Terrifying Love: A Halloween Anthology

by Serena Nova

  Hey pretty lady,

  I had a feeling you wouldn’t listen to me and come to work anyway.

  I’m sorry I’m not here, something came up and I had to go.

  Let me know how you’re feeling, here is my number.

  T.

  Anna saw the phone number at the bottom of the message and pulled out her phone, and immediately added Taj’s number to her contacts.

  Anna pulled out her phone and immediately added Taj’s number to her contacts. She had no idea whether to call her now or wait. She didn’t want to seem too eager, but she also didn’t want Taj to think she wasn’t interested. So, she decided to wait until lunch.

  She started working, determined not to touch her phone until noon. She really did not want to seem desperate and push Taj away, so no matter how badly Anna wanted to talk to her, she left her phone on her desk.

  As the day went on, the inconsistencies she had noted before seemed to increase in number. At last, she was at her wits end, and had no idea what to do, only that it needed to be addressed. So, she left her office and went to talk to her boss again. He would surely listen to her this time, since the number of accounts increased drastically since she had spoken to him last. Even his lazy ass couldn’t ignore errors of this proportion. She knocked on his door and entered as he responded.

  “Oh, it’s you again. What can I do for you this time?” he said tersely, and she was taken aback by his rudeness for a moment, though she should not have expected any less from him, given how he always was. Anna squared her shoulders and straightened herself, she was not going to be intimidated by him anymore.

  “I wanted to talk to you about the accounts I mentioned the last time,” she replied, her voice not betraying her nervousness.

  “I told you to leave it alone. I am taking care of it,” he waved her words away dismissively.

  “But, Matthew, I am encountering more and more of those accounts and this issue needs to be addressed,” Anna insisted.

  “Anna, I told you already to leave it alone,” his voice was sharp and harsh as he snapped his words at her. I will not say it again. It is not your job to worry about that. Unless you think you’re too good for your job and would like to go work somewhere else?” he threatened.

  “No. You are right. I will not bother you again,” Anna replied, understanding that she was in a precarious situation here, and no matter what, she couldn’t risk losing her job. She would have to agree to leave it alone. It plagued her mind though, and while she might tell him she was dropping it, she still needed to see what was going on. There was only one person that she thought she could talk to, one person she could trust.

  She took her phone out the moment she entered her office, before she even sat down and started typing.

  Hi, it’s Anna. I was wondering if I could talk to you later?

  Sure. Let me finish up here and I’ll call you.

  No, no phones, I need to talk to you in person.

  Oh, okay, do you want me to meet you after work? Same place?

  Sure, see you there at 6.

  Anna put her phone down, and regardless of how worried she was about her job and sharing confidential information, she was also quite excited to see Taj again. She decided to prepare a file, just in case. Something was telling her that having proof would be useful, but she knew she needed to be careful about this. So, the rest of her day passed quickly as she pretended that she was working, while she was actually noting the errors she came across, and the file she had started grew thicker and thicker.

  At 5 o’clock, she was content with her accomplishment. The file was compiled, and she knew that if it came down to it, she would have the evidence she needed. Still, she didn’t know what for, but at least she would be prepared. Anna had plenty of time to spare before she had to be at the pub, so she gathered her things, ready to go for the day. As she readied to leave, something nagged at her. She knew she was missing or forgetting something but couldn’t figure out what exactly it was. She thought that perhaps a long walk would jog her memory. As she got up and reached for her bag, a paper fell from her desk, and as she returned it to its place, it hit her. Rudi’s note!

  Anna rushed to her filing cabinet trying to remember where she put the folder with Rudi’s note. Anna’s heart raced as she frantically searched, afraid that she might have lost it. At last, she found it and relief flooded her as she pulled it from its place and darted back to her desk. Anna quickly put it in her desk drawer together with the file she prepared, locked it, and took the key for the first time since she had started working there. She was almost at the door, when it hit her that the files would fit in her oversized bag.

