Caleb’s eyes, at first, widened at Lola’s forward comment, but then he scoffed. “Don’t you think it’s a little too soon for Stockholm syndrome?” he asked as he kept his eyes on the screen and took the last sip of the coffee.

Although he’d never admit it aloud, Caleb was used to women flirting with him, and usually, he’d take advantage of it. But, this situation was already way too complicated, and if he entertained her comments, he could only seeing it go downhill.

After mindlessly scratching at his torso, littered with both tattoos and scars, he stood up and brought his mug to the kitchen. “I’m gonna shower. There’s more coffee in the pot if you plan on staying up. Help yourself.”

His head was in such a weird, sensitive place, that if he could, he would opt to stand in the scorching hot shower for the rest of the day and not face the problems he had created. But eventually, after staying in longer than he needed, he shut off the water and wrapped a towel around his lower half.

How was he going to navigate through the day with a hostage, assuming she didn’t bolt any chance she could get? Maybe, just maybe, he should call Smith today and say he wasn’t feeling well and that TJ can take over his responsibilities for the day. Smith would understand, right? Especially after what happened with Jimmy.

He walked from the bathroom to his room deep in thought, closing the door behind him, before dropping his towel and getting dressed in black jeans and a plain white t-shirt. He was starving and didn’t have much in the house to feed himself, let alone Lola.

“Hey,” he said as he approached her on the couch. “If you promise not to run, wanna go grab some breakfast or something?” He asked in a nonchalant manner, but he knew that she didn’t really have a choice. He couldn’t leave her alone and pose that sort of risk on himself and his men. “My treat.”

Once Blue had left the room, Lola jumped up and stretched, arching her back like a cat before rubbing her eyes. Catching sight of herself in the mirror of the coffee machine door, she couldn't help but laugh. To say she looked a bit tired was an understatement. Filling herself a mug of coffee, she took a big slurp only to cringe so badly that it looked physically painful. Man did she hate the stuff, but bloody hell did she need it.

Once the mug was empty, the blonde pulled her hair down from it's shabby ponytail. As it fell, it was crazy curly. A sure symptom of a rough night. However, she was sorta' rocking the crazy pixie look. Running her fingers through her mane a few times, the woman looked up as Blue appeared back in the room. She was slightly envious of how fresh he looked. Although, she didn't have a wardrobe of clothes, did she?

Listening as he spoke, Lola nodded nonchalantly as breakfast was mentioned. A small chuckle escaped her lips as he mentioned running, and she couldn't help but roll her eyes in marked amusement.

"Oh sure, because I look like a runner, don't I?"

Cocking her head to the side, she pushed away from the couch and pulled her hoody on over her head. At least she didn't look like a total train wreck now, and an extra bonus were her black chunky framed glasses nestled in the pocket. She slid them on happily. She was as blind as a bat without them.

"It'll have to be your treat, you've got my wallet."

Poking Blue on the nose lightly, she sent him a wink to show that she was only kidding. Lola wasn't flirting, she was like it with everyone. Why stop now?

"I am quite hungry."

Caleb rolled his eyes as she poked his nose, and the thought crossed his mind that this girl may be more than he can handle. She was bubbly and talkitive. He was quiet and neutral.

"Alright, alright, let's go," he mumbled as he grabbed his key from the kitchen counter to unlock the deadbolt from the inside and eventually unlock his truck. His favorite breakfast place was a small diner a few blocks east of his apartment, one owned by old family friends of his. Although the city was big, he seemed to know someone wherever he went, and as fun as it was when he was younger, it got old.

"Caleb fuckin' Miller," a feminine voice rang out through the diner almost as soon as he opened the door.

"Oh, shit," he whispered as a thin brunette scurried over to her hostess stand. Now his anonymity was shattered.

"You can't call me back after a week, but you bring another girl here?" the girl asked loudly, causing other patrons in the restaurant to turn their head.

Caleb's voice was much quieter than gets. "It's not like that, Lain."

"Oh, it's not, huh?" She rolled her eyes as she penciled in the party of two on the paper in front of her. "You sleep with me, don't call me, and bring another girl where I work?"

