Part 2
* * *
Hunter opened her eyes slowly letting them adjust to the early morning light. She lay in the middle of a bed large enough to swallow her small body. Her head rested on satin and feathers; with more satin and a luxurious down comforter covering her. A canopy of blue chiffon hung from the ceiling completely encompassing the bed. Beyond the sheer curtain, the room was expansive, but held enough furniture to make it comfortable. An elegantly carved armoire stood against the wall opposite the bed, next to that was an old world writing desk. To her right were French doors leading to a balcony. Near that was a divan. To her left was a closet with full mirror doors and a paneled wooden door that led into the hall and the rest of the mansion. There was another door on the same wall as the bed that she assumed led to the bathroom. Pedestal tables were placed around the room, each with a different piece of artwork on it. Several paintings, depicting famous battles, adorned the antique white walls.
Hunter rolled over to the edge of the bed and threw her legs over the side. The floors were hard wood and two matching oriental rugs appeared as islands in its great expanse. She moved softly across the room to the divan where she picked up a short robe and wrapped it around her, covering the pale gray chemise that she wore.
The crisp winter air hit her like a physical blow as she walked out onto the balcony. Ignoring the cold, Hunter leaned against the rail and looked down into the courtyard. The landscape was that of Japan, with sculpted bushes and a carefully groomed rock garden. To one side a small waterfall filled a pound where golden koi swam aimlessly. However, that was not what caught her attention.
Ian Nottingham was practicing with a katana near a fountain. Moving with motions as fluid as the water, he was magnificent to watch.
* * *
~Who is this woman? This Hunter? What is her connection to the Witchblade?~ Ian Nottingham thought as he went through the motions of a kata. ~What is her agenda? Her intentions regarding Sara?~ All questions, none of which he had answers to, at least not yet. He knew that she was watching him; he could feel her eyes on his back. ~Watch me well, Hunter, and learn who will strike the coup de grâce.~
Ian finished his workout, bowing to an unseen sensei, and then rested his katana casually at his side. He turned and looked up to the balcony from where Hunter was observing him. Nottingham meet her dark eyes with his own then dropped his gaze downward as was his training.
"Good morning, Ian." Hunter greeted with a smile. Her voice was pitched to carry her words to his ears, but no further.
Ian only nodded his head in acknowledgment. He spoke a moment later and Hunter knew it was only to relay information. "Mr. Irons will be pleased that you are awake; I shall go inform him." Nottingham turned his back to her and strode out of the courtyard.
Hunter stayed where she was. She knew that Ian did not trust her and he was right to do so. In the game she played, she could not afford to trust anyone. Hunter also recognized a threat to her plans when she saw one. Ian, she was sure, did not have anything on her yet, but she knew that that would soon change. He could be her downfall; if he decided to tell Sara who she was, or at least whom Ian thought she was.
Letting out a deep sigh, Hunter pushed away from the balcony railing and moved back inside. She took a quick shower and with a towel still wrapped around her, she opened the closet. Hunter casually looked through the articles of clothing that she had purchased the day before from Saks Fifth Avenue. After a bit of deliberation, she finally decided on brown leather pants with a faux alligator print, a sleeveless red turtleneck, and a coat that matched the pants.
Hunter dressed, pulled on brown boots, and quickly styled her short hair. She studied herself in the mirror and satisfied with her appearance, grabbed her purse. Hunter then, headed downstairs to the den where she knew Irons would be waiting for her.
He was there, examining a chessboard and paid her no heed as he moved a chess piece. Hunter took note that he moved a queen next to his king.
Irons looked up at her with a warm smile. "I trust you slept well."
"Yes, thank you." Hunter replied matching his expression. "The room was lovely."
He rose from his chair and walked over to where she stood. As he did, he took in her attire with appraisal and a slight look of disapproval. "Where are you off to this morning?"
"To do what I came here to do." She stated determination in her voice.
