"Do you have to go?" Charlie questioned as Audrey began getting dressed.

"Did you expect me to stay the night?" she asked sarcastically.

"Would it be so bad if you did?"

Audrey knew how bad things could get if she didn't get home to Frank. He had made sure of that, but despite Frank's terrible temper, it was hard to leave Charlie. He was the first "assignment" that had actually acknowledged her as a person and not treated her as the role she was supposed to be playing.

"I told you, Charlie..."

He sighed in frustration. "I know what you told me, but..." he said as he stood up and took a hold of Audrey's hands. "Can't you just make an exception? For me?"

Charlie was a recent assignment...he was also the youngest man she had been asked to seduce, most likely around her own age. He had been sweet to her...and caring...dare she say they had made love and not just fucked. They had talked and he had genuinely showed interest in what she said. Charlie was different.

"You know I can't...I should go."

"What if I told you I'm starting to have feelings for you, Audrey?"

"I'd tell you to stop." She said as she began heading to the door.

Charlie met her at the door.

"So this is it? Just like that?"

"That's how this works. The arrangement was for 1 week, right?" Audrey replied.

Charlie nodded. "So you'd object to us seeing each other after this?"

Audrey looked at him. This was the first time she actually felt sad about leaving. "We can't..."

"We can't...or you won't?"

"Charlie...you knew what you were getting when this started. This...this was just about sex, right? You wanted someone to spend the week before you had to go back? To not feel alone...that's what I gave you. I have nothing else to give you."

"What if I do? What if I ask you to leave that life?"

"Then you never understood what this was about. I have to go...you take care, okay." Audrey smiled.

"What if I told you we'll see each other again." He grinned.

"I'd say it's not likely." Audrey said as she placed her hands on his chest and softly kissed his lips. He kissed her back and then slowly moved out of the way so she could open the door

***

"Audrey! Where the hell have you been!" Frank said as he roughly grabbed a hold of her arm and pulled her inside.

"I...I'm sorry I was..."

"C'mon..get inside. I have a little surprise for you."

"Surprise?"

"Yeah...I think you're well acquainted with him".

"What are you talking about?" Audrey asked as Frank led her down the hall and into the farthest room. She gasped and cried out as she saw Charlie, strapped to a chair, bruised face and blood streaming down his face.

"Why is he..."Audrey started as she put her hands to her mouth. Charlie lifted his head and saw her.

"Oh..." Audrey cried. "What did you do, Frank?" she yelled.

"What did I do? What did you do, Audrey. You had an assignment..."

"I did the assignment...I got you what you needed. Why bring him here? Do this to him?"

"Bring him? You think I brought him? Oh no, darlin'. He came on his own... now how did he know about this place, Audrey? Have you been opening that little mouth of yours?" Frank said taking her by the neck and pushing her against the wall.

"No!" she managed to say as she tried to pry Frank's hand from her neck. She could feel his grip getting tighter. "I didn't tell him anything."

"Then who did? Who the fuck told him about this place?" he said releasing his grip a bit so Audrey could speak.

"It...it wasn't me." She replied gasping for air.

"Liar!" Frank replied.

"I followed her!" Charlie yelled across the room. "She didn't tell me anything! I followed her the other night."

Frank released his grip around Audrey's throat and she fell to the floor, bringing her hands to her neck.

"You followed her, did you? Why...?" he said walking towards Charlie.

Charlie didn't respond. "Why?!?" Frank repeated as he punched him in the gut. Charlie groaned as blood dripped from his mouth. He raised his head and spit at Frank.

Frank chuckled as he pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket. "Looks, like you don't care about your own life, do you son?"

"I'm not your fuckin' son." Charlie replied with anger.

"You may not care about your life...but maybe..." Frank said as he walked back to where Audrey was and pulled her to her feet, dragging her towards Charlie. "maybe you might just care enough about hers." Frank smiled down at him. Charlie's eyes widened as Frank pushed Audrey down to her knees in front of him. Audrey was crying as she stared at Charlie.

"Now I'm going to ask you again. Why are you here?"

Charlie kept looking at Audrey, but didn't say a word.

"That's how you want to play it, huh? Alright." Frank said as he lifted his pant leg and pulled out a gun. "Have it your way." He continued as he pointed the gun to Audrey's head.

Audrey's face filled with tears. "Frank...what are you doing?" she said through her tears.

"This is how this business goes, Audrey. You have to have some collateral."

"You're using me as that collateral?" she asked fearfully.

"I can see how you wouldn't like your odds." Frank said cynically. "Let's try something else, then. Shall we?"

Frank dropped the gun he had pointing at Audrey and reached behind to pull out another gun he had tucked into his pants.. He took her hands and wrapped them around the gun he had just pulled out and positioned it so it was pointing directly at Charlie's head. Immediately she felt the gun barrel of the other gun on her temple.

"So your odds just went up, Audrey. I'm going to ask him one last time why he was here...and if he doesn't answer, you're going to shoot him...or I will shoot you."

Audrey's hands were trembling and she was having a hard time seeing through her tear filled eyes.

"Now...one last time...why are you here?" Frank asked Charlie.

Charlie looked at Audrey before speaking.

"I want you to shoot me, you understand." Charlie said to Audrey.

"No! I can't!" Audrey cried.

"Shoot him or I'll shoot you!" Frank yelled.

"No!" Audrey repeated.

"Shoot me, Audrey! Just shoot me!" Charlie urged.

"Shoot him!" Frank continued.

Audrey's hands were trembling, tears streaming down her face...but she couldn't pull the trigger. She closed her eyes and braced herself. Seconds later, she heard the shot. She opened her eyes and saw Charlie's body fall back into the chair. She looked at Frank who was still pointing the gun at Charlie.

