Slowly but surely, getting some writing done! I'll apologize in advance if this update is not 100%. I've been writing it in pieces between college classes and moving. It's midnight. There's probably some grammar mistakes lol.

But other than than the usual shit show, things are great, the story will continue, and ya'll are the best! :)

Enjoy!


Elena woke up in a state of delirium, staring at a towered ceiling in an overly spacious room.

It took a few moments for her half-awake brain to connect to her memory, yet when it did, she was still confused.

She was at Damon's hotel, in her chosen room….but when had she left the couch? Had she woken up at some point after the movie to come to the bedroom?

The last thing she could actually remember was Damon changing the channel to some foriegn film and falling asleep to the warm tenor of his voice speaking in his mother tongue.

There had been a vague thought that she probably should get up to go to bed, but it had been so comfortable, laying there in his arms, that she hadn't been able to convince herself to move.

But obviously, something had changed, since she was now wrapped up in an expensive duvet and egyptian cotton sheets on a king sized mattress.

Elena sat up and glanced around, spotting her suitcase and bag near the foot of the bed where she had put them yesterday.

Shaking off the blankets, she climbed out of bed and went over to grab fresh clothes and stepped into the adjoining bathroom.

After going through her basic hygiene routine and changing into her "work" clothes, she was prepared to embrace the day.


Elena heard Damon before she saw him, as she stepped out into the main living quarters of the suite.

The door to his bedroom, across the way, was half open, and he seemed to be speaking to someone on the phone.

His voice was drifting out loudly and angrily.

Wincing a little for the sake of whoever was pissing him off, Elena wandered around into the kitchen and found a fresh pot of coffee.

It seemed that Damon had been up for a minute, then.

She helped herself to cup while he finished biting someone's head off, then went to track down her own phone.

The cell had slipped down between the couch cushions, and she retrieved it just in time for Damon to join her in the living quarters.

"Good. You are awake," he acknowledged in a clipped voice that brought Elena's eyes to his immediately.

Damn. He looked good.

Mostly dressed for the day, he wore a pair of dark jeans that fit him too well, and a button up shirt that was only halfway fastened; as if he had stopped midway to take his call, and followed up by running his hand through his hair, repeatedly...and damn it, the disheveled look really worked for him.

Damon gave her a once over too, but it was more analytical, "This will do. We need to leave soon and get this over with."

His tone felt like cold water being poured down her spine, and Elena frowned as annoyance rose in her chest, "Is everything okay?"

"It will be. Are you ready to go?" As if she were the one holding him up.

Elena looked at her coffee mug, then back to Damon, "I guess I can be...but what's with the attitude?"

"What is with the questions?" he shot back, "You have a job, let us go so you can finish it and get what you came for."

"Hey!" she sat the coffee on the side table in front of the sofa so that her fingers were free to point at Damon's chest, "You asked me to come work this job, remember? Yes, I'm getting paid, but I'm here because you wanted me to do this. If that's changed, then tell me, but I'm not about to put up with you being an ass simply because whoever you were talking to earlier made you mad!"

Damon's jaw flexed as he started to respond, but then he just cursed instead...at least, she assumed the word he uttered was a curse word.

"Apologies, cara mia, you are right," he consented, his tone slightly calmer, "I am not angry with you."

When it seemed as if whatever flames he had erupted in were being doused, Elena risked a step forward. Then another. Until she could place a hand on Damon's arm.

"I know. That's my point."

His other hand covered hers, and she stared up in concern, "Did you want to talk about it?"

Damon shook his head, "Not now. It is just business down the grapevine. Nothing to be done about it until I get back."

The anger flashed in his eyes again and Elena couldn't help but flinch.

She had a bad feeling that whoever was causing whatever this issue was, might not be around to cause problems much longer.

Because of the way he treated her, it was so easy to forget what this man was capable of; what he really was, behind those baby blues.

Damon was a criminal...a drug lord...a killer.

And she was on his payroll now.

Elena was snapped to attention by a vibration in her hand; her phone was ringing.

"Answer that," Damon instructed, "I will arrange to have the car brought around for us."

He disappeared before she could argue, stepping out of the room with his phone in hand.


Damon took his time, ordering the hotel staff to accommodate what he needed.

Then he made another call, to Alaric.

That one was luckily short and sweet, unlike his conversation with Stefan earlier, about an attempted breach on his accounts.

He was able to trace and email through the I.P address and was currently working out the region it had come from.

Hopefully within the hour, they would have a name, or at least more concrete evidence, but the proof was secondary.

There was a small list of organizations with enough balls to risk this exposure, and even less with a reason to.