"She's Jimmy's cousin. She's in town for the funeral," Caleb replied in a pathetic tone as he wrapped an arm around Lola's shoulder. "Don't you think she's been through enough, Lain? Jesus."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, sweetie," the girl apologized as she looked to Lola. "I didn't know."

"Can we sit now?" Caleb asked.

Lain waved a hand. "Of course, of course," she said as she took them to their booth. Once she sat them, Lain rested her hands on the table and leaned close to Caleb, now speaking much more lowly than before.

"Caleb?" She nearly whispered.

"Yes, Lain," he replied, glancing up to her.

"You better call me soon."

Caleb nodded and looked over to Lola as Lain walked away, and he began to laugh. "Sorry about that, she's a little crazy."

"That's a little crazy? I'd say she's the whole damn circus." Tilting her head to the side, Lola watched the brunette walk away, noticing the deliberately hippy strut that the woman adopted, no doubt for Caleb's benefit. "Nice ass though." Fluttering her eyelashes, Lola nailed a flawless impression of Lain, "You better call me soon." Pouting out her lips, and narrowing her eyes seductively, she held it only for a second before snorting, an embarrassing addition to her hyena like laugh. "Jesus, pass me the bucket."

It was quite apparent that Lola had been brought up in a predominantly male household. She felt incredibly comfortable around men, and in fact, sometimes she preferred their straightforward way of dealing with things. Bitchiness just wasn't on her radar. To some extent, you could call her a tom boy. Flicking her eyes to the menu, a cute waiter caught her attention at the bar momentarily. Perking an eyebrow in appreciation for just a second, she turned back to Caleb. Making a mental note to ask him about Jimmy at a later point. It seemed logical to think that this was all somehow linked.

"So, what's good?"

As her green eyes scanned the menu, she twirled her hair around with her index figure, a habit she'd adopted as a child, and never been able to break.

"Eh, unfortunately, I've been with a lot crazier," he admitted as he scratched his face and stared at the menu. "The omelettes are good. I wouldn't fuck with the hash browns if I were you."

A plump older woman came to the table and kissed him on the forehead. "Caleb, my baby! How are you doing?"

"I'm good, Martha, how've you guys been holding up?"

"Ah, we're staying a float," the woman said as she slid her glasses up her nose. "How's your mother and little Erin doing?"

Caleb shook his head. His poor mother had moved his sister around so many times with each boyfriend. If it wasn't for his lifestyle, Caleb would've had his twelve year old sister live with him instead, but for now, it was just too dangerous. "They're moving back down this week. Another break up."

"Oh dear. Well, at least Erin will get to see her big brother, huh? And who's this young lady?"

"That's Jimmy's cousin," he pointed to her. "Lola."

"Well, hi, darling. Wow, she didn't get the ugly gene like Jimmy did huh?"

Both Martha and Caleb began to crack up. "Yeah, much prettier than Jimmy," he said quietly as his eyes met Lola's for a second.

"Well, What can I get you folks?"

Caleb smiled at the woman. "I'll do a black coffee and two scrambled eggs."

The woman nodded and she jotted down his order. "And you, ma'am?"

Playing along, Lola laughed on cue, meeting Caleb's gaze for just a moment, but the moment was long enough.

"I'm hopeless at decisions, but I'll get the bagel, and a hot chocolate. Thank you."

Smiling at Martha, Lola folded up her menu and slotted it back into the holder as she settled her chin against the palm of her hand. The atmosphere in the diner was relaxed, and Lola actually quite liked it. The bell on the door sounded out, catching Lola's attention. Glancing over, the young woman did a double take at the male that had just walked in. He was dark, and well built, and his sudden appearance caused the colour to drain from Lola's face rather rapidly. She suddenly felt hot, and didn't quite know what to do with herself.

How could he be in town? It was miles away from where he lives? Rubbing the bridge of her nose, she looked at Caleb almost desperately.

"Swap places with me. Swap so that you're facing out, and I'm facing the window.."

The blonde stood up, practically ushering Blue out of his seat in haste. There was no way that she wanted to be bumping into him, but the diner was empty, and she could swear he'd already noticed her. Jack, or Jacko as he was was known to his friends, was Lola's Ex boyfriend. An Ex boyfriend that should have been eight hundred miles away, not walking into the diner that she was having breakfast in. Jack broke Lola. Yes she was bubbly and talkative person, but it was so much easier to be happy after hitting rock bottom. You truly appreciate everyday for what it is, a blessing. Not a promise.

