he cut the wheel to go right, causing Caleb to nearly fall to the side.

“Jesus, TJ,” he muttered as he caught his balance. He took a drag from his cigarette, and the other hand glided over his face as he sighed out the smoke. “Alright,” he started as he looked to the girl in front of him. “You’re lucky I don’t kill women. This situation was already messy enough without a witness.” He scratched his head in thought before continuing. “I just have to make sure you’re not gonna get me in trouble. This guy here?” he pointed to the body lying on the van’s floor. “He was a real piece of shit. The world’s better off without him.”

“Blue, we’re almost there,” TJ called out.
“Got it,” Caleb replied as he squinted his eyes to see out the windshield before looking back at Lola. “Nothing personal.”

On his knees, he moved towards a duffle bag that sat behind the driver’s seat and pulled out a pair of handcuffs, and after securing one side on her wrist, he looped the other one onto a circular metal hook that had been welded onto the inner wall of the van.

“We’re here,” TJ called out again.

Caleb nodded and pulled up the hoody that stuck out from the back of his jacket before turning towards the body. “Come on, boys. We gotta do this fast.” The doors in the back of the van swung open, and as Caleb slid his hands underneath Conner’s shoulders, the other two began to pull at the man’s legs. “Easy, easy,” Caleb mumbled.

The location they chose was dense with trees and greenery, and due to lack of light, it was nearly pitch black. Caleb and Happy worked to dig a hole in the ground as TJ prepared the body to be buried, and after about half an hour, they had successfully disposed of the body.

Caleb climbed back into the van and sat across from Lola as he attempted to catch his breath. It was always at this point of covering up a kill when he contemplated whether or not he should’ve done what he did. He probably should have just let the man live, but then again, Jimmy wouldn’t have wanted it that way. Plus, Connor didn’t have family, or anyone to really report him missing besides the bartenders at Paddy’s. The only way this could come back to them was their witness. Lola.

How was he gonna keep her quiet without killing her? It’s not like he could hold her hostage permanently. No, he’d have to come up with something smart. He couldn’t use the groups money to pay her off, since the kill was off the books.

The van took off once again, and the next stop was at TJ’s house to get something for Lola to wear. “Just a warning, his girlfriend dresses like shit,” he admitted.

“You’re such an asshole, Blue,” TJ yelled back as he hopped out of the van, causing Caleb to erupt in laughter.

"He is none of my business."

Lola didn't particularly take kindly to being handcuffed to the inside of the damn van. Biting her lip, she looked down at the body. It was bizarre to think that he had been alive only an hour earlier. However, it wasn't the first time that she'd been handcuffed.

"Seriously, can't you not loosen these? The police don't even do them this tight."

Leaning back against the van with an exasperated sigh, she perked a perfectly manicured eyebrow at Caleb. He was a puzzle, and Lola did love a good puzzle. When the men hauled the body out of the van, an overwhelming feeling of nausea overcame her, causing her to close her eyes and to simply breathe deeply.

You can get through this Lola, just keep going..

Once they returned, she felt a little lighter. There was nothing like a dead body to lower the tone, and she wasn't being covered in the same hole, well..yet. The banter between the guys amused her greatly, and she even laughed a little at the comment.

"I'm insulted that you dislike my skirt, but I'll admit that it isn't the most practical of apparel. I didn't get the whole witnessing a crime dress code memo though, sorry."

Wrinkling her nose in a rather endearing manner, Lola wondered what was going to happen next. All in all, it was turning into quite an exciting evening.

Caleb could only roll his eyes at her comment. “We got a talker,” he said unenthusiastically to Happy, who turned his head around to face the two.

“You remember we did to the last talker, Blue?” He joked with a devilish grin on his face.

“Wait, the one whose mouth we sowed shut, or the one we super glued?” Caleb played along, attempting not to laugh.

“No, the one whose tongue I cut out. That was crazy,” Happy cracked a smile, and both of the men began laughing hysterically before catching their breath.

“You’re so stupid, Hap,” Caleb shook his head.

TJ got back into the van and threw back a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. “Vanessa is gonna freak the hell out when she notices,” he mumbled in frustration to the group as he ignited the van and pulled out back onto the street.

