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Post by Snowglobe18 on Nov 27, 2015 17:01:54 GMT -7
"I'm so glad that you decided to come out tonight" Lexi said as she looked over at her cousin.
"Me too" Teresa admitted and then took a sip of her drink.
Earlier that day she had got a phone call from Lexi asking if she wanted to go out to a club in the City. Originally Teresa had declined saying that she had too much on but had changed her mind at last minute to Lexi's delight. So now here they were. It was actually one of the hottest clubs around at the moment and Pandemonium was definitely living up to that. Lexi had found it and had wanted to try it out. So now they were here sitting at the hottest clubs drinking cocktails.
Pandemonium was one of those clubs where you just seem to lose yourself in it. Whether it was the drink or the dancing. It just had a vibe about it that Teresa couldn't put her finger on but she was actually thankful for being here. Plus any time outside of Mystic was definitely a great thing. It got her away from problems with her dad and Lexi's problems were homework and her roommate that seem to bring every guy she met back to the dorm room. In the end Lexi had pulled Teresa to a club.
They had a table to themselves and watched as the people on the dancefloor moved their bodies to the music. It seemed like a magical thing and Teresa seemed to be very hypnotised by it. The swaying of hips and the sweat that was glistening on the bodies, it was only something you really saw in a club. In honesty she was just glad to not be driving back tonight because if this was the way that she was thinking then she was more drunk than she had intended to be but Graeme did say to enjoy herself but to also be careful. Now enjoying herself she could do but being careful was another thing.
"Let's go" Teresa said to Lexi and smiled as they moved through the crowd and joined the people on the dancefloor, both moving their hips, jumping up and down and just having a good time. Whatever happened tomorrow would be something to deal with then but right now she was just lost in the music and drink and there was nothing that could actually break that spell.
Or was there?
Teresa pulled her lip in between her teeth and continued to dance. This was actually going to be one of the best nights out she has had in a very long time.
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Post by Ray on Nov 27, 2015 18:04:36 GMT -7
Loud dubstep pulses throughout the crowded club; the quick beat matching the flashing, iridescent lights and the dancing mass of bodies trying to keep up. The DJ is little more than a black silhouette upon a high stage, head bouncing and fingers working the controls. Nickolai isn't going to pretend like he understands the appeal of this kind of music, but as long as it gets girls in shorter-than-sin skirts swinging their hips and gulping expensive champagne, he'd listen to it all night. He relaxes back against the comfortable leather couch in the VIP section, one arm spreading out across the back of the cushions, finding the smooth shoulder of one girl in particular. She leans in close to his touch, her long gold necklace disappearing into the narrow space between her breasts. "Can't we go somewhere quiet?" She asks, placing a hand high on his thigh. "I can't even hear myself talk." She pouts, and Nickolai swallows a shot of two-hundred dollar tequila.
A dark shadow stalks through the dancing crowd, smoothly navigating around swinging hands and stomping feet. Red neon glints off of the silver expanse of his arm.
"What makes you think I want to hear you talk?" Nickolai mutters in a thick Ukrainian accent after sucking the salt off of his own knuckles.
"What?" The girl yells out deafly, furrowing her thinly manicured brows.
The first guy doesn't hear him coming. He's a suit standing guard at the red velvet rope sectioning off the VIP chairs, Russian prison tattoos climbing up the side of his neck in black ink. He glances away for just a second, head tilting to watch as a redhead sashays passed, her black skirt barely covering her rounded ass. A steel-toed boot stomps out, catching the bodyguard at the back of his calf with enough force that his knee rips with a loud, audible pop. Two gloved hands reach out, grabbing the guard by the head and cracking his skull sharply into a raised knee, silencing his agonized scream.
Nickolai jumps backwards, knocking over the bottle of tequila and the girl in the low-cut blouse. She screams as she hits the floor, and Nickolai scrambles back across the cushions as the masked man steps casually over the red rope towards him. He fumbles, uselessly, for the gun tucked inside his black suit jacket. A string of Ukrainian swears drop like dead flies from his mouth, and he barely has the gun out when a metal hand hits it out of his fist, breaking three fingers in the process. A shot goes off, but Nickolai's screams are louder. Loud enough that the nearest group of dancers stops their fevered grinding and runs for the door with panicked shouts. He cradles his hand close to his chest, bones visibly sticking out of bloodied knuckles.
