Corrupted Flowers

@ BearGirl
Not missing a beat, Justin moved towards Bailey and Cricket and acted quickly pistol-whipped Cricket before grabbing ahold of Bailey's upper arm rather roughly. "Let's go." He said coldly, not even looking at Cricket as he shoved his gun into his back pocket and dragged Bailey out of the room. His head held high as he walked, not caring if he was dragging Bailey through the halls or not. She got herself into this mess and he was fucking pissed. She should of never come here in the first place.

Once they were a couple of rooms away, Justin shoved Bailey into an empty room and closed the door behind them before turning the light. Closing his eyes, Justin tried to calm himself before he turned towards Bailey. His usual indifferent expression that he wore changing to one of annoyance as he walked towards the younger woman. He pulled off his hood as he glared down at her once he was standing in front of her and backed her towards the back wall as well.

"Why the fuck are you here, kid?" Justin growled out quietly so that no one could hear them from the other side of the door. His right hand moved up and rested against the wall at the side of her head. His eyes narrowed as he watched Bailey. "You could have been fucking killed! Do you have any fucking idea how dangerous it is here?"

Another growl escaped from Justin as he slowly shook his head. Annoyed that he was having this sort of conversation with her already. "How do you know that guy?" Justin asked, his voice a few octaves lower than usual, indicating that he was quite annoyed with him. "What is he to you?" He asked, narrowing his eyes, thinking the worst possible thing. Her boyfriend, or some shit.

@ FallenHope95

A loud gasp left Bailey as her brother fell to the ground and she was suddenly grabbed by her upper arm. She tried to pull herself from his grasp but was unable to do so as Justin dragged her out of the room. With Justin's long legs, she had a hard time keeping up. And she eventually needed to grab onto the lower part of his arm to keep up without tripping. As much as she had been afraid, her eyes were now cold as stone, growing angrier by the second.

As he shoved her into the empty room, a pained gasp left her as she stumbled on her feet and slightly shifted on her ankle weirdly. She pressed a hand against the wall, stabilizing herself as she took in a few deep breaths. Bailey hadn't noticed how breathless she had become with that whole interaction. It almost felt like she hadn't been breathing the whole time.

Her eyes lifted up as Justin pulled the hood off, proving that Bailey had managed to get it right. It was Justin. Though the anger in her started to dissipate as backed her against the back of the room. Once she hit the wall, Bailey looked up at Justin with large, fearful eyes. She winced slightly as he blocked her in more by pressing his hand on the side of her head and growled at her. As Justin started to lecture her, Bailey dropped her head shamefully. She knew he was right but it didn't help any that he was pointing it all out to her.

"Do you think I want to be here? I know what could have happened but I was willing to take that risk... It was stupid, I know." Bailey said back after a moment, a bit of sadness in her voice as she did so. Though, her head lifted up, finding some of her nerves again as Justin started to question her about Cricket. "I don't think that is really any of your business and is that what you are really concerned about right now?" Bailey said as she stood up a bit straighter, some anger entering her voice. She lightly shoved Justin at his chest. Not hard enough to push him down, but she wanted to make a point. "I just found you in a gang's den and it was pretty obvious that the boss there considered you close to him. So before you start lecturing me about my decisions, maybe you should look at your own."

She lightly shoved him again in the chest. "And, for the record, I don't want to be here and it wasn't my decision to come. That guy that you just made into a drug mule is my fucking brother!" Bailey shoved Justin again much harder so she was no longer pinned against the wall by him. "So don't be acting all high and mighty with me right now!"

@ BearGirl
Just let it happen. Justin just allowed Bailey to talk back to him, to shove his chest, to get her frustration out of him as much as she wanted because this was fucking insane. She didn't belone here, she was to fucking pure for this shit. He should of never gotten close to her, because now. It felt like he was fucking drowning and he had no fucking idea how to swim to the surface.

