Day 6

His watch told him it was just past ten a.m. Locke had taken a seat outside at a café at one of the hotels a block away from the Atlantic City boardwalk. In spite of the shade provided by the umbrella, the sun was already warming the area. He glanced down at the menu placed on the table, wondering what to order.

And wondering where his ‘date’ was. Considering Meliza ordered him and the detective to leave, he was surprised that she called him asking to meet up for brunch. And considering her attitude after their kiss…Just a few days ago, she had asked him directly what he wanted from her. The answer was simple, but it wasn’t.

He found her moods to be an interesting challenge. When she showed the warm and teasing side of her nature…when she was flirting…when she was telling off a know-it-all casino patron…

The waiter placed a cup of coffee in front of him. Locke took a small drink before lowering the cup to rest on the saucer. Meliza had paused by a newsstand about thirty yards away to retrieve a paper and chat amicably with the owner.

From beneath dark sunglasses, Locke allowed himself the chance to study her. Today she had chosen to wear an apricot-colored cotton gauze dress that complimented her golden tan. The dress had flared sleeves, a V neckline, and the bottom hem ended just a couple inches above her knees. Brown strappy sandals with low heels were on her feet and her hair was pinned away from her face in a half ponytail, the ends falling in gentle curls at the middle of her back. A wry smile reached his features. She had put a little work into her appearance today. Not that she had to. She was a striking woman already – provocative and feminine and she hardly put any effort at it. It was an interesting contradiction to the woman who could easily kick a man who outweighed her by a hundred pounds or throw any object with deadly accuracy before it exploded on its intended target.

He watched as she walked in the direction of the café, reading a folded newspaper in her hand. She glanced up briefly, quickly catching sight of Locke before making her way towards him.

"Hey," she greeted.

Locke rose from his chair and pulled out the one next to his.

"Thanks." She placed her purse in the chair he pulled out before settling across from him.

So it was going to be like that? Or was it just her that was like that? Didn't most women take the seat the man offered? Locke removed his sunglasses, tucking them into the breast pocket of his gray button-down shirt.

"Good morning," she said, her eyes on him as he sat in his chair.

"Is it?"

She sighed, tossing the paper on top of the table. "Apparently it is for other single women in Atlantic City."

He frowned slightly, turning the paper around so he could read. He instantly recognized the local gossip column.

Well, folks, it looks like even the ice queen isn’t immune to the tall, dark, and handsome type. And here I thought she had a thing for light hair…Rinaldo was seen at Brentworth’s charity event dancing with a mysterious stranger. The hostess is keeping quiet, but many suspect she knows more than she’s letting on. Is it possible that she arranged an introduction? Of course, that night HAPPENED to be the time my digital camera runs low on battery, and no one around this reporter had a spare camera. Not even on their phones. Either that, or they just didn’t want to lend it to me. Whatever the case may be, I sincerely wish this stranger good luck and thanks…with him as a distraction, that’ll leave some unscarred good guys available…

One black brow lifted before he glanced at her. "You weren’t kidding…the gossip columnists are quick in this town. Her last sentence…"

"She makes it sound like I traumatize the men I’ve gone out with."

"Do you?"

Meliza’s eyes narrowed slightly. "You seem fine."

His eyes met hers briefly.

Meliza smiled wryly before releasing a sigh. "I just wish they’d stop talking about me…"

"You’re on the right track to having them stop…" he mused.

"Dancing with tall, handsome and mysterious strangers who are known for long bouts of silence?"

"Funny."

"I don’t need your advice, Locke. I-"

"I realize that," he interrupted.

"Right." Meliza immediately snatched up the menu so she could select something to eat, frowning when Locke pushed it down slightly so he could see her face.

"It wouldn’t hurt to have them worry about something else from now on if it bothers you that much."

"I know that." She lowered her lashes for a moment, signaling the subject was closed. Her next statement confirmed it. "Yesterday’s shooting was on the news this morning."

"I heard. Carmen Antonio, married, no children."

Meliza set her menu down. "It’s almost surreal…the report could have been about me…"

Locke spoke quietly, "There’s still the possibility that you were the intended target."

"I know. It’s just that…" Her eyes widened and she immediately brought up her menu to cover her face. "Oh no…"

He watched, completely shocked as Meliza dropped her menu to the table and herself to the floor, half under the tablecloth.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Shh!" Meliza tried to keep herself hidden while peering over the table at some spot behind him.

"What are you-?" he turned his head to his left.

"Don’t look!" she hissed.

He waited a few seconds before whispering, "Who are you hiding from?"

"Shh!"

Locke rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair, amused at the sight of Meliza practically on her hands and knees under the table.

"Meliza?" a voice came from above and to Locke’s left a few moments later.