If he were a betting man, he'd venture to say that the culprit was either someone from the Augustine Institution or a Whitmore.

He hoped it was the latter, because it would complicate his objectives to have to issue a hit on a business partner, not to mention how it would affect his potential revenue.

No...much better that it be a Whitmore, whose fates were already determined.

God, he was so ready to be rid of that nuisance.

However, there was no need to allow this imposition to ruin his current plans.

Elena was here with him for only a short while, and for whatever godforsaken reason, he wanted to make the most of his time with her.

To hold her, as he had last night, to brush her cheek as she slept; the way he had after he'd carried her into her bedroom.

He had been so tempted to stay there with her, especially since she had clung to him as if she wanted him there beside her just as badly.

But Elena was not one of the back alley whores that hung around the streets of Cailum.

She was not a desperate one nighter that stunk of cigarettes and one too many bad decisions.

She was better than all of it...better than him.

And for that reason, he wanted to do right by her; which meant that all his anger and business shit needed to stay in Cailum, so his focus could be solely on her.

Easier said than done when violence was so second nature and when simply being around that woman wound his body so tight he felt the urge to snap something in half, just for some sort of release.

Oh well. He would just have to figure it the fuck out.

After all, the clock was ticking and he was already wasting precious time.


Elena was ready by the time he reentered the penthouse, the spandex material of her dark clothes squeezing her in all the right places, while offering a practical advantage for the work she was involved in.

There was a small backpack on the floor next to where she was perched against the sofa cushion and she was tying her hair up with an elastic band.

He tried to ignore the way the few loose strands in the front fell down to caress her cheek.

"The car is ready for us," he announced, and Elena gave a short nod, "Okay, I'm all set...but there's something I need to ask you before we leave."

Damon paused, intrigued, "Ask."

Elena straightened and ran her palms over her sides, as if flattening everything down, before meeting his gaze.

"I have a proposition."

Damon's brow lifted, but he said nothing else, which prompted her further.

"That was Katherine who called. She got a message from Julian Maxfield. He wants to speak with us, well, Katalena."

"Why," he demanded, not liking the idea of Elena having any involvement with that idiot, ever again.

"I'm assuming in regard to his necklace," Elena said, a little sheepishly, "Which I still have."

Damon blinked, then crooked his head, "I see. And why do you still have the stolen necklace that you had intended to set me up with?"

She sighed, "Well, I had intended to return it, but then I thought it would be good to have for insurance purposes, as a backup plan if you double-crossed us or something...then by the time I decided to trust you, we had stolen drugs back from Augustine, then this job was lined up, and it seemed better to wait until things had settled before risking sneaking back into Julian's home."

Despite the vexation he felt at her intent, Damon could not fault her logic, nor was he surprised that she had ensured a safety feature for herself.

He would have expected no less.

"So what is your plan, now?" he asked, keeping his voice level.

Elena gifted him a tiny smile, "Here's where that proposition comes in."

"You have my attention."

Those brown eyes became more animated as she leaned forward, "Okay, so most likely, Julian is going to fall in line exactly as I thought he would have when I had planned to frame you. He'll hire "Katalena" to retrieve the necklace. However, instead of planting it on you, I was thinking we could put the blame on someone else."

"Someone like…?"

The question brought a hesitant look across Elena's face, and she ran her tongue over her lips before speaking again.

"You want revenge on the people who murdered your parents, right?"

Now it was his turn to pause; not having expected those words from her.

"That's what you've told me," she continued when he didn't answer, "You know who's guilty...so we plant the necklace on them. You get your revenge."

"How is that revenge?" he challenged.

Elena frowned, "Because Julian will-"

"You think Julian Maxfield can adequately handle my enemies? The man indulges in his fair share of sins, but there is no blood on his hands."

"And this is an alternative to you having to add more to yours," she huffed out, as if the words were being pulled from her tongue against her will.

Damon stared at her; at the light blush that crept into her cheeks and lifted his hand to graze the back of his knuckles across the heated skin.

Elena's eyes never left his, not even when he gripped her chin between his fingers.

Her breath caught when he leaned down, so close that their noses almost touched.

"When things settle, you will return the necklace onto Julian's property," his voice did not falter, despite the knot that had climbed up his throat, "My revenge is my own and no one is going to rob me of it, so do not try. And drop whatever notion has made its way into your head about sparing my hands. You cannot save me, cara mia."

"No," Elena answered, and the sadness from her gaze had leaked into her words, "I can't. But I thought you might want the chance to save yourself. I guess I was wrong."

And just like that, she had freed herself of his touch and her back faced him as she walked toward the door, "We should go. I have a job to do."


