Night had settled over Vienna; the moon was not visible through the heavy clouds that overlay the sky, patches of snow here illuminated by cold neon light from the surrounding buildings. Robert stood out under the glow of the street lamps shining through the frosted air. He was waiting for her. She had told him to leave, to not wait up for her but there was no way that he could. He was frustrated with her but would never leave her alone. Whether she liked it or not he would be there to be back up but even he was wise enough to know that he had best stay out of sight.
At first, guests had been trickling out in pairs or trios, here and there, but now a steady stream of revelers was making their way to the valet line or attempting to hail cabs on the darkened street. Robert watched until he saw the unmistakable shape of Anna emerge from the building. She had her arm around Ballard and seemed to be supporting his weight, he was crouched forward and held a hand to his mouth as if he was going to be sick. He appeared to be apologizing as Anna helped get him into a cab.
This made a curious spectacle. A man of his size and build should have been able to his liquor better than that. Robert didn't know what to make of this for a moment and then it dawned on him, Anna must have slipped him something in his champagne. He grinned widely at the thought. No better way to subdue and ardent suitor than to make him feel like he could lose his lunch at any moment. His satisfaction turned into pride, pride for her resourcefulness, then his pride was tinged with regret. He should have trusted her to take care of herself. He shouldn't be surprised at her skill as an agent, she had shown him time and time again that she was good and maybe even his superior in some ways. He saw her wave her goodbyes, she then turned and walked with purpose down the icy street.
Robert stepped back into the shadows to remain unseen as she continued her journey to the end of the block. He watched her closely, unable to stop wondering if she is warm enough. She walked briskly, picking her way through the fresh snow and patches of ice on the sidewalk. Her trail of steps was the only imprint on the white covered ground.
Anna's eyes surveyed her surroundings and she stopped to pull one of her high heels off while she leaned against a lamp post. She took a moment and messaged the arch of her foot, replaced her shoe then repeated the ritual with her other foot. Her hair was coming loose from its pins and soon she shook her head letting her hair fall around her. Her cheeks bloomed red in the frosty air. She reached to massage the back of her neck rolling her head back and forth so stretch her tired muscles. In spite of their disagreement earlier Robert found himself wishing he could rub the discomfort from her body with his own hands.
From his hiding place, he observed as she walked over to a car parked on the side of the street. She retrieved some small object from her clutch then she looked up and down the street before proceeding to fiddle around with the door. In a few moments it popped open and she settled herself inside. Roberts' eyebrows shot up as he realized what she was up to. She was hot wiring the car. Leave it to his ex-wife to resort to stealing a car rather than calling to ask him to come to get her or waiting to hail a cab. After a few sputters the vehicle roared to life and in a plume of exhaust and rubber she was gone and leaving him alone on the street. Robert hurried over to the valet to retrieve the Aston Martin, there was no way he would beat her to the hotel but he would try.