"Damnit." Justin cursed as hr grabbed onto Bailey's wrists and pinned them above her head as he moved closer to her once again. Their chests barely touching and he stared down at her. His dark eyes narrowing as he took in her appearance. She looked like she was still the same clothes she was wearing from the fair. MEaning she must of just woken up and came right here like him. Her hair was a little messy as well but he didn't comment of that mentally because he liked how she looked messy. An damn, did he like being this close to her. The color of her eyes was so much more intense in this position.

"Shit." He breathed out quietly, allowing for his minty breath to walk over her face as he closed his eyes and tried to let everything sink in. "Your brother?" He said quietly, dark amusement laced with his words as he slowly shook his head. He could not fucking believe this. Here he was thinking that Bailey was cheating on him with a lowlife, but in reality he was her fucking brother.

slowly, Justin opened his eyes and looked down at Bailey, pinned to the wall by him. "Jeasus christ Bailey, you know how fucking scared I was seeing you in there with Cricket and The Boss?" He said, letting his words slip out and then scowling as he realized what he had just said. Feelings were a fucking dangerous thing to play with here, and he was letting his get the best of him. "No one hurt you when you got here, did they?" He asked, knowing that sometimes people got a little roughed up when they came to speak with a higher up.

@ FallenHope95

It was easy for Justin to grab Bailey and pushed her back against the wall with her wrists pinned above her head. Even though Justin's grip on her was tight, Bailey tried to pull her wrists from his grasp. She didn't exactly know what Justin thought he was doing, but she didn't like it... Though knowing him, Justin probably just wanted her to stop hitting him. But, how much did she really know Justin at this point? It seemed very little.

"Justin, stop it." Bailey whimpered softly as she pulled harder, wanting her wrists free. But, after a few hard tugs, it seemed clear to her that it was not going to happen. She let out a small sigh of defeat as she laid her head back against the wall. Her eyes shifted to look back at Justin. Though she twisted a bit uncomfortably as she noticed that he was looking her over. "Justin!" Bailey whispered a bit more harshly. There was a point where she would have wanted him to take her in like that, but right now was definitely not it.

Bailey could not help but roll her eyes as Justin whispered with pleasure about Cricket being her brother. She stomped down on his foot, once again not hard enough to hurt him but hard enough to make a point. "You don't have to sound so fucking happy about it." She hissed at him quietly, tugging down on her arms one more time. "And you still hit my brother with a pistol so can you at least pretend to feel a little bad?!"

As mad as Bailey was at the whole situation she had gotten pulled into, it quickly dissipated once again at his next words. Her arms seemed to go limp underneath his hands and she let out a shaky sigh. It was so easy to be able to hide behind the anger, but Bailey felt so much deeper than that. And Justin admitting that he was scared for her didn't help. Though she didn't know how to handle everything that had happened. And it seemed easier to try and deal with one thing at a time. But, what that thing should be, she wasn't sure. Her head dropped a bit as she spoke. "I was scared too," She whispered. Her head shook a little when Justin asked if she was hurt. "I want to leave. I want to go home."

@ BearGirl
Finally getting tired of Bailey's little hits, Justin let her wrists go and took a small step back to give them both some space. His dark eyes looked her over as he listened, taking everything in. His lips were set in a straight line, not really what to be thinking or doing at the moment. This was seriously the thing furthest from his mind at the moment. Bailey was innocent in all of this, she shouldn't freaking be here.

"You can't go home, Bailey." Justin said quietly after a couple of moments of silence between them. "The boss will suspect that you'd be trying to run away or could call the cops if un-supervised." He told her, then quickly ran his tongue over his dry lips to wet them slightly. "You're going to have to come to my place for the time being. Then, once you've proven yourself, you can go back to your place. Alright?" Justin asked, although it was rhetorical because she really didn't have a say in the moment.

Slowly, taking another step to the side, Justin held his hand out to Bailey and motioned with his head that they're leaving. "Let's, talk at my place." He said quietly, knowing that Bailey was probably stressed the fuck out. Plus, he also wanted to think about how the fuck to get Bailey out of this, and do something with Cricket that didn't include having his fucking life in danger every damn day by possibly over dosing on accident. Shit, who would of known that the idiot was related to such a kindhearted young lady.

