“Yeah, I don’t think I’d look too pretty. Well, not as pretty as…” His voice trailed off as her eyes began to linger on his, and the devilish grin that often came over him when he was charming a woman appeared on his face.

Caleb came to his senses and stood up abruptly. “Uh, actually, I think I’m gonna go to bed now.” In his opinion, this was the only way that he could resist any temptation that he might have staying up with Lola on the couch. He had never practiced the art of not going for what he wanted, and it was showing now.

“Good night, Lola,” he mumbled as he shimmied in between her legs and the coffee table, then headed down the hallway into his room.

Once down to his boxers and in bed, he rubbed his temples slowly as he stared up at the ceiling. So much was swarming through his mind that it was making him feel like he was going insane. So many decisions, so many emotions. Perhaps after the funeral, things would simmer down a bit and he’d be able to think more clearly. He’d also have to get rid of the soft spot he had somehow already developed for Lola. He didn’t want to be an asshole to her – not at all – but this sense of protectiveness, he figured, would put his ass on the line when it came to dealing with the Nines, and Caleb knew better than to mix business and pleasure.

He groaned quietly as he pulled the comforter up over his body and turned onto his side. He didn’t feel that tired yet, but he couldn’t go back out there. At least, tonight.

The blonde waved as Caleb headed to bed, deciding to do the same. As she was settling down, a familiar sound started to filter in to her consciousness. It was her ringtone, and it was the ringtone that was only assigned to one person. Shaking her head, she mumbled to herself and held her hands over her ears. It was slightly weird though, she'd assumed that Caleb had turned the cell off.

Why was he calling? And at this time of night? For Christ's sake. Pulling the pillow over her head, the blonde closed her eyes. Maybe she was just imagining it? Maybe she was actually already asleep,and having some sorta' out of body experience. Hell, maybe it was just the vodka. Yes, that's it. The vodka.

There was no ringtone, no noise, no nothing. Just peace and quiet.

Bollocks was there just peace.

Pulling herself out of bed, she didn't even bother to flatten her hair as she stomped along the hallway to Caleb's room, wearing a pink T-shirt and a pair of black shorts. Grumpy was an understatement.

"Dude, I'm trying to sleep. Are you going to turn that off?!!! I can't believe that jackass can be this annoying without even realising it. Where ever you have my cell, make it shut up, or give it to me."

Turning around, she made her way to the kitchen, resting her head against the cool of the counter top. A part of Lola longed for Jack. She didn't love him anymore, in fact she hated him, but it was more complicated then that. When somebody has dominated your life for so long, you lose sight of where they end and you begin. It was like learning to breathe again, and it was difficult. Lola hated the way she felt, and it ate her up inside on a daily basis. She didn't want any of this. Yet she was drawn to the one thing that would probably destroy her. Caleb was clearly just another branch on this self destructive root. The young woman closed her eyes.

Why wasn't she able to sleep in this damn place.

The urge to go home was so strong at that point, she even considered attempting the drop from her window to the patio. Couldn't hurt that much, right? She needed her own bed, with her own belongings, and her own friends. Period.

Caleb groaned repeatedly at the sound of Lola's voice until her ringtone became audible to him, causing him to get out of bed and rummage through one of his dresser drawers. When he finally silenced the phone, he looked at the call history tab. His eyes widened when he saw Jacks name at least fifteen times down the screen. "Jesus."

He turned around to say something to Lola, but when he turned around, he realized that she had already left the room. "Lola?" he called out. "Lola, are you -"

Upon entering the kitchen, he saw her head against the countertop with her eyes closed, looking more frustrated than ever, and the sight made him feel a pang of guilt in his side. This poor girl seemed to have already been through enough, why was he doing this to her.

"Hey," he nearly whispered. "Come here." His long, tattooed arms opened up to her. Caleb was an old brother; it was probably the thing he was best at. It couldn't be much different than that, right?

Once he was able to pull her into an embrace, he rested his chin on top of her head. "I swear, Lola," he whispered, "I'm gonna work this shit out. With you, with Jack. Everything, okay?" His hand rubbed her upper back up and down in a comforting manner. "Just hang in there for me."

Not only was he now developing a soft spot for her, but now he was feeling guilty? He wasn't going to last as long as he thought he would. She was already tugging at his emotions, the same emotions that he had thought he buried years ago other than those for his mom and sister.

