Arriving at the coffee shop right after leaving the store was easy. That way she'd avoid coming home. Avoid any possibility of coming across Dean. Even though she was itching to confront him, her stomach buzzing in anticipation to speak to him, that was something she couldn't handle right now. Not yet. Not until this was taken care of.

The thought, though, that she had spent weeks seated at her kitchen table cluelessly losing herself in daydreams, her heart full and imagination taking flight as she turned page after page while it was going on, that they'd been talking their wedding…

What did she do wrong? How long had he- No, she couldn't deal with that right now. With any rumination as each rooted painfully in her heart. Eventually she'd have to get back home. But that was later.

Staring blankly at the window, she pushed thoughts of Dean again and again as she focused back on the store, waiting for Ruby and Annie to join her.

"She has a collection of dozens of them," she said, once they were seated across from her, ignoring Annie's concerned expression and moving quickly past pleasantries. "We'll just grab a few from the back. She's not even going to notice."

"What about cameras?" Ruby asked.

"She doesn't have them," Beth clasped her hands around her mug. She'd done her homework, meaning she'd walked through the place herself before she'd called Annie. "It's a neighborhood store."

"Like people can't come in from anywhere," Annie said, her arm lying on top of the booth seat.

People like them, it went unsaid.

The conversation between the two women at the mall had reminded her. The neighborhood store, tucked away, that housed a whole lot of merchandise and a very trusting manager. It had to have enough business to stay open but she'd never seen it run over with customers. She'd remembered reading an interview with the same woman who boasted a collection of miniature figurines that she'd kept at home and work.

Beth lowered her voice. "I got some photos of some of the pricier ones. We go in, we grab them, we leave."

"Aren't they up front where she can see them?" Annie shook her head.

Beth smiled and glanced between her sister and Ruby. "She keeps them all over. You just have to slide the glass door."

"We're really doing this," Ruby said, stopping her words when a waiter came by to refill Beth's coffee.

"She's got so many of them. I'm sure she won't notice." Beth sipped on her coffee. Notice or not, she did have many of them throughout the store. Maybe she didn't realize how valuable some were. Either way, whether it was the right or wrong move, she was in too deep to back out.

"Only if you want to," Annie said.

Ruby nodded slowly before turning to her. "You haven't heard anything from Sylvie?"

"She's not answering my calls," Annie said dejectedly. "Mona?"

Beth put her hand over her phone. "Her phone's off, it keeps going to voicemail. But if Sylvie's not calling you, I don't know why Mona would call me." She tapped the screen. Again she wondered like she had before. Mona wouldn't be that kind of person to let a feud stop her from doing the right thing right? She had to believe that.

Whether she was or not it didn't matter anymore, she reminded herself. She had to act now.

"OK," Ruby said, moving in her seat but meeting Beth's eyes.

"Count me in." Annie nodded her head.

While it didn't seem so big from the outside, once Beth had stepped inside when she scouted it she was reminded of the labyrinths of narrow corridors from her last visit to the store. It could only help she thought. Less chance of being seen if the store was empty enough. Before they left the coffee shop she shared some photos of what the figurines looked like, quickly adding that as long as they each took three they'd have enough.

It was a gamble, but when they stepped inside Beth hoped that there'd still be a lull in the crowd. One by one each turned to a different corridor. each spread to a different area where figurines were kept. Beth stopped in front of an open doll house, with small human and animal figurines. She took a sharp breathe, lowered her eyes to the phone glanced up at the shelves, confirming.

This was what it came to, a hesitation coiled its fingers around her waist. No, she shrugged it off. She couldn't turn back now, not with time running out and gang members knowing where she lived. There were no other options. A furtive check around her and in a flash, three figurines were in her hands and stuffed in her bag.

Her screen lit up.

Ruby: Need help.

Taking a few quick steps and then forcing herself to slow down, antique items of all shapes and sizes passed by her periphery as Beth turned the corner to find her best friend.

Ruby stood in front of a counter with a similar open doll house, seemingly appraising an item Beth couldn't make out.

"Careful, don't break it," she said quietly as she stopped beside Ruby, who put the item down.

"It's locked," she whispered.

"What?"

