Chapter 11 (Meet Regina Bradford)

"That's it." Exclaims Chloe

Another half hour had passed, and Chloe is getting restless staying in the car.

"My butt is going numb here sitting in this car. I need to get out and stretch my legs a little."

"You really are not a patient person are you?" Callen tells her.

"Whatever. Can you please just let me out of here?"

"I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"It's my job."

"And?"

"And Hetty asked me to look after you."

"Correction. Hetty asked you to show me around, so show me around." She counters.

Callen looks to his partner for help who only just shrugged and said, "Sorry man, you're on your with this one."

Callen gave him a shocked look, "So much for having my back," he says light heartedly. "Fine Chloe, let's go for a walk."

Callen opens the door and pulls back the passenger side seat forward for her to get out. He offers her his hand. She looks at him questioningly.

"Thanks, but I think I can manage to get out of a car on my own. I'm not a child," she says getting out of the car one foot at a time.

No. She definitely is not a child. She is a grown, beautiful woman. Why does he keep thinking about that?

Callen starts to walk them down the sidewalk, away from the car where they left Sam.

"How do you like living in LA?" Chloe asks.

Callen is a little taken aback by her initiation of small talk, but he goes along with it anyway.

"It's nice."

"Nice? Really that's all you have to say about LA? You have to give me more than just 'nice'." She even says the word making air quotes with her fingers. Callen finds it kind of cute.

"Noo. I don't. Why do you ask anyway?"

"Well I've been thinking of moving here. Possibly. I mean I love New York, and I am definitely a city girl, I'm just not sure how I feel about California. I've never really thought of myself as the sun in your face kind of girl."

"Didn't you live in Australia?" Callen asks, a little bit skeptical.

Chloe sends him a look. "Yeah, but it's not the same thing. There are people here that I miss, but I'm not too sure if I'm ready to pack up my life in New York City, and start over again. Believe it or not, being an artist is hard."

Suddenly Callen understands why she wants to know. She wants to be closer to her mother, but she's not ready to leave the big apple and start over with her career. He'd be lying if he said that he didn't want her to stay. He'd like for her to stay in LA, even if they wouldn't be anything more than just friends. He wants to reassure her, but he knows there is a limit to how comforting you can be to someone before it reaches past the friend zone.

Instead he says, "I didn't know you were an artist."

"Yup. I am and I love it."

She gives him a big smile and he thinks, 'oh screw it.'

He sighs. "I don't usually stay in the same place for too long, but," He pauses thinking of the best way to continue. "You know, for what it's worth? If you're looking for a fresh start, being with someone you love, whoever that may be, might be the best place to start." Her pace slows down and she looks up at him with those big eyes of hers. "And LA's night life isn't too bad."

Her tongue slits out to lick her lips. "Maybe you could hit the hot spots with me?" She says. He can see the glint in her eyes and doesn't miss the slightly seductive tone in her voice. For the slightest second Chloe's eyes dart down to his lips and he considers, for just a moment, how easy it would be to swoop down and capture her lips with his. Luckily for him Chloe makes the decision easy for him.

Next thing he knows he's being dragged through a door and into a store. As he takes a look around him, he can see that it's the store that Regina Bradford works in. He was so focused on the conversation that he was having with Chloe and making her feel better that he didn't even realize she had them walk around the block and right outside the store.

"Chloe," Callen says warningly, "It's not safe for you to be in here."

"It's a store. Have you never been?" She says teasing with sarcasm

"I had to get the clothes I'm wearing somehow."

"Right. I can't exactly picture you at a mall or buying things in general for that matter. You said you don't stick around in the same place for too long so, you seem more like the bare necessities type of guy, than a 'Hey, I feel like going out shopping today,'" she says trying to make her voice sound deeper in order to imitate a guy, "kind of guy."

"Is that what you think guys that do like to shop do?"

Chloe pauses for a second before answering. "Well, probably not those exact words, but, I meant that, you're missing the big picture here. My point is, that you just don't seem like the type of guy that likes to shop unless they absolutely have to."

"Well then in that case, you would be right. I've just never seen the point in shopping for things you don't need, or already have."

Chloe sees a scarf hanging that she likes and wraps it around her neck. "What do you think?" He raises his eyebrow slightly when she turns around for him, modeling it, and he can't help but think she'd look good in anything.

"It's a very nice scarf, Chloe."

Chloe unwraps the scarf and places it back on the hook just as a lady with shoulder length red hair and a friendly smile walks up to them. "That is such a lovely color on you. Are you guys finding everything okay?"

Chloe turns around to find none other than Regina Bradford. The girlfriend of the guy trying to kill her. 'How delightful,' she thinks.

"Yes. Thank you."

"Good. Let me know if you need anything." The lady says.

Just as Regina is turning around Chloe calls her back. "Um actually, I heard about this place from a girlfriend of mine," Callen sends her a warning look laced with some confusion. She ignores him and continues, "And she said that this is the best place to find girlfriends of hired killers."

A look of surprise flashes through Regina's face before she is running through the side door of the store.