  She stared at her drawer for a moment, indecision flooding her before she rushed forward and opened the drawer as she decided to do something she would have never considered before. There was something much larger going on here, and she was not going to take the risk of leaving everything here. Anna was going to take the file home with her and damn the consequences.

  She tried to leave the building calmly, not to draw any suspicion to herself, but the moment she turned the corner, she started running and didn’t stop until she reached the pub. She was a bit late, considering it had taken her longer to find Rudi’s note than she expected, and Taj was already there. Her smile turned into a worried look on her face when she noticed how Anna looked. Taj didn’t ask any questions, just ordered two drinks and led her out to the garden to the same secluded table in the corner.

  “Are you okay? What’s wrong?” Taj could not hide the worried tone in her voice.

  “We can’t talk here,” Anna shook her head, while she was trying to catch her breath. “Can we go to my place?”

  “Sure. Let me pay the bill.” She left for a moment and came back to get Anna. “Come. My car is parked around the corner.”

  They left the pub hurriedly, Taj picking up on the fact that Anna seemed to want to get out of there as fast as possible. Just as they turned the corner, Taj noticed a guy watching them intently before he started to follow. She didn’t want to worry Anna any further, but she knew they needed to get out of there, so she gently urged her to go faster.

  In the short time it took to get to her car the man had all but caught up, only metres away from them. Taj tried to unlock the car to get Anna to safety, but she was too late as the man grabbed Anna’s bag and tried to yank it off her shoulder. Anna held on, letting out a small scream of protest as he pulled out a knife and swiped it at her in an attempt to get it free.

  Anna screamed and retreated while Taj did not waste a moment as she dropped the car keys and approached the guy in few quick steps, making sure she was far enough out of his reach not to get stabbed herself. It was enough to distract the guy from Anna, which was exactly what she was hoping for. Not wanting to get Anna in the middle of a fight she could deal with herself, Taj yelled, “Get in the car and lock the doors!” not taking her eyes of the attacker. Fortunately, Anna listened and rushed to the car, picked up the key and got in, which offered some momentary relief for Taj.

  The guy swiped the knife towards Taj, which she expertly avoided thanks to the years of training in the police force. She grabbed the hand holding the knife at his wrist with her left hand and punched him in the face with her right. Taj used the moment of his confusion to twist his hand outwards until he dropped the knife, which she kicked swiftly to the side. She pulled him toward her and twisted his hand further until he fell on his knees. Taj spun around him quickly and twisted his arm some more while she pushed him all the way down until his face hit the pavement. She pushed her knee into his back and his breath left in a woosh and Taj knew he was going to stay down for a moment. She got up fast and kicked him a few times in the side to make sure he stayed down long enough for them to get away.

  Taj looked around for the knife she had kicked away, and spotting it she ran for it, grabbing it and hurrying to join Anna in the car. Anna unlocked the doors and let her in. They were both breathing hard in their distre
ss, but Taj pulled away from the curb as fast as humanly possible and hit the accelerator. They drove in a complete silence, their heaving breaths the only sound in the car. It took them even less time than the yesterday to reach Anna’s place. They did not speak until they entered Anna’s apartment and closed the door. Taj expected Anna to break down and start crying but she was surprised with another passionate kiss.

  “What was that for?” Taj smiled.

  “You are amazing, you know that?” Anna simply said and went to the kitchen. “Want some water? I need some, and I need something stronger. What a fucked-up day this was,” she continued, while Taj just stood there looking at her. “Why did you take his knife? Where did you learn to fight like that? Are we dating now or are we just gonna be friends?” Anna blurted out in one breath, and Taj smirked. Anna just stopped, her mouth open and her eyes wide in bewilderment. She could not believe she just spilled that out. Just like that. She put a hand over her eyes and just took a deep breath. And then she felt herself embraced by two slender, strong arms, and she immediately relaxed. She was safe, and everything was going to be okay.

