"Are you fucking kidding me?" Lee asked, stopping short and pulling his hands from the pocket of his leather jacket. He held his arms out at his side, fuming. "A damn strip club? What are we, twenty?"

"What?" Gunner asked, offended. "It's fun! You need fun!"

Lee opened his mouth to retort but snapped it closed. It was six against one, after all. But he really was not in the mood for a goddamn strip club. He looked down at his watch. Eight pm.

"Ah, Christmas," Tool said, grabbing one of his shoulders and giving him a shake. "It's a gentlemen's club. We're gentlemen!"

Barney scoffed and shook his head. He was kind of on Lee's side, especially after getting a good look at the solid block of concrete they were standing in front of. The cheap neon sign above the bouncer did not do anything to make it more appealing.

"No, we're a bunch of old creeps, is what we are," Lee growled, crossing his arms.

"Look, man," Caesar said. "We're just some guys trying to help their buddy out. So you got your heart broken. Drown your sorrows in something other than a whiskey for one night."

Lee snarled. He was really not so sure about this whole thing.

"Don't you have a wife?" Lee asked.

"Yeah, I do, but we all gotta make sacrifices for our friends," Caesar said with the hint of a smile. Gunner let out a loud laugh and slapped him hard on the back. Caesar glanced at him, but Gunner was too busy catching his breath to notice.

"Give it an hour," Toll said. "Never know what might work until you try."

Lee sighed and waved them on. Gunner grunted happily and made his way to the bouncer, who had to look up at him to meet his eyes.

"Johnny, I brought friends," Gunner said happily. The bouncer looked behind Gunner and sighed. They were very big. Johnny was not.

"No trouble," he said, pulling open the door.

The loud music and strobing lights immediately made Lee regret his decision. Barney clapped him on the back, and Lee knew the man didn't want to be there either. Gunner made his way to a table in front of the stage, and Lee grabbed a shot from a waitress as she passed. It took him a second to realize she was topless. He shook his head.

"Come here a lot, Gunner?" Lee asked, dropping down in his seat and drumming his hands on the table in front of him.

"Eh, enough," Gunner said, pulling out his flask and taking a swig.

"Not really my crowd," Lee said, glancing around. It was very loud. He was missing the Breaux's quaint little place. The bartender there was quiet, sweet, and clothed. The drinks were good. There was no glitter.

There was a lot of glitter here, and he wondered for a second if he had ever noticed any on Gunner. He definitely would, now.

Barney sat back and sighed. He stuck out like a sore thumb even in the dim colored lights. He pulled a cigar from his pocket and held up his lighter, the jewels in the skulls eyes catching the light.

"So, you know anybody here?" Toll asked over the music. Gunner smiled.

"Candy," he said.

"Oh, I do not have a good feeling about this," Caesar said, and he sunk down in his seat and scratched his head.

"I have an excellent feeling about this," Tool said merrily, smiling dumbly up at the stage.

"Gonna introduce us?" Barney asked, and Lee cringed.

The music changed suddenly, and the lights facing the stage shifted. Gunner motioned with his chin towards the woman walking down the catwalk.

"There she is," Gunner said.

Lee looked down at his watch. It hadn't even been fifteen minutes.

If Lacy wasn't his type, then Candy most certainly was not either.

—-

Everly popped another mint into mouth to try and keep herself awake. The bar was pretty empty, and the biggest absence she noticed was Lee. His usual spot was barren, and she wondered if he had fixed whatever was bothering him.

She was cleaning out some glasses and blinking hard to stave off her exhaustion. Every time she would start to relax, a wave of paranoia would wash over her and set her on edge. The bags under her eyes were starting to physically hurt, but the idea of not getting any sleep for another night hurt more. She cracked the mint between her teeth and put the glasses away.

Her phone was charged and she figured she could slip a knife from behind the bar into her bag for the walk home. She wondered if she'd have to call the cops tonight, and even though she was terrified, she really hoped she wouldn't have to. She didn't want to make a scene. If there wasn't somebody actively breaking into her home, she knew they wouldn't really do anything. She yawned and shook out her hands.

The chime on the front entrance snapped her out of her reverie. She caught sight of Barney Ross first, and he looked a bit out of it. His hair was a bit of a mess and something on his cheek was glinting in the light. Glitter? She made a face.

Lee came in after him looking a bit more annoyed. So he was back, after all. The rest of the usual guys trailed in behind them both and she poured a few beers while they arranged themselves at their table. She felt safer with them there.

She set the beers on a tray and made her way out to them. She offered up a smile and noticed that they all seemed kind of grumpy.

