leave no trace.

Darcy: We need to talk.

Amy didn’t reply to Liam’s pointed look. Her anger stemmed from the attacks on her close friends, on the murder of Rebecca and the close calls with Ash and Carmen. They were like her family, and Amy valued few things more. But kissing Liam was effective in distracting him from asking questions at least. She’d started slowly, giving Liam time to pull away if he so chose, but he didn’t. Amy shifted closer, pulling Liam to her to let her kiss him easily. Her hands snaked to his waist as she deepened the kiss, slipping under his shirt to sit on his hips.

It was easy to have gotten lost in her, seeking for the familiarity he craved. After all, he and Amy did share a brief moment in the past, and though they had suppressed it long enough, tonight seemed to be the night when it was all unearthed yet again. Suddenly it didn’t felt like they were in public anymore, and all Liam wanted was more. Whilst his hand caressed her cheek, his other grabbed on her hips - a tricky feat, considering they were both seated down. They stayed like that for a few seconds, lips intertwined in a battle for dominance, wanting, needing the other. But he was the first to break the kiss, as the man pulled back, slightly fazed by their actions. “Amy...” 

“Our little guest has,” Amy confessed, using the straw in her drink to stir it for a moment. David Cheslyn and all he and the Diamonds were responsible for angered her in a ways she so rarely was. But explaining that and her lack of normal emotion was not on Amy’s list of things she wanted to do tonight, especially not in public. “Pity. No better way to distract yourself.” Well, Amy could think of one, but Liam had already rejected that idea on the ground that it did hold a substantial risk of getting him maimed if her brothers found out. Sipping the drink, one more idea occurred to her. Spurred on by the alcohol and the desire to distract herself completely, Amy put down the drink, leaned in to Liam and kissed him. 

After another shot down his pipes, he turned to her, en eyebrow raised due to the intrigue as to how their prisoner had manage to rile up the Amy Hartwell. Though David was doing a fantastic job of putting everyone on edge, it would take something incredibly more so to do that to someone like Amy. She rarely involved herself in direct gang work, after all. Liam straightened up in his seat, eager to dig more information out of her, when suddenly, her lips were pressed against his. And perhaps it was the absurd amount of alcohol in his system, or the fact that he was more lonely than before, but he didn’t pull away. Instead, let his lips retaliate, kissing back as he allowed himself to get lost in her. Maybe this was the reason why there were no ‘distractions’ for the night. Because it was her all along. 

It took her some time just to catch her breath, to find a way to tamp down on her renewed grief. It truly was the end of the line. She had her answer - there was certainly no reason to believe David was lying, not when he was faced with what Peter had done to him. There was simply no more to it. They knew who Rebecca’s killer was, but it was just too little, too late, and it did nothing to satisfy her. 

Eventually, though, Hallie dried her eyes and collected herself, going back into Liam’s office to get her things, trying to figure out what to do next - what could she do? Did it matter? She lingered there, though, David’s terrified sounds washing over her from the speakers but she was practically numb to it now, though that thought left an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach. Finally, she spoke up, her voice a little rough.

“She deserved better. I led her to the Hearts and I should have known that she deserved so much better than all of this.” It was hard not to be disenchanted with all the deeply personal losses she had gone through - perhaps she should have known better than to get attached. “I should’ve done better.”

For how long it took before Hallie returned to the room, he did not know. If anything, the hacker was convinced that she would not come back after the news. Liam, on the other hand, remained unmoved in his spot, helpless on the ground as he was continuously reeling from the new information that had proceeded to cause further emotional damage. It seemed as if the universe was intentionally trying to break him open like a nut, and in all honesty, he was on the verge of fragility. 

The only thing that got him out of the numbing shock was Hallie’s voice amidst the eerie silence of the room laced with the audible conversation that Pete was having with their prisoner through the CCTV speakers. If anything, the latter was now white noise to him, and the former being the only thing that rose above it. From where he collapsed, Liam looked up to the trainer, dark eyes weak with sorrow. “No. It’s not your fault, Hallie." Shaking his head and the sad in him out, it was getting clear who was exactly to be blamed here. “It’s theirs.” He hissed with shaking anger, as if finally waking up to the realisation that they could have only done so much to protect their fellow members. 

