Lily locked the register, turned off the golden lights, donned her jacket, locked the door and stepped outside to smell the crisp autumn air.

Turning to her left, she began the nightly walk, keeping her face forward and stride long to get home as quickly as possible. There were construction blockades on the third and fourth block.

And then another on the fifth block, causing Lily to wince when she saw the construction signs.

Of course. Now her nightly walk was extended by ten more blocks just to get around this mess.

She'd also have to go even deeper into the poorer parts to get to her mediocre apartment, which wasn't too bad, but it was avoidable on other nights.

Continuing forward, she'd have to go ten blocks forward, then 5 blocks to the left and then 5 blocks to the left again to finally reach her apartment.

After ten blocks, her legs felt ready to collapse, not used to this walking. So, she paused for a minute on a bench, looking at her phone.

New voicemail from Christine.

Lily winced lightly to see her mother had called her and that she didn't pick up. Scrolling through her call history, she noticed her mom had called her.

Thrice.

If Lily was still in high school, she was afraid her mother would ground her for a week for not picking up. Even now, Lily was afraid that her mom would punish her for not picking up. Lily must've placed it on silent that day on accident, so she swiped the silent button off. Placing the phone next to her ear, her mother's voice played.

"Hi Lily, just wanted to call and say that I'm sorry that we can't have Thanksgiving at home this year. Your brother-"

Ah, yes, Liam, Lily's twin. He had banked it when he acquired himself a sugar 'mommy,' but had told his parents he won a lottery. He offered to pay for Lily's business, and while it was kind to offer, Lily did not wish to start a business based off something that she hadn't done; or acquire money through such methods.

Lily wanted to work hard for her money while her brother had lounged off everyone else.

"-has invited our family to go to Cancun this Thanksgiving instead! Ooh, I'm so excited! Of course, you're invited as well, but if you can't come because of your business we all completely understand. Get back to me when you can, sweetie. Hugs and kisses from me and your Dad."

With that, the voicemail ended as Lily rolled her eyes. They probably didn't want her there, since Liam has always been the favorite star child, but that's alright.

Besides, Lily wouldn't want to go, especially since the 'Dad' her mom spoke of wasn't her biological one, but her stepfather.

He's a company manager who actually gave Lily some tips on opening her business; but, Lily and the stepfather have majorly contrasting views, especially when Lily invited her family to see the bookstore back in June.

Her stepfather is, how to put this lightly? Oh! A misogynistic, racist, homophobic prick who believes America is still involved in some 1950's styled prejudices. He was quite rude to Marie and her family, and even making some brash comments about how crude of state the neighborhood Lily lives in.

Lily simply doesn't wish to deal with her stepfather now. 

Sighing, she put away her phone in her pocket and turned the corner, right into the man who she had seen today, only this time his glasses were pocketed. He was exiting a building, looking around. He didn't notice her as he lightly bumped into Lily. Lily gave him a flat look, but kept walking.

"Hello," she mutters to him as he falls into step with her. He better apologize-

"You're a tad bit late," Lily swore he muttered. "Don't look back," his voice was a tone higher now, yet still hardly above a whisper, "there's most likely going to be men following us in a moment."

"What?!" Lily whispers, feeling curiosity bubble beneath her skin as she felt the urge to look back. "Did you not complete a drug deal well or something?"

Fear crept up in the back of her throat as she prepared to use the mace spray in her right pocket.

"Drugs aren't the only thing I'm involved in," he responds, "I'm a lowlife in this world but an important figure in the other. Now, keep walking if you wish to leave here alive."

Wait...alive?!

Feet padding on concrete was sounding behind Lily as the man next to her began to walk faster, causing Lily to do so as well.

Wait, why was Lily running with him? Lily glanced across the street and realized there were black cars parading all about with tinted windows.

Oh hell no, he did not just involve her in some faulty drug deal.

"Screw you, I'm out of this," Lily mutters as she begins to turn away from her. He looked at her with a tinge of anger in his eye, reaching out to grab her coat.

"You need to come now-"

Lily whirled around and with the can of mace in her hands and sprayed him right in the eyes. He yelped as he immediately took his shirt collar and began wiping for his eyes. Lily felt courage build up from within her as she brought her foot and kicked him in the gut, causing him to keel over.

