The girl reached their table and Catalina glanced up at her. The girl had a smile on her face. Catalina gently shifted her face off Ash's ear to fix her attention to the girl. She slightly creased her eyebrows at the gentle smile the girl was giving her, then the girl's eyes marveled softly to Ash.
"Honey, you certainly know I can figure out you're acting, right?" The girl took a finger and brushed her shining blonde hair aside as she smiled.
Catalina lifted an eyebrow. The girl obviously had regal bearing. High delicate cheek bones, small nose, luminescent blue eyes, creamy smooth skin, and golden blonde tresses on top of a face that was so pale it was almost paper white. Her youthful face looked angelic and she spoke in that high class way, yet her gentleness was admirable. Sure, she looked attractive, yet, she appeared the least of Catalina's standard of beauty.
Ash turned his head to gaze at the girl, his hand still encircled at Catalina's waist. "I know you'll figure out, Vell." Ash replied in a cold, sluggish tone. "And I was also hoping you'll figure out me doing such drastic acting was only for you to get lost."
Catalina stared at Ash. He was always cold and distant, but that bluntness was quite freezing, yet, the girl didn't look bothered at all, she even let out a soft laugh, Catalina even noticed how her cheeks slightly blushed, at the same time she sensed within her eyes a deep longing.
"You know, honey, that the more you want me gone, the more I look forward on marrying you." The girl wholeheartedly replied, even in the dimly space you could clearly see her, like a shining beacon. The white creamy tone of her skin reminded Catalina of nothing but a ghost. She couldn't help to wonder if she reached out, would she only graze air?
Ash's expression remained aloof, even disinterested, and as if he heard nothing, he moved closer to Catalina.
Catalina figured this acting had been exposed but she might as well continue.
"Baby, what is she saying?" Catalina muttered coldly at Ash, "I only heard sssss-sssss-sssss," she suddenly imitated the hissing sound of a snake as she nibbled on her lower lip.
Ash gazed unexpectedly at Catalina, he could see her reddish face because of alcohol and with a hint of tipsiness in her voice.
Meanwhile at the table, Ren had heard what Catalina had said, she pursed her lips to prevent a laugh while she kept her attention at their game, and there's also Calix, who's hiding the faintest of smiles on his lips.
Ash cleared his throat, meeting Catalina's eyes, looking pleased and without any outward sign on his lips, his eyes seemed the ones to smirk.
The girl looked at Catalina, then another gentle smile formed her lips, "Aren't you Catalina Haytham?" She asked, her voice nice and soft, with a slight note of surprise. "You're the owner of the most well-known cosmetics and beauty products worldwide—what's the name again?"
Catalina slightly narrowed her eyes, "E'vico." She said with an emphasis on her tone, saying it in the most elegant way possible.
"Oh it's E'vico," The girl said, "My bad, I ain't using any of your products so I couldn't come to remember," She added in the nicest voice Catalina had ever heard.
Catalina plastered a smile on her lips, "That's good to know," Her voice suddenly became sleepy, then she moved closer to Ash and her head gently fell down on the side of his chest with her heavy eyes, "I don't think my products would suit you, I might get negative reviews otherwise." She felt Ash's grip slightly tightened at her waist because of her sudden movement. A ghost of a smile appeared at Catalina's lips.
Nevertheless, it didn't ruffle the serenity of the girl's expression, instead, she gazed at Ash in an amused way, "Do you despise the world that you only made this famous young billionaire to be just your fling?" she remarked.
"A fling?" Catalina snapped almost immediately, "Honey, we're a thing, look, I've got a ring." She suddenly raised her middle finger at the girl, showing her most favorite luxurious, diamond ring.
Everyone in the table paused their game, their attention shifted to Catalina, giving her an overwhelming look.
"I hadn't put it on my ring finger since I like it better on my middle one, it could automatically talk to bitches to—" Catalina stared at the girl, "fuck off."
And there it goes, Catalina's most awaited wipe-her-smile-off-her-face goal.
The girl's smile faded, a muscle on her jaw involuntarily twitched and it didn't eluded Catalina's sight. But as to how quickly her smile disappeared, the quicker it returned. "You're exactly what I heard from the media and tabloids;" she smiled softly, "you do have that cold, sadistic approach, but looking at you right now, within those pair of olive eyes, there's uneasiness, fear, and anxiety." The girl flashed Catalina a concerned smile, "You do hate feeling afraid, don't you? But, I'm sorry I gotta use your weakness,"
The corners of Catalina's eye crinkled at the girl, she saw her pulled out something from her silver purse, and slowly the girl placed it gently on top of the table.