"Rough day at the office, boys?" She asked, setting beers in front of each of them. Doc looked up at her and smiled.

"Looks like we could say the same for you," he said. She finished handing out the beers and blinked, grabbing the tray. Was she that easy to read?

"Ah, leave the woman alone," Tool grunted. He massaged his right temple and sighed.

"Next time anybody thinks it's smart to listen to Gunner, they're out of a job," Lee grunted, pulling his beer towards him. Gunner groaned from the opposite side of the table.

Everly decided she wasn't needed anymore and slid the tray back into its spot behind the bar. She glanced instinctively out the window to try and see if the man was around. Lots of people wore hoodies, she realized.

She looked down at her phone. She still had a couple hours left to go, but it felt like an eternity. She turned her back to the barroom and wiped at her eyes. The mascara smeared under her lashes definitely didn't help with the dark circles. Maybe that's what Doc had meant.

She braced herself against the back counter and steadied her breathing. Part of her wished she had just let her Uncle call her cousin, Henry. If she had, she knew she would just be hiding away in her apartment, afraid. She didn't want that to become her life.

"Everything alright, sweetheart?"

She turned on her heal and saw Tool smiling lazily at her. She shook out her hands and nodded.

"Oh yeah, sorry about that," she said, swallowing back her uncertainty. "What can I get for you?"

Tool sat down on a stool and pulled out his pipe. Everly frowned.

"You know you can't smoke that in here," she said.

"Gonna tell on me?"

She frowned and grabbed a glass to fill with bourbon. She slid it to him and he smirked as he wrapped his fingers around it.

"So what's going on with you?" He asked.

She shrugged and pulled out her rag.

"Oh, come on," he teased. "You're young and pretty. There's gotta be something."

Everly bit her lip for a second and glanced towards the door. She wondered if he was out there, whoever he was. She cleared her throat.

"Not much, really," she said.

"Hey, speaking of being young and pretty," Tool said, leading towards her and pointing back to the group behind him subtly, "you know anybody we could set Lee up with?"

Everly furrowed her brows. Maybe that's why Lee had been hanging around for the last few nights.

"Sorry, I don't get out much," she said eventually. "You're telling me you don't have a little black book filled up with young and pretty?"

Tool chuckled and raised his glass to her before downing his drink. He sighed happily. "That's for me to know."

"What a great friend," she teased, refilling the glass absently.

"I prefer coworker," Tool smiled, turning the glass in his hand.

She was about to head to the other end of the bar when Lee pulled out his usual stool next to Tool and shot him a sideways glance. Tool caught it and smirked. Everly raised her eyebrows but didn't speak while she poured Lee his usual.

"Is this old creep bothering you?" Lee asked.

Everly laughed a little. It felt good to laugh, but the warmth of it didn't do anything to drain the chilly fear from her chest.

"Aw, leave him be," she said, offering Tool a smile. "It's cute when they think they've got a chance."

Lee smiled after her as she drifted to the other end of the bar, where another few men were sitting and talking. Tool put a hand over his heart in mock pain, his shoulders bobbing as he laughed. Lee shook his head.

"I like her," Tool said. "Always have."

"Bit young for you," Lee said, sipping his drink.

"Now who's the creep?" Tool asked.

"Still you," Lee said, looking down at the same scratches he'd been studying the last few days.

"Tell me Christmas," Tool tried, slapping his hand down and turning half towards him. "What is your type?"

Lee rolled his eyes. "Are we still on this?"

"Clearly," Tool said, motioning around them. "This doesn't look like a buffet to me."

"You're gonna have to stop with that," Lee said. "It's nasty."

"Well, then, tell me," Tool said, readjusting in his seat and sipping his bourbon. "What does Lee Christmas fancy?"

Lee rolled his eyes. His head was finally feeling a bit lighter from the shots he'd taken at the club and the beer from when he arrived. All of that was being threatened by Tool's continued interrogation.

"Let's see, let's see," Tool went on, turning his eyes to the ceiling. "What's the opposite of Lacy?"

"Can we not?" Lee asked, and there was a trace of pain in his voice. Tool turned his eyes down and sighed.

"Alright," he said, giving his shoulder a squeeze. "I'll be with the boys. Holler if you need something."

Lee nodded as Tool walked away. He didn't feel bad. He was grateful to finally be alone.

Everly was standing in front of the register scribbling something down on a notepad. She was moving slowly, lethargically, and trying her hardest not to keep looking outside. She didn't want to freak anyone out. She yawned again and tucked the notepad into her apron pocket. She noticed Lee was in need of a refill, so she blinked away the stinging in her eyes and made her way back to him. He caught her eye and looked her over.