  They stood like that for a while, unmoving, just enjoying each other’s closeness. Anna’s breath finally slowed and was no longer coming out in heavy pants as she relaxed into Taj. After a long moment, Taj pulled away and asked her about her day and Anna told her everything. She even showed her the file she prepared, and Rudi’s note. For some reason Taj did not seem too surprised and Anna wondered why that was. Her face must have betrayed her feelings because Taj spoke up.

  “I used to be a cop. I retired after I got injured on duty. I still have connections in the police force and that’s what I was doing today. I tried to find the car that almost hit you yesterday and I took the knife today to check for fingerprints. I want to know who attacked you and why.” Anna just listened in wonder.

  “What do you think I should do with the information?” she asked Taj after a moment.

  “I think you should go over your boss’ head and talk to higher management. And I think we should make copies of the file, just in case. Someone wants these, and wants them badly. If my hunch is right, and it usually is, these two attempts to get to you are not a coincidence,” Taj replied, and added, “And I would love to date you some more, if you are interested.” Anna just beamed and nodded her head in agreement.

  “I really don’t want to be alone tonight. Could you stay with me?” Anna asked tentatively.

  “Of course. I’m not leaving you alone until this is sorted out,” Taj replied gently, taking her hand and running her thumb over the back, reassuring her that she wasn’t going to leave her alone.

  So, Taj stayed and held Anna all night. She felt safe. And she was falling in love so hard, it wasn’t even funny. Taj was so perfect, was the last thing on her mind before sleep took over. This was the first night in a long time that Anna slept without fear and nightmares.

  Chapter Five

  They woke up earlier than Anna did usually and started planning. Taj already told her how concerned she was about Anna being attacked twice in two days and the attacks taking place after talking to her boss about the accounts. They had to do something. Taj was going to check the knife for prints and Anna was going to talk to Norman, their big boss. He was a shrewd, illusive, scary kind of man, but he seemed fair. Anna had only spoken to him a couple of times, and he always seemed nice and polite, but reserved.

  Taj dropped her off close enough to walk to the building, but they decided it would be best for them not to show up at work together. Anna didn’t waste any time, she went straight to their big boss’ office. Norman’s secretary was there, the gate keeper extraordinaire. She only looked intimidating though, she was quite nice and understanding and Anna was counting on that.

  “Alexandra, I have to see Norman urgently,” Anna pleaded.

  “He is in a meeting at the moment, but he should be out in about ten minutes. Then he has about fifteen minutes before the next one. You better talk fast,” Alexandra stated matter-of-factly.

  “Thank you. That is more than enough time,” Anna replied and set down to wait.

  Exactly ten minutes later a person came out of Norman’s office and Alexandra told her she could go in. Anna was nervous but this was something she needed to do. So, she gathered her courage and walked in.

  “Good morning, Anna. What can I do for you?” Norman greeted her politely.

  “Thank you for seeing me on such short notice. I know you’re busy and I appreciate you taking the time to see me unannounced. I have some concerns and I spoke to Matthew a couple of times, but it seems the problems are continuing, and I didn’t know what else to do,” Anna said, and then proceeded to tell him everything. When she was done, she took out the copy of the file and showed it to him. He studied the papers for a moment and finally lifted his head.

  “And Matthew didn’t do anything about this?” he asked with a puzzled look on his face.

  “I am not sure. I told him twice and he said he would take care of it, but after I mentioned it, the problem didn’t go away. Instead, it became more frequent,” Anna replied.

  “You did the right thing, coming to see me with this,” Norman finally said.

  Anna thanked him for his time and headed straight for her office, relieved as she sat in her chair and let out a long breath. Finally, it was done, and she could relax. She took out her phone and texted Taj.

  It’s done.

  Good. I have stuff to tell you. Want to meet after work? Same place…

  Sure. Looking forward.

