It was Sunday, late morning, when Kim woke up. She yawned and looked to her left side and saw that Dan wasn't in bed. She stretched as she got out of bed and made her way into the living room. She then saw that he wasn't there either. She checked the kitchen and the other bedroom, but no Dan. She began to feel worry come over her. She looked out the window and only saw some kids running around the parking lot, playing. She ran to her purse, grabbed her cell phone, and saw she had no messages. No voicemail or texts. She flipped her phone open to call Trish when she heard a knock on her door. She went to the door and opened it to be surprised by two cops. One being a female.

"Ms. Kimberly Briggs?" the female asked.

"Yes."

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your boyfriend, Daniel Reo, was found dead early this morning. I'm sorry."

"N—No…" Kim said as she fell to her knees. She began to cry hysterically. She shook her head, not wanting to believe what she was hearing. The female cop kneeled down to her, asking her what she could do to help.

The Briggs estate was located just outside of the city. It had a hilltop view, looking over a manmade lake. A few European sports cars sat outside of four one car garage doors. The inside was just as breathtaking then the outside. The entry way was opened, being able to see through the living room and towards where the poolside was, which was where Mr. Briggs was, sitting outside having a cigar and watching two young beautiful women swim, both in bikinis. Mr. Briggs was a man in his late forties. His dark hair was short and he was an attractive man. Most people would say that Kimberly got her good looks from him. He waved and smiled to the women who were smiling at him, flirting. The butler then walked out with someone who Mr. Briggs was expecting.

"Sir, Daken is here to see you." he told him. Frank turned around to see him.

"Ah, Daken! Come, sit, sit. And enjoy the view." he told him while motioning to where the women were, getting out of the pool, water dripping off of them. Daken sat down as the butler walked back in. "I've heard the good news. I assume you're here for your money."

"Yeah." he said as he watched the women dry off then put lotion on each other. "Fifty grand like we agreed." he added as he now turned his attention to him.

"You haven't fully completed the agreement." Frank told him. "You may have killed Danny, but you still haven't gotten my daughter. I want her back here, where she belongs." he told him.

"That wasn't part of our agreement."

"Yes it was. I'll give you twenty-five grand now. The other half once she's back here, safe and sound." Frank told him as he looked back over to the women, now sun bathing. Daken growled under his breath.

"Fine." he told him.

Kim sat on the couch with Trish. The cops had called Trish for her and explained what was going on. Trish came over in a hurry, even if she did have a hangover. Kim leaned into Trish as Trish had her arm around her shoulders. Kim was still crying.

"Who would do something like this?" she cried.

"I don't know honey. Everything will be ok." Trish told her. Kim looked up at her.

"No, it won't." Kim told her as she slowly pushed herself to sit up. "I can't afford this place. I don't even have a job."

"We'll get you a job. If anything, you can stay with me. I know you don't want to move back home."

"Yeah." she said as she tried to calm herself again. She looked to Trish with a little smile. "Thanks Trish."

"What are friends for?" Trish told her with a hug.

A week passed by. Dan Reo's funeral happened, Kim wept even more than ever. Everyone she knew was there. It was a beautiful one. She began to feel guilty as the last time she had saw him was when they got in that argument. Trish was a true best friend by being there for her. Later in the week, she started a new job that would be her first one. She was able to get a job at a big art gallery, though she didn't know much about art, but the director liked her looks and personality, and gave her the job. She was forced to get the job as she needed the money, she didn't know what would happen to the club, though Dan's good friend, Matt, was trying to take it over, as he didn't want to let it be shut down.

It was Thursday, and it was her third day on the job. Her job was a simple one, to make sure that everyone who was interested in buying was being helped. She began to make her rounds, smiling and greeting customers when she saw someone familiar. It was that same guy from that night at the club. She felt herself smile to herself as she watched him looking at some artwork. She then told herself that she would have to go talk to him. She took a deep breath as she began to walk up to him.

"Hello." she said to him. He looked at with a smile.

"I know you. Kim, right?" he said.

"Yes. And you're Daken." she told him.

"Couldn't forget me, huh?" he said with a little laugh. "I didn't know you worked here."

"I just started." she told him as she began to feel that feeling again, like she was being overly attracted to him. "So, you like artwork?"

"Some." he told her, checking her out.

"Kim!" a male voiced called. It was the floor supervisor looking for her.

"I got to go. Nice seeing you again, Daken." she told him as she started to walk away.

"Kim, wait." he said as he went after her. She turned to see him. "Would you like to get some coffee later?" he asked her as he started to put his plan into motion.

"I don't know…" she said as she began to think about Dan. Daken walked up closer to her.

"Please. My treat." he added. She looked at him for a moment as she thought it over when she heard her name being called again. She looked to the direction of where her supervisor was and then back to him.

"Sure. I get off at five. We can meet at the Starbucks on the corner." she said. "I have to go." she told him as she walked away.

"Kim!" the supervisor said again.

"I'm coming Rick! I heard you the other two times!" she yelled.

Daken was inside the coffee shop, sitting at a table waiting for Kim. As he waited, he began to think how he would get her back to her father. He couldn't do much in public, but he could use his pheromones on her and get her that way. He looked to the clock that was on the wall behind the counter and it read ten pass five. He began to wonder if she had got scared and wasn't coming at all, till he saw her walking up to the door from the outside. She pulled open the door, walked in, and began to look for him. Once she found him, she smiled, as she approached the table. She pulled the seat out that was across from him and sat down.

"I was thinking I scared you away." Daken said to her.

"No. It was my boss. He was being a total dick." she told him with a laugh.

"Bosses can be like that." he said. "Let me go get us our coffees, what would you like?" he asked her.

"I'm not really a coffee person." she told him.

"Ok." he said with a small laugh and smile. "Tell you the truth, I'm not either." They sat there talking; she told him how her boyfriend was killed. His reaction was shock, telling her he couldn't believe that. As she told him that, she tried to fight back tears, her one hand was on the table, and Daken put his on hers, for comfort.

"Not only that, but I hate my father." she told him.

"Why do you hate him?"

"He was never there for me as child. I was shipped off to a boarding school at a young age. When I was nine, I found out that my mother was killed in a car crash. But for some reason, I had this feeling it wasn't true. Like he was lying to me about it." she told him.

"My father was never there for me either. He didn't even know I existed. " he told her, seeing that they had common ground.

"I wish my father would leave me alone. It's like he wants to control me." she told him. "Make me into him. I don't know. Listen to me; I shouldn't be venting this onto you."

"By all means, vent." he told her. He began thinking what would happen to her if he did bring her back to him. He was enjoying talking with her, being in her company. He was beginning to think if it was even worth the twenty-five grand. They had been talking for almost an hour when she noticed the time.

"I didn't know we've been talking for this long." she said as she looked at her watch. "I got to go. I'm supposed to meet my best friend for dinner."

"Perhaps we can talk more sometime." he said as he got up with her. They both made their way outside. She took a business card out of her purse and wrote down her cell phone number on it and gave it to him. She waved bye to him as she began to walk away. He smiled as he watched her. He wondered if he could ever have something with her. She was so sweet and innocence. He wondered what it would be like, to be with someone like that. He turned and began to walk the other way. He felt different, like something was overcoming him. He shook if off as he put his hands into his pants pockets.