"Look tired," he said as she poured him his refill.

"Why thank you, Mr. Christmas," she said, chuckling to herself. "I could say the same for you."

Lee smirked and sipped his drink. "Sorry, I didn't mean anything bad by it."

"No worries," she said, tucking the drink away behind the bar and glancing around before she leaned towards him like she usually did.

Lee didn't pay much attention to it. He welcomed the kindness, especially because the guys didn't seem to understand his need for space.

Everly noticed a speck of glitter on his cheek and bit back a laugh. He looked up at her, confused.

"What?" He asked.

"You got a bit of a sparkle on your face," she said, motioning up to her own cheek. He rolled his eyes and wiped at his skin before he dropped his head to his hands on the bar, propped up by his elbows.

"Should I ask?" She teased after a second, waiting expectantly.

"Definitely not," he groaned.

"Gunner introduce you to Candy?" She asked suddenly, and he snapped his head up, confused.

"How the hell do you know about Candy?" He asked.

"Gunner comes here a lot," she said with a shrug and a half-laugh. "He talks a lot when he's drunk."

"He's always drunk," Lee said.

"Exactly."

Lee found himself laughing, and Everly was grateful for the distraction.

—-

"Huh," Tool said, nodding towards the two at the bar. "Wonder if that's his type."

Barney shrugged, "who knows."

"I thought you did," Doc said.

"I'll know it when I see it," Barney said simply. The guys gave him a look, but Barney didn't budge. He said what he meant.

"I should head out, get home to my wife," Caesar said, pulling his jacket off the back of his chair.

"She has got you whipped, brother," Doc said.

"And I am glad to be," Caesar sniped, tugging his jacket on and throwing him a look. Barney smiled and held up a hand to wave. He wondered if he'd ever get to meet Caesar's wife and kids. Probably not.

Tool turned his attention away from Lee and Everly and sighed. It had been a long night, and it was hardly half past ten.

They sat in comfortable silence for a little while before Doc stood and excused himself. Toll left not long after. That left Gunner, Barney, Tool, and Lee.

"Girl looks exhausted," Gunner said to nobody in particular, his eyes trained on the woman behind the bar.

"I've seen her around a lot more lately. Wonder if her old man is alright," Barney said.

"That is one sad sight," Tool chuckled. "Think he's a lost cause?"

"Well, Candy certainly didn't help things," Barney huffed. Gunner smiled. He thought she had helped plenty.

"The man might never trust us again," Tool laughed.

"We're way passed that," Barney said.

Gunner stood then and stretched. "We working soon, boss?" He asked.

"I'll give you a call when I know," Barney said.

Gunner nodded and went to leave. Tool shrugged at Barney and fell back in his chair. He hadn't gotten any job offers lately. The world seemed to be taking a quick break from chaos, unfortunately for them.

—-

It was nearing last call and Everly found herself watching the door with a bad taste in her mouth. It wasn't a busy night. Lee and what was left of his friends were sitting at a table near the back like they always did, occasionally talking in low voices. She noticed that they all had a similar darkness about them that settled when they stilled. Talking and joking seemed to stir it, and when that happened, a bit of light would enter their eyes. She wondered what had made them that way, and then she wondered if she looked the same.

She was wiping the same spot on the counter for nearly ten minutes while she stared out the door. She wasn't aware of time passing, just of the memories that played on in her head like a movie on the screen of her eyelids. Every time she blinked, she saw her life.

She had been born in Georgia, where her mother had lived with her father. Her mother was young, but she was beautiful and kind and she cared for her baby in all of the ways she knew how to. Her father walked out at some point so early in her life that she hardly remembered him. He was just a shape to her now, a dark figure in her memories. She could picture a face, but she wasn't sure if it was really his or just what she had made up over the course of her life of wondering. It didn't matter, because if he didn't care enough to stay, then she didn't care enough to miss him, or the idea of him. Either way, she had her uncle to look up to as a father figure. He'd always been around, however distantly, since he lived in New Orleans where him and her mother had grown up. He was a good man. He took care of her when she needed him, and he took care of his sister even when he knew she didn't want him to.

Everly remembered the first time she saw her mother high.

It was nighttime, not long after her father had left, and it was one of her earliest memories. It was fading now as she got older, but she could remember remembering it, and even though it was fuzzy, the impact it had on her was still as clear as day. She had climbed out of her bed at the sound of a loud noise and found her mother welcoming a strange man into the living room. Her eyes had been cloudy and unsteady. She stumbled. The man held her up. Everly had glanced towards the table near the couch and saw things that scared her that she couldn't name. That was when she had run back to her room and hid under the covers.

