Plath grins as I look at my pack of birth control pills.

I look at him oddly. “What?”

“This just proves how bad you want me.”

“No.” I pop out Monday and put it on the back of my tongue. I take a drink of my water. “It means I’m not letting anyone get me pregnant.”

He laughs. “Want to go get something to eat?” He stands up and grabs his keys.

“Sure.” I grab my messenger bag from the couch and put the pills in it. “What are you in the mood for?” I ask as we walk out to his car.

“I was going to ask you the same thing.” We get into his black BMW that seats two. He lets the top back and grins like any guy would.

“How’d you pay for this thing?”

“I get paid a pretty penny to babysit you.” He turns on the radio, and Lykke Li leaks through the speakers.

“That’s where all of Sage’s money came from. Isn’t it? It wasn’t prostituting, gambling, or stripping. Was it?”

He holds my hand. “She was paid well.”

I look out the window and try to forget the words we just spoke. I can’t stomach them. I turn up the radio and meditate on the words of the song.

Damn. Lykke Li is a genius. I look at Plath who is lost in his own thoughts.

“What is this song called?”

He turns down the radio then points to the screen to show the name. “I Know Places. You like it?”

I nod.

He takes his hand from mine, and I notice him do something on his cell phone as he peeks up at the road then back down at his phone. He sets his phone down and takes my hand again after turning the radio back up.

I lean back into the seat and close my eyes as he plays it again for me.

“WHAT DO YOU think about Cologne?”

I sit across from Plath in the booth and chuckle. “Ummm, if it smells good I’m okay with it.”

He looks at me oddly then laughs. “No. Cologne, Germany, you idiot.”

“Oh!” I laugh. I grab a menu from behind the salt and pepper shakers then squint my eyes as I look at it. I flip the menu around and try to find something in English. “I like it.”

“Are you having trouble?”

I set the menu down. “Yeah.”

When he laughs, I do too. He hands me another menu that’s in English. I look at him and notice him reading the one in German.

“You speak German?”

He nods. “See anything you like?”

“I think I’m just going to get a cheeseburger.”

“Scared to try something new?”

I shrug. “Can’t go wrong with a cheeseburger.”

He smiles and chews on his bottom lip as he tries to make a decision. The waitress comes over, and Plath places his order; then he and the waitress look at me.

I point to what I want on the menu, and she nods. “Drink?” She asks.

“Water, please.”

She smiles and walks away. I look out the window that displays a breathtaking view of a large cathedral. Its gothic-medieval appearance gives it an ominous vibe. The two towers that emerge from it are dominating. I bet they took so long to design and build.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

I look at Plath. “Very.”

“It’s the centerpiece of Cologne. I could take you to see it when we get done eating.”

I smile. “I’d like that.”

“Germany is one of my favorite places to be. The people are nice; the food is good, and the beer is great.”

I imagine Plath living life without being under the thumb of the Constable. How free he’d be. I could see him going to college and getting a degree, landing a decent job, and marrying someone. I look down at the napkin that holds the silverware. He could have all of that. Everyone could if I were eliminated from the equation.

The waitress sets our drinks down, snapping me from my thoughts. I stick my straw in the glass and take a drink. Plath checks his phone then sets it down.

“Are you all right?” He asks.

“Who has to do it?”

“Do what?”

I look out the window as I work up the courage to ask again. I tap my foot nervously and look at him again.

“You said that the ones with the power to kill me have been ordered not to. Who has the power, Plath?”