Rey knew she hadn't slept so well in a long while, and it felt good to finally do so. The pillows were just right. The bed coverings smelled so fresh. She stretched, but winced when the pain in her shoulder caught and pulled. She raised herself up to look at the sunlight coming in through the windows, well past dawn. Her towel was puddled on the floor where she knew she'd fallen asleep the night before.
Wait a second, I fell asleep on the floor.
She scrunched her brow and searched the room. The other bed was fully occupied by a sleeping man. He was flung out on his stomach, half under the covers, half uncovered, wavy black hair spilling across his face. He had on a black undershirt and black underwear. Rey looked away before studying on that too closely.
She quietly left the bed to use the bathroom. She tried not to make any noise, she didn't want to wake Kylo.
Her pile of old clothes was gone from where she'd put them before her shower the previous night. She snorted to herself when she wondered if Kylo would want to incinerate them as well. Then she noticed something new in the bathing room. There were garment bags hanging from a hook and a few boxes stacked together by the vanity.
Of course, she looked through all of it.
The very basics a girl could need were included in the bounty. Nothing had been overlooked. There were two outfits and a jacket. A pair of new boots and a new pair of runners. New socks. New underthings. Toothbrush. Hairbrush. Personal hygiene items.
Rey was almost giddy about having new things. She had never owned completely new clothes or shoes. She tried out the underclothes that had been purchased for her and then decided on a pair of jeans, belt, and a long sleeved shirt that happened to be black. She put on the boots last. Having actual clothes that fit and covered her was a huge relief. It made her feel stronger. More like she had a firm grip on her life.
On her feet again she checked over her reflection in the mirror. When she'd come in the night before to shower, she'd almost yelped at how hideous she had looked. And she'd smelled so bad. Almost getting killed would definitely put a person off their game. It had sure done a number on her. She was embarrassed that Kylo had seen her in such a state. But he had made no remark on her appearance.
She dealt with her hair as best she could, as the soreness in her left shoulder wouldn't let her work her hair into her usual style of three buns down the back of her head. She left it down; it fell in thick waves past her shoulders, but at least it was brushed out.
Teeth scrubbed and face moisturized, she packed up the rest of her new things into a rolling suitcase that had been waiting for her as well. She was thankful for every last stitch and product.
She set her new suitcase by the door and her boiling curiosity made her look into the closet. Kylo's case had been packed and the suit he'd worn was on hangers. She figured he must be an incredibly tidy person at all times. She was only tidy when she absolutely had to be.
In the bedroom, Kylo was still out cold, silent and unmoving. She wasn't sure when he'd returned to the room, so there was no telling how long he'd actually been asleep. It was probably best to let him sleep a while longer.
She sat by the window and watched the city around her. She couldn't imagine trying to live and work in a place like this on her own. The clothes on her back weren't even hers. She had barely been able to make ends meet in Jakku, and that place was a blemish on the foot of a gleaming city like Coruscant.
Sadness for her friends was catching up with her. Kylo seemed to think that their house being on fire wasn't an accident. Chills raced across her flesh. What had happened? And why did she let Kylo take her away from Jakku? She stared sightlessly out the window, overcome by the direction her life had taken. Would she ever regain control of it?
Hope was the answer to why she'd allowed this strange man in black to take her away. He had unknowingly offered her hope when she had no more left for herself.
As for taking control of her life again? She would work on that.
After a while there was a loud knock at the door. Rey turned at the sound and saw Kylo jet straight out of bed to standing in the blink of an eye. He was on high alert and in a slight crouch as if expecting an attack. Good grief, that would have scared the shit out of her if she'd been near him, or had been the one stupid enough to actually wake him from a dead sleep.
Lesson number one: Don't mess with sleepy Kylo.
