For how tired they thought they were, Luke and Delaney stayed awake much later than expected. The conversation began with talk about getting their first legal drink together, then they ventured onto all the other things they wanted to do together.
Some for the first time, like getting a dog. Neither of them had ever owned one for themselves. Others just things that they decided would be so much better together, like ice-skating and thrift shopping, just the two of them spending time together. Doing something they love.
By the end of the conversation, she could swear she was sober, even though she wasn't.
"Are you surprised by Calum and Quinn?" She asked him as her eyes began to involuntarily fall shut.
"Kinda. I know Calum as the guy to make out with his girl friends from time to time. Never knew Quinn to be like that, though."
"Yeah, but do you think anything more will happen? Or do you think that it was just a one-time thing?"
He paused his hand in the middle of combing through her hair. "Maybe. I don't know, but I guess we'll find out soon enough."
"I think they might be cute. If they do decide that's what they wanna do."
"I might think so too," Luke agreed, nodding his head against her.
"Might?"
"Yeah. I don't know. Calum is important to me, and I don't like the idea of any of them going out with someone we aren't sure of. I know Quinn, at least." He shrugged.
"It's sweet that you care about who he goes out with," she said, the faintest smirk on her face.
She didn't say anything, because she knew it wasn't his favourite trait, but she admired his heart so much. He cared so deeply about everything, even if he'd never admit it.
She drifted off with his arm holding her comfortably to his chest, the steady sound of his heartbeat sending her right to a peaceful sleep. He followed not long after, but his sleep was quickly interrupted.
The room was entirely dark when he woke up.
Right away, he felt the presence of someone other than Delaney in the room with them. Someone watched them as they laid together, and Luke hugged her tighter against his body, pulling the sheets over her chin.
He squinted hard, peering into the darkness in search of anyone else.
Just as he convinced himself he was being paranoid, he flicked on the lights.
Not Luke. Luke didn't lift a single finger from Delaney in his suspicious state. The watching man flicked on the lights, revealing himself to Luke. Him and the fucking neon bandana tied around his face.
He wanted to yell. He wanted to shout and scream and maybe even hit something. He was pissed off by the man who they had come onto the boat to avoid.
This was supposed to be a way to keep her safe. But here he was, the only thing between Delaney and the person who had been threatening her life.
"Please don't touch her," he begged before processing any of it, his was voice quiet as to not wake her. The man scoffed.
He stood tall over the laying couple, taking short steps along Luke's side of the bed. His short gun swung with his arms as he walked. The sight of the weapon didn't faze Luke in the slightest, he would've known it was there without seeing it. But he did.
"Even though you were promised we would, I'm not here right now to hurt her." He shook his head. Luke didn't believe it for a second. "I came here so you and I could have a little chat. What do ya say?" He asked, ever so casually. Like he found Luke to speak of a Sunday brunch, perhaps.
"You're not gonna hurt her?"
"Not tonight if you behave yourself." He brought the barrel of the gun down to his palm as he watched Luke think about his options. Which they both knew were very limited.
"And there's no one else here that's come in here and touch her?"
"I've got one guy out there on lookout. He's not gonna move from his post."
Luke let out a heavy sigh, knowing there was nothing else to do. The man in front of him was the same one threatening the delicate girl in his arms, and he'd do anything to extinguish that threat and keep her safe. "Fine."
He hooked onto the edge of the mattress, trying to slip out from underneath her without causing her to wake. She was a heavy sleeper, but god he'd feel awful if she woke up to this.
"She's not gonna wake up. She'll be out for a few hours more." He held up a thin syringe.
Luke's heart dropped at the sight. He never knew such a small object, no longer than one of his fingers, could terrify him so much.
The man tossed it onto the bed, and the casualty of his actions made Luke shiver as he got up, averting his eyes as her hand limply bounced onto the bed.
Was she always that limp when she slept?
As the man reached the door, Luke clenched his jaw with every small movement he made, looking back to her with each step. He closed the door behind himself, not thinking anything more than it was one more layer of protection between Delaney and anyone else.
Knowing the door wouldn't stop anyone, the stranger laughed.
"It seems like you really care about that girl, huh kid?" He said, leading Luke up to the bar. Luke wondered only for a second how the hell he knew where he was going. He stayed silent. Any answer felt like a trap. "Relax, would ya? I told you, I don't want to hurt her."
"Yeah, and I have all the reason in the world to believe you."
"Come on, Hemmings. You know me."
"Yeah, I know you if all you do is terrorize people and ruin my goddamn life."
"Well." He shrugged, reaching over the bar and grabbing a half-empty bottle of vodka. "This time, I'm here to help you."
"How so?" Luke asked, watching him spin off the cap and take a sharp swallow of the alcohol.