Immediately, Meliza jerked, her head hitting the table with a solid thud. Locke cringed and the stranger also reached down to help her. Meliza emerged, her hair slightly tousled, her eyes wide.

"Sebastian," she greeted with a slightly strained smile.

"Hi…" the man gave her a warm smile. "I called you last night…I got confirmation about going to Alaska in two months…I meant to tell you to see if you’d be willing to go."

Locke arched a brow. This man and Meliza were awfully familiar to each other. But judging by Meliza’s behavior…her cordial manner was a bit…forced…completely different than the affection she obviously had for her friend Miguel.

"I’m sorry…I…couldn’t find my sunglasses…" she muttered, looking around the table legs and successfully avoiding his offer.

Locke quickly snatched them from her purse without Sebastian noticing and pretended to reach for them under his chair. "These?" He placed them in her outstretched hand.

"Thanks," she smiled at him before turning to their guest. "Oh, Sebastian, this is Devlin Cai. Dev, this is Sebastian Monroe."

The two men shook hands.

Meliza then asked, "Would you like to join us?"

That wasn’t exactly what he had planned. Locke showed no displeasure with her invitation, but the brief flash in her eyes told him she knew.

"I’m not interrupting your date?" Sebastian asked, looking between the two.

"Oh no, not at all," Meliza waved her hand in dismissal.

Sebastian sat to Meliza’s right and Locke’s left and accepted the menu Meliza handed him with a grateful smile.

"Thank you…so many choices…"

Locke deliberately ignored the amused look in Meliza’s eyes and took a sip of his coffee.

Sebastian glanced at Locke’s coffee cup. "Mr. Cai-"

"Devlin’s fine."

"What kind of coffee did you order?"

Locke blinked in surprise at the question. "Whatever their house blend was…"

"Oh." Sebastian nodded. "I’m a bit of a coffee fan…have you ever tried Turkish coffee?"

"Can’t say that I have tried it knowingly…"

"It’s unique. Try it some time. I’ve never been here before," Sebastian announced, then directed his next question to Meliza. "What’s good?"

Meliza leaned forward, pointing out several items on the menu.

The waiter arrived to take all of their orders. Locke chose a basic breakfast with eggs, bacon, and toast, Sebastian had chosen a vegetable omelet made with egg substitute, and Meliza selected a breakfast with eggs, fruit, and toast.

"So…What is it that you do?" Sebastian asked Locke.

"Bullfighting."

Meliza nearly coughed on her drink.

Sebastian stared at him in shock. "Really? That’s so…so…brutal."

"I’ve been told it’s art," Locke said nonchalantly.

Meliza began to cough uncontrollably.

"Are you okay?" Sebastian asked, patting her back.

Meliza nodded. "Wrong tube…"

Sebastian glanced at Locke and then grinned. "Oh, I get it. You’re joking. So…be honest. What is it you really do?"

"I run a flower store," Locke stated.

Sebastian was silent for a moment before he began to laugh again. "That’s funny!"

Meliza slowly began to inch down her chair as Locke’s expression turned glacial. Sebastian easily picked up the tension and glanced at her, then at Locke.

"Oh. Um…oh…" Sebastian cleared his throat. "You…You weren’t kidding."

Then Locke’s features relaxed as he said, "To be honest, we met at a casino a few years ago, and have run into each other off and on the past couple years."

"Oh, so you’re a professional gambler!" Sebastian exclaimed. "I’m sorry..." Then he shook his head. "You two had me going…"

Locke figured he might as well be consistent with Meliza’s friends. At least two of them already assumed that they had met in a casino.

"So what is that like? Movies make it seem so exciting…" Sebastian asked.

"It can be," Locke admitted. "Most of the time I just travel and live in hotels."

"I admire anyone who’s able to make a professional living doing what they love," Sebastian declared.

"You sound like someone who doesn’t enjoy what he does for a living," Locke spoke up.

Sebastian shrugged. "I spend most of my time in different parts of the world, promoting endangered species conservation. Although…if I had my way, I’d love to work as a dolphin or killer whale trainer. But it’s highly competitive."

"Sounds like a rewarding job…"

"I’m sure you’ll find something," Meliza declared.

The server came with a cup of cappuccino for Sebastian. Meliza engaged the two men in a conversation about Atlantic City tourism.

Sebastian took a sip of his coffee before cringing.

"-and with several well-known brands placing their names on property…what’s wrong?" Meliza asked, catching sight of Sebastian’s unpleasant expression.

"There are some coffee grinds in this one…" Sebastian turned his head, looking for a server.

He spotted theirs arriving with food plates.

"Excuse me, do you think you can get me another cup of coffee? This one has some coffee grinds in them…" Sebastian pointed to his mug.