Audrey screamed frantically. She looked at Frank in shock.

"Wh- Why did you do that? Why did you kill him?" she screamed.

"He's dead because of you!" Frank yelled as he yanked the gun out of Audrey's hands. "How many times have I told you to be careful when you come here! How many? It was your carelessness that got him killed."

"He didn't have to die!" Audrey sunk to the floor as she saw a pool of blood forming near Charlie's body.

"He didn't? What did you want me to do with him? He knew about this place. He was here for something! What did he want? What did you tell him, Audrey! What did you tell him!" Frank asked grabbing her wrist.

"Nothing! I didn't tell him anything! He was here for me! He wanted me!" she yelled as she pulled her wrist away.

***

"You didn't pull the trigger, Audrey. You weren't the one who killed him." Ringo said softly as he took a hold of Audrey's hands.

"Maybe I didn't pull the trigger...but he died because of me." Audrey replied almost inaudible. "So many people have probably died because of me..."

Ringo bit his lip. He wasn't sure what to tell Audrey after everything she had just told him. It was almost too much to take in. Looking at her sitting there in front of him, she looked so vulnerable...she had been so open with him...about everything...that he couldn't help but feel compassion for her.

He leaned in and softly pressed his lips against hers. She looked surprised when he pulled away.

"How can you even look at me...let alone kiss me...after everything you know about me?" she questioned. "You should hate me right now."

"I could never hate you, Audrey...my feelings for you have not changed."

"How could they not have changed?" she asked in disbelief.

"I'll admit...it'll take me some time to adjust to everything you've told me, but...I can't tell my heart what to feel, Audrey...it just...feels what it feels. Just like you haven't been able to stop what you feel for me..."

"But Ringo...I'm exactly the woman you don't deserve..." Audrey cried.

"You could tell me exactly what I want to hear, Audrey...but if you build a house with no walls, it won't stand. I want our house to stand...and you just laid the foundation down."

"It's not a very strong foundation, Ringo.  I'm a mess...and you're not safe with me, don't you see that?" she urged.  "I'm the last person you should be with...you shouldn't even be here right now.  You should leave."

"Why?  Why should I go?"

"Because!" Audrey cried. "I don't want anything to happen to you!"

"And I don't want anything to happen to you, Audrey." Ringo said taking her in his arms.  "Let me help you."

"You can't!" Audrey said as she cried into Ringo's chest.  "Nobody can."

***

Cynthia sighed as she watched Leo and Nico interact a few feet away from her.  She couldn't believe she was in this situation, but she was glad she had an ally.  She closed her eyes and leaned against the headboard, remembering that first conversation with Nico.

"Now...you and I are going to take this time to get to know each other a little better." Nico said after hearing the door close behind Leo. 

"Please don't hurt me." Cynthia pleaded fearfully.

"The first thing you need to know about me is that I am not here to hurt you, okay?"

Cynthia nodded. 

Nico looked at Cynthia.  He could see the fear in her eyes and he knew she didn't believe a word he was saying to her.  He sighed, knowing he was going to have to be honest with her in order to keep her safe. 

"I'm sorry about the way I treated you and Audrey before...but I had to keep up appearances in front of Leo...and especially Frank."

"Keep up appearances?" Cynthia questioned.

Nico nodded.  He knew he didn't have much time before Leo came back with the food and he didn't know when he'd have the opportunity to be with Cynthia alone again.  "I'm not one of them, Cynthia."

Cynthia hesitated.  She looked at him; his face had softened, something that she hadn't seen while Leo or Frank were present. 

"If you're not one of them...then who are you?  And why would you be mixed up with the likes of them if you weren't one of...them?"

"Sometimes you get mixed up with these type of people not by your own choice...you just get drawn in...take Audrey, for example. She-"

"Audrey? But I saw how you treated her...how you slammed her against the wall...how could..."Cynthia trailed off before finishing her thought. "Audrey's involved in this?" she asked with disbelief.

"Not in the way you think."

"Then in what way?"

"It's complicated, but we don't have time to go into that right now."

"What about you, then?  Why are you here?  Why are you involved in all of this?  How did you get mixed up with Frank?"

Nico took a moment to respond.  "I got drawn in..."

Cynthia sighed with frustration.  How on earth could someone just get drawn in?

"I don't believe you." Cynthia said firmly. "You just don't get drawn in....what reason could you have to get involved with people like them?  To be a part of this circle of people.  These ...bad people."

"Revenge." Nico responded.

Cynthia looked at him, not expecting that answer.

"I'm here to avenge the murder of a friend, Cynthia...that's what brought me here."

"Frank killed your friend?" Cynthia asked softly.

"Charlie...his name was Charlie...and yes, that fuckin' bastard blew his brains out." Nico replied.  Cynthia could hear the anger in his voice as he spoke.

"I'm so sorry..." Cynthia said as she patted his hand in an effort to show empathy.

Nico took in a deep breath and gave Cynthia an appreciative look.  "Thank you."

Cynthia hesitated to ask a question that was on her mind, but she couldn't help herself.

"If you're here to avenge Charlie's death...why haven't you...ummm..."

"Killed him already?" Nico finished for her.

Cynthia nodded.

"It's not so easy, Cynthia.  If it was up to me, I would have shoved my knife into his heart by now...but if I really want to avenge Charlie's death, I have to make sure Charlie didn't die in vain."

"I don't understand."

"Frank has a lot of information that I need...information that Charlie died trying to obtain.  I need to find it before I kill the bastard."

After a few seconds of silence, Cynthia spoke up again.

"What's going to happen to me, Nico?"

"Nothing if I can help it."