Killer had developed this habit of texting you often. At first you weren't too sure about it but after a couple weeks, you started looking forward to each one. It was all normal things. He'd ask about your day, discuss work, and talk about the little things that would come up. You still enjoyed those few short moments of your time he took up with each one.

You were proud of how quickly you got the hang of using the phone. Much of your free time was now spent surfing the internet and keeping up to date on the local happenings of the city. You found one of the best parts of it was it helped you on your jobs. You could figure out information faster to make things go more smoothly and you didn't have to spend as much time scouting out locations or people.

You were actually able to use it to find out some things on a local big wig in the city for your current job. It was nothing hard, low risk low reward kind of thing, but you'd already gathered up all the money you needed to pay bills so this was just extra income. All you had to do was scout the guy out and give a detailed report of his schedule for the week. Someone else had bigger plans for the guy, plans you didn't want to get any more involved in than telling the client how he liked to spend his days.

You were on your last day and expected it to go like all the others. The old fuck spent the morning at home with his wife, went to work for all of a couple hours and then down to the golf course for the rest of the day. After that he called his wife, letting her know he'd be working late. And by that, he meant going to see one of his mistresses. You'd counted three of them so far. The guy got around.

So here you were, waiting outside the woman's house in a tree, keeping track of how long he was there. You'd already noted all the other important information like the address, what she looked like, and his time of arrival. The man seemed to be a creature of habit and stuck to a pretty strict schedule all things considered. The client wouldn't have a problem executing whatever plan they had for this poor bastard. He could consider whatever came his way karma for cheating as far as you cared.

Your phone vibrated in your pocket and you knew it had to be one of two people messaging you. Ivankov got your number not long after you got the phone and he messaged you a lot too. Half the time it was because he was drunk off his ass though. It was either him or Killer and to your delight, it was the latter.

– How long are you working?

He was always very proper with his messages. Almost perfect grammar and punctuation. Ivankov was another story.

– Probably for another hour. How'd you know I'm working?

– Swung by your place and Delilah said you were working overtime.

– What'd you need?

– Time away from the crew. Can you meet me at the Monarch when you're done? I'll buy you a drink.

A drink did sound nice. A free one was all the better.

– Sure. I'll see you then.

The thought of meeting up with him had you feeling a little nervous. That'd started happening not long after he gifted you the phone. You decided to listen to Delilah's advice and had been good about letting Killer come around without complaint and were really giving him a chance. It led to you finding out you enjoyed his company a lot more than you originally thought. But before each meet up, you'd be a bundle of nerves.

It was strange. It'd start out small but the closer the time came to seeing him, the worse it got. And when you actually got face to face and he began to talk, the anxious feeling would suddenly disappear to be replaced with a sense of calm. Maybe you were really starting to trust him.

He'd still bring up the dragon from time to time, mentioning how it hadn't been seen since he saw it at the factory and how he'd like another chance to run into it. Or he'd play the "what if" game with you about it. What if it had some other ghastly secret it was trying to hide. What if someone killed it. What if it was hiding right under everyone's nose in the most simple yet clever way possible.

Sometimes it's feel like he was hinting about you being the dragon and you'd always sidestep those situations. Only one person knew your secret as far as you understood and it was going to stay that way. No amount of trust would lead you to letting anyone else know. The more people knew the more opportunities there was for a slip up and you wouldn't let that happen.

You were brought back to reality by the man you were watching stepping out of the house and waltzing back to his car like nothing in the world mattered. Yep. He got laid. You marked his time of departure on your notepad but didn't bother to follow him anymore. He was going back home to his wife, so you'd go visit with Killer for a bit.

----

"Hiya Blue." Killer called to you from a bar stool. "All finished?"

"Yep." You chirped and sat in the empty stool between him and another man, the latter glancing at you and scooting away a bit once he noticed who you were with. Apparently people knew who he was and didn't think twice about giving him space, lest they do something to piss him off.

"Got paid and everything so I can afford my own alcohol tonight." You said proudly, swinging around in your seat.

"Look at you go." He smirked. "All responsible and shit."

You ordered a drink, noticing Killer already had one in hand.

"Give me a little more time and I'll be paying that phone bill." You giggled.

You were itching to turn into the dragon again. It'd been too long since you last did it but you were also skeptical about doing it. There was the chance someone might decide to drop in on the dragon's next job and ruin things once again. That would not surprise you.

"Sorry, you can't do that." His smirk widened. "Me paying it is part of the present. You're going to just have to keep your money and suffer knowing I've got you covered."

"You can do that all you want, I still think you're an asshole."

"I'd be worried if you didn't."

You slammed back the rest of your drink and ordered another one. It was a good night to get a buzz going.

"So why the need to get away from the guys? Do you all live together actually? It seems like you're always with them."

"Kid's out for the night and everyone else took that as their cue to party. I wasn't in the mood for that."