Ruby focused her eyes on the glass door. Sure enough, the it didn't budge. They had to be pricier. Beth felt a rush at the promise. What she had in her bag wasn't enough and it would probably be good to have a few more expensive options.

Beth stepped back to look around, finding no one around them. "Pick that bowl up."

When Ruby didn't move Beth nodded twice. Finally Ruby stepped away, her eyes darting for a moment to the end of the row. Her hands went to a bowl before quickly letting go and inching back to the miniature house.

"We can't do this," Ruby whispered.

"We-"

"What are you doing?" Her eyes widened at Beth as she rummaged through her bag.

"Finding something to break this."

"No one's here. Don't you think she's gonna make the connection between something breaking and her collection gone missing?"

Beth paused her digging through her bag. She wasn't wrong. Her eyes fixed longingly at the figurines locked behind the glass.

"B-"

"Browse," Beth said, and moved to step around Ruby.

"Where are you going?"

Beth's eyes motioned to the glass.

"No," Ruby put her hand up. Beth stepped closer, ready to argue when Ruby put her hand over Beth's arm.

"Stay here, I'll go," Ruby said.

It was little more difficult this time, her hand on the counter picking up items idly, glancing back on her phone, stopped herself from running through the store to find both Annie and Ruby to see what they were doing. Was time frozen still she thought when the clock didn't move on her phone after checking it for the fourth time.

She breathed, her heart racing, as she clutched her bag to her chest with her arm, then loosened her grasp and checked her phone.

Her phone finally lit with a message from Ruby: OK.

"Good?" Beth messaged Annie.

Annie: Yeah just five minutes, the text came back an eternal minute later.

Once she got Annie's OK, she took a step forward and another, the clicking of her heels echoing each time, as if announcing her presence, growing more and more deafening. Making eye contact with Ruby they both made their way to the entrance, Beth stopping herself from bounding towards the light and the noise of the street.

"What took you so long?" She finally asked Annie as the three made their way to her car.

"I picked the lock."

Ruby grimaced. "What?"

Beth lowered her hand as two men walked passed them.

Her hands shook a little as she turned the ignition and got on the road, expecting someone, anyone, to run out the store after her. Checking the rear view mirror she held tightly to the wheel.

At the first red light she turned to her sister. "How do you know how to pick locks?" Her eyes narrowed.

Annie looked away and back at Beth. "It's not her, OK? Not exactly. Didn't you say it was a sliding door?" She put her hand out.

"It was. On the row that I checked."

"Anyway, what was I going to do," Annie said, managing to shape her face to appear both sheepish and proud. "What was I going to do, break it?"

Beth ignored Ruby's glance. "I can keep them," she said, imagining herself opening the door to her house, smelling the familiar scent of the jackets near the door, watching Buddy wag his tail. Seeing-

"I don't know why you had to buy something from her," Ruby cut into her thoughts.

"I couldn't help it. She was sweet," Annie slapped her thighs.

Ruby checked the coast was clear before opening her bag. "Don't get me wrong, I don't love what we did, but something about her-" She shook her head.

"You think we have enough?" Annie asked.

She hoped so. And it'd only help her sister was able to get more. Whether or not if it was Sylvie who'd helped her, as indirectly as it was. It was her who got them.

"You did good," she said, as Annie passed her the ceramic items, and smiled as her sister beamed back.

"You sure you want to head back?" Annie asked softly as Beth stopped in front of Gregg's parents house.

"I should be there. In case they come back I don't want-"

"What? For Dean to face them alone?"

"Annie-"

"Did you talk with him?"

"I just found out. I will," Beth said, her heart heavy. "Did you tell-"

Annie shook her head emphatically. "No. But- you will right?"

"Of course, I just- need to talk with him first."

"OK. Call me OK?"

"Yeah," she said, guessing she and her sister both realized the likelihood of her doing that. At least, to talk about Dean.

How she wished that her sister hadn't overheard her. It wasn't like she was going to withhold the information forever but she could just keep it for a while. It was bad enough for Ruby to hear, for anyone to know her business. It was just that she never talked about things when they got bad. It never felt right. You get what you get and you don't get upset. But in her heart something pulled. This wasn't something she could ignore. She knew that much.