Trying to be as gentle as he could with Bailey, while also seeming like he was control of her. Justin snuck her out of the hideout, somehow able to sneak past the other members who were bumming aound the hideout, waitinf for the boss to order them. Then, he helped Bailey into his car and took her towards his apartment. Ignoring any sort of questions she might have about where they were going, that he should listen, or whatever else could escape from her lips at the moment.

Then, as they arrived at his complex, Justin pulled into the underground parking for his apartment. "Alright, you've wanted to come see my place so. Come on." He said and motioned for her to get out as he climbed out as well. Then, he moved towards her and wrapped an arm around her waist and let her to his place. "Welcome, to my place." He said calmly as they got to his place and he closed the door behind them.

@ FallenHope95

The frown across Bailey's face deepened as Justin said that she had to go home with him. That was not what she wanted right now. Not at all. She wanted to go home and get away from this mess that she was in. And being with Justin would not do that for her. He was in this mess. "But, I want to go home now..." She said a bit weakly, knowing that what she wanted didn't really matter much.

She let out a small sigh before taking Justin's hand when he offered it. In truth, she was mad and upset with what she found out about Justin. But this wasn't really the time to be yelling at him for being in a gang. And even though this was so fucked up, she could see that Justin was trying to help keep her alive. That, at least, was appreciated. So, she followed Justin as they snuck out. Once in the car, Bailey sat down and laid her head against the back of the seat. She was beyond stressed out. There was a lot going through her mind and she didn't know how to calm it down.

It wasn't long until they were heading from the parking lot to his apartment. A couple of hours ago, Bailey would have been excited about seeing his place. But that was definitely not the case right now. She took a moment to glance around the apartment, trying to take it all in. Though, all she was really able to get from it that it was a large space. Bailey dropped her head down into her hand for a moment, trying her best to take in everything that had happened. But she just felt like she was falling apart. Her brother somehow got wrapped up in a gang, became a drug mule, and plus the guy she had liked was part of that same goddamn gang. It was a rough night.

"How long do I have to stay here for?" Bailey whispered.

@ BearGirl
Leaning against the door frame, Justin watched Bailey as she took his place his. His arms crossing as he relaxed, His dark eyes as sharp as ever as he watched her. Examining her, trying to get a read on how she was acting. An, to be honest, she was acting just like how he was expecting for her too.

"That's something I can't answer fully." Justin said as he stood up straight and walked over towards his fridge. He opened the door of the fridge and grabbed two bottles of water. "Drink this." He said calmly as he turned around and handed the bottle to her. It wasn't as good as alcohol at the moment, but it was the least he could offer. Bailey's been through a lot, so something in her system would be better then not.

Then, Justin motioned for Bailey to follow him and led her towards his living room area. Plopping down on a couch, he looked towards the girl he was starting to have feelings for. "What are you thinking?" He asked her, wanting to hear everything that she had going through her mind.

@ FallenHope95

At Justin's answer, Bailey dropped her head a bit but nodded nonetheless. It wasn't what she had wanted to hear, but it was what she had been expecting. With a situation like this, who knew what would happen... all she could really do at this point was wait to see the outcome. Hopefully, the gang would be willing to leave her alone. As much as Bailey felt conflicted about everything, there was no doubt in her mind that she would keep quiet. Telling the police would only get people killed. She needed to protect Sebastion.

When it was handed out, she took the water bottle in her hands. Bailey held it a bit close to her chest, feeling rather uncomfortable with it all. Though she didn't open it. As Justin motioned for her to follow, Bailey headed to the living room and watched Justin sit down on the couch. Part of her hated how unbothered he seemed. Especially when she felt so uneasy. Bailey shifted almost unnaturally on her feet as he asked her another question.