Kylo's hair was wild around his face which was still puffy with sleep, but his eyes swept the room and finally landed on her. He relaxed slowly and Rey pointed to the door behind him as another knock sounded. Kylo answered and a new cart was rolled in like the one for dinner the night before. She noticed just then that the old cart had been removed. She must have slept like the dead to miss all these things going on around her.
Kylo pulled some pants from his duffle and shoved them over his large bare feet and long legs. Rey was thankful for that. She did not need any more fuel added to the fire of her fascination for this man.
He rolled the cart over to the dining table and set everything out. He then eyed Rey at her place by the window. She grew uncomfortable under his quiet study. There was something about his eyes that spoke to her. But she wasn't ready to know what they said.
"Hi," she said softly, determined to break this spell.
His response was a deep inhale and an exhale that rushed out of him. He finally turned and poured himself something hot into a mug. He tilted his head at her with a slight nod toward the table, which was an increasingly familiar gesture he made when he wanted her to come near.
She raised her eyebrows at that, but she wasn't about to turn down breakfast. They ate in silence and Rey found herself trying to mimic the way Kylo wielded his fork and napkin. She was a bit jealous of his elegance.
If she was expecting any sort of conversation she would have been disappointed. But she didn't mind his quietude. It was only when she was trying to weedle information from him that his silence irked her.
Kylo soon left the table to dress for the day. She didn't know what the plan was. She only knew they were staying the one night. It wasn't long before Kylo had his duffle and his case ready to travel. He pulled out a black hooded shirt made of lightweight fabric and handed it to her. She took hold of it and looked up at him with a puzzled expression.
"Wear that until we get to the AT."
"Why?" she asked.
Kylo gazed down at her without answering.
She bit down on the inside of her cheek in frustration. Then she asked "Why?" again in a firmer, more even tone.
His nostrils flared and his eyes narrowed. "Because there are forces at work here that you do not understand, and I want us to get out of this city without anyone being able to identify your face. Because your life depends on it." Kylo snapped his mouth shut, on the verge of some desperate emotion that made his dark eyes glint like black fire and the vein in his neck pulsate.
Rey drew back away from him, uneasy about his reaction.
Kylo cursed quietly and turned away to his duffle.
After a trembling moment, she eased the shirt over her head and adjusted its bulky size over her small frame. She rolled the sleeves up because they were way too long. Kylo came back to her with his black and silver sunglasses and slipped them carefully on her face. Then he gently lifted the hood around her head. He arranged her hair so that it was hidden beneath the hood. His large fingers smoothed her hair behind her ear, almost like a silent apology. He left her there just a little breathless.
Kylo called the lobby and ordered for his AT to be brought around. Then they were on their way down the elevator.
As they stepped from the lift, an ominously tall woman stood waiting. Kylo visibly hesitated before he continued, giving the woman a curt nod. "Phasma," was all he said to her.
"Ren," she replied, eyes aglow, giving Kylo a brazen inspection from head to foot.
Phasma's eyes narrowed with pinpoint accuracy onto Rey when she continued past her, just behind Kylo.
At the gleaming lobby desk, Kylo slid four of his gold coins and the room key to the man behind it.
"Always a pleasure, Mr. Ren," the man chirped cheerfully.
Kylo stopped in the middle of the lobby and turned back to the desk. Rey noticed that Phasma was still by the lift, watching them.
She heard Kylo say to the man, "We were never here," and then he pushed another gold coin into the man's hand. He smiled cordially and nodded.
Rey breathed a sigh of relief when they made it to the outside of the hotel. They piled their luggage into the AT and jumped in.
"Who was that woman?" Rey asked when they were well away from the hotel. She'd seen the way Phasma had looked at Kylo.
Kylo actually growled. "A very dangerous woman."
She clicked her teeth together. "Does she do the same thing you do?"
He chuckled darkly. "She may think so."
How cryptic. She removed the sunglasses and then pulled the hooded shirt off. She put them both on the bench seat between them.
"Are you ready to explain why you didn't want anyone to see my face?"
