Ch 4

Though she knew her life may be at risk she had a slight safety feeling hovering over her head. Sitting there every moment put her in danger but it wasn't affecting her as she thought it would. He was there. She looked up from the spread that had just been handed to her by some nameless features editor. In the corner of the conference room almost like a rock he was standing there, taking up at least half of the door space with his arm. She knew she had begun to zone out when a sharp nudge came from Marc on her left. Jolting up slightly she removed the pen from her mouth where she had been chewing on it refocusing on the features editor trying to convince her to put their story in this month's magazine.

"So?" came the voice of the editor trying so hard not to sound nervous.

"I thinks its great. What about you Wilhelmina?"

She turned facing Daniel who's eyes were staring at her with an almost annoyed expression. She again removed the pen from her lips where it had drifted back again.

"Um. I don't see why not"

"No I mean what do you think about his idea?"

She had been completely zoned out and had no clue what idea he was referring to.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see Cole's figure move slightly his eyes shifting between all the innocent onlookers. He didn't like it.

"You know what," she said in almost a whisper just to him, "This meeting is over."

She stood up picking up the spreads on the conference table desk in front of her. Everyone in the room stood up not wanting to be the last one sitting. She turned walking away leaving through the glass doors to her office.

Setting down the proofs she inhaled taking in a large breath as the sound of large footsteps made its way to her ears. She turned around seeing Cole entering her office.

She didn't want to admit it but she like having Cole there. It gave her a sense of security that she had never had before. Having someone there, on your side.

"How the heck are people supposed to believe your Wilhelmina's cousin if you're staring them down every time they take a glance at her?!" Daniel said in a hushed yell as the door slammed closed behind him.

"Well on the contrary Daniel. Staring people down is something I do very well," She said looking him dead in the eye.

He snorted. He couldn't believe that she liked this guy. He held a gun to my head! Daniel thought, Twice!

Cole said nothing but fixed Daniel with an almost Wilhelmina-ish stair with his cold stone eyes.

"What are you doing?" he said in response to her picking up her coat from where it lay on her chair.

"I'm leaving. I need to go home to make sure things are secure." She said walking around her desk towards the door.

Daniel stood there watching as Cole made a move towards the door.

"Where are you going?" He said, physically blocking him from the door.

"Coles coming with me."

"Why?" he said still not budging.

"I need protection Daniel," She said now behind Cole, "I thought we agreed on that?"

"Yea, But--"

"But what?"

Her eyes were that of ice as she fixed him with a threatening glare.

He shifted his eyes to Coles soft ones. "Nothing."

Taking in a sharp intake of cool air she walked on. When walking out of the Meade building Cole had suggested to go on foot to be harder to track. They were ten minutes into the walk to her building and her heels were already killing her. She turned her head, looking at Cole who seemed to be studying his watch. The sky began to turn a deep shade of blue as the sun began to set behind the New York skyscrapers and the cold slowly kicked in.

Out of the corner of her eye a flash of gold on Coles' wrist sparked. She turned again seeing that he was again checking his watch.

"Turn here."

Cole stepped in front of her taking a smooth and sharp turn left into a small opening into a back alleyway behind a building.

"Why?" She said catching up to him.

"I don't trust the main road," He said his eyes forward.

Warmth came to rest at the small of her back as his hand lightly placed there pushed her onward cutting off her words.

"But you already decided to walk home to make it harder to be tracked and now your saying we she take an alleyway?" She asked almost whispering.

She stared at him. He was silent. His head inclined downwards towards the ground almost making her crouch to reach his ear.

"Cover the diamond," He said at last, his voice calm but serious.

Almost involuntarily she felt her hands go up to the zipper on her coat zipping it tightly shut, concealing the diamond.

"What makes you so nervous about the main road?" She said, this time in a true whisper.

The heat from the hand behind her increased as their pace quickened walking down the abandoned alley.

Without stopping he turned his head to her, his slate grey eyes serious with almost a hint of mystery in them.

"Do you really want to know?"

YES! She thought, yet the tone she received from Coles words made her not answer. She wrapped the collar of her coat around her even tighter as a long cold chill went down her spine.

She stopped, the comforting warmth of his hand on her back disintegrating as Cole stopped dead short.

"What?"

"Shhh," Came the sound of his voice as his eyes averted directly upwards at the sky, "Stay here."

She opened her mouth, ready to argue but he had already disappeared, slipping out of sight behind a nearby dumpster.

Like a blanket the darkness crept in completely submersing her as she stood there waiting. Turning her head at the slightest noise, she wrapped her arms around her body as to draw more warmth to in. From the glimpse of the light she received that far into the alley wall she could just make out a couple walking arm in arm down the street. Completely free and careless, she thought.

Just then the sensation of being taken by surprise rushed over her as a pair of big arms wrapped around her waist and another around her neck reaching for the zipper on her coat.

Immediately, as if it was first nature, her chin dropped as her dominate right arm swung forcefully back elbowing the attacker in the solar flexes. The strength of the arms around her loosened from where they were holding her inches above the ground as her stiletto made contact with the attackers left shoe. The arms dropped her to ground level, obviously shocked at her fighting back. She swerved her right arm up connecting and breaking the person's nose. From the deep grunts of pain coming from behind her ear she figured it was a man and veered her right arm down fracturing the groin. The arms let go completely freeing her.

She was already running before her heels even hit the concrete underneath her. She had stunned her male attacker gaining her some time as she ran full speed almost blindly through the pitch black alley. Heaving she reached the near end of the alleyway the moon silhouetting the obstacles coming at her. She snaked left jumping into a doorway squeezing her body completely into it as the sounds of pain ceased from behind her and the sound of loud thundering footsteps took its place.

The dark being now fully set in hiding her. She hoped. She stood there not breathing, her heart racing as the sound of footsteps increased.

Then the sound stopped. Her heart skipped a beat as her eyes shot open. She blinked. There was no one there. She turned her head a fraction of an inch to the right, peering over the dumpster adjacent to her with only her eyes.

The only sound to be heard was that of the freezing air whipping at her. She heard him before she saw him. The most miniscule sound of harsh breathing reached her ears as the dark figure drew closer around the dumpster, completely in silence only moments away from where she stood. The figure turned his head right looking down the opposite side of the alleyway from where she stood hidden. As he began to turn his head left another hand came flinging out of the darkness, a flash of silver flickering with it.

The big man in front swayed as the hand hit him on top of the head with the shining object.

Her heart thundered as the man crumbled to the ground, the man with the object stepping closer. Cole. She heard herself let out a breath as he bent down to the man now collapsed on the ground. His hands flew to the mans neck checking his pulse. Wilhelmina felt herself step forward, out of the crammed doorway, towards him.

Cole turned, snapping the gun directly at her then immediately tucking it back underneath his coat. She walked just before where he was kneeling completely at ease.

"He's still alive," He said, his grey eyes on the man, "Just badly hurt."

She swallowed not sure that her voice would work from the fear she had just felt moments before.

"Shouldn't we kill him?"

Cole stood up his gaze calming and almost relaxing once again.

"No, I tend not to kill if I don't have to," he said keeping her gaze locked with his.

She took in a deep breath as Cole extended his arm out to her, taking hers. She trembled internally at his touch. He didn't notice as stepped away from the man at his feet, in direction of her.

She didn't tremble because she was scared. She trembled because she truly had someone on her side, fighting for her. She stared into his eyes knowing that he had saved her. She completely trusted him.

"We need to get out of here," he said.