save you tonight || SHASTA

[asher selwyn]

His phone went off in the darkness of his room and he sat upright immediately. His eldest brother had told him that he'd be getting a text message with the address of where he was to go to meet up and get the instructions for his first job with the mob. Eli was going to be waiting for him there and that threw him off a bit. He didn't have a problem with Eli because he wasn't always around her, but he knew that she could be heartless and ruthless. She was a gun runner, and she killed for a living. She wasn't going to mess around and that made him slightly nervous. What if he cracked under her pressure? Shaking those thoughts from his mind, he pushed himself out of bed, grabbing the black long sleeved button up and the black pants. Connor had told him to dress to impress, so he was pulling out the only nice clothes that he had. Finishing off the look with black shoes and a black tie, he rolled up his sleeves and grabbed the gun that he was an expert with. Putting it behind his back in its holster, he grabbed his jacket and hurried from the room. He knew the address well and was soon getting into a car that he normally didn't drive around.

The silver Mercedes wasn't his style and he missed his Jeep Wrangler. He could drive the standard though, which was useful here. Shifting it into reverse, he revved the engine and backed out of the garage, shifting once more and racing off. The tires squealed as he peeled out of the estate's driveway once he was clear of the gates. He went the long way as his brother instructed, driving the speed limit when he absolutely needed to as not to draw attention to himself. He doubled around the property he was supposed to be going to and saw the garage opened beneath the warehouse. He had reached his designation, and he caught sight of another black car already there. That meant Eli was here. Feeling slightly more relieved knowing she was here, Asher parked the car and got out, looking to the stairs that led upwards. He hiked up them easily, taking them two at a time in order to move faster. His footsteps were fast but light, and he saw the light peering beneath a door down the hall to his left. Feeling as if that was it, he traveled forward, his hand closing over the door handle in another instant. Taking a deep breath, he pushed it open and closed it quickly behind him. His eyes focused and looked around the room, seeing Eli off to the right now.

She had her arms crossed and looked extremely bad ass in a tight outfit consisting of all black. Her two guns were exposed on her belt but who knew where else she had weapons hidden. The black gloves on her hands worried Asher a bit but he didn't ask the blonde any questions. Her eyes looked to him and then to the girl who was now tied to the chair. Eli had been watching her for the past hour, indicating to Connor when she was beginning to stir so he could give Asher the signal. The girl's head had been moving around and Eli had heard the most pitiful, disgusting words from her mouth. Something about Caleb and how she loved him. Oh Eli felt like she was going to hurl. As she muttered Caleb's name again, Eli's sharp Irish accent came forward. "He can't hear you. Save it before I shut your mouth." She snapped in irritation, annoyed that she had to be here baby sitting in the first place. This was not a part of her job description and Connor knew it pissed her off. As Asher just stood there a bit dumbfounded, Eli coached him into it. "Well? Take the hood off of her."

Asher jumped to life then, nodding and stepping forward. He closed the distance between the girl and himself, seeing her head rolling to the side as she moaned once more. His step faltered then, wondering why she was so out of it. She...wasn't drugged, he hoped. If she was Asher didn't know how he was going to feel about this. This entire situation wasn't her fault. She was just involved with the wrong kind of person because of his job. She hadn't done anything wrong and she certainly hadn't offended the mob in any way, shape, or form. Why was she being hurt? Her kidnapping alone was enough to get at Caleb. They didn't need to hurt her, and they certainly didn't need to drug her. He stopped behind the young woman, instantly feeling guilty about this entire situation. His blue colored eyes traveled to Eli and she nodded in affirmation as his fingers rested on the edge of the hood. Pulling it off in one swift moment, it was instantly easy to tell she was drugged. Faltering a moment, he hesitated before speaking, his voice betraying him slightly. "Are the ropes too tight?" The worry was evident in his humble eyes and he heard a scoff from behind him. Eli walked over, knowing instantly that this wasn't going to go well. "Gods, idiot. Don't be soft...what would the boss think of you?" She snapped viciously, nearly elbowing him out of the way. Her hand snaked out and took a ferocious hold on Shasta's chin, forcing the girl to look at her. "Your boyfriend is going to do whatever it takes to get you back. And if that isn't what we want, you're going to die. You got that? Now keep quiet or I'll kill you myself." She finished threateningly, making sure the girl understood the severity of the situation. She basically threw her head down, knowing her force would hurt the girl. Backing away, she shoved Asher roughly. "Don't you dare mess this up kid."

