Part 5

Her high heels clicked softly along the pavement as they hurried toward the truck. A light rain had fallen while they'd been in the restaurant, and the chill and the damp lent a dreariness to the night. Stepping into the cab, she shut the door and waited for Lindsey to climb in. Lilah drummed her long red nails along the dash as she mulled over what to do. It wouldn't be wise to return to his somewhat isolated home. Not only would they be leading the killers right to his door, which could cause him later difficulties, but there wasn't much of a possibility of summoning help quickly should the need arise. Oh course, given the nature of their problem, they may not be able to call the police anyway. How would they explain that hired hit men from an evil law firm were out to kill her?

They drove out of the parking lot and out onto the slick, black road. Mere moments later, a set of headlights appeared behind them. Lindsey glanced into the rear-view mirror and noted a battered-looking blue Chrysler. The men were following them, which was to be expected. He wouldn't, of course, be able to return to the house. They would be much too isolated there. However, they would eventually have to rest. That would mean that they'd most likely have to find a hotel for the night. Well, that was just perfect. It was bad enough that he had to share a house with his former co-worker. Now he'd be stuck in a space the size of his living room, with only a tiny wall dividing his space from hers. If they didn't kill one another, or go completely insane, it would be a miracle, he thought.

Well, there wasn't much time to bemoan the situation right now. For the moment, he needed to focus his attentions on losing their pursuers. They were wll trained in their line of work, but he had the advantage of knowing the area a lot better than they did. He glanced at the time and smiled slightly. If he played his cards right, he might just lose them. Taking a left turn, he came onto a long, flat stretch of road. He pressed down hard on the gas and the truck flew along the pavement. Their pursuers increased their speed in kind.

Lilah looked down the road ahead of them. "Uh, Lindsey? There's a railway crossing up ahead." She appeared disconcerted when he seemed to be ignoring her words. "Lindsey, the lights are flashing. There's a train coming." The truck did not slow, instead coming even closer to the tracks. Glancing to her left, Lilah saw something that made her pulse quicken. The train was barrelling down the line toward them at an alarming rate. Lilah closed her eyes tightly, bracing herself for the impact. It never came. She felt the double thump of the tires travelling over the track and then nothing. A faint squeal of brakes made itself heard over the roaring and clattering of the massive locomotive, and then died away, replaced by the click-clack of freight cars. Slowly, she opened her eyes. The vehicle and its occupants appeared to be completely intact. She craned her neck in order to look behind them. The train completely blocked the pursuers from view, and from further pursuit for the time being.

A grin slowly spread over her face. They were alive and they'd lost the hired killers, at least for now. And it had all been like something out of a bad work of fiction. "I have to admit McDonald, that was pretty damn cool. Who would have thought that you had it in you?" The only reply he gave was a small smirk.

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Taking no chances, Lindsey drove to a small motel, located off the highway. He parked the truck and hopped out. Frowning, Lilah exited from her side and joined him.

"Lindsey, this place is a dump."

He looked at her. "Yeah. But it's out of the way, and there are people around. So we're staying here. If you don't like it, you can leave. It would save me a lot of trouble anyway."

"Wouldn't want to do that." She smirked. "I much prefer causing you grief."

Rolling his eyes he headed for the small motel office. "Tell me something I didn't already know." He opened the rusting screen door, causing the chimes attached to it to jangle. The elderly man behind the counter glanced up at them.

"Kin I help ya?"

Lindsey nodded. "We need two rooms."

"Ain't got 'em."

Lilah frowned. "Then why did you bother to ask if you could help us?"

"Figger'd ye'd only need one room."

The insinuation behind his statement temporarily left her deep in pool of mixed reactions. Part of her wanted to laugh at the geezer, and tell him how ridiculous the mere thought of her and Lindsey as a couple was. Another part of her was livid that the first thing the man had seen when he looked at her was yet another woman, clinging to her man in some pathetic attempt at eking out an existance. A third and final part of her lurked deep in the corners of her mind. It tugged at the edges of her conscious thoughts, barely a whisper, yet present all the same. The other voices in her mind worked to shush it, her inner defenses automatically coming into play. It was a feeling of curiousity. A thought of "what if".

There had of course been men in her life. She was an attractive, healthy woman, with normal appetites. However, most of them had meant nothing. They'd been pawns, there for her use. A means to an end for the most part. She had no qualms with stepping on whomever she had to. It was survival of the fittest, and she had to look out for her own best interests. There'd been a time when she'd been naive enough to believe that other people would be willing to care about her, but she'd learned all too well that there was no one on whom she could truly depend.

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Campus was a bustling hub of students strung out on coffee and sleep deprivation. Everywhere, men and women had spread out textbooks, notes, study guides and Starbucks cups in a frantic final cramming session. A table on the second floor of the library was occupied by a young brunette, her expression as serious and severe as her attire. At the top of her class, she focussed nearly all of her time and energy on her studies. This was reflected in her perfect marks. Now, all of her hard work was drawing to a close. Tomorrow, the bar exams were taking place. Aided financially by Wolfram and Hart, she'd endeavoured in earnest, and completed her courses with record speed and success. Of course, she'd been required to sign a contract with the firm, agreeing to work for them immediately upon completing her schooling. Such thing were to be expected however. It didn't bother her all that much, because she knew that it was a step up for her, and that with the right combination of determination and hard work, she'd go far in her chosen career.

The one break that she allowed herself from her work was Devon. Devon had been in one of her very first classes. At first, she'd disdained him like any other man, regarding him as below her attentiong. But something was different about him. He'd treated her with nothing but respect, and was always the first to support her when someone questioned her work. He let her know that he believed her to be someone who was highly intelligent, and who had an amazing amount of strength. Devon had never criticized her, and he'd never made her feel worthless in any way. The pair had worked together on numerous projects. Slowly, he'd made his way under her skin, his compliments and respect begining to soothe some of her old wounds. It was the first time that she could remember anyone taking a sincere interest in her as a person, and recognizing her abilities. A slow smile crept over her face as she thought about him. Standing, she made her way toward a shelf in order to get another book. From the stacks, she could hear a familiar voice. She began to make her way toward the sound when she heard a female voice pipe up.

"Devon, I'm getting really tired of all this..." the woman stated.

Lilah paused, remaining hidden on the opposite side of the bookshelf by which Devon and his companion were standing.

"I know Alyson, I know. But I told you, it's only another couple days. I've got one more study session with her tonight, and then tomorrow is the exam. You know that I need her to study with. I mean, it's only because I was working with her on most projects that I'm passing right now."

Alyson sighed heavily. "I know. I just want to be able to be with you like any other girl is with her guy, and not have to hide it from the stupid bitch."

Laughing, Devon replied "Don't worry baby. After tomorrow, she's gone. I won't need her anymore."

"Do you promise?"

"I promise."

Further conversation was cut off as the two locked themselves in an embrace. Stunned and sickened, Lilah crept away from the scene, cursing herself for her foolishness. At a later point in time, she would use her new-found power at Wolfram and Hart to destroy Devon's chance at a career in law by erasing all records of his degree, and replacing them with a false arrest warrent. And she would renew her vow never to let anyone near her heart again. Never again would she ever be stupid enough to be convinced that any man could be different.