It was getting colder by the minute, she hugged her jean jacket closer to her slim form and her teeth began to chatter. This couldn't possibly be reality. Epps wanted more than anything to go back to the way things were. So television stations called her and asked her stories? Fine. People called her crazy? Fine again. Anything as long as it didn't involve killing people.

But according to Jack these weren't ordinary people. They already were sinners, right?

No! Snap out of it, Maureen!

"It stills sounds like bullshit, Ferriman." not even able to gather enough strength to call him by his first name. He didn't deserve that. After all, if all he would do was still call her Maureen then that was exactly what she'd do. Be a pain in the ass.

They trudged up the hill which felt like it was going upward forever and finally seemed to be going sound of the ocean waves that had once brought her peace and thrill instead looked lifeless and morose. There was no light in her green eyes, only fear and anger. Emotions she had come to know very well over time.

"Do you do anything else other than fight me?" Jack sent her a cold glare which in turn earned him a light growl from the female. Instead of answering him, the brunette started ahead of him in order to get up to the docks.

"Uh-uh." he tsked her and grabbed onto her wrist with an icy cold grasp.

"You don't even know where we're going, Maureen." his words were monotone and his eyes held a coldness that only a demon could possess.
"Anywhere is better than being within an inch of you." she murmured underneath her breath and shook his fingers off of her wrist.

He allowed this and quickly let go as if the little gesture was anything short of abuse. He owned her, why couldn't her stubborn ass figure it out by now?
The only thing that irritated him more than her angry woman bullshit was the sight of the heart necklace around her pretty neck.

"Thought I trashed that when the ship blew up." he hadn't even noticed the locket around her neck the last time they had met. He had been far too busy focusing on her screams, his dim-witted new crew and the look of horror on her face to even notice anything else.

"Or do you mean when I blew your ass sky high with a shit load of C4?"

Jack grabbed onto the chain around her neck and yanked. Immediately her hand came up into a fist and attempted to punch him in the jaw but he quickly avoided it as only a demon could.

"You're trying my patience, Maureen!" it was almost a snarl, it meant business. Would he really kill her? What good would that do him?

"Give it back!" her boots nearly stumbled against the docks and Jack found himself chuckling the way he had in the past when he had morphed out of the form of Dodge.

"It's insurance. It's mine for now. You get it back if you're a good girl." his tone held warning, no emotion and absolutely no life at all. As dull and as lifeless as a corpse for that matter. She knew now to shut her mouth and kept careful notice when he pocketed the locket in his navy blue windbreaker pocket.
Insurance. Great, he was going to hold the only tie she had with Katie above her head where she couldn't reach it. Her hand immediately went around her throat from where he had nearly choked her with the chain and rubbed the smooth skin there.

Jesus Christ that hurt.

"We're checking into Motel 6, no questions and no talking back. Do exactly as I tell you, say exactly what you're supposed to say or one more body hits the ground. I'll give you a hint-it won't be yours." his voice indicating that he'd take whatever soul he could find and let it stay on her shoulders as a burden to her conscience.

"Yet." adding the extra mile to his threat.

Great. Classy, Jack. Really. Class act.

Epps clutched her fingers into fists so hard that her knuckles turned white but she gave a firm nod as if to silently oblige. He didn't even smile, he knew he had her in the palm of his hand.

They crossed the street. A mother and her little girl were holding hands and walking happily the minute the sign had read 'walk'. The brunette's heart ached upon seeing the red headed child and her equally red headed, Irish mother wandering to the other side of the street. Happy as larks. It reminded her of Katie. Of course it did.

A part of her really just wanted to stand in front of traffic and let it be over with. But that would just be a mess and it wasn't worth it. If Maureen Epps died it would be for a reason not an easy way out.

With a rough nudge, Jack shoved her forward as they walked across the street together and headed for a large, seedy looking parking lot. It reminded her a lot of New York City. For something that looked so dead at the harbor and docks it sure as hell was bustling with life when you got closer to it.

