Caius (OLD VERSION)

Chapter Twenty Four

Clara's Pov

The next morning I woke up the bed empty next to me. Shuffling into the kitchen in my pyjamas, I glance at Caius who was leaning against the worktop with a coffee in hand.

"Morning." He said before I could, taking another sip of his hot beverage.

"Morning."

He was already dressed. His hair slightly damp from the shower.

"How long have you been up?" I glanced at the clock which read 6:30am.

"A while. The sooner we get this over with the sooner we can get back."

I nod. Making my way over to him, I took the coffee out of his hands and took a sip.

"Mmmm, it's good." I said, leaning my body against his. "Not as good as mine though."

He smirked before leaning into to give me a kiss. I pulled away before he got too close.
"Ah ah ah, like you said, the sooner we get this over with..." I said placing he cup back into his hands and leaning back.

He followed, and with a clink of the mug on the bench, I heard the words "I don't care" before his lips crashed against mine.

Leaning his forehead against mine, he shut his eyes. "I'll give you 15 minutes, then we have to be out the door."

I smirked, kissing his lips gently once more. "I only need 10" and with that, I made my way into the bathroom, clicking the lock behind me.

* * *

The car pulled up outside of an old brick building. From street view, it looked like nothing special. An abandoned general store to the left of its shabby navy door.

To any outsider it would look like a simple apartment building, but as soon as Caius presses down on the breaks, my heart clinched a little, my palms began to sweat and a weak "is that it?" came tumbling out of my nervous lips.

I was staring at the door. It's paint peeling around the edges, the old brass handle rusted. "It looks..."

"Normal?" Caius suggested, pulling on the hand brake and clicking off the engine.

"Hmm" I glanced away and looked at him, before opening the car door. "Let's get this over with."

* * *

As we approached the door, Caius moved towards the shiny silver pin pad, expertly typing in a series of numbers until it clicked.

Pushing open the door, we entered a dark hallway. Mailboxes lined the wall, a staircase up ahead. The dark wood features and the dim lighting gave me an uneasy feeling. I felt myself draw closer to Caius, peering over his shoulder slightly.

The low hum of music sounded throughout the building, a glowing gold light came from the crack under the door at the end of the hallway.

Gruff men's laughter echoed loudly.
Caius approached the door and swiftly pushed it open.

"Ah! Caius, my boy! To what do I owe this pleasure?" A large man bellowed are way, gripping his hand, he shook it tensely. I didn't neglect his hand trying to cover Caius'. With a firm shake, Caius grinned as the man's smile faulted at his failed attempt of dominance.

"Let's sit shall we? As you know we've had a long journey."

"Ah, yes! Who is this beauty you have brought with you? Not quite your type Caius, I must say. Surely you'll be a bit more generous when it comes to sharing her around." The man glanced at me, his beady eyes glancing over my legs and chest.

I moved further behind Caius with a grimace of disgust.

"I'm afraid I don't like to share. I've taken quite the liking to this one, call me selfish for wanting to keep her all to myself." Caius said firmly, his hand reaching back slightly and nudging my thigh, brushing his thumb against my denim jeans in comfort.

"What a shame." The man clicked his tongue and moved back over to the dark cherrywood desk which sat in the centre of the room. "So what can I do you for Caius?" Glancing at me once again, the man winked at me, leaning back into his chair and patting his beer belly.

"I think you know why I'm here. I just want to know your intent in your actions."

"Well, my boy, let' see. You drop off the face of the earth, leaving an unfinished job sitting in my lap, and in replacement you get a shiny new toy to sit on your lap. Seems awfully convenient if you ask me."

"I finished my contract, I did the time. I don't owe you anything."

"YOU OWE ME EVERYTHING. You left destruction in your wake and expected me to clean it up. Finished your contract my arse. You were hired to do a job and you side stepped it because you're weak. Contracts not finished until the job is finished." The man slammed his hand down on the desk, a stern look at his face. "You boy, have a bounty on your head, one that i've decided to pass on to your whore as well to get it through your thick skull that I OWN YOU."

"I knew you were stupid, but not this stupid. My father was a good man, instead of offering him  a way out you placed a bounty on my head for HIS MISTAKE, and it cost him his life. I don't owe you shit." Caius' jaw clenched.

I felt his hand move towards my inner thigh, a shiver running through me until I felt the hard metal of a gun taken from his waist band.

"I'll give you a 10 seconds head start before I paint the walls with your blood, boy."

"Ten, nine, eight..."

My hands clutched the back of Caius' shirt.

"Seven, six, five, four..."

I get Caius's hand click the safety off of the fun.

"Three, two..."

"One."

Shots fired.