"Not so much help," the neon man retracted. "A deal, I should say. You get something. We get something." His casual tone implied something simple, like an exchange of goods. Luke knew better than that. It was something much more dire for him.
"What do you want?"
"One month from you."
He narrowed his eyes at the man as he tucked the bottle onto the other side of the bar. "One month... of what exactly?"
"You. Just doing what we need you to do."
"Like...an intern?" In any other circumstance, this would've been a harmless joke on his end, but he just wanted to push the limits and piss this guy off just enough.
"No," the man responded, unfazed by Luke. He even held the shadow of a smirk as he responded. "But you can think of it that way if it helps."
"How will you be thinking of it then?"
"I see it as you repaying a debt, and protecting that girl who you love."
Luke shook his head at the arrogance of the man. Who was he to declare Luke's feelings in such a way, after seeing them once together while they were sleeping?
"A debt that's not mine, and an empty promise?"
"Maybe it is an empty promise." He shrugged. "But I can tell you that she won't survive another week if you say no. Doesn't matter what sort of escape plan you come up with. We'll find that little girl of yours."
"Don't call her that." Of all the things the man said, that was the only point Luke could bring himself to comment on. The rest was too difficult to begin to respond to. Or even think about.
"That's your issue with that? I tell you I'm gonna kill your little girlfriend and you have a problem with what I call her?"
"I do, actually. Makes me feel weird." He kept his eyes glued to his face, knowing that he couldn't win in this situation, but he could at least withhold his sense of pride.
"Alright, well, whatever I call her. You have a choice to make, and not much time to make it." He tapped his palms against the surface of the bar, standing up to look level at Luke, who never sat down in the first place.
"When do I have to get back to you?" He liked to tell himself that he wouldn't do it, that he'd never in a million years do anything to help these people. But, Delaney was on the line.
He pulled a pen and a small pad of paper from his jacket pocket, scribbling something with his arm guarding the ink. "Tomorrow, you'll dock the boat and meet us at this location. If you're there, we'll have something to do. If not, I'd give Delaney about 12 hours max before we find her, tell her you had the chance to save her, and then kill her."
He swallowed hard, clenching his jaw and restraining any expression from his face. The man couldn't know how much it killed him to hear his words, even though that was his intention.
With a slam, he grabbed the small piece of paper. "Is that all?"
"Yeah," he breathed out, scanning Luke under the dim night sky. "That's all."
Luke stared at him until he called out to 'Bishop', who Luke assumed was the lookout man he had mentioned earlier.
Refusing to let them out of his sight, Luke watched with his arms crossed as the neon man and Bishop climbed onto the much smaller motorboat attached to their own.
The neon man waved at Luke from the water. Luke couldn't touch him, he couldn't do anything to take his anger out on the evil man. But, he spat forcefully into the same water he was in. So, close enough.
He waited until the boat turned into a tiny speck in the distance, and ran back down to the bedroom. It was dark, and he was close to slamming into corners and walls on his way to Delaney, but he made it.
The lights were still on from when he left, the empty syringe still laid on the floor, and Delaney's arm laid on top of the bedding while the rest of her body was buried.
It stuck out in an odd way that made his skin crawl as he knelt above her, grabbing her wrist and trying his best to ignore how cold her skin seemed. She always felt that way, she's just a cold person. Right?
Her pulse was evident beneath the surface, causing a sharp sigh of relief.
He bent down to place a soft kiss on her forehead before turning right back out the door.
The man had promised there was no one else on the boat but like hell, Luke would believe there was no sort of threat left behind without checking it for himself. He spent an hour searching the boat from top to bottom. Finding nothing out of place in his search.
Ashton popped out of his room at one point to ask what the hell Luke was doing, and he panicked in his excuse and said he had lost one of his rings and needed to find it. Ashton was too tired to question him.
He was conflicted in choosing speed over an exhaustive search, but there was no point in getting back to Delaney quick if something would harm them both once he got there.
So, he spent his time looking through any cabinets, underneath cushions, behind curtains, and anywhere he could think the man might've hidden something. But, the thing about a business like his, if the goal is to hide something, it's never hidden with half-effort.
He was somewhat confident they were safe, but he could never be one hundred percent sure without tearing the boat apart.
After checking that it was nearly four in the morning he decided to shove it to the back of his mind and go back to Delaney.
He laid down, cradling her body with his own and just continuously telling himself that she'd wake up soon. It was just a sedative and she was safe.
For as long as he could feel her heartbeat and hear her breathing, he could tell himself this was true.
what do you know! i'm alive! just finished the next chapter after a long while of writer's block and realized i had this one already done, so yay! there'll be a ... fun? chapter pretty soon :) sorry about the wait!