She wasn't going to deal with the wrath of Connor if Asher messed this up. Shaking her head, she scowled at the youngest Selwyn, thinking that this was much too dangerous to involve him. This mission was far too important for someone to mess it up. Stalking back to her post, she waited now, wondering how long it was going to take his highness to get here to see that his darling baby brother wasn't the mobster that he had first believed him to be now.

1036 WORDS | COMPLETE | SHASTA
LYRICS BY ALL TIME LOW | TEMPLATE BY ARRO
SORRY IT SUCKS

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[SHASTA LE STOAT]

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TAGGED asher/eli WORDS 1380! STATUS finished

as she began to awaken, her head feeling heavy and her eyelids refusing to open, the first thing shasta remembered was the smell of wet burlap. it was also extremely hot and stuffy, and she wondered why her eyes wouldn't open. "caleb..." she whispered, her voice weak and frail like she had been sick for days. she was disoriented and still felt sleepy, but for some reason her body had decided to awaken her. "caleb...?" she asked again, trying to lift her head in the darkness and unable to do so. "what...happened..."

the last thing she remembered was leaving caleb's apartment after... after finding out he'd slept with another woman probably only days before being with her. the thought should've brought that well of sadness back to her chest, but something was clouding her mind and preventing her from reacting as she should. she didn't even feel panic or fear, and that was odd considering she couldn't even open her eyes. all she felt was a sluggishness that pulled and tugged at her and tired her. she realized her head was finally moving slightly to her command, but the impenetrable darkness was still there.

and then footsteps.

the sound peaked her interest, bringing back a bit of her consciousness. weakly, she tried to look around but she only grew dizzy from the darkness that surrounded her. her eyelids finally obeyed and opened, but the black was still there. it was like she was being engulfed by a black hole, and she cried out in fear as her senses began to return to her. she was still as one delirious, and that lack of light chilled her until she screamed a weak cry that cracked and broke in her throat until it was gone. "caleb... help me..." she tried once more, knowing no one else to turn to, no one else who would care.

admittedly, shasta had been a bitch her entire life. she had few female friends because of it, and she kept most men at arms' distance to protect herself after what had almost-happened to her in high school. on the inside, however, she was just a scared little girl who needed companionship and love.

then a woman's chilling voice broke into her mind, "He can't hear you. Save it before I shut your mouth." shasta tried to swallow as her fear crept up farther on her, but her mouth and throat were too dry to create the saliva she needed to perform such a menial task. the words shook her enough that she realized her head was in a sack and that was why she couldn't see. now she could pick out the faint lines of threads in the fabric covering her face, and she felt the biting sting of the ropes confining her to the chair. then she remembered.

she remembered walking, not thinking about where she was going as her mind reeled over caleb's revelation, and she'd entered a very bad part of town. the man she'd bumped into had seemed out of place now that she thought of it, but he looked like one of her own with his black hair and debonair style. he'd soon proven he was anything but. the last thing she remembered was a sharp pain in her right side as she'd been thrown into the back of a waiting black car.

and here she was.

"Well? Take the hood off of her." it was the woman again, her tone chiding to the other person in the room who had not yet spoken. shasta tried to brace herself for anything as she sensed someone moved behind her, hands grasping at the fabric covering her head. this type of thing was only supposed to happen in the movies. what did these people want with her anyway? if they wanted money, her father had plenty of it, and she knew he'd pay anything to get her back. but she remembered fuzzy patches of what her kidnapper had said to her as he grabbed her and threw her into his car. this had something to do with caleb. she was momentarily flattered that her kidnappers thought she was that important to him, but then she realized just how bad of a situation she was in. she had broken up with caleb only minutes before being kidnapped. surely that couldn't have been on the agenda.

