"Why did I drug and seduce you?" Watson said. "Or why am I holding a gun to your head?"

"Actually, both." She was trying to remain calm while she tried to figure a way out of this. Watson had moved away from her and was slipping into her pants. The gun was still in Watson's hand though, even as she put her shirt on and with her lying naked and handcuffed to the bed, Charlie was having a hard time seeing a way out of this.

"The drugs were added security in case you didn't completely succumb to my seduction," Watson explained as she dressed. "I also couldn't risk you fighting back, so I bided my time and waited for the right moment to slip you a mickey, which tonight proved to be," she said. "As for the actual seduction, well, what better way to get you totally off guard and at my mercy, than to get you naked and cuffed to the bed." Watson smirked in a way that had Charlie's skin crawling. "And you have to admit, this was definitely the most enjoyable way."

"For you maybe," muttered Charlie.

"Come now Charlie, you were all hot and wet for me only moments ago," she teased. "And you can't deny that you didn't love me sucking on your tits, 'cos your body was begging me for more."

"That was the drug talking," Charlie snapped. At least she hoped it was, because being so submissive to someone else during sex wasn't like her at all, yet her body had seemed to respond to Watson and even now, she still felt some of the arousal from before. Oh god, what the fuck was in that drink. She tried to forget where Watson's mouth had been and focus on something else. Her hand. The one holding the gun. Yeah, that wasn't a big help, she thought.

"That's right, blame the drug for you own weakness," Watson sarcastically said. "And let's just forget that you had your hand on my tit the other morning."

"You were awake?"

"Always be alert and on guard, isn't that what you've been telling me over and over again?"

"You traitorous bitch." Anger, yeah, that helped clear the fog some.

"That depends on your point of view," said Watson. "I really am a very loyal employee, it's just that when you have more than one boss, one of them tends to expect you to be more loyal to them than to the other."

"You work for the Braxtons, don't you?"

Watson neither confirmed nor denied the allegation, she just held the gun pointed steadfastly at Charlie's head.

"You're a police officer, Georgie."

"And funnily enough, I do enjoy the job, even the god awful stuffiness of the uniform," she admitted. "In fact, being a cop makes my extracurricular services even more valuable."

"Let me go, Georgie and you can still get out of this."

Watson laughed. "Oh, you're hilarious, Charlie," she sniggered. "You're buck naked and cuffed to the bed, yet here you are, still acting like you can talk me around."

"Fine, then I'll scream."

"Scream and I'll fucking put a bullet in your head."

"You're going to kill me anyway."

"Yeah, but if you force me to, I could make it very painful for both you and Joey," she said. "So don't scream and I'll give you more of the drug to knock you out, then you won't feel the bullet smashing through your skull."

"I think I'm going to be sick."

"Throw up if you need to, the mess won't bother me," said Watson.


Joey grabbed her towel. She'd have loved to have lain in the tub for longer, but her skin already looked like a prune and she suspected both Georgie and Charlie would be in need of a shower or bath themselves. Thinking of them, she couldn't hear anything now aside from a few muffled sounds, so were they done? And if not, what now? Did she throw open the door and catch them in the act, or did she make enough noise to warn them she was done in here and allow them time to make themselves presentable?

"Oh fuck this, why the hell should I even care if they get embarrassed if I see them at it," she murmured.


This really was turning out to be the shittiest of nights, thought Charlie and getting killed by her own partner was not how she ever saw herself dying. Scratch that. Cuffed, naked and killed by her own partner was definitely not the way she ever envisioned her exit from this world. Unfortunately, she couldn't see any other ending, except to try to delay the inevitable for as long as possible and pray like hell for help to arrive in time.

"So what happens now?" Charlie asked, fervently hoping that Watson would play along to her delaying tactics.

"I kill you."

"I know that," said Charlie. "I'm talking about afterward."

"Oh, I get it," she said. "You expect me to divulge my plans to you?"

"Why not, you're going to kill me anyway."

"This isn't the movies where I tell all, only for you to then escape and bring me down," she said. "I will tell you this though. I plan to come out of this as a hero."

"There is no way that will happen."

"Ok, I'll bite and tell you," said Watson. "You see, here is how my report will go." She waved the gun at Charlie. "This is your gun, which Joey had got a hold of after I had stepped from the room to get some fresh air," she said. "And Joey, in her desperation to avoid testifying against the Braxtons, used your own gun to kill you, whether intentionally or accidently will remain one of life's many mysteries, but before she could get away, I returned. She panicked, tried to shoot me as well, only I was quicker and her brains end up all over the room," Watson gleefully informed her. "You can picture the scene can't you Charlie? How when backup arrives, they'll find you dead and your killer on the ground with your gun in her hand and with me as the only living witness to explain what happened here." To Charlie, it was as if Watson was discussing what to have for dinner, so casual was her whole demeanour. "How is that for a plan?"

"It sucks," Charlie said through gritted teeth.

"I admit, it might not be perfect, but at least I'll be alive to talk my way out of any detail I may have overlooked," she said. "Believe me Charlie, with a naked and dead cop who failed in her duties and yet another dead witness on their hands, we both know the Brass will want to put a lid on this as quickly as possible and so they'll only be too happy to buy into my story, especially given my fine and unblemished reputation within the Force," Watson told her and she smirked confidently.

As much as Charlie hated this woman right now, she suspected Watson might just be crafty enough to pull it off if she had the chance, assuming of course, that she was even telling the truth about what she planned to do. Oh, she believed Watson fully intended to kill her, but she wasn't entirely sold on the plan Watson had just laid out in front of her. However, it was helping to delay things.

"It won't work," said Charlie. "There are just so many variables that could go wrong that even you might struggle to talk your way out of."