Caleb turned back to Lola and rubbed his hands together. “So, Lola, what’s an innocent Southern girl like you doing in a city like this? Let alone Paddy’s?” He eyed the hoodie she wore and nodded his head. “Ah, college. Let me guess, mom and dad paid for you to take a four year party break before you had to get a job, huh?”

Happy chuckled in the front seat at the comment.

“Look, as soon as I can confirm you’re not gonna say shit, then you can go back to frat parties and whatever bullshit you guys do. But for right now, you’re gonna do what I say and make it easy on the both of us. Okay?” Caleb glared at her intently as he awaited her response. He tried not to think of what his boss would do if he found out about all of this. Where was he going to keep her? How was he going to straighten this out without any suspicion? His head was spinning.

"I'll shut up, but I suggest you don't make assumptions about my family. They work damn hard, and I'm not going to stand for someone like you, thinking that he knows who or what I am. Oh, and for your information, I got a damn scholarship, or I wouldn't be here." Her green eyes flashed brightly with anger. There were many things that she'd stand for, but insulting her family wasn't one of them.

Feeling incredibly pissed off at Caleb's narrow minded assumption, the blonde closed her eyes without saying another word. Lola actually spent very little time in bars and clubs. When she wasn't in class or studying, she was volunteering at the inner city riding project, helping to teach under privileged children to ride horses. She woke at 5am every day, and worked there for free. There was very little amusement for someone like Lola to be found in mindless drinking, and dressing in stupid costumes. She was beginning to believe that college was a massive mistake. If she didn't genuinely want to get into conservation, she would have left in the first week.

The van was beginning to make the blonde feel motion sick, and the foreboding scent of death still clung in the air. It would have been easier if he had just shot her there and then. At least she would have some peace and quiet.

Caleb didn’t flinch at the words she spat at him. “I’m used to having women angry at me, love,” he said with a grin as the van pulled up to clubhouse.

Happy turned around and looked at Caleb sternly. “You know you can’t bring her into the clubhouse, right? He’ll freak the fuck out.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Caleb waved a hand at the two in the front seat. “I’ll figured it out.” He swiveled his position to face her once again. “Come on,” he ordered as he uncuffed her wrist and grabbed her arm to pull her out of the van, and after scanning the street, he brought her to his pick-up truck and opened the door. “Get in.”

Once he got in the passenger seat, he rubbed his face for a moment, trying to figure out what he was going to do with this girl. He couldn’t let her know he didn’t have any other steps to his plan, so he spoke confidently. “We’re going to my apartment.”

The drive was quiet, Caleb not being one for small talk, and the radio played in the background to fill the silence shared between them. He was exhausted after such a long day, both mentally and physically, and he tried to forget about the funeral happening in two days. The past week had blurred together into one long day, one that he was ready to end.

They pulled up to a tall, stark apartment complex, and he led her up a few flights of steps until he reached the two bedroom unit. It was dimly lit and a small space, but it was clean. He threw his keys on the island and went into the fridge to grab a beer. It was already one in the morning, but his mind was too wired to attempt to sleep yet.

“Guest bedrooms on the right down the hall. So is the bathroom. I guess make yourself at home.”

He plopped down on his leather couch and turned on the flat screen across from it, resting his feet up on the coffee table and placing a hand behind his head. He may have bitten off more than he could chew with this one.

The ride to Caleb's apartment was almost unbearable. All Lola wanted to do was go home, and she couldn't help but wish that she'd wake up and that this would all have be an alcohol induced dream. Blinking, she took in the space that this man called home. It was cold and utilitarian, just like him. Pulling her unruly hair into a ponytail with the band that she had wrapped around her wrist, she headed for the bathroom to change into the jeans and t-shirt from TJ. The grass skirt was starting to really grate on her, just like the company. It would be getting a big fat zero in the amazon review, that was for sure.

Make yourself at home...

How exactly did one make themselves at home with a stranger that they'd just seen beat the living crap out of someone? Lola felt increasingly shaky as she practically tiptoed to the bathroom. It all felt like some surreal alternative reality. Like she was watching, rather than participating in it. As she removed the ill advised costume, she felt some relief to be in a pair jeans, even if they weren't hers. She always thought that she looked far better in casual clothes. The t-shirt was a little short,Vanessa clearly lacked in the boob department,but hey, beggars can't be choosers.