Lola's demeanor quickly changed as she stood up and shooed Caleb out of his seat. Startled, he stood up and sat down, watching the skin in her face turn pale, making her freckles seem darker. They were rather striking, causing Caleb to pause a minute before speaking.

"The hell is wrong with you?" he asked as his eyes scanned the diner. Out of any patrons there, one guy looked completely unfamiliar to him. It seemedas though he had just sat down, and he could overhear the man ordering his breakfast.

"What, that guy?" he asked as Caleb nudged his head in his direction. "He's glanced over here a few times. Who is he?"

Looking slightly like a rabbit that was caught in the headlights of a car, Lola wrinkled her nose at the question. "That's Jack. He was, well, he was my boyfriend." Stirring her hot chocolate, the young woman's hand shook so violently, that she eventually had to give up and instead decided to sit on them. As she sat there, she could feel him watching her, his beady little eyes boring in to the back of her head.

"He shouldn't be here."

It was almost as though Lola was reassuring herself with that line. The only reason he would be there was because of her, and she knew that. Five years of absolute hell, and he just walked in the door like he'd never walked out of it. "He's looking isn't he?" Rubbing her nose, Lola started to try and calm down. Just breathe. You're fine. This is all just fine. He can't even touch you. "Sorry, I'm being a total dork. Ignore me." Memories flashed through the girls mind, tiny snippets of what she'd been through. It was pretty overwhelming, but Lola was a tough cookie and managed a smile, albeit a nervous one.

"Anyway, enough. You have a sister?" Taking on a lighter tone, the blonde ate a pink marshmallow that dotted her hot chocolate rather prettily. Lola was intrigued to learn more about Caleb, he really was a fascinating puzzle.

As Lola happen to glance up, the blonde followed Jacks movement with her emerald eyes, watching him go into the washroom. He made sure to send her a rather pointed stare before opening his eyes wide in a fairly aggressive gesture. Lola ignored him as she simply popped another marshmallow into her mouth.

"Jackass."

Caleb's eyes followed the man as he walked past their table and back to the bathrooms, then diverted his attention back to Lola. "Uh, yeah. She's twelve. Well, thirteen next week. She's a smart ass, probably knows way too much about the world already."

Something about how open he was being with the girl across from him was unnerving, especially because she witnessed him commit the ultimate crime. Yet, she was acting like he was a friend, causing suspicion to bubble up in him.

Her nervousness about the man in the restaurant was another concern of his. One thing the mob drilled into its new recruits was respect for women. There was never any harm to be brought to them, unless they were an official member of a rival crew and made the first move. They were told to never hit their women, and no matter what the circumstance, to treat them with kindness. This probably stemmed from the boss' extreme adoration of a beautiful woman in a more sensual manner, but Caleb had always respected the rule. He would never lay his hands on a woman unless it was during a time of intimacy.

This contributed to his hatred for men who treated women like shit. Mentally or physically abusive.

"What did he do, Lola?" he asked in a stern voice. He wasn't sure if he was expecting an answer, seeing how the sight of him had rattled her. "You want me to get him outta here?"

"Twelve? Not a good age. Wait until she's thirteen. Hormones are not a good thing. I was horrific."

Lola as a teenager had been somewhat of a tearaway. She had perfected climbing out of her bedroom window by the tender age of eleven, and by fourteen she was a sassy little mare. Luckily, the phase didn't last overtly long. However, she did still have quite an explosive temper, and a tendency to throw things when in a rage. As she reflected on her teenage years, she momentarily phased out, only to be brought back to reality with bump when Caleb asked about Jack.

The blonde wasn't entirely sure she wanted to talk about it, especially with someone that she barely knew. Biting her bottom lip, she shrugged. Part of her didn't even know how to explain it.

"He did pretty much everything you can do to someone. Mentally, physically...sexually."

The young woman's voice was almost a whisper, and she wouldn't make eye contact with Caleb. Lola had suffered many broken bones, but the worst thing was the psychological abuse. The mind games. It makes you weak enough to blame yourself, and in a way, she still felt that maybe it was. There was a deep seated guilt, that she just couldn't shake. Self inflicted shame. Being happy and bubbly was far more easy then facing demons.