"Such as?"

"How will you explain your sweaty DNA being all over the sheets and my body?" she asked. "Your saliva is on me as well and what about the cuffs, the drugs, all of those other little pesky details."

That just brought a chuckle from Watson. "This would be one of those instances where your reputation for seducing fellow officers preceded you," she humorously stated. "I'll freely admit that while Joey was busy bathing, you were busy making me another notch on your bed head and feeling rather used by you once it was all over, I just had to get some fresh air while I figured out how to deal with the situation," she said. "As for the drugs, they're undetectable and the cuffs, well, you haven't had them on long enough to leave marks, so I'll remove them before backup arrives." Watson chuckled again. "Don't you see how perfect this is, Charlie? Everyone is going to believe that your raging hormones were the reason as to why you let your guard down around Joey, that while you were lazing naked on the bed after sex with a junior officer, she was able to get your gun and then ended your life."

"Whatever Braxton is paying you, it's not enough," Charlie said.

"You'd be surprised what a cop on the payroll is worth," she replied, all but confirming who her boss was as far as Charlie was concerned. "Especially useful cops like me."

"You're rather full of yourself, aren't you?" she said, hoping to keep Watson focused on her and distracted from what was now going on behind her

"Just confident in my abilities," said Watson. "After all, I've been at this a long time, yet no one has ever suspected." She smirked at Charlie and ran her eyes the length of her naked body. "And I sure fooled you." Charlie could see Watson's trigger finger start to tighten.

"And I you," Joey said from behind her. Taken completely by surprise, Watson had no time to turn around as the lamp in Joey's hand crashed against her head. With a soft groan, she slumped to the floor, completely out cold. "Not so confident in your abilities now, are you," she joked.

"Oh, thank god," Charlie said. "Quick, get the key for the cuffs and get me out of these things."

"Where is the key?"

"Check her pockets."

Joey dug around for a few seconds, then held up her hand. "Found it."

"Good, now please, get these off me."

"Personally, I think you look rather nice as you are," Joey said as she stood over Charlie.

Charlie rolled her eyes. Once word got out when she filed her report, she was never going to live this down. Not to mention, this was likely to be her last protective services assignment. "Joey, please, I'm getting cold."

"So I noticed," Joey murmured with a glance to Charlie's chest and Charlie found herself blushing.

Unlocking the cuffs, Joey then kept an eye on Watson while Charlie dressed. She needn't have worried though. She'd slugged Watson pretty hard so she'd be napping for some time yet. Joey glanced over her shoulder to Charlie. "We should get out of here as quickly as possible," Joey said.

"We're not going anywhere Joey, I have to call this in," Charlie said as she hurriedly finished dressing. She nearly tumbled over in her haste and she felt the fogginess of the drug kicking back in as the earlier adrenaline rush waned. "Oh god," she murmured and took a moment to regather her balance and thoughts.

"Come on, we gotta go," urged Joey.

"No Joey, I told you, I have to report in about Watson and then arrange to change our whole protection detail for you."

"What if Watson has friends watching us?"

"All the more reason to call for police backup," Charlie said.

"Sorry, no fucking way am I going to trust any more cops," said Joey. "Not after this piece of shit," she said, kicking the unconscious Watson, "Just proved that I was right about you lot. You aren't any better than the people you're after."

"Georgie is one rotten apple and we're not all like her," Charlie tried to reassure her, but she wavered on her feet.

"What's wrong with you?" Joey demanded to know.

"The bitch drugged me."

"Oh that is just fucking wonderful," Joey said.

"Oh god, it feels worse," she complained. "I need to call my Sergeant right now, before I pass out."

"I'm sorry Charlie, that isn't going to happen."

"Oh for fuck's sake," Charlie muttered when for the second time that night, she found herself staring down the barrel of her own gun, this time being competently held in Joey's hand.


The woman butted her ciggy out on the side of her trolley and tossed it in the bin. It was a sunny morning on a bright new day, yet it was still the same old story for her.

"There has to be more to life than being a motel maid," she muttered. With her blonde hair, blue eyes and killer body, Nicole Franklin had once had the world before her. She'd been the most popular girl in school and top of her class, even the teachers had loved her. Unfortunately, one of her teachers had loved her a little too much and gotten her pregnant, before the bastard had run back to his wife and left her to carry the burden all by herself.

"Bastard," she muttered. Five years later, she still resented him and being a single mother. She did love her son, but not a day went by that she didn't wish for another life. A life that didn't involve cleaning up after other people and cleaning damn toilets. She still had her looks, but the long work hours were beginning to take their toll and her looks were in danger of fading quickly unless she got out of this shit job or met a man who was willing to take on someone else's kid. So far, she'd had little luck in that department. Most men her age weren't ready to settle down or were too immature themselves, so she'd started to set her sights on the older men. Oh who was she kidding. In all likelihood, this was to be her lot in life until she died.

With a sigh of resignation, Nicole reached the next room to clean, her fourth for the morning. Hopefully this room wasn't as bad as the last one, which had had empty bottles strewn everywhere and used condoms hanging off the side of the bin and one even stuck to the wall above the bed. She shuddered. Motels like this, that were out of the way and quiet, always seemed to attract cheating couples whose only goal was to have as much sex as they could squeeze in, before pissing off back to their husbands and wives and leaving behind their messes for poor sods like her to clean up. She raised her hand to knock. This room was supposedly rented to a trio of women, so unless they snuck some men in, then she shouldn't have to worry about condoms.

Nicole knocked on the door. "Housekeeping," she called out. When she didn't hear a reply, she unlocked the door and walked in. She let out an inadvertent scream at the sight that greeted her eyes.