"I was hoping that we could spend the day together." Irons said coolly and put his hand to her cheek, caressing it lightly.
"There will be time for that later." Hunter spoke in soft tones. She put her hand over his, gently running her fingers over the intersecting circles. "There are other things of import right now."
"You're right," Kenneth admitted as he let his hand drop from her face. He moved over to a small end table and picked something up, then turned back to her. Irons grasped her hand and brought it towards him placing something in her palm.
Hunter looked down at a set of keys, confused. "What is this?"
"A little gift I picked out for you yesterday." He answered with a half grin.
She examined the black leather key chain curiously and saw the signet of Porsche motorcars. "You bought me a Porsche." Hunter said a little shocked.
Irons shrugged. "A Boxster actually."
"Thank you." She replied sincerely.
"I thought you might've found it difficult to follow Detective Pezzini on public transportation." He said nonchalantly.
Hunter checked her watch, not really looking at the time. "Um…I'll be going now." She said and withdrew from the room with no further conversation.
Once the door was closed behind her, Nottingham appeared at the rail of the upstairs library. "Ian, watch Sara Pezzini and keep an eye on our guest. I want to know what she is up to." Irons spoke to him as he ascended the staircase, making sure he had the younger man's attention.
* * *
Sara walked into the office she shared with Danny Woo, her hand open. In record time, it was filled with a large cup of steaming coffee. She moved across the room hanging her helmet on the coat rack and then sagged down into her chair.
"Someone is looking stygian this morning." Danny stated sarcastically when he looked at his partner. "Rough night?"
"You don't look very effusive yourself." Sara replied. She rested her head in her hand and began looking through the file folder containing Maria Buzanis' case. "Yeah, you could say that."
"Is it me, or are you getting more acrimonious?" Danny asked as he took a sip of coffee.
Sara set the file aside and rubbed her eyes. "No just more erudite." She shook her head looking up at her partner. "I'm not really in the mood for this right now Danny."
"Maybe this will cheer you up." He said and offered Sara a few sheets of paper.
"What's this?" She inquired taking them from him. Sara glanced at them but they didn't seem to make any sense or have a connection to the case. "What do old documents on the Rialto have to do with Maria's murder?"
Danny could be very patient when trying to teach his partner something. "Look who owns it."
Sara skimmed the paper a bit closer until she found what Danny wanted. "Kenneth Irons?"
"The CEO of Vorschlag Industries and owner of—" Danny tried to say.
"The Joan of Arc collection." She finished. Sara leaned back in her chair as she mentally took note of what she was learning. "Okay, so Kenneth Irons owns the Rialto Theater. I still don't see how that connects him to Maria."
"After seeing Gallo at the theater yesterday, I did some checking on him and found that he has done a few jobs for Mr. Irons." He explained as he too leaned back in his chair.
There was a flash before her as images fell over her eyes. She stood in an art hall speaking to a confident stately man. His hair gray, but his face agelessly smooth.
+Don't you want to avenge the deaths of Daniel Woo and Maria? Don't you want to find your father's killer? Don't you want…justice?+
Sara shied away from the words as the scene around her changed. The old Rialto took shape around her and faces became clear. A shot rang through the air and she saw Danny lying on his back…
"Hey, Pez!" Danny exclaimed trying to get her attention. Sara recoiled as she was once again dropped into reality. "You okay?"
"Uh…yeah," Sara mumbled as she rubbed her head and blinked confused. "I'm…fine.
Danny looked at her skeptically. "You appeared to be a million miles away."
"More like a lifetime." She replied barely audible.
"Huh?"
"Nothing."
An awkward silence settled on the room as Sara avoided Danny's eyes.
They both looked up at the sound of a knock on the door. Joe Siry stood in the doorway watching them both. "Woo, Pezzini, I need you to go check out a murder at the corner of Bleaker and George in the warehouse district."
"We're right on it Captain." Danny replied and looked at Sara.
She nodded and stood up. "Lets go."
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