The grip around the bottle tightened before she started to speak. "It's a lot to take in," Bailey mumbled softly before continuing on, now speaking clearly though still weak. "I don't really know how to think... But I know I'm tired and just want to go to bed. But even if I did, I wouldn't be able to sleep with my mind buzzing. I know I'm angry, both at you and my brother. My brother for constantly being an idiot. It used to just be drug dealers and now it's-" Bailey stopped and let out a sigh before moving on. "And at you. You're there too and that just so infuriating. And that you offered my brother up as a drug mule and now I have to stay here. That you seemed so calm right now pisses me off. And I want to cry because both of you are in a gang. And I'm fucking terrified because it doesn't seem like I'm going to get out of this alive without having to turn into a little sex bunny for the gang."

A little whimper left her before she continued on. "But I also feel grateful that you were there to protect me. I do feel safer being here than home alone but I also don't want to really talk to you or my brother right now. I feel lost and conflicted. Like what do you expect me to do with all of this information now? Just live with the fact that you and my brother are in a gang? Or should I tell you both to fuck off?"

@ BearGirl
Sinking further into his seat on the couch, Justin stretched an arm around the back of the seat next to him. His other arm rested on the armrest that was next to him. His hand lightly squeezing his water bottle as he sat quietly. Allowing for each word that escaped from Bailey's lips to sink into him. Paying attention to her tone, her body language. He was paying attention to her. Allowing her to unleash everything that she was holding inside of her. That was bothering her to no end. He was acting as her rock, and Justin was determined to weigh her down.

Then, as Bailey started to speak of him and her brother, Justin shifted on the couch. Moving to lean forward slightly. His hands both cupping his water bottle. His head tilting to the side as he listened. His lips dipping into a frown as he listened. He was not a fan of what she was saying, not all of it at least, but he understood it. He understood everything that was going on through Bailey's head at the moment.

"Babe, come here," Justin said casually as he let his water bottle down on the side table. Then, he reached out and lightly grabbed both of her hands. He pulled her gently towards him till she fell into his lap. His arms wrapping around her waist to hold her in place against him. "I know I can't tell you what to think, what to feel. But, I can tell you to not blame either of us. Your brother or myself for the things that we have done in the past." Justin started. His right hand moved to lightly run up and down her arm in a soothing motion.

Leaning back into the couch once more, Justin brought Bailey with him. Hoping that the relaxing position would help her relax and maybe cope with things. He kept quiet for a while, just listening to Bailey as she breathed. "I will get you through this Bailey. I will do whatever it takes to protect you. You are going to make it through this. You are my top priority." Justin leaned down and pressed a light kiss to the top of Bailey's head. His right hand still rubbed up and down on her arm. "I'm sorry for what happened to your brother. He's a good kid." Justin mumbled quietly against the top of her head. "He's a little stubborn though, kinda like this pretty girl I know." He teased, giving her arm a slight squeeze.

"I don't know when this will all end, but, once it does. I promise that you wouldn't have to make any decisions that you'd regret." Justin gave Bailey's arm another small squeeze before he pulled away a bit and looked down at her. "I'm sorry. I really am. But we can't change what's been done. We can only live with it."

@ FallenHope95

Though Bailey was hesitant, she let Justin take her hands and pull her towards him. As she fell into his lap, she still felt stiff, her muscles tense. It was true that she felt conflicted on everything and this was no different. Part of her wanted to punch Justin right in the face but she also desperately needed to be comforted. And as Justin wrapped his arms around, Bailey did take a moment to slightly shift so she could be wrapped up and cared for. But she could not get herself to relax.

"You're only saying that because you don't want to be blamed, and I would argue that you two being in a gang is hardly the past," Bailey told him in a small huff. "Just because you don't want to be in trouble doesn't mean you don't deserve it," Slowly, she felt Justin lean back into the couch, pulling her with him as she did so. It took her a moment, but soon she was laying her head against his chest. Though instead of holding onto Justin, Bailey kept her arms wrapped around herself. As silence occurred, Bailey tried her best to relax slightly but wasn't able to do so.