Catalina gasped at the sight of the knife, there's a smuggler's cove curved on its handle. She shifted on her chair uncomfortably, while Ash stayed undisturbed beside her so as the others in the table. As if this inappropriateness was nothing but typically normal.
"You only have your middle finger, it's a good thing I borrowed their knife earlier." She smirked lovingly, "Stop flirting with him, next time I see you near him, I won't put this knife in front of you anymore," she pointed Catalina's eyes, "I'll passionately put it there," She gave her one last smile before she made her way out of their sight.
Catalina's eyes stayed hard and unmoving.
"That lunatic," Ren snapped, her gaze following the disappearing figure of the girl in the crowd.
Catalina uneasily shifted her gaze to Ash, "Do I really look scared? Does my anxiousness really that obvious?" she asked, troubled.
"It's not." Ren interrupted, "But, if you'll ask Ash and that sociopath Aravella Huntley, you're more likely to receive a yes." She said to Catalina.
"And did she just threaten me?" Catalina asked surly.
"It's her way of playing you. Seeing your weakness made her do that. She's a psychology major in Stanford, more likely she's more on reading people than books, those sociopaths who seem to know the inner working of someone's brain." Ren frustratingly muttered.
Catalina scoffed, then she felt Ash moved, now taking off his hand from her waist and moving his chair slightly away from hers. Catalina felt a strange sense of disappointment with Ash pulling away, but she instantly fizzled at the thought. Then she heard Ash's said something in barely more than a whisper, "Thank you,"
Catalina attempted to ask why does he seemed to hate that Aravella that much, but Ash's chilly demeanor made her question lingered at the back of her mind.
Moments later, everyone decided to go home, except for Lorenz who decided to stay and went up to the top floor of the bar, probably, with some unknown woman again.
By the time they arrived at the outside street of smuggler's cove, Ren and Calix headed to a car and slumped between their shoulders was Jules who couldn't make his steps straight right this time. On the other hand, Levi rode his motorbike while Riley sat at the pillion.
Ash was steering on his board when he caught sight of Stewart opening the car's door for Catalina. The moment the door opened, his nose caught a faint, lethal smell coming out from the inside of the car.
Catalina was about to go inside when Ash suddenly yelled, "Wait!" he yanked his board forward to them and pulled Catalina away from the car, closing it abruptly.
"What's the matter?" Catalina asked in confusion, her voice came out a little hoarse with her reddened, drowsy face.
"Don't open the car. Don't go inside." Ash glanced once at Stewart who seemed baffled at the same time. Then his gaze quickly shifted from corner to corner, as if looking for something or rather it's someone. "There's toxic gas inside your car." He added, then his attention darted to the driver seat's window, he rushed over the door handle and pulled it open,
"Shit!" Catalina's hand automatically flew over her mouth in an abrasive way, stepping back as she watched in horror how his driver's dead body fell gently from the driver seat.
Stewart instinctively pulled out his gun, his posture and eyes became more alert and focused.
Catalina stiffened and her mind struggled to work at that moment, though it's a little dark, her gaze picked up the almost scarlet face and already bluish lips of her driver, his body slumped over, half-sitting, half-laying on the cold ground.
Ash immediately pulled the lifeless body out of the car to close the door, then he gazed at Stewart, "Never open the door,"
"What's wrong, Ash?" Calix yelled from behind, his head peeping out from the car's window.
Ash didn't respond, his attention still busy looking at the street, then upwards, in other establishments. His eyes briskly flickering from one rooftop to another, then he paused and Catalina heard him whispered, "He's still near."
In a span of seconds, Ash vanished in front of Catalina, when she turned around, Ash was now marveling the darkened street with his board in high-speed.
Catalina's gaze lingered back at the lifeless body, she felt the tension and anxiety building up in her as she stared blankly, her mind swinging in circles. Before the panic could eat her alive, she breathed in and out upon realizing someone might be lurking in the shadows right now, hiding perfectly in the darkness of night, watching how she would react at this. She desperately tried to tucked her fear deeper beneath her soul and to regain her normal state. The last thing she would unpleasingly do was to let all semblance of practicality abandoned her, appearing weak and submissive before her enemy's eyes. She took her gaze off the dead body, silently vowing to not look at it once more as she pulled out her fleeting bravado once again.
