The sun was still low when the bright rays of dawn crept through the dust coated window of Rain's room. With her sleep effectively disrupted, she figured the only sound choice was to head back down to the lobby and wait. For what, or who, she wasn't sure.
The lobby was just as disgusting and dirty as she remembered. The only difference was the temperature. In the early morning hours, the whole building's temperature had dipped to uncomfortably low levels.
As she walked slowly and silently down the large staircase into the lobby she couldn't avoid noticing a new difference in the intimidating environment. Voices came weakly from across the massive room. She was quick to pinpoint their location at a group of brown couches situated around a large but aged television. The TV was off, but still the voices came.
Rain approached the couches cautiously, avoiding every chip of wood or piece of glass on the ground, anything that would make a noticeable sound under her footfalls. As she got closer she readied the revolver, which she'd only brought down with her to return to Ben. The voices came in much clearer as she wrapped around the cluster of couches, and in no time she saw the source. Not a few seconds after that, the source saw her.
Two men shot up from a couch upon seeing Rain in their presence. One, a short, bald, black man, just stood stunned for a moment. The other, a tall, thin, addict-looking man pulled a small pistol from behind him and aimed it at her. She in turn raised Ben's revolver back at him.
"Who the fuck are you?" the thin man cocked his weapon.
"I was about to ask you the same thing," Rain tried to sound strong, cocking the revolver clumsily.
"What are you doin' here?" the thin man continued his interrogation.
"Wouldn't you like to know," Rain sneered.
"I know I ain't got gun in this fight," the black man spoke up, "but I doubt it'd be smart to make each other mad."
"Shut up, Dando," the thin man addressed the black man by name, "and go find yourself a gun."
"Ben, you know anything about this?" Dando ignored the thin man's instruction and instead turned around to call across the echoing room.
Rain and the thin man both looked across the lobby to see Ben jogging down the stairs across the room. They didn't look at him long before returning their eyes down the sights of their respective weapons.
"Joe, put your damn gun down," Ben approached the group, trying to coerce the gun out of the thin man's hand.
"You know about this?" Joe looked spitefully at Ben, not lowering his pistol.
"Yes, actually, I do," Ben resorted to pushing the pistol slowly downward. Joe gave no physical objection, but kept his hateful gaze strong.
"Could you fill us in?" Dando inquired, looking nervously at the still raised revolver in Rain's hand.
"She's harmless, trust me," Ben held out an open hand to Rain, wanting his weapon back.
"You bring some strange girl 'round here and you want me to trust you, hell no," Joe replied.
"Hell yes," Ben said, gesturing more for the revolver.
After a moment of hedging, Rain finally set the gun carefully into Ben's grasp. He was quick to holster it.
"Who the fuck is she?" Joe glared at Ben.
"I can speak for myself," Rain growled at him.
"My apologies, bitch," Joe retorted. "Who the fuck are you?"
"Gentlemen!" a booming tone filled the room from above. "What's with the yelling?"
They all looked up to see a suave-looking man staring down at them from the mezzanine. Even through dark sunglasses they could see immense annoyance in his eyes.
"Who the hell is that?" Rain asked nervously, watching the stylish, brown suit clad man wander his way to the stairs.
"Why are you even talkin'?" Joe shot down her question instantly.
"Damn it, Joe, shut your Goddamn mouth for just a minute!" Ben didn't quite realize the volume of his voice in his frustration.
"He's got reason to be pissed, Ben," Dando pointed out tensely. "You don't know who this girl is."
"Except he does," Rain responded before Ben could utter a syllable.
"I can handle this, Rain," Ben assured her.
"Oh, so you're Rain," Joe smiled devilishly. "How shitty to meet you."
"Joe shut the fuck up!" Ben yelled even louder than before.
Just then, a humungous sound rang out, shattering the argument as well as the eardrums of everyone in the lobby. Before anyone knew what happened, large chunks of ceiling were tumbling to the floor, breaking into an uncountable number of pieces as they struck the hard tile.
Standing just inches away from the ceiling shards, was the brown suited man, standing silent and stoic. One of his hands was raised proudly upwards. In his grasp was a short, double barreled shotgun that was leaking smoking from both muzzles.
"Lady, gentlemen," the man said as he approached them calmly, lowering the shotgun and cracking it open, causing the two spent shells to spill to the floor. "What is this nonsense?"
"Ben brought this girl into the hotel," Dando explained, being the only one calm enough to speak clearly.
"And who might you be?" the man walked up to her, reloading his shotgun as he did.
"Rain," Rain answered softly, now showing much more of her fear.
"Rain what?" the man questioned.
"Rain Phillipa."
"Vincent Reese," the man held out a hand with a smile, "everyone just calls me Vin."
"Don't use your last name, man, what the hell are ya doin'?" Joe was shocked at Vin's actions.
"Why not?" Vin looked over at Joe as he shook Rain's hand. "She obviously knows Dando's last name. And my money says she knows Ben's too."
"I do," Rain nodded.
"Damn it, Ben," Joe hissed.
"That's Joe Pryman," Vin pointed at a furious Joe, "and that would be the honorable Bruce Dando," he pointed at Dando, who gave a small nod. "There, now we all know everyone. Can we stop all this yelling already?"
"Not knowing each other wasn't exactly the issue here," Joe pointed. "I'd like to know why this girl is even here. Where'd she come from?"
"Care to answer?" Vin looked to Rain.
"I suppose," she shrugged, not wanting to exacerbate the situation. "I'm here because I was attacked by a meth-head last night. Ben saved me and offered me a room here to stay for the night."
"Why didn't you just go home?" Dando inquired.
"Because I sort of left home with the intention of never going back," Rain said slowly.
"Shit," Joe groaned, "if this girl's a runaway there's bound to be people out lookin' for her."
"Finally, Joe makes a decent point," Vin smiled.
"She's gotta go," Joe insisted.
"I don't know about being so brash," Vin replied, peering back at Rain curiously. "Why don't we talk in my office, it's upstairs."
Rain looked nervously over at Ben. He only gave small nod.
"It's fine," he assured her.
"Okay," she looked back at Vin, "let's talk."
5