The attacker says nothing as he grabs Nickolai by his plain, white undershirt, and drags him upwards till their eye to eye. Nickolai whimpers, unable to tear his gaze from the ice cold blue eyes staring into his, or the black mask hiding half of the man's face.
"Gde devochki." The man demands coolly.
"What girls?" Nickolai stammers. "I do not know what you are-" He doesn't get a chance to finish his sentence. In a blink, a knife's edge is suddenly pressing right below his eye, the sharp tip digging into the socket.
"I won't ask again."
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Nov 27, 2015 18:28:27 GMT -7
Tonight the two girls actually felt free. There was no homework waiting for them, the only thing that was was the drinks they had both ordered, Teresa was a sucker for the cute umbrellas. Even when they weren't needed she would ask for one.
Both girl's dark hair were moving around their heads as they moved with the music. Lexi was pretty sure that the girl next to them had an even shorter skirt than she did, but also had higher shoes and even bigger hairstyle. It really was a wonder how she had been let in. It was nights like this when she really was happy. Dancing, drinking. Just living up in the moment. Here they both could act their age but most of the time they had to act older.
Lexi was tempted to actually walk back through the crowd and grab her drink before coming back, especially when she was burning off more dancing than she ever had done with her own training. It was so packed tight in this place that it was a wonder that no one was actually glued to the person next to them. Especially when most of them were actually sweating like there was no tomorrow, although Lexi was pretty sure that there wouldn't be a tomorrow if people kept up with that.
Teresa was about to close her eyes and feel the beat when something actually caught her eye. A few people were running and she raised her eyebrow and was about to ask Lexi if she saw anything but she knew that her cousin wouldn't have been able too because she had her back to the place where Teresa was looking. It was no secret that places like these didn't only attract women but mobsters too so whoever had decided to start something here really needed to either be out of their mind or was completely sane and strong enough to take them on.
Even with that thought Teresa wasn't actually the type of person who would want to take on a mobster. It was bad enough when she took on something supernatural, there was no way in hell that she was going to take on a human being and actually survive the process.
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Post by Ray on Nov 27, 2015 18:50:16 GMT -7
"Do you want money?" Nickolai asks shakily, swallowing down hard. "I can get you money. Lots of it." He yanks his wallet free from the pocket of his jeans and flips out a few hundred dollar bills, but they fall to the ground at the masked man's feet like unwanted gum wrappers. He twists his metal hand tighter in the Ukrainian's shirt, the collar digging into his skin and the knife pressing tighter against his eye. A tear of blood breaks free, rolling down his cheek slowly. The pain is sharp and stinging, and Nickolai drops his wallet to the ground quickly and holds his hands upwards in surrender. "Okay, okay, prekrasno!" He yells. A few more people have stopped dancing and are staring their way, mouths agape and eyes wide. The masked man doesn't seem to care in the slightest. "The girls, yes. The girls." He chants, panicking. "We take them to harbor."
"Gde."
"I-I don't know."
This time, there is no warning. The masked man presses the knife straight into his skin, the blade digging deep into the muscle of his socket, right beneath a blown-wide eye. Nickolai screams, and this time the music cuts off at the sudden wail. "Hell's Kitchen! Hell's Kitchen!" He spits out, blood pouring down his cheek and dripping from his chin.
"Are they there now." The man demands, his voice still even despite the chaos and panic erupting around him. Half of the club has joined in in Nickolai's screaming, and the other half are making a quick escape by trampling and pushing each other.
"Yes, no - I don't know!" Nickolai blubbers. "Pozhaluysta! Pozhaluysta!"
The masked man rolls his blue eyes as he exhales a long, slow breath. He pulls the knife free and twists it around in fist to slide smoothly out of sight up his sleeve. Just as quickly, he releases Nickolai's white shirt, only to smash his metal knuckles right across his jaw with a solid crack. Nickolai drops like a sack of potatoes to the tequila soaked floor, his bloodied face landing in the shocked girl's lap.
