Chapter Fifteen
Calico I stroked the softly-tousled fur of Cali as I sat, as was my custom, in darkness. Waiting. Cali suddenly leapt from my lap and ran to the door, tail held high like a flag. "Row. R-raw! R-raw!" The cat called, sounding an alert. Using a small, hidden peephole, I watched as Anya and David walked down the hall together, arm in arm, talking discreetly. I watched as the man whispered in Anya's ear and she nodded silently. I watched as David opened the door and took Anya inside with him. I knew I had to wait for Anya to come out before I could make my move. Alex would be very disagreeable if David was also killed.
* * *
David "Nicole?" I called, wondering why she wasn't waiting in the living room. "Where are you?" I held a hand out to stop Anya. "Wait here." I whispered. She backed up a few paces. Slowly, I pushed open the door to my bedroom. It was dim, and hard to see, but not enough so for me to be blind. No one was there. Next, I went through to the bathroom, the only other room in the house other than the kitchen, but I'd walked through there on my way into the bedroom. "Nicole?" There she was in the bathroom, sitting in a corner on the floor with the lights off, and being silent as if she'd seen a ghost. "Nicole!" I took hasty steps toward her and crouched at her side. She breathed heavily; in short gasps for air. "What happened?" Recognizing me, she leaned forward and clung to me tightly. I could do nothing but hold her as she moved closer and eventually pulled me down into a sitting position. Meanwhile, the door leading to and from the kitchen opened gradually and Anya peaked in. Obviously shocked at the scene, she began backing up. I managed to shrug, and lifted a finger to indicate that the present situation might take a minute. "Nicole, you've got to talk to me!" I exclaimed, trying to push her slowly away so I could look at her. Tears swerved down her face but I soon lifted her chin with one gentle hand and made her look into my eyes. "Look, I can't help you until you tell me what's going on, okay?" She nodded, still obviously still upset. "It was her." her statement faded to a whisper. ".the woman who did this." She motioned to the nearly-healed wound that marked where she'd been shot. "The lady who shot you was here?" "Yes." Voice shaking, she finally made a full confession. "She came in and walked around. There was a cat with her. It was.all black. It had eyes that.seemed to search too. I think they came here for me. They know I'm here." "How could they know?" "The woman's cat, Cali, I think she was called, smelled something on the couch and the person picked it up." She paused, taking a deep breath. "It was my purse. It had my I. D., drivers license, my money, everything." 'Shit shit and, again, shit' "Okay. It's okay. We'll figure something out. We'll make everything all right.I promise." Nicole made no movement, so I felt I had to do something. Leaning in, I kissed her cheek gently and then, while pulling away, I did a foolish thing. I told her to leave the city. "Go to your mother's in the country. You'll be safe there, in a place no one can find you." "David, come with me." It almost sounded as though she was begging. Her sparkling, hazy eyes pleaded with me. But I knew my place. It was not with her. "How'd you explain me?" "I don't know." She admitted. "But we don't have to go to my mother's. We can go somewhere else.anywhere; it doesn't matter to me-as long as we're together." How could I refuse without raising suspicion? I was supposed to love her, criminal or not. "You know I'm a wanted man. If we left, I'd have to change my name again, and probably even change my appearance. The police almost caught me the night I came to the hospital to see you. I don't wanna go through that again." "I'll go to mother's then.so you can find me. I'll give you the address." "All right." I smiled. "Stay here a moment. I'll be right back." "Hey! Can you bring me back a cigarette?" "Sure.I didn't know you smoked." "I don't, yet." I went through to the kitchen, where Anya was trying to be patient while waiting. "What took you so long?" The words shot at me when I walked in the room and was detected. I sighed. "She needed a while to calm down before she'd talk to me." "Really? How'd she calm down, by nearly suffocating you by how tightly she held you?" "You know.you're not that far off." I looked at her. There was some jealousy mixed in there, poorly veiled in her eyes. "We've got another problem. I absently and very stupidly talked her into going to her mother's place in the country." "You what?!" She took it pretty well. "Why the hell did you do that? I mean, that is the stupidest thi-" I covered her mouth with a hand. "Shut up a moment, okay? There's more." Slowly I began to uncover her mouth, only to discover that she still had more remaining she wanted to say. "-ng I've ever hear-"This time I stopped her mouth with my own. I pulled her into my arms and kept my lips pressed against hers. Our bodies pressed together, though at first Anya struggled a little, still infuriated. But only a little, and then her fighting ceased. Only then did I release her, my arms falling to my sides while my eyes remained on the momentarily speechless friend before me. Before she could voice a reaction, I spoke. "Calico is Alex's hired assassin. She shot Nicole and she's the one he'll probably send after you. In fact, I think he already has. He must have guessed that you were the one that had told Nicole about our meeting and called Calico. Then she came over here in case you were still here, but you weren't. You were outside with me. Nicole saw her and hid and the rest's history." I took a breath, and then realized that I still held Anya tightly in my arms when she looked down and I followed her gaze. "Sorry." I let go and swallowed. "You have any cigarettes?" "What?" "Cigarettes. I need a pack. "Oh. I'll look." "Thanks."
