Post by Maverick Coleman on Mar 8, 2022 14:49:06 GMT -5
Sophie hadn’t expected any trouble tonight. She had met with a few clients and snuck in a drink before showing up to her final drop. When she showed up everything seemed normal. He’d arrived before her and she approached leisurely, intentionally adding a sway to her hips as she walked.
“Have you got them?” the client asked, seeming a bit tense.
“Right here,” she drawled, drawing the small plastic baggie from her purse. He held out his hand and she frowned. “Now that’s just rude,” she said, stepping in close and letting her hand trace over his arm. “Do you not like me or something?” she asked in a low tone.
Instead of loosening up as she’d expected him to he shoved her away and drew a gun from out of nowhere. She lifted her hands in the air, trying to show that she wasn’t looking for any trouble.
“Shit,” she heard muttered from somewhere behind her, then she heard footsteps and Jason, her usual contact within the gang, calling “Valerie, don’t-“ Whatever he had been about to say was cut off by a gunshot and suddenly she felt pain tearing through her shoulder. She stumbled a couple of steps back, then drew her own gun from her purse with her free hand.
“Jason, what the hell is your girl doing?” another voice called. Sophie glanced back to see who the newcomer was then there was an impact against her head and the world went black.
When Sophie regained consciousness, she was in some sort of sloppy excuse for a hospital with a tattooed man attending to her wound. “What happened?” she asked, pressing her unharmed hand to her temples. Her head hurt like hell and so did her shoulder. The man just shrugged and continued his work. She winced as he shifted something and pain shot through her shoulder.
“Sorry, I’ve got to get the bullet out.” he said in a gruff voice.
Sophie nodded, but winced again. “There are painkillers in my purse, can I take some?” she asked.
The man glanced over at her purse, which was in a pile with her jacket in the corner. “Peyton!” he called. A moment later another guy showed up to the room. “Grab the painkillers in her purse and get her some water to take them with.”
She vaguely recognised the new guy, but she couldn’t quite identify from where. At least, not until she noticed the scrape on his elbow. He was the one who had shown up during the fight. “It’s in the blue container,” she said as he began rooting through her bag.
A moment later, he brought over the painkillers and a bottle of water and she took them quickly then handed the water bottle back to him. “It’s Valerie, right?” he asked as he screwed the top back onto the water bottle and placed it on a small table next to her. She nodded, trying her best not to focus on the pain coursing through her. It would only take a minute to go away anyway. “I should apologise, this is kind of my fault. Your client was one of my marks, but it was too late to warn you. That being said, you shouldn’t have been so… touchy.”
Sophie regarded him carefully. “I don’t know how things work around here, but if this had happened with anyone I’ve worked with in the past they’d be in a hell of a lot of trouble.” she replied tersely.
“I know. I was hoping…” he shook his head. “I was hoping you could keep quiet about this. I messed up but it was really just a mistake.”
The man attending her wound finally got the bullet out and stepped away to grab the supplies to stitch the wound. “Can we talk about this later?” she asked. She was sure she could twist this situation to her advantage, but between the blood loss and the painkillers she wasn’t sure she’d be able to think things out thoroughly.
Peyton nodded. A few minutes later the man was done stitching up her wound and bandaging it. Peyton led her out of the clinic, grabbing her purse and jacket on the way. “I can’t go home like this,” she muttered as she was led out of the makeshift clinic. She didn’t remember why, she just knew she couldn’t show up there now.
The man pressed his lips together, clearly annoyed, but said “Don't worry about it, Val. As long as you’re one of us you’ve always got a place to stay.” She frowned. He was right, of course, but staying with someone from the gang could be dangerous. She wasn’t supposed to be too closely associated with them. He didn’t say anything else. He led her to his car and a few moments later she was passed out cold.
Maverick was on his way upstairs to grab something to eat when he heard a knock on the door. He froze as his mother opened it, listening to the visitor from the top of the stairs. “Hey, Aunt Beth. I know it’s kinda last minute but do you mind if I stay with y’all for a couple of days?”
It wasn’t hard for Mav to recognise his cousin, Peyton’s, voice. He cringed, not wanting to deal with whatever trouble he’d gotten himself into this time. “Of course. Is everything alright?” he heard his mom’s gentle voice respond. She knew Peyton got into some trouble, but she didn’t know the full extent of it. It’s not like Mav would ever blab about it.
Mav retreated back downstairs, hoping to go unnoticed. Unfortunately a few minutes later there was a knock on his door. “M?” his cousin called. Mav groaned, but walked over to answer the door.
“What do you want?” he asked wearily.
“I wouldn’t ask for your help if there was anywhere else to go or if-“ Peyton began, but sensing a long, tedious excuse Mav held up a hand and shook his head.
“Just get to what you want from me, you know I’ll do it that’s why you’re here.” he said coldly.
Peyton nodded slowly. “There’s a girl in my car. She’s injured and she needs a place to stay, at least for the night. I was hoping-“
“Yeah, she can stay here. As long as my parents don’t notice.” Mav interrupted, sensing where this was going. He didn’t ask anymore questions, he simply helped distract his parents while Peyton snuck the girl downstairs, then grabbed a few things from his room and went to Mallory’s. He’d just have to bunk with her for the time being.
