The air conditioning unit clicks on at the far end of the motel room, blowing cool air as a young woman ys in bed. She moans to herself and shifts slightly. A man, no older than the woman, sits in a chair in the corner where he can see the front door to the room, the girl sleeping on the bed while keeping his ear close enough to the window that sits above the air conditioner. His eyes dart to each of these things one by one as he takes the moment of noise from the AC to take a deep breath for himself. Knowing that Ashley is a light sleeper, he doesn’t dare make a move more than this for worry of waking her. She needs her rest, Dorian tells himself.

  The curtains are drawn around the window enough that no light can seep in though the suggestion of light from the street mps frames the curtains. Beyond this the whole room is dark enough that Dorian can only make out basic shapes and forces a thought into his mind to keep himself from falling asleep. The weight of bags forming under his eyes makes him wish for a cup of coffee or an energy drink, but even rising out of his chair, the slight creek from the wooden frame could wake Ashely. Dorian decides he can wait a little longer, thinking maybe the chill from the AC will keep him from falling asleep as he pulls up the sleeves of his sweater. Though even this movement causes Ashley to stir again as she rolls her shoulders and makes a small noise in her sleep. Enough that it causes Dorian to pause and watch her movements, wonder if her eyes are going to open as he prepares to assure her that everything is fine. That she can go back to sleep if she wants.

  Instead, Dorian cmps a hand over Ashley’s mouth at the sound of a knock at the door. Ashley’s eyes wide awake as a surge of adrenaline would have forced her upright into a startled gasp if not for Dorian’s hand. With his free hand, Dorian presses an index finger to his lips and gestures Ashley to get off the bed. Ashley, hanging onto where Dorian kept his hand around her mouth, nods her head in silence as another knock causes her to jump and freeze. Dorian pulls an arm around the small of her back and pulls her off the bed and ys her down on the floor. Dorian’s hand never leaving Ashley’s lips, Ashley’s hand never leaving Dorian’s.

  They each stare into the other’s eyes, knowing the pn if this is really what they think it is as Dorian takes a position against the wall that separates the rest of the room from the bathroom. Ashley knows that no matter what, no matter who, if someone comes through that door she’s supposed to wait until Dorian shoots out the gss and she needs to jump out the window and run. She needs to run and keep running and never stop running no matter what. The very thought of their conversation makes Dorian acutely aware of his own pinky as that’s how they sealed their promise. As though a single digit on the hand were a legally binding document.

  Pulling up the hem of his sweater, Dorian produced the gun that had jammed itself into his lower abdomen for the better part of three hours now. His hands wrapping around the handle as he pulled the slide back to chamber a round. His other hand switching the safety off as he kept his back to the wall, gun pointed at the floor.

  The peep hole in the door might elucidate who would be knocking on the door at this time of night. Dorian rolls through the possibilities of who it could be. They paid cash at the front desk for their room for the night, there was no reason for the owner to come knocking. Maybe a pizza guy was lost and had the wrong room. Maybe it was the police department and someone got the wrong idea. Ashley was young but she wasn’t that young and neither was Dorian. Either way the st thing either of them needed was to unload a round into an officer’s chest. Especially in the middle of Phoenix Arizona.

  Another knock, the third one more aggressive than the st two implying that whomever was on the other side wasn’t willing to wait for a fourth. Maybe it was just some homeless person looking for a pce to stay or a hand out. Maybe it was just a false arm and Ashley could go back to sleep after whomever was on the other side of the door left them alone.

  That would have been nice. Unfortunately, that was before the cheap plywood door flew open with enough force to swing around and smack the wall. Depending on who it was, Dorian wasn’t going to be able to just shoot out the gss and let Ashley run; that would only make her an easy target if they had guns. He’d need to wait; she would need to wait.

  Sparing a gnce over to where Ashley was hiding, Dorian could at least steady his nerves knowing that Ashley knew better than to poke her head out. Had he not seen her y down on the floor, Dorian might have forgotten she was there to begin with. Returning his attention to the corner, he honed out his senses and listened to the footsteps approaching the room. Heavy foot falls on the carpet, no sense in muffling the sound as they’d already made their presence known. Only one person though, curious.