You glanced around the club. "You wanted to get away from a party...so you came here."

It was all flashing lights and loud music. Complete strangers grinding up on other strangers while other people scampered off to the bathrooms for drugs and sex. You could think of a few better places to go to avoid a party.

"Yeah." He scrunched up his nose. "We could go back to your place when you finish that. And yes, to answer your other question. We kind of live together at a shared complex for the gang."

You tuned out the second half of what he said. Killer had been to your place before but he'd never actually suggested going to your place together. It almost sounded like he had something else in mind. You blushed and sipped at your drink.

"I-isn't there somewhere else you'd rather go?"

"Hmm? Not really. There's nowhere else as close." He took in your flustered appearance and broke into a wide, toothy smile. "C'mon now Blue, if that was what I was going for I would've tried asking you out on a date again first. But if you'd rather jump right into business..."

"No!" You cleared your throat and felt your blush deepening. "No, I'm good."

"Bummer. I would've liked that." His eyes held a playful glint. You could tell he was teasing but not to what extent. There was something there that told you he would have been more than happy to get time alone with you.

"I don't think you would." You shook your head and quickly finished what was left of your alcohol.

"Why's that?"

The conversation took a real personal twist and if you were going to say more, you'd rather not do it here. You put what you owed for the two drinks on the counter and slid out of your seat. Killer followed, watching you curiously as you headed out the club. As soon as you were out, greeted by cool, humid air, you continued.

"It's uh, reasons." Not much of a good answer but you couldn't say it straight.

"Reasons." He mused, heading to his bike.

"Yep."

"Oh." His shoulders shook as he threw his head back in a silent laugh. "You've never been with a man, have you?"

Someone give this man an award.

"It's not funny." You snatched the helmet he offered out of his hands.

"I'm sorry, it's just..." He had to turn around to compose himself, putting on his own helmet before turning back to you. "There's nothing wrong with that. It's just not something I expected from you."

"Wait, what's that supposed to mean?" That somehow offended you, like he thought you'd be laying around with half the city.

"It means you're a good looking woman who doesn't take shit from anyone and that's attractive. I thought you'd have found some guy you liked at some point."

Killer swung a leg over the bike and started it up. He waited for you to get on and took off, making you have to yell to be heard.

"You've heard me talk, I scare guys off!"

"Not me!" He yelled back. "And I don't care about all that by the way, so that date or whatever you want still stands!"

You hugged yourself to his back, feeling wisps of blonde hair tickle your nose from the wind. The offer still stood and you almost wanted to take him up on it. The date that is. Maybe that was it. All your nervousness about seeing him each time was you feeling something for him. You didn't quite know how to feel about that. Killer was supposed to be the asshole that just happened into your life.

The rest of the ride was spent in silence but it wasn't long until you were back to the apartment. The fifteen minute walk was even shorter on the bike, especially when Killer was going over the speed limit. You liked the thrill it gave you when the bike jerked forward each time he sped up. It always roared loudly and sent wind and hair whipping around your face wildly. You were pretty sure he did it because he could feel your heart jump against his back every time.

When he pulled up and parked, he was about to say something but you weren't paying attention. You were focused on another thing that had you slowly panicking.

"Hey, what're–" Killer let out a grunt as you shoved the helmet to his chest and ran to your apartment door.

It was barely hanging on it's hinges and was thrown open. When you scrambled inside, the damage was even worse. The kitchen was in shambles, water running out of the broken faucet and spilling from the overflowing sink and onto the floor. Shattered dishes covered the ground along with glass jars and cans of food. Your small fridge was on its side, it's door tossed carelessly on the other end of the room.

What was once your nightstand was torn apart with bits and pieces scattered across the room, laying in the puddles of water. Your bed was ripped apart, unsalvageable just like everything else. You swallowed the lump in your throat and went to check the bathroom. It was just as bad. The shower was ruined, sink reduced to garbage, toilet just a mess of ceramic pieces. But what you were most worried about was your money. Everything you had was stored in the box of tampons under the sink.

You fell to your knees and jerked at the door to the cabinet under the sink. It was shattered and stuck in it's frame but after a few good tugs you were able to move it. Your hand got cut up a bit in the process but you hardly noticed. The box had obviously been gone through and as you tossed tampons around like a mad woman, you realized your money was gone. All of it.

"Blue?" Killer called from the bathroom doorway.

"They took it." You swallowed back tears. Everything you had was either ruined beyond repair or gone. "My money's gone, all of it."

He crouched down to your level and met you with a soft stare. "We'll figure this out but first we need to see if anyone called the cops and take care of that hand."

You looked down at the hand in your lap, balled into a fist. Blood was seeping out and onto your jeans much faster than it should have with just a few small cuts. You must have hurt it more than you thought.

"That was everything I had." Your voice quivered as you thought about how every second you sat here, the further they got away with your money.

"I know, we'll figure this out. Promise."