To say that it surprised Lola when Caleb held his arms out to her would have been an understatement. However, there was something oddly comforting about being so close to him. With her cheek settled against his strong chest, she could feel him breathing. As she allowed her eyes to close, a rather surreal feeling spread through her. She wasn't sure what it was exactly, but she knew that she liked it. It made her feel calm. Calm and safe, and for the first time, the young woman actually believed what he said.

"I'm just tired."

When a soft sigh escaped her flushed pink lips, she made no attempt to move. She was tired. Weeks, months, even years of stress was enough to finish off even a level headed person, let alone a scatterbrain like Lola. She was absolutely exhausted, physically and emotionally. Not to mention fed up to the back teeth with it all. As Caleb rubbed her back, she felt a satisfied sorta' sleepy.

It was a bizarre moment. Standing in a kitchen, cuddled up against a guy that she'd only met a couple of days ago. Needless to mention, a guy that she had actually seen cave in a mans skull because he crossed him, and crazily, she felt totally at peace with it. Normally, she would have run a mile. Any indication of a real tangible emotion sent her running for the hills in a cold sweat since breaking up with Jack. Not now though, this time it was a little bit different.

Caleb pulled away from her and looked down at the much shorter girl in front of him. The poor thing looked broken from all of the events that led her to this moment with him, as if to acknowledge her unspoken complaints, he nodded softly with a solemn expression on his face. He spoke quietly: “Go get some sleep. Long day tomorrow.” He opted to get a glass of water and sleepily walk back to his room, forgetting to close the door behind him before diving into his bed and almost immediately drifting back to sleep.



Caleb’s alarm woke him up at 8:00 AM, but after snoozing once, he eventually got up and groaned as he rubbed his face. He wasn’t ready for what was lying ahead of him that day, but he didn’t have any other choice but to get it over with. Jimmy would have wanted him there.

He hopped in the shower first, only taking about five minutes before getting out and wrapping a towel around his waist. Next, he moved to the guest room door and knocked lightly. “Lola?” he whispered as he creaked the door open and moved his body in slightly. “Time to get up. Guest bathroom shower, if you need it.” He closed the door once again and headed back to his room to get dressed in the one suit he had for emergencies like this.

After he heard Lola was done with her shower, he gave her a few minutes, then knocked on the door once again. “I’m a little embarrassed, but I have no idea how to tie a fucking tie. And I can’t get these buttons on my cuffs.”

The black slacks he was wearing were tailored, and his button-up was slate gray and fitted. “Can you help me?” he asked sheepishly as he entered the room.

Unsurprisingly, once the young woman had finally settled back into bed, she fell asleep rather quickly this time. However, she still had the time to contemplate the scene that had just played out in the kitchen only moments earlier. It really had shown Lola a different side to Caleb. A side that was rather more endearing.

***********************************

"Hold on a second!"

Appearing back in the bedroom from the small shower room, Lola perked an eyebrow as she momentarily took the opportunity to regard Caleb. He certainly scrubbed up quite well. Then again, most guys looked good in a suit. It was kinda' cute that he was having trouble with his shirt, but she held back the urge to laugh. He was probably feeling crap enough already, and she didn't want to upset him.

"I just need to...wait a minute, I'm just. It won't take a moment, I'm almost there."

As the woman spoke, she moved in circles as she reached for the shiny zipper at her back. It was rather an amusing spectacle. One that actually resembled a dog chasing it's tail. The blonde was wearing a figure hugging black dress, that finished elegantly above her knee. It had sleek three quarter length sleeves that grazed her elbows, along with a slashed neckline that settled subtly on the far side of each shoulder. Having taken a grey ribbon belt from another piece of clothing to tie it in around the middle, she'd succeeded in making it unrecognisable from the dress that she'd originally pulled from TJ's bag. Needless to say, it also complimented her curves rather well.

Lola had never been text book skinny, because she'd always had hips, boobs and a bum, but she was toned and slim from all the time that she'd spent horse riding. However, Lola gave very little thought to her own appearance, essentially, she was quite a tomboy.

"Stuff it. I can't reach."

Giving up with a small chuckle, she walked over to Caleb. Taking the tie from his hand, she shook her head.