Maureen scuffed her shoes along the puddles of past rain falls and finally stopped short in front of a door to a motel. Sure enough in those bright unwelcoming letters did it read 'Motel 6'. Ferriman never disappointed. Perhaps she could use that to her advantage later?

He walked by her, as if he didn't even see her and opened the door to step inside. Just when the woman thought of making a run for it did he grab onto her hand and yank her inside. So much for a spark of hope.

Jack walked up to the desk and pushed down onto the little bell. No one greeted them at the counter. He tried again and kept a suave smile on his lips. His smile fell and his demeanor grew cold and impatient. It was warm inside of the motel lobby and this prompted the brunette to slide off her jacket and tie it around her waist as quick as possible.

No need for a certain jackasses eyes to get a glimpse of her form in the process. Jack caught onto this and rolled his eyes. Sure he found the girl attractive but that wasn't on his mind right now. Hey, better to be safe than sorry.

Finally irritated of waiting any longer around him in this hell, the former ship salvager slapped her palm down on the bell in one slam and gave an irritated yell. "Hey!" Maureen's raspy voice carried and immediately a middle-aged woman stepped out from the break room and settled herself in front of the desk.

"Can I help you?" she sounded tired but alas at least finally someone paid attention to them. Ferriman raised an eyebrow at the other's antics and instead placed a credit card down onto the surface of the desk. "Two rooms please." putting on his naturally handsome and nice personality. The woman behind the desk smiled happily at how charming he was and Jack pretended to stumble his elbow into a small cup of pens on the desk.

It was Maureen's turn to roll her eyes now and she simply leaned against the mahogany desk waiting for them to get their room keys. Jack must have materialized the credit card because she sure as hell didn't remember him having one before. Tricky, tricky.

"Sorry! I guess sometimes I can be a little clumsy." immediately his fake facade was plastered over his face and that earned him a soft giggle from the clerk at the desk. "It happens all of the time Mr..." her blue eyes glanced down at the card. "Ferriman." not thinking anything of it. Why would they? Not like everyone in the world knew Greek mythology.

He nodded apologetically and was finally greeted with the room keys. "67 down the hall, take a right." the clerk's chubby finger pointed towards that direction.

"Wifi isn't free, it's 9.99 for twenty minutes and then after that the same price." it was the woman's usual speech, you could tell she was tired and uninterested in her job. Well, uninterested in everything except for Jack Ferriman. Women always fell all over him-except one. He hadn't even fully gotten Maureen's attention back on the boat despite having a close call with the cigarette sharing.

Finally seeing the curly haired woman in front of the desk, the clerk frowned but tried to pretend she was peachy keen with everything. "I don't mean to pry but is this your wife?" quickly trying to find any wedding rings on their fingers.

Immediately Maureen thought that she was going to vomit and she turned her head to hide the wrinkle of her nose. "Holy fuck-no-." the tomboy nearly gagged quietly but could only mouth the words. "Honeymoon." Jack quickly piped in. The thought itself made him want to throw up as well. Well, almost. Weddings, rings, touchy feeling bullshit didn't exactly get him off.

That's why Francesca had been such an easy target. A vapid, rich whore who not only spoke Italian but she also was a greedy little thing with a nice ass and the homicidal skills really helped. Poor broad, didn't even feel an ounce of guilt for her really.

older woman grinned as fake as possible. Now that the taller male had the key cards in hand they were all set to go. He gave a thoughtful nod and started down the hallway only to stop until Maureen followed as well. She was furious right now. "Your wife? Really? You're so fucked up." not one to shy away from any type of bluntness or brashness. He liked that in her, she had fire and that meant she was a challenge. Well, a challenge that was currently a pain in his ass and one that screwed up his past plans as well. So right now? Not really a welcomed one.