"Of course…" the server took the mug away after distributing the food.

The same time Locke took a bite of his bacon, and Meliza her eggs, Sebastian glanced at them and shook his head. "It always amazes me how anyone could eat those products…"

Meliza lowered her lashes and continued eating. Locke half-expected Sebastian to profess his cholesterol level until…

"Those come from animals, after all," the man said matter-of-factly.

Locke continued to eat as Meliza ignored the comment as well.

"So what are the qualifications to become a trainer?" Locke asked after a few moments.

Sebastian blinked. "Oh…it depends on the company, I suppose. Treading water for ten minutes, ability to swim a few laps in forty-degree water several hundred feet deep…"

==

Brunch took forever in Locke’s opinion to finish. But he was glad it was over…after Sebastian’s long monologue about the perks of being a trainer, he finally left, leaving Locke and Meliza alone. Locke and Meliza were walking along the street, with her occasionally stopping by the windows to peer at the merchandise being displayed there.

"Interesting friend of yours," Locke commented idly.

A delicately arched brow lifted slightly. "Is that Locke language for ‘strange’?"

"I didn’t say that," he corrected.

A smile turned up her lips and she laughed. "You didn’t have to. Actually, Sebastian is a little odd. Very picky about how he likes his food and what he eats. And some people say that he’d rather spend his time with animals than people."

"Is that why he spends time with you?" Locke inquired.

Her head whipped around to face him. "What do you mean?"

"You provide a buffer for gossip. No one would question what he spends time with if he’s seen with you."

Meliza shook her head. "You know…my boss said the same thing…"

"Maybe he’s right."

"Or maybe you men have a twisted way of thinking," she chided. The light in her eyes was enough to tell him that she was kidding. Her head turned and he could immediately detect the aroma of baked goods in the air.

"Oh, I love the desserts here…" Meliza announced.

She had bent slightly to examine something in the window.

The next few seconds happened in a flash, but for some reason, his brain registered all the details as if they had been moving in slow motion. First, he heard what sounded like a car backfiring, quickly followed by whiz-z-z-ing sounds. His survival instinct went into high gear and he tackled Meliza, not too gently judging by her cry of pain, forcing them through the small doorway of the bakery as bullets flew, hitting the glass windows. He cringed as he felt something in the back of his upper left shoulder. Screams filled the room as the cashier ran for cover. He quickly rolled them away from the door opening, staying low on his feet, dragging her with him to lead her away from the line of fire. He braced himself against the counter, on his haunches, where it split into a narrow aisle leading from the cashier’s area to the customer dining are, using that as cover.

"Stay down!" he ordered when she tried to move.

A heartbeat later the gunshots stopped, and Meliza shifted but Locke quickly grabbed her, planting his knee on her back so she’d stay still.

Locke quickly scanned the bakery for an alternate exit. A narrow door on the other side of the wall and corner was clearly marked.

"Don’t move," he commanded.

Locke got to his feet and made his way behind the counters and through the other exit. He turned towards the street, hearing a car’s tires screech in the air.

When he peered into the main street, he spotted Meliza twenty yards away, running after the speeding car. Dammit. Does that woman not know how to listen..?Locke quickly followed in a sprint.

The car turned a corner and sped away. Meliza stopped, breathing heavily as Locke came to a stop beside her.

"Damn." Meliza glanced down at the card she clutched between her fingers, glowing a pale blue. After a few moments, the glow faded and the card displayed information about the bakery store they had just left.

"Did you see the driver?" Locke demanded.

"No, I couldn’t get a good look at him." She nearly stomped her foot in frustration. "And there were no plates." Meliza ran her fingers through her hair.

He reached with his right hand to hold his left arm against his body. Meliza immediately caught the movement.

"Locke? Are you okay?"

"…"

Meliza moved to his left side, looking over him, her eyes widening at the sight of something behind him. She immediately reached over, ignoring his protest, yanking up his shirt to expose his back.

"There’s blood…you’ve been shot," Meliza said in a low voice.

"I figured as much," Locke muttered. He was still high on adrenaline, but now he was starting to feel the ache in his shoulder.

Someone came up from behind them.

"I called an ambulance," a familiar voice said.

"Detective," Meliza greeted politely.

"Did you get him?" Locke nodded in the direction the driver had sped off to.

Smith swore. "No, I was too far and I didn’t have any backup."

Locke winced, tightening his hold on his arm. "Didn’t see him either?"

"Sorry."

Meliza immediately guided Locke to sit on a nearby bench. The back of his shoulder was starting to feel hot.

"You got here quick," Meliza told the detective.

"I had one of my PI buddies look after you," Smith declared. Then shrugging, he added, "He owed me a favor."