as the hood was whisked off over her head, she moaned and shut her eyes instantly against the blinding naked bulb which illuminated a fifteen foot circle right around her chair and nothing else. with the hood gone, the echoes around her told her the room was far larger than what she could see, but her eyes hurt whenever she tried to open them in that bright light so she had no hope of examining her surroundings. that was what these people wanted, of course. the second sensation she felt was the relief of fresh air. the heat of her own breath had filled the hood with hot, musky air, and the damp air of the warehouse was like a fresh spring day to her lungs. she realized the woman was accompanied by a young man as she heard his voice, seemingly sympathetic, as he asked her if the ropes were too tight. she had no time to figure out if she had the strength to form an answer before the woman took a few swift strides and was in front of her.

suddenly, a hand gripped her chin and yanked her head upward, and she felt woozy from the drugs they had obviously given her. "Your boyfriend is going to do whatever it takes to get you back. And if that isn't what we want, you're going to die. You got that? Now keep quiet or I'll kill you myself." the woman released her face so roughly that her chin slammed into her chest and took shasta's breath away. she felt the chair she realized she was tied to rock and she almost threw up from the harshness of it coupled with her semi-drugged state. she was going to die. they were going to kill her. if caleb didn't meet whatever demands they had, they were going to kill her. she had no illusions that it wouldn't just happen whether he did what they wanted or not. that was the way criminals were; even when they got what they wanted, they took what you wanted.

her heart swelled with the realization that caleb did love her, but she would never see him again. she knew she was going to die. now she had to accept that. as the woman chided the young man again, shasta closed her eyes and tried to regroup. no one knew where she was. she held out little hope that her cellphone was still on and intact so the police could get a ping on it and track her. she was smart, and she knew these criminals weren't just lowlifes who wanted money or something stupid. she recognized their accents as irish or scottish, and she was assuming the prior since she'd heard the rumors about them. caleb had been tracking them for months now, that was how he'd gotten further involved with juniper, and that was what had gotten juniper killed. it didn't take her long to put the pieces together, but the realization was too much for her.

she barely had enough time to turn her head before she puked on the floor.

after her insides were empty, she weakly hung her head and took deep breaths, trying desperately not to smell it as tears began to run down her face. mustering up enough strength as she had left, she raised her head and looked into the blue eyes of the man who'd come to stand in front of her. she could no longer see the woman, but she knew she hadn't gone far. "just kill me, and get it over with. caleb won't give you what you want. not for me. he already let one lover die for his cause..." she said harshly, not meaning it but hoping she was convincing as she tried to glare piercingly up at the black-haired young male. "...what makes you think he won't sacrifice another?"

NOTES feel free to hate me for taking so long to get this going xD

thereisalieinperfection @ CAUTION 2.0

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[asher selwyn]

This was a mistake. Asher couldn't do this. As his blue eyes took in the sight of the broken, beaten girl in front of him he knew that his heart would never be able to stomach this mission. This wasn't fair. She was innocent. She had nothing to do with the mafia or the police. She was simply dating the man that had been on their trail for months now. That was no fault of hers and Asher hated the mafia suddenly. He knew the hate wouldn't last because this was his family, and this was his home, but he'd never be able to do this. He wouldn't be able to kill her and he knew that that was what Connor was going to have him do. Asher didn't have a problem killing those that deserved to be killed, or were accused of being guilty of something. He had done that multiple times now but this was completely different. Hesitating now, he watched with a pit slowly growing in his stomach as Eli took over as the leader in this situation. He didn't complain and instantly stepped back as Eli went forward to threaten the young woman.

He almost said something. He almost told her to stop but he knew she'd be furious with him if he interfered in her threat. If the mafia didn't look united then it was going to be bad if Shasta ever escaped and was to get back to the police. He had to be stronger than this. He had to at least show some backbone. However that proved extremely difficult for the young woman leaned over to empty the contents of her stomach. His heart went out to her immediately and Eli saw that change in his face. She saw the look in Asher's eyes. Connor would never, ever hold that look. It was one of pity, one of sympathy and it sent Eli's heart beating madly. Asher was going to ruin this. She just knew it. Striding over to the young man she shoved him back into the shadows, her blue eyes slicing the silence like knives. She had one frightening look about her and he honestly gave Connor a lot of credit for dealing with her. Stumbling slightly, he regained his balance and gave her a look. He was about to start the argument but she was a lot quicker than him, and she had a knife against his throat in moments. Good grief this girl was crazy. "Listen Selwyn. You need to get your emotions out of this. We need to get Caleb off of our trail and this is how we're doing it. You're either with us or against us, but I doubt that your brother would be very happy with you if you decided to mess this up." She snapped viciously, but quietly so that Shasta would not be able to hear.

