Freefall

The Deal

The ride to Chicago from there had been mostly quiet, with small bouts of conversation between them and soft music playing on the radio. He didn't really seem like the type to listen to it so quietly. She would have assumed he liked it loud, but you know what they say about assumptions, and the people who make them. She kept her mouth shut, her attention to the world around her fading in and out as she sorted through her thoughts.

The one line of thinking that kept coming around, kept taunting her was the idea that she was taking advantage of Atlas. She could tell he wanted to think he was some kind of jerk, that he felt bad for how things had turned out, thought it was his fault that they were in this situation. No, Evan knew better than that, though. The only crime that Atlas was guilty of was being good at his job, whatever that was, exactly. She hadn't really asked, and he didn't seem excited to get into the subject at all. No matter what, she knew that Verlice picked him because he was qualified. He wouldn't have sent someone that he thought would go against him. But the man beside her... He was good. Maybe rough around the edges, but she had a feeling that he did that on purpose. Who was she to expect someone like him, of all people, to drop everything for her? To endanger himself for her?

Not to mention his brother, who hadn't signed up for this whatsoever. He'd told her that he was the one on the phone call- Jazz. She was worried about meeting him, but Atlas assured her that he wasn't as scary as he had seemed on the phone. Neither of them had wanted to do this, but they'd been forced into it. The thought made her chest ache, the knowledge that her prolonged freedom was the reason that his life had been ripped apart. He hadn't said it, but he didn't need to. After hearing about how him and Jasper built themselves up in such a short time, it was painful to know that she was the reason their hard work was taken from them.

They pulled up to a hotel in the city while she had been lost in thought, and when she finally registered the stillness of the vehicle, she looked up to find a grinning Atlas. "Ready to argue?" He asked, sounding like a kid on Christmas. Her brows drew together, trying to figure out what he meant before she looked past him and to the hotel, finally.

Her face twisted with horror, "there's no way I'm letting you pay for something like this," she said, eyeing the much too fancy-looking, tall building. The stairs and walkway leading to the front doors looked to be made out of marble, gold hand railing to add to the grand exterior. There was a large fountain blocking her view of the front door, also appearing to be made of marble, carved to the form of a three person family. There was a little girl, sitting next to her father and reading a book, as he smiled lovingly at the two of them. It gave her a strange sense of loss, but it didn't overpower the utter horror she felt at the idea of staying at this hotel. There was no way. No freaking way.  Her eyes found his again, determined emerald hues finding humored black ones.

"I'm not going in there."

"Why not? It's my treat."

"That's exactly why not!"

Atlas studied her features for a moment, that stupid smile on his face taunting her as he thought. She crossed her arms over her chest, staring him down harder than she had probably anyone else in her life. Typically, shame left her incapable of holding eye contact with anyone for very long, but something about Atlas...

She didn't know what it was, and she didn't want to think about it, so she wouldn't. Not for the time being, anyways.

"Okay, how about a deal, then?" He suggested, raising a brow at her and carefully watching her reaction, mirroring the attention Evan was paying to him.

Had she ever rolled her eyes at anyone more in her entire life? "I'm not letting you pay for something like that," she huffed. She felt bad enough as it was without spending what was probably $500 for one room, for one night. She didn't think they would be as understanding about his sitting at her door, either, which meant he really would need his own room this time. She didn't even want to think about how ridiculous it would be for even a singular night, a waste of money.