  At the sight of a gun barrel, Dorian stepped forward and pressed the barrel of his own gun up against the temple of a woman he recognized the moment he saw the silver hair. Even more as she gave him an indignant sidelong gnce with her amber brown eyes as she lowered her gun pistol.

  “Keeva…” Dorain began and surveyed Keeva’s clothes. Basic civilian t shirt with her cargo pants and a pair of massive bck boots. Other that that, no markings or insignia on her person.

  “Dorian…” Keeva responded as her attention was called away at the sound of pistol chambering a round as a woman stood in the doorway. Her hands cupping the pistol as she aimed it straight at Dorian’s head.

  “Drop it!” The woman in the doorway demanded. She had long bck hair down to her shoulders and a stern look to her eye and for some reason a full face of makeup. Ruby lips, cat eye liner, shes. Which meant she definitely wasn’t police though Dorian could have gathered that much by way of her high heels.

  “You drop yours and I’ll drop mine!” Dorian responded as he pressed his gun barrel further into what was no doubt this woman’s body guard.

  “How do I know you won’t shoot her when I put my gun down?” The woman with the bck hair asked, cocking her brow as she raised her head enough to look down the edge of her nose and her sights.

  “Because she’s the only thing keeping you from killing me that’s why, now I’ll drop my gun if you drop yours and promise me your dog here won’t bite when I take my gun out of their temple!” Dorian snapped as he dug the barrel even further into of the side of Keeva’s head.

  Watching her expression, Dorian took in the features of the woman’s face and felt something uncanny about them. Her nose, her lips, her cheeks, why did they seem so-

  “Mom…?” Ashley called out as she rose from where she hid.

  “Mom?” Dorian asked, his head whipping around to see Ashley rushing forward as he pulled himself away from Keeva and watched as Ashley ran past them.

  The woman setting her pistol down onto door side table as Ashley flew into the other woman’s arms with enough force to cause her to stumble back. Ashley burying her face into her mother’s chest as her mother’s arms snaked around Ashley’s form to cocoon her in an embrace.

  “Oh my god my sweet girl!” Ashley’s mother said, the edge to her voice vanishing like a whisper of smoke in the wind. Their bodies parting as Ashley’s mother cupped her daughter’s face and each examined the others. Dorian remarking to himself that there was a nearly uncanny resembnce between the two now that he had them side by side.

  The way the two looked at one another said words that neither had the vocabury to articute as they looked at one another. The other’s face contorting as tears began to well in their mirror’s eyes before they embraced again. Ashley’s mother peppering her daughter’s face and forehead with kisses as she threatened to smear her lipstick. Holding the other close enough that Dorian felt a weight lift from his chest as he became suddenly aware of his pistol still in his hand. A fact made all the more aware by way of Keeva still holding hers pointed at the ground. Albeit with her finger still wrapped inside the trigger guard.

  Holding his pistol out to the side, Dorian slowly lowered it onto the bed with his free hand raised up beside his head. Once the pistol was set down, Dorian took a step back and flicked his gaze to Keeva who returned the gesture. If only by way of holstering her pistol behind her back and crossing her arms over her chest as she eyed Dorian up and down. Dorian doing the same as he began to size up the woman before him. Broad as a brick wall and just as hard to match. Keeva stood a head taller than Dorian and her short white hair might’ve given the illusion of being twice as old had her face not betrayed a single wrinkle or even ugh line. Dorian wasn’t even sure if Keeva knew how to ugh now that he thought about it.

  “I’d say it’s a pleasure seeing you again Dorian but I’m more curious as to what you’re doing with my client’s daughter of all people.” Keeva asked, her accent still shining through marking her as an Englishwoman.

  “Long story.” Dorian replied.

  “I got time…” Keevan retorted.

  “No, you don’t we got what we came here for now let’s leave.” Ashley’s mother said as she pulled a hand at Ashley’s back to gesture her out. The group of them filing out of the front of the building as Keeva picked up her and Ashley’s mother’s gun. Dorian doing the same as he holstered it behind his back.

