“Kieran,” she mumbled in response. His demeanor was the most unnerving thing about him. He was calm and smiling, while Aura did everything she could to choke down the nausea bubbling in her stomach.

She had taken a runner hostage. A [i]runner[/i]. The weight of her actions began to sink deep in her stomach, the heat of the garage beginning to suffocate the oxygen from the room. Aura dashed to the window, threw it open, and allowed herself a deep gulp of breath from the cooler air that poured in. 

Could she somehow get a message to Gregor? Explain she had fucked up and that she needed help?

The thought of his temper made Aura shut down the thought instantly. No, she’d have to figure a way out of this herself. She couldn’t lose her spot in the cause. They were her last chance of getting out of F for good. The only place she fit in.

But if the man got free, he would shoot her. If he didn’t shoot her, he’d run until he could report her.

She was dead in the water in every outcome imaginable. 

Aura turned from the window and moved to stand in front of him, hiding her trembling hands in the pockets of Ion’s pants. “I won’t -” Due to nerves, her voice left her body as a whisper. [i]Get it together.[/i]

“I won’t kill you,” she responded, now reflecting a more confident tone. “I just…”

How could she get him on her side, at least long enough for her to figure out a plan?

“You, the mystery man, catch me in the middle of a firefight with an AR in my hands.” She chuckled, wiping her forehead to rid it of sweat. “That would normally sound like a really [i]fun[/i] night for me. But you’re,” Aura finally gained courage to look up at him, “you’re a runner. You may as well be an enforcer.”

Aura grabbed an empty pail from the corner and opened the garage door. “I’ll be right back.”

She soon returned, the pail now full of water. Before dealing with it, she plopped down and began to work her fingers at the laces of her sopping boots, groaning when each foot finally broke free.

“Thirsty?” 

Without waiting for an answer, Aura grabbed the pail and approached him, lifting it to Kieran’s lips.

Once done, she took a few gulps of it herself before making herself comfortable on the floor across from him.

“You want to leave here alive. As do I. And if I’m reported, you may as well kill me now.” Aura scanned his face hoping for any hint of weakness, but the man was made of stone. [i]Asshole.[/i] “So Kieran, what would you do if you were in my position?”