Soon, Justin was talking again, but this time, his words were beginning to come through to her. Every so slightly, Bailey's muscles untensed at hearing that she was his top priority and she let out a small, tired sigh as Justin pressed the light kiss to the top of her head. Bailey could feel how his lips moved against her head, how he gave her arm a little squeeze. Bailey couldn't help the little whimper that left her. As Justin pulled away and looked down at her, Bailey lifted her head up and looked back at him. She wanted everything he was saying to be true. That he was going stand by, and protect her. That she wouldn't have to do anything she would regret. But how could she know that he wasn't just trying to placate her?

Bailey shifted so her chest was now pressed against his, no longer laying on her side on top of him. Her arms unwrapped around her and her forearms rested against his chest as she looked up at Justin, worry still filling her eyes as she did so. The young woman searched over his face, trying to find some kind of proof that everything he was saying was true. Though that was not how things worked, was it? Bailey wanted to interrogate him, force it so there would be no doubt in her mind about him. But was that even possible? Justin had been an enigma from the start, so Bailey didn't think she could crack him now.

It really all just boiled down to if Bailey thought she could trust Justin. And, even if he was telling the truth now if it came down to her or his gang, Bailey wasn't sure she would win that. God, Bailey wanted to trust him so badly but she feared it was a foolish decision. Slowly, Bailey laid back against Justin, her head resting against his chest again. Though her fingers now wrapped around his shirt slightly at his sides. "I hope you can keep those promises...I hope you mean them." Bailey whispered, her eyes looking down. "I am scared of what my future will be if you don't."

It was difficult to know if she could truly trust Justin, but at this point, Bailey didn't know what other option she had. She would take his help, follow his lead, but Bailey refused to be foolish enough to not jump ship if she even thought Justin was trying to set it ablaze.

@ BearGirl
Allowing for Bailey to move whatever way that she wanted, Justin moved his hands to slowly move to her hips. His thumbs moving in slow circles as he listened to the beautiful girl on top of him. Hanging onto every word. Listening to her tone and taking what she's been saying to him to heart. He didn't want to upset her anymore then he has, so, hopefully, anything that passes his lips next, will make her happy.

"I know." It is all Justin was able to say to what Bailey just confessed to him. "Bailey," Justin said quietly, his thumbs stopping their movements. "If I somehow am not going to be able to keep my promises to you." He started, lifting his eyes so that he could look at her and left her to know that he meant business. "I will text you a plan, on how to escape the city. I will transfer everything I own to you so that you can run. Run and never look back." Justin's grip on Bailey tightened slightly.

"You'll survive. One way or another. But you will never be a slave, or a prostitute or a member to the gang. You will be you, free. You might need to run across the country, but you will be free and financially stable. I promise. Someway, somehow. Even if I get tasked to hurt you, you will have your chance at life. You have my word." Justin leaned over and pressed another small kiss to Bailey's forehead. He had nothing else to say. He had nothing else he could say. They were fucked, Bailey was fucked. This might not be the life that she wanted, but, at least she'd be alive. Even if he wasn't allowed to be with her.

@ FallenHope95

-Skipping to next day-

As Bailey felt herself slip back to consciousness, she could feel a bit of confusion wrapping around her. Though she wasn't able to understand why until she slowly opened her eyes and realized where she was, a bedroom. When she had first fallen asleep, it was while she was laying on top of Justin. It had taken a long while but somehow he had managed to calm her down long enough that she was actually able to fall asleep. And it seemed that, at some point, Justin had carried her off to bed.

The young woman let out a small sigh as she continued to lay there, not making an effort to move. Though her eyes wandered around the room, curious as to where she was exactly. Obviously, this was a bedroom but was it Justin's bedroom or a guest room? And, if it was his room, where was Justin? Her eyes continued to wander until they landed on a clock, where she read that it was almost noon. It made sense though, she went out late, they got back to Justin's house in the early morning and it probably took Justin forever to get her to settle into sleep. And, in all honesty, Bailey still felt a little exhausted.