"He'll kill me one day."

The words were simply delivered. No drama, no tears. It was something that Lola had thought, and did still think was inevitable. Just his presence was enough to make her want to disappear.

"It's just a matter of time."

Caleb found Lola's confession pulling at his heart strings, something he shouldn't have allowed to happen. How would he control the situation with her if he began to empathize with her? The situation was getting to complicated, but he had already involved himself by asking.

"He's not gonna kill you," Caleb said frankly as he took a sip of his coffee. "Guys like that don't get far in this town, if you know what I mean."

Caleb stood up, walked over to Jack's table, and sat down to await his return. "Don't cook his order, Martha!" he shouted across the small diner, and Martha nodded in understanding.

When Jack made his way back to the table with a confused expression, Caleb looked up to him with a stone cold demeanor. "You need to go." His voice was strong yet quiet. "You're making my girl quite uncomfortable over there."

When he could tell Jack was about to speak, Caleb put up a hand to silence him. "Get the fuck out. If I see you come within 100 feet of her, I'll do much worse than deny you you're breakfast."

He pushed the seat in and went back to the booth where Lola sat, and he pulled out her phone from his pocket. "What's the name of the friend you were out with last night?"

Lola was rather surprised to see what played out next. The most surprising bit of all, was that Jack actually left. That only served in making the girl feel more uncomfortable. The blonde sighed as she watched Jack obediently leave. Blinking as though she couldn't quite take it in. He'd gone for now, but Lola was under no illusions. Caleb wouldn't always be around.

"Last night?"

With tilt of her head, Lola looked at Caleb out of her dark green eyes in a mildly baffled manner, before she suddenly caught on to the question.

"The brunette? That's Jessica, she lives with me down on 3rd. However, I doubt she's there now. Most likely went home with some dude. If you get my drift."

Lola waggled her eyes in a provocative way, before finishing off her drink.

"Why'd you ask?"

Wrinkling her nose, the blondes curiosity peaked. Annoyingly, Lola found Caleb even more attractive now, then she did just an hour before.

Caleb began orchestrating a text to Jessica as he answered Lola's question: "Gotta make sure no one is wondering where you are." His thumbs worked quickly on her phone until he hit sent. "So hungover, gonna sleep it off all day. If anyone asks, I'm turning my phone off." He read it aloud for her to hear as he shut off the phone and slid it back in his pocket.

Martha approached the table to refill Caleb's coffee and rested a maternal hand on his shoulder. "Anything else I can get you, baby?"

Caleb put a hand atop of hers and smiled up at her. "I'm fine, Martha. Thank you. You coming to Jimmy's funeral tomorrow?"

The woman sighed and nodded. "Yes. We're closing down the diner for a few hours so we can go to the wake and burial. Where's the reception being held?"

"TJ's house. All the girls are over there now cooking. I'll see you then," he said quietly as he pulled a wad of neatly folded cash out of his pocket and counted out. "There's extra in there for that asshole's coffee," he explained as he nudged his head towards where Jack was sitting. "And something for you, too. To help with the money you'll miss out on while the diner's closed." He handed her two hundred dollars in a sly manner and got out of his seat.

"Oh, honey, you've always taken care of this old lady," she cheerily said as she kissed his cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow. Let me know if you need anything."

"Yeah, help Lane forget about me, huh?" he said with a smirk.

The woman shook her head. "That might be difficult. You've always been a ladies' man. Be careful with this one, Lola," she smiled at her and nudged Caleb in the ribs.

"Bye, Martha. Let's go, Lola," he said as he signaled with a hand towards the door.

"That could almost have been sent by me."

With a cheeky smirk, Lola stood up and dusted off her t-shirt as Martha walked over. The blonde chuckled as she listened to the older lady's advice about Caleb. "Don't worry, I've got his card marked." With an amused wink to Martha, Lola obediently headed to the door. As the pair went outside into the fresh air, she turned to Caleb.

"So, have you had any brainwaves as to how your going to handle all of this? Don't get me wrong, you're a very gentlemanly hostage taker, but eventually I would like my own bed."

The young woman's voice was low enough for nobody else to hear, and it had a slightly light hearted tone. After all, what will be, will be. Well, that's what Doris Day claims.