Seated at the couch she watched him. She licked her cracked lips. Five different lip balms could be found around the house at any time, probably one in each room, but she preferred it this way. She had come home and took Buddy out, going through the motions. Cleaned up a little. Even if her home didn't feel like hers she wasn't sure what else to do.

She let him kiss her on the lips when he'd come in. Pretended nothing had happened and a coldness rang through her as his lips met hers for a brief moment, the dull echo getting louder and louder. Last time she'd seen him was that morning and the man who spoke to her was one she wasn't sure she recognized.

A string of different scenes had played out in her mind since that call to the store. She'd scream at his face. Find out where he was, drive there, confront him him and storm out. Or take all her belongings, grab Buddy, and head to Ruby's without saying a word to him. But for some reason when she stepped into the house she couldn't do anything but pick up Buddy's leash and take him out.

While she was tidying the living room and cooking he texted her a few times. A couple of sweet messages that made her freeze in her place, want to throw the cell phone across the room. One mundane, asking if she needed anything for the house. She'd ignored them, even ignored his call. After he came home and asked her why she didn't answer she didn't answer with anything that sounded coherent.

Shortly after he got home she had sat down on the couch, putting the piece of paper on her lap. She watched Dean walk around into their bedroom and her stomach twisted as he paced back from one room to the other. The enticing smell of dinner wafted into the living room.

"Is something wrong?" Dean asked when he'd passed her again, noticed she hadn't moved yet.

Beth picked up the credit bill statement from her lap and put it beside her.

"What's that?" His eyes went to the statement.

"Maybe you want to tell me," she said, the words sand in her mouth.

"What?" He asked, laughter mixing in with his voice.

"How many times was it?"

"Bethie," He said, and Beth was sickened to see the guilt on his face. She'd been in denial. She had to be in denial.

Beth shook her head head slowly and didn't stop.

"How many times?" She asked.

"I don't-"

"Was it someone I know?"

"What are you talking about?"

Beth stood, grabbing the paper. "You want to tell me you got this for me-"

She threw the paper at him, Dean's face growing paler as she spoke. He glanced down at it.

"What- what am I looking at?"

"Buying panties for someone else-" Her voice sharpened, then broke.

"Bethie-"

Beth raised her hand. "Stop. No."

She sat back down. Dean circled to the same chair Ruby had sat in just a week ago, after Rio and his guys had come by the first time.

Her hands were at her side as she stared straight at the coffee table, unable to look at him. "Who was it?" She needed to know. Even though it would only scar her she was sure.

"It doesn't matter."

Beth closed her eyes as tears escaped her eyes. "I deserve to know."

"She doesn't matter."

The word 'she', a shapeless woman formed in her imagination, and hurt caved in her stomach.

She ended their conversation, firmly shutting it down by telling him she needed space, with Dean leaving shortly after.

The worst part was that after she'd talked to him she didn't feel better. She felt worse, like her world was imploding, like she couldn't make sense of it. Tears streamed down her face before she stopped, wiped them away and washed her face. Getting in her car she drove and drove, not sure where she was heading to. Finally she stopped at a park, and stepped out, aimlessly wondered through it, letting the chirps of birds the squishing of leaves under her feet. As long as there wasn't silence around her she could breathe, she could think of something else.

Her phone rang and beeped and she ignored it, tears drying on her face. She'd turned back, wandering through the park in a circle, before finally picking out her phone to find a long message from Dean and missed calls and messages from Annie.

Life calling her back. She breathed deeply and collected herself, heading back to her car.

Turned out he was polite enough, the gang leader, giving her a heads up. A note in her mailbox with a date and time scratched into it. Maybe he knew she wouldn't run away from it. He'd find her anyway. Well she didn't have money but hopefully she'd have something better.

"I can't believe Mona's phone is still off," Annie asked, turning her head again to the closed door.

"You haven't heard anything from Sylvie," Beth reminded her, and it was like they'd had the same conversation just three days ago.

He let himself in, him and his men, and she recognized them from last time. The men still lingered behind him as he put his hands in front of them, surveying the table with the figurines.

He'd grown a mustache since the year before. It made him seem older than she expected he was.

They sat uncomfortably in their seats at the kitchen table. Rio smiled and there was nothing behind it, and his eyes took in the room when they lingered on the shelf. He blinked and it was strange, the pause, and Beth saw recognition reflected in his expression.

