"...Gemma would begin to lose body parts soon... Gemma would begin to lose body parts soon..." The vile threat trailed behind her, over and over again.
A man bumped into her. "Watch where you're going!" he spat, foaming at the mouth.
She frowned at his retreating form before taking in her surroundings. All around, the city buzzed with bumper-to-bumper traffic, toxic fumes, and the heavy thump thump thump of millennial hip-hop coming from one of the cars. Luckily for a street vendor who called for all to patronize his goods, the noise didn't drown out his voice.
Her darting gaze locked in on a police patrol vehicle across the street. Two police officers sat in for what looked like a coffee break. She swallowed, glanced around briefly, and started moving again.
She didn't see the stoplight before her go red. She didn't see the cab that hustled past, racing another cab to snatch up a fare down the street. Aurora stepped right into the street with both feet, eyes fastened on the police vehicle ahead.
Suddenly, she felt a grip tighten on her wrist like a pipe wrench so that she couldn't move. It was powerful and swift. In one stroke, it stopped her. And a millisecond later, the cab raced past, not six inches from her. The surge of it caused her face to heat up as the wind off the car pushed her away and then sucked her back in as it passed. She saw a gleam of colors only and felt the breeze. Aurora didn't see the cab shoot past, not until it was speeding off down the street. Only then did she know how close she came to being roadkill.
Heart racing, she looked down. There, was the hand that saved her life. Her eyes went up the wrist, the arm; they went to the man's eyes. They were wide, his eyebrows pulled together in alarm.
The light turned green, but they didn't move. They didn't speak. All around them, people stepped past while they stood in the way.
She gaped, recognizing him. "Jason?"
"Aurora."
"What are you doing here?" They spoke at the same time, then laughed together, releasing a synchronous sigh.
Aurora glanced back at the road. She could feel her heart pounding inside. "Thanks."
"Don't mention it. Are you okay?"
"Yes, I am. Thank you." she smiled.
Jason glanced at the light. "If you're going across the street, now would be the safest time to do so."
She glanced back at the police vehicle. It was a stupid idea. She shook her head. "No. I'm good. It's been so long since I last saw you."
"Indeed." he guided her out of the way. "The last time we saw each other, we were both scrubbing floors at KIH. And last I heard you married the boss." he flashed her a sad smile. "Mr. Khomeini. My condolences by the way."
"Thanks," she replied with a slightly uncomfortable smile. Jason had wooed her tirelessly during those years at KIH and had been so hurt when she chose Maximo instead. She remembered some of their colleagues back then, whispering about how he had to resign from the job due to the turn of events.
"How are you holding up?" he asked. "Losing a spouse is the most painful experience. I should know because I just went through a rough divorce myself."
"Oh," she was surprised. "I didn't know you were married.
"Yeah." he smiled. "So, I take it that the burial is done? Where are you headed anyway?"
"Err... Yes. It's done." she looked away. "I just have a few things to pick up from my penthouse. It's right ahead."
"Oh, is there anything I can help with?" he offered. "Heavy lifting, moving objects?"
Aurora thought about it briefly. An extra hand searching for that disc might be what she needed right now. "Sure." she smiled. "I'll need the extra help. Thanks."
"Great. During this time, I'll be able to teach you a thing or two about street lights and their impact on the pedestrian crossing."
Aurora nudged him with one elbow. "Come, on!" She chuckled. "I honestly didn't see that stoplight. Or the cab. I'm just thankful you were there at the right time."
"Anytime, Aurora. Anytime."
The small talks continued till they got up to her penthouse building. They took the elevator to her floor and then fetched the keys to the door. She plunged it in and got the door open to the darkened space. It took a minute to find the light switch. The second the space was illuminated, she gasped.
"What the hell?" Jason exclaimed.
The space before them looked like it had been vandalized by an angry mob. The glossy hardwood floor was littered with shards of glass, furniture that had been turned over, dead rose flowers, and pieces of paper. Brushing past her, he went in, to further inspect the damages.
Jason's first thought was that the intruder had been destructive. "Alarm system?"
Aurora went to check. "Disabled," she replied a few moments later.
"Call nine-one-one. I'll take a look around."
"Jason—"
"Just stay there. I'll go in to inspect the damage."
He moved ahead. Aurora grabbed her phone, turned it on, and dialed Mariano immediately. The line rang once before his deep baritone filled her ears.
"Where the hell are you? I have my men looking everywhere for you." He blared his horn at someone at the other end of the line.
"Where am I?" she whisper yelled. "Looking for your stupid money at Maximo's penthouse! Guess what I found instead? A trashed apartment! Your men, or perhaps those of your friend from the other night, trashed the entire place! This breaking-in has to stop, Mariano. I'm searching for the disk am I not? You people can't keep trashing my property!"
"I'm on my way," he replied and the line went dead.
She groaned at the black screen.
"Sick bastards." Jason cursed as he returned. "They trashed the entire place. Police on their way?"
She roused herself, pulled her gaze away from the phone, and looked up at him. "I didn't call them."
"Why the hell not?"
"Because I don't want a big deal made of this."
He thought surely he had heard her wrong, and his expression must have conveyed that.
*****
Abbreviation:
KIH: Khomeini International Hotel.