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"My parents will be looking for me."

"I wouldn't worry about your parents." He smiled as he tossed something into the air and then caught it again. My eyes widened as I realized it was my phone.

I'd left that it my cubby at the ice cream parlor. How did he get it?

"I sent them a nice little message saying you were working late and then decided to crash at a friend's house. Vinny even moved your car around the back of the shop so that it wasn't sitting out in the street for all to see. So you see we have all the time in the world. No one is looking for you, sugar."

I swallowed.

One time, when I was 9 I fell out of a tree at the park. I'd gotten too big for the branches I used to climb when I was little and it snapped in two. The world dropped out from under me and my stomach lurched as time slowed down. It might sound cliché, but it's true, I remember every detail, the clouds through the leaves, the robin that took flight at the cracking of the wood. I landed on my back. The air was knocked from my lungs and suddenly I didn't know which way was up and which was down. The pain was all over and I'd felt like I was dying, because no matter how much I gasped for air it wasn't enough.

That was how I felt the moment Bomber told me what he'd done. The hope that someone was looking for me had been my branch, the only footing I had and in a split second it broke and I fell into pure unadulterated hopelessness.

I was a dead girl walking. I was in a living nightmare, I was a victim and there was nothing, nothing I could do about it.

I looked towards the shadow in the corner of the room. Lethal.

That is what Bomber had called him when he got here. He hadn't said much yet, just told Bomber to un-cuff me and move me to the counter. Then he let Bomber taunt me, tease me, torture me. Bomber had called him "the bad cop". He'd sat back and watched, his eyes depthless and dark. The eyes of a murderer.

Some small part of me was relieved. That he looked evil and didn't hide behind jokes and smiles the way his partner did.

"That's enough." He finally spoke as he strode from the shadowed corner of the room and made his way closer to us. Bomber winked at me as he backed away without question.

My body trembled with each passing footstep. I breathed in the mildewed air and tried not to gag on fear.

"You've become a bit of a problem, haven't you Ms. Oakley."

"You killed Randy."

"I did, business is business. You're welcome by the way, the kid was an assault waiting to happen."

"He- He didn't deserve to die." I whispered and he frowned.

"I don't have time for this."

His voice was a midnight bonfire. Smokey, rough, so husky that I thought he must have been faking it. He looked so much like his brother and yet nothing like him. He was darker, more of a shadow than a burning fire. If Bomber was a wicked flame, then his partner was the soot and smoke.

"Do you know this boy?" he asked and slid a picture out of the manilla file in front of him and across the counter so I could see it.

I sniffed and wiped at my glassy eyes so I could get a better look. I frowned down at the glossy smiling face that looked back up at me. Brown hair, brown eyes hidden behind a pair of glasses, and teeth as white and straight as a toothpaste model. He was cute, a little nerdy looking, but cute. I recognised him.

I glanced up at Lethal, then looked over at Bomber who was leaning against the wall by the fridge. He was staring at me and his mouth twitched as he caught my eyes. He nodded slightly, almost like he was giving me permission to answer Lethal. Or maybe he was encouraging me. Either way I looked back down at the picture so I didn't have to look at either of them as I answered.

I cleared my throat, "Um yeah. Collin, Collin something? I graduated high school with him I think." I whispered, nervous and unsure if I should have answered honestly.

They were murders. I had no idea why they wanted to know if knew Collin, but I had a feeling whatever their reasoning was it wasn't anything good. I hoped I answered them correctly, and when Lethal nodded I gripped the edge of the counter tightly.

"His name is Collin Monturi and he happens to be the son of a man who is of great concern to my brother and I. Judson Monturi. Are you familiar with him?"

Confusion swarmed me like a rattled nest of wasps.

"What does this have to do with me?" I asked in return.

"Answer the question." his voice was lethal. I supposed that was appropriate. He'd taking the same route as his apparent brother and not given me his real name. I mean, I was sure Lethal and Bomber were not their real names. No mother would call their children that... right?

I paused, "No," swallow, "I never knew Collin's father."

Lethal held my eye for a moment, as though challenging me to lie to him. I shivered in my seat.

"Alright, listen and listen damn good because I'm not going to repeat myself. You're going to befriend our boy Collin here and get close to his family."

"I am?"

"You are." Bomber's answered before Lethal could. I clenched my teeth as he smiled at me with that twinkle I'd seen in his eye so often already. He found all this very amusing. When his brother showed up and asked him to un cuff me he seemed excited. However, sitting at the kitchen counter with them I missed being stuck to the radiator. I didn't want to be close to them, to feel comfortable around them.

They must have been confident I couldn't get away with both of them there if they didn't have me restrained anymore. Even without the massive Vinny around I was helpless against them. I wished I could prove them wrong, but I knew I couldn't. For now I entertained their questioning.

"Why?"

My mind was racing. I expected Lethal to kill me the moment he arrived, but instead he'd instructed Bomber to set me free and have a conversation with me. They had no reason to let me survive the scene of the crime let alone let me leave this rotten place. I didn't know what fucked up game they were playing at, trying to give me hope? Whatever it was, I hated it. And it scared me more than if they were open with their plans.

"It doesn't matter why. You'll do what I say, or I'll put a bullet through your head the same way I did your perverted little friend."

My lip trembled and I bit it to keep it steady, "Okay okay, what do you want me to do? I haven't spoken to Collin in years, I don't know a thing about him."

"It is not my problem how you choose to do this, just that you fucking do it. Do you hear me Ms. Oakley? As for what I want you to do, I need you to get into Monturi's office. As of now all I am going to tell you is we need some very important documents he has, lives depend upon it."

