Zander watched her glare out of the window, in her reflection though he could take a good look at her face, there was no denying she was very pretty, even when she's this angry.
"Oh well, I guess some good things comes out of bad situations" he said and she looked at him "I left Antoinette to rot there in her apartment, after my last stop at the hospital to get stitched up I went back to old mister Johannes so he could get me some money, the way I used to get it"
"How was that?"
"I was a thief Baiken, I stole phones, jewelry, anything I could sell again, but that's when my life finally took a turn for the better..." He laughed again "I tried to rob Diana!"
Her face went shocked "What!?"
"Yeah, sitting there with her pretty blonde hair she looked rich enough, so the purse hanging on her backrest had to have something valuable in right? I passed her inconspicuously and nabbed it, but she saw me and gave chase, geez she's a fokkin stubborn woman"
Baiken finally lost her angry face "Did she catch you?"
"No, not really, but she could keep up, and thanks to mister Johannes no one really helped her, not like she needed it, eventually I ran into an alleyway I usually use to escape pursuers, but someone was smart enough to put razor wire on the wall, trapping me"
"So she had you?"
"She pulled a gun on me"
Baiken giggled, she found this part way better than the bitch who tried to kill him "And then?"
"I screamed 'Ok ok I give up!' Throwing the bag down and backing away"
Diana was properly breathless "Its been a while since someone made me work that hard" she said picking it up but her pistol still on him.
"I'm sorry missus, a guy's gotta eat"
She holstered the gun "But I nearly crapped myself"
Baiken laughed again.
"Who are you?" Diana asked.
"The name's Zander missus"
"Who do you work for?"
"No one, I'm a thief, honestly"
"How well do you know this place?"
"I grew up here"
Zander pulled over at a filling station to get gas "She asked me to take her to people, strangely she gave names I knew, but never knew they were kingpins of smuggling operations"
"So she was there on business just like in Japan?"
"Yes, I took her to the places she wanted, they made a few good arrests, then afterwards she held a stack of money out to me, a lot of money!" He said with wide eyes.
"So she paid you?"
"Not really, when I tried to take the money she held it back quickly, and asked me..."
"Would you want to make an honest living kid?"
I shrugged "Sure, why not?"
"Then come work for me, I could use someone with savvy like you"
"What do you want me to do?" I asked still eyeballing that stack of cash in her hand.
Zander paid for the gas and also got them a soda, back in the car he shortened his story "One thing led to another, she took me for a full year of training, then the year right after that we headed to Japan"
Baiken sighed and looked at her bottle "So that's how it feels to hear someone's story, I kinda enjoyed it, but..."
"But?"
"My own story is the one I could tell, you clearly didn't want to tell me your story, I could see it in the way you brush your hair, yet I tell mine so easily"
"Its ok, it's bad memories right? That's why I tend to keep it to myself so don't tell Diana everything ok?"
"I promise" she said but still looked at the bottle.
"You open it like this" he said twisting the cap.
"Oh, fascinating" she first took a drink then sat back "Why do I sense there are lies in your story though?"
He looked at her.
"The way you described mister Johannes, something felt off, I don't think you told me the full truth"
"You could figure?"
"You where lying!?"
"Only about mister Johannes, the rest was the truth"
"Then?"
"Mister Johannes wasn't a person" he looked forward and sipped his soda "Johannesburg is the Capital of my country"
Baiken ran the details in her head...
"So, you didn't have anyone? You were alone?"
"Only the city provided, took away, opportunities, the risk of death" he sighed "It was a hard knock life"
No one, she felt her heart beat fast now, she atleast had her mother, he had to rise from the ashes by himself, amazing.
"You're, incredible" she softly said.
"Huh?"
"To get here, by yourself? And be able to smile like you do?"
"Oh pff, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, besides, Diana plucked me out of that life remember? She atleast gave me a breath of fresh air"
She adjusted herself on the seat "Is this why you do the solo wolf routine?"
"Who even taught you solo? I don't do the solo wolf thing!?"