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Nov 27, 2015 19:16:03 GMT -7
Lexi looks over at Teresa "What?" she asks and then raises her eyebrow. If Teresa stopped dancing there was something wrong and she bit down on her lip before she pushed her hair back away from her face. It was sticking to her skin where the sweat had ran down it.
Teresa moved her dark eyes away from where she was looking and over to Lexi before shaking her head. "Nothing" She went back to dancing. Lexi was either very deaf or she just really didn't care about the fact that there were people running out of the club. It meant more room for them. But while Teresa was trying so hard to find out what was happening, Lexi was still in her own world. Moving her hips to the music.
Then it shut off and both girls looked in the direction of the DJ. Then the room seemed to come alive with people pushing and shoving others out of their way so that they could get out of the club. That's then when Lexi seemed to really come alive. She grabbed Teresa's arm and pulled her back towards where they had been sitting so that they could get their stuff.
It was at that time when Teresa looked up and saw someone in black, were they in black?, and she pushed her eyebrows together before she felt her purse pushed into her chest and was being pulled in the direction of the door. "There's someone up there"
"Yes, and that's why we need to get the hell out of this place because if it's a war between two mobsters then this is the last place you want to be" Lexi said and pulled Teresa with her. "Come on, Teresa" she called over to her.
"But.." she said and caught a glimpse of someone in black. She was so damn sure that it was someone in black. She pushed her eyebrows together once more, whoever it was had something on over their face and she couldn't get a glimpse of it and by that time she had passed under something and her view of whoever it was had been blocked. But for some reason Teresa was smiling to herself. Probably more out of confusion than anything else.
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Post by Ray on Nov 27, 2015 19:37:26 GMT -7
"Go." He tells the girl firmly, jerking his head in the direction of the door and the quickly departing mob. As if she'd been frozen under a spell, the girl suddenly snaps out of her trance. She shoves Nickolai without any care off of her lap, blood staining her white blouse, and runs awkwardly and doe-like on her stiletto heels, crying the whole way out. He glances after her, turning a little to watch as she clumsily climbs over the rope. But he can feel eyes on him, eyes that don't match the usual frenzied gawking. He lifts his chin and turns his head, seeking out the tickling sensation creeping along his back.
In the midst of the chaos and the shouting and shoving, he finds a solitary pair of brown eyes directed at him. He furrows his brows, knowing that stare, that face.
The bouncers finally manage to break their way in, drawn guns and echoing shouts pulling his stare away from her. They point their pistols right at him, voices mixing together in a jarring cacophony of noise. "Stop right there. Don't. Move."
Slowly, purposefully, he lifts his hands into the air in compliance, the dancing lights reflecting off of the metallic surface of his left arm.
"Who the fuck is this guy?" One of them blurts out, breathing hard and face red. Neither one of them is police, nor security, from the tattoos hidden by convenient collars and the golden rings looping around their fingers. But they're guns are steady in their hands, and there's no chance they won't fire. In New York, they rarely don't.
He doesn't have time for this.
Dropping his flesh-and-bone hand quickly, he draws the M16 strapped to his thigh, and rises it in the same fluid motion. He fires off two sharp rounds, the bullets ricocheting off of the pistols in the meaty grips of the bouncers, knocking them free. They both release shouts of surprise, body's thrown back a few steps by the blasts. But by the time they look back up again, the man is gone.
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Nov 27, 2015 20:00:45 GMT -7
The two girls made their way back to the Plaza. But for Teresa the only thing she could see was the person in black. But Lexi was talking all the way back. She guessed it was something of a nervous thing for Lexi. Although there wasn't many times she could say that she saw Lexi scared but this was one of those times.
When they got back to the hotel room, they made sure that everything was closed up but even they both knew that if someone wanted to get into the room then the door wasn't going to stop them but to be safe rather than sorry they made sure that there was a chair under the door. Lexi was very suspicious when it came to something like this, even if it was just at the club.