Locke shifted, leaning forward in his seat.

"Don’t move," Meliza ordered, settling down next to him.

"I’ve been through worse," he muttered as an ambulance quickly turned the corner. "I don’t need-"

"Shut up," Meliza interrupted, raising her voice. Abruptly, she turned away. "You…saved my life."

"What’s the count now?" Locke asked wryly. "Two? Three?"

"It’s not funny!" she scolded him. "You could have been killed."

But you weren’t. That was the most important thing, right?

And then the paramedics arrived, quickly moving to him and taking in all of his vitals and attaching him to various equipment.

=

Hours later, Locke slowly woke from sleep, his brain foggy as he opened his eyes. It was dim in the room, and he struggled to focus. Why did it feel like the room was spinning? He was lying on a bed and the back of his shoulder ached.

Suddenly, everything came back to him. Gunshots. Breaking glass. The fear that she’d be put in harm’s way.

Someone definitely wanted her dead. Who? Why?

Slowly, he raised a hand to grasp his left arm.

"At last," a female voice spoke up. "I think you’ve caught up on your good-looking sleep for the day, Locke…"

Meliza.

His eyes fluttered open as he felt cool fingers touch his forehead before moving to his cheek. He could see a silhouette settle on the edge of the bed. Within a few seconds, his vision cleared and Meliza gave him a brief smile.

"How you feeling?" she asked gently.

"Can’t…think…"

Meliza shook her head. "Must be the drugs."

Locke closed his eyes for a few moments.

"Too strong, huh?" Relief and happiness at the sight of him awake coursed through her, but she pushed those aside for now. She didn’t want to think about the reason on why he was here in the first place. "Can…Can I get you anything?"

"Water?"

She stood, reaching over to a table to pick up a water bottle. Meliza unscrewed the cap and held it out to him. He reached up with his right hand, but his grip slipped.

"Need some help?" she prompted.

Not waiting for an answer, Meliza slid the palm of her hand beneath his neck and tilted his head slightly. He drank greedily, his throat feeling dry from who knew how many hours he’d been knocked out.

"Slowly," she warned.

He leaned back and she took the bottle away, replacing the bottle cap and setting it on the table.

"Better?"

His eyes opened to settle on her, his expression grim. "Someone’s…trying to kill you."

A brief smile came to her features but didn’t reach her eyes. "You think?"

"Meliza…"

What else could he say that would ease the tension in her? Sadness and fear entered her brown eyes. Guilt, so much of it, came to her. She’d been so determined to kick Locke and the detective out of her home. So sure that she could handle everything herself. She hated being wrong. But even worse…the man in front of her could have died because of her carelessness.

"You need to hide," Locke said quietly.

"I know," she agreed. "Smith…was right. Once it went public what happened yesterday…" She looked away before whispering, "I’m so sorry…"

His eyes widened slightly. "For?"

"If I hadn’t been so stubborn…this…" she gestured to his shoulder, "…wouldn’t have happened."

"You can’t be…thinking like that," Locke said. He frowned. "Maybe…we’re missing something. There’s someone we’re not…thinking of who could be after you." Slowly, he sat up higher, cringing at the effort. "What time is it?"

"A little before four."

"We need to leave."

"Locke…They dug a bullet out of you. You went through surgery. Granted, it’s not life-threatening, but I really don’t think-"

"Don’t argue," he muttered. "We can’t do anything sitting here."

He wasn’t going to change his mind. Meliza sighed, reaching for the nurse’s button.

A petite brunette dressed in blue and pink scrubs entered a few minutes later, giving Locke a cheerful smile. "You’re awake."

"I’m leaving," he announced.

The nurse didn’t look too happy. "I believe your doctor would like you to stay at least one night."

"If I have any problems, I’ll call." He shifted to a sitting position, slowly moving his legs over to the left side of the bed. "I’ll sign any paperwork and this needle needs to come out."

"I’ll get the paperwork ready and call the doctor." The nurse walked out of the room.

"Locke…" Meliza moved to the side of the bed he was trying to climb off of, attempting one last time to convince him to stay. "You need rest. Get back in bed." Why was he so stubborn?

She should have considered Locke’s determination. It took a lot to change his mind once he made a decision. Considering the man preferred to assess all angles of a situation before arriving at a solution…apparently the best solution was for him to get out of the hospital. Men were all the same…that stoic-macho act wasn’t fooling her. He wasn’t at a hundred percent – he was obviously still under the groggy effects of the drugs, and he probably was in pain. Although…Meliza believed him when he said he’d been through worse.

He slowly got up, testing his balance, and moved to a corner table where his clothes were folded into a neat pile. Locke picked up his pants and frowned.

"My shirt’s gone."

"They cut it off earlier," Meliza informed.

