Mika pulled up to a small hotel when they reached the next town. It was almost nine now and Nick was tired from his lack of sleep. He patted his growling stomach, thinking he should oblige it soon. Mika leaned to the back seat to get something out of her bag and gave him a nice view of her breast. When she began to sit back up he quickly looked away. Gracefully she got out of the car.

"I'm paying for the room so can I assume you'll be paying for food?"

"I've got no money, beautiful." He glanced at her.

"Guess you won't be getting a room." She walked away and into the office of the hotel. She came out a little while later and got back in the car. She moved it to a parking space in front of their room and got out. Nick got his cross out of the car and set it down to get his bag. She let him bring his cross into the room before she pushed him out.

"What are you doing?"

"You're going to get some food." She hurried into the room and locked the door behind her.

He stared at the door for a moment, brooding. "Women." He walked off to a restaurant near the hotel. Since she left the ordering up to him, he ordered what he would want for the both of them. While he waited, he lit a cigarette.


Mika took this opportunity to shower and to think. She needed to get some more money and that was simple enough, it is too easy to rob someone. That was really the least of her worries. They would be after her again, but she could handle the men they sent after her. Take most of their money. They never learned. But he would come for her eventually and she didn't know what to expect. All she could do now was prepare herself and run when she had the chance. Maybe Nick could help her, he was better at using a gun than she was.

Nick. He was so cute in a sexy kind of way. When she looked at him she would have never known he was capable of killing. He carried a cross, had crosses on the cuffs of his jacket. He seemed almost gentle and at ease. She smiled a little, relaxing under the spray of water. He was obviously attracted to her and not afraid to show it. But she wasn't giving in to that. Most men were only interested in her for her looks. He didn't like to be called typical so she would have to wait to see if he was or not. She hoped he wasn't.


Nick knocked loudly and impatiently on the door. She had no right locking him out but when she opened the door, he decided he could forgive her. She smelled like heaven and it tied his stomach in knots. She wore a pair of boxers that showed off those legs that he'd wanted to see and a small shirt that clung to her figure. He wanted to drool. She smiled at him as if reading his thoughts.

"Come in." She stepped to the side to let him in. There were two beds and the light in the bathroom was still on. He sat the food on the table as she closed and locked the door. She sat across from him and began to eat. He had hoped she would have complained because she didn't like what he got, but she made no objections. He ate as well, taking food from her plate even though he had plenty of his own.

"Will you stop doing that?"

"Why should I? I had to get the food so I can eat all of it." He grinned.

"I could have gotten a room with one bed and made you sleep on the floor."

"I would have gotten in the bed with you honey." He winked at her and rubbed his side. "I got hurt because of you."

"What?"

"I got hit by a bullet because of you." He pointed to his side where a bullet had grazed him, frowning a bit as if it hurt to even think about it.

"Why didn't you say something earlier!" She jumped up and touched his side, then pulled him to his feet and pushed him towards the bathroom. "Take off your shirt so I can bandage it." She ran the water until it was warm and then wet a towel. He did as she said, saying nothing when she began to nurse his side. Her hair was brushing against his chest but he refrained from shivering. Then he let out a sound of pain.

"What are you doing! That hurts!" He took a small step back, looking very hurt.

"Oh you're such a baby, its just something to make sure you don't get an infection."

"You're trying to kill me, I knew you would! What is that stuff, salt and water!?"

"You're acting like a child. It doesn't hurt that much." He continued to whine as she wrapped the bandages around him. "There you big baby. I'm done."

He sniffled and walked away while she rolled her eyes. Sitting on his bed, Nick took off his shoes and lay his shirt and jacket on one of the chairs. He glanced over at Mika where she was already sitting comfortably on the bed and reading a book. He rose to clean up their mess then went into the bathroom and cleaned himself up. Then he lay in his bed and smoked a cigarette.

He sighed, wondering what the hell he was doing here. He needed to get his hands on some money, needed to take care of the orphanage. He shouldn't be here with a woman he hardly knew. He should just hop in her bed, get it over with and leave. But he wasn't like that. He couldn't remember ever having been so attracted to a woman this way before. It wasn't just her looks, she stood her own, seemed to be very strong. But everyone had a weakness no matter how strong, he wanted to find hers.

"So where did you learn to do all this stuff Mika?"

"Do what?" She kept reading, barely paying attention.

"Learn how to fight, learn how to use a gun, running away without getting caught."

"That last one is easy, you know that. I taught myself how to fight and use a gun, I mimicked whatever I could and tossed in whatever I thought would work better." She shrugged and began to brush her hair.

"Why did you need to learn?" He looked at her, noticing that she began brushing her hair slowly and began stare at the bed.

"I needed to find away to protect myself. I took some money from the wrong people, no biggy." She continued to stare blankly at the bed as if in a trance, brushing her hair slowly. She remembered how scared she had been at first, thinking she should turn herself in. But she knew he would still find someone to get to her and punish her or kill her. So she did what she could to survive today in hopes of seeing tomorrow.

"I know what its like." She looked up to find Nick sitting next to her; she hadn't known when he sat there. "You're scared."

"I am not." She pushed her hair behind her ear.

"You are. You're strong from what I've seen Mika. Physically, mentally, and probably emotionally. But you don't have to be so strong all the time."

"I have to be strong. You don't know me Nick." She looked up at him and into his eyes, trying to make him understand. She wanted to go to sleep, sleep was her only time for peace.

"But I've known people like you so I know you Mika." He was serious, she could see it in his face. She frowned and placed her brush and book on the night stand.

"Will you let me go to sleep please?" She spoke so softly that he let it go until another day.

"Sure honey." Nick rose from her bed and turned off the lights. He climbed in his own bed and stared at the ceiling until he fell asleep.