[ Zigzagger x Tortoise ] Kiiss Kiiss Bang Bang

The night fell swiftly, filled with cold wind and heavy rain. The streets were empty, nothing but an occasional silhouette with a dog running down the lane or a car's lights flashing in the distance. In a quiet neighbourhood such as that one nothing out of ordinary was to be expected. Lights went out early, certain due to a lightning striking the generator, others due to the stereotypical perfection of the families residing in the fairly large, dollhouse like houses in the area.

One person, however, was far from sleeping. The taxi pulled up to one of the matching houses, a female stepping out of it to run into one of the empty buildings. Home felt foreign at that point to the young woman, after having spent twenty four hours at the police station. Desiree D'Aether was a witness and it shook her up thoroughly. The city's crime rates were rather low, and she was not aware of the gang activity that took place lately. Thus, she felt no danger in walking home on a bright evening.

She was a hooker, and danger was not a foreign concept to her. Of course, she evolved beyond the streets, growing into a qualified call girl - there to please rich men not only in bed but also as a psychologist, a person who could play out their wildest dreams and fantasies which oftentimes involved bruises for her. She couldn't complain though - after all, the house was bought to her by a client and ten grant a night was not something to be taken for granted.

Her youth and beauty brought her everything, yet they couldn't shield her from that night's events. She was walking down one of the mentioned streets when she heard a groan. Turning her head, she found herself facing a number of people injuring a male. She wanted to intrude, desperately so, yet she did not want to end up just like him. By the time the police has gotten there, the male let out his last breath and she was trembling against a metal fence.

The following hours were a blur to her. Policemen tried to get her to build portraits of the gang members, pressured her to give them details she did not know or remember and completely dismissed the fact that they picked her up at midnight, and she was absolutely dead after her shift. When they finally set her free, after a medical examination and a good cup of coffee, she was barely able to walk.

Exhaustion, both physical and emotional caught up to her. Meanwhile, she knew that she would not be able to sleep peacefully. Slowly, she entered the house, shutting the door behind, locking every lock. The silence was dreadful, it made her want to scream. She was afraid, afraid that they would come for her, afraid that they would kill her. They have killed so many that she would be nothing but a minor nuisance, annoying as a fly.

''Fuck,'' she whispered softly, her deep melodious voice rather hoarse. Kicking off her shoes, she walked up to the kitchen, setting a glass of milk into the microwave, too lazy to wait for it to finish. She then went upstairs, where her room and the shower were. It felt horrible to be in a large house, every shadow a potential threat. For once, she wished she could be in a tiny apartment like the ones she used to live in as a child.

Now, she had nobody. At twenty five years old, she was a complete orphan and other than having a few friends, she had no boyfriend or family to speak of. Horror flashed through her face as she thought of her situation. She thought back to the state of her account. Her client list was worth quite a lot, she could quit anytime and keep a very considerable fortune. She nodded to herself, resolute to start college, to find herself a boyfriend and do something about the life she was leading, no matter how much she enjoyed it. At least get a dog. A guard one, would be best.

Pulling her clothes off, she walked into the bathroom, studying herself in the mirror. Even though she was tired, the woman was beautiful. Her body was small, standing at five feet and five, her frame slender. However, her breasts were a natural D, her rear round and firm. Her waistline was very small and stomach flat, holding a light curve from the exercises at the level of the abs. Her side was tattooed with a series of Thai writings and odd designs intertwining to ride up her shoulder and circle it. It was the only tattoo she bore - it was sexy against her tanned smooth skin, all men she met thought so.

Her hair, long shaggy waves of chestnut, fell down to her waistline, rich and thick, occasionally landing into the pair of large emerald tinted eyes that conserved a certain puerile innocence while holding a predatory glow of a seductress. Her features were delicate, her lips plump and light pink, her teeth a blinding white - something that cost her a fortune yet was worth every cent of it.
Sighing, she stepped into the shower, trying to get the imaginary dirt to disappear. Soon enough, she was clean, her hair dry and her body wrapped in a light silk robe. Walking downstairs, she emptied a glass of milk before returning to her bedroom. She slept in a simple white tank top with thick straps and a pair of matching panties clinging tightly to her curves.

Taking a seat on her bed, she looked around, afraid that she would never wake up. Nodding to herself, she slid under the covers, enjoying their warmth. The milk spread through her body, relaxing every tired muscle and soon enough Desiree was deeply asleep, unaware of the night's following events.