"B*tch!" He swears out as Lily begins to run away to to the opposite side of the street, "I can't believe you've done this!"

She tucks behind one of the black cars and notices no one is in it, as she feels her heart racing in her chest. She holds her breath and tries to calm herself  as she pokes her head around the car's front to see the man in the beanie, curled up against the wall as a circle of 4 men surround him. Two were the ones who were previously following, another two had approached from a different building.

The last one seemed to come from the front of the street, where Lily was going to be heading only minutes ago. He seemed different from the rest, dressed finely as if he was going to a gala event in the next hour. He spoke to his men as Lily poked her head back around, mentally trying to remember how many cars there were.

There were 3, meaning one car per each pair, minus the fancy man. Lily got low to the ground as she began to army crawl away, heading up to the alley she was walking to previously, hoping they'd be too distracted to notice her. The dark clothes she wore that day had finally served their benefit.

Once she'd get up to that street, she could tuck on over to the next block and act like nothing happened, then she could head home an hour later.

She shimmied to the next car, realizing the men hadn't seen her. Just then, a loud BANG! was heard. Lily poked her head over the car's head once more to see all 5 men still standing, but now the man was slumped against the wall, a dark crimson color splattering behind his head like a deadly halo.

His life had come to a treacherous and dreadful closing, leaving many questions left to the spectator.

What of his niece? Will she still hate him, even though he was killed? What of his family, will they mourn his death?

The men talked among themselves as Lily began to realize that soon they'll be heading to the cars, meaning they might see her.

Alright, Lily, stay quiet and you can escape-

"Nah, f*ck that b*tch!" began to blare from Lily's phone, "f*ck that bitch!"

Lily internally screamed as she pressed decline, feeling the cool of a gun pressed against the back of her neck.

"It would be wise," a deep, Italian voice notes, "if you would put the phone down."

Lily immediately dropped the phone, raising both of her hands. She breathed through her nose and tried to remain calm.

"Please, sir, just let me go home for the night," Lily begged, "I'm just a passerby."

"Do you have anything to do with that man?" The voice replies as Lily shook her head 'no' frantically.

"He came to my bookstore today, high as a cloud, but that was it. When I was walking home, he approached me and told me to not look back. When I tried to get away from him, I sprayed him with mace and ran away, and now I just want to go home."

"Did you call the law enforcement?"

"No," Lily responds, glancing down, almost ashamed she didn't. Maybe if she did, she wouldn't have a gun to the back of her neck.

"Then who was that?"

"My shitty landlord." The words flew out of her mouth before she could stop it, and she internally curses herself for swearing. An amused hmmph comes from his direction, as he retracts the gun from the back of her neck.

"Get up." The voice demands as Lily shakily rises, leaving the phone on the floor, slowly turning around to see the perpetrator.

Lily was face-to-chest with this mountain of a man, as I forced myself to crane my neck upward at him. The first thing she noticed was his stormy sea-green eyes, hardened into steel through long years. His smooth, hard-cut jaw complemented his eloquently cut and slightly waved-backwards hair. He held the gun by his side with ease, but ready to spring his arm back up and press it to her forehead.

Lily would almost go as far to say he was a Greek god of a man. But he isn't Greek, based off his accent.

"What reasons should I have to let you go?" He asks, almost as if this was a game, in where he asks all his future victims why they shouldn't die.Lily would even go as far to bet that he takes great amusement letting his victims beg and kiss his Gucci covered feet for freedom.

Then kills them.

"Because," she starts, "I am no hero."

He raised a dark brow, obviously confused by this answer.

"I am no hero," Lily repeats, "and I am not aligned with that man. I'm just a passerby who wants to go home at the end of the day and survive to the next morning. I know I stumbled past this whole scene by accident, but in all honesty I do not care about whatever happened here as long as I live. Even if I did escape unnoticed, I still wouldn't give anyone the satisfaction of knowing what happened here tonight. I just want to go home, sir."

His gaze seemed to have gone through Lily as if she was a mere piece of glass, as he searched for any imperfections or faults in her truth. Finally, he pocketed the gun.

"I shall drive you home, and then you shall forget any of this ever happened." He finalizes, as Lily let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, sir."