"Yeah, yeah. Complaint box is back with that old bitch- go whine there." Jack waved her away and slid the key card into the slot of the door. The stubborn thing didn't want to work. This gave the other woman time to tap her foot on the carpet in turn royally pissing Ferriman off. "Stop that." his voice held a ghostly chill, it didn't even faze her. "Bite me." not able to keep the words from tumbling out of her mouth.

He didn't reply, clearly almost considering her threat but instead shifted his gaze to the door and then back to the key card. Immediately it opened because of his demon abilities and he opened the door to be greeted to a nice, air conditioned room. "Stupid woman, it's sub zero outside and she's got the A/C on." Jack sighed and waited for Maureen to get herself situated. With the light close of the door, he made sure to seal it from the inside just so he could keep her from wandering off.

"Oh, hell no. I want my own room."

He silenced her almost immediately. "Beggars can't be choosers, Maureen. Get used to it." she glared him down and moved over to the bed. Her fingers grabbed onto one of the pillows and took the extra sheet from the bottom of the bed only to put it on the floor. "The day I sleep with you is the day Hell freezes over." it was muttered underneath her breath as she clearly was making her bed.

The tomboy clearly was no princess so it wasn't like she'd request the bed. By all means, he could have at it. She wanted to be closer to the door anyway. "The feeling is mutual." monotone once again as his bright blue eyes rolled and he tossed the key cards down onto the night stand and turned on the light.
"All right, we get settled in and then we're going out."

"Out where?" she asked and leaned back against the bureau on the floor. It was as if a deja-vu she always ended up on the ground somehow.
"Dancing, what do you think?" he snapped.

"Oh-you mean a murdering spree for your management?" clearly sassing him. Man, she knew better. Time to knock it off before her ass was grass.
He was sick of her sarcasm. Jack started searching for something in one of the night stand drawers and opened it to sift through it. "Lost your bible?" she could be just as goddamn monotone as he could.

Finally finding it, Jack clutched onto the letter opener (really? What the hell was that doing in a motel room?) and sent it sailing across the room as quick as lightning. Inhuman skills, they always came with perks. She suddenly ducked like clockwork but the piece of metal met its mark-lightly grazing her cheek causing the littlest cut there.

All right, she learned her lesson. Maureen's hand quickly went to her cheek and held her fingers down to clot the blood there with light pressure.

"Son of a bitch!"

With inhuman strength, Ferriman slammed her against the wall pinning her wrists against it so hard he probably left bruises there. "Get off!" she tried to kick him but he dodged as usual. "Be a good girl, do what I say or the next cut won't miss. Do you understand, Maureen?" he was leaning into her purposely making it look like he could use his weight to crush her lungs.

Her heart beat wildly in her chest but still she fought. He leaned into the soft skin of her cheek where the blood was trickling ever so lightly and licked it. She shuddered and finally managed to buck him off. Maureen gagged and grabbed onto the collar of her shirt to wipe off her cheek.
"Fucking Christ, Ferriman!"

He smiled maliciously and licked his bottom lip. "For a mortal, you taste sweet. Funny, I always pictured you as sour." voice back to emotionless state.
"What the hell are you now a vampire too?" she looked disgusted, as if the woman had back in the Antonia Graza engine room.

Jack rolled his eyes. "No, Maureen. I'm a demon, demons kill shit and every so often we can enjoy pleasures too. If we feel like it-Francesca wasn't exactly second best, or third best. You? First. And if you're lucky I'll let you live. If not? Your soul will rot with the rest. What'll it be?"

Finally the soul taker got the stubborn mortal to shut up. Good, if that's all it took then they would be sailing (no pun intended) through this mission in no time.
"I get the message." finally looking as if she'd obey.

"Good. Get cleaned up, we're going out tonight to a dinner party to meet some very powerful guests. You thought the Antonia was a breeze? These are some of the most wretched and sinful pieces of work I've ever encountered. We'll have them begging to kill each other."

Maureen furrowed her brows.

He picked out a black cocktail dress from the drawer and placed it down on the bed.

"Wear it."