"Are you for real?!" Camille frowned at Andrea while they sat at a table in a small restaurant. "How could you even leave the house after discovering that your life is at stake?!"
"I could not stand their bickering anymore...my father was going to put me under lock and key! Can you believe that man?" Andrea said as she stirred her cup of coffee.
"But if they couldn't catch you last night, how had they found where you live?"
"I don't know. I can't find my lipstick. It must have fallen while I was trying to escape from the alley. They must have tracked me through my fingerprints or something else."
"Yikes! They really mean to get rid of you." Camille said.
"Obviously." Andrea replied, her eyes now following a couple who was coming towards their direction and Camille frowned when she noticed.
"Don't you dare pick the man's pocket!" She whispered harshly. "I can't believe that even in such a dire situation as this, you still want to steal!"
"It's not stealing, it's called borrowing!" Andrea whispered.
"Oh, shut up!" Camille chided. "We need to find a way out of the mess you have gotten yourself into, so focus!"
"It's not my fault that I witnessed a murder!"
"If you hadn't gone picking people's pockets, you wouldn't have been in the wrong place at the wrong time...anyway, I'm late for work... I gotta go." Camille pushed her plate away, dabbed at her mouth with the serviette and got up. "Are you not coming?"
"No," Andrea said dejectedly, still stirring her coffee.
"It's obvious that you are not going to drink that so quit bothering the poor coffee."
Andrea dropped the spoon on the table and leaned back into her seat. "You got me there..." She glumly stared into the mug. "The coffee doesn't interest me anymore...besides, it has gone cold."
"Won't you give me a ride then?"
Andrea picked up the keys from the table and tossed it at her which she caught. "Take the car."
"And you?"
"I'll take a cab." Andrea answered.
Camille glanced down at Andrea's phone which was vibrating on the table for the eleventh time that morning anytime a call came in. "Why not just go home?" She goaded softly. "Your mum is just still young to have an attack all because of you."
"Because I'm an only child doesn't mean I'm a child. I can very much handle myself." Andrea said, putting the call on silent for the eleventh time.
Camille gave a defeated sigh and said, "Call me when you get home."
"I still have to meet Dean at the pier at 3. I called him and told him to shift our meeting from seven to three."
"I still think that guy is trouble. Stay the hell away for him, Andrea."
"He's a good business man."
"Stealing is not an occupation." Camille whispered. "Dean has been to jail two times, stay the hell away from him. He's bad news."
"I thought you were late for work?" Andrea raised a brow inquiringly.
Camille gave her a displeased look then said. "Just call me when you get home and don't throw that phone over the bridge into the river again. That's what you always do when your parents are desperately trying to reach you."
"And when they don't seem to understand that I do not want to be reached!" Andrea completed.
"You are such a bitch!" Camille said with a smile.
"I know." Andrea simply nodded her head indifferently and Camille planted a kiss on her cheek and hurried away with the words- "I'll call you when I get back from work!"
Through the window, Andrea pursed her lips and watched Camille get into her red car, started the engine and drove off.
* * *
At 3: 12 p.m.
Andrea approached Dean who was standing at the edge of the pier close to the water, holding a half-smoked cigarette to his lips and pulling at it. He turned partly to see her approach then threw the stub into the water as smoke still escaped from his nostrils and his lips. "You are late..." He said, his eyes narrowed due to the smoke. "...again."
"Sorry, I had to catch a train down here."
He scoffed as he glanced at the horizon. "The daughter of a tycoon living the life of a street girl...how ironic."
"Can you leave my personal life out of this, Dean? I'm here for my money not to banter words with you."
"It still baffles me whom you earned your talents from, your mother or your father? Is that how he became so rich?" He pressed. "...Stealing from others?"
"You disrespect my parents one more time and you'll need some packed ice for your hurting eye." She warned.
He raised his palms up and said: "Fine, fine, fine...don't you go ninja girl on me, again...." Then he slipped his hand into his inner coat pocket and pulled out some money which were creased. He handed it to her and she tucked it in her purse without counting it as he began: "Andrea, some men came asking questions about you earlier today."
Andrea was alarmed now as she quickly threw a wary glance around. "When?"
"Just a few hours ago... they-" He didn't complete his words when he suddenly gasped and Andrea blinked in surprise several times as blood splashed on her face and she stared in horror as she realized that the side of Dean's head had been blown off. He heavily fell on his knees first then down on his stomach as his blood leaked from his gaping wound towards the toes of her shoes.