She watched as he leaned against the bed and attempted to put his pants on. If she offered to help, chances are he’d say no. Men, she shook her head. This one in particular wasn’t the kind to ask for help. She briefly wondered if he was wearing anything underneath the hospital gown. Suddenly, her mouth went dry at the image. She really hated her imagination sometimes. She really needed to not think about those kinds of things. Ever since their kiss yesterday…a twisted side of her realized she wasn’t giving Locke enough credit. As cool and aloof as he came across…that had been one hell of a kiss. As short as it was. Whoever he learned from taught him well. She tried to remember the last time a man had kissed her like that. Long time.

Suddenly, her cell phone rang, interrupting her train of thought. Meliza reached for her purse and pulled out her phone, bringing it to her ear.

"Hello?" She paused. "No, I’m at the hospital. Yes, he’s awake…he actually wants to leave now…He said the same thing…" Then she grew quiet for a while. "But I told you everything I know."

"What is it?" Locke paused in the middle of still trying to get his pants on.

Covering the mouthpiece, she whispered to Locke, "They want me to come to the station to make a statement and answer more questions."

"Now?"

"Yes."

"Go."

"What?"

"Get it over with. I’ll go with you."

"But-"

"Just go."

"You don’t have any decent clothes," she reasoned.

"We’re going. End of discussion."

She glared at him. "Are you always this bossy?" She then focused on the detective. "Do you have time today?...No, we didn’t drive…I left my car at The Rinaldo and walked this morning to meet him for breakfast…You’re picking us up? Okay. See you." Meliza hung up. "He’ll be here in half an hour." She studied Locke for a few moments. "I’ll go to the gift shop to see if they have a decent shirt for you to wear so you don’t have to wear the hospital gown to the station…"

She returned less than ten minutes later, with a black buttoned down pajama-looking shirt that had the hospital’s logo embroidered above the left breast pocket. The IV needle had been removed from his hand and Locke had managed to put his shoes and pants on, his chest was bare except for the bandages crossing from his back to his front and underarm. He really did have a nice chest, Meliza observed as she removed the shirt from the bag and hanger. Lean but well-defined.

Meliza lifted her eyes to see him watching her. Now was obviously not the time to be checking him out. Meliza cleared her throat and tossed the bag and hanger aside.

"This should fit…" Meliza moved towards him.

Moving behind him, she carefully put his left arm through one sleeve and held up the other side of the shirt so he could slip his right arm through the other sleeve. She moved in front of him, swatting one of his hands away as he attempted to button the shirt one-handed.

At his dark look, she said, "Quit the macho I can take care of myself attitude. We’ll get out of here faster if you do."

She worked on the buttons, the backs of her fingers brushing against his skin. After about the third button and the third time she touched him, she caught the knowing look in his eyes. When she reached the top button, she couldn’t help but grin, stepping back when she finished.

"Okay. Done."

He arched a brow. "You sure?"

This time she did suppress a smile. He always was perceptive.

"Hopefully Smith gets here fast so we can get my statement over with…" she mused aloud, easily steering the conversation in a different direction.

The doctor filled out his release forms and gave him a sling to wear to keep his shoulder immobile. On the way out, Meliza picked up his prescription painkillers. When they got downstairs, Meliza’s cell phone rang.

"Hello?" She frowned. "Yeah, we’re ready. We’ll be in the front lobby…"

==

Meliza already decided that she hated police stations. They were so drafty and sterile-looking. But if an ex-assassin could comfortably walk into one, well…as comfortably as he could given his latest injury…then anything was possible.

After giving his account of what happened, Locke waited in the lobby while Meliza was giving her statement in a small room with a single table and a few chairs. Opposite her sat a Detective Kevin Rollins, a lean man who was just a few inches taller, with mussed brown hair, piercing green eyes, wearing a gray suit. Detective Smith was several feet behind him, leaning against the wall.

Detective Rollins repeated every question. And went down the list of men she had dated for more than two weeks over the last two years. Which weren’t really that many. She preferred to keep her relationships simple and brief…it just so happened that most of them rarely went past two dates without giving signals they wanted to sleep with her or they wanted her money.

The detective even went so far to basically cast doubt into the type of person she was, how she travelled the world, how she was always out partying. Which led him to insinuate that she was more involved with her previous boyfriend’s illegal dealings than what she led on.

After that, Meliza abruptly rose to her feet. "That’s it. I’m leaving."

"Excuse me?"

"You’re getting awfully close to indicating that I’ve broken the law and saying that I’ve played a role into what’s going on," Meliza informed. Her eyes narrowed. "Someone was killed and today I was nearly killed. Do your job, Detective, and find the real killer."

She turned on her heel and proceeded towards the door.

