They reached their car when the weather had stilled.
Don checked his watch. The time read fifty-six minutes past ten.
He scanned the surroundings.
Most shops had closed, there was no being in sight, and there was an eerie silence in the area.
Something wasn't right... He felt like he was being watched.
He searched the thin veil of darkness around him and didn't see anyone, but even then, he still couldn't shake that strange feeling off.
"What's wrong?" Anaya asked.
"Nothing" he answered in a low voice and entered the car.
Before he began driving, he took his phone and sent a message to Andrew.
"You seem tensed, certainly not as debonair as you were a few minutes ago" she observed.
"Just my security instincts. Since we had to come out this late, I have to make sure that we are safe, and that no one follows us back home"
"Can you just relax with this 'being targeted shit'? I'm sure the enemy has gotten bored with you being so security-conscious that he has probably given up"
'In this case, more like a she '
He started the engine and drove out of the parking lot.
"With this carefree attitude of yours, I wonder how you managed to complete all the dangerous missions you went for without being caught once"
She rolled her eyes and pulled out her phone.
*****************************************
She could barely make out their words from her position, and the fact they were in the car didn't help either
"Just my security instincts. Since we had to come out this late, I have to make sure that we are safe, and that no one follows us back home"
She scoffed.
"Not for long you won't. Now that I know where you're staying, it would be easier for me to begin carrying out my plan" she said to herself with a sinister smirk.
"Can you just relax with this 'being targeted shit'? I'm sure the enemy has gotten bored with you being so security-conscious that he has probably given up"
She was confident... Too confident, and that annoyed the shit out of her.
She needed to be taught a complex and valuable lesson so that she would never think of going near another woman's man ever again.
Once he started the car and switched on the car's headlights, she crouched behind the short fence to hide so he wouldn't see her.
Once she was sure they had gone, she stood back up.
She grinned as she watched them disappear down the streets.
"Nothing can save you now!"
************************************************
After repeatedly checking his mirrors for any sign of a stalker, or someone following them, they got back home.
The house was just the way they left it.
He unlocked the door and allowed her to enter first.
She moved past him and went down the hallway.
He closed the door and went to the sitting room.
He walked past the sitting area and went to the mini bar at the side of the room.
He poured himself a drink and was about to go to his room when he saw something shiny on the sofa.
He paused and picked it up.
It was a white gold necklace with a double pendant... One pendant was a white letter 'N', and the other was a Christmas bell with two stars hanging beneath it, suspended by a golden string.
"No fucking way!" he muttered under his breath as he picked up the note that was also with the necklace.
Hey, Donnyboo...
Now he could hear her voice calling him that annoying name.
If you're reading this, you've already seen the necklace.
Surely you can't forget that necklace
Damn right, he didn't, because he had bought it for her.
I don't need to write anything here, because I believe seeing that necklace has passed the message.
FYI, that incompetent witch's room is actually nice. It's soothing to know she isn't sleeping with you... I wonder why though?
See you soon,
Your Natasha.
Signed off with a heart at the end.
He clenched the necklace in his fist and jaw as he stared at the white paper in anger.
How had she gotten so close in a matter of weeks?
She now knew who Anaya was, what she looked like, and even where they lived...
"What's that?" he turned back to see Anaya bending over his shoulder, staring keenly at the note and the necklace in his hand.
Before he could answer, she swiped the note out of his hand and began reading it.
He leaned into his chair and emptied his glass in one gulp.
What was the word for what he was feeling?
Frustration? Annoyance? Anger?
All of the above?
She squinted in order to make out the tiny words that were in a blur.
She had already removed her contact lenses, and could only make out a few things.
"Incompetent witch? Is she referring to me?" His only response was to run his hand through his hair as though he was freeing it from an invisible bond.
" 'See you soon, Mo... Mot..." " It's Natasha. Have you suddenly forgotten how to read English?"
She rolled her eyes.
Natasha!
When their eyes met again, she was demanding an explanation.
He groaned lazily and set his glass down.
"You know what, love?" he stood up and placed both of his large hands on her shoulders.
"I just took you out, and you had a wonderful time, didn't you?"
"Yeah, but I don't see how that relates to... "
"Let's not spoil that feeling of joy and happiness by talking about someone or something so irrelevant"
"Earlier in the store, you said she was the best woman you've ever dated and you're suddenly tagging her as irrelevant"
"Don't misquote me, Sweetheart. I said she was the best woman I've ever slept with. Dating her was a headache I had to deal with to get what I wanted from her father.
You should know how that works, you're very talented in doing that"
He refilled his glass and sat back on the chair.
She scowled and crossed her arms over her chest with a disapproving look.
"Don't change the topic by dragging what I can do into this"
"I'm not changing the topic, I'm ending it. I don't want to explain anything to you, nor do I want to talk about this further" he dismissed flatly and gulped his drink.
She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"Are you sleeping with her?"
His eyes shot up to meet hers.
"Seriously? The best explanation you can think of is that I'm sleeping with her?"
"What else do you want me think? You don't value relationships, you just fuck girls repeatedly until you get bored and dump them.
If being a player were a job, you would be a billion times richer than you already are"
"I won't deny that, but even if I were actually sleeping with her, it'd be all your fault. Celibacy is a long road that I'm not interested in following.
If the woman I marry won't satisfy my desires, what am I supposed to do?"
Why did that feel as though he was taunting her?
She gritted her teeth.
To think this was the very same person telling her to trust him less than an hour ago.
"Fuck you, Ace!"