"What happened?" Calix was now walking to them and Ren was behind him.
"Oh fuck," Ren gasped at the sight of the corpse, her face crumpled in shock.
Calix pocketed both of his hands as he stared at the body, then he knelt down as he reached to carefully check over the eyes, nose, and mouth since there are no visible injuries or any signs of blood that might be the cause of death.
"What the heck, Calix, don't touch it!" Ren squealed,
"He's really dead?" Catalina asked, only seeing the body on the corner of her eyes and there's a wild note of hope in her voice, like that ghostly paled body might still be possible to revive.
Calix stayed quiet, he rested a hand on top of his knee, his gaze examining at every feature, like his trying to learn anything from it.
It was long before Catalina shook out from her trance, took a long sigh, and then cautiously looked over the street where Ash had gone off.
"That foolish friend of yours just ran after someone who might've put a toxic gas inside my car." Catalina told Calix apprehensively, "Was he out of his mind?" She snapped in disapproval.
"I should've gone with him, Miss, but I can't leave you here." Stewart said behind Catalina.
Catalina attempted to say something but they turned their heads in unison at Levi's direction when he revved his motorbike's engine up and it broke out into a loud, roaring noise. Then he drove off to the streets with Riley riding at the pillion until they were out of sight and disappeared as they made a turn down a nearby alleyway.
"And did another two friends of yours just leave with their asses already?" Catalina said disbelievingly.
"Calix, we should go after Ash." Ren said with pressing concern.
But Calix ignored her, he went to Catalina's car and attempted to open the door.
"Hey, haven't you heard what I've said? There's toxic gas inside my car." Catalina immediately snapped at Calix.
"I'll just check what kind is it." Calix replied without looking at her as he slightly opened the door, he sniffed the inside of the car for about three seconds and immediately shut the door closed. "It's ammonia." He said afterwards,
"Honestly, I haven't smelled anything. Did you?" Catalina asked Stewart who just shook his head briefly. "Is it that murderous?" she asked anxiously, trying to keep herself composed enough.
"It's odorless and you can't smell anything right away from this gas unless you're exposed to high concentration of ammonia in air. If you had successfully entered your car and even just for ten to fifteen seconds of inhaling the ammonia inside, it will cause you immediate burning of your eyes, nose, throat and respiratory tract and if longer than that, the possibility of resulting to blindness and lung damage is high—And yes, possibly, death."
Catalina suddenly felt her knees trembled, but she tried to stand still as she reluctantly glanced over the sorrowful corpse of her driver. The liquor inside her system was fading out and she's getting completely sober at this rate.
Calix dragged his gaze back at the corpse, looking a bit strange, "But, ammonia isn't something that would kill you instantly. Something's off."
Meanwhile, Ash hurried passed the entrance of a narrow alley and stopped his board at the back of an inn beneath an open vent. It's past midnight, the only glint of lights that illuminated his steps were coming from a few numbers of unguarded apartment windows and some lampposts from the outer street. The air carried a hint of dampness and lacks the heavy pollution of the day traffic as he breathed.
Ash gazed vacantly at the ground, at the walls, the opposite establishments and the line of railings as he proceeded slowly down the alley, keeping his eyes riveted upon the ground. Shortly after, he stopped as he felt footsteps a distance behind him. He darted quietly at a wall and flattened himself against it, as he looked behind him he noticed the lamppost casting a shadow of a female figure. As the weak illumination of moonlight casted that person's face, Ash saw a silver, braided hair gleaming in the dark, it's Ren, her eyes flickering in each corner, obviously trying to look for him.
Ash stepped out of the wall and called her out from the gloom in a quietly modulated voice. "Ren,"
Hearing the familiar voice of Ash, Ren focused her gazed ahead of her where Ash's voice emerged, "Schiller, is that you over there?" When she managed to adjust her vision in the much darkened part of the alley where Ash's figure was standing, she quickened her paced until she reached beside him, "This place stinks, what the hell are you up to rushing over here to chase a criminal without a help?" she immediately snapped at him.