He mumbled and she heard him use the word inquisitive.
"Yes!" she burst. "I have a lot of questions, Mr. Ren. I'd like some answers." Her eyes bugged out at her own boldness.
Kylo eased back in his seat with a long-suffering sigh. "We've got a whole day of driving ahead of us. Are you sure you don't want to take a nap?"
She rolled her eyes. "No. I slept all night and I'm not a bit tired."
"Must be nice," he muttered.
"What?" she countered. "How long did you get to sleep?"
"Maybe two and a half hours."
A tendril of compassion twisted her heart. She stared at his face, really taking a closer look. There were dark circles under his eyes. His facial hair was growing thicker along his jaw and chin and over his upper lip. He did look tired. He probably never got the chance to let his guard down completely to actually rest.
"I can drive for a while," Rey offered.
Kylo was silent for a few long moments. Too still and too silent. Truth be told, he looked tempted to take her up on her offer to get behind the wheel.
"Cars are sort of my thing," she added. "I'm an excellent driver."
"Can you even lift your arm?" he countered.
She raised her left arm alongside her right to demonstrate. It wasn't one hundred percent, by any means, but it would be fine if she tried to drive with it.
To her surprise, Kylo slowed the AT and pulled to the side of the road. He got out and she slid across the seat into the driver's position. He slumped into her previous place and grabbed the hooded shirt and sunglasses, putting on the latter and making a pillow out of the former. He threw his left knee up onto the bench and his right foot ended up under her legs. Not touching, but just… there.
"Where are we going?" she asked him.
"About five hundred miles that way," he pointed. "To Nymeve Lake in Takodana province. Wake me if you notice anything odd." And with that, he crossed his arms over his chest and laid his head against the window.
Rey didn't know where Takodana was, but she was confident she would figure it out.
Kylo didn't fall asleep right away. What he did do was watch Rey as she drove the AT. He watched to make sure she wasn't in any pain as she maneuvered the vehicle. He also pondered what it was about this girl that had garnered attention from the Order. His meeting with Snoke the night before brought more questions than answers, both from the servant to the High Table and also from Kylo.
Remembering, Kylo reviewed everything that had happened. The letter addressed to REN had summoned him to the Canto Bight Casino located outside of Coruscant. Snoke loved to surround himself with the appearance of power and wealth. The classy casino was his preferred place of business.
Kylo passed a bar glistening with poured glasses of Savareen brandy. Drunken patrons stumbled away from him when they found they were in his direct path. His ears protested the cacophony of too raucous laughter and cheering from the high stakes tables.
Farther back in the facility, he came to the VIP ONLY rooms. Here, the stakes went higher. Private games were played with big betters behind closed doors.
Snoke's own armed security stood waiting by the door of the chamber he'd chosen for the night.
Kylo approached the three armed men. Without expression, they stepped aside and followed close behind him into the chamber. Being surrounded with opponents at his back caused his jaw to clench and his trigger fingers to spasm.
Snoke sat amongst a table of smoking card players. Chips and gold coins were piled high in the middle of the table. The aging man was scarred and sallow-faced. He had served as an assassin for many years before climbing the hierarchy in the Order to become a servant to the High Table. Kylo knew Snoke's ambitions were colossal in that he desired his own spot at the High Table. It was an impossible objective because a place at the High Table could only be inherited. Snoke, however, had his eye on the one empty chair that had not yet been claimed by an heir.
Kylo had to wait for the hand to play out in front of him. He was good at waiting. He took up position in a corner with his back to the wall.
After nearly an hour of waiting, the table's hand dealt out and the victor was Snoke. There were cross looks at the guards as the players stood to leave, all of them displeased with the way the cards had fallen. But there was no contest as they were escorted out of the VIP chamber.
Snoke took a long draw on a firestick and chuckled, deep and sinister sounding. His hairless features and light-colored eyes gave him an otherworldly appearance that did not attract, but rather repulsed.
