It was early in the morning when I finally pulled into a parking space in the motel parking lot. Prior to parking, I had driven around the motel twice to check the perimeter. I caught sight of a young man in what appeared to be an early 1990 Honda Accord. I wondered briefly what the hell he was doing sitting in a car at 1:50 in the morning. It wasn't until I saw the head bobbing up in down in his lap that it all made sense. No matter where you go in the world, some things would never change.

I had no way of knowing if Mina actually chose this motel but as I looked around the establishment, I became sure this would be the one she would have chosen. All the letters in motel were lit and in working order, there were brand new vending machines located around the grounds and this one seemed to have a manicured landscape. With no way to contact Mina and find out for sure, I had to rely heavily on the fact that we were twins. Walking to the front desk, I hoped Mina hadn't done anything to alter her appearance or this wouldn't work.

"Um, hi," I tried to look sheepish. "I locked myself out. I went to get something out of the vending machine but I left my key in the room."

The old woman behind the desk looked me over for a few seconds before she broke into a smile. "Don't worry child, you'd be surprised how often it happens. 201, right. Here's the skeleton key, bring it back once you've opened the door," she handed me the keys and returned to her paperwork.

Once I found 201, I was slightly worried to that is was dark and quiet. Mina's a night owl, these are her prime hours. Looking around, I quickly pulled out my gun before unlocking the door and slipping inside. I instantly saw Mina sleeping in the bed. She didn't even stir as I silently checked around the room. Once I made sure everything was safe and secure I returned the keys to the front desk, got my bags out of the car and once again slipped into the room. I closed the door and turned on the lights. Mina still didn't move. Honestly, if I didn't see her chest moving, I would've thought she was dead. And given the situation I didn't understand how she wasn't. I sat on her bed and brushed the hair out of her face. She had been crying before she went to sleep. Looking a little closer and I saw hand prints around her neck. Gritting my teeth, I silently promised someone would pay for hurting her.

"Mina, wake up," I shook her gently until she opened her eyes.

"You're here, I was starting to think you wouldn't come," she whispered as she sat up and wiped her eyes.

"Of course, I'd come. I just had a few things to wrap up first. You're pregnant aren't you?" She looked at me as if I was crazy.

"Why would you say that?" She looked scared.

"And you didn't deny it. Are you pregnant?"

"I don't understand how, I mean why you would think that?"

I laughed. "You told me."

"No, I didn't," she shook her head.

"Not so much in words but by actions. I told you to buy food and any other time you would have bought a bunch of junk food. I checked the fridge. You bought milk, fruit, sandwich meat, bread and water. You're a smoker and a drinker and yet there's no traces of a cigarettes in this room. No butts in the ashtray, there isn't even a faint smell of it and you didn't buy any liquor. A stressful situation like someone trying to kill you, I would expect this room to be littered with cigarette butts and a few bottles. Yet there is none. And lastly, you're sleep. Judging by the coolness of the back of the TV, I'd say you went to sleep a couple of hours ago. Now either you suddenly found God or you're pregnant. And no offense the latter seems more plausible."

She started laughing, "I forgot how observant you are. I'm 12 weeks."

"How'd this happen?" I asked.

"How'd what happen? The price on my head or the pregnancy?"

"Both, I'm assuming they're connected. Tell me what's going on. From the beginning, don't leave anything out, doesn't matter how little you think it matters. I need to know it."

Suddenly her smile was gone. "Well you know I left Florida and moved to New York. I needed a job while I worked on my acting, so I started working at this night club called Ocean as a go-go dancer and a waitress on busy nights."

"Why are you working? I know your parents usually pay your rent?"

"They cut me off when I decided to move to New York to be an actress. They said there is no future in acting."

I shrugged, "well they're not wrong? Especially given your current predicament but I guess that's a moot point now. So you were working at a club, continue."

"Yes and it was hard work but it was good money. I came home with no less than 300 dollars on a slow night. Everything was going good for me and then my manager came to me with an opportunity. He needed a girl to work at their restaurant."

"A restaurant?" I couldn't imagine any job in a restaurant paying more then she could make at a club.

"Yeah, it's called Radiance. I didn't know at the time but both the club and the restaurant are fronts for the mob."

"What the fuck, Mina?" How the hell did a ditsy ass blonde get herself into situations like this?

"I know, I know but in my defense I didn't find out about the mob's involvement until I had been working at Ocean for a couple of months and by then it was too late to walk away. These people are paranoid if I would've just walked away they would've assumed I was going to the police and would've tried to kill me.

I laughed, "like they're trying to do now?"

"But the difference is I haven't gone to the police nor have I even thought about it. I've been a loyal employee I don't know why they're trying to kill me," she cried.

This was getting us nowhere and somehow we had gotten off topic. "You were working at Ocean and they wanted you to work at Radiance."

She wiped her tears, "Yes, my manager came to me one night and asked if I would work at Radiance. Apparently a girl had been fired earlier and they desperately needed someone to cover her shift. He said it would look good to management and they would help with my acting, that they knew people. I said yes and he sent me on my way. That first night, I met Malakai. I was his waitress," she laughed and her face lit up.

It suddenly hit me, she loves this Malakai person and sadly he was trying to kill her. If she wasn't my sister, it would have been hilarious.