Her brain clicked.

"What?" Annie asked in hush tones.

"It's Mona's. It's one of the toys she gave me."

"You can have it back," Annie spoke up.

Rio's expression hardened as he turned his face to her.

"Ben doesn't really like it," Annie fidgeted her fingers.

Rio picked up the giraffe, nodding slowly, turning it in his hands. As Beth tried to clear her thoughts he grabbed its head, twisted it and tore it off, throwing it to the ground.

"Anything else?" He asked.

Beth resisted the urge of her hand moving higher to her neck.

"Uh yeah," Annie said.

"Got my money?"

"Well, no. But we got you something even better," She said, pulling some papers together.

"What am I supposed do with that?" Rio asked, leaning down, his elbows on the table.

"Put it on Ebay," Annie said confidently, like she was making a sale. "We got all the user names and instructions here." She pushed the papers a few inches towards Rio. " This little guy sells for $1500. And this one here-"

Rio slammed his hand against the table, sending broken porcelain pieces flying. Someone cried out in surprise, Beth wasn't sure if it was her or Annie, she felt a flurry of panic spread from her chest to to her stomach and legs, to her neck and her head. Without thinking she got on her feet, unable to stay seated. Rio leaned back up and Beth now registered the malice behind his question as he took her in with a mixture of annoyance and boredom. His yes went to Ruby before he turned back to her. "I'm done playing games with you." He shook his head.

Before she could blink he pulled out his gun and she trembled as he held it up under her chin, pushing her face upwards. As she did she caught a glimpse of Annie and Ruby clutching at each other.

Around her furniture crashed down, along with plates on the hardwood floor. Her eyes focused on the ceiling she could only see shadows accompanying the noise, her eyes focusing on the white stagnant paint above her.

"What are they doing?!" She heard Annie ask.

"They're making it look like a home invasion," Ruby muttered.

The crashing continued, blaring in her ears, then softened. Her brain shot out in a thousand directions. Annie's face, Ruby. Dean. Her parents, her childhood home. In no order, in no detail. Silence slowed down the images. No words, no sounds. There were no was no movie flashing of her life, there was just a choice.

"You're an idiot," She snapped.

Someone whispered her name entreatingly. Was it Ruby? Annie? Rio dug his gun into her chin.

She blinked away tears. "How do you think this ends? You think you can shoot us and get away and nothing will happen? Usually it doesn't. But people will notice we're gone. My sister has a baby. My friend volunteers at her church. Do you think the media won't pick up on this? That there won't be protests, a public outcry for justice? People will miss us if something happens to us. But if you want all that attention, go ahead. Roll the dice. See what happens."

The next seconds were the longest in her life as she looked up, trying to memorize the white ceiling. The crashing and breaking had stopped at some point. Someone took a sharp breathe, and it had to be Annie. Blinking, she heard the gunshot, felt its impact, saw it as if she was watching herself from the side, though the muzzle was still against her skin, the room completely silent and Rio had not moved a muscle.

She swallowed, clasping her hands to stop them from shaking. The pressure against her chin lessened and she lowered her face, meeting Rio's eyes. Her eyes stayed on his. If he was going to do this, he was going to do it like this, her eyes not taken off his brown ones. He wasn't going to take from her how it was going to end.

Rio remained motionless. Finally he released her, pulling his gun away, and Beth swallowed hard and her eyes found Ruby and Annie, holding each other, their eyes pained.

He slipped the gun back in his jeans. Blood coursed through her veins as if it had gotten permission and her heart was beating in her ears, only slowing its rhythm as Ruby and Annie eased a little in their seats.

Rio took a deep breathe, looked back at the women, then at Beth.

"Maybe you can help me with something."

Beth's face whipped back. His expression had relaxed but she wasn't fooled, acutely aware that at any point he was only seconds away from firing a gun.

"What? We'll do anything," It was only the threat of it that caused her to speak so carelessly. The adrenaline. But the fact that he'd pulled the gun from her face made her want to be sure they kept him happy.

His tongue darted behind his lower lip and he lifted his chin up a little as she waited, a sharkish smile forming on his lips. "You ladies got some classy clothes?"