by Penny Knight
“Yep, Aunt Elita.”
“Can’t wait. So are we looking for Mr. Right?” I ask.
“Maybe not right now. Let’s get past this thing we shall not speak of first.”
“True.” I nod.
“Maybe instead of looking for Mr. Right, Elita, you should look for Mr. Right Now. You know, to rub off some tension you’re feeling?” He winks.
“And here we go back to that.”
“Damn straight.” He turns to sit facing me, his legs hanging off the table. “Then you can finally answer something I have been thinking about for ages.”
“What?” I ask wearily.
“I mean, Leo is like superhero material. Crazy strong. Crazy fast. Crazy hot.” He goes on.
“Okay?” I grab the bottle of water from the side table, opening the lid and taking a sip.
“So, when he like, you know…” He winks. “Reaches his climax and say you’re on top. Would it be like a volcano erupting? Like would you fly through the roof?”
Water sprays from my mouth, splashing all over Topher’s face and seaweed wrap. I think some actually came out of my nose, too.
Topher’s laughter rings throughout the whole room as my face goes red. Thankfully the door opens, and a confused looking therapist stands there at the scene before her.
“That was classic.” He chuckles.
“That’s one way to describe it. I don’t think I’m going to be able to look at him the same now.”
Topher’s chuckles turn to roars of laughter. “Join the club, sister.”
The rest of the spa I opted to have my headphones in. We did the talking bit, and that ended with a bang. Not even joking. So now music flows through my ears, taking me to another place. Another life. Where these lyrics send me on a journey with them. I listen to each song, playing out the visions in my mind. My own little four-minute movies. This trick I learned when I would hide as a little girl.
It was a pity that I didn’t have these headphones back then. It would have made it easier to get to my safe place if I had. Even if these wireless headphones were around, we certainly could not have afforded them.
Funny how I’m here laying chest down with hot stones on my back. In the most beautiful expensive place, I have ever been in my life. And still need to find an escape from my racing mind.
With these songs and love stories playing out in my mind and in my ears, there is only one face that’s the lead in all the clips. Damn him. Damn Topher and Leo to Hell. Never had I seen faces of anyone in my daydreams. Their faces were always blurred, fuzzy or unfocused. Now every song of passion and heat I feel his hands on me. His lips trailing down my neck.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
I need to stop. I slowly unbend my arm from resting on the table and tap the headset off. First start with the music. No more sexy songs. These hot stones aren’t helping, making me feel so intoxicated and heating me up from the inside. There is a need burning inside, in places that long to be touched again. It’s overpowering, and unexpected from just a few love songs. I blink my eyes open.
Standing at the door is Leo, in his buttoned-down suit and penetrating eyes which are currently trailing over my exposed back.
Words don’t seem to come out. He looks to me. Our eyes lock on each other. Aware I’m laying half naked on the table. I’m so thankful he can’t hear my thoughts or I him. My brain could not process it right now. The desire too strong, the pull magnetic.
I need to say something and end this.
“Do you often watch your guests in the spa?” My voice is calm, surprising even me.
His lips turn up. “No. But maybe I should start.”
“Looks like you already have.” Topher chimes in. “By the way. I don’t mind.”
I smile. As does Leo. He looks down and shakes his head.
“I was just letting you know. I have something waiting for you both when you’re done.”
“What is it?” I ask. His eyes land back on me.
“Come meet me in the restaurant.”
I don’t know whether it’s a command or a question. Surprisingly, it doesn’t matter.
“Ok,” I say.
He nods. “I will see you both shortly.” He turns and leaves.
As the door closes, I lift my hand up to Topher. “Don’t.” I stop him before he can even start.
“But…” He begins.
“Nope,” I cut him off.
Miriam the therapist comes in and finishes the treatment. We dress and get ready to go downstairs to meet Leo. I really hope it has nothing to do with the prophecy. Or any other problems that will just get me down again. I only need the one day and tomorrow I will resume my depressing reality.
I feel for my amulet to confirm the charm is on. Not wanting to be in anyone’s head today, and the restaurant is normally quite busy. Even for four in the afternoon. But when we enter. It’s empty. Only Leo and Broderick stand next to the buffet. Which is also empty.
I look to Topher.
He looks to me, his face mirroring mine. One of confusion.
“There’s no food,” he whispers. I shrug in response. “Where is everyone?” I shrug again.
We cross the distance over the restaurant floor, trepidation and nerves bubbling inside. This is weird. I have no idea what’s happening, and it makes me uneasy.
“Ready?” Leo asks when we finally reach him.
I look around the empty restaurant and back to him with suspicious eyes. “Nope,” I say truthfully. And there’s that smile again.
“Follow me,” he says and turns, walking towards the door to the kitchen.
Topher pushes me to go first.
“Hey!” I glare back at him.
“You go first.” He hides behind me.
“Are you serious?” I look back. He shrugs, wide eyed causing me to shake my head.
When we walk through the door into the huge industrial kitchen, it takes a minute for my eyes to comprehend what I see.