"So Jimmy, good friend? I'm guessing that explains everything."

Lola shot Caleb a knowing glance, before respectfully leaving the subject. The more time she spent with Caleb, the more he was starting to make sense. On some level, she understood him.

"Because, in all honesty, I won't tell anyone anything. As far as I'm concerned, it never happened. I don't want to get you or the other guys in trouble. I know that's easy for me to say though, you don't know me to trust me." The blonde ran her fingers through her unruly curls. "Plus, I have my end of semester ball coming up, and if I don't get to wear my dress, I'm going to be out of this world pissed. That thing cost me a fortune, and I don't even like it." Shaking her head exasperatedly, she rolled her eyes. "This is also seriously hampering my ability to find a date for it. It's going to have to be gay Tom. Not that my problems are important in the grand scheme of things, so I shall just shut up."

The blonde stopped talking and glanced casually around the parking lot. She was fairly sure she'd been drunk there before. "You just lost your friend, and I'm moaning about a damn dress,I'm Sorry." Lola shot Caleb an apologetic look, before yawning sleepily. "I'm a really horrific person when I'm tired."

Caleb, at first, ignored the question regarding his plans on how to handle her, mainly because he wasn't quite sure. He knew that, eventually, he'd have to bring her to Smith and hope for the best. But for right now, especially Jimmy's funeral tomorrow, it was best to be quiet.

"Uh, yeah," he replied to her question abut Jimmy. "Something like that."

She began to ramble on, but he didn't bother to try to keep up. Caleb couldn't get too involved in this girl's life, or else the situation would get way too sticky. He did, however, catch one snippet and decided to comment:

"I never understood that shit." They were walking to his truck, and when they reached it, he opened the door for her. "Why girls wear shit they don't like. What's the point?"

He shook his head as he climbed in the drivers seat. "I had a girlfriend once who always complained about how bad high heels hurt her, but she'd wear them every fucking day. I didn't understand, and I still don't."

They were now on the road back to his apartment, and he rubbed his temples as they pulled up to a red light. "You'll be home soon, okay? I just need more time."

"Well, I didn't like any of the dresses. I can't rock up naked. It's not that sorta' party." Was the rather blunt reply that escaped Lola's pretty pink lips. Getting into the truck, the young woman settled her head against the palm of her hand as she watched out of the window. The sensation of the cool glass against her cheek felt rather pleasant.

The blonde let out an amused snort as Caleb spoke about his Ex girlfriend. He certainly seemed the dolly girl sort, and that statement pretty much confirmed it. Well, that and a one night stand man. Certainly not boyfriend material if diner girl was anything to go by. Lola turned briefly to the driver. "I've never liked high heels, nor do I wear them. I think there's something desperate about women that totter around in them." The one time that she had actually worn high heels, she sprained her ankle so badly that she ended up on crutches for six weeks. Tom still takes the piss out of it, even now. It certainly wasn't her finest hour. "Give me a comfy pair of converse any day."

With yet another half hearted yawn, Lola fixed her jaded green eyes on the moving scenery. It was from that point that she didn't listen to anything else that Caleb was saying. He clearly didn't have a plan, and that alone unnerved her, well, that and her mind flicked back to Jack. What was he doing in town? There was just too much to think about. It was all rather dizzying. By the time they reached the red light, Lola was fast asleep, freckles bright from the sunshine illuminating the window, and her hair prettily cascading to one side. As her hair parted, a rather large scar was visible across the entire left side of her neck, hinting subtly at past events. For a twenty year old, she really had seen and experienced far too much.

Caleb had mindlessly navigated them back to his apartment; it was muscle memory that allowed him to drive all the way there with no recollection of the drive itself. As he was pulling in to the parking garage, he looked over to his right to see his passenger had fallen asleep, and his eyes instantly locked onto the scar that trailed down her neck. He had troubling believing guys like that existed, those who would hurt a woman in anger. It was a different during intimacy - he had plenty of women command him to choke them or slap them - but he had never felt the urge to cause a woman harm in any other situation. He was even repulsed by the notion.

His arm went to nudge Lola's after he parked to wake her. "Hey, we're back."

