Radio silence.
Lola hadn't heard or seen Seth in 2 days. She paced back and forth in her studio, kicking stray makeup containers and crumbs as she checked her phone incessantly. She called and texted Seth, only to receive short two-worded texts.
Stay home.
Im Okay
Dont leave.
Its Dangerous.
Normally Lola wouldn't heed his advice, but in this situation, she found herself staying in her studio, ordering takeout for every meal. She alternated between pacing and perching beside her window, staring at the street below, looking for the dark-haired man.
However, after two days of waiting, she decided to get some answers. The sun was coming down to end the second day of silence and confusion. She dialed Dean's number. He wasn't the type to shy away from the truth like Seth.
He answered on the first ring.
"Hey Lola, you okay?" His voice was a little more tense than usual.
"Yeah, I'm okay. I've been cooped up in my apartment cause Seth says I can't leave. What the fuck is going on?"
"I can't say, Lola. Just don't leave your place."
"No. Fuck that. Y'all better start telling me whats going on or Imma leave."
"That's ill-advised. Listen, we'll explain everything in a bit. We just need to take care of some things first."
"What things Dean? I don't like being in the dark. Whats so dangerous about leaving my house?"
"Lola. Please, for the love of God. Don't leave. We will explain everything, but if you want to stay alive, you better lay low and stay in." And with that, Dean hung up.
A wave of anger coursed through her. How did these men end up such an integral part of her life? Why were they able to keep her prisoner in her own home? And most importantly, why did she let them get this involved?
She scowled at the idea of those three sitting around, plotting and planning while keeping her in her home, unable to make money, unable to eat what she wants when she wants, unable to do anything but worry about some mysterious danger lurking outside of her apartment.
"Fuck that." She muttered, grabbing her laptop and opening the Redlight page she never completed. She angrily typed and tapped as she finished her profile, keeping the old pictures that Seth took 2 years prior.
She was going to make money, at the very least. And she was going to do that without having to depend on any of those three for it. She was going escort her way into a better apartment, a better lifestyle, a better life, one where she wasn't held to the whims and rules of the Shield and it's managers.
Lola felt she regained some control over her life when she pressed the Submit button. She warily peered out the window once more, searching for that invisible danger they were so sure of.
"I say we go over there." Seth said, massaging his brows as he leaned back in the creaky office chair.
The office was the only room in the club with lights on. The Shield had officially closed its doors for the first time in years. The club that was notoriously known for even being open on Christmas, had been closed for two days. The three owners of the club sat inside, plotting on what to do next.
"I tend to not agree with reckless gambling addicts, but I have to side with Seth on this one. They clearly know about her. We can't risk anything." Dean chimed in from his usual spot on the couch.
"You realize the second we go over there, we give them a reason to retaliate?" Roman growled, pressing his head against the wall. "Call Triple H, Call Batista. Fuck, even call Orton. Let them handle the Bullet Club. They ain't our problem."
"May I remind you, when they passed the club down to us, they told us never to contact them about anything involving the club?" Seth quipped.
"This has nothing to do with the club. This has to do with Flair. He finds out the Bullet Club know anything about Lola, he will kill us for not keeping her out of their sight." Dean replied. "We have to go over there and tell them to fuck off. If Ric finds out we did nothing and they find her again…"
Roman began bouncing his head against the hard wall. His eyes squeezed shut as he tried to reconcile his thoughts.
"If we're going to go over there, we have to do this the right way. I'm not fucking around with those leather-wearing bastards." Roman finally said after a long pause. He pushed away from the wall and took a long stride back to his desk. He pulled a key out of his back pocket and opened a drawer in the desk, revealing three handguns, looking as new as the day they were purchased.
"We go over there, and we let them know we're serious." He pulled a black pistol out from the drawer and examined it thoughtfully. "After that, I'm going to help her pack her shit, she'll be moving in with me. I will keep watch over her. Seth, you stay with Dean until he gets sick of you, or we figure out this bullshit, whichever comes first."
Seth stood from his seat and pulled out a gun from the drawer. "You so sure she'll want to move back in with you, Roman?"