"We’re not done yet," Rollins argued.

"I am," Meliza announced. "It’s to my understanding you were to get a statement from me today about what happened. Not to accuse me of being part of it."

With that, she headed out and towards the lobby to find Locke sitting in a chair.

"Let’s leave," Meliza said flatly as he rose from his seat.

"That bad?" he inquired.

Just as they got past the front desk, Detective Smith caught up with them.

"I’ll take you wherever you need to go," he said.

It was only when they were in the car that they spoke again.

"Rollins is only doing his job," Smith stated. "He was hard on you, but he’s a good cop."

"He practically accused me of being part of the whole operation," Meliza directed the comment at Locke.

"He was fishing," Locke concluded.

"Exactly." Meliza glanced at Smith. "Which tells me that your theory on Steinman flew out the window-"

"-and you’re looking for something else to link the whole case," Locke finished.

The detective raised inquisitive brows. "You guys aren’t psychologists or cops or anything, right?"

Meliza shook her head.

"Well, you’re right…we don’t have anything right now…so anything else we can find is better than nothing." Smith glanced at her. "I’ve arranged some protection for you. Where will you be staying?"

Meliza glanced at Locke before turning to the detective, "I’ll probably check into some hotel somewhere. I can’t seem to get ahold of one of my friends right now, otherwise, he’d let me stay at his place…"

Smith glanced at Locke through the rearview mirror. "You planning on staying with her?"

At Locke’s nod, Meliza shook her head. "You don’t have to…" she trailed off at the glare he turned on her. Normally, she would protest more, but given what had happened that day…she wasn’t sure she wanted to be by herself. "All right. We’ll need to get some of your things from The Rinaldo…"

"It probably isn’t safe for either of you to be anywhere near The Rinaldo right now," the detective stated.

Meliza nodded. "I’ll call Ryan and tell him to pack up your stuff and have it sent to where we’re staying."

"Fine." Locke turned to look out the window.

Meliza called her boss and explained the situation. After hanging up, she said, "He’s going to get a room for us at the Flagstaff Hotel…his old college buddy is the manager there. He’ll call back in five minutes."

"I’m not sure how thorough your assassin is," the detective said. "My advice would be to rent a car if you need to get around."

"There’s a rental car place about five blocks from the Flagstaff," Meliza informed.

The detective easily headed in that direction. Once they got to the establishment, he turned to Meliza. "You plan on going straight to the hotel?"

"Probably not…I might need to get something to eat…" Meliza answered.

The detective nodded, his eyes kind. "Stay alert, all right? I wish I could say we always catch them, but the bad guys usually win more than the good guys. So we’ll do all we can to protect you, but you’ve got to look out for yourself, got it?"

Meliza nodded. "Got it. Thank you very much."

"By the time you get to the hotel, you’ll have your police protection. Check in with me every couple hours…I might have some more info about the case."

"Understood."

==

"So this moves in an ‘L’ shape around the board…" Meliza indicated the knight piece on the board in front of them.

After she and Locke had rented a car, she ended up taking them to a coffee/café shop a few miles away from the Flagstaff. They had ordered dinner, coffee, and Locke was currently in the middle of teaching her how to play chess. The café had several plush sofas, equally plush chairs, with dark cherry wood tables. The environment was designed to be inviting, prompting guests to stay for long periods of time, either to chat, surf the net, or play games. A few feet away another couple was playing Connect Four and another playing Othello.

They were seated at a table with an already existing chessboard. Their food plates and coffee were placed on the side tables adjacent to their plush chairs.

"That’s right."

"Hmm…too many things to remember…" she mused.

"Something tells me you’d pick this up faster than you think," Locke said wryly.

"Right." Meliza studied the various pieces and their positions on the board.

Which wasn’t many. After all, they had just started. She had no idea what his plan of attack was, and even if she did, it was too early to tell. After a few minutes of surveying the board, she glanced up to notice his eyes on her. She frowned as she turned back to the board.

Slowly, she lifted a hand to move a pawn closer to the center. They played in silence, occasionally finishing up their meals or drinking coffee.

Meliza placed her fingers around her knight to move it. Locke did something similar on his side.

"I notice you have yet to move the queen closer to the center," Locke stated. "Any reason why?"

Meliza shrugged. "She’s too strong of a piece. I’d hate to lose it too early."

"If it makes you feel better, since you're still learning, I don’t have any intention on taking the queen too early," Locke said.

She studied the board carefully and the arrangement of the various pieces. Not that she was a chess expert, but to her it looked like he was winning. Of course he was. This was his game, after all.

Meliza moved her bishop a few squares over, but before she released it, he spoke up.

"Look around the piece."

"Dammit." Meliza pursed her lips. She glanced at him. "I think I’m having trouble concentrating."