"I really haven't done this since my brother left High School."

Flicking the collar up on his rather dapper shirt, she put the tie into place, having to stand on tip toe just to reach. With a moment spent reminding herself what to do, she tied the tie and unashamedly felt rather impressed with herself. Seconds later she'd done the cuff links and had taken a step back. This time successfully managing to pull her zipper up.

"There you go. You're all done."

Dragging her fingers through her hair, she'd succeeded in straightening out the majority of her unruly curls. Notably, her hair was substantially longer straight, and it hung level to her underarm, with the layers graduating down systematically.

"I hate dresses. I would much rather be wearing jeans. They just feel wrong."

Caleb watched Lola twirling around with amusement; the girl obviously wasn’t used to dressing up, like himself, but that didn’t mean that she didn’t look good. She looked phenomenal in the tight black dress that hugged every inch of her silhouette as if it was made for her specifically. His eyes lingered on certain areas on her body until he caught himself ogling, and his attention darted up to her eyes. “You look nice,” he mumbled gruffly before exiting her room to grab his black blazer and fix his hair. Seeing her look so beautiful reminded him of why he winked at her at the bar in the first place.

Eventually, he traveled to the kitchen and began to wash some of the dishes as he waited for Lola. “We gotta be at the funeral home in half an hour. I’m ready when you are,” Caleb called down the hallway from the kitchen as he poured himself a glass of water. He was trying not to think about what the day held for him, but the more he ignored it, the worse it felt.

At one point, he leaned down towards the island in the kitchen, letting his hands prop him up on the edge and his head sink down. His eyes squeezed shut as he took a deep breath as to try to shake the emotions he was feeling. If Caleb hadn’t become so hardened over the past decade of criminal activity, he surely would be crying right now. He missed Jimmy so much, and it had only been a few days. Would it get worse before it got better?

His fingers tightened around the edge of the counter top as he continued to breathe and calm himself down. He couldn't let Lola see him like this; she had already found out that he wasn't the asshole kidnapper she most likely originally thought he'd be, but an emotional one too? No. She'd walk all over him.

Lola had already entered the living area long before Caleb had even called out to her. The young woman immediately clocked him by the sink, looking notably forlorn, and she felt genuinely sad for him. He really must have been close to this Jimmy guy. Funerals were always such a harsh reality slap, closure wasn't always a positive thing. Wandering up to Caleb in her typically casual way, she nudged him with her hip.

"Come on, let's go."

In all honesty, she wasn't too thrilled about the prospect of what laid out in front of her that day, but there wasn't a whole lot that she could really do about it. Instead, she was opting for ignorance. It really was best not to know sometimes.

"I'm going to put the emotion down to the concussion."

With a knowing wink, she decided to be gross and without any warning, she leaned in and blew an obnoxiously loud raspberry against his cheek. The action amusing her greatly. Fluttering her eyelashes in a delightfully innocent expression, she stood back from the counter. There was method to her madness; she figured that Caleb would prefer her to be an ass, over trying to comfort him. He didn't seem like a guy that liked to be openly emotional, and she respected that.

"Let's go, before I decide to lock myself in the bathroom and refuse to come out."

Once again, Lola's gaze drifted to Caleb. He looked so different in a suit. Maybe it was just lust? Perhaps if they actually did something, it would all go away? Diverting her eyes to a nearby window, she bit down on her lip contemplatively. This was just getting harder and harder to ignore. It was like she was some hormone driven teenager again. No one else did this to her. Why him? Waiting by the front door, Lola pulled herself out of her reverie with a deep breath.

Let's do this.

Caleb had spent most of wake at the funeral home bent over in his seat with his thumb and forefinger rubbing the bridge of his nose. Many people came up to him and pat his back, but he didn’t want to engage in any conversation. Instead, the only reason he would pop his head up would be to take a swig from the silver flask that had been hidden in the breast pocket of his blazer.

He had also decided to remain silent during the drive to the cemetery. He couldn’t imagine how weird this all must have been for Lola, but if he tried to talk, he felt like he may get… emotional. And that was the last thing that he wanted her to see.