Everyone knew of them, everyone knew what they were capable of and what they would do should you ever fall into their bad graces. Even though everyonen knew of their existence, the people did not live in fear. They did not go through the day wondering if it would be their last or what sort of horrible "accident" they would find on the news when they returned from work. Everyone knew they were their but in a way they had managed to keep them shut away in the backs of their minds. The unspoken rule of, you don't bother them, they won't bother you, was something almost everyone agreed upon and followed. Although not everyone can think this way. There are those who are in need of help or those that have wronged them and those are the ones you feel sorry for. Those are the ones you see on the news. For a long time now a gang has silently hid itself away from the populace and managed to never get caught at least not to a major extent. A few members were picked up by the fuzz every now and then but they never once spilled the beans on any of their other members, nor where their hide out was. The members of this gang were harder than a rock, and treated one another as family. It seemed cliche but when you joined this group you could never leave. The group was solid and rarely got new members unless it was family and even then they had to pass a test. This group of people, or gang was called "Pheonix."

The name came from the founder of the group almost 14 years ago. It started with just a tight nit group of friends who looked out for one another to a brotherly extent. It grew in size and eventually began acting out on those who had wronged them. The founder chose the name, Pheonix, after the old mythological fire bird. A powerful mighty bird, one who has no enemies and looks down upon the world below him. Should the mighty Pheonix die, it will be reborn from its own ashes and live once again with new life.

The founder has since died and a new younger man has risen to the top. The members of Pheonix do not call eachother by their birth names. It could leak out and lead to one of the members being tracked down. No, they all go by nicknames or codenames given to them once they joined the group.

The gang has taken up residence in a large old abandonned warehouse on the edge of town. Due to a little blackmail and some connections to the higher ups, Pheonix had been able to blackmail the mayor for the deed to the warehouse and their able to keep the police away and from snooping around as well. It had been fixed up and actually wasnt a very bad place to live. It had many rooms for its members to sleep in, in case they had to lay low for a while. On top of the warehouse most of the members had their own homes to sleep in should they want to do that instead. Either were acceptable but most of the time the warehouse was full of Pheonix's members.

Some members had just returned back to the warehouse just recently. Most of them were members who had been in the gang for quite some time already and that is why they had been given this specific job. Apparently their had been a man who had come to know the identity of one of the gangs members. The gang had eyes and ears everywhere so they quickly came to know about this man and his knowledge. Only a few hours after they had learned about this man, they had set out and found him. After forcing him to come with the group they navigated him to a dark alley way where they proceeded to beat the man senseless. They were long gone and back at the warehouse before the police even arrived. Now the ones who had done the dirty deed were sitting around in the lounging area talking to some other members about how they had done when the male who had led the group was called by the current head of Pheonix.

Responding quickly and hastily made his way to speak with the leader. Arriving at his door he knocked twice and stepped inside making sure to close it behind him. The leader was a large white male with no hair and large muscles and his body was practically covered in tatoos. He was a very scary man to look upon even when he wasnt looking at you with the intent to kill. "I'll get straight to the point, Rev. We have received word from one of our boys in the station that somebody saw you and the guys off that old man in the alley. Not too long after you all got out of their the police recieved a call by some young girl...." Looking down at a paper for a moment to find a bit of information he looked back up. "... By the name of Desiree D'Aether, saying that she had just witnessed a murder." Putting down his papers he moved out and stood right before Rev at a height of 6'7''. "I don't need to tell you that I'm disappointed in this, Rev. You will fix this... And you will fix it tonight." Pulling a small piece of paper out of his pocket he threw it into the chest of Rev who caught it quickly. "Its the girls adress. Why don't you go and see if the little lady won't come out to play tonight?" Turning his back, he wove towards the door with his hand signaling that he could go.

Wasting no time the male left the room and after scooping up a black umbrella left the warehouse. Rev was one of the longest standing members of Pheonix and it was rare for something like this to happen to him so he was determined to make it right no matter the cost. Now the traditional look of a gang member doesnt really sit with Rev. He has a strange habit of over dressing for his jobs. And when I say over dressing I mean, he wears designer black leather dress shoes, with tailored black pants. A pure white ironed button up t-shirt with a blood red tie and a form fitting black coat. The way he worked was a little different than the other members but maybe that is why he was often refered to as one of the crueler members. The reason was his attitude and the way he talked to them. Sometimes he went a little off the book and liked to... play with them a little bit.