"She was just in here two days ago talking about how she still loved me. Of course she'll be okay with moving back in with me. What the fuck is it to you, anyway?" Roman's gaze locked with Seth's the tension rose until Dean stood up and retrieved his gun from the desk.
"Okay, alpha-one and alpha-two, you guys want to compare our dicks and have that determine who gets to fuck Lola?" He snorted.
"This isn't about fucking Lola." Roman snarled, pushing Dean away from him. "It about keeping her safe. She doesn't have a choice. We don't know what Kenny and his boys are up to, and she's safest at my place."
"Why's that?" Seth challenged.
"Because Dean is drug dealer. God knows who else is looking out for him, we can't get Lola involved in any crossfire."
"Former Drug dealer. My place is safe, I wouldn't let my wife live there if it weren't." Dean tucked the gun in his back pocket. "But I won't argue with our fearless leader. If he wants to get his nut, I have no objections. As long as Ric Flair isn't going to kill us, I could care less." With that, he left the room.
Seth's jaw twitched as he glared at Roman.
"Don't worry about where she's staying. And don't worry about me and her, it ain't none of your fucking business. And never was." He spat the last words before following Dean out of the office.
Fuming, Seth followed behind him, clutching onto his gun until his knuckles turned a visceral white.
Kenny sat at his desk, his eyes transfixed on the bright laptop screen on his large wooden desk. He scrolled through the Redlight pages, looking desperately for the Caroline Blanc he met at the diner only days prior. He obsessively refreshed the pages, checking on his phone before he went to bed and as soon as he woke every morning.
He had to find Caroline Blanc.
"Hey Ken, we're heading on our break. Candace said she's leaving early, so here's her —" Matt and Nick Jackson stood in the doorway of Kenny's office.
"Shhh!" Kenny snapped. "What happened to knocking first? Did I not make it clear that I absolutely cannot be interrupted for any reason what-so-ever?"
"Sorry, man we forgot. We'll leave you be." Nick quickly replied, closing the door just as swiftly without another word. He knew if he left the door open long enough his mischievous brother would take the opportunity to be make a smart-ass comment. With the mood Kenny had been in lately, any off-color comment could earn them a bullet between the eyes.
Kenny shook his head and continued his search, scrolling intently through the profiles of the escorts, prostitutes, strippers and entertainers. LA was a big place, but Kenny was intent on finding her.
Moments later, the door to his office swung open again. The three members of the Shield stood in the doorway, each member clad in black from head to toe.
Upon recognizing his new visitors, he immediately stood. Two ornate pistols seemingly materialized out of thin air and into each of his hands.
"And what do I owe this pleasant visit from the legendary Shield?" Kenny said cooly, aiming his guns at Seth and Dean.
The three men pulled out their guns and aimed them at Kenny in response. Their faces were stoic and focused, while Kenny greeted them all with a strangely welcoming smile.
"You know exactly why the fuck we're here, Kenny." Roman spoke, stepping forward.
"I'm sorry to say I don't." Kenny feigned a pout before cocking the pistols simultaneously. "Step in and close the door, boys. Lets chat."
"This isn't a social call, Omega. We're here to deliver a simple message. Leave Lola alone." Seth spoke through clenched teeth.
"We've got friends in high places, buddy. Don't think for a moment you've got us outnumbered with your little bullet bitches." Dean added.
Kenny laughed in response. "Lola, Lola, Lola… Name doesn't really ring any bells for me. I have no idea who you're talking about, but she sounds like quite the gal-"
"Cut the shit, Omega. This is a message from the Shield, from Evolution, and from Ric Flair his fucking self. Stay. Away. From. Her." Roman snapped, before forcefully kicking down an ornate vase by the door, sending it crashing into a thousand small shards. Roman backed away, gun still poised on Kenny's face until he was out of sight.
Dean and Seth followed suit, leaving Kenny alone in his office, adrenalin pumping through his veins, and a broken vase scattered across his floor.
As if perfectly timed, his laptop chimed with a notification from Redlight. Another profile had just been added to the site. Kenny lowered his guns to see the name of the newest woman added to the roster.
Lola Blanc.