Switchblade

Chapter 70: Shopping

Tati stared around the store once they entered.

"Oh my god..."
Killian just watched her take it all in.
"Walk around. If you can't find what you're looking for, we'll go somewhere else."
Tati could've squealed, she was so excited, but she kept her composure and rushed to see what the store had to offer. Killian chuckled.

His phone began to ring in his pocket.
His smile faded as he grabbed it.

He could read from the contact name that it was his uncle.
"Hello?" he answered.
"What have you done?"
Killian furrowed his brows in thought. What HAD he done?
"Elaborate." he instructed and brought his eyes back to Tati.
"Segal knows you exist."
"Who told you that?"
"Stone."
"Mm." Killian replied. He watched a sales associate ask Tati if she needed help with anything.
"Is that all you have to say? Of anybody that could find out that you're alive, you let it get to Segal?"
"I have a plan."
"Excuse me?"
"I have a plan. You'll see soon enough. It'll be fine."
"Kil..." Doc sighed.
Killian just listened.
He heard his uncle take a deep breath.

"Alright. You got a plan? Alright. Fine." Doc agreed. "You do what you want and you don't fuckin' disappoint me."
"Yea."
Doc hung up the phone. Killian put his back in his pocket.

He walked over to Tati.

She held three dresses in her arms as she tried to pick a favorite.
"Are you done?" he asked.
"Almost."
She kept looking through the three.

She finally landed on the black one. She thought it fit his and his employees' auras. Dark.

She put the other two dresses back. "Okay, let's go."
He followed behind her. Watching her hips as she walked to the counter.

Tati set the dress down and Killian stood behind her with a hand on her waist.
"You could've gotten the other two." he stated.
"No, I'd have no where to wear them to." she replied as the cashier rang up her item.
"Is that all for you?" the woman asked.

Tati was still looking around and admiring the rest of the store.
She looked in the glass casing under the counter.
"That's a really pretty bottle." she said at the perfume display option.
Killian looked. "That too." He told the cashier.
Tati watched the door slide open. "Wait, what?" She looked at Killian.
"What?" he asked.
"For me?"
"You liked the bottle."
"Yea, but...what if I don't like the scent?"
"Let her smell it." Killian instructed.
The sample bottle was taken out and sprayed on a small card. Then handed to Tati.

She took it, fanned it a bit, then sniffed.
"Oh my god, that smells so good." she moaned.
She turned to face Killian with his hand still on her waist. "Smell it."
She held it up to him and he sniffed it like she wanted.
"We'll get it." He told the cashier.
"Okay, let me ring that up for you."
Tati continued sniffing the little card.

"That brings your total to 3,850." she stated and reached for the dress to fold and place into a bag. But Tati's hand grabbed it first and snatched it away.
"What?!" she yelled.
The cashier was shocked.
Killian's hand reached in front of Tati and began sliding the dress back to the cashier.
"Did you hear what she said?!" Tati asked him.
Killian gently pulled her face to him. "Shut up." he said gently into her ear then kissed her cheek.
He slid his card into the machine while Tati just stood there quietly.

"Here you go." the cashier stated and handed Tati the bag. She took it and stared at the receipt.
Killian grabbed her wrist to lead them out.
"$700 FOR PERFUME?!" she exclaimed.
"Rich housewives don't care about price." He took the receipt out of her hand then shoved it into his pocket. "Get in the car." He held her door open and she climbed in.

"I just think that's outrageous in general. Even if I was rich. That perfume better have authentic angel tears and moon dust infused to be that much." she mumbled as Killian walked to his side of the car.

He got in so they could head back to the house.

"When is this plan being set into action?" Killian asked.
"August 8th." Tati replied.
He looked at her.
She didn't say anything.
"Are you-..."
"Nope." she interrupted. "Face the road."
He sighed and faced the road again.
"Whatever you think it is, keep that to yourself. I'm not telling you anything." she sassed.
"You're a pain in my ass."
"Good."

~•~

Killian got a call after finishing his late workout.

He looked at the contact as he began unwrapping his knuckles.

He hit accept.
"Yea?"
"You suicidal?" Kolson asked immediately.
Killian sighed. He already knew what this conversation would be about.
"You serious?" Kolson questioned.
"I got a plan."
"Do you? Sounds like you're plannin' to die."
Killian chuckled as if it was funny.
Kolson scoffed.
Killian stuffed his bandages into his bag then picked it up to leave the gym.

"You couldn't have come up with somethin' less lethal? Segal knows who you are, Kil."
"I know."
"Do you?!" Kolson yelled.
Killian made it to his car. "I'm still your boss."
"Motherfucker, I raised you, you save that bullshit for those other assholes!" Kolson snapped.
Killian started the car.

He heard Kolson take a deep breath to calm down. "Alright. Alright, fine. Fine. You got a plan, we'll go with your plan."
Killian sat there and listened.
"I got no other choice." Kolson sighed. "Are you at least gonna tell me the rest of the details?"
"Soon enough."
"Alright." Kolson wiped over his face. "We'll talk tomorrow since I guess you ain't comin' in today."
"Day's over with now." Killian finally drove out of the parking lot.
"Where were you?"
"I took the girl shopping."
"Tati?"
"Yea. She needed more clothes and she wanted a dress."
"Mm."
"She said you were the person she called."
"I was. You let her use your phone?"
"Yea. Knew she wasn't dumb enough to call for help and she's gotten too comfortable to do it anyway. I was curious so I let her."
"You hear what she told me?"
"No, I tuned her out."
"Mm."
"Know she made plans."
"Yea, you got somewhere to be August 8th for 8 o'clock." Kolson admitted.
"And that is?"
"Luigi's."
Killian's brows furrowed. "Luigi's?"
"That's your favorite isn't it?"
"You could say that. She tell you to pick them?"
"Told me to pick what I knew you liked."

Killian snickered.
"What?" Kolson wondered.
"If I asked her if she liked me she'd say no but she's planning something for my birthday."
"You try comin' to terms with fallin' for the motherfucker that kidnapped you from your house."
Killian rolled his eyes. "You both keep bringin' that up. She's not dead. I don't think it's that serious."
Kolson sighed.

Killian pulled up to his keycode and began to enter the pin to open his gates.

"Comin' in tomorrow?" Kolson asked.
"Yea, I'll tell you what I got planned while I'm there."
"Alright."
Killian hung up.

He drove up his driveway and parked.

Through the window of his door he could see her walking around the kitchen working on her dinner preparations.
Killian got out of the car and headed inside.

Tati flipped the steak in her pan.

The door opened and she looked.

She saw Killian in his compression shirt and sweatpants.
"Hi." she greeted.
"Hi." He smiled as he took his shoes off.
"Dinner's almost ready."
"Take your time. I need to take a shower."
She nodded.
"Miss me while I was gone?" he teased as he walked towards the stairs.
"No." she replied and looked back at her pan.
"I don't believe you." He walked up the staircase.