Opening up the umbrella Rev quickly made his way out into the heavy rain and into a nice jet black car. Starting the car up quickly he immedietly headed in the direction of the house that the small crumpled piece of paper told him to. It also had a bit of information on it about the girl so Rev knew what he was getting into. Apparently she was a hooker, and she lived by herself. The house was large, paid for by one of her clients and she had been unable to identify any of the gang members. Crumpling it back up he crammed it in his pocket and continued down the road.

After about 10 or 15 minutes or so he arrived at the girls house. Driving past the home he got a visual of it before parking down the street a ways. Opening up the piece of paper one last time he made sure that the house was correct before tossing it in the back seat. Stepping out of the car he again opened up his umbrella and headed in the direction of the house. Leaping across the street in a few bounds he made sure not to splash in any puddles to dirty his atire.

When he finally arrived at the front of her home he had to stop and think for a while. She lived alone... So he didnt have to worry about anybody else once he was in. It seemed that the only problem would be actually getting in. Moving up to the front door he made sure to keep out of any lamps or street lights in case any nosy neighbors caught site of him. Placing his hand upon the doorknob he gave it a slight twist and tug but to no avail. Smiling to himself he sighed. It had been worth a try.

Moving off the front he headed towards the side of the house. He didnt even attempt to try and open the back door. If someone is going to lock the front no doubt would they lock the back. Looking at the side of her home his gaze drifted lower and lower until he found what he was looking for. Upon the sides of her home were two small windows that kept the outside and the basement appart. Crouching down onto the tips of his toes he eyed the windows for a moment. Running his hand along its edges he smiled. One good thing about a town like this, almost all of the houses were made the same. It made things easy for himself and the boys back at the warehouse. They didnt need a different set of tools for each home. Reachign into his pocket he removed a small tool almost in the shape of an "L." Holding the side of it he placed it into a notch by the window and began to turn. After a few rotations he was sure the tool was in and secured. Holding his breath slightly he applied a little pressure and popped the window right open. Exhaling he frowned at the noise it made but carried on. Turning around he slid his legs through the window and landed gracefully on the inside of the girls basement. Reaching back up he closed the window behind him.

Turning around he looked around the basement as he adjusted his cuffs and brushed off his clothes. Returning the tool to his pocket he moved quickly and surely to a back portion of the basement and opened the door. These were the times he was able to have some fun and he indended to. Just like before the makers of these homes were all the same so all of the fuseboxes were all placed in the same place as well. Walking into the room he clicked on the light and moved over to the fusebox. Opening it up he began to look at all the different nobs and such but he ignored these. Pulling out his tool again he squeezed it in on the corner of the fusebox and again with some slight pressure... Pop! The front of the box came loose and hung loosely on its side. Now all of the homes main wireing was visable to him. Plunging his hands into the wires he pulled out three main cords. Reaching into his other pocket he pulled out some clippers and quickly cut the cords. Letting them fall he turned around as the light above him flickered and almost immedietly went off. It was show time.

As much as milk was a blessing for her tense nerves, it was hardly enough to bring the girl to forget the murder she witnessed. An hour or two after she managed to drift to sleep she opened her eyes, her head buzzing and her entire body aching from the lack of sleep. Slowly sitting up, she watched the shadows dance along the floor, occasionally lit by the bright lightning. It was ridiculous, she thought to herself with a bitter scoff. There was no better setting for a murder than an empty doll like house with no neighbors close by, the rain to dull the screams and a weak, frail woman. She sighed, brushing her hair out of her eyes and pushed the cover aside to step onto the cold floor.

As she stood, she couldn't help but shiver, trying to adjust to the complete darkness in the house. Without bothering to turn on the lights as much as it was stupid, the beautiful young woman slowly walked down to the kitchen. She wished with all her might all of it had been a dream. A nightmare. She messed with the wrong people, she knew it, but she had no choice. Was she supposed to let an old man die in the street?

She bit on her thumb nervously. If they were part of the Phoenix, a group she heard enough about during her street days, she was in deep shit. She knew what they did, they were disgusting in her eyes, yet the fact remained - they owned a part of the city. The girl sighed, shaking her head. If it was her time to go, she would go without questions asked. Living in fear was far more terrifying.

