"Shit!" the quiet voice cursed with venom. The once white soap slipped through pale soft fingers and into the sink. She sniffled and wiped the tears from her cheek on her shoulder. The water that drained was clear and soapy. It had started with a deep red slowly fading to a pink; the same shade of pink as the lips that were trembling. Even still she kept scrubbing. Maybe if she kept scrubbing she could get the image out of her head. Her hands were turning a bright red, the hot water close to burning them.
A loud knock at the front door made her jump. She dried her hands quickly and grabbed the small pistol on the edge of the bathroom sink. Her bare feet brought her across the hotel's drab carpet and to the door. The door had no peephole and she wouldn't risk looking out the window. Not that the flimsy wall would protect her much either. She took a deep breath and swung the door open quickly as she raised her gun.
"Whoa girl it's just me and some friends," the handsome Scotsman grinned and it pulled at the scar on the side of his face. The woman immediately relaxed and stepped aside. The man walked in quickly and was followed closely by two others. She locked the door behind them and then bent to pick up the pants at the foot of the bed. They were covered in blood. She couldn't help but grimace; those were her favorite pair of jeans.
A deep whistle behind her made her flinch and turn to face the men quickly. The one who whistled was openly leering at her. His bright blue eyes were mischievous and didn't leave the view of her legs. She pulled at the bottom of the oversized t-shirt; she had been too nervous with the knock at the door to think about what she was wearing. Her face flushed as she realized how stupid she was. A large grey t-shirt hung long enough to cover her underwear but it still left little to the imagination and bending over had gave the group a more than satisfactory view of her purple boyshirts.
"Gonna introduce me Chibs?" asked the blue eyed man as he licked his lips.
Her reaction was immediate, her finger flicking the safety of her pistol off and a step back.
The man laughed deep and had the good grace to look mildly shameful before he held his hands up, "No disrespect sweetcheeks."
Chibs rolled his eyes and tilted his head towards the would-be creeper, "This fucks name is Tigs and he's Happy. Boys, this is Pandora, Andy for short."
Andy nodded a greeting, her eyes sliding from Tigs to Happy. He was a big man, tall and broad: a wall of muscle with deep brown eyes and a look that said he not only noticed her attire but appreciated it. Andy shivered, men like that, well once upon a time she would have swooned at him. Not anymore though. Men were a time consuming project and she was low on the time and the patience. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and looked to Chibs.
"Thanks for coming. Gemma said to call if I ever needed help."
Her voice was soft and trembling as she slowly sat on the edge of the bed and placed the gun at her side. Chibs nodded and kneeled at her feet. Taking her hands as his thumbs rubbed slowly across her fingers, "You need to come with us to Charming. We can help you there."
Andy nodded and looked around the hotel room, "Let me sleep a bit. I'll grab my stuff and drive tomorrow-"
"No Andy, it has to be tonight. You can't bring your car. You'll ride with me or Happy. Tig will take care of your car and the room," Chibs' voice was quiet but firm, arguing with him was pointless.
Chibs stood and let her hands go, "Tigs her car is out front. It's the blue Honda. I want the basic clean up and disposal of the room and car. I'll help."
Tigs nodded and picked up her car keys from the night stand. He winked at Andy, "Don't worry babe we got you covered."
He and Chibs closed the door quickly behind them leaving Andy with a very quiet and rather intimidating Son. She didn't meet his eyes as she stood. Why had this happened, what the hell had gone wrong?
"You need to get dressed. I'll get your shit packed and put your bag on Chibs' bike."
His voice was deep and gravely and made Andy shiver. Of course he would have an attractive voice. She nodded and rifled through her duffel bag and pulled out a long sleeve shirt, a pair of jeans and socks.
She looked over her shoulder and her temper flared, "Can you turn around?"
He quirked an eyebrow at her before nodding silently. Her shoulders slumped and she looked ahead as she pulled her shirt off. The room was cold and she dressed quickly. She looked back to Happy to see that he hadn't turned around while she changed. He'd watched her, the entire damn time.
Andy felt her cheeks heat with embarrassment. "You said you'd turn around."
Happy smirked and Andy felt her stomach clench and her face heat for a new reason, "Said I could turn around. Didn't say I would."
He walked into the bathroom and grabbed her toothbrush and other toiletries before throwing them into her bag. She busied herself with her socks and shoes as he did a final sweep of the room and handed her the leather jacket she'd thrown onto the chair.
"Turn around," he ordered softly. His voice left no room for disagreeing so she didn't even bother. Instead she faced away from him, not quite knowing what he intended to do.
She flinched when she felt his fingers run through her hair; softly pulling the strands in different directions. Her heart was beating loudly in her ears. She was enjoying this far too much. These small touches from a man she had just met less than an hour ago.
Minutes later his hands dropped and she felt him back away. Her hand lifted to her hair and felt the braid, "Your hair needs to be back or it'll get tangled."
Andy smiled and slid her jacket on, "Where did a guy like you learn to braid hair?"
He was quiet for a long moment, "My mother." He grabbed her bag quickly and walked out the door slamming it hard and making Andy jump.