"Why’s that?"

She sighed, staring out the window of the small café. "I keep thinking of everyone I’ve ever met…wondering what I did…why anyone would want to…" she swallowed.

He began to put the pieces away and said with resignation, "Maybe we should brainstorm." He frowned, saying in a low voice. "Who would want you dead? Or who would have hired someone to make sure you were?"

Meliza shook her head. "Locke…I’m not sure it was a professional hit." At his arched brow, she continued, "It makes no sense. Obviously a professional would have gotten the job done."

He couldn't argue with that. But in his experience... "Not all of them are very thorough."

"Meaning what?"

He grimaced. "Some men pay little for a job, because they don't want to pay a lot to have a job done by an expert."

Meliza stared at him. "You mean that there are discount assassins in this world?"

Even when in danger, she still retained her sense of humor. Locke shrugged. "Something like that."

"That's just sick." Shivering slightly, she hugged her arms, continuing to look out the window.

They sat in silence, with Meliza taking occasional sips of her drink. He didn't mind the quiet...he assumed that she was making a mental list of everyone who might try to target her. Honestly, it could have been anyone.

"It should be safe to go to the hotel now," Meliza stated. "You look exhausted..."

He certainly felt like it. If someone had asked him two years ago to explain how he felt about the woman in front of him, he wouldn't have been able to give them an answer. He couldn't have answered why he felt this need to protect her from harm...and now...he was doing it all over again. He cared. More than he thought he could. It had been a long time since someone else had mattered to him.

==

Locke woke up in the middle of the night, his mouth feeling as dry as sandpaper. He shifted to get out of bed, but a searing pain up his shoulder reminded him to take it easy on his injured side. He sat on the bed with his legs over the edge, trying to clear his brain. Just hours ago, he took a painkiller to help him sleep since it began to wear off after dinner. He ran his tongue over his teeth, thinking that the painkiller was probably a bad idea. He didn't entirely feel like himself with drugs in his system.

Meliza's supervisor had arranged for them to stay in a one bedroom suite at The Flagstaff. When they arrived, his luggage was already there. Meliza had insisted that he take the bedroom while she took the sofa in the living room.

Bathroom. Glass of water. In that order.

When he felt he had enough strength, he got up and slowly exited his room, crossing the small distance in the hall to the bathroom.

And was immediately greeted by the sight of her damp undies and bra hanging over the clothesline above the bathtub. They were black and feminine-looking. Next to them, her dress was also hanging to dry.

"Great," he muttered.

Not only did he feel like he was functioning at two miles per hour, but there was also a naked woman in the living room. He assumed that she hadn't been able to get ahold of anyone to get her some clothes. Locke washed his hands, keeping his left arm tight against his body, splashing water on his face with his right hand.

He turned off the light, hesitating on leaving the bathroom for the kitchen, not wanting to disturb Meliza. His eyes narrowed. Wait a minute...he couldn't hear any rhythmic breathing patterns at all.

What the...?

Suddenly, a shadow came into view just as he moved to investigate. The shadow squealed in surprise before it went into full survival mode, punching him in the stomach. The attack quickly caught him off-guard, but he recovered and managed to grab the fist in midair, before it could hit him square in the jaw. Meliza?

"Meliza-"

He felt her foot come up to kick him, so he quickly deflected it with his leg and pushed her against the wall, the sudden actions causing pain to shoot up his shoulder.

"Stop! It's me."

"Locke?" It was a little dark, but he could see the surprised look on her face. With one of her hands pinned beside her head, she reached out to turn on the hallway light.

It took a few seconds for their eyes to adjust to the light.

"What the hell were you-?" he growled simultaneously with her outraged cry of, "Are you trying to scare me to death?!"

Then it was quiet.

Meliza’s eyes slowly moved past his face and down, stopping somewhere below his navel before slowly moving back up again. He didn’t miss the appreciation in that gaze and his eyebrows lifted slightly.

"I was going to the bathroom then get a drink," she explained hastily.

Locke suddenly became aware of one thing. Neither of them was wearing much to bed - he only had on a pair of pajama pants and she had...was that a sheet? His eyes traveled down to see that she had tied a sheet around her to serve as sleeping clothes…When his eyes met hers, a brief smile came to her lips, and he realized that he had done the exact same thing she had done. Not that he cared that she caught him staring. Just like she could care less that he caught her staring.

She shrugged. "I...didn't have anything else to wear. Miguel never called me back so he could drop off my clothes..."

Locke released his hold on her. He ran a hand through his hair, glancing over his shoulder towards the kitchen before looking at her again. The adrenaline was fading and now he was back to being at two miles an hour. "I need a drink myself..." He gave her slender body a once over. "Let's get you something else to wear."