Taking a glass of whisky and emptying it in a single swing, she let out a hiss, wincing softly. "There we go," she whispered to herself in that sultry whisper. Suddenly, she heard a sound coming from the basement. Her heart froze, yet the drinks gave her an illusion of grandeur. She moved down the stairs slowly, noticing the faint shadow of a man without seeing who it was.

At that sight she merely laughed, shaking her head. "You're here to kill me, aren't you?" She murmured, not realizing that she was probably talking to a lamp. It felt good to say those words. When she knew what was coming fear seemed to diminish.

Placing his hand on the basement wall he slowly guided himself out of the back room. While his eyes slowly adjusted he had to use the wall to balance himself or else he would probably fall over. Hearing something just a floor above him he stopped in his tracks and tilted his head up towards the basement cealing. It would seem that the girl was awake. This would make things a little bit more interesting, maybe a bit harder but defenitely more interesting. Slowly his eyes adjusted to the darkness and he was able to navigate himself around the basement once more. Guiding himself towards the stair case he never took his eyes off the ceiling and the door at the top of the stairs.

As he shuffled around in the basement his foot knocked against what he could only guess as an old box. Wincing slightly he froze. Again he heard the sounds of movement from upstairs. Blaine loved this... He lived for it. His heart was racing! The amount of adrenaline coursing through him right now was incredible. He loved this feeling. Closing his eyes he took a moment to feel his heart pumping and beating faster than any normal heart.

As he had expected the door at the top of the stairs opened and he saw the girl atop the highest step. He remained motionless and refused to move but a smile was plastered to his face as his eyes stared back up at the girl. She barely wore anything, just a small shirt and a pair of panties. The feeling of adrenaline was building onto his excitment and giving him a large amount of confidence in his job. As he tried to focus on the bigger picture he fought back the urge to rush up the stairs and pin the girl by the throat. His target was their infront of him staring him down although he was pretty sure she couldnt make him out completely.

Then she spoke. She didnt seem as scared as Blaine had thought she would be. But everyone has their own personality and thats what made it fun. When she questioned him Blaine remained silent and motionless. There was something about him building the moment that he really liked.

Slowly his body moved. Taking a slow step forward his gaze never left the girl. He continued to creep closer towards the bottom step until his foot rose up and planted itself upon it. A soft creek escaped the step as he placed more weight on it and moved up another step. Forcing his hands into fists he moved closer and closer, taking yet another step. The stair case creaked and groaned as he moved closer and closer not really rushing to the girl. About half way up the stairs his mouth opened and he spoke. "Not kill you my dear... I'm on strict orders to bring you back with me, alive." He took another step closer to the girl. "So why don't we make this as simple and as easy as possible, shall we?" Another step. "You won't run from me, will ya?"

The girl watched the shadow move, her heart sinking. The lamp really was the man, she must have messed with the Phoenix after all. She froze, not making the slightest attempt to run away, merely stepping back almost as though she wanted to be polite and give him space. In truth, she was shaking inside but on the outside her low tolerance for alcohol made things far easier. She wondered who would miss her. Probably a person or two. That would be the showing rate to her funeral. The clients surely would miss her 'sweet ass' and 'sugar lips', but most of them were married and far too high placed to come over.

She'd be turned to dust and that would be the end of Desiree D'Aether. The thought made her cringe. She didn't want to leave so early, without leaving a legacy..or at least a child behind. On the other hand, that was nobody except for her got hurt. No money to waste on the funerals, nobody to mourn. Oh, Eleanor Rigby, she thought to herself with a smile. Lonely people come from everywhere, including the streets, she answered to Beatles' question.

Watching the shadow, she stepped back another step right into a ray of light. Her expression was tired, yet she was easily a ten otherwise. "I won't. You'll catch me," she replied, her sultry voice remaining a soft whisper. It was almost seductive, painfully sweet yet broken. "Don't bring me there, please. They'll torture me, won't they? Or will you?" She whispered frantically, her pleading eyes trailing over him. "I'll keep silent, I promise," she finished in a murmur. "I'll do anything, anything at all," she crossed her arms under her chest, the large breasts swelling above her shirt.