  She put her phone down and tried to work but couldn’t focus. Anna felt giddy, like a schoolgirl. She had a stupid smile on her face that just wouldn’t go away. There was something about Taj. Something special. And also, she was absolutely gorgeous. Taj had those dark brown, almost black, big, beautiful eyes and the most charming smile that showed off the gap between her teeth. That gap was adorable. Anna shook her head with a small laugh, she had to stop letting her mind wander, and do some work.

  At last Anna was able to push thoughts of Taj aside and focus on getting some work done. A few hours passed since she had come in, and her lunch break was finally approaching. She had no idea whether to stay in the office or go out. She knew that she had brought her concerns to Norman, but she had no idea if the outside danger was gone. As she was contemplating what to do, she heard a commotion outside. Anna started to stand to go and find out what was causing the sudden chaos outside her office door, but before she had a chance to even move around her desk, a teary-eyed, distressed Melanie rushed into her office.

  “They arrested him!” Melanie tried to yell but it came out more like a whisper, her breath heavy like she was running.

  “What happened? Who got arrested?” Anna asked her worriedly, not knowing exactly what to expect with all the strange findings lately.

  “Matthew! They arrested Matthew! The police… They cuffed him and all. That woman guard helped them. Why would she help them?” Melanie replied in one breath.

  “Oh, wow! Why?” Anna asked, though she already had a pretty good idea why. Melanie’s words about Taj bothered her too, and immediately she jumped to her defence, “And she helped them because it’s her job.”

  “When the cops arrested him, they told him it was on charges of fraud and murder. That can’t be true! They even told him he was under arrest for the murder of Rudi!” Melanie sounded shocked and distressed, and Anna had no idea how to deal with it.

  “That is quite shocking, indeed. Come, let’s go to the kitchen. Let me make you some tea,” Anna suggested and wondered if it had something to do with her meeting with Norman earlier that morning. In any case, she needed to get out of her office and find out more, and comforting Melanie was the perfect excuse.

  She led Melanie out of her office and toward the little kitchen. Taj was in the corridor and Anna was about to go to her when she noticed Taj shaking her head discretely, so she continued on her way with Melanie. It was a tiresome affa
ir listening to Melanie’s crying and misplaced adoration of Matthew, but she sat through it like a good colleague, half listening and nodding her head, making appropriate sounds here and there, and half hoping to learn something useful. She could not wait for the day to finish so she could go to the pub and see Taj again.

  The day dragged on, her colleagues running around in distress, rumours and whispering in the corridors. She had had it with this place, and seriously started considering looking for a job elsewhere and starting over, damn the promotion. All Anna wanted was to be happy, and she started realising that this place would never make that possible for her. In reality, she stopped enjoying her work a while ago, but the money was good, so she stayed. Also, there was the promise of promotion, so she remained where she was, hoping. She wondered who was going to get Matthew’s job and what was going to happen to him.

  Finally, the clock showed 5:30, and she started getting ready to leave. Her phone sounded and she took it out to check her messages.

  Change of plans. Don’t go to the pub. I’ll come get you around the corner. Remember the place?

  Yes, I remember. What happened?

  I’ll tell you everything. Get out of the building now. I’m waiting in the car.

  Anna was puzzled by the strange messages from Taj, and wondered what else might have happened, but she was on the way out anyway, so it didn’t take her long to reach that corner where they met the first time. She was looking for the little shiny red car, but she didn’t see it anywhere.

  “Anna! Over here,” she heard Taj’s voice and turned in the direction of her voice, thinking she must have passed her without noticing.

  Taj was waiving at her from a non-descript, dark blue car. “Get in!” Anna heard the urgency in her voice and rushed to the car as Taj pushed the door open for her from the opposite side. As soon as her door closed Taj pulled away and they drove off. They didn’t speak during the ride, instead they simply held hands, both lost in their own thoughts of what was happening. After a short ride, in a car Taj had borrowed from a cop friend for safety purposes, they parked in front of a cute little house with a garden and Taj told her it was her parent’s place, but she had moved in after they left the country.