  Keeva, Ashley and her mother all gathering around the entrance to the motel room. Ashley never stepping further than her mother’s arms could reach while Dorian pushed past them. Reaching a hand up, he pulled the hood of his sweater up and began to walk away from the crowd without another word. Ashley’s mouth hung agape as she watched the back of Dorian’s sweater walk away before looking to her mother and clutching at her sleeve. Ashley’s mother looking back at her daughter before tracing her eyes back to the bck sweater figure walking away.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” Ashley’s mother called out.

  “To find another pce to sleep for the-” Dorian began as he looked out over the horizon and saw the sun begin to cast a hue of pink. “Going somewhere else.”

  At the sound of heels clicking against pavement, Dorian paused his walk as he rolled his eyes and felt a hand tug at the back of his sweater. A slender hand now resting against his shoulder.

  “I don’t think so.” Ashley’s mother began as her lips curled into a slight smile and her composure managed to st enough to keep the tears from running her mascara as her eyes shown with the light of the early dawn. Her hands sliding down Dorian’s arm as she wrapped her hands around Dorian’s bicep and pulled herself in close. “Why don’t you come with us for some breakfast at least and we can drop you off somewhere else after?”

  Party of Dorian demanded that he yank his arm from this woman’s grasp and walk away. Maybe even pull his pistol on her if he tried again. His better judgement reminded him that Keeva was still watching the two of them intently. Ashley standing not far off looking like an animal ready to sprint at the first gust of wind to push her. Ashley’s mother still clinging tight enough to Dorian’s arm to remind him of her presence.

  Running this offer though his mind, Dorian had to wonder what he could gain and what he could lose with a yes or a no. Was she the type to accept a no to begin with or would she be a woman of her word. At the end of the day, Dorian though to himself, this really was Ashley’s mother, the least he could do is make sure she got home safe the rest of the way before parting ways himself.

  “Fine.” Dorian said as he turned around with Ashley’s mother in tow as the two walked back to where Keeva and Ashley stood.

  “Keeva mentioned your name was Dorian, do you have a st name?” Ashley’s mother asked as the two walked towards the awaiting vehicle. Keeva opening the back door for them.

  “No.” Dorian said, catching Keeva’s gaze as Ashley’s mother slipped into the vehicle. His attention pulled away from Keeva’s gaze at the feel of Ashley’s hands around his. He knew it was Ashley’s hands by how rough and cold they felt. An expression sckened as she looked up at Dorian from under her brow, tugging him along as he slipped into the back seat of the car.

  Ashely sat between Dorian and her mother as it was now Ashley’s turn to wrap her arm around Dorian’s shoulder while Dorian kept his gaze fixed forward. Keeva sparing a gnce at him again as she stepped into the driver’s seat and clipped her seat belt.

  “You can call me Nicole and I think I owe you a debt of gratitude for keeping my daughter safe.” Nicole said as she rested a hand against Ashley’s thigh as Ashley looked back up at her. The two sharing in a wan smile as Nicole continued. “Are you two hungry, we could stop somewhere on the way to the airport if you’d like?”

  “You don’t need to talk to me like I’m a toddler.” Dorian growled only to feel Ashley’s nails dig into his arm as her eyes gred up at him.

  “He only drinks bck coffee in the morning.” Keeva called out from over her shoulder.

  “Seems you and Keeva have gotten to know each other.” Nicole said.

  “What’s the SAS doing working in Arizona?” Dorian asked and watched as Keeva pulled to a stoplight to peer over her shoulder at Dorian with a pause.

  “Long story.” Keeva parroted as she couldn’t help but scoff at the trammeled smirk pying on Dorian’s lips.

  “Keeva, let’s stop by a gas station before we hit the airport then to grab you and our guest a coffee.”

  “And an energy drink.” Ashley spoke up as her head perked.

  “Absolutely not.” Dorian and Nicole said in unison, the two looking at each other as Nicole let out a tamed huff of a giggle and a scoff.

