"Not at all." Jake forced out a laugh. "I was taught to be a gentleman to girls. I guess you could say my mother and father raised me right." That was a bold lie. Cotton had no traditional upbringing. But I guess not a lot of people did who lived around these parts. In that sense, Jake and Angel were the same people. The childhood paradise that was supposed to be theirs was long lost. Forever tainted.

He slipped the cigarettes back into his pocket but kept one behind his ear."I'll get you that drink." And right as Cotton was about to shout out to the bartender to get his attention, things started going south real quick. Minato had royally fucked everything up by going off the wall and creeping up on Deserae while she was trying to work the bookie. Obviously the bookie was a sharper eye than he imagined. Club security was on them like lightning. This was bad, and the mission was all but a massive failure. Yet, Cotton wasn't ready to turn his back yet.

[i]Finish the mission.[/i] Those words were imprinted in his conscience. Burned into his mind in the hell of combat training. A trained killer. Jake was prepared to find a defensive standpoint and fire a shot of his pistol into the bookie's leg to stir the entire crowd. Fortunately, a stroke of luck saved the Lost Ones. A wolf, Victor. The one with the metal arm dropped one of the guards. Security would definitely forget about Deserae and Minato and target the bigger threat. With security tight on them. He had to find Deserae. 

Cotton turned from Victor to Angel. "I think we'll have to to delay our little drinking date, gorgeous. Your friend is getting himself into quite a bit of trouble. Catch you later." Jake stood up and shifted out into the crowd. Disappearing. Blending in well with his surroundings. He frantically scanned the entire club, looking for any trace of Deserae. She wasn't with Minato. He had no idea where Knox was at this point. His view of the bar was obstructed until finally, he caught the view of D.J.'s dress. He made his pass through the crowd and got right behind her. His hand rested on her shoulder. As if anticipating her to be startled, he said, "Relax, look. Listen to me quick, understand? One of the Wolves just did us a favor. All the eyes here are on them, or on the fight. The bookie is all yours. I'm going to put a gun to his back… Concealed, very fast. You take the box and run. I can handle myself. Now, we don't have much more time. Are you ready?"