Ash didn't waste time, he continued to walk as he answered Ren, "Why did you come after me, Ren? You shouldn't be here."
Ren rushed alongside Ash, quickening her pace to catch up to him as he wasn't slowing down a bit, "That's so harsh of you, idiot. I was the only one out of all your friends who has the tiniest of concern for you and decided to offer you a hand. Riley and Levi already went home, those punks." She gritted her teeth in frustration, "You can't really rely to them in times like this? There's even a dead man lying on the ground back there. Are they even your friends? And that moron Calix, I told him we should come for you and he just told me to go alone, he doesn't even look interested at all."
Ash didn't bother to answer because at that time, he merely saw a shadow moving against a building, rippling in the night. He threw his board on the ground and jumped on it, veering into the direction of the shadow. He slammed down his heel and the board surged forward with a high-pitched sound.
Ren murmured a curse under her breath and burst out running after him. She caught up to Ash after a minute, "They already called the cops, why don't you just let them handle this, Schiller? Someone just put some toxic gas in that woman's car and someone had been killed out of the blue, and here you are chasing the culprit yourself. Just how much of a huge price is she paying you that you're willing in hell to do this?" she exclaimed as she struggled herself to—somehow—run alongside him. "I don't know if you're neither stupid nor brave, what if you'll get killed? You're chasing a murderer!"
"Just hurry up," Ash ordered in a terse voice.
By the time they emerged at the Ivy street, Ash hadn't seen the shadow again. He slid through another nearby back alley and stopped behind an old Performing Art center, he looked upward over a steel of stair that led through an emergency exit above the second floor, then he glanced over his shoulder to check on Ren. She's also looking up the stairs with both hands clasped on her waist, breathing roughly from all the running.
"I told you that you shouldn't be here. You should've gone home too. This isn't one of your concerns, Ren." Ash said as he turned his gaze back to the stair.
Ren stayed quiet as she noticed how fixated Ash's attention at the stair and at the dirty brick wall behind it. He looked eerily calm and seconds later he uttered something that Ren almost missed to hear, "fresh handprints," then Ash started to step on his board again, "he might be heading into the nearest subway, he's taking the complicated way. C'mon, Ren, let's meet him at the Hickory St."
Ren stayed at her feet, unmoving, her eyes hitched intensely at the stairs, trying to make sense of something that she was unable to see and as to how Ash could be able to learn anything from it. She tilted her head, like a kid figuring out something which was hidden from her.
"Ren, I said hurry up," Ash snapped at her.
Minutes later they were both in front of the Hickory St. garage, and a movement on the other side of the street caught Ash's gaze. It's climbing up a small Rickshaw shop. Ash crouched low on his board so that his hands could grip either side of it, then he aimed for the other side of the street. "Over there, Ren, he's going up the Rickshaw shop,"
Ren hustled on her feet as she tried to follow Ash's gaze across the street, "It's dark, dammit!" she hissed, "How the bloody hell are you seeing that, Schiller?!"
Ash was already a meter ahead from Ren and she tried to run faster as she hustled on his speed,
"How can you so sure that you're chasing the right one?!" Ren yelled again as she kept her feet on speed,
"Hurry up, we're losing him," Ash didn't bother to answer any of her questions, focusing only at his prey.
As they reached the corner of the shop, Ash hurried into the side, pulling down the brown metal ladder attached to the wall, making a loud, clanging sound like a metal scraping another metal object. He immediately made his way up to the roof, his board thudding against the side of the ladder as he held it securely on the other hand. Underneath, Ren was following and gasping every time the freezing breeze of the night swished against her skin.
By the time Ash had gotten into the roof, he saw the guy's silhouette was already at the rooftop of the neighboring apartment complex of the Rickshaw shop. Ash staggered to strode forward and brought his toes at the roof's edge, he gazed ahead to see the silhouette vanished from the single yellow beam of light that stood warily at the apartment's rooftop. Ash broke into a run, then jumped over a railing of the apartment and climbed up to the rooftop, as he got there, he stopped, seeing someone else was also in there.
A second later, Ren was behind him, she stopped as she followed Ash's gaze at the other side of the rooftop. Her eyes grew wide in surprise at the familiar figure of Levi, the yellowish glow of light from the corner was reflecting half of his body, his right hand was grasping a young fellow's coat from behind as if stopping him from running away.