There was a rather large part of Lola's mind panicking about what was going to happen to her. What was he going to do? He couldn't just make her stay here forever. Surely she'd be dead already if that was the plan? It was mind numbing, not to mention claustrophobic. The scariest thing, was that now she was just as guilty as the rest of these goons. Walking back into the living area, she pointed to the kitchen before glancing blankly at Caleb.

"Can I get some water?"

One tiny thing was niggling at Lola more then anything else. Despite the fatality, the abduction, the accessory to capitol homicide; she still found him attractive. Now that really did make her more than slightly unnerved by her current state of mind. She'd always had fairly horrific taste in guys, but for trouble alone, this one had to take centre stage.

Oh Lola, life was so much simpler back on the farm.

Caleb was snapped out of his thoughts when Lola asked a question, and he turned to her to see the new outfit she was wearing. The short white tee shirt and the jeans she wore did her much more justice than the costume she dawned before, and after catching himself eyeing her up and down, he nodded. “Yeah, go ahead.”

If he wanted to keep her feeling as comfortable as he could so that she would be cooperative, he should probably start by not ogling her.

He turned his attention back to the television and sighed. He couldn’t keep this from his boss forever; he’d probably have to tell him within the next few days what really happened – that is, if he’s not told first by someone else. Although they had always agreed never to kill women, witnessing a murder is something that Smith probably wouldn’t take lightly. He was probably doing Lola a favor by keeping it under wraps right now, not that he owed her one. He did yell at her to go inside before things had gotten out of hand.

“Look,” he spoke up as he cleared his throat. “Just chill for a little bit. I’m gonna figure this out for the both of us. You’re better off here than in the hands of my boss or crew.” He glanced back over to her in the kitchen. “Just please don’t do anything stupid. If you run, or call the cops, we’re both dead.”

He took a swig of his beer and reclined into the couch, trying to focus on the TV rather than the thoughts swarming in his head. Ones of Jimmy’s funeral. Ones of the mess he got himself into. Ones of how he wished his hostage was less attractive – it’d probably be easier to take care of this if she was. He hasn’t gone this easy on someone since he was a teenager, and it wasn’t doing much for his ego. He knew eventually push would come to shove with her; she seemed to have a mouth on her. That, and an opinion on everything.

“Can you pour me a glass, too?” he asked with his eyes glued to the screen.

Just chill for a little bit..

Lola snarled inwardly when she heard those words, snatching at two glasses from the cupboard. Man I wish I could hit him with something hard. As her green eyes narrowed dangerously at the back of Caleb's head, and her fingers twitched tantalizingly at the satisfying thought, she tried to remember a time when she'd been so angry before. Filling the glasses, she shook her head. Man did this guy talk crap.

"Here."

The blonde put the water down on the table in front of her jailer, resisting the temptation to pour it on his stupidly smug face.

"I'm sure you will sort this out for yourself. I on the other hand won't hold my breath for me."

Her words were calm, but the bitingly icy tone was painfully apparent. This young woman had resigned herself to the fact that she probably wasn't going to make it out of this. The entire situation was just fucked up, and it took all of Lola's will power not to just scream and break things.

Turning around, the blonde wandered her way down the hallway and shut herself in the bedroom. Even the rooms were stupidly small and dingy. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she buried her face in her hands. She really didn't sign up for any this.

Caleb groaned after hearing the door slam shut and took a moment to decide his next move, ultimately getting up and opening the door to the guest room. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, obviously frustrated, and he leaned against the doorframe and looked down to her.

“I’m trying really hard not to be an asshole here, Lola,” he sighed as he crossed his arms. “I didn’t mean for all this to happen. I didn’t plan on killing him.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose before glancing at her again. His eyes scanned her face, looking at the freckles scattered across it. “I, um, I’m gonna try to get some sleep,” he mumbled as he scratched his head before leaving the room’s threshold. “It’s a long drop from the patio, and the front door’s locked from the inside, so don’t get any ideas. Good night, Lola.”

He pulled his shirt up and over his head as he headed to his room before plopping down on the bed, each wooden floorboard squeaking under his steps. Caleb never bothered decorating the apartment, so most things that it held were only for functionality. The room was white, but the curtains, comforter, sheets and furniture were all black, making a simple yet drastic contrast. Anytime Caleb did have a girlfriend, they would always try to spruce up the place, hanging pictures or putting decorative pillows on his bed, but each time he eventually dumped them, he threw it all away. He saw it as an unnecessary waste of time and money.