Lexi had been the first to go to bed, Teresa however was stood at the window and looked out at the cars going by the hotel. She had met so many superheroes over the last year or so but this person was just so completely different from them. She shook her head and placed the curtain back. For some reason she knew that the words that came out of the cops' mouths would be vigilante but maybe there needs to be more people like that to stand up to people who think they can rule the world. Stand up to people who think they are so much better than everyone else.
Teresa hated to say it but there was only so much that Cap and the team could really do but maybe with this new person around something could be done in the shadows.
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Post by Ray on Nov 27, 2015 20:32:45 GMT -7
Bucky stalks the harbor for an entire night and a day, blending in to the lingering shadows that never seem to depart Hell's Kitchen. Out here, he can still see the towering Stark high-rise, but it's glow is barely more than a distant glimmer. Out here, it can't reach him. Out here, it can't see him. Good. If Tony knew what he was doing, if Steve knew, he'd have a lot more to worry about then a few Russian mobsters running a business on the side selling girls into human trafficking. So far, he'd kept out of the news, but that night's display was bound to get him some unwanted attention. An hour later and he's surprised his face hasn't already made it to the internet.
Fighting Hydra isn't without it's risks.
He doesn't find much, other than a few teenagers smoking pot between two large, metal crates; all of them too high to notice the crouched figure watching from above. He leaves them alone. They're not doing any harm.
It isn't until the second night, when he's just about made up his mind to visit Nickolai again (now in a hospital bed at the General Hospital, according to the wire tap on his phone) that he catches the familiar guttural sound of Ukrainian a few docks down. It's only fifteen minutes passed nine, but there's hardly a single hour or day in Hell's Kitchen that isn't without it's crime. Bucky follows it, the gears in his arm readjusting to the appropriate tension, as he creeps closer.
"What do you mean, we have to move them." One of the men yells in Russian, but Bucky translates it immediately in his head, back flattened against a crate and head turned towards the voices.
"Nicki got in trouble. Some maniac in a black mask. Apparently he gave him some warning before shoving a knife in his eye."
Bucky rolls his jaw beneath his mask, fighting the urge to bark out a harsh laugh. Of course Nickolai skipped the part where he told him nearly everything.
"Der'mo." The first man replies. Bucky hears the familiar metallic sound of a door clanging open, and he creeps closer to the edge of the crate, peering carefully around the corner. From this angle, he can just make out two men standing by a large delivery truck, both wrapped up in coats to fight the cold winds. But he's more interested in the dark expanse of the opened storage unit beyond. Bucky narrows his blue eyes, trying to see within. "Help me get them up."
He thumbs the knife free from it's holster at his hip, the weight familiar and loose in his grip.
As soon as he sees the first girl, no older than thirteen with thick, curly black hair and big, scared eyes, he leaves his hiding spot.
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Nov 27, 2015 20:57:23 GMT -7
The next day Teresa had actually managed to not get a hangover from the amount of drink that she had drank, but Lexi hadn't been so lucky. Her dark haired cousin had been complaining, in a very low voice, about the headache that she was sure was the size of Texas pounding against her brain. Teresa took it as a sign that today was going to be a good day.
Mostly the two girls had stayed in the hotel room and ordered stuff in. Lexi being too hungover to even move out of her own shadow. Teresa had been too busy trying to keep an eye out for any news of what happened the night before. There didn't seem to be anything. They had spent most of the day like that until Lexi, able to move, announced rather suddenly that she needed to be somewhere in the city, so that left Teresa to her own devices.
While she was in town, she decided to drop by and see Steve. The last time she had seen him had been the weekend of Halloween. They didn't have time to talk much so she thought that maybe tonight would be a little bit different. So she made her way to Stark tower and had a feeling that she probably should've called ahead first but who didn't like a surprise? After all Steve had said about coming in when she was in town and she was in town for the weekend, Lexi had ditched her and she spent too much time talking to Barton, whether it was on Facebook or sending him the odd message. Teresa knew Steve was busy but she needed a friendly face to talk too.