Kylo waited still.
Finally, those icy cold eyes landed in the corner of the room, and he spoke. "Ah, Kylo Ren, my boy. Come closer."
The guards circled at Snoke's back while Kylo moved to put the card table between them.
"Snoke," he said in clipped greeting.
"You collected the bounty today. Tell me. How well did Unkar Plutt die?"
"Slowly," was all Kylo would reveal.
More eerie laughter. "He was growing too powerful out there in the desert. Infringing on another family's territory. And his associates? How many were with him?"
"Seven other bodies."
"Hm." Snoke puffed again on the firestick. "And the girl?" he asked much too casually.
Kylo's gut fell to his feet like he'd taken a hit right to the solar plexus. He had to fight hard not to show an outward reaction. His fists clenched hard by his sides.
"What girl?"
Snoke's ice chip eyes seared into him. His deformed jaw canted to the side. Kylo could see his yellow teeth. "There was a girl meant to be there. She was marked. Did I neglect to put that into the contract?" Snoke tsked.
"No matter. Perhaps she would be of more use to me alive." The scarred man's attention turned to his winnings atop the table.
"But I am disappointed in you, Ren. I have it on good authority that she was present at the time of your appointment with the odious Plutt."
A cold sweat started on his lower back and his guns weighed heavy there. Silently cursing a foul stream of expletives, he calmly met Snoke's gaze. "She must have run when the shooting started."
"Hm. How sloppy." Sighing, Snoke shifted in his chair and said, "Tread carefully, Ren. Your usefulness to the Order wanes with such… mishaps."
The corner of Kylo's lips tilted up. A threat? From this worm?
Snoke paled when he saw the expression on Kylo's face.
The son of a bitch was up to something. Something deeper was stirring, and Kylo couldn't decipher the mystery. Snoke was much too high on the power he liked for people to believe he wielded. What use could Rey be to Snoke? Who was she? He saw no cause for the Order to be interested in the whereabouts of a nobody from Jakku. Unkar Plutt? Yes, that made total sense. Crime families were territorial. When a rival grew to be too powerful, Kylo was called to eliminate the threat.
The most pressing thought in his mind now was that Rey was in very real danger. He'd been sent for her. Someone else had been dispatched to her house. He was a kriffing fool to have brought her into Coruscant.
Kylo had heard Snoke's threat. But it wasn't himself he was worried about. Kylo never worried. But Rey…
Sniffing, the other man put out his firestick and nervously stood. "I will contact you when I have need of your services again. As long as you can guarantee there will be no further mistakes."
Kylo only gave Snoke a long narrowed stare before turning to leave.
The guard at the door was slow to move, but Kylo's eyes promised death to the man if he didn't move immediately. The other man's eyes shifted uneasily and the door was swiftly opened to him. He calmly picked his way out of the casino and into the night. He wanted to beat the shit out of something. He wanted to let out the rage that had been building inside him. He was on the verge of losing control.
But he couldn't lose control. He couldn't afford to.
His whole inner self churning, he drove to the hotel and went back to his room.
He found Rey curled up asleep by the window. Upon seeing her, the turmoil slowly drained out of him. He picked her up, careful not to wake her and tucked her into the bed. He stared at her face and wondered what it was that had him questioning all the choices he'd ever made in his solitary life.
Snapping out of his memory from the night before, he found he was still staring at Rey's face.
He thought he knew his place in the world where Kylo Ren had been forged. Over the years as a hitman, he'd grown comfortable with the savagery, knowing that his actions for the Order were justified. There was good in killing. Killing had its place. He was sure the killing he did was always for the right reasons. Now he had doubts. If Rey was the target, he could not find a good reason for her death. It made him think back to other jobs he'd completed over the course of his career. It made him question everything.
But sleep had been eluding him for a long time. He was tired and he was grateful for the chance to let down his guard. With one last glance at the girl, he hoped he didn't regret it.