Jimmy’s body was lowered into the ground, and Caleb stood as still as a statue with his arms behind his back and a pair of ray bans over his eyes to hide any tears that might have formed. ”Fuckin’ Jimmy, man,” he thought as a hand went to his eye to keep a single tear from rolling down his face. He knew Jimmy would tease him for getting worked up like this, but it felt uncontrollable.

He did, however, feel a sense of relief that it was over was he climbed back into the pick-up truck with Lola, but before driving away, he gripped the steering wheel for a moment and took a deep breath. “Sorry you had to come,” his deep voice spoke softly. “I wish I didn’t have to.” He looked over to her and smiled faintly, still wearing the sunglasses, then ignited the truck’s engine to take them to TJ’s house.

“Okay, so remember, you’re Jimmy’s cousin from his mother’s side. Martha is her name. She hasn’t seen him in years. Maybe just say you guys found each other from Facebook recently or some shit. Whatever works.”

As they pulled up to red light, he lit a cigarette and sighed deeply as the smoke billowed from his mouth. He was already exhausted from the day’s events, and he felt like he wanted to be distracted from it rather than to go to a reception, where everyone would be talking about Jimmy. He knew his main go-to for alleviation was women. Well, more specifically, sleeping with women.

His eyes darted to Lola quickly as he had that thought. Why couldn’t have someone hideous have witnessed what he did? It was killing him not being able to work his usual magic on her. Caleb could see it now: placing his tattooed hand on her thigh as she sat in the passenger seat would definitely get the point across.

”Stop it!” he thought as he shook his head and diverted his eyes back to the road.

“We should be there soon,” he mumbled as he flicked the cigarette out of the window.

The funeral had passed Lola by in a daze. It was the usual sad state of affairs, with everyone patting each other on the back and offering supportive sentiments. In some ways, funerals offered a very positive viewpoint on society. Love, support, even comradeship. The world really wasn't such a bad place after all.

Caleb was clearly suffering, and Lola did feel for him. However, she had never been particularly good at the whole talking therapy thing. Mainly because she used humour as a device to deal with her own issues. It worked for her, but it meant that she was dire when it came down to other people. Choosing to fix her eyes on the window, she repeated the words that the man sitting next to her had said.

"Martha. Got it."

Leaning back into the seat a little, Lola closed her eyes. She really didn't have the energy for being charmingly polite to a room full of strangers'. Plus, she was still sorta' feeling the whole tension thing that was still going on between them. It was just beyond bizarre. Bizarre and exhausting. Subconsciously nibbling on her thumb knuckle, she shot a sideways glance to Caleb.

For the love of god stop it!!!

Surely something, or someone had to give soon? Will power had never been one of Lola's strong points. It would have been quite useful to know what he was thinking.

He just buried his bestfriend for Christ's sake Lola.

Letting out an audible groan, the blonde sunk down into the comfortable leather seat of the truck. Why now? Why did it have to hit this kinda' crescendo today of all days? Nightmare.

Caleb parked in the long driveway that led up to TJ’s small home, and by the looks up it, quite a few people had already arrived. Before getting out, he rested his forehead on the steering wheel and sighed. “I hate parties.” He grabbed the flask again from his pocket and took a swig, but before he could get out of the truck, he saw Jimmy’s younger sister standing in the doorway of the house.

“Oh, shit,” he mumbled as he rubbed his forehead. “Okay. You can’t be his cousin. She’ll know. You’re gonna have to be my girlfriend.” He looked to her as he took off his sunglasses. “Watch out for her, though. She’s feisty.”

“Blue!” the girl called out from the door as she waved her hand at him. He sheepishly waved back and held up a finger to signal he’d come in a minute. “So,” he began quietly, “that’s Jimmy’s sister, Sarah. About a year ago, her and I were hookin’ up regularly. Nothing as serious as she wanted. I never told Jimmy ‘cause I knew he’d flip. But, uh, he showed up at my house one night and we were uh… you know.”

Caleb sighed as he forced himself to continue.

“Anyway, everyone was freaking out. It took Jimmy a week to cool down. He told me my friendship with him or Sarah, and I chose him. I haven’t talked to her since.”

“Blue?” the girl called out again.

“I’m comin’!” he yelled out of the window before looking to Lola. “Well, come on, babe,” he laughed as he stepped out of the truck. “Let’s get this shit over with.”

