Winter dragged Karina out of the airport, vanished into the maelstrom of sounds and faces as if she was just another anonymous person in a hurry.

Moving with a serenity that belied her fear, she pushed Karina's unconscious body into the backseat of a black SUV parked at the curb.

As the car pulled out of the airport, Winter half-amused, half-bemused, looked into the rearview mirror.

"She actually believed I was a fan," she murmured to herself.

Karina sat slumped over the back seat of the car, her mumbling almost helpless under the sedative. She thrashed her head back, whispering drowsily, "You're welcome... for the autograph."

Winter groaned, tightening her grip on the steering wheel.

"This job just gets weirder and weirder."

Winter lurched into her apartment, her supposed sanctum, but tonight it felt like anything but.

With Karina slung over her shoulder, she trod over the doorstep, mumbling a low curse as she nearly fell.

Just as she reached the couch, her boot hit something squishy. She tripped, sending herself and Karina tumbling to the floor in a mess of tangled limbs.

Just before she heard a soft "mew," Winter felt a tiny furry body brush against her face.

But when she looked up, she saw that mischief-maker cat, Banana, was already settled in on Karina's chest, licking her face with gleeful abandon.

"Banana, not now!" Winter hissed, shooing the cat away, but the damage was done.

Karina's lids fluttered, her brows knitting as her lips curved into a sleepy smile.

"Hmm..." she mumbled, looking up at Winter with blurred, yet somehow delighted eyes.

"This... a fan surprise thing?"

Winter's world froze. She was completely off guard.

"You're not serious?"

Karina's eyes swept around the small, cluttered apartment of a dead end of opinions made by clothes and papers amid the chaos in one of the corners. She straightened herself out, trying to cough the fog out from the head, glancing about with eyes.

"Wow, this is really such a cutie house."

To this, Winter let out a grimace. This was going to be her night.

"You think this is some kind of fan event?" Winter asked incredulously.

Karina nodded enthusiastically, still half asleep.

"Totally. Weirdest fan experience ever," she mumbled, grinning stupidly.

"But kinda cute...?"

Winter heaved herself up, reasoning that patience was her only-if-best strategy.

"This is not a fan event," she said, brushing herself off.

"And you're not supposed to be here."

Karina had other concerns.

"VIP treatment," she murmured, flopping back against the couch with a contented sigh.

Winter glared down at her, already regretting she hadn't left her in the airport parking lot.

As night began to fall, Winter decided to lock Karina in the guest room, at least so she didn't wander around the apartment. She hardly got Karina down on the bed when she heard a surprised yelp.

Karina, now wide awake from sedetive, slightly concerned, looked around the bare room and frowned.

She stalked forward, her eyes questioning.

"What, what are you going to do with me?" she asked, a sliver of panic creeping into her voice.

Winter crossed her arms, leaning casually against the doorframe.

"I'm here for the money. Don't waste your breath."

Karina's frown deepened, and confusion settled over her face.

"You can't just kidnap someone and expect me to sit quietly. This is like... illegal or something!

Winter rolled her eyes, wishing she'd never asked a single one of them.

If I got paid to answer this idiot, she thought, I'd be a billionaire.

"Do you have snacks?" Karina demanded suddenly, and because Winter was still reeling from the panic to curiosity mood swing in one heartbeat, she actually nodded at Karina.

"Is this ransom? What's your cut? Because I'm worth a lot. What if they don't-"

Winter winced with effort to be patient, pinching the bridge of her nose.

Banana-the-cat had apparently sensed the hubbub and sauntered into the room, scrambling up onto the bed to sniff curiously at Karina's shoes.

"Seriously?" Winter muttered, shooting Banana an annoyed look. "You talk way too much."

But Karina didn't care much; instead, she was concentrating all her attention on Banana.

"Always like that, rude?" she said with sarcasm laced with scandal.

"Kidnapping style, huh? Drama? Flair?"

Karina hardly got a word out since Banana settled comfortably into her lap, kneading into her legs like a pillow freshly fluffed. Karina shrieked, trying to push the cat off, but Banana wouldn't budge.

"Oh my gosh! Is this cat your accomplice?" Karina exclaimed, horrified and delighted in equal measure.

Winter couldn't stop the faint smirk. "He's not my accomplice; he's a cat," she deadpanned, folding her arms.

"If anything, he's just a distraction."

"A distraction?" Karina protested, still wrangling with Banana.

"He's a menace!"

Winter watched the back-and-forth, half-amused.

"For a rich girl, you really have no idea how to handle a cat."

Karina glared up at her, cheeks flushed.

"I'm not a cat person! And I have no interest in being scratched, thank you very much. My vacation is three days, and I'm going nowhere in a sling."

Winter shook her head, barely containing her laugh.

"Oh, welcome to the reality of being kidnapped, princess. Your problems are a lot bigger than a cat."

Karina huffed.

"You're the kidnapper! Try harder, would you?"

Winter rolled her eyes, a little entertained but annoyed.

"If you want drama, I can always throw you back in the car and take you for a scenic drive around town."

Karina fell back against the bed with a huff.

"I'm being kidnapped by a style-challenged kidnapper and her cat, who thinks I'm some sort of scratching post."

Winter bit back another laugh. Finally she was able to take in the absurdity of it all.

"You really don't know when to shut up, do you?"

In this moment, Banana flopped back over onto his back, rolling his belly in the air for all to see and purred loudly as if proclaiming he whole-hearted support of this madness.

Karina couldn't help but laugh, reaching down to scratch Banana's belly.

"Fine," she muttered, a reluctant smile creeping onto her face.

"If this is my reality for the night, I'll take my chances with the cat. But just know," she added, fixing Winter with a playful glare, "if I get cat hair on my designer clothes, I'm holding you responsible."

Winter shook her head, realizing she was in for a wild ride.

"You're going to regret those words."

As Karina's voice droned in the background, Winter locking the guest room, she steeled herself for what the following day held.

It was just a job; Karina would be handed over by tomorrow.

Relief should come with that thought; instead, as she walked to her room, Winter's mind began to wander with a strange kind of uncertainty.

She allowed herself to sink into the mattress, tired, as her mind set off to grind over the situation, hoping sleep would take her before she could think too much more over this situation.