Her mother was staying in a rehab center down in sunny Florida, where Everly figured people went to either lose themselves or to try and find whoever they had once been. She hadn't seen her in nearly a year, which she realized as she watched a few stragglers leave the bar. The chime of the door drew her back from her memories.

She cleared her throat and looked down at the counter. It was definitely clean. It was probably clean after the first five minutes, let alone the second. She looked down at her phone and checked the time.

"Sorry, boys," she said suddenly, shoving her rag down into the pocket of her apron. Barney, Tool, and Lee looked up from the back of the bar where they had been sitting. "It's about that time."

Barney grunted and rapped his knuckles against the table. He dug a few bills out from his pocket and made his way to the front, handing them over to Everly.

"Keep the change," he said simply, looking over his shoulder for Tool and Lee. He had noticed her vacant stare before, and up close, his gut was telling him something was wrong.

"Thank you," she said, forcing a smile up onto her pale cheeks. She locked up the register and tried to avoid looking up at the men in front of her.

"How's the old man?" Barney asked, and Tool spared him a confused glance. Lee shrugged.

"Oh," Everly said, closing the till with a snap and reaching back to untie her apron. "He's alright. Been busy these last few days. Henry, too."

"Must be working hard, then," Barney said, watching her movements. She never fully turned her back to the door, and the twitchiness in her eyes bothered him.

"Not so bad," she said with a breath. She could feel his eyes on her skin and it made her tense. It didn't feel threatening like the man that had been following her, but she preferred not to be looked at at all. She would be fine with being invisible if she could be. She had been for the longest time until she wasn't.

"Is everything alright?" Barney asked, tucking his thumbs into the loops of his jeans. "You seem a bit on edge."

Everly swallowed and hung up her apron. She grabbed her bag and slid it over one shoulder, her keys rattling in her hand. Her palms were sweaty.

"Just couldn't sleep much, you know how it is," she lied. She scratched at her neck anxiously and glanced towards the door as she double checked that the bar was empty except for them. Barney glanced over at Tool who seemed to be catching on.

"Yeah, I get it," Barney said eventually, holding the door open for her as she passed. Lee and Tool followed after and she moved to lock the door. Despite the fresh air she felt suddenly like she was choking and suffocating. She fumbled with her keys for a moment and nearly dropped them before she finally slid them into the lock and the door clicked into place.

Lee was catching on at this point as well, even though his brain was pleasantly fogged over from the alcohol. He tried to casually glance around and see if anything strange was up, but nothing stuck out to him. The only things in the parking lot were their bikes, and the moon was high in the clear sky.

"Ya need a walk home, kid?" Tool asked, watching as Everly turned and glanced around.

"Oh, no, don't worry," she said kindly, though they could tell she was on edge. "I wouldn't wanna put you out like that."

"It's no trouble," Tool said, holding up his hands. "Just a bit dark out, and despite how it looks, I consider myself a gentleman."

Everly did her best to chuckle. Part of her really wanted to accept the offer, but the timid and polite side of her was winning. She still wasn't fully convinced she hadn't imagined the entire thing to begin with.

"Really, it's alright," she said, looking over the three of them. "I appreciate the offer."

Barney knew there was not much else he could do. Tool glanced over at him and he nodded and offered Everly a half-smile.

"Well, see you around, kid. Tell your old man I said hello. It'd be nice to see him again."

"Will do," Everly said, pulling her backpack straps up and taking a few steps back. "Have a good night!"

They waved as she turned and scurried off towards her apartment. She was moving quickly and trying not to look panicked by breaking into a run. She felt a stinging in her eyes and shook her head.

Tool watched after her and crossed his arms. "Wonder what that's all about."

"I don't know. Seemed a bit scared of something," Barney said, fiddling with the keys to his bike. "You notice anything funny lately, Lee?"

Lee snapped his attention to Barney and blinked. It took him a second to process the question.

"Not really, but I haven't exactly been looking," he said. He scratched his chest and looked back down the street where Everly had headed off. He had a strange feeling.

"Kids been coming around here for a long time," Tool said. "Don't know her personally, but I can't recall a time where she looked so spooked."

"She said she couldn't sleep," Lee said with a shrug. "Probably all it is."

Barney wasn't convinced. His gut was reminding him of Vilena, when he almost left Sandra to be tortured and killed.

"You thinking what I'm thinking, Barn?" Tool asked, pulling a toothpick he had nabbed from inside from his pocket and sticking it between his teeth.

"Yeah. My gut doesn't like this."

"Mine neither," Tool said.

"Creepy old men," Lee mumbled, shaking his head. "You're really gonna follow her home?"