He and Lola walked towards the door where the girl nearly shrieked with excitement and ran over to him, wrapping her arms around his torso. “I’ve miss you so much, Blue. I’m sor – “ She paused as she looked to Lola with squinted eyes. She was tall and slender, with olive skin and dark features.

He hugged her back much more politely than she had, then pulled away and looked to Lola. “Uh, Lola, this is Sarah. Sarah, this is Lola, my girlfriend,” It felt so weird to say, but he remained confident as he spoke. He'd have to pull this off to not raise any suspicion.

"Is there no end to your list of conquests?"

Lola rolled her eyes in mild amusement and punched Caleb lightly on the upper arm as she wandered casually up to the front door behind him. When faced with Sarah, the blonde just smiled. Showing no sign of any resentment, or giving off anything other than a completely serene aura. The blonde just waved happily, and casually walked past her without a word. Taking a sideways glance, she smirked contently. Fat ass. Feisty was she? Clearly he'd never been to Oklahoma. Quiet Lola may have been, but she wasn't one to be intimidated. She could certainly hold her own if necessary.

The young woman observed the crowded room in curiosity. There seemed to be little groups dotted around in the corners, and there were notably more males than females. The thought of being Caleb's girlfriend made Lola feel a little uneasy, mainly because she hadn't been prepared for it. One minute she's a cousin, and the next thing, bam. Combined with the crazy tension scenario, it just served to make it quite a potent cocktail.

People watching had always been a favoured past time. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Happy. She liked Happy, he amused her greatly, but uncomfortably, there were obviously a whole lot more people that she didn't know, and socialising wasn't exactly her thing. She far preferred animals to humans. Slowly expelling a deep breath through her nose, she gathered herself. It was only a few hours, right?

"She seems, needy." Shooting the man beside her a casual sideways glance, she continued. "You know, I'm just going to throw this out there, but maybe one day we can go someplace where you haven't slept with a high pitched brunette."

Winking mischievously, she stopped to think. Wait, was she jealous? Nah, of course not. What was there to be jealous of? Although one thing was certain, there was no way she was going to be just another conquest.She actually had a brain cell in her head for a start. It didn't leave the most favourable impression of Caleb.

It was certainly turning out to be an incredibly draining day.

Caleb scoffed as he looked down to the shorter woman next to him. "We may have to go to a different city, then," he joked quietly. An older man began to approach to the two, and Caleb slowly out his arm around Lola's shoulders, grazing her skin lightly across her back. "Hey Pops," Caleb said solemnly as he used his free hand to shake the man's. It was Jimmy's father, and based on how he looked, he wasn't taking the death well either."

"Looks like your my only son left, Blue," the man said attempting to smile. Caleb and Jimmy had spent so much time together that it was as if he was family.

"I'm so sorry about Jimmy, man. I have a hard time wrapping my head around it still," Caleb replied, now moving his arm from around Lola's shouldering and relocating his hand to the small of Lola's back. "This is Lola. Lola, this is Jimmy's dad, Roberto."

The short Italian man grabbed Lola's hand and shook it firmly. "Wow, Blue, good job with this one," the man grinned genuinely as he looked between the two. "Haven't seen you with a blonde before."

Caleb's hand gripped her side a bit. "Well, Pops, you gotta try something new once in a while, right?" He looked down to Lola with a smirk on his face.



As soon as he hopped into the truck with Lola, he took a deep sigh. "Thanks for being a good sport," he said with a grin, side eying her.

His phone buzzed in his pocket. "Yeah?" Caleb listened for a minute or so. "Got it. I'll get working on it soon. Bye."

He sighed in frustration. "We're getting threats from the Nines. Not sure what yet, but that's not good. We're not ready for a war right now." He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Do you wanna go to a bar or something? I'm sick of being at my place."

A wave of relief hit Lola as she sat down in the truck. It had actually turned out to be pretty easy going afternoon, and most of the people she'd met had been lovely. However, she couldn't say that she wasn't glad it was over. "Threats?" The blonde regarded Caleb with a semi curious expression. "Like horses heads in the bed? Or is it a bit more subtle than that outside of Hollywood?" With a smirk that showed she was clearly pleased with herself, Lola settled her head against the palm of her hand lazily.