After Mallory’s shift at the shelter was over, she found Dani. “Hey,” she began, “Would you like to come visit Mav again? He’s been kind of out of it lately.”
“Have you got them?” the client asked, seeming a bit tense.
“Right here,” she drawled, drawing the small plastic baggie from her purse. He held out his hand and she frowned. “Now that’s just rude,” she said, stepping in close and letting her hand trace over his arm. “Do you not like me or something?” she asked in a low tone.
Instead of loosening up as she’d expected him to he shoved her away and drew a gun from out of nowhere. She lifted her hands in the air, trying to show that she wasn’t looking for any trouble.
“Shit,” she heard muttered from somewhere behind her, then she heard footsteps and Jason, her usual contact within the gang, calling “Valerie, don’t-“ Whatever he had been about to say was cut off by a gunshot and suddenly she felt pain tearing through her shoulder. She stumbled a couple of steps back, then drew her own gun from her purse with her free hand.
“Jason, what the hell is your girl doing?” another voice called. Sophie glanced back to see who the newcomer was then there was an impact against her head and the world went black.
~~~
When Sophie regained consciousness, she was in some sort of sloppy excuse for a hospital with a tattooed man attending to her wound. “What happened?” she asked, pressing her unharmed hand to her temples. Her head hurt like hell and so did her shoulder. The man just shrugged and continued his work. She winced as he shifted something and pain shot through her shoulder.
“Sorry, I’ve got to get the bullet out.” he said in a gruff voice.
Sophie nodded, but winced again. “There are painkillers in my purse, can I take some?” she asked.
The man glanced over at her purse, which was in a pile with her jacket in the corner. “Peyton!” he called. A moment later another guy showed up to the room. “Grab the painkillers in her purse and get her some water to take them with.”
She vaguely recognised the new guy, but she couldn’t quite identify from where. At least, not until she noticed the scrape on his elbow. He was the one who had shown up during the fight. “It’s in the blue container,” she said as he began rooting through her bag.
A moment later, he brought over the painkillers and a bottle of water and she took them quickly then handed the water bottle back to him. “It’s Valerie, right?” he asked as he screwed the top back onto the water bottle and placed it on a small table next to her. She nodded, trying her best not to focus on the pain coursing through her. It would only take a minute to go away anyway. “I should apologise, this is kind of my fault. Your client was one of my marks, but it was too late to warn you. That being said, you shouldn’t have been so… touchy.”
Sophie regarded him carefully. “I don’t know how things work around here, but if this had happened with anyone I’ve worked with in the past they’d be in a hell of a lot of trouble.” she replied tersely.
“I know. I was hoping…” he shook his head. “I was hoping you could keep quiet about this. I messed up but it was really just a mistake.”
The man attending her wound finally got the bullet out and stepped away to grab the supplies to stitch the wound. “Can we talk about this later?” she asked. She was sure she could twist this situation to her advantage, but between the blood loss and the painkillers she wasn’t sure she’d be able to think things out thoroughly.
Peyton nodded. A few minutes later the man was done stitching up her wound and bandaging it. Peyton led her out of the clinic, grabbing her purse and jacket on the way. “I can’t go home like this,” she muttered as she was led out of the makeshift clinic. She didn’t remember why, she just knew she couldn’t show up there now.
The man pressed his lips together, clearly annoyed, but said “Don't worry about it, Val. As long as you’re one of us you’ve always got a place to stay.” She frowned. He was right, of course, but staying with someone from the gang could be dangerous. She wasn’t supposed to be too closely associated with them. He didn’t say anything else. He led her to his car and a few moments later she was passed out cold.
~~~
Maverick was on his way upstairs to grab something to eat when he heard a knock on the door. He froze as his mother opened it, listening to the visitor from the top of the stairs. “Hey, Aunt Beth. I know it’s kinda last minute but do you mind if I stay with y’all for a couple of days?”
It wasn’t hard for Mav to recognise his cousin, Peyton’s, voice. He cringed, not wanting to deal with whatever trouble he’d gotten himself into this time. “Of course. Is everything alright?” he heard his mom’s gentle voice respond. She knew Peyton got into some trouble, but she didn’t know the full extent of it. It’s not like Mav would ever blab about it.
Mav retreated back downstairs, hoping to go unnoticed. Unfortunately a few minutes later there was a knock on his door. “M?” his cousin called. Mav groaned, but walked over to answer the door.
“What do you want?” he asked wearily.
“I wouldn’t ask for your help if there was anywhere else to go or if-“ Peyton began, but sensing a long, tedious excuse Mav held up a hand and shook his head.
“Just get to what you want from me, you know I’ll do it that’s why you’re here.” he said coldly.
Peyton nodded slowly. “There’s a girl in my car. She’s injured and she needs a place to stay, at least for the night. I was hoping-“
“Yeah, she can stay here. As long as my parents don’t notice.” Mav interrupted, sensing where this was going. He didn’t ask anymore questions, he simply helped distract his parents while Peyton snuck the girl downstairs, then grabbed a few things from his room and went to Mallory’s. He’d just have to bunk with her for the time being.
~~~
After Mallory’s shift at the shelter was over, she found Dani. “Hey,” she began, “Would you like to come visit Mav again? He’s been kind of out of it lately.”
