Disclaimer: Do I even need to say it this time?

A/N: Things get a little more tense now...

Brody's head lulled to the side for a moment as the room spun around her. She blinked slowly and lifted her head as she tried to focus. Pub was knelt down at her feet and she realized he was tying her feet to the legs of the chair. She was surprised he hadn't earlier. Apparently kicking him and nearly escaping had given him a reason to though.

She should have kicked harder.

Maybe if she had she wouldn't feel like her head was about to explode. She shifted in the chair, pulling at her hands to try and see if the wire had loosened any since the last time she'd tried. It hadn't. As she pulled, the thick wire only dug deeper, cutting her wrists, and adding to the array of lacerated skin.

Pub hadn't been happy when she'd tried to escape. It had only added to his anger and he'd lashed out. Her ribs could testify to the amount of pent up anger he'd been feeling.

Once finished he stood and kicked her boots out of the way. He'd removed them before binding her feet to the chair. "Don't try that again," he ordered. He put a finger under chin and lifted, turning her face left and right so he could get a look at the damage. She glared back in return and pulled her face away. "Next time I'll just shoot you."

"Given up on waiting for Keven yet?" she asked dryly.

Pub's eyes narrowed and for a moment she thought he might hit her again, but instead he turned and stalked to the other side of the room and back. He was pacing now, she realized. He hadn't done that before. He was even more tense than usual as well.

He was getting nervous. It'd been a couple hours now since Keven and the others had left. They hadn't called or returned as planned and Pub was probably beginning to accept the fact that she'd been telling the truth. They wouldn't be coming back.

A nervous Pub could be even more dangerous than a regular Pub. At the same time it meant he wasn't thinking as straight and it could work to her advantage. It would be a risk to exploit it, but one that may pay off.

"Help isn't coming," she stated calmly. She watched him pace as a smirk spread over her face. "Not for you anyway."

He was in front of her before she could prepare herself and a second later he punched her in the abdomen, knocking the air out of her lungs and sending a sharp stabbing pain through her sides. Her sides felt as though they were on fire and it took her longer than it normally would to force air in and out of her lungs. By the time she looked back up he was stalking through the door and slamming it shut behind him.

Merri blinked slowly as she tried to stay awake. She hadn't slept much the last few days and combined with the head wound she was almost certain she now had, she was finding it harder and harder to stay conscious. Pub hadn't returned after storming out and she was beginning to wonder where he was and what he was up to.

She apparently didn't have to wonder much longer though.

The door to the room was suddenly thrown open, making her sit up straight and tense in surprise. It wasn't Pub standing in the entrance as she'd expected though. It was Keven. There was a small trickle of blood trailing down from a gash along his hairline and his jeans looked torn, the right leg even bloodied. Mostly though he looked absolutely furious. Almost to the point of looking out of his mind.

He limped into the room, favoring his right leg but seemingly oblivious to the pain. He stared right at her, his anger filled eyes practically spitting fire, and his fists clenched at his sides. Once close enough he lend down, placing his hands on her wrists and making the wire dig even deeper into her already torn skin as he bent over to eye level. She stared back unflinching, but it took all her self-control not to pull away.

"You set this up," he stated lowly.

She didn't answer. He already knew the answer.

"Fur is dead and Sky is in custody. I was almost killed. That's all on you, chere," he added, his voice dipping to a low, dangerous hiss. He moved one of his hands and for a moment she was relieved that the pressure was gone from her wrist, but then he gripped her face with a bruising hold. Her already bruised jaw throbbed painfully, but she fought the cry of pain that wanted to escape.

"They'll be on their way here, Keven. We should go," Pub said. It sounded like he was near the door, but she couldn't see him with Keven so close.

"I was just beginning to like you," Keven continued, ignoring the other man. "We could have been friends." He let go of her face with a shove and then used a finger to trace along her lower lip. "We could have been more than friends."

Merri's skin crawled at his intimate touch, but she refused to show him her discomfort. She glared back at him and when he continued to trace her lips she quickly opened her mouth and bit down on his finger. He quickly pulled away and stood up straight, shaking his hand and rubbing his finger to sooth the pain. Her glared turned to a triumphant smirk.

He muttered something she couldn't quite make out just before raising his hand and back-handing her across the face. Her cheek stung, feeling as if it were on fire, but she turned her face back towards him and continued to smirk.

"How much do they know?" Keven asked.

She shrugged. "Everything." It was a bit of an exaggeration, but the more desperate he was the more mistakes he would make.

He chuckled a mirthless laugh and smirked as well. "I don't think so. We were watching you too closely for that. How did they know we would be there to lift those drugs?"

There was no point hiding the truth now. Telling him the story would only succeed in buying her more time. "Pub said he met you in his family's bar and Sky told me she heard about you while at the same bar. I put the pieces together and figured Pub's bar was your main contact point. A lot of officers go there while on leave and things can be overheard by the right people. When Agent Calla let slip the fact that there was a shipment of confiscated drugs being transported across town, it wasn't an accident. We knew there'd be someone there to overhear it and pass on the information. When you showed up to steal the drugs they were already there waiting. It was a basic set-up," she added. "You took the bait."

Keven looked furious. She was half-expecting him to lash out again and tensed in preparation. To her surprised a smirk twisted the corner of lips upwards instead as a dangerous glimmer filled his stare. "And we got you and that DEA agent in return. How lucky," he drawled sarcastically. He leaned forward again, placing his weight on her injured wrists, and stopped when their faces were just a few inches apart. "I think I should make use out of you why I can. What do you think?"

"Keven," Pub began firmly. "We need to go. Just leave her." Merri heard Pub's footsteps as he approached and out of the corner of her eye she saw him stop next to Keven. She didn't break eye contact with Keven though. "Let's go, buddy," he added, placing a hand on Keven's shoulder in an effort to pull him away.

Keven knocked the hand away. "Leave me alone, Pub."

"We'll get caught. Let's go. She's not worth it," the other man insisted while reaching for Keven's arm.

Keven sneered as he quickly straightened, knocked the hand away, and punched Pub all in one movement it seemed. Pub stumbled back in shock and held his jaw as he stared at Keven. "I said leave me alone," Keven said angrily.

"You're not thinking straight," Pub said in return.

Merri was beginning to believe he was right. Keven was rarely so uncaring about getting caught. That gash on his head might be more serious than it looked. She looked between the two men and waited to see what would happen.

"We can't leave a loose end," Keven deadpanned. "She's a very loose end. You take care of that DEA agent and I'll take care of her." He looked back in her direction and she felt her stomach churn uneasily upon seeing the way he was looking at her.

"Keven..."

"Go!" Keven yelled angrily shooting a glare to the other man. "Don't make me tell you again."

Pub glanced over at her and then back at Keven before apparently deciding to do as he was instructed. "Just hurry up, alright?" He cast one more look her way before heading for the door and closing it behind him, leaving her alone in the room with Keven.