"A bar? Yeah, whatever. I don't mind." Glancing out of the window, Lola contemplated how different she was to the girls Blue had previously been with. In her opinion, she was incredibly low maintenance in comparison. Maybe she was too laid back? Meh, she just couldn't be bothered to whine. It would give her a headache.

"Jimmy's dad seems really sweet. They were all pretty sweet actually." There was a mildly surprised tone to her voice, she hadn't been entirely sure of what to expect. "Anyway, you owe me." Narrowing her eyes dangerously, she leaned across and poked Caleb in the cheek. "All the congratulatory pats on the back you got for bagging me." She continued chuckling as she shook her head in amusement. "I must be totally hot." Waggling her eyebrows to indicate that she was only messing, she stretched contently. In all honesty, there were worse ways to spend your afternoon's than having Blue wrapped around you.

"So the 9's are really kicking off huh? That sucks." Flicking her gaze back to the window, she tucked a few stray curls behind her ear, "You know what I don't get? If they are the 9's because they have 9th, why do they use the old fire house on 5th to store stuff?" Perking her eyebrow in curiosity, she turned back to Caleb, "Isn't that your kinda' zone?" Not realising the significance of her words, she closed her eyes with a chuckle. "Although, Jack did say that it would get them into trouble, and that he thought it was too risky for the business. Whatever that means."

"If they only knew the reason why you were there, huh?" he smirked as his eyes remained on the road. Although he would never admit it out loud, Caleb was truly starting to enjoy Lola's company. Yes, she was a bit quirky and energetic - the opposite of himself - but the contrast of the two was bringing him out of his usually quiet and hardened demeanor.

The light hearted mood shifted to a much more serious one as Lola brought up the Nines. Then it really, really shifted.

"Wait, wait, wait," Caleb began, throwing up a hand, "the Nines are using the old fire station?" He immediately took out his phone and scrolled for Happy's name.

"Hey. 5th street fire house is being used by the Nines. Don't go near it til we can look into it. Thanks."

He nearly nossed his phone into the backseat and rubbed the bridge of his nose before taking a deep breath, and after calming down, he looked to Lola and spoke quietly: "You're a goldmine of information and don't even know it."

He pulled into a small bar's parking lot and hopped out of the trunk. "Stay close," he said as he lit the cigarette dangling out of his mouth. "Some of the regulars are sketchy."

They sat at one corner of the bar and Caleb ordered a whiskey neat, and allowed Lola to order what she wanted.

"So, do you know of any other locations the Nines use that don't seem to be their turf?" He scratched at his head as he began to feel a bit guilty. The man who would have provided her with all this information was one who severely traumatized her. But, his crew came first. Or at least, that's what he was always told. "If you'd rather not talk about it," he folded, "it's fine."

"Oh, so you didn't know that? Ha. Awkward." Lola wrinkled her nose in amusement as she sat down, surveying the bar cautiously. Not really a bar that she would frequent, but it served it's purpose. After ordering a vodka and lime, she perked an eyebrow at Caleb's question. Everything she knew about Jack was complicated. He had told her about a lot of his dealings, but because she hadn't been aware of the whole gang scenario, she wasn't entirely sure what was relevant to Blue, and what wasn't.

"Well, it's hard to know. When he told me, I didn't know that there was any sort of gang thing going on." Settling her chin against the palm of her hand, she thought for a moment or two. "I know that the 'haulage' company goes between here and Cancun, like a little network of dots." Shaking her head, she shrugged a little, "I mean, I'm guessing that's not so much haulage,as trafficking." Blinking, she did remember one detail. "Whatever they do transport, it's stored at the firehouse. Other than that, and something about a Mexican themed bar on 11th, I don't know."

The blonde took a sip from her drink. The sour spike of the lime making her cringe ever so slightly as the cool liquid hit her tongue. She'd been needing that all day. Normally, she would pull out the lime and physically suck on it, but she decided better of it on this occasion. Smirking, she looked at Caleb smugly, "Not just a pretty face, huh?"

The news Lola delivered was definitely groundbreaking. According to Caleb's crew, they all were under the assumption that, if anything, the Nines were only small time dealers on little more than street level. That gave them an advantage over the Nine's in the sense that they distributed and were able to control drugs from going on ninth street and further. Whatever they were beginning to transport or traffic could have a major impact on Caleb's business.