"I figured solo is single, you had that motorcycle, but only one helmet, you denied me on the plane, I understand now why Hamilton said no, but you could have said yes, it's just sex"
He chuckled "Ok, you got me, but its not solo wolf nonsense, I just, like to be on my own, it grew on me when I was younger..." He gave her a glance "And you're the only person in the world who now knows why"
"Then..." She folded her arms but a smile came broad on her face "You have no choice then, I'll be your friend"
His eyes wide... His mouth slightly pucked "Technically, even before you said I have no choice I really didn't have a choice, after HQ compromise we split up, if I was with Diana, me an her would be here now, so you, are stuck with me!" He said and laughed.
"No, you're stuck with me and that's final, even if you go get another H–Q– or whatever, I want to be friends with you" she said insisting.
"Well..." He lifted a hand but she took it before he could brush his hair again.
"Please"
Zander felt his heart melt, how could he say no to that, but his life was perfect really, he didn't need a woman in it, his own problems, his own stress, his own back to cover.
To him a woman, or should he say any person getting close to him was just another mouth to feed, another life to protect, back to check, it was easier just to cover his own tracks.
"Zander?"
He looked back at her, her hand still in his "I'm not saying no" he drew back from her hand and changed gears "I, became accustomed to being alone, and trust only myself"
"Then why do you trust Diana and Hamilton then?"
"They are my partners, I work with them, its my job to trust them"
She fell back in her seat and placed her hand over her eyes "I can't believe this!"
"What?"
"The one man I finally meet who has loads in common with me, who doesn't want to get down my pants, respects me! Saved my life! And he's a stubborn donkey!"
Zander threw his head back laughing.
"Its not funny!"
"Hey!" He said between laughs "I said, I'm not saying no, ok? I'll think about it"
"What's there to think about? You know what!? Never mind, forget I said it!"
"Uh– ok?"
"I'm not begging any man for anything! Fuck that!"
"Geez-like-it!"
"And shove your crappy accent up your arse as well! Boeta!"
Zander was crying of laughter making her hit his leg with a fist "Stop laughing!"
"You're just perfect!" He said coughing suddenly.
"What!?"
He still coughed of the laugh then his teared eyes came to her "I'm sorry..." He cleared his throat "You, despite those white eyes, if you weren't the little animal you are now you'd be utterly boring, I guess you're interesting like that"
"Animal!?"
"You're special, ok? Just leave it like that"
She turned away, her face red with anger "You're not making any sense, my mother said my eye color is special, what's so special about it?"
"Would you calm down!"
"I will" she said but didn't turn back to him, he heard that fury in her voice.
He brushed his face thistime, here is one reason why he didn't want to put up with a woman, now he couldn't figure out why she was angry still, he said he'll think about it... Then, since when does a girl ever ask a boy to be with her right? Maybe it was his mistake?
"Just friends..." He said and she only turned her eyes to him.
"No, it doesn't matter anymore"
"There it is, one of the reasons I walk alone"
Her head came to him surprised.
"I don't have time for issues, if you can't accept the fact that I grew up being alone and got used to it, then I don't care as well, your issues not mine"
"Would you just open up then!?"
"I said friends!"
"And that's what I said in the first place!"
"Then yes, I would like to be your friend Baiken but nothing more!"
They were glaring at each other now but a car hooting in front made Zander swerve back into his lane.
"AssH...olle...ee!!" They heard man in the passing car scream from his window accompanied by his constant thrashing of the horn.
Zander glanced in his mirror "Fok that was close!"
"So that white line in the middle is splitting the lanes? I never figured that out until now" she said wide eyed, her heart hammering her chest "Cars are frightening"
Zander snorted and she looked at him, he sat with a hand hiding his smile.
"What?"
"You're cute, you know that?"
"I thought I was an animal?"
"Haven't you seen bunnies?"
"I'm not a bunny!"
"Then a squirrel"
She sighed only.
"Just toying Baiken, why don't you try it sometime?"
She looked at him then smiled "Ok then, since you insist not having sex with me you can go shove your dick up a bee's nest"
Zander snorted again but both of them fell back laughing.