Chapter 4
Ric sat down on the bench and rubbed his forehead. This one hour has been very overwhelming for him. How long has Natalie been in town? How long has she been bottling up all of this anger towards him? He needed to calm down.
He started to drift into his memories of how he and Natalie met.
"Is this everything?" Ric asked as he flipped through the envelope of pages.
"That was all Mr. Alcazar told me to give you," one of Alcazar's men stated.
"Very well," Ric pushed the pages back in the envelope. "How much time is he giving me?"
"He says that it should take you three months. You still have to do your research and scope the place out," the man answered.
Ric nodded and the man left. Alcazar had assigned him to launder money from one of the largest corporate offices in London. He was standing in a middle of a park in a small town outside of London. He looked around the area. This was going to be his so-called home in the next couple of months.
He started to walk, but a little boy ran into him and knocked the envelope of papers out of his hand.
"Sorry, sir" the boy yelled over his shoulder as he continued to run.
Ric started to mumble to himself as he looked around to see where the envelope dropped.
"I think this is yours?" he heard a voice ask.
He turned around and saw a beautiful woman sitting on a step of the park's gazebo. She had a book in one hand and his envelope in the other. The first thing Ric noticed was the woman's enticing blue-gray eyes.
"Uh.well?" The woman waited for his answer.
"Oh!" Ric didn't realize how bad he was staring. "Yes, it is. Thank you." He took the envelope from her.
The woman smiled and Ric noticed the cute dimples that were implanted in her cheeks. "Your welcome." She stood up, tucked the book under her arm and walked off.
Ric continued to stare at the woman and watched her walk away. He then looked down at the envelope and started to brush the dirt off of it. As he looked down, he noticed something shiny in the corner of his eye. He looked away from the envelope and towards the ground. It was a plain, silver ring. He picked it up and assumed that it belonged to the woman who was sitting there. He looked up and saw that the woman was walking into a small coffee shop on the other side of the park. He slipped the ring on his pinky and started to walk towards the coffee shop.
The woman was already sitting down at a table and the waitress was pouring a cup of coffee. The woman looked down to pick up her mug. She started to panic when she realized that the ring wasn't on her finger.
Ric quickly walked up to her table. "I believe you dropped this, miss?" He pulled the ring off his pinky and held it up.
By the look on her face, the woman was relieved. "Oh my god! Thank you so much." She took the ring. "I knew that I shouldn't have put it on any other finger but my thumb." Ric watched her slip the ring over her tiny thumb.
"For a simple ring like that, you look pretty attached to it."
"I am. It was my father's. I wear it everywhere I go!" She looked at Ric and smiled. "Thank you again. As a token of my thanks, please let me buy you a cup of coffee."
Ric nearly melted when the beautiful woman smiled at him. He couldn't resist. He couldn't refuse her offer. "Sure." He pulled up a chair and sat down next to her. "I'm Ric." He extended his hand out to her.
"I'm Natalie," the woman replied back. She shook Ric's hand. "It's nice to meet you."
The waitress came up to the table and poured Ric a cup of coffee. Natalie looked at Ric. "I've never seen you here before. Are you new in town?"
Ric nodded his head. "Yes. Actually, I'm here on business. I just arrived today and I was going to spend the day sightseeing in London."
"You've never been to London?" Natalie asked.
"No, I haven't. It's going to be interesting. I don't know my way around at all."
"Well, you're in luck!" Natalie said excitedly. "I know every nook and cranny in London. It would be no problem to show you around." She paused for a moment. "I'm sorry-I didn't mean to automatically assume you would need help."
"No, it's alright," Ric interrupted. "It would be great to have someone show me around." He looked in Natalie's eyes and smiled. She looked at him and smiled back. Little did they know at that moment that they were going to continue to gaze at each other nonstop for the next couple of months.
Ric sat down on the bench and rubbed his forehead. This one hour has been very overwhelming for him. How long has Natalie been in town? How long has she been bottling up all of this anger towards him? He needed to calm down.
He started to drift into his memories of how he and Natalie met.
"Is this everything?" Ric asked as he flipped through the envelope of pages.
"That was all Mr. Alcazar told me to give you," one of Alcazar's men stated.
"Very well," Ric pushed the pages back in the envelope. "How much time is he giving me?"
"He says that it should take you three months. You still have to do your research and scope the place out," the man answered.
Ric nodded and the man left. Alcazar had assigned him to launder money from one of the largest corporate offices in London. He was standing in a middle of a park in a small town outside of London. He looked around the area. This was going to be his so-called home in the next couple of months.
He started to walk, but a little boy ran into him and knocked the envelope of papers out of his hand.
"Sorry, sir" the boy yelled over his shoulder as he continued to run.
Ric started to mumble to himself as he looked around to see where the envelope dropped.
"I think this is yours?" he heard a voice ask.
He turned around and saw a beautiful woman sitting on a step of the park's gazebo. She had a book in one hand and his envelope in the other. The first thing Ric noticed was the woman's enticing blue-gray eyes.
"Uh.well?" The woman waited for his answer.
"Oh!" Ric didn't realize how bad he was staring. "Yes, it is. Thank you." He took the envelope from her.
The woman smiled and Ric noticed the cute dimples that were implanted in her cheeks. "Your welcome." She stood up, tucked the book under her arm and walked off.
Ric continued to stare at the woman and watched her walk away. He then looked down at the envelope and started to brush the dirt off of it. As he looked down, he noticed something shiny in the corner of his eye. He looked away from the envelope and towards the ground. It was a plain, silver ring. He picked it up and assumed that it belonged to the woman who was sitting there. He looked up and saw that the woman was walking into a small coffee shop on the other side of the park. He slipped the ring on his pinky and started to walk towards the coffee shop.
The woman was already sitting down at a table and the waitress was pouring a cup of coffee. The woman looked down to pick up her mug. She started to panic when she realized that the ring wasn't on her finger.
Ric quickly walked up to her table. "I believe you dropped this, miss?" He pulled the ring off his pinky and held it up.
By the look on her face, the woman was relieved. "Oh my god! Thank you so much." She took the ring. "I knew that I shouldn't have put it on any other finger but my thumb." Ric watched her slip the ring over her tiny thumb.
"For a simple ring like that, you look pretty attached to it."
"I am. It was my father's. I wear it everywhere I go!" She looked at Ric and smiled. "Thank you again. As a token of my thanks, please let me buy you a cup of coffee."
Ric nearly melted when the beautiful woman smiled at him. He couldn't resist. He couldn't refuse her offer. "Sure." He pulled up a chair and sat down next to her. "I'm Ric." He extended his hand out to her.
"I'm Natalie," the woman replied back. She shook Ric's hand. "It's nice to meet you."
The waitress came up to the table and poured Ric a cup of coffee. Natalie looked at Ric. "I've never seen you here before. Are you new in town?"
Ric nodded his head. "Yes. Actually, I'm here on business. I just arrived today and I was going to spend the day sightseeing in London."
"You've never been to London?" Natalie asked.
"No, I haven't. It's going to be interesting. I don't know my way around at all."
"Well, you're in luck!" Natalie said excitedly. "I know every nook and cranny in London. It would be no problem to show you around." She paused for a moment. "I'm sorry-I didn't mean to automatically assume you would need help."
"No, it's alright," Ric interrupted. "It would be great to have someone show me around." He looked in Natalie's eyes and smiled. She looked at him and smiled back. Little did they know at that moment that they were going to continue to gaze at each other nonstop for the next couple of months.