Though now curiosity started to rise up in Bailey. She had no idea where Justin was but she knew that he wasn't in this room. Which at that moment, was all that really mattered. Slowly and quietly, Bailey slid out of the bed and started to really look around. Normally, she would never ever do something like this but her situation wasn't normal and she was feeling desperate for information. Any kind of clue. So, Bailey started to snoop around the room, wanting to find out more information on Justin. As she did so, she tried her best to keep her ears open in the chance that Justin came back to check on her.

@ BearGirl
Waking up the next morning, Justin was sure to let out a small hiss. His back cracked as he stretched his arms and legs out. The couch was usually quite comfortable for him to snooze on, but last night it wasn't. Maybe it was because he was getting older. He was almost twenty-eight after all. Maybe sleeping on the couch should be left to when he's had alcohol in his system or something. Meh, who knows.

Slowly, moving to sit up. A small groan escaped from Justin. Yup, definitely going to need to start sleeping on the floor instead of the couch when he's got guests over. It wasn't worth the backache or the kink feeling in his shoulders. Getting to his feet, Justin lifted his arms above his head and did another stretch. Allowing for his back and arms to crack a couple more times before he started to head towards his bedroom.

Once he got to the door, Justin reached out to grab the doorknob. Ready to open the door, but quickly remembered why it was closed. So, instead, Justin let go of the doorknob. He fixed his sweatpants that he changed into in the bathroom, as well as an old t-shirt and then knocked on the door. "Bailey? You up?" Justin called in, waiting a moment before freezing as he saw her snooping in his room. An eyebrow arching as he took her in. "What're you doing?" He asked as he opened the door a little bit more. Justin crossed his arms over his body and arched an eyebrow as he waited for an explanation. His eyes slowly trailed to the open drawer, his pursed lips slowly turning into a slight frown at the sight.

@ FallenHope95

As Bailey heard Justin call out for her, pure terror ran through her body, enough so that Bailey was frozen in her act. Both of her hands were currently in Justin's boxer drawer, trying to find something that could help her. Now, Bailey didn't know exactly what she was meant to be looking for but she had thought she would feel better if she had tried...well at least she felt that way until Justin got her riffling through his boxers.

Slowly, her head turned to look at the man, seeing the way he looked. The crossed arms, the arched eyebrow, and the frown was a bad sign. She was already at his mercy and it was crystal clear to Bailey that this was only going to make things worse. Her heart was beating hard in her chest and she could feel her fight or flight instinct kick in. Part of her just wanted to run for it but she would have to run past him to do that.

Bailey's face lost all color as her hands slowly retracted from the drawer. There was no way Justin didn't know what she was actually doing, right? He caught her in the act of it and he wasn't a stupid man. And Bailey didn't think she was so good at lying to make him doubt himself. But it seemed worth a shot, right? Maybe Justin would drop it? But there was no way she could really trust Justin after she was caught snooping, right? She just proved she didn't trust him enough not to sneak around...

"I was..." Bailey murmured softly, taking a moment to think as her eyes were stuck on Justin. "looking for something to wear. I thought it would be okay. I am sorry, I should have asked. I-I don't know what I was thinking."

@ BearGirl
Staring at the shocked expression that was on Bailey's face, Justin started to piece things together. The hands in his drawer, the panicked expression, the obvious sign of her pulse quickening. "Really now?" Was all that Justin managed to say, still keeping his eyes on Bailey. "Did you find anything that could fit you?" He asked, tilting his head to the side.

A couple of moments later, Justin decided that Bailey's had enough of this embarrassment. So, he let out a small sigh and stood up straight. "Alright, alright." He mumbled to himself and walked into his bedroom. "I have old clothes in here you can wear," Justin told Bailey as he walked to his closet and dug through some clothes that he had buried on the floor. Then, he tossed an old pair of basketball shorts her way, as well as a t-shirt and a hoodie for the state's baseball team.