Elena messaged Katherine while Damon drove them to the warehouse location that she was meant to break into and vaguely ranted about how incredibly difficult the man was being.

Her sister was getting ready to meet up with Julian, but still managed to answer back with some useful advice. If "useful" was suddenly code for completely unhelpful.

The only thing difficult is getting you laid, Katherine had so kindly pointed out, You're overthinking this. Just get some grind, get some money, and you never have to worry about the man again, right?

Wow.

Way to make me sound like a five-dollar hooker, Elena wrote back, only half joking, and Kat's response was just as teasing.

No, you're STD free. That's gotta be worth at least $50.

Elena smirked, I hate you.

I know.

A wink face followed, and Elena sighed, letting her screen turn black as she pondered Katherine's point.

Yes, she could do this job and never see Damon again.

He would disappear into the background of her life; he and his issues nothing more than a fading memory.

She glanced over at the man, who was focused on the road ahead of them.

Strong features, dark lashes, bright eyes, furrowed brow…the soft way he had looked up at her last night was seared into her mind.

How would she ever forget that?

God, there were so many reasons she should cut this shit and run far, far away.

But some tangible string had woven her to Damon that night they had first danced, and it was proving much stronger than she originally thought.

Despite everything she knew he was, it didn't feel possible to just turn away anymore.

Which clearly meant she was losing her mind as well as her common sense.

Greeeeeaaaaat.


"We are here."

The car lurched to a stop, bringing Elena back to the situation at hand, and she glanced out the window.

Far from the business district, it appeared that Damon had taken her to a slew of abandoned metal buildings.

No other car or person in sight.

"Don't tell me," her jaw set as her gaze swept over the narrow parking lot they had come to rest in, "This is where you dump the bodies."

Damon merely laughed and began unbuckling.

"Wait, you're coming too?" she frowned.

Damon reached over and unclicked her seatbelt as well, "Just in case. For safety."

Safety?

There hadn't really been much in the information she was given that hinted she would need protection.

According to what Damon and Alaric had briefed her on, it was a simple pick up; in and out, while avoiding detection of cameras and trip wires.

She'd seen the building blueprints, though not much else...so maybe Damon knew something she didn't?

"Are there guards or something?" she asked, surveying their surroundings again.

Damon shook his head, "No. My accompanying you to the break in point is a mere indulgence. It will not hurt for you to have a look out, no?"

She smiled a little, despite herself, "Next you'll tell me there's a secret knock or whistle I should expect if someone shows up."

Another head shake, this one in tolerating amusement, "Just get out of the car, Elena."

With a shrug, she did as she was told, and rechecked her gear as she straightened.

"Ready?" Damon asked, and she sighed heavily, "As I'll ever be."


Compared to the jobs she had performed of late, Damon's newest assignment was a breeze.

So much that Elena was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

While Damon stood watch, she had used her tool kit to override the locking mechanism on a keycoder, which immediately popped open without sounding any sort of alarm.

"Impressive," Damon had congratulated, but Elena merely took the compliment and pressed on.

Getting around the door facing camera, once inside, was an impossibility, so she moved quickly with her face hidden, and ducked behind some crates.

Once she was sure she was out of Big Brother's eye, she scanned the room.

The warehouse resembled an airplane hangar, but instead of jets or cargo sets, there were just stacks of crates and unfamiliar equipment against the walls.

There was painted lettering on a few of them, and when Elena squinted, she made out what it read.

S.I.N.C

As in Damon's nightclub?

She frowned deeply, wondering what exactly he was getting her involved in.

Had these people stolen from him? What was she retrieving?

The questions piled as she continued surveying the space.

Three vehicles were on the far side, both covered with tarp, and a solid wall with one door and a small window was beyond them.

According to the blue prints, that was her destination; whatever package Damon had sent her after...it was in that room.

But before she could move toward it, she had to be sure she was protected.

A quick scan of the camera wires showed her a line to the electric output. Now, if she could just find the breaker...ah...there it was, above a stack of crates to her right.

Moving swiftly between the crates, and avoiding one oscillating camera, she reached the box and pulled the bag off her back again. The computer equipment she carried was a little outdated, but worked well for travel and simpler systems.

Unscrewing the metal to reveal the wires beneath, Elena set to work, hooking up her machine and hacking into the security system's mainframe.

Usually the process took longer than the time she had available for most jobs, but Damon had assured her that the warehouse was unoccupied, and judging by some of the dust around the crates, she was inclined to agree.

Which meant she had plenty of time to tap the system and loop the camera's feedback into a cycle that did not show her presence. Then she would delete the small length of footage that had captured her.