Lily knew not to test the boundaries and ask to walk home, he'd probably find it suspicious and pull out that gun again and end Lily's story in the dingy street. He grabbed her hand roughly, leading her like a shepherd would lead their sheep as he pulled her behind him.

He conveniently stepped on her phone, putting extra pressure on it as the phone sparked once before it was completely smashed.

Lily shuddered, but attempted to ignore it. At the end of the day, she'd rather her phone be dead than her.

They approached a fancy-looking black car as he pulled the front door open for her with one hand, then shoving her inside with the other. Lily closed the door as she buckled herself in, nervously trying to remember the license plate she just saw.

EUS0392

The man pulled himself into the driver's seat, looking at her with boredom.

"What's the address?" He asks as she clenches her toes nervously. She can't believe she's giving out her personal information to a gangster!

"I live in the apartment block on Port Street," she admits as the car hums to life. Music on the radio automatically began to play some jazz music, albeit it was an Italian style that Lily didn't know.

The car smoothly drove through the blocks as he looks at her. "Do you not own a car?"

"No," She replied. "I can't afford it."

"You are a bookseller, correct?"

"Yes," she replies, feeling proud of her answer to the question, albeit though it came from a gangster, "I own my own store."

"If you own your own store, why do you not get more money from it?" He asks, searching for a lie in her truth.

"I do not charge much for my books," she replies, "money isn't that important to me until it comes for basic necessities; such as bills, food, and taxes."

"Why do you not care for money? Money is a necessity in this world," he responds as she eye rolls internally.

That's what her brother said when he tried to explain his reason for being a sugar baby.

"It's not a necessity unless your world is built around it. I suppose I'm one of the few who believe that's not my world. My world is something else entirely," she answers, as he looks away.

The car falls into silence as the song switches to another classic jazz.

A Dean Martin song begins to play as Lily feels herself relax automatically. Lily's Dad used to play Dean Martin in the car, and Dean Martin always made her me feel at ease, alongside other jazz artists. While this wasn't the only jazz music he played, as he also played other artists of the time as well, this was certainly one of the songs he played consistently.

"When Marimba Rhythms start to play, dance with me, make me sway. Like a lazy ocean hugs the shore, hold me close, sway me more," Dean Martin sings over the radio, as Lily calmly taps the melody with the tip of her finger, hoping the melody would stop her hands from shaking.

It wasn't a loud tap, but a soft one that did not even dare rustle the fabric.

"Like a flower bending in the breeze, bend with me, sway with ease. When we dance you have a way with me, stay with me, sway with me," Dean Martin continues as Lily feels her pursed lips separate, forming the words alongside him, but no sound comes out of her coral lips.

"Other dancers may be on the floor...Dear, but my eyes will see only you. Only you have the magic technique...when we sway I go weak!"

The car pulls up to the apartment complex as the man turns the car off, causing Lily to jolt as the music shuts off. Lily turned to look at him in the eyes, drawn into his sea-green orbs and being unable to turn away.

"You know not to tell a soul, correct?" He asks as she nods.

"I have no idea what happened tonight," she responds, and his jaw tenses.

"Good."

She turned from him and exited the car, repeating the license number once more in her head as he zoomed off.

EUS0392.

His slick, black car bled into the night as it tore down the streets away from Lily. Lily glanced over at the building across the street, where the usual yellow-neon sign of 'Clay's Brew' had dimmed for the night. Everything was the same as always, but had changed to Lily.

She withdrew her key from her pocket as she climbed the staircase in the building, humming to herself 'Sway with Me.' Entering her apartment, she hopped on over her to her desk and sat down, pulling out a post it note and quickly writing down the license number, before hiding that inside a calculator's cover, which then went under a pile of unused notebooks.

Logging onto her computer, she goes to the notes section and quickly adds a new phone cost to the monthly deductions, showing she had only had 747 pounds left for the rest of October for pocket change. It wasn't too bad to have one thousand left after taxes, food costs, the need to purchase a new phone and bills.

What that man said about the world being about money or whatever may not apply to Lily; but it was truly annoying that she had to deduct money from her own pocket to take care of this.

Sighing, Lily head bangs against the table. This was certainly a situation she was sure she'd never find herself in.