Snippet #2386844

The pace in the morning was always slow, tedious tasks and having to pause to nod and greet whomever walked past. The hours were long at Hotel Colony, but the pay was good and the benefits came in handy. As a little girl she remembered passing the hotel on long bike rides along Ocean Shore. It had always had a certain magical essence that made her drawn to the place. In a way it had become a home to her, a place that offered stability and discipline for the first time in her life.

Plus the people weren't so bad either, staff as well as guests. She hadn't even heard Cassus approach her desk until he spoke, "Still blonde today, bella?", startling her.

He was an extremely stealthy person, she had noticed. On more than one occasion he had caught her unexpecting, jumping at his voice. This time she had only flinched, smiling at herself with amusement. "Scared the hell out of me again, Cassus - at this rate I'll be gray before I go back to brown and it'll all be your fault." She said with an accusing tone, believing she heard a laugh before he disappeared around the corner.

Her fingers pushed aside stray hairs that had curled up along her hairline, squinting her hazel eyes at the computer monitor as she moved the cursor across the screen. The good thing about having monotonous tasks that seemed to flow one right into another was that time passed fast. She knew it was almost eight when Detective Mallory came in for his morning coffee. Of course he called her out on her hangover, not that she had made it too hard with her appearance. Their banter was all in good fun, the man was a charm and Bianca couldn't help but to be friendly in return. "You got me, Detective." She said with much chagrin as he walked on, her smile tentative on her lips.


But as most of the guests did, he too had been just a fleeting moment of socialization in her rather dull morning. It was like being on autopilot, allowing her mind to roam. Firstly to last night, making her wince at the recollection that everyone had been taking body shots, running their tongue across her abdomen as they slurped tequila that had been poured into her naval, plucking a lime from her mouth. Alcohol brought out the worst in her, she had decided. It got to the point where she thought of creating an alter ego to take blame for all her drunken decisions. In the end it was fun, but the guilt of her father boasting of how as a single dad he brought up a beautiful well rounded nice girl while she ran around with her group of girls hopping club to club sometimes made her regret those crazy nights.

To Bianca her father was everything, she wanted nothing to do with her mothers new family - she would just feel like a puzzle piece that didn't fit. It was her and Fernando against the world, for more than half her life. In time Bianca knew she would retire from the club scene, at a certain point it would just be pathetic to continue. But for now she would work until something better came along she supposed. Sometimes she would panic about where she was going with her life, confused about what she wanted to do. As well as she as doing for herself now, there had to be something more to her life than pushing paper work.

The sound of bells chiming indicating that someone was entering the lobby caught her attention, a man dressed in casual clothes - a baseball cap pulled low so the visor hid his eyes. Immediately Bianca stood, because of hotel policy hats were not allowed so that camera's could register the faces of those who passed through. "Hello sir, welcome to Hotel Colony - could I please just ask you to remove your cap." Her formal tone had a certain type of peppiness that she only used when on the job, usually opting for ebonics and a casual demeanor.

The man didn't seem the least bit pleased about her greeting, his hand not even so much as twitching to remove his cap. "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you again to remove your cap."

He was walking toward her, and as his jacket shifted from his hip, Bianca saw the familiar glint of gunmetal holstered on his hip. Her first move was to click the panic button beneath her desk, then backing away from her station as if the space between them could protect her. Her eyes never left the man, who still remained silent. The guests had cleared the lobby, either going to their rooms or on their way out. It felt like the whole world continued to move around herself and this unidentified man, oblivious to the danger.

When he spoke, it came out more as a hiss as he leaned across her desk. "I won't hurt you, if you help me." She remained frozen, her eyes blank as she nodded slightly. He continued, "I need you to direct me to Dr. Hilger."

Dr. Hilger, Bianca wasnt even sure if the man was here. He and his wife would constantly be in a battle, the Colony hotel turned into a second home for him as a result. He was a stout yet geniune man who held a certain twinkle in his eye. Bianca had heard of deranged family members of deceased one sometimes gunning down the doctor they believed was to blame for their relatives death, but Bianca couldn't imagine anyone wanting to kill Dr. Hilger.

Mistaking her silence for resistance, the man shifted aside the fabric to rest his hand over his gun, jolting Bianca to life. "I don't even know if he's here, I just started my shift!" She blurted, choking back sobs of terror. Gesturing toward her computer, the man lifted the rim of his cap so that she could see his cold eyes staring her down. Trembling, Bianca took two deliberate steps to her monitor, looming over the key board as she typed - eyes pacing from the man to her computer screen. Every move was slow and deliberate, waiting for help to arrive.

It was useless, the man was smarter than she had given him credit for. He remained attentive, looking behind him in case someone were to sneak up on him. It wasnt until he saw a glimpse of the flashing lights outside that he reacted. "Damn you bitch!" He said, withdrawing his gun.

Bianca looked up, panicked. The man gave her no reaction time as he hopped over the desk, grabbing a handful of her hair to pull her close then wrapping his arm across her shoulders, putting pressure against her jugular. She managed a squeal before she felt the cool metal press into the small of her back. "Shut the fuck up, you brought this onto yourself." He said calmly, his voice low.

Petrified, Bianca recoiled into his hold, attempting to appear harmless. "I didn't call the police, I swear. You've been watching me this whole time...I told you to remove your hat...security probably called." Desperate to make herself innocent, she began to rattle off excuses, squirming under his hold. It was then that a voice could be heard from outside, amplified somehow.

"This is the police, we have you surrounded. Come up with your hands up and nobody has to get hurt."

She couldn't help to roll her eyes, they weren't very convincing. Bianca had called the police to protect herself, but all it had done was further compromised her position. The man sneered, whispering into her ear. "Now see you've just turned yourself into my little bargaining chip." A shiver ran down her spine.