"They're clean, I swear," Justin told her as he raised his hands in a defensive manner. "I just got too big for them." He mumbled, flexing his arm muscles in a way to try and loosen the mood up. "Bathroom's down the hall to the right." He told Bailey, crossing his arms as he waited to see if she'd talk back or do as he told her.

@ FallenHope95

By the time that Justin decided to move into the bedroom, Bailey's could feel herself growing dizzy. Her heart was beating so fast and she was finding it hard to breathe as she waited for Justin to decide what to do with her. There was no response to his first two questions as not only did Bailey not know what to say but she felt completely breathless.

She could feel her legs start to shake slightly as Justin walked in, fearful of what he would do now that he caught her snooping. While Bailey had been extremely upset yesterday over the turn of events, she hadn't been afraid that Justin would do something to her at that moment. But now she felt like she gave him a cause. But soon, Justin was mentioning some old clothes she could wear and quickly after, tossing them her way. She struggled a little with catching them.

Almost instantly, Bailey could feel her legs stop shaking but her heart was not so easy to calm. But it seemed that Justin was going to give her a pass, for now. Unless he really did fall for her lie...Bailey wasn't sure but it seemed unlikely to her. Holding the clothes tightly to her chest, Bailey just offered a nod when Justin mentioned that they were clean. Something she had not worried about at all. Though she wasn't going to check either, the dizziness making it that Bailey didn't really want to inspect the clothes.

"Thank you... I am sorry. I shouldn't have..." Bailey murmured, dropping off what she was going to say before turning and heading out of the room, grabbing onto the door frame to stabilize herself as she did so. Once she was locked in the bathroom, Bailey snuck to her knees and laid her head against the wall. She felt so relieved that Justin wanted to move on and so stupid for ever trying to do something so reckless in the first place.

It took her a few minutes to get her breathing and heartbeat normal enough that the dizziness had stopped. She felt silly for convincing herself to snoop and then getting herself so worked up when caught. After another deep breath, Bailey got changed before slowly heading out of the bathroom, now wearing an oversized sweater that covered most of her up. As well the basketball shorts and t-shirt.

@ BearGirl
Keeping his gaze on Bailey as she walked out of the room, Justin stayed in the same spot. Watching to make sure that Bailey wasn't going to stumble back in. Only once he heard the bathroom door closed and waited a couple more moments did Justin relax slightly. He walked towards his bed and lifted the mattress slightly. A couple of gleaming black guns laid flat against the bottom of the mattress. Taped for security. "At least she didn't find my emergency stash," Justin mumbled before glancing towards his closet where he kept the rest, besides the one that's kept in the kitchen.

Taking the time while Bailey was in the bathroom, Justin changed into a pair of Jeans and a plain black t-shirt. Then, he headed out towards the kitchen. Justin started to pull out a few frying pans and grabbed some eggs and bacon to cook up for breakfast. Justin wasn't much of a cook, nor did he even really have anything in his fridge, so scrambled eggs and bacon would have to do.

"Do you have to work today?" Justin asked Bailey as soon as he saw her coming out of the bathroom. His eyes momentarily looking her over, taking in the sight of her in his clothing before looking down at the slightly burnt food he was putting onto plates. Then, he set the food onto the kitchen island. He motioned for Bailey to sit down next to him.

@ FallenHope95

As Bailey headed out of the bathroom, she glanced up at Justin as he started to talk. The moment she walked out, she could smell the slight tinge of burnt food in the air. Though she couldn't say she was overly concerned about a burnt meal with everything else that was going on. As he motioned for her to come to sit down next to him, Bailey made her way over to him and sat down on one of the island stools next to Justin.

"I do have work today... just for a little bit and I have a class today as well." Bailey hesitated for a moment before continuing on. "I could call in sick to both though." While she didn't want to use up one of her missed absences for class, Bailey figured that this was probably as good of a time than ever to not go to class or work. She doubted it was a good idea to be walking around the city by herself. And school and worked were one of the last things she was worried about.