Once in bed, he grabbed a pill from the orange bottle sitting on his nightstand and chewed it until it went down his throat, then pulled the comforter up under his arm and shut his eyes.

Maybe threatening her would be enough. If she ever confessed to what he saw, the crew would come after her and silence her. Could that be enough? Her eyes were alluring enough that he was unable to imagine saying no to her, let alone pull the trigger if she decided to snitch. He would have to come up with some sort of plan before he brought her to his boss. Like Smith always said: “never bring me a problem without a solution.”

He was satisfied, though, with the little bit of information she had now: She had only heard him be called Blue, she didn’t have her phone or wallet, and as far as Caleb knew, she didn’t know the name of the man he killed.

After a few deep breaths, he was able to drift off into a light sleep.

As Caleb walked in, Lola looked up at him. He appeared different. Softer, more human. It was an interesting contrast. The blonde simply nodded at his words, "I know. I get it." Waving as he left the room, the blonde had a cheeky little look out of the bedroom window. It was more curiosity than actual contemplation. For a start, she was scared of heights, and secondly, she didn't even know where she was, where would she go? Leaning her forehead against the glass, she felt the refreshing cool blast of condensation.

Time stood still, and after a few moments, Lola let out an audible sigh from her flushed pink lips. Knowing that there wasn't a cat in hells chance of sleep, she walked down the hallway and sat on the couch. As she channel surfed for as long as an indecisive person needed, she finally found one of her favourite shows. It was a lame reality show that made people perform practical jokes on each other. Soon, Lola was giggling, absorbed in what was happening on the big wide screen.

In all honesty, her mind did wander rather frequently to the man in the next room. All manner of completely inappropriate thoughts flashed through her mind. She was starting to feel like she was turning into Jessica. She resigned herself to the fact that she was incredibly attracted to him, on way too many levels. Maybe in a way, things wouldn't be so bad. Setting her feet on the coffee table, she nestled in for the night. Well, what else could she do?

Sometime during the early morning hours, after a nightmare about Jimmy, Caleb found himself tossing and turning, unable to fall back asleep. He squinted his eyes at his alarm clock to read 3:42 AM in red, blinking digits. “Damn it,” he sighed as he swung his feet down to the floor and stood up with groan as he stretched his arms above his head.

Since Jimmy had passed, sleep was rarely longer than two to three hours a night, which was beginning to catch up to Caleb. He usually would’ve never done something so reckless – killing a man with a witness present – and he was beginning to blame it on exhaustion.

In only his jeans, a groggy Caleb plodded down the hallway towards the kitchen when he heard the TV playing in the living room, and after investigating, he realized Lola was still up. “Can’t sleep either, huh?” he asked as he turned on the coffee maker before sticking his face in the fridge. Nothing looked appetizing, so he opted for lighting a cigarette instead as he waited for the coffee to brew.

He poured the black liquid in a large mug and joined Lola on the couch, giving her a few feet of breathing room. He snuffed the cigarette out in the ashtray that sat on the coffee table and picked up his mug. “So, when the young college girl isn’t sneaking into bars or giving hula lessons, what do you do for fun?”

To be honest, he was sure that any information she gave him wouldn’t be exciting, but until he had sorted everything out, he would play nice. For now. He attempted to flash her a polite smile before a yawn took over him. “Shit,” he whispered as he rubbed the sleepiness from his eyes.

As Caleb sat down, Lola eyed him carefully. In fact, it would be safe to say that she studied him in great detail. Not bad at all. With a perk of her perfectly manicured eyebrow, the blonde shrugged as she continued to giggle intermittently at the programme that was playing out in front of her.

"Oh, you know. I ride, and teach the kids down at the horse riding project. What with getting up at 5am everyday, and then having school work to do, I don't get alot of time to do anything really. I enjoy it though. I like being busy."

The blonde dedicated all of her time to others really, for no other reason than enjoying it. If people hadn't helped her out when she was younger, she might have ended up very different, so having time to herself was substantially unimportant. Shooting Caleb a sideways glance, she smiled as he yawned.

"You look pretty cute sleepy."

Sometimes speaking your mind had it's draw backs. What ever Lola thought, she tended to say it out loud, whether it was particularly complementary or not. It was true though, he did look cute sleepy, or awake for that matter. Especially without a shirt on.