The man
Inhale.
Exhale.
Lucy quickly hopped out of the car. She needed to let off some steam after the evening she had.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Karen. Her men had found Karen's body mangled from pain with multiple stab wounds in her own apartment. The woman wasn't Lucy's favourite and her death certainly wouldn't be something the blonde wept over but it was this damned situation.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Merely days ago, Lucy made a case against Karen based on the rumours that the woman had partaken in human trafficking. Now, one could argue that such an activity wouldn't cause a fuss in business based on selling and manufacturing drugs. However, Lucy's father was a different kind of man. He found distaste in it and tended to kick out anyone even remotely connected to a human trafficking ring.
Yet, with Karen's death, the matter will no longer be considered. The feud between the two women will be seen as a power struggle and Lucy will be perceived as someone who put a hit on the opposition. And this world was not merciful for the power-hungry.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Lucy glanced at the man at her side. Her bodyguard wasn't trustworthy. He was only loyal to money and if push came to shove, he would have no problem taking her life.
Inhale.
Exhale.
"Don't bother me." She gritted between her teeth before entering the bar and sitting down next to a ginger-haired man, someone who looked like a textbook playboy.
Inhale.
Exhale.
"What would you like, sweetheart?" The bartender chimed in seconds after Lucy took her evening gloves off.
"Rum. Straight. Double."
"Someone's having a rough night." The woman behind the bar commented.
Lucy chose not to reply.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Now, the blonde finally started looking around the room. It was a random hole at the side of the street. It was the first time Lucy visited this place. She told her bodyguard to stop at the nearest bar and this was the result.
Inhale.
Exhale.
The air here smelt of alcohol and dust with the spice of human sweat. It wasn't exactly run down, but also not the most glamourous place she's ever been at. There were only few guests dotted throughout the bar, but the floors and tabletops seemed to be reasonably clean.
Inhale.
Exhale.
While studying the clients of this fine establishment Lucy noticed that most of them were dressed in a very every-day style of clothing. The so-called business casual. Even the bartender was dressed in merely a shirt and jeans, her employer clearly not enforcing any kind of a uniform. The only ones to stand out in this pretty relaxed group of people were her and the man sitting next to the bathroom door – her bodyguard. He with his tailored high-end suit and her with her evening dress fit for a fancy soiree.
"Shit." The almost non-coherent curse escaped Lucy's lips. Standing out proved to be a bad omen in her short life of 25 years.
Inhale.
Exhale.
"Cursing isn't very ladylike." The ginger-haired man sitting next to her spoke up playfully.
Inhale.
Exhale.
He was wearing sunglasses in the already quite dim room rendering Lucy unable to read his eyes, however, a smug grin played on his lips. He seemed so satisfied with himself and confident. Like a fish in the water. It rubbed Lucy the wrong way. She had already started to leave her seat when the man spoke again.
"If you're up for it, I can make you curse even worse."
Inhale.
Exhale.
Yes, Lucy had guessed right as soon as she saw him. A textbook playboy. But maybe this was what this night called for.
"I'm all ears."
Inhale.
Exhale.
... ∽∾●∾∼ …
Inhale.
Exhale.
Inhale.
EXHALE.
The sound of raindrops hitting the roof of her car was driving Lucy insane. She just needed some peace of mind.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Inhale.
Exhale.
That annoying man didn't listen to Lucy. He came up to her because he had a feeling this that her father would be worried if they stayed any longer. 'Just doing my job' he claimed. A complete lie on his part.
Lucy saw the recognition flash in the playboy's eyes. They clearly knew each other.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Did that bastard of a bodyguard choose this bar on purpose? Was he planning something?
Inhale.
Exhale.
Inhale.
Exhale.
It was okay. Lucy didn't end up drinking too much. She could still do without him and drive back herself.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Inhale.
Exhale.
It's been a while since Lucy was the one behind the wheel. The last time was probably two summers ago. She took Natsu to the beach. The sun was so hot that day and Natsu was about to throw up during the whole ride. He blamed her terrible driving skills, but Lucy was pretty decent back then. Natsu just couldn't handle any kind of vehicle being in motion. He was such a child. He's still such a child.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Did she even have her driver's license in this car?
"Bitch." Lucy cursed under her breath. This night kept getting better and better.
Slowly manoeuvring into an alleyway Lucy made up her mind to drive home alone even if she didn't find her documents in the glove compartment. God, most of the people surrounding her had done much worse than being behind the wheel without a driver's license. Or while slightly intoxicated, for that matter.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Inhale.
Exhale.
The contents of the glove compartment were limited to an umbrella, a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. Good, so he was driving without his documents as well. Now, she won't need to feel as if she was committing a crime.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Smoking sounded like a great idea. One quick drag will do a great service to calm her nerves. Lucy got out of the car with the umbrella she found earlier held above her head.
Inhale.
Exhale.
A couple of men ran out of the bar via the backdoor. They were bickering. Lucy recognised the voices. Her bodyguard and the playboy at the bar. They were talking about a woman. Her?
"Fuck."
Lucy hid in the shadows. If this was about her, they didn't need to be aware of her presence.
Inhale.
Exhale.
The two men were talking about Karen.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Inhale.
Exhale.
The playboy talked about his sister. He claimed that Karen took her. He admitted to having killed Karen.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Inhale.
Exhale.
The piercing sound of a gunshot made Lucy leave her hiding spot. She couldn't stay here any longer. The car was close enough. She could just jump in and drive away as if nothing happened. No one saw her. Not yet at least.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Inhale.
Exhale.
The headlights illuminated the scene in front of Lucy. Her bodyguard was lying on the ground. The playboy was hunched over the body, shivering and scared out of his mind. Or so it seemed.
Police sirens started going off in the distance. Somebody must have reported hearing gunshots. She had to search the dead man's body and take his gun. Police couldn't trace him back to her. A murder investigation is bound to spell all kinds of trouble. It doesn't matter if she would be considered a suspect or merely a witness.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Lucy got out of the car. Rushing, she almost forgot the umbrella. No, getting wet wouldn't be wise right now. God knows, they could decide to inspect her.
Not noticing the puddle, the blonde stepped right into it. Cold water filled the inside of her high heeled shoe. It wasn't a pleasant feeling. But then again, this whole night wasn't going swimmingly either.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Inhale.
Exhale.
The man next to the body seemed so pitiful. No longer did he resemble the confident playboy she had sat down next to. Now, he looked fragile and tired. Lucy shifted the umbrella to cover him rather than herself.
His sister was probably lost to the world, now simply a victim of human trafficking ring Karen was involved with.
Poor guy.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Inhale.
Exhale.
"Would you like to come with me?"
Admittedly, this wasn't the smartest decision on Lucy's part. This man's life was truly none of her business. Lucy hated anything related to the crime world, including herself and taking in a murderer under her wing was on a whole another level. Yet, she couldn't help but feel sorry for him.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Inhale.
Exhale.
AN: For me, this is an incredibly fast update. Honestly, I highly doubt that this will happen again. It's just that I imagined this scene so vividly and I wanted to play with the rhythm of the text. Anyway, hope you liked it! Positive and negative feedback is welcome.