“They killed her.” Slowly, he got up on his feet, finding his bearings in the depth of the fire building in him. “They wanted her dead.” Walking towards Hallie, he meant every burning word that escaped his lips. For the longest time they had exchanged the blames for Rebecca, without acknowledging the fact that it was their enemies’ doing why she died. But hearing David admit to the truth was the catalyst in changing all of it. “And they’re going to pay for it.” 

“A man with connections. That’s promising.” She didn’t ask any further questions as she walked down the street beside him, her high heels clicking on the pavement in an utterly satisfying sort of way. Liam was certainly a flatterer, laying the compliments on thick, but she was never one to turn that sort of thing down, humming in thought as they drifted down the sidewalk. For a moment, she debated telling him the whole truth - for some men, it was a turn-off knowing the woman he was flirting with liked to take her clothes off for others, and as much as Leda didn’t want to waste her time on those men, she also didn’t want to chase Liam away immediately, even if he happened to be one of them. “I’m a dancer, actually.” She arched a perfectly shaped brow, curious. “What about you? You don’t strike me as the type to settle for a 9-to-5 office job.”

Liam could not help but bathe in the confidence he was exuding, aiming to win over the lady’s trust or so with his charm and finesse. Leda was a breathe of fresh air compared to the women he knew, and he was going to take this opportunity of meeting a stranger to break the monotony in his life. Continuously walking by her side, he glanced at her inquisitive look, letting out a chuckle to maintain his light aura. “I’m not.” A flash of a smile in her direction, a pause in the air as he focused on the road ahead of them with the positive expression still on his face. “I’m more of a 9-to-9 kind of guy.” He answered ominously, willingly piquing and drawing in her interest to him.  

So Elijah couldn’t much understand the concept of a sibling like relationship or the strength that said relationship may hold. Not so much because he had no siblings of his own, but he hadn’t exactly grown up around people with relations like that either. But even if he didn’t necessarily understand a brother like figure, he respected Liam all the same. Anyone that looked out for Carmen was okay in his books.

His relationship with Carmen wasn’t something Elijah was good at describing because if he were being honest, he barely understood it himself. And he never dared question what it was built on, with chance it may crumble under his investigation. So he lived in the present with her, everyday a new adventure, a swell of emotions he wasn’t yet capable or ready to fully accept. It wasn’t in his design, to understand these things. He was robbed of normal processing and average emotions long ago. But her, she was everything good he saw in the world, come together in one person. A little flawed, a little hurt, but shining all the same.

Breaking from his own thoughts to listen to the other man for a moment, he took in every word that was spoken his way. “Of course, she’s lucky to have you guys. And we’re all lucky to have her” he replied, a light smile gracing his lips for a split second. “I could never imagine doing anything to hurt her.” he spoke softly, eyes glancing to the path before them for a moment. What a painful thought, to have hurt the person he cared for most. “I only want what is best for her. If anyone deserves it, she does. And i’ll do whatever little thing I can do to make her smile, even if only for a moment. She deserves nothing short of the entire world, I can’t give her that, not even close. But i’m glad I get to know her, and i’m glad she has people such as yourself there when she walks out of my bookstore. Good people”

I could never imagine doing anything to hurt her. Elijah’s words, accompanied by that of a smile that probably came from the mere thought of Carmen, had Liam finally breaking through his ‘protective brotherly thinking’ mode. There was no unruly feeling in his gut towards the man seated by his side; no anxiety over this stranger he spoke to, which meant that all was going to be well. The way Elijah spoke of her - how he wished no harm on her, how he wished the best for her, and how she deserved nothing but it - was more than enough to warm his heart, as it would to anyone else’s who would chance upon their conversation. It had sent all doubts and worry that he had over their relationship into non-existence. As a brother (real or not), it was all he could ask for. 