Bailey took a moment to look Justin up and down. She wasn't stupid and neither was he. She knew that Justin knew what she was doing this morning. But he didn't seem phased in the least bit then nor now... Justin was completely relaxed and it caused Bailey to untense slightly and calm down. If Justin was unbothered, why should she be? So instead of bogging herself down with panic, Bailey took a small breath before rolling her sweatshirt sleeves up to take some of the food that Justin had cooked. "Thank you for cooking," Bailey thanked him before beginning to eat, wanting to give her mind a break from everything that happened in the last 24 hours.

@ BearGirl
Not looking up as Bailey started to speak to him. His head nodding ever so slightly, just as a small sign for the girl to know that he was paying attention to her. "Alright." It is all he said as he stabbed some of his overcooked eggs and took a bite. Chewed, swallowed and then looked at Bailey with an emotionless look. "When do you work? I'll take you to get your things and then take you to work and class." He told her. "It's important to keep the image of having a normal life." He cast a small glance towards Bailey before looking down. "Just know, I'll be close by, and will be able to hear everything that you say."

With all of that being said, Justin stood up and took his empty plate to the sink. He turned the water on and started to wash his plate and fork before placing it in the drying rack. Then, he turned around to face Bailey. "This is going to take a lot of getting used to, but until I know I can trust you, fully. I'm not going to be able to let you out of my sight." Justin leaned back against the counter the edge of the sink digging into his back ever so slightly, but not uncomfortably. His arms raised and crossed over his chest.

"I mean, I don't really want another repeat of this morning." The right corner of Justin's lips twitched. Wondering how she'd react now knowing that he had indeed known what she was up to. The little mouse wasn't very good at lying to the cat.

Standing up straight, Justin pulled his phone out of his pocket and glanced at the time. "What time do you have to get to work?" He asked, glancing up at her as he put the phone away in his back pocket. "It's almost nine." He told her, kinda amazed that they're both up so early. Usually, Justin isn't up until about eleven or noon sometimes.

@ FallenHope95

As Justin spoke at first, Bailey gave him small nods. If Justin really wanted Bailey to go to work and school, she would do it. In the grand scheme of things, it wasn't like she cared much. At least it would be a way to keep this current nonsense off of her mind for a bit. And she had done something similar to this before due to her brother... though not quite to this degree. Normally, it was more like she was ragged after dealing with drug dealers, forcing her brother to detox and worrying if some man would come after her for stealing a client. Not worrying about a whole ass gang deciding to shoot her up or force her into prostitution.

Just thinking about it caused Bailey's shoulders to drop. She let out a sigh and reached up, rubbing the front of her forehead. "Fine," Bailey mumbled after a moment. Justin would keep her safe with his decision to stay close and she could make it through one day. "I work at 10:30 today. Then I leave at 3:00 to get to class."

Bailey took in a deep breath before picking her fork up and stabbing one of the eggs. Her eyes glanced up at Justin as he turned to face her. Though once he started to open his mouth, her face dropped. Justin wasn't staying close for her safety. He was doing it for his or the gang's best interest. How much of what he said last night was even true then? Bailey set her fork down on the plate, having lost her appetite for the shitty cooked eggs.

As she took a moment to think over what to say, Justin brought up this morning. Bailey's body tensed up for a moment at the confirmation that James knew what was going on. She had been sure that he did but know that she knew and that Justin was actually displeased about it made her extremely less comfortable with the situation she was in. What made her so foolish to think for even a moment that he would pick her over a gang he knew for much longer? As far as Bailey was concerned, his words were plain as day. Any kindness in her face was swept away as Bailey's eyes went hard.

"I thought you wanted to protect me, not control me. Or turn this into some kind of fucked up Stockholm syndrome situation." Bailey stood up from the stool, taking a few steps away from the island as she did so. "You won't let me out of your sight? You don't trust me to keep my mouth shut about your precious gang. So what is this then? Stalking? Kidnapping? Or just plain threatening me?"

Bailey shook her head before turning and beginning to collect her things.