In her opinion, Stark Tower was actually an ugly building but she definitely wasn't going to say that in front of Tony Stark, especially when she was sure that she wouldn't be allowed in it ever again. She walked into the building and looked around before biting on her lips. She could see the elevators but she moved towards the receptionist who was smiling a bit too big, that a full set of teeth was showing. It kind of made Teresa feel a little bit nervous.
Teresa gave the receptionist Steve's name and asked if she could let her up. After a moment she was on her way up to Steve's apartment and actually felt herself relax. Steve seemed to have that effect on her. She seemed to be so calm when she was around him that it actually helped her more than she could ever really tell him.
The elevator door opened onto Steve's apartment and she stepped out before the doors decided they were going to close on her. She bit on her lower lip and looked around. She had to admit that it looked pretty nice.
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Post by Ray on Nov 27, 2015 21:28:31 GMT -7
JARVIS fails to announce her arrival, only a small, quiet chirp marking her presence at all as the elevator doors close silently. The apartment is large and expansive; taking up nearly an entire floor of the massive Stark Tower. Soft, golden light spreads evenly across the entire flat, making everything feel safe and comfortable and homey. The living room serves as the entry point, with a large, brown leather couch seated to the left; flanked on either side by two matching armchairs all circling an antique marble coffee table. Just ahead, a giant, tinted glass pane makes up the entirety of a wall, looking out over the city and the already darkening night.
The apartment is alive with the sound of loud, thrumming music blasting from the speakers, the only sign of life at all from an otherwise still apartment. There's a soft clatter from down the darkened hall to the left, just barely loud enough over the heavy drum beat to be heard. It's only seconds later that a figure appears at the entrance of the hallway, not noticing the girl standing by the elevator.
He's still in his boots and black combat pants, the waistline of which hangs low on his hips; the holsters weighing them down only slightly. He's shirtless, the black shirt he had been wearing bundled up into a ball in his hands that he uses to wipe the last traces of blood off of his face. The scar tissue radiating out from the exposed metal shoulder attachment spreads thickly across his bare chest, visible in the calming light.
He makes it halfway across the living room, heading straight for the kitchen and the bottle of expensive scotch waiting for him on the marble counter-top, when he gets that same tickling sensation across his back once more.
Bucky halts, blue eyes turning quickly towards the elevator door and, in turn, Teresa.
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Nov 27, 2015 21:40:40 GMT -7
If Teresa is honest this actually looks better than the apartment she shared with Graeme. That place had originally been a haven away from her father and every monster that seemed to want to take up home, or kill, in Mystic but in the end she just ended up moving in but this apartment, well she was actually,lost for words, it was just so much better looking than her apartment. She found herself wanting one.
Teresa smiled to herself at the music. Clearly Steve liked to have music blasting when he was home. Well he wasn't the only one because she did the same thing at home and was happy because no one could hear her or really complain about it. Although it would've been hilarious for the people to complain to Graeme about noise in his own apartment. She chuckled under her breath at that thought.
She had come for Steve but the sight that she actually got was of Bucky and she cleared her throat. This definitely wasn't what she expected when she came up. But for some reason her eyes actually looked him over and she watched as he halted on his way to the kitchen and his eyes turned towards her and suddenly she had a flash of the night before.
Teresa pushed her eyebrows together and she bit down on her lip once more before she put her brown eyes back on him, a slight smile pulling at her lips as she said. "Have a good night?" she asked and pushed her hands into the front pockets of her jeans, but suddenly she pulled a hand back out and held it up. "Don't worry, I won't say anything" she promised.
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Post by Ray on Nov 27, 2015 21:51:49 GMT -7
Bucky lowers the shirt from his face and lets his hands drop heavily down to his sides. He looks away, if only for just a moment, to drag in a deep chest-expanding breath before huffing it all back out. He knew he'd seen her. The crowd had made it hard for him to know for certain, especially in a dark club filled with panicking people, but her stare had stood out clearly among the rest. But that wasn't the bad part.
The worst part was that she had seen him.
So much for doing this on his own.
