Friday proved to be a great day to travel. The weather was sunny but cool. The gentle breeze against Andrew's skin made him feel refreshed and alive, like he could take on the world. He got pushed out of his thoughts when Hazel poked him.
"Move out of the way." She said and pushed him. He had been blocking the path up the boarding stairs and few people cussed at him as they passed.
"Rude." He said and glared at Hazel.
"What? You have been in the way for two minutes. Let's go!"
They boarded the plane and moved to their seats. A flight attendant came up to them with a charming smile and said, "Buongiorno, posso vedere i vostri biglietti di imbarco, per favore?"
Andrew raised a brow and looked at Hazel. "Do you understand what she said?"
Hazel shook her head. "Call Fred and find out. "
"I can't just call Fred to interpret the Spanish language. "
The flight attendant laughed. "It isn't Spanish. It's Italian."
Both Andrew and Hazel looked surprised. "You speak English?" They asked.
"Yes. I had assumed you were locals. I asked to see your boarding pass."
They slowly nodded and showed it to her.
"Thank you." She said after going through the passes and then returned them. "This flight is going to be a long one so we look forward to providing you with the best of our services. Would you like anything to drink?"
"Water. Room temperature." Hazel said.
"Jack Daniel's works for me."
The lady smiled. "I will be right back." She replied and left them. The voice of the captain came through the intercom, welcoming everyone on board and jokingly asked them to confirm that their destination was Milan and not somewhere else, then he proceeded to wish them a happy flight. They took off five minutes later.
The flight attendant returned to Andrew and Hazel with their drinks and left once she had served them. Andrew looked over at Hazel's phone. She was chatting with James and smiling. He rolled his eyes. "Are you sure we can't cut out your boyfriend from our trip?"
"He is my fiancé and no, we can't cut him out. Also, stop looking at my chats. Thank you. "
He sighed and studied the faces of the passengers. "Adam didn't come with us again."
"Vade said he will meet us at the airport in Milan. He had some extra business to do for him."
Andrew shrugged. He still couldn't understand how the man lost the kid. People are crazy nowadays though. They most likely threatened him and he gave up the child instead of himself. But what did the Dark Syndicate have against Harrison Vade?
The flight attendant came later with food and once they were done eating, they slept off. Andrew hung his headphones over his ears before he slept. Good music made sleep better.
The plane touched down in Milan at 9pm. Hazel had to shake Andrew more than once to wake him up. He lazily opened his eyes and yawned. He looked confused, like he couldn't identify who stood before him, then he rubbed his face and smiled. "Where are we?"
"Italy. Get your ass off and let's go." She found it difficult to believe that he slept throughout the whole eleven hour trip. Nobody sleeps that long.
Like he could read her mind, he said, "I woke up a couple of times. Then I went back to sleep. Trip was boring."
"Sure."
They got their luggage and moved to the waiting area where they found Adam. He walked up to them and shook their hands. "Welcome to Milan, the Fashion Capital."
Andrew tilted his head. "Who calls it that?"
"Everybody. " Adam replied.
"I don't. " Andrew said.
Hazel cleared her throat. "Can we move on, please?"
The men kept shut and just proceeded to leave the airport. "Thank you." She added.
A black cab was outside waiting for them. They got into the back seat. The driver looked at them. "Sei Italiano?"
Adam quickly answered before Andrew could say anything. "They speak English like me."
The driver nodded enthusiastically. "Alright."
"Okay. He speaks English too. " Andrew said.
"Yes. I stopped five cabs before him. None of them understood English."
The driver put on his radio. Everything that was said, was said in Italian. Then he drove off.
"Where are we going?" Hazel asked.
"Your hotel. Casa squisita. It's taking a lot out of my boss's pocket."
"How much?" She asked.
"About a hundred euros per night. He has friends who help though, but still. "
The drive to the hotel was about an hour. Adam paid the driver and they went in. Their room had already been booked. Room 32, located on the 2nd floor. They took the elevator up.
The room was very beautiful and cold. A TV was running in the background. There was a nice window view.
"It looks so beautiful. " Hazel said. "So which of us stays here."
"It is for both of you." Adam replied and both Hazel and Andrew slowly turned to him.
"What?" They exclaimed.
"Mr. Vade can't pay for two rooms. And we don't know how long your mission will take."
Hazel shook her head. "No, no, no. I don't think you know this, but I'm engaged. No way I'm sleeping in the same room with Andrew."
"I don't really have a problem with it." Andrew stated and got the most deadly glare from Hazel.
"Look. You guys have to manage it."
"No." Hazel refuted. "Vade doesn't have to worry about hotel fees for me. I'll find and pay for my own room. I'll just take it tonight because it's already late. Very early tomorrow morning, I am leaving."
"Where are you going?" Adam asked.
"Another hotel."
"You can't."
"Why?"
"Because both of you need to stick together. And I always need to be updated on your situation. "
Hazel pursed her lips and forced a smile. "Sorry, but I'm leaving. I'll find another hotel and handle my expenses. "
"Just book another room."
" I won't. What if I begin to ovulate? Then I run to the only man I know here, which is him. No. I'm leaving and that's final. "
Adam sighed. "Fine. Just keep me updated. "
"Andrew will do that on our behalf. "
Adam turned to Andrew. "Tomorrow, we are going to see Fanel. Get yourself ready." He then addressed both of them. "I really hope you guys can help Mr. Vade. If he's counting on you, then so am I. The real mission starts tomorrow. Have a good night's rest." He left the room after his mini speech.
Andrew and Hazel didn't say anything for a few minutes. Hazel eventually spoke up. "I take the bed. You take the floor. And leave the room. I need to chang
e and have my bath."
★. ★. ★.