It's close to closing and Luci is tired. Her legs are sore from standing all day and her hands are dry from washing dishes. "Luce, can you take out the trash?" Jackson calls from the kitchen. Luci peeks through the small double doors that remind her of olden day saloons. "Yeah, but only if you finish the rest of the dishes," she says smiling slightly. Jackson grins and nods his head in affirmation.

"Deal."

"Deal."

With that, she gathers all the trash from all the bins and heads out back behind the café. The alley behind the café is narrow and darkened outside. The dumpsters cast shadows onto the walls playing tricks on her eyes. An old generator hums in the near distance as Luci grabs the last bag from the kitchen and steps outside. She pauses. Something feels off. The air is still but there's a sound of footsteps. They stop as soon as she steps down off the back stoop.

It's silent for a moment but she turns to her left just as a shape ducks just out of view—a blur of a shape. She freezes and listens for a second, trying to let her eyes adjust to the dark. There's nothing. Luci shakes her head. She had to have imagined it because there's no noise to suggest something is out there. But the hair on her arms is unmistakable and the tremble in her hands is even more present than usual.

She quickly throws all the trash into the bin and makes her way back inside quickly, her heart thudding in her chest. Just shapes and shadows and the noise of a generator. Nothing is unusual and everything is okay. I'm fine.

Jackson looks up from the dishes he's gathered and notices the uneasiness in her feet and the tremor in her hands. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asks softly taking a step towards her. Luci shakes her head trying to rid her mind of the creepy feeling. "Nothing, I think I'm just tired." "Are you sure you want to walk home tonight? You know I don't like it when you do," he says putting the dishes in the sink. The lights in the kitchen feel bright and she takes a deep breath before exhaling.

Jack was always so concerned about her, and she appreciated it. But he does know that she can handle herself and that's what annoys her. Luci hates that feeling of being vulnerable and people thinking she needs help. Even if she does, she refuses to listen. It's only at night that everyone is suddenly so concerned, but in the daylight the day feels different. Everyone is awake and aware, but at night, that's when things seem to be a little off. But it's like that everywhere. Or that's what she tries to convince herself of.

"And you know that my brothers have taught me how to fight back," Luci says dropping her shoulders. Jack smiles but doesn't comment any more. The rest of closing goes smoothly. Jackson does the dishes, Luci sweeps and mops, and Maria cleans the espresso machine. As Lucy finishes off the floors, Jackson helps her put all the chairs back down into their rightful spots.

"Can you lock the door Luce?" Maria asks, finishing wiping down the espresso machine. Luci doesn't respond but does as she is told. As she locks the door, she glances one last time at the black sedan across the street. It had been sitting there most of her shift and at this point it was actually becoming a weird thing. There weren't a lot of places on this particular block for a car to be sitting here at this time of night.

Instead of mentioning it though, Luci pushes it to the back of her mind. But as she walks home that night, there's a slight chill to the night and her keys are stuck in between her fingers. Every shadow she sees makes her jump. When she makes it to her apartment she hurries inside and shuts the door, locking it. Luci takes a moment to collect herself before she hangs her keys up and begins her routine of showering and eating a small snack as her dinner. She's still restless afterwards though so she doesn't go to sleep right away. Instead, she calls her brother-in-law Johnathan.

"Hey Lucille, what's up?" John answers the phone quickly. Luci smiles into the phone, even though he can't see it. John was one of her favorite people to call because he always made time for her even when he was busy. John was a police officer who recently had been through the academy. "I just needed to call someone," Luci says taking a seat on her couch. She feels the familiar rumbling laugh through the phone and hears him taking a seat on a squeaky dining room chair. She can almost feel John smiling through the phone. "And you chose me huh? Guess I'm lucky."

Luci dips her head onto her chest and takes a deep breath. "What are you guys up to tonight?" she asks. "I'm heading out for night shift, but your sister and the kids are off at grandmas for the weekend," he says. She hears the laces of his boots tighten. She sighs and relaxes onto her couch, bringing her feet over the armrest. "When are you off nights?" Luci questions. There's more shuffling over the phone before she hears a door open and click close. "Just for one more month, why?"

"I was hoping to come see you guys around the fourth, but if you're going to be on duty, it'd probably be too boring," she says slightly grinning. A car door opens and closes, and she hears him start his truck. There's a delay in his laughter, but she knows it's genuine. "Okay now you're being a little ridiculous," he says buckling his seat belt.

"I know, I just... I miss you all, truly."

"I know Lucille, but I promise we'll see each other sooner than you think."

"Promise?"

John pauses. "Promise."

"Okay then. Be safe tonight, okay? I love you John," Luci says closing her eyes, trying to imagine her family here. "Love you too. Don't forget you can still call me whenever you want to," he says. "I know," she says quietly. There's a few beats of silence before they say their goodbyes and she's alone in her apartment once more.

Now that she's alone, her thoughts wander to the inevitable. Had she'd actually seen something in the alley or was she so tired her mind was playing tricks on her. Luci could feel her heartbeat quicken at just the thought of someone being out there. It felt like she was being watched now. If someone were to be watching her, why would they? It's not like she was a very interesting person. Or maybe... maybe it had to do with the group of Hispanic (probably military) group? Either way, she didn't enjoy the feeling of eyes on her.