She followed him into the bedroom, watching as he opened his carryon. He handed her a pair of boxers and shirt and pulled out another one for himself to wear.

"I'll get our drinks. Anything you want in particular from the vending machine?" he asked, pulling his button down shirt on, carefully easing his left arm into the sleeve, not bothering to close it.

"Tea. But you don't have to go out...there's water bottles, juice...I stocked the fridge while you were asleep..."

"You went out?"

"Just to buy some necessities."

"You shouldn't be going out by yourself," he admonished.

"We needed things," she countered.

His frown deepened. "It isn't safe."

"The grocery was only a block and a half up," she reasoned. "Besides, I was careful. I'm here, right?"

"Yeah..."

He moved to the kitchen while she got dressed in the bathroom. His injured shoulder limited his movements, but he managed to fill two mugs with water and place them in the microwave. He found a box of green tea and honey on the counter and waited for the water to finish heating. Meliza emerged from the bathroom, and he paused before dropping a bag into the mug.

She was arranging the sheet on the couch, wearing his shirt and boxers. Which showed off a pair of long, shapely legs. He blew out a breath and watched the tea steep, trying to ignore the image of her that was now apparently burned into his brain.

"How's your shoulder?" she asked when he set the cup of steaming liquid on the coffee table.

"It's okay."

She gave him a skeptical look before taking a drink of her tea. "Is that man-talk for 'it hurts like hell but I don't want to say it hurts like hell'?"

He shook his head. "I'll manage. I've been through worse." He studied her. "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"How are you doing?"

"Not bad, considering the day I've had." Meliza sighed, setting her cup down. "I'm just so...frustrated, that's all..."

Locke watched her move to the window of the living room. Hugging herself, she looked out into the darkness, teeming with random lights to showcase the skyline below.

He was no master when it came to understanding women, and she was no exception. She hadn't cried at all since the shooting in the dressing room - at least that he had been around to see - so he wasn't sure if she was just coping well, or hiding her emotions. Fear...helplessness...these were all things someone would normally feel after what had happened today. Clearly she was upset, and short of finding the shooter, he wasn't sure if anything he said or did could make her feel better.

He followed her into the living room, moving to stand behind her. Slowly, he reached up with his right hand, resting it on her shoulder, squeezing lightly to let her know that if she needed anything, she just had to ask. The action caused her to lean back.

"I'm...glad you're here," Meliza said quietly. "I don't think I'd want to be alone after what happened today."

"No one would."

He closed his eyes briefly, allowing himself to enjoy the contact between them. He had to have missed something. Why would someone be after her?

Releasing a deep sigh, Meliza pulled away slightly, turning to him with a rueful smile. "Thanks for everything."

"You're welcome."

And not even bothering to think about his actions, he closed the small distance between them and kissed her.

It was supposed to be light and brief. She had gone very still in shock. But just as he moved to pull away, she kissed him back. He felt her lean against him, felt her arm circle his waist. His right hand moved to tip her head back to deepen the kiss, and he felt her fingers tighten their hold on him.

Slowly, he lifted his head, her face reflecting confusion, longing, and a myriad of other emotions filling his vision. Then he moved away to perch against the armrest of the couch, hoping to calm his racing heart and unsteady breathing. A quick glance told him Meliza wasn't faring much better.

Then Meliza's next words stopped him short.

"I want to stay with you tonight."

He stared at her, speechless, wondering if he was misinterpreting her request.

After a moment, he forced his gaze away, clearing his throat, looking at her beddings on the couch. "I could take the floor-"

"That's not what I meant," Meliza interrupted.

It was as direct as she was going to be tonight. He shook his head once. "I...don't think that's a good idea."

This was all very strange to him. As an assassin, his clients had often sent women and their 'services for the night' as a reward for a job well done. Most of the time, they had ulterior motives. While he indulged a little with the women's attentions, he never let it get too far to become vulnerable to a bullet or stab in the back.

"You didn't seem to think so earlier," she said softly.

He couldn't exactly argue that. And he didn't know what else to say or do. He knew that she needed some form of escape...some therapy...some way to deal with the events that happened the last two days. But he couldn't bring himself to give her that. Not when someone was after her life. And then there was another thought...was she like this all the time? Or just with him? He remembered the first day he met her, she had moved pretty fast - ending with them in his hotel suite. And then one of his old assassin rivals burst in on them, ruining everything.

Then again, maybe he was being selfish. He wanted to see how far this could go on a normal level. They never had the chance the first time around, and it looked like any chance they had now had to be put on hold.

So he went with a platonic pat on her shoulder before moving towards the bedroom. "Get some sleep."

He had a sneaking suspicion that both of them wouldn't be sleeping much that night.