As he finally approached the final few steps he smiled wether she could see it or not. He was having quite a bit of fun and didnt want it to end just yet. "Good girl," he whispered in a low voice. It would seem that she too knew who he was and what himself and the other members could do if she tried to escape. It was moments like these that made him love what he did. Especially when he was sent out to do it alone. Finally Blaine took the last few steps and came out of the basement. The darkness seemed to almost run from him as he stepped from it and light took its place upon his body revealing how he truely looked like to the girl.

His dark brown eyes stared down into her emerald as he took in the moment of finally seeing his target for what she really looked like. He stood an easy 6'2'' off the ground himself and had dark brown hair that fell just past his eyebrows. He was lean and toned incredibly well. The suit he wore fit him perfectly, as well it should for being tailored to his sizes. Underneath his expensive suit was a well chizzled body that had taken time to perfect.

The first thing he noticed about her was her voice. It sounded so perfect, like any other voice he had ever heard. Simply hearing the sound of her voice was enough to quicken his heartrate even more. His eyes adjusted to the light and he was able to observe her beautiful body for all its worth. Her curves were perfect and her hair was long and her face perfect and so, so innocent. The note card had said that she was a hooker. Her clients must have been very happy with what they got to enjoy with this girl. It was no wonder that one of her clients had bought her this house. She was easily one of the prettiest girls he had ever seen in his life.

Standing before her he fiddled with his cuffs before straightening his jacket. Taking another step towards her still he turned his eyes towards her and smiled. "Torture you? They might do that... Hell, I might do that." Blaine loved this feeling... The feeling of power over another person. The feeling of being able to decide wether a person lives or dies. His hand darted out and took hold of her by the cheeks. His eyes narrowed and he leaned in closer to her. "Oh, you'll keep silent?" He repeated his voice a little louder. "You won't tell anybody a thing, will you? Do you think you could live with the knowledge of knowing that you could of helped find somebodys killer, but you decided to keep silent? Think about the old mans family? What about his kids? Grandkids? Don't you think they deserve to know who killed their old man and that they get put behind bars? Huh?" He repeated, mocking the girl. "Tch... You'll keep silent..." He repeated to himself as he released her cheeks.

Glancing down he eyed at her swelling breasts. "You'll do anything?" Nodding his head Blaine moved out and walked around the room a little taking in the house. "This is a nice place you have here... A real nice place..." He repeated as he looked around and then back to her. The boss said that she had to be back at the warehouse by the end of today. He had plenty of time still. He could use this time to have some fun.

"Alright... Blow me. Right here, right now." He said as he turned back to her. "You know... Get over here, get down on your knees, undo my belt, and blow me. Now." He said with a cruel smile on his face. With one smooth motion he reached over and lifted up on side of his jacket revealing a pistol holstered to the inside. "You said you'll do anything? Then you better get your ass over here and blow me."

Desiree watched her assaulter, almost instantly recognizing him as one of the males on the street earlier on. She couldn't help but notice that he was very good looking, which made her heart sink for some reason. Perhaps was it because she thought that most killers were meants to be unattractive men frustrated with life, or perhaps it was because he could have very well been anyone if they met outside of the circumstances - a friend, a flirt, a client, a romance. It made her shiver, wonder just how many of her clients have killed a man. Despite her street background in the past she found most of things that took place there horrifying. Some didn't care, others enjoyed the danger yet she did everything to avoid it.

When he approached her, she shut her eyes for a moment, thinking that he would kill her right there and then, or at least hurt her. Instead, he spoke those words that hurt her deeper than a blow. She shook her head, smirking briefly, most likely due to the influence of alcohol. "They do, but shouldn't you be more concerned with it? I've done nothing wrong, I don't deserve any of this," she stated boldly. "You think you're very righteous?" She sighed, brushing her hair out of her eyes. "The police won't put you behind bars, they're all corrupt, otherwise you wouldn't be here right now," she bit on her lower lip slowly. She knew that she would regret her words later, but things couldn't get much worse except for the physical pain. She could take it. Hopefully die early into the torture.

Hearing his words, she nodded slowly. "Okay, sure," she mumbled, walking up to the male. She stopped a few inches from him, still terrified of his large frame. He was almost a foot taller than her, and the last thing she wanted to do was to be next to him when he was angry. She kneeled down, crawling toward him on all fours. She then returned to her knees, watching his expensive suit. She wondered if he was really going to kill her while weaing that suit. It was almost ridiculous to think he would.

