There were times where Kat utterly hated herself for falling for this man. He knew just what to say to her to make her listen when they were young, and she admitted to herself that he was still as intimidating now as he was then. She wanted to lash out at him and punch him in the face so badly when he got closer to her, feeling his breath on her skin, but she remained calm. Stubborn like a defiant child while he smiled at her, not even giving him direct eye contact or uttering a single word, she swore loyalty to both her partner and her fleet. Even when he pulled her hair back she only looked away from him in the same manner.<br/><br/>Deep down she feared this man but she dared not show that to him now. Riddick fed off fear, anger, to get what he wanted and she refused to give him that satisfactionâ€¦ for nowâ€¦ He knew exactly how to get to her and would not hesitate to do it; Riddick was cruel in that sense and it almost made her sad to see how much he had changed from that stern man to the cruel man he was now. When he left her alone with his men all she could think about was getting out of there as soon as she could and getting back to Eric before anything else happened. Her worry for him grew still and she quietly looked around the room for anything that might be of use to set herself free. If Riddick laid one finger on Ericâ€¦ well for one she would have to find a new partner and she did not want that to happen. She just kept telling herself that she was not about to let him down.<br/><br/>A small part of her wanted to break down and cry and for the life of her Kat could not really understand why. That was what he wanted, what he lived for, all because of some stupid misunderstandings. Maybe it was partially out of fear for both her and her partnerâ€™s life, maybe it was because she found herself liking Eric more than she thought. And then it hit her: Riddick had not bothered to take the knife away from her and it was still under her shirt. Though she was unable to reach it just the thought of it being there was comforting enough for the time being. She closed her eyes for a moment and sighed softy, trying to clear her head but to no avail.<br/><br/>When she opened her eyes the men were standing before her, ready to do whatever it took to get information out of her. Kat was a strong woman, but she was still a woman, and one who had a rough past that she was now regretting. Being a woman, she was not capable of keeping cool like a man could, but she would do her best. She would endure whatever they were about to do to her for as long as she couldâ€¦<br/><br/>---------<br/><br/>When Ryan finally returned to where Eric was his expression was blank and his face was pale. He barely even looked at Eric when he walked over to the window, looking outside absently as he took deep breaths. After he had finally collected himself enough, he moved over to where Eric was and sat near him on the couch again. He kept his gaze as steady as he could but the amount of panic he was feeling made it nearly impossible for him to hide it all. For some reason, looking at this man gave him comfort, but even then the panic was still too great. It wasnâ€™t easy to feel vulnerable when you thought you could stay on top forever. Ryan supposed he should have expected them to find him sooner or later but he didnâ€™t want to believe it. It angered him that they could come in here and trample over what was supposed to be his.<br/><br/>â€œYou see, dear Eric, this is exactly what Iâ€™m talking about,â€ his tone wasâ€¦ it was grim, even for him, which surprised him. â€œI guess this just goes to show you that nobody is truly invincible.â€ He broke out in laughter for a moment, finding this whole thing funny. The laughter made the two other men in the room cringe and take a step back If he was screwed he might as well have a good laugh while he was at it, right? Collecting himself again he decided to inform his new friend what was going on out there, â€œThings arenâ€™t looking too bright for your friend. There was a call from the manager of the hotel you two are staying at; he said she was being held hostage there.â€<br/><br/>Leaning in closer to Eric again, Ryan gave him a stern gaze. â€œWhat say you? Do you forget about her or should we go rescue your little princess? Itâ€™s chaos out there, you know, so I canâ€™t say for sure if youâ€™ll be safe.â€ He spoke in all seriousness as he leaned in even closer, eying him again. Oh how he wished things would have been different and he could have this man to himself. That woman was obviously an obstacle and needed to be eliminated; at that though maybe they should just leave her there to satisfy the hungry wolves while he made his escape from this city with Eric. The next city was only a few miles away, only problem being the checkpoints and such, so if they hurried maybe they could make it outâ€¦ howeverâ€¦<br/><br/>â€œYouâ€™re damn lucky Iâ€™m generous, gorgeous,â€ he spoke again. â€œI would normally just leave her behind but Iâ€™m not a fan of these people storming in like they own the place. If you really want to join me, you will come with me and help fight this little war.â€