Claire exhaled, her eyelids fluttering shut for a moment. In her ears, the sound of bustling people echoed through Los Angeles. Her life certainly hadn't turned out as expected. She was the head of a group of therapy programs for abused children.
It landed her with fair amount of money and free time so she could travel. So instead of shopping like she would have done five years ago, she set up her camera and waited.
For the sunlight to stream through the trees at just the right angle, or the sun to set at just the right time. It was a time in her life where she really was content with how things were.
Gone was the short red hair she'd flaunted, and the pink feminine outfits she'd flashed. Her hair was pulled into a sweet ponytail, and she kept her clothing colors down to more earthy tones.
Everything had changed when her father died. Her mother had stepped up to the plate, giving her the strong discipline she'd needed. Claire could never thank her enough for that.
She crept down the stairs, black camera case banging almost painfully against her thigh. The bridge was pretty large, far in the outskirts of the city and by the looks of it, fairly deserted.
When sunset came, it would make a beautiful picture.
"I wouldn't go any further. It's not safe for a pretty thing like you," an eerily familiar voice crooned. Claire turned sharply to see a man leaning against one of the pillars holding up the bridge. Both of their eyes widened at the same time. "Claire?"
"Bender?" Both asked in unison. Claire smiled. "I wondered where you'd gone to." Bender hadn't changed too much. His hair had been grown out and brushed back into a loose low ponytail. His jean jacket had been traded out for worn leather, but he still had on thick boots and ripped jeans. A half burned cigarette lay crushed by his feet.
He had a wicked scar that ran from his left temple to his jaw. The man exhaled sharply through his nose, a ghost of a smile fleeting across his lips. "What are you doing here?" he asked, eyes flitting up and down as he clearly checked her out.
She pursed her lips. "I'm taking pictures." Bender raised an eyebrow. "Pictures? Well I'll be. Princess got herself a nature streak." Claire wrinkled her nose at him, knowing full well how childish it was.
"Well what are you doing here?" He cocked his head, fingers twitching to the cigarette pack that was halfway shoved into his pocket. "Just sending people away." She frowned. "Yeah. What did you mean when you said it wasn't safe for someone like me?"
Bender hid his smile. "You really don't know. There's a gang that hangs out around here. Do some pretty illegal stuff. You wouldn't want to get mixed up in that kind of shit."
The redhead pondered this. "Then why do you hang around here? Isn't it bad for you too?" Bender shrugged. "You could say that. But like I said, I'm sending people away. You could say it's my job."
Before Claire could ask, a shout from behind him drew their attention. "Boa! What're you doing? You're supposed to send people away, not chat 'em up." The new addition was a very tall man with broad shoulders and muscular biceps. His wore a jean jacket with the sleeves torn off despite the cooler weather.
"Even ones like her aren't allowed to hang around," he said, inspecting her with ebony eyes that glittered dangerously. His hair was black as well, cropped short and messy. "Unless you're talking to her for a different purpose." Bender shot out an arm, blocking him from moving toward Claire.
"Don't get carried away, Cobra. I was just bored of standing here all day. I'll send her away," Bender said, voice now rough and low in contrast to the silky tone Claire had heard before.
Snake's nose twitched. "See that you do. Serpent's been asking for you, by the way. You don't want your ass torn to shreds you better get up there." Bender's eyes flashed. "In a minute." Cobra hissed in annoyance, but moved away, slinking back to wherever he came from.
Claire looked at Bender with something akin to mortification and maybe even disgust. "I don't even need to guess, Bender. This so called dangerous gang that's hanging around, you're a part of it, aren't you?" Bender blinked a few times.
"And when you said illegal stuff, what do you mean? Drugs? Kidnapping? Bender what have you gotten yourself into?" Claire demanded, clearly livid. Bender suddenly twitched, eyes drifting over the back of his shoulder.
"Not here, princess. I'll tell you if you want to know, 'cause I know full well you won't run to the police," he said finally. Claire swallowed. "How will you know where to find me?" Bender smirked.
"I've got my ways."
He listened for a moment, then frowned. "Now, get. Hanging around here will just screw us both." Claire stepped back and then turned and hurried away.
This is not how she envisioned her Tuesday afternoon.