There’s a stool on one side of the workbench and a bottle of red wine. One that I have never heard of and probably more expensive than the eight-dollar bottle I normally buy. Accompanied by two large wine glasses. Not just that, there is an abundance of fresh food, produce and ingredients. A tall chef hat and apron lay on the bench. To the side, not far from the bench, a TV sits on a portable stand. Obviously way out of place.
“Elita says you like to cook?” I hear Leo ask Topher, but my body and mind are frozen.
“What?” Topher exclaims. “You mean,” he waves his arms around the room, “you’re gonna let me cook in here?”
My eyes are watering. I can’t control it. I look down as I process what’s happening.
“Yes, the kitchen is all yours. You can use anything you’d like and if you run out of wine, just pick up the phone over there and call. We will have someone bring you more.”
His eyes are on me. Even though he’s talking to Topher. It’s a sixth sense that I am realising I have with him. They are on me. I know it, but I can’t look up. Afraid to show him the vulnerability in my eyes.
“OMG! This is the best day ever.” Topher doesn’t waste any time. He ties the apron around his waist.
I close my eyes, take a deep breath and look up. I was right, Leo is watching.
He walks towards me. “We will leave you to it,” he says, stopping in front of me. “If you need anything.” He nods at the phone.
I nod. That’s it. I don’t trust my voice. I know what his done for me and it’s shaken me to my core.
He must realise that’s it from me. He looks to Broderick and they both start walking towards the door. Topher is already humming and singing, and I can tell he’s ecstatic. I have no idea why I can’t say thank you to Leo. He’s about to walk out after doing this for me. Something that has taken my breath away. And I can’t even say that I love it. I have major issues. That’s wrong, I need to say something.
“Wait!” I call out.
Everyone stops. Topher looks up surprised, and
Leo turns around.
Shit. Ok Elita, grow some balls.
“Would you both like to join us for dinner?”
“Yes,” Leo says, without hesitation.
Oh boy. What am I doing?
The rest of my bubble day turned into another twenty-four hours of hibernation. The wine Leo had given us went down like drinking water after a session of hot yoga. It was a blast. Not only watching Topher do his best Gordon Ramsay in the enormous kitchen, have me in stitches. I also visited Santorini, Greece, courtesy of the large TV Leo put for us. So, by the time dinner was ready, I was already three glasses deep and my sides were hurting from laughter.
As organised, Leo and Broderick joined us for dinner. We quizzed them about places they have been, historical moments in time. Anything we could think of before they had to head off to work. Whatever work Immortal Kings and soldiers have to do.
I fell into a deep sleep and woke with a horrible hangover. It kept us in my room binge-watching Netflix the entire Sunday. Some may think that’s a waste of a weekend. But it wasn’t like I had a lot of options, bound to a hotel. Still. It was just what was needed.
Now we’re back in our office on Monday morning. Looking at the whiteboard that we left before our adventure to the bookstore. Which feels like many moons ago.
Something shifted over the two days, the slightest opening of walls coming down around me. Not just me, I can feel the shift in Leo, too.
The board in front of us resembles plot scenes of a movie. I can imagine sitting around a table throwing the most ludicrous plot twists and tropes and BAM, that’s my reality now.
There are too many avenues to explore, too much to learn. I know I need to go back to Franziska and delve as deep as I can there. She would have so much information about this new world, that for whatever prophetic reason has me set in its sights.
But on the other hand, I’m living with a supposed king of… I guess species. All this is new, so I have to fill in the boxes. If I could learn from anyone, it certainly should be him. I just need to shut off this electricity, or whatever it is, between us. Then I could get some proper work done.
“So. We have witches, Immortalies and humans. Those are the ones we know of. We have to remind ourselves to find out what other species are out there.” I squint at the whiteboard.
Topher’s fingers fly as he writes ‘to do,’ at the top of the board. “Do you think there are more, or other species that might be after you, as well?”
My eyes go wide.
“I didn’t even think of that.” I slump back in the chair. “Fuck, that could suck really bad.”
“Oops,” Topher says. “Maybe it’s just the bad guys that come out at night.”
“I hope so.” I have this small amount of normalcy because I feel safe in the day as Immortalies can’t come out. Why? I have no idea. “What we really need to do is find out what and how this prophecy needs to be fulfilled. And I bet the answers are in the book.”
“Well, doesn’t Franziska know how to read it?”
“I didn’t tell her I have it.” It’s hard to put my trust in someone who hasn’t been honest with me. It’s not like I won't. But I want to make sure it’s the right decision.
I remember what Leo said about a diary that may hold the answers. I have a strong feeling that it’s the book I got from the bookstore. Something just nags at me to keep this to myself. I know deep inside that if anyone could decipher this language, it’s Leo.
I should just take it to him. After everything his done, he really has shown he can be trusted. But because I have so many issues, the thought petrifies me. Who really does something like the other night out of the blue? I told him what makes me happy and, bam, he does it. I have never met or known anyone like that.
Is it him wanting to lead me to a false sense of security? He said that he doesn’t or isn’t destined to be a day walker, but he could be misleading me. In my heart, I don’t think that’s true. I should be giving him a bit more of a break.
