Claire knocked on the door. After the person inside answered, she opened it and they both walked in.
On the other side of the door was a small perfectly maintained garden. Not a spec of the four walls could be seen due to the green climbing plants that thickly covered them. The whole room was filled with different sized clay pots with all kinds of exotic flowers and plants. Lush green and bright colored petals surrounded them completely as the glass ceiling made the space look as if they ventured into a man-made meadow.
In the center of the room there was patio furniture. There were two large benches with a long oval wooden table between them. On one of the benches a woman was sipping tea while reading some sort of document. She looked up from the papers to see who had entered and her lips broke out into a large smile once she saw Claire.
Cameron was about to take another step closer when he suddenly lifted his free left hand and grabbed somebody's wrist. He quickly looked to his side and saw a man standing next to him while trying to jab a knife into his throat. Cameron didn't feel the presence of another person inside the room meaning the attack was a complete surprise to him. Yet none of his shock was evident on his face.
He was about to engage in a fight with the man when Claire discreetly tightened her grip on the hand she was holding. Cameron immediately understood that the situation was one she expected and that he shouldn't act recklessly. She was in control.
So he simply continued to power struggle with the man who made no other movements against him other than press on his arm to reach his neck.
"Rosie, that's no way to receive guests." Claire spoke to the woman without once looking in Cameron's direction. She talked to her in an endearing way while completely ignoring the silent, but life threatening situation happening by her side.
"You my dear, are always welcomed with open arms." The woman replied with an equally endearing tone in her voice. "Your strange companion however is not. You must be well aware that if it weren't for the fact that he's holding your hand, he would've been shot dead before he even stepped inside." She spoke in an ice cold manner while looking at Cameron who was standing his ground against the man who was obviously much bigger in size.
"It's precisely why I did it. Now call your pup off him. I need his neck to be intact for him to be of use to me." Claire told the woman.
"Fine." Not a second after she agreed, the man that held a knife to Cameron's neck lowered his arm and took a step back taking up a guarding stance near the door.
"Now come child. Give this old lady a hug." She said as she stood up and opened her arms for Claire with an inviting smile.
Claire then let go of Cameron's hand and closed the distance between her and the woman to give her a loving hug.
Rosie was in her sixties and had very short gray hair. The wrinkles and aging on her face made her look like she lived a full life. She had dark brown eyes and was around Claire's height in heels. She wore a pair of well pressed, cream colored dress pants and a simple white blouse. There was a free spirit kind of vibe that surrounded her.
"Sit down." Rosie said as she turned to her guard. "Bring us some fresh tea."
Sitting down Claire gestured for Cameron to join her on one of the benches. He straightened his suit jacket as we walked towards them. Once they were all in their seats, Rosie started to launch rapid fire questions at him.
"Who are you? What's your relationship with Claire? Who trained you?" She studied him closely. From the way he sat to the way he breathed, she wasn't going to miss a single detail.
"My name is Cameron Davis Ma'am. Miss Claire is my boss and regarding my training, I'm self-taught." Cameron didn't stutter or divert his eyes under the pressure of her gaze as he replied.
"You stopped a blade half an inch before it sliced your throat without flinching and expect me to believe your self-taught?" Her eyes narrowed while looking at him.
"Yes Ma'am. I have no reason to lie." Cameron responded honesty.
She stared at him intently. Cameron's eyes didn't waver and he made no attempt of looking away. He was calm and composed. He could feel the intensity of her gaze, but refused to back down.
After a while of being in a silent stare down, the woman's lips turned into a crooked grin.
"I like this one." Just as she said so, the guard came back inside with a tray filled with pastries, tea cups and a porcelain kettle. He placed it on the table between them and again assumed his post by the door.
"Me too. I've already decided to keep him. And since you've been nagging me non-stop for a stand in guard I brought him with me so you could judge him for yourself." She chuckled. "After all, nobody is pickier than you."
"Hmm. Since he has the X factor he'll do fine." Pouring tea into a cup and offering it to him she continued. "A word of advice. Although you don't seem to scare easy, always be wary of this one." She said gesturing towards Claire. "Once she snaps, it's dangerous to be around her."
"I take that as a compliment." Claire cheekily replied as she sipped from her cup. The nostalgic flavor made her eyes soften.
"How is she?" The woman asked Claire as she stared down at her tea. Her earlier spark dimmed a bit with the question.
"She's fine. As you already know, the hospital discharged her this morning. Today she's been all smiles since she made Colton a get well present." Claire smiled as she remembered Lily's proud expression.
"I'm glad." Rosie said before she took a sip from her cup and looked up at Claire. "And the clown?"
"He still hasn't woken up yet, but he's out of the woods for now." Claire smiled at her. "And before you ask yes. Anna and I are holding up just fine. No need to worry about us."
"Well of course you are. My little Magnolias were always made out of steel." The woman smiled back at her for a brief moment before her expression turned serious.
"Now tell me." Cameron noticed how the energy in the room darkened once she spoke again. The bright atmosphere was now slowly turning eerie.
"You've personally come to see me meaning that the threat you're dealing with is either too much for you to handle alone, or it involves me in some way or another." A smirk formed on her lips. "And judging by how you wouldn't ask for help even if you're thrown off the dock with your limbs chained to a cement block, I'm guessing it's the latter."
Claire set the tea cup down on the table and fully faced Rosie. Her face turned unreadable and the tone of her voice was that of a doctor delivering the worst news possible to a family's patient.
"Yesterday the attackers mission had the objective of killing Colton and having me captured." She paused for a moment before she continued. "The location for the drop off was at Sunrise Mechanics."
As soon as Claire said the name, Rosie froze. A few seconds past before she slowly lowered her cup and placed it on the table as well. She looked up at Claire mirroring the same indescribable face she had on.
"Do they know?" Rosie asked.
"I don't think so."
Rosie sighed in relief as she picked up the folder she was reading from earlier and passed it to Claire who briefly skimmed through the papers.
"I was worried it was connected so I looked into it. There's no way to avoid it now." Rosie said as she gulped down the rest of her tea. "Knowing you, you've already started to move so I won't stand in your way. Just promise me you'll be extra cautious." She looked at Claire and her expression saddened. "None of us would be able to bare another loss."
"Rest assured Rosie." Claire's eyes flickered with determination. "This time I'll bring hell to them."