It's late now, but she still doesn't feel tired. And the night feels darker than normal. So instead of trying to sleep in her bed she throws an old Western movie on with low volume and pulls out a book she'd been meaning to read. Her TBR list was longer than she'd like it to be, so she had to start somewhere. Her eyes are so tired, but she forces herself awake for several more hours, but soon she gives in and she's asleep.

There's a noise that wakes her, and for a second, she isn't sure what she heard. But then just outsider her window there's a sound of glass shattering. Luci jerks upright, her heart hammering in her chest. She peeks through her blinds just as heavy footsteps race right past her window. She flies backwards in shock and drops her book on the table next to the couch. There's more shouting in the distance outside and then banging. More heavy footsteps—probably boots—and then a scream. It's a woman's scream, sharp and panicked.

Another figure rushes past the window, but it's not quiet just yet. Luci makes a scramble for her phone on the counter, but there's a knock at her door. She pauses but makes the quick decision to run to her bedroom and shut the door. She sits on the floor and with shaky hands starts to dial the emergency line, but BOOM! She hears her door kicked in. Luci drops her phone and holds her breath. There's hurried footfalls. She can feel their boots beating against the floor. And then her bedroom door is kicked in. Dust and splinters are flying, and Luci falls back against the wall nearby holding her hands in front of her chest.

She doesn't scream, but she can feel it inside her heart, waiting to burst out. A man in a gray sweatshirt and black pants rushes in first his weapon up, scanning the room. Another man is right behind him, barking commands in fluent Spanish. The gray sweatshirt guy who Luci remembers from the cafe points his gun her way and there's a brief flicker of shock or recognition. Of which it is Luci isn't quite sure, but his gun drops just slightly. Luci's eyes are wide, but she isn't crying, just waiting. She can feel her body fully tense; her breath caught in her throat.

The man behind the first one is shouting. "Where did they go? Did you see a man and woman run past here?" Luci stammers still unable to breath, but eventually she points towards the left. "They ran down-down the alley I think," she says breathless. The second man takes off instantly, running out of her bedroom, through the kitchen, and out past her window.

The first man stays, the guy who she had a hard time reading. And this time she can see he remembers her. The man lowers his gun to the ground completely. He checks the windows, presumably to make sure her apartment and the surrounding area is secure. Then he turns to Luci. "Are you hurt?" he asks gently, checking behind him once again before turning her way. He kneels in front of her—not too close. Enough to where she feels a little less fearful.

Luci shakes her head. She's still processing everything that just happened, and she isn't trusting her voice in this moment just yet. There's a minute of silence as she sits there and he stands up, facing her slightly but also the rest of the room. His weapon is up again, and he speaks Spanish into his radio. "What's going on? Who were those people?" she asks hoarsely. He doesn't answer her, but reaches for a blanket slung over the foot of her bed and hands it to her. Luci takes it, her hand brushing his. His are calloused but warm and she exhales, grounding herself. He straightens just as there's a siren in the distance.

Dogs are barking outside and a few lights in the neighborhood are flickering on. She watches out the window as a car pulls up nearby, tires screeching and runs the way the man's partner had gone to. "I'm Rodolfo Parra, Mexican Special Forces," he finally says turning towards her fully. "Or Rudy to some." Luci manages a nod, but her hands are shaking again. A beat of silence. "Luci," she finally says.

They stay like that for a while—her on the bed curled against the headboard. Her eyes flicking between him and her two broken doors. Rodolfo doesn't speak much, but every time she glances at him, he's looking at the windows with his pistol slightly raised.

After some silence he turns towards her. "Sorry to break in on you, we thought they had run in here since your lights were on," he explains softly. Luci wraps the blanket around her shoulders and nods. "It's cool." They leave it at that, and he turns back towards the window, pistol raised once again.

They wait like that until more officers and Mexican Special Forces show up. There's also a guy from the British SAS, but Luci doesn't ask. There's more to this moment. Of that she knows. But what? Not like it's her business to ask, but they did also break down her door. She doesn't feel safe anymore, not in this neighborhood. But yet she feels safer the moment backup arrives, and Rodolfo's kind eyes look her way as if to say everything was going to be alright.

Luci stood in the doorway, watching the last cruiser's taillights disappear down the wet street. Her AC is humming in the background, even though the air is a bit chilly. Rodolfo lingered near her outside. He was the last to stay after the police had shown up. His sweatshirt was still damp from the rain. His gaze flickered to where his partner had run off to and back towards her broken doorframe. "It's not safe here," he said quietly. "You should come to the station in the morning. I'll make sure someone's there for you." She wanted to argue, but the jagged wood and crooked hinges made her stomach twist.

She tried for a shrug. "I'll be fine." "Humorme," he says, pulling a card from his pocket. "We'll go over a few things. Justin case." His tone was calm, but she could catch the weight beneath his words.Luci turned the card in her fingers, the print smudged slightly from his dampfingers. Rodolfo hesitated to leave. "I'm serious. It's not safe in town. Itnever was," he says running a hand through his short hair. Luci nods and sighs.What a great start to her day. "I'll come by," she says sticking the card inher pocket.