Damn my mother and her walking out. I can’t even let someone be nice to me without thinking they have a motive. I can’t blame it all on her. The first time I said yes to love, he walked out on me, too.
“You know what? We need to find someone on the other side to question,” he says.
“Who?”
“Well, let’s say the programmer. He’s still missing. My guess is his a goner. Dead. Considering the Immortalie that were after the USB that night.”
“Hmm, good point. Well, someone hired him. We could start there.” I stand from the desk. “Is Tony in?”
“He was this morning. But he bailed outta here just before.”
“Where was he going?” He must be working on something. He’s been MIA around here lately. And not harping on us for case updates.
“No idea, he just grunted when he went past.”
I shrug. “Well then, I guess it’s free rein in his office. Can you spoof his camera feed?” Tony is extremely paranoid and has a nanny cam in his office. I don’t ask questions. He’s entitled to his privacy and normally I would let him have it, but Topher is right. He should have the contact of who hired us, and we have no other leads to go on.
“I can do that in my sleep.” He cracks his knuckles and gets to it.
Tony’s office gives me hives. I don’t know how he does it. Papers and files thrown all over his desk. At least he won’t know I’ve gone through his things. Before I start my rummaging, I check the street through the windows, where Tony normally parks. His car is still gone.
We’re on the second level of the small office. The bottom has a modest reception desk that is normally unmanned and a kitchen area at the back for our breaks. Topher and I are in a large office together down the hall, and the only other room is a conference room that we take clients to. We call it the bad news room. Countless times I’ve had to burst the bubble on some unfortunate spouse with photo evidence their partner has being doing the dirty on them. It sucks, but it pays the bills.
I first go through the files on his desk. They’re our active cases, and as we didn’t hand in the drive that we found, it could still be there.
It doesn’t take long before I find it. Flipping open the file, I scan the consult form all our clients must fill out.
That’s odd. The client field is incomplete. All that is listed is RTP LLC. No contact names. Nothing. I scan the rest of the pages and come up empty. The only thing is a mobile phone number scribbled in the side margins.
Whoever organised this job wanted it to be low key. That’s obvious.
I scrummage to find a pen when I hear a car door slam from outside.
Tony?
Shit.
I look out the window and see a white van. Not one, but three large men hop out. They gather at the front of the entrance, talking. The blonde one reaches to the back of his jeans and pulls out a gun.
A gun? What the hell?
Double shit.
I drop everything in my hand and scream out for Topher, my feet barreling towards the door as my heart pounds.
“Topher!” I yell again.
“What? What?” his head pokes out from the office.
“Guns!” I charge towards him. “Men with guns. Quick, get what you need. Get the laptop.” I run into the room to find the book.
“What?” Topher screeches but does as I say. “What the hell Elita?”
“Get the laptop and the book out,” I whisper, packing the book in his laptop bag.
“What about you?” he shoves his computer in too.
The door chimes. They have entered the building. Topher’s eyes go wide and looks at me frightened.
“I will cause a distraction. You get this out. Go. Now. Down the emergency fire exit.”
He’s the fastest of us both. He needs to get both the drive and the book to safety. And given that it’s daylight these must be human men with guns. I’m now contemplating my tactics based on either humans or supernatural’s. How life has changed. I know I c
an handle myself in this situation. Topher, not so much. I hate to say it, but I need my wits about me, and the book safe. So, I don’t have the time or mental capacity to coach him through this.
I push him out of the room. Shoving him towards the fire exit.
“Elita I…” he stammers.
“GO!” I snap back.
“Fuck!” he curses and runs towards the door.
“Meet you back at the hotel,” I say. My last direction I need him to understand.
He needs a clear exit and no one on his tail to give him a head start. And I need to not get dead in the process.
When I hear the fire exit close, I feel a sense of relief. It’s fleeting. The scent of danger hangs in the air. I must act quick.
Going to my computer, my fingers fly pressing play on my playlist. Distraction is key to bide some time and plan my exit. Hopefully, I can find some information on who these men are in the process.
If anyone can play a deadly game of hide and seek, it is the girl who used to spend her time hiding in an air vent.
Once the music starts, I quickly take my lock bag, filled with all my tools to break into houses, from my top drawer.
Sprinting out of the room, I close the door, making sure it does not slam and make noise. Then run to the opposite conference room and hide behind the open door.
A flurry of footsteps comes from the stairs. I inhale deeply and calm my breathing to silence my movements.
“Find her first. We don’t have long,” a gruff voice says.
“I can hear something.” Another man’s voice, higher pitched but still whispered.
He must be talking about the music from the trap I set in the room. That’s all they say. The only sound now is the footsteps, soft as they creep to my office.
There were three men that came from the car. I know there were two different voices, but it doesn’t mean the third isn’t there. Or maybe it’s two and once they’re locked in the room, there might be another one loose.
I need to get stage two of the plan in motion and deal with the third if it arises. As quietly as possible, I unzip the bag and pull out my portable door lock. It looks like a bent fork and another piece of uninteresting metal. But this homemade device can be jammed into the door, securing it.