  “You should get some rest sweet heart,” Nicole said as she ran her fingers along Ashley’s back before addressing Dorian next. “And you should consider coming with us. I’ll take no as an answer if you really mean it but I don’t think my conscience would let me get away with just buying you a coffee.”

  “What’s in it for me?” Dorian asked.

  “Dorian!” Ashley chided as she tugged on his sweater.

  “It’s alright honey.” Nicole responded as she squeezed her hand gently against Ashley’s thigh. “How about we see what you can do for me and I’ll tell you what’s in it for you?”

  Dorian’s eyes looked to the back of Keeva’s head as Keeva kept her focus on the road. Her body shifting slightly enough to let Dorian know she knew he was staring at her but opted to say nothing in response to Nicoles inquiry. Blinking and darting his gaze over towards Nicole he opened his mouth to speak before thinking better of it and closing again. Choosing his words carefully as he chewed them over.

  “Whatever you’re looking for I’m sure I can handle it and if you’re unsure then you can ask Keeva and vouch for me.” Dorian said as Keeva peered over at him just as soon as they stopped at a gas station.

  “Putting a lot of trust in me there aren’t you pup?” Keeva asked.

  “That’s a cute nickname~” Nicole said.

  “Pup?” Ashley asked.

  “Long story.” Dorian said as he smirked down at Ashley before stepping out of the vehicle and gestured Ashley to wait in the car. Dorian giving Keeva an upward nod of his head to Keeva in the front seat who gave a silent nod down in response and agreement as Dorian opened the door for Nicole.

  “I’ll at least vouch for Keeva to not lie to you on my behalf, so really it’s just what you need out of me instead.” Dorian said as he pulled a cup from the dispenser and poured himself a cup before doing the same with another. Clipping a lid on both of them as he walked towards the counter with a cup of coffee in either hand.

  “What if I need a cook?” Nicole asked.

  “I’m a long shot from a Michelin star chef but I know how to handle food.” Dorian said as he followed her through the gas station isles.

  “What about if I need a maid?” Nicole asked as she picked up a travel sized deodorant.

  To Nicole’s credit, when she saw Dorian take a deep enough breath to raise his shoulders, she scoffed at herself as she picked out another travel sized bottle of shampoo and conditioner. Turning to Dorian, she gestured him to follow as Dorian pced the coffees on the counter with Nicole doing the same with her own haul. As the cashier was checking them out, Nicole spoke up again.

  “You’re clearly able to hold your own in a fight and I could use someone with your kind of head on their shoulders.” Nicole began and paid before taking the bag as Dorian took the coffee. The two of them starting towards the door. “We can work out pay as we fly back but I can assure you that you’ll be living well enough that you won’t have to wear something like this anymore.” Nicole said as she tugged on the sweater Dorian was wearing as the two step towards the car.

  Watching Nicole, Dorian noticed how she pressed a finger to her lips as she pointed into the cabin. Peering through the windshield, Dorian saw the way Ashley was already fast asleep. Head leaning against the back of her chair as her mouth was slightly parted. Dorian couldn’t help but scoff as he saw this thinking that the details of their discussion could wait a moment longer. Nodding to Keeva, he handed her the coffee.

  “What’s the pay like?” Dorian asked.

  Keeva took a sip of her coffee as she raised her brows and took a moment to chew over a response herself. When she exhaled and looked back at Nicole and Ashley as Ashley began to rouse from her sleep and looked around before finding her mother’s face. Ashley’s tired body wrapping gently around her mother’s arm as Ashley rested her head on Nicole’s shoulder.

  “The pay is good; benefits are even better and most of all it may not be honest work but on paper its legal work.” Keeva said before taking another sip of her coffee.

  “You know you can just say the only difference is I have to pay taxes on it.” Dorian said.

  “Get in the car pup, you’re not getting any younger and maybe it’s time you were on the right side of a set of sights for once.” Keeva said.

  “Which side is that again?” Dorian asked as he circled around the passenger side and sat in the front seat beside Keeva.

  “So, I take it that’s a yes?” Nicole asked as she leaned forward into the front seat.

  “Tentative.” Dorian responded.