Too easily.

Slightly disappointed when no alarm sounded, Elena stripped her backpack and simply walked over to the door.

Two locks were in place, but were simple deadbolts that she could have popped with a bobby pin, but ever the professional, she used her kit.

The locks clicked and she was able to open the door.

There were no security cameras in the room, and other than taking a minute to locate the correct cabinet, Elena retrieved her objective without delay.

The bag was weighted, but light enough to carry with ease.

Please don't be drugs, she couldn't help but think to herself, despite Damon's promise that it wasn't.

An honest criminal. Now wouldn't that be something.

She threw the bag strap over her shoulder, and as quickly as she came, Elena retraced her steps, relocking and remantling as she went, covering any and all trace of her presence.


The all-clear, however, was not complete, because when Elena stepped outside and pulled the door shut behind her, her "lookout" was nowhere to be found.

Panic crept along her skin, and she took a few solid breaths, "Damon?"

The alley between the warehouse and the abandoned building was clear, and so was the warehouse's far side, when she walked around to where the parking lot was.

That shiny blue Camaro, she was relieved to see, was exactly where it should be.

And more to the point, it's owner was there, leaning over the hood, staring at something on a monitor he'd opened and parched against the metal.

"Nice looking out," Elena jibed, allowing herself to relax now that she knew she hadn't been totally abandoned.

Damon had the audacity to grin when he looked over his shoulder at her, "It would seem that you did not need one."

"I also didn't need the mini heart attack you just gave me when I came out to find you gone, but we can argue about that later," she dropped the bag onto the car hood, next to the laptop, "I got what we came for, so we should get going before someone finds us."

That smile just deepened, "Why? With that erase job, I highly doubt anyone could trace you."

He turned back to the screen, and only then did Elena realize what was on it.

"That's the security feed from the warehouse," she stated the obvious, and Damon made a noise of acknowledgement.

Elena moved closer to him and the monitor, "Please tell me you did not hack into their mainframe with a wireless connection."

"I did not hack into the mainframe with a wireless connection," Damon repeated, "I just wanted to assure that you were completely undetected by the security system."

"Okay, but how did you…" Elena trailed off as things started to piece together.

Wow.

She was an idiot. Truly. A fucking idiot.

She took a full step back and glanced up at the sky in a curse.

The club logo, the security feed, Damon's unhurried energy…

"This is your warehouse."

He closed the laptop and turned to her, finally giving her his complete attention, "Nice deduction."

Another curse left her lips, "And you didn't think to tell me this because...why, exactly? What was the point of this trip? We drove hours just so you could pay me to steal from you? That doesn't make any sense! Wait, was that a lie too? Were you even planning on paying me for this fake job, or-"

"Elena, calm down. I will-"

"Calm down," she snapped, "Seriously? You drag me up here, lie about the reason, and have the audacity to tell me that I should be calm? Fuck you. I should double the price just for the insult that-"

His hand came against her chin, fingers digging into her jaw forcefully as he smashed his mouth against hers.

Elena fought against the hold, striking friction between them that was heated with both anger and unwilling desire.

She was breathless when Damon released her, his teeth grazing her lip as he pulled away.

"Are you done?" he questioned, his chest also heaving.

Elena could only manage a glare, and Damon smirked, "Good. Now open the bag."

When she merely pushed him back and crossed her arms in defiance, Damon sighed and reached for the thing himself.

Her objective unzipped easily, and she couldn't help but glance over at the content.

When her eyes caught a lot of green, the tension was replaced by confusion, "Money?"

"Your payment," Damon confirmed, "For testing my security system. If anyone could show me where it was weak, it would be you."

Testing...oh….Oh.

Now she felt like an even bigger idiot.

"I did not tell you," Damon elaborated, "Because I wanted you at your best, and you certainly delivered. My cameras relooped and all appearances of you were erased. There is nothing overly important inside, but still, I clearly need to upgrade."

Elena's teeth caught her bottom lip in embarrassment.

"I will accept a written apology," Damon teased, crossing his own arms now, "Or you can wait until we are back at the hotel and give it to me...orally."

She made a face, "Nice try. And okay, maybe I overreacted, but I'm not sorry. You were misleading and manipulative and I don't like being lied to."

"Noted," Damon straightened and grabbed his equipment off the car, "I'll keep that in mind for next time."

Next time?

"Wait, I-"

But he was already getting into the car, and any chance to protest had slipped away.

Elena groaned and, figuring she would just set the record straight once she got back to the hotel, grabbed the bag of cash and climbed into the passenger's seat.


Next chapter will pick up at the hotel ;)