"What kind of documents?" I asked, my curiosity peaked despite the constant fear I felt in my veins.

Lethal took the picture away and placed it back in his file, "That is on a need to know basis I'm afraid and right now, you don't need to know."

"How am I supposed to find something when I don't know what I'm looking for-?"

He slammed a hand on the table top and I jumped, a small shout leaving my lips. It triggered an onslaught of tears and when I looked into his dark soulless eyes I felt the strings of my sanity fraying. I pressed my lids together and tried not to collapse into a sobbing mess. I didn't want to help them, but they were crazy and they would kill me if I didn't. I knew that, I may have been terrified but I wasn't stupid.

"I said, you don't need to know. You are not in the position to be asking questions. Unfortunately you were in the wrong place at the wrong time. I may not know you very well but I think you're smart enough to realise when someone isn't fucking around. Let me make this clear Annie, you have a choice here."

Did he just call me Annie?

"You can either agree to do this job for us, keep your mouth shut and walk out of this alive. Or you can say no, and I'll make sure that you will never see the light of day again."

"That's not a choice." I gritted out, frustrated and angry at how simple he tried to make it sound. As though he were asking if I wanted chocolate or rainbow sprinkles.

A wicked, tortured grin cracked across his shadow of a face. It was sinister and darkly beautiful. The devil was originally God's favorite angel.

"But it is, Annie. It's your decision. It's the first real decision you've ever had to make in your life. Quite possibly the only one that will ever matter in your pathetic, cushy world. You're welcome. Again."

When he was done his face was an inch from mine, his white teeth glaring at me.

"Lethal." Bomber's voice shattered the glass bubble I had been in with his brother and I was grateful for it.

Lethal leaned back, "What?" he snapped, but Bomber didn't reply.

I didn't want either of those things. But I wanted to live. Besides, if they really were going to let me go, let me go back into town.

I took a deep breath. Despite what he said I knew I had no choice, "If I do this, you'll let me go?"

"Yes."

"For good? Even after I get... whatever it is you're looking for. You'll let me live?"

Suddenly he did something unexpected, he chuckled. I wanted to cringe at the sound. It was ominous.

"Smart girl, I'll give you that. Yes. If you do what we say, everything we say you'll live. For as long as you keep your mouth shut. If you ever think about running to the cops, or telling anyone we'll kill your family and then you. Rats don't survive long in my world, Ms. Oakley. And you'll do well to remember it."

My family?

Shit. There went my plans of running to the police once I was back in town.

I had no fucking choice.

Get the files or whatever the fuck these assholes wanted and live or don't and get my parents and myself murdered.

I looked down at my hands under the table. They, along with my arms and shirt were splattered with dried, wine colored stains. I almost threw up again as I looked at them.

It wasn't my blood. But it easily could be if I didn't do as they wanted.

"I want to take a shower, please."

It was my yes. I'd help them. They had to know I would. Were there people who would say no in my situation?

They weren't asking me to hurt anyone, they only wanted me to- to what? Befriend someone I knew in high school? Get to know Collin and his dad? How hard could it be? How wrong could it be? It was a small price to pay to save my life and my family's.

"A shower." Lethal repeated. Slowly he appraised me with his dark gaze. I shifted, from one foot to the other and rubbed my wrenched wrist. There was a red line around it from the handcuff and I thought it was swelling slightly from how I twisted it from when I woke up earlier.

"Yes I-" my voice cracked and tears prickled at my waterline, "I need to wash- wash it off. I need to get it off." I said softly, "Please."

I was so lost in Lethal's eyes Bomber's voice caused me to jump in seat, "I'll take her to clean up."

The room was tense for a moment before Lethal nodded and gave the okay.

The bathroom was just as shitty as the rest of the house. It had one globed light fixture in the center of the cracked and rotten ceiling that was filled with the carcasses of dead bugs and dust, which dimmed the bulbs glow. The sink rusted and had a drip and there were tiles missing on the floor.

I stared at the shower bath. It had rings along the bar attached to the side, but it lacked any real curtain.Meaning, it was completely open. I hoped he didn't plan on watching me shower.

But most importantly, the first thing I'd looked for when I came in, there was no window. No escape.

"Be sure to rate us five stars on Yelp, darling." Bomber said from behind me as he dropped a white fluffy towel on the toilet lid. It stood out so starkly against this place. It was clean and fresh, like it had never been used.

I turned around to face him and didn't crack a smile. He rolled his eyes.

"God you're a bore. I hope you lighten up other wise this partnership will be a goddamn drag."

I couldn't stop the anger that flared up inside me, "Partnership? Partnership? Is that what you call this? I'm sorry I don't want to laugh at your stupid jokes while my life in on the line."

I regretted opening my mouth the moment I was finished expecting him to whip out his knife and have it at my throat again. He didn't though, he just grinned at me like a mad man.

"Now that's what I'm talking about." He chuckled. He leaned forward and I flinched back. Suddenly the sound of water sputtered to life.

I let out a breath as he leaned away without laying a finger on me.

"I'd get cleaned up if I were you, you look crazier than I am. The sun will be rising and we got to get you back into town. You've got a job to do."

Before I could say anything he turned on his heel and headed towards the door, "Mind if I leave this open? Don't want you sharpening a toothbrush while you're in here. And don't worry I won't peak."

With that he walked out.

And I broke down.

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A/N- Finally! A new chapter! I'm not thrilled with how this one turned out, it was hard to get Ainsley and Lethal's interaction the way I wanted it, but I had to remind myself this is a first draft!

On that note, sorry for any errors, but I hope you guys liked it! Don't forget to vote and comment :)