Bucky turns towards where she's standing, knowing that there's very little chance of playing dumb. It's not in his nature to, anyway. She already knows. Why try and pretend otherwise. "I'm not..." He starts, or at least he tries to. He closes his eyes slowly, and gathers his thoughts as best he can. The least he can do is convince her that he's not doing what he used to do. He's not killing. "JARVIS, music. Off." Bucky says aloud, the noise only making the headache of this situation worse. Without reply, the rock song cuts short, and the apartment is thrown into silence. A second ticks by, and Bucky sighs a little as he takes a slow step towards her. "It's not what it looks like." He reassures, but the words feel stupid as soon as they leave his mouth.
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Nov 27, 2015 22:09:15 GMT -7
Teresa watches him as he takes a deep breath, her brown eyes looking him over before she puts her brown eyes back on his face. So it was Bucky who had been in the club. Well it seemed to make sense now especially with how the guy was actually fighting. The music was still playing in the back ground but for some reason it seemed to have dulled out a bit. Whether it was because she wasn't really listening to it or whether it had been turned down, she wasn't sure.
She pushed her eyebrows together when he started to say anything and then thankfully the music cut out and there was silence between them. It was almost like finding out that your boyfriend had two sides to them and now was just finding out that maybe she didn't know him as well as she thought she did. But what actually made it so much more worse was the fact that Bucky felt the need to try to explain to her. Teresa saw as he took a slow step towards her and he probably guessed that her first impression was to take a step back. That might have been instinct for some people but not for her.
Teresa kept quiet for a moment as she moved her eyes from Bucky and looked around the apartment, "It's a nice place you have here" she said and nodded before looking back at him. She took a step towards him. "I know" she said and then smiled softly. In honesty it wasn't her that he would have to convince, it was if Steve found out. But he wouldn't find out from her. This was one secret that wasn't going to leave her lips willingly.
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Post by Ray on Nov 27, 2015 22:31:46 GMT -7
Bucky tips his chin upwards a little, taking note of her smile and the normalcy of her tone; as if she hadn't, literally, caught him red-handed. He doubts any one else would be acting the same. Not even Steve, for all of his confidence in Bucky's recovery. Some things in the past are hard to forget, and he isn't making the prettiest picture at the moment. There's a cut across his brow where a fist caught him off guard, and a blackened dent of a wild bullet marks the upper bicep of his metal arm. If she'd come just two minutes sooner, she would have seen the blood on his face when it was still fresh.
But she takes an uninhibited and unafraid step towards him, and the tension residing deep in his shoulders loosens slowly.
"It's not mine." Bucky finally replies, glancing briefly back towards the apartment before returning his gaze back to Teresa. He might sleep here most days, eat here, pretend to be normal here, but the only reason he does is because Steve is here. Well. When he's not out saving the world. "But thanks." He doesn't say that the thank you is for far more than the compliment. "If you're looking for Steve, he's on a mission."
Clearly, he thinks to himself, rolling his jaw a little, but a stupid explanation is better than no explanation.
"He won't be back for a couple of days."
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Nov 27, 2015 22:52:41 GMT -7
Teresa knows that he's watching her but in honesty she doesn't know what for. Maybe for another reaction? Maybe to see if she would burst out laughing and say that she doesn't believe him? Although she never actually found out why everyone was so worried other than the fact that something had happened to Bucky, quite a lot of things happened to Bucky. But the reaction he got was the same one she had when she actually came in. A soft smile on her features, her dark hair wind blown, a slight red tint to her cheeks.
She finally looked away from him and then looked around the place once more. It definitely was much better looking than her own apartment at home. But that was her haven from the rest of the world. No doubt this was Bucky's. That was one thing she understood at least.
Bucky then said that Steve was on a mission and that he wouldn't be home in a couple of days. "Ah" she said and nodded. Steve was actually the one person she could talk too and it wouldn't get back to anyone else. She moved a hand through her dark hair, moving it away from her cheeks. "Maybe another time then" she said with a soft smile and turned her back on him and was about to walk towards the elevator when she suddenly turned back and looked at him. "Whatever you're doing, be careful." she said softly and nodded once more. The last thing she wanted to hear about was anyone getting hurt.
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