'This one or that one,' Aurelia's confused murmurs broke through his train of thought. 'Falcon, pick A or B.'
'What's A?'
'What would be the use of asking you if I told you?' she grimaced at what she obviously regarded as his stupidity.
'I would be able to advise you better,' he said, trying to keep a straight face.
'Fine. Vanilla or chocolate?'
'The only flavor worth eating is cookies and cream,' Falcon stated. He would have these words engraved on his tombstone if he had to.
Aurelia's mouth fell open as if Falcon had just dissed Renatus's slaying abilities. 'Did you just insult vanilla flavor?'
'And chocolate flavor,' he shrugged.
She let out an angry huff and went back to the menu. 'I bet you only like seafood.'
'How did you know...' he squinted at her, before realizing he had been staring at Sea Foods Section for the past hour, adding and subtracting calories in his head.
'You're getting personal,' he reminded her before going back to the menu.
Aurelia looked like she might argue, but she snapped her mouth shut. 'Sorry.'
'Your ice cream is demanding your attention.' Falcon said, trying to dissipate the heavy air.
Even though her head was bent on her menu, he saw the corners of her mouth curl up into a smile. His lips were threatening to split into a goofy grin, so he pressed them into a straight line and finally decided on the lobster.
That was when Aurelia hissed at him, seemingly absorbed in her menu. 'We have guests. Behind you.'
'The same men?' He asked her in the lowest volume he could manage.
She shook her head. 'The same type.'
Falcon groaned. He couldn't seem to get rid of them. They had stuck to him like a leech and he was beginning to get annoyed.
'How many?'
'Two. But I reckon a third would be around somewhere. It's highly unlikely they won't have a lookout, especially in a crowded place like this restaurant.'
'Let me take care of it. Don't order without me.'
'Oh no, I will. What? You want me to wait for you? Fight your own battles, warrior.'
'If I come back alive, order vanilla. If I don't, order chocolate,' he said with a grin.
'I was going to order both,' she complained.
'That is really unhealthy.'
'Go away.'
Falcon got up subtly from the table, Aurelia mouthed a sarcastic 'good luck' to him as he got away. He fought away another grin and made his way towards the back of the restaurant where he had seen the double doors. He hoped it led out to a secluded place, like a backyard.
The door opened into the kitchens, and the sudden clatter of dishes and shouts of the chef washed like a wave over his ears. The area was extremely crowded, and he muttered hurried apologies to the people he bumped into on his way toward a door at the end of the room. He wished they would lose him, dismissing the thought just as rapidly as it came. Lee's men were trained to watch and pounce at the right time. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the door swing open and two black shapes appeared. He sensed them coming towards him just as he exited cutting through the crowd with purposeful strides.
The door led to a yard, a hazy hue expanded over the area just as daylight kissed goodbye to the day. There were broken tables and chairs strewn across the yard and a giant oven at the far end. Bits and odds of furniture were scattered around as if they had been disposed of in a hurry. Falcon clutched his pistol as he crouched behind a wooden table, large enough to hide his form. He waited with bated breath, wondering if the men would be foolish enough to burst into the yard.
He smiled humorlessly when he heard the door burst open, two pairs of frantic boots appearing. His prey had just walked right into his footsteps.
'Come out, Falcon. Lee has a job for you. Do you not wish to be accepted back into our ranks?' one of them spoke, his voice proud and careless, like Falcon wouldn't dare reject his offer.
So Lee needs me again. He thought, amused, a cold smile finding his lips. Did all of your other men die, Lee?
The boots made loud obnoxious noises as Falcon's stomach gave a loud grumble. Annoyance and impatience quickly found him, and he trained his Glock at the foot within his range. One moment later, the man let out a howl of pain, clutching his bloody shoe, as he fell to the ground.
'You…bastard….' He whimpered in pain as the other man took a shot at the table. He was too damn slow. Falcon was already out from beneath the table and he trained the pistol at the man's head, who immediately dropped his gun to the ground. He kicked the weapon out of his reach and forced him to the ground, keeping the gun leveled with his head.
'First rule of hunting. Never follow in your prey's footsteps.' He placed his foot onto the first man's injured toe and pressed, emitting several painful yelps from him.
'Second rule of hunting. Never follow if your prey is Falcon.' He pulled back his hand and butted the bowed man on the head with the pistol. The man whimpered and clutched his skull.
'What does Lee want?' he said slowly and deliberately, enunciating every word.
'I'll tell you.' He heard a voice behind him. Falcon swallowed. He could've recognized that voice anywhere in the world.
XXX
'Drop your gun.' Lee said, his voice nothing but authority. 'Hands above your head.'
Falcon gritted his teeth. He could feel anger bubbling deep in the pit of his stomach. A sharp thing jabbed into his side and he was forced onto his knees, which scraped against the concrete.
'Hello, Falcon. How have you been?' He appeared in front of him, his mouth curled into a sneer. He was a middle-aged fit man, with a military cut, clad in traditional hunting gear.
'Lee.' Falcon gritted his teeth, the goosebumps rising much to his distaste.
'I send my men on friendly terms, and yet you inflict upon them unfriendly bruises. I do not like it when they have to recover for days.' Lee said softly.
He reached him and placed a single finger underneath his chin, jerking it up, until Falcon was staring into those glittering beetle eyes.
'What do you want?' he snapped.
'We meet after years and that is what you say to me? I expected you to come back after the accident, but you turned your back on all of us.' He said, as if speaking to a petulant child.
'You would be the last person I'd come to.'
'You wish to erase your past, boy. The demons of your crimes will never leave you, Falcon. You will never escape what you did.'
'And what was it I did? What happened that night, Lee?' he said.
'If you want answers, you have to do what I ask of you.' Lee smiled with unconcealed triumph.
'Never again.'
'Then I presume I have to get rid of you right here.'
'Go ahead and try.' Aurelia's voice came directly from behind Lee, her shadow appearing from the darkness. Falcon was surprised he hadn't even noticed her arrival. Aurelia stepped out from the shadow of the far wall, holding a gun like she had used one all her life, trained at Lee.
'You don't know what you've got yourself into, foolish girl. Drop your weapon.'
'Drop your weapon, Mr. Buzz Cut. I can get this beauty to spit death faster than you could say "bummer"'.
Lee looked at Aurelia like she was out of her mind. She didn't notice, however, as she said with a cheeky grin. 'One…Two…'
'Stop.' Lee warned. He was taking her as a young foolish girl, thinking she would never use the weapon and Aurelia was using it to her advantage.
'Three.' Aurelia said and shot Lee in the arm. The gun fell from his grasp as he spiraled backward, shock on his face as Aurelia whooped. Falcon had grabbed the gun the moment it had hit the floor and he was now training at Lee's forehead.
'I do not have any wish to work for you anymore. Don't send any more men after me. If you do, I swear I will leave bruises on their bodies which would certainly take more than just a few days to disappear,' he growled.
He stepped back, anger the only emotion he could feel when Lee spoke.
'Murderer,' he rasped. 'You will keep crawling back to me. Only I can protect you.'
'Shut up.' Aurelia said, annoyed. 'You can't even protect yourself.'
Lee's features twisted into silent fury, the look of hate making him look uglier than ever. Something about his expression was so satisfying, that Falcon turned to Aurelia and smiled.
'Thank you.'
Aurelia beamed. 'Vanilla it is.'