"Do you normally make-out with the people you're hired to kill? It doesn't strike me as very professional."
"Put the gun down," Gabriel panted, not answering her.
"Why on earth would I do that?"
"Because you're not going to shoot me," Gabriel rep...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Ash could tell he was pissed. No, not pissed. Furious.
Good, she thought, so was she. If he could use Kyle as a hostage, she could certainly use his parents.
She looked at the clock. Almost 12:30. It was too cold to sleep in the car, and most hotels didn't have check-in this early. She needed to rest. She drove around for a while until she spotted a college. Parking nearby, she piggybacked off a group of co-eds walking into one of the buildings. She found a lounge, plopped down on the couch, set her alarm for 5:00, and closed her eyes. Four hours of sleep wasn't enough, but it could at least help her think more clearly.
She woke to someone prodding her. "Can I see your school id?" a security guard asked.
Ash pretended to search her pockets. "Oh, shoot. I think it must be back in my dorm room," she lied. "I should go there anyway. I'm clearly not getting any studying done here."
The security guard looked at her suspiciously, but just let her go. Ash rushed out into the cold air again. 4:00. She groaned. That wasn't enough sleep. Ash hopped in the car and drove to a coffee shop, where she picked up another massive dose of caffeine. At this point, it was basically the only thing allowing her to function.
She looked down and realized she was still wearing the baggy sweatshirt and sweatpants that she had picked up at the Raleigh-Durham airport. It was comfortable, but it didn't seem like an appropriate outfit for meeting up with Gabriel and his parents. She drove around until she found a bunch of clothing stores.
"Can I help you find something?" a saleswoman asked immediately as she stepped inside.
"Umm...I hope so," Ash replied.
"What are you looking for?"
"I'm looking for an outfit that says I know we slept together once but that is never going to happen again even though you definitely want it to," Ash blurted out.
The saleswoman laughed. "I have some ideas."
"Wait, really?"
"Really. Try this."
The woman picked out a dark tan skirt, black v-neck tank top, and long black cardigan. "Wear it with some tights, these boots, and a long dangly necklace. It shows off your curves, compliments your skin, eyes and hair...you'll look great. And very classy."
Ash thought of Gabriel grabbing onto her necklace, pulling it tight against her neck to cut off her circulation while she flailed against him trying to breathe. No necklace. But other than that, those seemed like good suggestions.
"Thank you so much," Ash replied, grateful. "Sorry, one more question. Is there someone who does hair around here last minute?"
After calling around to a few salons, they managed to find one that could sneak her in. At 5:00, despite being exhausted to the point of practically passing out, Ashlyn looked nicer than she had in weeks. She filled up her gas tank and drove to the Martinez's house. Then she looked at the clock – 5:30. Gabriel wouldn't be here for another half hour at least, but that was part of the plan. She had to get in early to scope things out.