And so, with a brightened smile on his face, Liam knew that this had just sealed it: that Carmen would be safe with the bookkeeper. “Thank you.” He uttered, breathing a sigh of relief. The urge to tear up was even overwhelming, but he fought hard against it, swallowing to clear his throat and regain control. “I’m afraid I have to bring our talk to an abrupt end.” In a bid to not lose it, Liam stood up from the bench, after getting more than what he wanted out of the man. “But again, thank you for...” pausing momentarily to find the right word, Liam simply decided to help their relationship out for the sake of it, “loving Carmen. You don’t know how much you’ve impacted on her.” 

“Not where my mind was going, but that’s good to know.” She confirmed as she took another sip of her drink, conveniently it was also the last sip. “Barkeep.” She called out and waited her glass gently waiting for his nod of confirmation. Hearing his life story,  she could find herself reflecting and coming up with the same conclusions for her own life. She sighed, shaking her head lightly, “No way. 25, single and consuming much too much alcohol on a Tuesday night. Can’t say this is where I wanted to end up at my age.” She sighed, “Though no matter what day of the week, it’d probably still be here on today’s date anyway.” she’d blurted out. A comment she would normally keep to herself as now her follow hearts member will evidently ask why, and with her level of intoxication she’ll probably blurt out the reason for being drunk on a work night.

Of course, she would never pictured nor imagined her life to be where it was right now. They were the type of people who were swept away in life’s unfortunate draw to end up being part of such a dangerous game of deadly chess. “Can’t say I judge you for the weekday drinking.” He shrugged, staring into his whiskey glass, wiling himself to get lost into the amber liquid. When he didn’t, he turned back to her, “I mean, I’m here, too.” throwing a closed lip smile in her direction. Whatever she was going through, Liam had no reason to judge her or call her out on. They were all just human beings, struggling to get through with their life. But for the two of them, they were obviously struggling to even get through the day itself. Bringing the glass to his lips, “Heck I even drink at work, so...” Letting the words fall helplessly, he merely took another drink, emptying his glass’ contents in a swift throw back of the head. 

When she suddenly heard her name, heard the weight that her friend put behind it, Carmen immediately paused, meeting his gaze and holding it. What Liam said made perfect sense. It was a perfectly logical explanation for a perfectly logical action. She had asked to be trained, and James had deemed her worthy of training; it didn’t have to be more complicated than that. Yet deep down, there it was, right where it had always been — that paralysing fear of failure. A desperate desire to be good enough for someone who seemed to demand near perfection. “You know, James reminds me of my father,” she replied, in a tone that implied she was confessing to something she had never really said out loud before. “Brilliant, but demanding. And he has… Very specific opinions about what he considers weakness. Rationally, he has a point.”

Dropping her gaze, Carmen once more traced the rim of the glass with her index finger. “There’s a degree of… Emotional detachment, to what we do. A willingness to take calculated risks because we’re constantly thinking about the bigger picture. But I can’t do that. People are not numbers to me. When I see people, I see… Everything. Their joy. Their pain. Their lives. There are certain things I’m not willing to gamble, not for anything, and that’s a weakness. Strategists aren’t supposed to have personal agendas.”

Carmen likening James to her father caught Liam’s attention, with him immediately making a mental note to keep an eye out on the topic, considering that this could be a hurdle between James and Carmen’s work relationship, especially if she saw her father in him. And by the sound of it, it didn’t err on the flattering side for both men in he life. This could bring about a risk with how their dynamic worked.

Tilting his head to the side as he listened on, he could not blame her for feeling like she was not deserving of the role simply because of who and how she was. Often times, people don’t feel like they deserve something out of the stereotype or profiling that fit it. “Hey,” he softly spoke out, trying to catch her downfallen gaze. “hackers are supposed to be amoral and inconsiderate so long as they get to their gold at the end, but look at me.” It wasn’t an exact mirror situation, but it was close enough for him. “We’re still allowed to be ourselves on the job, Carmen. What doesn’t make us fit in the ‘box’ is what makes us stand out. So what if you’re a strategist that doesn’t gamble everything?” Perking up, he spoke with such confidence that only came to him in moments when he needed to push someone and give them the extra nudge. “It only means you’ll find a better way or an alternative means to do something to avoid that loss. It means, you push yourself to be better, to think cleverly of it all.” Beaming proudly at her, “And without a doubt, I know you can and will do exactly just that.”