Thread: Caught Between [LeatrixSage x Mr Quixotic]

Exactly what we sign on for to ensure criminals like you remain free to roam the streets. The words kept ringing around her head like an endless echo. They were filled with the bitterness behind the accusation he had tossed at her feet, but she couldnt deny that she had earned it. What did it take for a man like Cole to make a deal with a devil, even a lesser one like herself? What was the cost he paid when he closed his eyes at night? It was his powerful since of right that made him a natural extension of the lawful and the just, and Val found herself wondering if shed stolen a piece of the mans soul. The thought was somehow appealing. She was a thief, after all, and what could have more value in this world than the very things that built the personas that kept our worlds rational and organized? What if I broke the lies you believe about this world, she wondered as she watched the inner conflict that raged somewhere behind his eyes. The question very nearly made it past her lips, but her wandering thoughts snapped back to more important things as the Marshal was taken aback by her revelation. It was interesting to watch him weigh his options, and then choose to keep his mouth shut about the potential dead man. He was standing on a slippery slope, and he was losing the battle before it had even really started. Foot-in-the-Door, Cole. You know how this works one small favor leads to another. First you kindly pour me a cup of coffee, then you give me more than you should in return for something you want a little too desperately, and now you knowingly, without me even asking for it, cover for me because it advances your own goals. You are now a willful conspirator to a crime, and a criminal, just like me. Val jumped when he slapped the desk, genuinely startled, and then sat back in her chair as he stood up. He thanked her for telling him she could slip the cuffs, and then dropped a dubious line about fantasying about seeing her in them and at his mercy. It was a curious concept that might have made her laugh under different circumstances. But, coming from him, it sounded strangely more like a threat than a promise of a good time and yet, it was the kind of threat that made her ache to poke the dangerous animal with a stick just to see what would happen next. However, as he came around the table and told her to stand, Val chose to let the tenuous peace between them go unchallenged. Sliding her arms behind her back, she stood patiently as he clicked the cold metal cuffs into place. She was almost certain he gave them an extra click to make them unnecessarily uncomfortable, but she didnt complain as he grabbed one of her arms to pull her around her chair and push her out of the room. As he manhandled her, he took his opportunity to remind her that, while she wasnt a killer, he most certainly was. Whether it was meant to be reassuring, or just a reminder that she needed him and should be thankful, Val wasnt entirely sure. Either way, she let the comment go unchallenged. Thankfully, collecting her possessions was a relatively smooth process. Relatively. Of course, the county wanted their awful, orange jumpsuit back before she left, and while Cole dealt with paperwork and every little piece of red tape they could throw at him, Val got some time to catch her breath. The Marshal had always been fun to cross paths with, but this was different. Not because of Cole, though. Because of Viktor. Valentina stood in the small bathroom they were allowing her to change in, forehead resting against the cold tiles of the wall, and held her breath to listen. Down the hall, she could hear what sounded like a progressively heated exchange between the Marshal and the desk Sergeant over the transfer of custody paperwork, but that wasnt what she was listening for. The guard with the cold eyes was the one posted outside the door to the restroom, and she was waiting for him to make his move. He was patient, or afraid to waste his chance, because by the time he finally slipped inside and locked the heavy metal door behind him, Val had developed a very impatient tick that made her drum her fingers against the side of her leg where she would have normally kept a stiletto for just such an occasion. This was his final chance, though. He would come quickly. He yanked the door to the stall open and, emboldened by finding a naked woman with her back turned toward him, he rushed into the smaller space where his greater mass and strength counted for nothing. The thrust of the knife came quicker than she expected, and as Val slid sideways, the blade nicked her side. The pain was a shock, but it was barely more than a paper cut. Vals smaller frame allowed her mobility, and she slipped into the corner beside the toilet where the tiled wall and the side of the stall met to face her would-be attacker. His cheap pocket knife snapped from being jammed into the tiled wall and he drew back, the bulky toilet and confining space making him awkward as he tried again. His heart wasnt in it, and his weapon wasnt effective. He wasnt there to silence her, he was just a messenger. He had come to take her back. Idiot. As his arm flung forward and Val slid sideways along the wall of the stall, toward her attacker, the broken blade passed harmlessly by. As it did, she snatched his wrist with her right hand to hold it extended and turned into him, her back landing against his chest, to bring her left elbow down over his own. There was a solid, thick crack and a fleshy tearing. To his credit, the guard mealy grunted as he dropped the knife. He began to back up, and Val went with him until he backed himself out of the stall and up against the tiled wall opposite the line of stalls. As soon as they came to a stop, Val turned back around, pushing his broken arm down by his side while her left arm slid up under his chin to push his head up and apply pressure across his adams apple. How much did he pay you? Val asked as quietly and calmly as she could. Cold, empty eyes were her only answer, and Val twisted the broken arm out of frustration. The Guard ground his teeth, but the last of his fight was fading fast. Not enough to be worth this, maybe? Good, because I am not going back to him. It was risky, but Val released the mans arm and backed away from him, back into the safely of the narrow stall. The guard watched her, weary and bewildered, and Val sighed. He was done. I cant kill you, she explained as she grabbed her pencil skirt out of the box containing her clothes and stepped into it. She did a little hop to pull it up to her waist, the fabric stretching around her curves in a way that was comfortable and empowering. The right outfit was as good as armor to a woman, after all. I need you to cuff me and lead me out of her back to Marshal. Hes not going to give up, he finally spoke, and Val paused to give him a smile. Oh, I know. He grunted at her as she folded up a piece of toilet paper and pressed it to her side, using the waistband of the skirt to hold it in place. That would keep the blood from showing for a while at least. He waited quietly while she slipped into her bra, and then her blouse and heels. He eve kept his eyes downcast for the most of it, and Val found herself feeling sorry for what she had done to him. He was likely in as difficult a situation as she was. With a deep sigh, she picked up the hand cuffs and slid one around her left wrist. Dr. Connor, at the local ER, she spoke as she put her arms behind her back and waited. She let him weigh his choices, fully aware of the risks she was taking and then he stepped forward and clicked the other cuff closed with his undamaged left hand. Tell him I scent you, and hell take care of the arm. Do you have any family? He hesitated, and then as she turned around, he nodded. Tell him, she urged quietly, knowing full well that most people stuck in the trap he was standing in never listened. He can get them somewhere safe, but you might not be able to go with them. No comment seemed forth coming, and before she could say anything else, he walked back to the door and unlocked it before holding it open for her. He followed her down the hall, keeping his right arm still at his side, and guiding her with his left hand gently pushing at the small of her back. Hed dug himself a hole that he couldnt climb out of. That wasnt her fault. She shouldnt feel guilty. But, she did. She was chewing on that guilt while Cole went back to excreting his dominance by pushing and pulling her by her arms. Once she was stuffed unceremoniously into the back of his car, she was able to breathe again. At least for a little while, she could rest. Hey, she called up to the front seat once they were on their way. Have you eaten yet? I havent had anything since lunch. What do you say to little Taco Bell date-night? Thats cheap enough for a first date, right? Id offer to go dutch, but I dont have my pocket book. That seemed to rankle his feathers, and Val smiled at him from the rearview mirror.