Instead of letting himself get upset over, he nodded as he listened, taking sips of his whiskey. Lola's comment over not being just a pretty face snapped him out of the trance-like state the information put him in.

He smirked as he side-eyed her. "We'll see," he spoke quietly in a gravelly voice. He waved down the bartender and ordered another whiskey, which he slammed down quickly.

"I woulda talked to Smith if he was at the reception. I planned on it. I don't know why he didn't show." Caleb wasn't sure if he was explaining this to her or just talking to himself, but he continued. "With whatever Jack is putting into the works, and now that he's under the assumption you're with me, you're a target. An easy target. No offense." He grinned. "I know staying at my place as been pretty uneventful, but it's in your best interest for now. At least until we take care of the Nines. If you got hurt, it'd be 'cause I got you involved. I don't wanna have that shit on my conscious. I already got enough."

Caleb rolled his shoulders to relieve some of the tension he was feeling and sighed before returning to his partially slumped position. "I'll find a way to get your shit from your house."

"I guess I can learn to like grey. Oh, and my stuff is not shit. It is highly important, and ever so slightly pretty things." With a roll of her eye's, she finished off her drink, deciding to wind up Caleb. It was just too much fun to resist. "You mean, you have a conscience?" Holding her hands up in mock surprise, she shook her head. "I did not see that coming."

The idea of having to stay with Caleb indefinitely brought a plethora of different emotions forward. Mild irritation, frustration, and more surprisingly, a kinda' deep seated relief. Plus, she was almost starting to like him. Feeling the alcohol attempting to work it's magic, the blonde felt more then a little bit relaxed.

"So, what's with the squeaky brunettes?" Lola asked bluntly. "What exactly is wrong with us blonde people? Or even our red headed friends?" Narrowing her eyes playfully, she swirled the ice around her glass with her straw. "Be incredibly careful how you answer that."

Lola was genuinely curious about the type of girl that Blue seemed to be drawn to. Maybe it was easier to do the dirty and leave them if they were mind numbingly annoying to begin with. The inner workings of this mans mind certainly intrigued her, and she felt like she was getting somewhere in unpicking them. That, and because on a subconscious level, she found him rather delicious. Pouting, the young woman looked into her glass as though it was a telescope.

"Empty."

Caleb took the liberty of ordering another drink before answering her question. “I mean. I wouldn’t say it’s a conscious thing, the brunettes. It usually just happens that way.” He took a sip of his drink and swiveled the bar stool a bit to face her. “The girls in this part of town are pretty much all the same. And they all seem to be friends, too,” he explained, his voice taking on an annoyed tone. “I’ve been the cause of a cat fight or two.”

Caleb was not one to throw around compliments to women, mainly because he found most of them to sound quite cheesey. But if he were to be honest, he was finding himself more and more attracted to Lola as he spent more time with her, although not his usual ‘type.’ Especially as he continued to drink, he found it much more difficult not to stare.

“Well, how about you?” He began, turning his chair back towards the bar. “Is the muscular douche bag thing your type? The tall, dark and handsome thing is a bit clichéd now, don’t you think?” He smirked as he asked to show that he wasn’t being mean, but he was curious. A girl like Lola couldn’t be interested in a guy like Caleb.

"Funny, aren't you?" Poking Caleb in the side, Lola bit her bottom lip thoughtfully. "You know, I don't really go for a set type. Jack, is the result of teenage hormonal changes, and just general stupidity. Plus, he just tried for so long, I gave in for ease of life." Laughing in amusement, she wrinkled her nose. "I have been out with an equal amount of blondes, and brunettes, and one Moroccan actually. I have to say, Jack is probably the prettiest. I'm not a jock kinda' gal."

It was true, Lola wasn't really big on preppy. She liked guys that were bit more rough and raw. Manly type of men, with a dangerous side. Johnny Depp hybrids, with muscles. Most preppy guys probably couldn't handle her anyway. "But, I haven't dated a redhead. Maybe that's an avenue I should explore." Smirking, she shook her head in mild disgust. "Nah, my brother is a redhead, that would creep me out."

As she began on her new drink, she side eyed Caleb. There were definitely some perks to having to stay with him for longer. To anybody looking in right now, they probably did look like a couple. "Yeah, most girls do know each other. It's like a disease, and cat fights are just vicious. They scare me."