"Trail her," Barney corrected. "Her old man is a good guy. I know him. If he can't be looking out for her, he'd want somebody he could trust doing it."

Lee rolled his eyes and started walking along with them. He didn't even know where she lived, just that it was in that general direction.

—-

Everly waited until she was a few blocks away before she looked over her shoulder. She didn't see anybody walking after her, but that didn't mean there was nobody there. She felt her breathing pick up and she snapped her head forward. She was nearly jogging.

She could feel eyes on her. She didn't know how to explain it, and she couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from, but she knew there was somebody somewhere watching her. Her breaths stung in her lungs as the adrenaline set in and she wished she had just stayed at the bar. She could've set up a makeshift bed in one of the backrooms. The alarm on the bar would notify the police of a break-in immediately.

She huffed. The police. She didn't know if calling them would do anything for her. She knew the statistics when it came to those sorts things, and those statistics were clear: even if they believed her, at the end of the day, there was really nothing they could do. She felt hopeless again. Maybe she was losing her mind. She didn't know which option she would prefer: being watched by somebody, or just going a bit crazy and thinking she was being watched by somebody. She looked over her shoulder again and found that she was still alone.

Her apartment wasn't far. She was making record time. She moved faster, skipping awkwardly as she tried to reach her door. She was already fiddling with the keys before she even reached the steps. She didn't dare look back as she hopped up the stairs and slammed the key into the door, but she felt the growing pressure of a presence rapidly approaching. Once she got it open, she slid inside and slammed it shut again, locking it tight like she had the night before.

She suddenly started to sob. She pressed her hand flat over her mouth and whimpered, stepping back from the door and staring at it like it might jump away from the wall and attack her. After a second, she fumbled over to her apartment and let herself in. Her hands were shaking and her cheeks were wet. She was so tired, but her body was wide awake from the onset of fight or flight. She hurried into the kitchen and grabbed her knife before she made her way to the front window. She pulled back the curtain slightly.

Sure enough, on the other side of the road, there was a guy in a dark hoodie with the hood pulled up tight. She squeezed the blind shut tight and a broken noise escaped her throat. She shook her head and checked that her door was locked again. It was.

—-

Barney, Tool, and Lee were walking quietly down the street. They had seen Everly stumble into her apartment in a rush and slowed down.

"I don't see anything," Lee said. "Maybe she's scared of the dark."

"Will you just be quiet and wait a minute?" Barney whispered, but his tone was as demanding as ever. Lee huffed and did as he was told. Tool spun the toothpick over his tongue and sighed.

"I hate to say it, but Christmas might be right," he said. "Either way, it ain't any of our business. If she needed help, why wouldn't she let us walk her home?"

Barney sighed, and then he noticed the hooded man on the other side of the street sitting on the stoop of another apartment. He frowned.

"Ten o'clock," he said, walking straight and keeping an eye on the man in his periphery.

Lee and Tool turned their attention that way and found what Barney was talking about. Lee stiffened. He really hadn't expected to find anything.

"I don't like it," Barney said, slowing to a stop and turning to his friends. "Doesn't sit right with me."

Lee was struggling. He wasn't sure if there was even anything he could do about it, or if it was his problem at all.

"Hm," Tool hummed, looking at the guy over Barneys shoulder.

"It's not our business," Lee said. "Might be nothing."

"Vilena wasn't our business," Barney muttered.

"Technically it was. There was that whole five mil situation with Church," Lee said.

"Didn't have to go back, but we did. And we saved Sandra."

Lee sucked in his cheek. "This isn't Vilena, though."

"If I could go back," Tool said, pulling the toothpick from his mouth and glancing between Barney, Lee, and the figure on the steps in the distance, "I'd go to that woman… I'd pull her off the bridge… and I'd take care of her. It wasn't my business, but she took whatever was left of my soul with her into that water."

Lee hesitated. This was a different situation, he figured. Nobody was dying.

"I'll reach out to her uncle," Barney said after a few seconds of silence. "Until then, maybe Lee should keep an eye out."

"Why me?" He asked.

"It's been part of your routine to be here the last few nights," Barney said. "Won't be strange if you keep that up."

Lee grunted. He didn't have a problem with getting them to lay off him a little bit, plus there'd be booze. Everly wasn't the worst for conversation, either.

"Let's go," Barney said. He watched the man as Lee and Tool turned away, but he didn't move. Barney wasn't sure what that meant, but he joined up with his friends and headed back towards their bikes.

He didn't feel like it was any of his business, if he was being honest. But she was a good kid, and he liked her uncle. If it ended up being nothing, he'd just let the idea die.