In Over Your Head

Posts : 703 Join date : 2011-08-14

Santana snapped her fingers and Carter was grabbed by two huge men in suits, each one carrying a Russian gun. "You want to speak with Nicki? Well I'm afraid she doesn't take requests to see filth like you. She'll see you when she feels like it, but I tell you what." Santana crossed her legs, studying the man from top to bottom as if to sniff out any fear he may have. "Stick around tonight. Maybe she'll give you a private meeting once she's done with some paperwork." Santana stood to her feet. "Get him the hell out of here before I shoot him between the eyes for entering without my permission."

The two men roughly dragged Carter out of the VIP area, gun pointed at his back as they shoved him out. "Git goin' or you'll taste lead on principal."

Posts : 276 Join date : 2011-08-14

Carter didn't need to be told twice. He practically bolted from the room, his face as white as a ghost. Resting at a small table near the back, he began to drown his sorrows in alcohol. He couldn't believe that everything was happening to him. He was going to have to kill his sister. But he couldn't, he just couldn't. He sat back in his seat, trying not to let the tears prick his eyes.

Posts : 703 Join date : 2011-08-14

Shawn's evening went by faster than he thought. The nine guys kept him pretty busy, ordering drink after drink. They all pitched in for lap dances and took turns feeling him up, but he didn't mind. This was an easy job. At least tonight he wouldn't have to worry about killing any of them. When the last of his guests left, he plopped down on the couch taking a breather. He was tired, hungry and in need of his own drink but something light. He left the VIP area heading straight for the bar ordering a sandwich, fruit and a margarita.

As he grabbed his tray to find a table, he spotted Carter in the back, slouched over his chair. He looked like he was drunk. Shawn shook his head. There was a part of him that wanted to make sure he got home safely, but then the smart prt of his brain told him not to bother with him. He sighed taking a seat at an empty table enjoying his food alone.

Posts : 2910 Join date : 2011-08-20

Carter's eyes spotted Shawn and against his better judgement, he went over to his table. "I...I wanted to tell Nicki I can't do this but I can't get a meeting with her. Please...tell her to leave my family alone. I don't care if she kills me but she can't bring my family into this...." he collapsed into the chair, wiping his crying eyes. "She's to innocent to be brought into a world like this..."

Posts : 703 Join date : 2011-08-14

Shawn jumped, startled by the sudden intrusion. Immediately Chris was signaling guys to come get Carter but he waved them off. "Christ Carter, stop sneaking up on me like that."

Shawn downed the rest of his sandwich avoiding Carter's eyes. He saw the tears and in this line of work, he rarely saw tears, not even on his victim's faces. It was screwing with him. "Carter please don't cry in front of me. I can't deal with it. I'm not even involved anymore so there's only so much I can do. You don't even know if they're planning to kill her." He looked down rolling a grape around his plate, unsure if he even had an appetite anymore. "You were a fool if you thought you could get to Nicki."

Posts : 2910 Join date : 2011-08-20

"S...sorry," Carter hiccuped, a mixture of his tears and his drunken state. "Look, I know that they're going to kill her. I've worked around this line of work since I was a rookie myself. Once someone backs out of a deal, one of two things happen. One, either the subject and the target are killed or two, the subject is killed and the target is brought in to fix their debt."

Posts : 703 Join date : 2011-08-14

Shawn sighed. Carter was drunk out of his mind and needed to go lie down somewhere. "You know for a drunk cop you sure do think pretty straight. Look, there's still time for you and your sister to skip town. Once i hand you that file and you choose not to go through with it, then...I don't know."

Shawn finished up his drink then slid out of his chair. He stood before Carter helping him stand, his eyes locking with a pair of frightened jewels. They were pretty despite the fear and sadness in them. His face heated up as he realized how close they were. He could smell the sweetness of alcohol bouncing off of him. It was kind of distracting. Shawn looked around the club. Nicki's men were still holding down the fort but it was a busy night which meant most of his fellow Barbz were hard at work. "Let me take you home. You can't drive like this and we really shouldn't be having this conversation out in the open. Just...tell me where to drop you off and Ill walk home from your place."

Posts : 2910 Join date : 2011-08-20

Carter held onto Shawn, "Sis...Sis is expecting me to come back alone and I...I dunno if I can walk..." he took a few steps, almost unable to do even that. "Just drop me off in a gutter somewhere, it's where I belong anyways. I let everyone down, especially my sister..."

Posts : 703 Join date : 2011-08-14

Shawn went into what Santana called "mom mode". She always teased him about it because he would always get frustrated with childish behavior or something of the sort and start scolding them. "Carter I'm not leaving you in a damn gutter. Just...sit." Shawn pushed him back in his seat then left to talk with Chris. Chris disappeared behind the VIP curtain returning a few minutes later with what Shawn needed. "Thanks Chris."

"No problem. Just be sure you don't let him get to you too much Shawn. Remember the rule. It's for your own good alright?"

Shawn nodded. "I know Chris, but you know how I am about young cops. It's a waste." Shawn hurried back over to Carter standing over him. "I have your sister's cell number. If I called her personally do you think she'd worry too much if you went home with me?"

Posts : 2910 Join date : 2011-08-20

Carter looked at him, trying to clear his head. "I...I think she'd wanna know why but at the end of the day she'd just be thankful I was dead. We've only got each other you know. Our dad left us when I was 3, she didn't even get to know him. I'm the closest family she's got left..."