Asher's eyes hardened as she threatened him but he knew better than to try and overpower her. While he had no doubt that he had more muscle than her, he knew she was better with weapons and he wasn't going to change it. Eli was pissed and there was no arguing with her when she was in this state unless you were Jett or Connor. Backing down immediately, he let his hand take a hold of her wrist as she held the knife against his throat. "Fine, I get it. Just get off of me. He also wouldn't be happy if you left any marks on me. Remember that." He snapped right back knowing that comment would irritate her because it was true. Connor would have her head if she let anything happen to Asher, and if she was the one to hurt him there would be a certain hell to pay. She basically snarled as she shoved him roughly away from her, regaining her composure before heading back into the light. Asher took a deep breath and let it out slowly, knowing he needed to relax before going back to Shasta as well. Hearing Eli doing something, he suddenly became aware of the sound of a knife landing into some kind of hollow surface. Knowing she wouldn't be stupid enough to throw a knife at their victim, he hurried back into the light and saw the knife poised in between Shasta's feet. His eyes widened slightly and he saw the crazed look in Eli's eyes.

"You're disgusting. I hope you know you'll be cleaning that up when the boss arrives." She snapped in irritation to Shasta and then looked at Asher. He stepped forward instead, wishing there was something that he could do for the young woman sitting in the chair. Crouching down in front of her, his fingers tested the tightness of the ropes, loosening them by stretching them a bit. He needed to get her out of here. She was going to die and he'd never stand for it. His blue eyes met hers as he heard her words and he wished that he could say something that would bring her some comfort, he instead continued to stretch the ropes. "The very fact that he did lose one already is the very thing that will let you live. He won't let another die, especially you." Asher's words were quiet and he was trying to be as comforting as possible. Taking a deep breath, he reached forward and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. Eli missed that sentiment and it was a good thing for she would have skinned him alive. But her attention was not on them for the moment. Instead, she was looking towards the window, for the police sirens were screaming in the background. "Shit. Selwyn where the fuck are you?" She snapped in irritation and grabbed her phone. She looked back at Asher and Shasta. "Don't try anything stupid." Disappearing from the room, she dialed Connor's numbers, needing to alert him that the cops were almost here.

That was when Asher took his chance. Jumping into action, he spoke up hurriedly. "Listen to me. You need to get out of here, and fast. I can get you someplace safe, but you have to trust me. I know that's hard, but you have to try. Meet me at under the bridge a block away. You can't miss it." He instructed quietly, gently. His knife cut through her binds easily and he helped her to her feet unsteadily. The cops were breaching the building. He could heard them pulling to a stop outside of the building. He half carried, half led Shasta to the fire escape at the back of the warehouse. "You'll be alright. I promise. I won't let them hurt you." He said honestly, his eyes only solidifying his feelings. Ducking back into the building he planned his escape route in the opposite direction, gaining ground and heading straight for the bridge.

1036 WORDS | COMPLETE | SHASTA
LYRICS BY ALL TIME LOW | TEMPLATE BY ARRO
SORRY IT SUCKS

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[SHASTA LE STOAT]

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TAGGED asher/eli WORDS 1151 STATUS finished

when the two irish disappeared behind her, shasta was still out of it enough that she couldn't hear a thing they were saying. just her luck, they were planning how best to off her. that was not what she wanted. sure, she doubted she was going to live through this, but that didn't mean she had a death wish. hanging her head, smelling the vomit and almost getting sick again, she decided holding her head up was a better idea. her brown hair was matted and tangled and felt as greasy as the day is long. she had no idea how long she'd been out, but by how grimy she felt, she imagined it may have been days. her arms and legs felt so heavy, and although her bound hands were rested in her lap, she couldn't find the strength to lift them. she stared at them, frustrated by her lack of strength, and she willed something to move. when her index finger twitched, she almost smiled in triumph before remembering where she was. closing her eyes against that truth, she swallowed air through her dry, parched throat. when she opened her eyes again, the woman was back in her face, growling down at her, and shasta tensed visibly. although she didn't want to show her fear, the young blonde scared the crap out of her.

