Captive By Captivation - VegasPete

Chapter 1 - Encounter

A few hours previously

The heavy pattering of rain mellowed as Vegas closed the door behind him when he entered the lowly-lit bar.

He surveyed the room, making note of any exists and possible witnesses (which thankfully were lacking due to the emptiness of the place).

His attention quickly turned to the man slouched over the bar who seemed somewhat out-of-place.

The man was notably attractive, he was quite tall yet slim and had subtle dimples that would become more prominent when he smiled, or at least that's what Vegas assumed. He looked just like the picture he had been given. Vegas had confirmed, this was the target.

Taking the seat beside him, Vegas smiled as the man tuned to face him. As their pupils met, Vegas felt a shiver crawl down his spine. His eyes were an entrancing deep brown that made Vegas feel warm.

"Your glass is empty, let me buy you a drink." Vegas said "You seem like a white wine kinda guy, am I right?" The man smiled back at him impressed. "Spot on."

Vegas signaled to the bar tender and ordered the wine and a whisky. After the drinks arrived Vegas asked
"So what's your name?"
"I'm Pete, how about you?" He replied with an innocent smile.
"Vegas. Nice to meet you."

He was never told his targets name. Vegas was only ever sent a picture of the target anonymously with a time and location written on the back and would receive the money after the job was complete. But he still took time to speak with the targets, find out their names, a little about them and observe their behaviours.

He did this to give himself justification for the sins he would commit. Any detectable lie, any unjust mistreatment of others, anything that would prove they had done something deserving of their demise so his conscience could be at peace. And it had never failed, they all slipped up. Everyone.

"So what you doing here alone in an empty bar." Vegas queried.
"I'm on the run." Pete replied taking a sip of his drink.

Vegas was taken a back by his response. There were no signs of Pete lying that Vegas could detect. In addition, his targets were often running away from his employers for fear of their lives but none had admitted to it like that before.

"Who are you running from?" Vegas asked curiously but with a kind smile.
"Lots of people. Lots of scary people." Pete replied now looking Vegas in the eyes. "You see, I used to be a waiter at this club for the elite. The richest of the rich." He chuckled sneeringly, taking another long sip. Vegas didn't say a word and just sat, listening intently.
"But working in a place like that has many risks, you know. Hear or see something you shouldn't have and you've signed your own suicide note."

Pete observed how Vegas sat, seemingly comfortable but positioned so it would be easy to leave the seat at a moments notice.
"What about you stranger, on the run as well? You seem the type."
"Do I now?" Vegas asked as he smirked at Pete who smiled back. "Well, you could say that. I don't like to stay in one place for too long." He stated "Tell me more about yourself Pete I want to know, you'd life seems pretty interesting." Vegas asked Pete, who he found himself so intrigued by.
"Only if you buy me another drink." Pete responded teasingly.
"No problem." Vegas smirked signalling with his hand to the bartender.

They talked for hours, Pete told Vegas about how he never met his mother and was abandoned by his father at a young age. How he was raised by his grandmother and how he got into working at a bar such as that. How many terrible things he had heard and witnessed while working there and how despite it all, he couldn't quit due to his financial instability.

They also talked about other, less serious things they even laughed together a few times. There was something about Pete that made Vegas feel relaxed. He felt content in a way he hadn't for a long period of time.

"I'm going to go out for a smoke. Want to come?" Pete asked but as he did, Vegas noticed a slight change in the eyes which had mesmerised his the whole night, for a split second.
"Yeah I'll join you in a minute." Vegas responded.

As he watched the man walk out the door it hit him that in their time together, he had not found anything that he could use as a reason to take him out. On the contrary, he now saw Pete as one of the few people in this world that truly deserved to live. He felt a connection with Pete he had never felt with another person before causing him to feel overwhelmingly conflicted.

After a few minutes he decided to follow him out to the street. The rain had stopped and Pete was in the dark alleyway between the bar and another building. Vegas stopped before turning the corner as he heard Pete's whimpering voice. "I won't be home for a while grandma, I'm swamped here with work and will be staying at a coworker's place since its closer to the bar. Don't worry about me I'm going to be fine, just please take care of yourself... I love you... Goodbye." Vegas listened as Pete's call ended and the sound of tears came from the alley. Pete was crying intensely. His melancholy sobs made Vegas feel something unexplainable he didn't know why he felt like this he just knew he hated this feeling.

After Pete had stopped crying Vegas joined him in the alley. The first thing Vegas noticed was that Pete's eyes had changed, they no longer looked warm and welcoming but now seemed sad and lonely.

The atmosphere between them had changed dramatically, no one said a word they just stood beside each other in silence, both contemplating what to say. Vegas observed Pete picking up a pack of cigarettes and taking one out.

"Want one? Looks like you could probably use it." Pete asked holding a cigarette out to Vegas, who's singular reaction to the statement was a slight upturn of his lips to form a smirk.

After talking for a little Pete noticed Vegas had not lighted his cigarette yet.
"Need a light?" He asked, eyes fixed on Vegas who was facing his feet, preoccupied, spinning the cigarette between his lips.

Pete placed his cigarette in his mouth before positioning his body in Vegas' direction. He held the man's chin with three fingers and directed his head towards him before pulling him in closer to his face.

He touched the end of their cigarettes together causing a hissing sound to be made. Vegas, taken a back by the action, looked towards the collision before looking towards Pete who was staring deep into his eyes.

Neither of them moved for about half a minute before Pete backed away and rested his head back on wall.

Vegas however hadn't taken his eyes off of Pete, there was something unique about him that Vegas found intriguing. Maybe it was because when he would talk to the others, they would always lie to him and seem at peace with the lies told. But when he talked to Pete, he held nothing back and seemed unconcerned with any judgement he might face.

"Can I question you on something?" Vegas asked, still gazing at Pete wistfully taking the cigarette out of his mouth.
"No one's going to oppose it." Pete stated turning to meet Vegas' eyes.
"Why today, have you told me, a complete stranger, so many things, so honestly?" Pete observed the genuine curiosity on Vegas' face and responded
"Who else would I tell?" he smiled warmly and then started slowly moving closer to Vegas so that their faces were just inches apart before placing a small but tender kiss on the man's anticipating lips.

Pete retracted his face slightly by a few centimetres and averted his focus on to Vegas' dusky brown eyes which stared back at him longingly.

"You're here to kill me anyways, right?"