Crimson Contention
A/N: Contention – rivalry, competition.
Just thought I would include the definition of contention, seeing as I didn't really know it myself. I will bid you adieu, and ask you to enjoy.
Chapter 1
Sophia Evans frowned and ran her fingers lightly through her auburn hair. She turned to her tall blonde sister, Maria, and glanced at her watch. "He should have been here an hour ago," she whispered, glancing around the crowded restaurant.
"He may just be late," countered Maria.
"He's never late," hissed Sophia, gripping her fork.
"Work could have held him up," said Maria, picking up her glass and examining the rim.
"He's ruining the plan," said Sophia with a scowl.
She sat back in her chair and crossed her arms stubbornly and frowned in frustration. Their plan would be ruined if he didn't arrive soon, and both sisters knew it. They were on a tight schedule, and him arriving this late would throw their careful planning to the wind.
The two sisters sat in a busy restaurant in downtown Sacramento, waiting for someone to arrive. It was early evening, and the restaurant was fairly busy. Maria glanced at the door again, and nudged her sister. "Sophia," she hissed.
Sophia glanced up and grinned widely. The man they had been waiting for had arrived. They surreptitiously watched him as he took a seat in the back corner and ordered wine for himself. It was fascinating for the two women, a year apart in age, to watch the handsome man in the corner. He sat alone casually sipping his wine and observing the people in the room. Sophia took the time to admire the man in the corner as he sat unaccompanied. His cobalt blue eyes roamed the room periodically, and his blonde hair stood up in soft curls about his head. He was wearing a navy three piece suit and seemed content to just drink wine and watch the people coming and going from the restaurant. Maria nudged Sophia, bringing her out of her awed gazing. "We should go," said Maria, standing up. Sophia joined her after one last, fleeting look, and they started to leave the restaurant.
XxxxxxxxxxxX
Patrick Jane sat in the corner of the restaurant. He was following his usual Thursday tradition of going to his favourite restaurant and drinking a glass of wine while "people watching". He watched two women, one tall and blonde, the other short with red hair, abruptly leave. He noted that, although they were trying to appear casual, the shorter woman looked around nervously every few seconds, as though she were afraid she was being watched. Her behaviour had him wondering why she appeared so paranoid. He had briefly noticed her and her companion when they were sitting, but didn't pay much attention to them. They were just two ladies – sisters, judging by their identical eye colour – out for a drink together. They were leaving now, but something seemed off. The blonde woman seemed calm enough, but looks could be deceiving. He knew that well enough. The red-haired woman's actions interested him. She ran her fingers nervously through her hair, and fidgeted with her fingers. He sat back in interest as her brown eyes darted around the room for one last time before meeting his across the room. She stumbled as their eyes met – tripping over her own feet – and grabbed her companion's arm for support. Her companion glanced down at her, and hissed something under her breath. The two women hurriedly left the room, and Jane sat wondering what he had just witnessed.
XxxxxxxxxxxX
Jane walked briskly across the parking lot, pulling his keys from his pocket. He had enjoyed watching the people in the restaurant, and this made him almost reminiscent of his pre-CBI days as a fake psychic. He glanced around the lot before attempting to insert the key into the lock of his blue Citroёn. It was a beautiful spring evening, and the air was warm against his face. He was mindlessly whistling when something suddenly felt off. A sound behind him caused him to turn, but he only got halfway through the motion before something heavy struck the back of his head. His keys dropped to the floor, and he fell beside them, barely conscious. The last thing he felt before the darkness overtook him was two pairs of hands dragging him away from his car.
XxxxxxxxxxxX
Senior Agent Teresa Lisbon walked into the bullpen on Monday morning. "We caught a case," she said to her team. "Missing person."
Van Pelt glanced towards the empty couch. "Shouldn't call Jane?" she asked curiously.
Lisbon face pulled tight, and her lips pressed together into a hard line. "It is Jane," she said, her voice clipped and cold.
The team all looked at each other in shock, before rising at the same time from their desks. They all piled into the elevator as Lisbon took a nervous swig of her coffee. After a moment, she followed.
XxxxxxxxxxxX
The CBI SUV pulled up into the restaurant parking lot. Agent Kimball Cho cut the engine and got out. Lisbon strode over to the blue car and spoke to the manager standing next to it. "Have you seen this man recently?" she asked, handing the man a photo of Jane.
The manager nodded. "Comes here every Thursday. Only ever orders wine. He was here last Thursday, and left at around ten o'clock. That's the last I saw of him."
Lisbon nodded and turned to the blue car. "How long has this been here?"
"Since Thursday. We found it Friday morning, but didn't have it towed."
Lisbon nodded and turned back to her team. She knew that Jane was out there, but she didn't know where to look.
A/N: I hope you've enjoyed this first chapter, and I hope to be posting again soon. Please review. Thank you.