Calico I stroked the softly-tousled fur of Cali as I sat, as was my custom, in darkness. Waiting. Cali suddenly leapt from my lap and ran to the door, tail held high like a flag. "Row. R-raw! R-raw!" The cat called, sounding an alert. Using a small, hidden peephole, I watched as Anya and David walked down the hall together, arm in arm, talking discreetly. I watched as the man whispered in Anya's ear and she nodded silently. I watched as David opened the door and took Anya inside with him. I knew I had to wait for Anya to come out before I could make my move. Alex would be very disagreeable if David was also killed.
* * *
David "Nicole?" I called, wondering why she wasn't waiting in the living room. "Where are you?" I held a hand out to stop Anya. "Wait here." I whispered. She backed up a few paces. Slowly, I pushed open the door to my bedroom. It was dim, and hard to see, but not enough so for me to be blind. No one was there. Next, I went through to the bathroom, the only other room in the house other than the kitchen, but I'd walked through there on my way into the bedroom. "Nicole?" There she was in the bathroom, sitting in a corner on the floor with the lights off, and being silent as if she'd seen a ghost. "Nicole!" I took hasty steps toward her and crouched at her side. She breathed heavily; in short gasps for air. "What happened?" Recognizing me, she leaned forward and clung to me tightly. I could do nothing but hold her as she moved closer and eventually pulled me down into a sitting position. Meanwhile, the door leading to and from the kitchen opened gradually and Anya peaked in. Obviously shocked at the scene, she began backing up. I managed to shrug, and lifted a finger to indicate that the present situation might take a minute. "Nicole, you've got to talk to me!" I exclaimed, trying to push her slowly away so I could look at her. Tears swerved down her face but I soon lifted her chin with one gentle hand and made her look into my eyes. "Look, I can't help you until you tell me what's going on, okay?" She nodded, still obviously still upset. "It was her." her statement faded to a whisper. ".the woman who did this." She motioned to the nearly-healed wound that marked where she'd been shot. "The lady who shot you was here?" "Yes." Voice shaking, she finally made a full confession. "She came in and walked around. There was a cat with her. It was.all black. It had eyes that.seemed to search too. I think they came here for me. They know I'm here." "How could they know?" "The woman's cat, Cali, I think she was called, smelled something on the couch and the person picked it up." She paused, taking a deep breath. "It was my purse. It had my I. D., drivers license, my money, everything." 'Shit shit and, again, shit' "Okay. It's okay. We'll figure something out. We'll make everything all right.I promise." Nicole made no movement, so I felt I had to do something. Leaning in, I kissed her cheek gently and then, while pulling away, I did a foolish thing. I told her to leave the city. "Go to your mother's in the country. You'll be safe there, in a place no one can find you." "David, come with me." It almost sounded as though she was begging. Her sparkling, hazy eyes pleaded with me. But I knew my place. It was not with her. "How'd you explain me?" "I don't know." She admitted. "But we don't have to go to my mother's. We can go somewhere else.anywhere; it doesn't matter to me-as long as we're together." How could I refuse without raising suspicion? I was supposed to love her, criminal or not. "You know I'm a wanted man. If we left, I'd have to change my name again, and probably even change my appearance. The police almost caught me the night I came to the hospital to see you. I don't wanna go through that again." "I'll go to mother's then.so you can find me. I'll give you the address." "All right." I smiled. "Stay here a moment. I'll be right back." "Hey! Can you bring me back a cigarette?" "Sure.I didn't know you smoked." "I don't, yet." I went through to the kitchen, where Anya was trying to be patient while waiting. "What took you so long?" The words shot at me when I walked in the room and was detected. I sighed. "She needed a while to calm down before she'd talk to me." "Really? How'd she calm down, by nearly suffocating you by how tightly she held you?" "You know.you're not that far off." I looked at her. There was some jealousy mixed in there, poorly veiled in her eyes. "We've got another problem. I absently and very stupidly talked her into going to her mother's place in the country." "You what?!" She took it pretty well. "Why the hell did you do that? I mean, that is the stupidest thi-" I covered her mouth with a hand. "Shut up a moment, okay? There's more." Slowly I began to uncover her mouth, only to discover that she still had more remaining she wanted to say. "-ng I've ever hear-"This time I stopped her mouth with my own. I pulled her into my arms and kept my lips pressed against hers. Our bodies pressed together, though at first Anya struggled a little, still infuriated. But only a little, and then her fighting ceased. Only then did I release her, my arms falling to my sides while my eyes remained on the momentarily speechless friend before me. Before she could voice a reaction, I spoke. "Calico is Alex's hired assassin. She shot Nicole and she's the one he'll probably send after you. In fact, I think he already has. He must have guessed that you were the one that had told Nicole about our meeting and called Calico. Then she came over here in case you were still here, but you weren't. You were outside with me. Nicole saw her and hid and the rest's history." I took a breath, and then realized that I still held Anya tightly in my arms when she looked down and I followed her gaze. "Sorry." I let go and swallowed. "You have any cigarettes?" "What?" "Cigarettes. I need a pack. "Oh. I'll look." "Thanks."
