Chapter 7 :: Serenity
Ana was staring out at the ocean, a plate of steak and rice in her hands. Ginger ale was on the tiki stand that was to her right. Steve was watching her and how her hair matched the ocean. Ana took a heavy sigh.
"You know, this was not my dream. My dream was to inherit the parlor, not the bank."
"What?"
Ana looked back at Steve, chewing a piece of her food. Figured now would be a good as time as any to tell him. Maybe it was the reason she was kidnapped.
"My father David Meyers and I inherited the bank when my grandpa passed away from a heart attack last year. Dad hired me on as a teller. The bank is worth three million that I know of. If someone kidnapped me, then they can control the fate of the bank."
She was smart, she knew all of that and she was also a very smart girl for letting him know before others started to question. He had to ask however.
"Exactly how does your mother and the yakuza tie in with it all? You're kidnapping, that was not coincidence."
She smiled, looking back at the ocean. She took a sigh.
"Peaceful and serene, my grandfather always told me that the ocean was like music, and that I could be what I wanted. The bank was not mine if I didn't want it. I don't want it. I design tattoos because I am an artist. If the teller job is just one wave in my ocean of life, then so be it."
He smiled gentle at her; she needed a gentle touch now. Fragile, both of them were fragile for different reasons. They ate dinner quietly and looked at the sunset and ocean. The colors were dancing across the waves and in the moment, they forgot they were anywhere but that ocean front spot. It kept both of them sane, at least a little bit longer. A small giggle came from Analise and she just looked over at Steve.
"I can be such a child sometimes. Sorry about that."
"No, go on. I like your laugh. Tell me something Ana, do you keep a sketch pad of your tattoos?"
She smiled wide and then ran inside. Coming back out, she had a pencil in one ear, a black pen in one hand and her sketchbook in the same hand. She sat down on the sand and opened to her current work. It was a heart with a phoenix coming from the center and working out. Steve gasped a bit at the care she took in her art work.
"My favorite piece by far. Kalina and Lynne wanted this for a friend of theirs. His daughter passed away and she loved hearts. I still have to put the name and dates, but they need it in three days. After the events of the last several, I hadn't completed this."
"Can I watch you work on this? I admire this kind of work a lot."
He showed her the tattoos he had and she smiled, putting her hair up in a ponytail.
"You sure can. I like it when people watch my work come together."
She started her work up and his eyes were trained on the black and red colored nails. They scrolled across the paper with ease and he was amazed at her. After all that she went through, she still held her head high and got to work. The pen grazing the paper with just the right amount of pressure, the shading perfected to the tip of the heart at the bottom. Her calligraphy was etched with precision and he was just spellbound at her amazing ability to relax and breathe, even when he knew it was not to be the last of Wo Fat, Jonathan or Kaitlyn. She had signed her name to the work, placing the date on it. She smiled up at him.
"Well, what do you think of it? Piece of artwork huh?"
He looked up at her, a soft smile across his face.
"A masterpiece for sure, just like you."
She got up from the floor of sand and brushed her pants off smiling at him.
"Heading inside for the night. See you there Steve."
He headed in behind her. They had no clue what the next day would bring them.