Once reaching the apartment, he locked the deadbolt inside and went to a linen closet to retrieve a towel, tossing it to her. "Feel free to shower if you want. I'll try to get some more clothes from TJ later."

He plopped down on the leather couch and took out his own phone to send a text to both TJ and Happy:
"Cover for me today. Still trying to figure this shit out."

Caleb sighed as a hand ran over his face. She really didn't seem the type to snitch now that he had spent some time with her. Perhaps it'd be better to just let her go. But, if she did decide to say something, and his crew suffered for it, it'd be a situation not even his smart mouth could get him out of, and if Smith didn't kill him first, he'd be dead in jail within the week. They had too many enemies on the inside that a prison sentence was a guaranteed death sentence.

He was starting to feel guilt for keeping a girl like Lola here. He was so used to dealing with high-maintenance, whiny women, that having one here that wasn't even complaining about being his hostage contributed to the overwhelming feeling that he was an asshole.

He picked up the remote on the coffee table and turned on the news, and once watching for a few minutes, he was satisfied with no stories of found bodies. If Connor was found, well, things would get a lot more complicated.

Lola swotted Caleb away as he nudged her, groaning she forced her eyes open and followed him inside. She wasn't even entirely sure that she was really awake. Rubbing her eyes sleepily, the blonde nodded and meandered her way into the bathroom. There was one thing that she hated even more than Jack, and that was waking up, or more accurately, being woken up.

As she turned on the shower, she stepped behind the glass screen, and enjoyed the firm jets of warm water as they hit against her skin. It had certainly been a bizarre couple of days. The type of thing that you see on the Crime and Investigation channel rather then in real life. That notion caused Lola to chuckle a little to herself as she stretched absent mindedly amongst the steam.

The thing that she was really struggling with was Caleb. There was something about him that she found irritatingly attractive, and try as she might, she just couldn't flush it from her mind. How the hell did she find him attractive? He was keeping her bloody hostage, not to mention he was actually a killer. Maybe even a serial killer for all she knew. Stepping out, she wrapped herself in a nearby towel and headed for the kitchen. She really need a glass of water before she got herself dressed. Caleb being in there didn't even cross her mind.

Caleb was mindlessly watching the TV when Lola appeared in his peripheral vision heading into the kitchen, causing him to turn his head towards her. He froze before his eyes scanned her body from head to toe slowly, pausing on different areas until he realized what he was doing. "Shit," he mumbled as he shook his head and turned back to the TV in front of him. "Made yourself comfortable, huh?"

He checked the time on his phone. 9:03 AM. What the hell was he going to do with her all day? He wasn't used to having a day off, especially one where he had to babysit. Wait, he was being too nice, wasn't he? She was his hostage for Christ's sake. He didn't have to entertain her.

Caleb sighed as he lit a cigarette and exhaled the smoke towards the screen. It was going to be a long day.

"There's not much to entertain yourself with here. I'm not here that often." His voice was gruff from the night before and the cigarette in his hands. He used his feet to kick off his boots onto the floor, and he laid out on the couch horizontally with the cigarette dangling from his lips.

For his sake, he'd have to find something to do to keep his mind occupied. Watching the news all day in paranoia wasn't going to help the situation.

"Oh yeah, I'm so comfortable. I was thinking about moving in once all this is over. I just love the battleship grey." Smirking Lola stepped towards the couch, her gaze flicking to the news that was on the television. The checking out hadn't gone entirely unnoticed. Plus, to be fair, he'd see more of her at the beach in a bikini than he could now.

Glancing down to Caleb, she perked an eyebrow in mild amusement. Deciding to be irritating, she scuffed up his short hair with her fingertips. The trouble was, she didn't find Caleb particularly intimidating. "You can't watch the news all day. That's just going to drive you nuts." Crossing her eyes in a crazy expression, she leant against the back of the couch, slyly checking the man out before readjusting her hair. Man, she really hadn't had a boyfriend in a long time. Maybe it was all just crazy hormones.

As the blonde finished off her water, she walked around to the front of the couch. "If you don't move your legs, I am going to sit on you. Vicious gang member or not." Rolling her eyes at Caleb, Lola rubbed her neck. From time to time, it still got a little sore. Especially in the warm weather. She'd learnt to ignore it, but she rarely wore her hair up, because she hated seeing it.