EP10

Did he really find anything that corroborates his story?

"So…" he couldn't help but mutter.

"I know what happened at the crime scene."

That phrase could mean a million different things, from what he witnessed to how he escaped and nearly caught him red-handed.

"You do?"

"Yes. I know, Alex. I know about the photo."

He felt his eyes widen.

Oh... dammit.

He tried not to show it when he swallowed the saliva in his mouth.

"Photograph?" He could tell from his voice that he was lying. "What photo?"

He chuckled darkly, slipped off the bed, and stood up again. He walked slowly around the room, shadows seeming to follow him.

"I-I'm not sure," he continued. "What do you mean..."

"You took a picture while you were there, didn't you?" He didn't exactly ask this as a question, rather he gave a pointed explanation. "I spoke to someone who was there that day."

Alax blinked again. "You talked to one of the killers?"

Richard stopped pacing and turned to look over his shoulder at her. "What? No, of course not. There would be a lot more blood on my clothes if there were."

He leaned against the chair. As disgusting as the sight was, it somehow comforted him. He didn't know what was wrong with Richard, but for some reason the thought of him coming into contact with such people made him nauseous.

Not that he cared particularly about her well-being, surely... but...

He shook his head. His thoughts were spinning so fast that it was difficult to keep track of the whys and hows of his own arguments.

"What I meant to say," continued Richard, "is that there was someone else out there who witnessed it all."

Alex tilted his head to the side. Was it there? Who? He had seen no one around him but the two criminals and the dead man they had beaten.

"I don't think it exists..."

The sentence caused a pause. It still had to be, right? How else could he have known about the photograph?

He shut his mouth tightly and looked at her again, not wanting to continue giving things away when they weren't needed. Maybe this was all a test in the end.

"There was a man there. Homeless. He saw everything."

"Oh…" Alex bit the inside of his cheek. "I didn't know."

"He told me he was hiding so well. I was going to pick off Jimmy after you guys ran off, but then the cops were right in there. It looks like the three of you got a lot of attention."

Alex wrinkled his nose at this. Stealing from the dead was somewhat taboo, even if they weren't someone you knew and you were in a desperate situation. While he has never been exposed to living on the streets, perhaps his perspectives have changed.

"I understand ..."

"I'm going to need you to show me that photo."

Alex shrugged. "What if I don't?"

A grin slowly appeared on Richard's face. He strode slowly through the room as if a predator were stalking its prey among the tall grass of Savannah. He swallowed hard, his stomach filling with a strange warmth he tried to ignore, even if it burned slightly.

"I don't think you want to tell me that."

He dug one knee back into the mattress and dipped it lightly as he added weight to it.

AThe hand came and leaned against the edge of the chair and grasped it. The man stood motionless as he bent towards her, feeling her breath tickling his face as he looked at her again.

His eyes flickered back and forth between his own, making her heart beat faster than when she stepped back through the doorway.

What did he have?

His smile deepened.

"All I'm going to say is that if you don't cooperate, you won't like what happens to you."

Alex pressed her legs together, seeing the deep hoarseness in her voice. A pang of excitement sent a pulse through his heart.

Damn, I have a serious problem...

"Do you understand me?"

He exhaled slowly, making sure his voice was steady, before saying "yes".

"He's a good guy." The praise almost made him clasp his knees together. "Now, why don't you show me what I want to see?"

I wish I could interpret these words in a completely different way than what he meant.

Alex pressed his lips together and shook his head.

"You'll have to get off me first."

There was a slight pause in their breathing, Alex could have sworn he saw something vibrate on Richard's cold exterior.

Maybe he was reaching for her after all.

When Richard didn't move, Alex couldn't help the small panic that gripped him.

She couldn't decide if the escalating tension between them was something she wanted or because Richard was a man who was not only sexy but had that bad-boy kind of energy her brain tended to grasp. over.

But whatever it was, he had to stop before they both did something stupid.

He ran his tongue behind his teeth.

Richard

It was as if it had freed him from whatever spell he was under. He nodded and backed away immediately, until he was completely away from the chair.

He hated that he suddenly felt cold as if his whole body had been immersed in an ice bath.

He slid off the chair, straightening his clothes, and crossed his arms over his chest. Then he stood by the dresser, as if searching for the photograph. Damn, what was he going to say to her? Would he lose his only bargaining chip if he knew the photo was destroyed?

"Not quite on me," said Alex, turning around. "But the movie is at my house."

Richard nodded. "Let's go."

Together, they went to the hotel lobby with his arm wrapped around her in a way that probably looked romantic on the outside... and made her feel a little warm. Richard hailed a taxi, never leaving her in his arms. She still didn't seem to trust him.

They were silent the whole way, and Alex found himself leaning closer to his captor. He tried to make sense of it, thinking he had no other choice as he had her on his side. But that didn't explain why he was constantly inhaling her scent or moving their bodies to fit more comfortably.

When they finally reached the dorm room, Augusta went upstairs and went to the small closet she had turned into the darkroom. Since it was midnight, there was no one to communicate with in the corridors of the dormitory.

He stopped in front of the door of the dark room and turned to her. "It can be a little hard to see there. Due to the nature of the movie, I have to keep the lights off."

Without focusing on him, he nodded, looking intently at the door.

Alex turned around and opened the door, holding it open long enough for Richard to slip in and do the same. He closed the door and turned on the light switch.

The dark area was illuminated with red light and covered the entire area. She smiled a little at her setup. Since witnessing the coup, he hadn't had the time here except to develop the photo that got him into this mess.

She missed she. All.

Alex went to the development station and rummaged through the raw film that was hanging there, Richard's frightening presence hovering directly behind him.

He tried to shake it off, ignoring it as he searched for the appropriate lane.

When he finally found it, he took it out of the clip and carried it to a small table. He switched on a lamp that was slightly lighter than the red light overhead and slowly moved the film in front of him to get a better view.

"Did you find it?"

He nodded, placing his thumb on the strip with the photo.

"Right here."

Richard leaned over her, her body pressed against his shoulder as he stared at the thumbnail.

"I know it's a little hard to see..."

"It's okay," he interrupted.