Of course he possibly had enough money to afford that. She sighed slowly and unding his belt, slowly undoing his pants once it was done. She then slid her fingers through the hole at the front of his boxers, slowly pulling out the male's cock, her eyes never leaving his face. Despite the disgust in her expression she complied without a single objection.

Her fingers slowly wrapped around his length, firmly yet without hurting him and slowly began moving up and down his length to get him hard. She meanwhile leaned her head forth, her tongue expertly rubbing up against his tip, circling and teasing it, making sure to stimulate every most sensitive spot. Just as with her clients she put all of her experience into the task, doing everything in her power to please. Letting him out of her mouth, she rubbed his tip against her lips, her cheek sliding along his length, following her hand.

The girl then returned back up, her tongue flicking against him. "Tell me what exacty you want," the call girl whispered, looking up at the male once again.

This girl... Desiree, defenitely had some spunk in her. He was practically towering over the girl but she was determined not to show a bit of fear. But that was ok, it made things more fun for him. He wasnt sure when or where he got to be the way he was. But he hadnt been the way he was all his life. It wasnt like he was born and he went out into the world wanting to be a gangster. No, maybe it was when he had family troubles, or maybe when he had financial troubles. Whenever it was, to Blaine it was one of the best moments of his life. He enjoyed who he was and what he did. Sure his first actual killing had been a bit hard but once he pulled that trigger for the first time he remembered the feeling of power surging through him and the feeling didnt go away, not even after he pumped his first victim with two more shots. Ever since he rose his way up through the ranks of Pheonix only to reach where he was today. Practically second in command. Things were going good, he thought as he watched the girl crawl over to him on her hands and knees.

Standing tall over her he watches as she undid his belt and boxers. "What a good little dog you are," he said as he watched her draw out his cock. His eyes watched her greedily as her hand moved back and forth across his length, making his cock come alive. It didnt take long before his member stood erect at a long 9 inches. Reaching his hand down he moved her hair over her ear so he could see her work. "You better hope that this feels real good... I'll drag that tight little ass of yours back with me and trust me doll..." He said with a laugh. "You don't want that." He smiled as he watched her tongue dance across his tip. "But your a hooker right? A whore? This should be easy for you... With so much experience and all."

Looking down at her he listened to her whisperer to him and a large smile spread across his lips. "Oooh baby. Now thats what I like to hear." He said cheerfully as he reached into his coat and pulled out his pistol. Holding it up before him he cocked it and held it to his side. With his other hand he reached for the back of her head and took a large handul of her long wonderful hair. Forcing her head back towards his member he forced his cock into her mouth and far down her throat. "Ah, shit ya. That feels good..." He breathed as he crammed as much of his cock into her mouth, pushing his hips forward while pushing her head further down over him. Bringing up his gun he put it to her head. "How does it feel to have your life in somebody elses hands? Huh?" He said his voice getting louder. "Don't talk with your mouth full, whore." He laughed. He forced her to hold his cock down her throat for a good 12 seconds. Finally he pulled her head back and removed his cock from her throat. Leaning over he tapped her cheek a few times prodding her with the barrel of the pistol. "Well? How was that? You liked it didnt you. Man your a filthy whore, arent you?"

Rising back up he lookd down at the girl below him. Releasing her hair he put his pistol to the side of her head once more. "Now be a good dog and make me cum will you?"

His words, dirty and unpleasant, caused her to shiver. She was used to degradation in her street days from men who felt so inferior they couldn't live without putting someone else down. It was the thought that he was just compensating for something that was terribly wrong with him that helped her go on. When he finally released her, she pulled her head back, exhaling slowly, taking a few moments to get used to breathing. "No, I didn't," she replied coolly. "If you want to do it yourself, get an inflatable doll," she winced as the barrel of the pistol touched her. She shook her head and slid her hand up to his cock, slowly sliding it up and down his length. Realizing that he didn't want her to do things the normal way she simply took him into her mouth.

She pushed him deep down her throat until her lips touched his base. She then began moving her head up and down his length, her tongue skillfully caressing his shaft as she moved. She soon accelerated, her hand sliding them to stroke his balls. Her palm massaged them softly, trying to please him as much as possible. Her eyes returned to the man's face, studying him, trying to find at least a hint of humanity yet failing miserably.