then the male was back again, and she watched him carefully as he came around to face her, bending at the knees so they were at eye level. although she knew he was with them, she didn't see the malevolence in his eyes that she saw when the blonde talked to her. she saw something akin to pity or sympathy, but she didn't know how lucky she'd be at playing that to her advantage. she didn't have to think about it long as she realized his fingers were loosening the ropes tying her hands together. she kept her eyes carefully trained on his face, not having to work hard to look scared since she still was despite this small ray of hope. his words about caleb, "...especially you...", sent a thrill of delight through her heart. although caleb may no longer love her after she walked out on him, she was still a woman. hearing that a man loved her since pleasant tingles through her. and here was this equally attractive man, showing her compassion in this trial, untying her wrists even as his superior loomed behind him.

when the girl cursed under her breath, told him not to do anything stupid, and then left the room, shasta didn't think her luck could be any better. she visibly relaxed with relief and turned her brown eyes on the man in front of her. the sirens made her jump, and she realized that her original savior must have somehow found her. but as she looked into asher's blue eyes, she could think of no one to thank but him. caleb hadn't followed her when she left his apartment, or she never would have gotten into this mess in the first place. the whole reason the irish had taken her was because of him. they'd killed juniper for being close to him, and they had wanted to kill her as well before this young man saved her. "Listen to me. You need to get out of here, and fast. I can get you someplace safe, but you have to trust me. I know that's hard, but you have to try. Meet me at under the bridge a block away. You can't miss it." his knife sliced off the ropes around her hands, and her fingers burned as the blood rushed back into them. she could move them now, and she realized the weakness before was because the circulation had been cut off into her hands.

she stumbled dumbly toward the window he directed her toward, and when she reached it, she grabbed the sill with one hand, her other hand going to his arm even as he tried to turn to leave. when she had his attention, she looked into his blue eyes with all of the thanks she could manage in her still-weak state. "thank you," she whispered, her voice unable to do much more. she smiled at him and then threw her legs over the window sill, easing herself off and onto the fire escape. unfortunately, she was still wearing the heels she'd worn to caleb's house, and she couldn't move quickly, especially since she was still in a bit of a drugged-up stupor.

gunshots rang out on the other side of the building, and she cringed, shrinking to the metal grating at her feet in fear. she knew she couldn't linger however. if that girl returned and found her, she would be dead right along with her savior. she had to escape, and now. the sirens split her head, giving her a headache to accompany her weakened condition, and she fumbled with every step on the climb down the ladder. the last few feet were the worst since, unfortunately, the ladder didn't reach entirely to the ground. she tried easing herself off and onto the pavement below, but her arms were too weak from the drugs and the lack of circulation. she fell onto the pavement and cried out, instantly regretting it in fear that she would be found by the irish mafia instead of the police.

pain bloomed in the ankle she had sprained months before when she'd first met caleb, and she grimaced as she rose to her feet and tried to run to the bridge to meet her savior. but, alas, it was not to be. she got about ten feet and collapsed again, cradling her ankle and groaning in pain. she'd bruised and bloodied her knee with her first fall, and her ankle was too sore to allow her to run in heels. collapsing in frustration onto her back in the dirt and grass, she closed her eyes and began to cry. this was all too much. she was going to die now if the irish found her.

when she opened her eyes, she started in surprise at the face of a familiar police officer. it was one of the fatter ones she'd gone to high school with, but the familiar face was such a relief she cried harder than before. he reached down and pulled her to a sitting position, but when she tried to stand her ankle wouldn't allow it. "tell hayes i found her!" the officer yelled. shasta was soon surrounded by cops, and she suddenly felt almost as afraid as she had in the warehouse. she knew it was foolish to feel that way, but she couldn't help it. the irish man had saved her, not these buffoons. they'd just found her after he'd let her run free. glancing through the legs of the gathering officers, she saw the bridge where he'd told her to meet him and sighed, wiping the tears from her face.

NOTES whoot whoot!

thereisalieinperfection @ CAUTION 2.0

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