"He rubbed me the wrong way from the beginning. He was just so damn arrogant, even for me. He just assumed I would go home with him because he was some mobster's son. I turned him down but he took it in stride and kept coming on to me. When he grabbed my ass, I had had enough and I tried to smack him but one of his bodyguards grabbed me before I could. I knew I was going to be fired so I wanted to make it count. I kneed his bodyguard and tried to attack him again. I didn't succeed of course; the same bodyguard stopped me. I thought Malakai was going to have me killed or something but he just laughed. The owner came over and started to tear into me but Malakai stopped him. He even made him apologize. He said that he deserved it and that I would not be punished for defending my character. He said that he liked people with integrity and asked that whenever he came to Radiance that I would be his waitress. I was so happy that I didn't lose my job that I thanked him and even gave him a hug," she stopped to laugh.

"He palmed my ass again. That ended up being our thing, he'd hit on me and I'd turn him down. Then for the rest of the night he would find little ways to touch me. The other girls told me all about him. They said that he was some big wig's son, that he had money and power. He was married to some lady and pretty much that he was dangerous and if I had any self-preservation I would stay away. And believe me Serena, I tried but he would always find me. Even on my off days, he'd pop up randomly, at the grocery store, in the mall, anywhere I was. He only came in Radiance nights I worked and would only order from me but I still refused to give him any time of day."

"What changed? How'd you go from that to this," I gestured towards her stomach.

"One night I had this loud-mouthed guy at a table. He was making these really obnoxious and rude comments. I refused to let him get the best of me so I continuously ignored him. After I brought his table their food, I tried to walk away but he grabbed my arm and wouldn't let go. He asked me on a date and when I said no he started to squeeze it. It got to a point where it was actually starting to hurt so I tried to yank my arm out of his grasp. It didn't work but then suddenly I was free. Malakai had gotten up from his table and had punched the guy in the face. I don't know why Malakai even has bodyguards because he can handle himself. He beat the living shit out of the guy before his bodyguards pulled him off and then dragged the unconscious man outside. He took me to the back and put some ice on my arm. He was so angry. I tried to reassure him that I was fine, but all that seemed to do was make him more agitated. He suddenly grabbed my head and kissed me. Serena, it was so magical. I know I sound like a love-sick teenager when I say this but it was. I felt sparks and everything, it took my breath away. After that moment everything changed and when he asked me on a date again, I accepted."

"He's married."

"Yeah but Serena he isn't happy. His father made him marry her. Their marriage was an arrangement by both of their fathers to merge the families."

"Doesn't matter. He was, I mean is married."

"Like you can be on a moral high ground with what you do for a living. Big deal, he was married."

"You called me because of what I do for a living. Knew that I could help you, keep you alive and 'handle' the situation. You were quick to pick up the fucking phone and involve me in this bullshit. He's married and now he's trying to kill you and you're still trying to justify the relationship, seriously."

"Look I didn't call you for this. I know I fucked up, Serena but there isn't shit I can do about it now. I need your help," she cried.

I rolled my eyes, "just continue. He asked you on a date and you said yes."

"Yeah, and that was just the beginning. After a couple of dates he asked me to be his girlfriend. What can I say Serena, I liked him and he treated me like a princess. I've been dating him since then, we were about to have our 2 year anniversary, well before all this happened. About a month ago, I started to feel sick. I went to the doctor after two weeks and found out I was pregnant. I told Malakai that night." She dropped eye contact with me at this moment. I knew this was the reason he was trying to kill her.

"You have to understand that me being pregnant changes things. I can't be the other woman raising my child alone."

"You made him chose, didn't you?" When I saw her face, I knew immediately that she did more than that. I laughed, "You wanted him to leave his wife. You threatened to tell her, about you and the baby." She looked away and wiped her tears.

She slammed her hand on the bed, "but he chose me. He said he'd tell her by the end of the week and we would be together, for good."

"And that's why you're in west bubble fuck, Virginia. Mina, you of all people should know how this works; the girlfriends never become the wives."

"Serena, he loves me. He couldn't have done this."

"Then who?"

"I don't know. It could be one of his bodyguards, Darien. He doesn't like me."

"Why?"

"I don't know, okay. He just doesn't! He always looks at me like I'm a bother, like I'm in the way. And no matter what I say to him, he ignores me as if I'm beneath him."

"He probably foresaw the trouble you would bring? Do you have a cell phone?"

"Yeah but I was in such a rush that I didn't pack the charger. It died on the bus, that's why I called you from the payphone."

"Give it here." She picked the phone off the nightstand and handed it to me. I took the memory card out and walked over to the door and got my laptop out of my bag.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

I paid her no mind as I turned it on and slipped the memory card into the laptop. I saw the file I was looking for and quickly opened it up. Pulling up all the pictures, I turned the laptop to her, "Who are they?"

"Why, what's going on?"

"You called me to take care of this and I am. I'm going to find out who's trying to kill you and do what needs to be done but I need to know who's who." She spent the next 30 minutes going through her pictures and telling me who everyone was and everything she knew about them. I sent an email to my guy. He'd handle getting all the information about them that Mina didn't know.

"Thanks, that's good. Go to sleep, we'll discuss this more in the morning," I explained, closing the laptop.

"Serena, I know you don't believe this but he wouldn't do this. He loves me. Someone else is behind this, I just know it," she sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than me.

"I hope for his sake your right," I kissed her forehead before I got up and walked over to the other bed, I needed a couple hours of sleep after that drive.