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“And I would do the same, love. So I suggest we go our separate ways and forget we ever saw each other.” He gave her a sarcastic, forced grin before lowering his gun slightly. “Unless you want me to alert the police of your whereabouts, that is. I would have no problem framing you for that man’s death.”
"I told you, my name is Charlie. And I can tell you're clearly the sort of person to make a threat and follow through." she snorts.
"You see, the thing is? I'm well liked around here. I get the feeling you aren't. I can keep you hidden from those bozos-" she pauses, indicating the incapacitated men behind her "-and I can keep you well fed and paid. What do you say?"
“Well, jokes on you, I am well liked around her. More so than you seem to think.” He slipped his gun back into its holder before leaning against a wall. “I have connections here. Tonight just… wasn’t the best time for me. Besides, why the heck would you want to help me? I just threatened you. Twice.”
"I kinda doubt that. Seeing as how it could've been you who was just shot a couple minutes ago, and nobody came out to check. Just saying, if you were liked, I wouldn't be here talking to you right now." Charlie shrugs.
"Connections. Huh. Well, considering hose connections don't appear to be anywhere nearby, your best bet of continuing to be able to threaten me and say you have connections is to stay close. Simple enough logic, right?" she grins.
“Yeah, okay. As if I would rather put my life in your hands.” He smirked and rolled his eyes. “You know what? I’m probably better off just going out into the street and letting them find me. After all, it’ll only be a few years in jail, right? Better than going into hiding.”
"It's a better idea than going to prison, where there's sure to be people who don't like you, compared to me, who hasn't decided if she's a person who doesn't like you." she chuckles.
"And besides, are you really that much into spite that you'll refuse the help of someone who has no real reasons to judge you yet?"
He paused a moment, pretending to consider the offer. “Mhm. Okay. So give up my freedom to go into hiding with someone I barely know. What a fantastic offer.” He chuckled and pulled his fedora down further over his face. “Darling, do me a favor, and mind your own business. Don’t go around worrying about random men you find on the street, alright? I’ll be fine.”
Charlie nods.
"Yup!" she nods.
"Oh dear god. . . I know what this is now. It's your fragile, stupid male ego, isn't it? You don't like that a girl came in and saved you." she snorts.
“Oh, good gracious. This has nothing to do with you being a girl, love, or my ego. This has to do with me doing what’s best for me and what’s best for you. And that decision involves choosing not to involve myself with someone I just met.” He tipped his hat at her. “Have a nice night, sweetheart.”
"Mm. Sure. Well, stop thinking about what's best for me, and actually consider accepting my help. Take a risk every once in a while. Even if you don't accept my help, I can just follow you. Or if I lose you, I can track you down. After all, my work can very easily be moved elsewhere." she shrugs.
He grinned. “Well, I find it very flattering that you find me so charming, but I’m afraid what you’re planning on doing is called stalking, sweetheart. And I’ll be sure to alert the authorities if I catch you anywhere near my house.”
Charlie snorts and looks back at the prone bodies in the street.
"I don't, actually. And as for alerting the authorities? Many people have, but I'm very knowledgable about escape routes in this city."
“Mm, sure, you are, love. And how do I know that, if I did go insane and agree to this ridiculous deal, you wouldn’t kill me? After all, you did just murder… what? Four men?”
"I don't kill. Sure, I may have hit all of them in some area of the crotch, but that doesn't mean they're dead, their souls have just temporarily migrated to a higher plane of existance while their genitals try and perceive just how much pain they're in." Charlie snickers.
“Hm. Well, you better get out of here before they come back to reality and find us here. Sound good?”
"Maybe you should follow me." Charlie shrugs. "After all, you're not really being left with much choice. I did just take out a group of men bigger and heavier than me by nearly a foot and 200 pounds. You really think I couldn't just kidnap you? I'm offering you safety by your own choice. But I'm just as willing to give you safety forcefully."
“My question is why would you even want to kidnap me? I serve no purpose to you. I’m just a man with a big ego, remember?”
Charlie pauses.
"I get the feeling you're more than that, though. You can be a man with a big ego and still be just useful enough to offset that." she eventually replies.
He snorted. “Look, lady, I’m not being your tool. You can try to kidnap me. I don’t care. But there’s no way I’m willingly going with you to who knows where.”
Charlie sighs and shrugs.
"Suit yourself." she replies.
One foot to the groin and an elbow to the temple later, and the man was out cold.
She grabs the body and slings it over her shoulders, jogging away with it, returning to her baloon.
He woke up a few hours later and stared blankly at the ceiling of the room he was in. He almost laughed despite himself. He was the head of a gang, the ruler of a city depending on who you asked, and yet he could be defeated as easily as any other man.
He groaned and ran a hand down his face. “My throat’s dry. Someone better get me water, or I’ll blow off the heads of everyone in this stupid joint.”
Sadly, there's nobody else around to blow the head off of - not even Charlie.
If McKay were to try and escape, he'd find himself incapable of doing so.
“Good gracious, I hate everything.”
He sat up, and all his joins spontaneously groaned in complaint. Despite the pain he felt coursing through his limbs, he leaned against the wall and began working to unlock the chains bounding his wrists to the wall. Child’s play. This was all child’s play.
As soon as McKay starts trying to escape, an electrical shock strong enough to make him start to make an audible buzzing noise as the current runs through him emanates from the chains.
It shuts off a second later.
He clenched his jaw as he felt the shock and eventually gave up, leaning back against the wall behind him. Great. Just great. First he was just enjoying a night around town, stealing a few things here and there, and now he was a prisoner in the home of a girl he met only an hour or two ago.