He was thankful that Shawn was doing this for him.

Posts : 703 Join date : 2011-08-14

"Well she'll have to wait until tomorrow. You know as well as I do that talking business over the phone ain't smart." Shawn grabbed his cell dialing up Nolee's number. He was sticking his neck out farther than usual for two people he hardly knew. He just hoped Nicki would understand.

Posts : 2910 Join date : 2011-08-20

Nolee rolled over onto her side as she groped blindly for her phone on the nightstand. She answered it, not checking who it was. "Jack this you?" she yawned. "I told you, I'm not feeling to good so I can't come out this weekend."

Posts : 703 Join date : 2011-08-14

Shawn chuckled. "Hello darling. This isn't Jack, but I'm sure I'm just as good looking. Sorry to wake you, but I need your permission to do something."

Posts : 2910 Join date : 2011-08-20

Nolee bolted upright in bed. She remembered that her brother was supposed to be talking to Nicki and the fact that Shawn was calling her must have meant that something was happening to her brother. "Where is he? What did you do to my brother?"

Posts : 703 Join date : 2011-08-14

"Calm down Nolee. Better me calling than the boss." Shawn looked over at Carter who might have been sobering up a bit but not by much. His eyes were still pretty glazed and he was having trouble staying upright. "Your brother's an idiot though. Plain and simple, but since he's drunk out of his mind, I need your permission to take him home with me. No, I'm not going to kill him but what happens tomorrow is well...out of my hands. At any rate all I can promise is a safe night and a safe return to you in the morning."

Posts : 2910 Join date : 2011-08-20

Nolee teared up, "Shawn...I'll take over for him. I'll do whatever he's supposed to be doing, just let him get out of town please. I don't want him to kill me and I don't want them to kill him." She laid back against the back of the wall, "I"ll do whatever it takes, just keep him protected."

Posts : 703 Join date : 2011-08-14

Shawn sighed. This was really sticky because he had no idea what to do. Both wanted to protect the other. Even if he did manage to get Carter off, they'd want Nolee in exchange for her brother's life. "Let me talk some stuff over with your brother tonight and by morning we'll hopefully have figured something out. Just stay put alright? Your brother's worried enough and he doesn't need you out sniffing around getting into deeper shit."

Posts : 2910 Join date : 2011-08-20

Nolee nodded, "Thank you, thank you so much Shawn." she hung up, laying back down in her bed. Sleep didn't come though. She was to worried about what was going to happen with her brother to sleep soundly.

Carter waited as Shawn got off the phone with Nolee. He looked at his new friend, if he could call him that, and smiled. "You...you know she's okay then?"

Posts : 703 Join date : 2011-08-14

"She's fine Carter, but she's just as worried about you as you are about her." Shawn opened up his messages sending Chris a quick text letting him know he was leaving and that Carter was staying with him just in case something jumped off. "Alright Carter. Let's get out of here. We need to talk before you're too tired to hear me out." Shawn helped Carter to his feet and with an arm around him lead him out the front door. "Where's your car?"

Posts : 2910 Join date : 2011-08-20

Carter pointed to a red pick up truck with a smile on his face, "There. That's my beauty. And why do we need to talk?" his words sounded tired and slung together. Yawning, he laid his head against Shawn's shoulder. "Hmmm...I just wanna sleep here..."

Posts : 703 Join date : 2011-08-14

Shawn sighed. "You can't sleep now Carter because we need to- to figure out how to save your life...and your sister's." Shawn did not want this. He never, ever got involved like this but the more he tried to help, the bigger the emotional hole he seemed to be digging for himself.

He stood Carter up by his truck slipping his hand in Carter's pocket to get the keys. He helped Carter inside before he hopped in on the driver's side. This was not his thing. He hoped that by morning the emotional strain he was startin to feel would go away but for now, he had to focus. They had a lot to talk about before he could even start thinking about detaching himsef from the Lacroix family.

Shawn pulled up to his apartment minutes later. He had to wake Carter up because he'd dozed off for a few. "Come on Carter. We're here." Shawn wrapped his arms around Carter helping him out of the truck.

Posts : 2910 Join date : 2011-08-20

Carter blinked his eyes a few times, trying to process what was going on. He was going to help him and Nolee? "Th...thank you..." Carter said as they stumbled inside the house. He collapsed onto the couch, "Talk quick. Sleepy."

Posts : 703 Join date : 2011-08-14

Shawn sighed. "Carter I need you awake while we talk. This is-- I could get killed for this. I might be Nicki's main Barb, but that means nothing in this business." Shawn sat down on the couch next to Carter, head down. "We could get up early and talk. Just...go to sleep, but I'm serious Carter. We're running out of time so early morning at the very latest."

Posts : 2910 Join date : 2011-08-20

Carter shook his head, "We...we can talk now. I'm not to out of it. I can understand when we're talking about. And I have to go to work tomorrow. SO what took you on the phone so long with Nolee?"

Posts : 703 Join date : 2011-08-14

Shawn continued to stare down at the floor speaking softly."She wants you to go away Carter. She's offering to trade herself for your life. Nicki won't kill her, but if she offers herself without a fight, Nicki will accept her as a new worker provided I stand by her. Thing is, if Nolee does this and doesn't do the jobs, we could both be in deep shit."