Chapter Twenty-Eight
David For hours I waited for Anya's return. When it finally came, the time was nearly twelve thirty in the afternoon. I'd obviously had some time on my hands, and in those hours had packed all our clothes as well as some food in bags and prepared to leave as soon as it was humanly possible to. "What's going on?" Anya asked, looking around and noting the bags, some opened drawers, and the blaring television, which I'd turned up so it could be heard even in the hall, just in case Calico did something else incredibly stupid.like getting caught on film again. But she didn't. "We're leaving." I replied in response, picking up a bag and shoving it into Anya's arms, taking the other two from the bed and walking past her afterwards. "Dav-Jason-it hasn't been two weeks yet, in case you hadn't noticed!" She stated the obvious, using my temporary name, in case anyone else could hear. "Yeah, I know. But it's time to go.Now!" Then I made myself explain. I had to tell her something. "Calico knows which train we took. She's gonna be looking for us. She will eventually come here, and I don't think either of us wants to be here when she does." It took a moment for Anya to consider what I'd said before she responded. "Okay.but wait-how do you know Calico knows?" "It was on the news. She was caught on camera with our pictures interrogating the ticket man, demanding to know where we'd gone. After cocking her gun which was in his face, she got her answer." I explained hurriedly. "Now come on! Maybe when she's traveling all over looking for us, we can make it back to New York. Alex will be all alone without his hit man-woman, and we can easily take care of or evade him. And Nicole-it doesn't particularly matter if Calico finds her because Alex wants her dead anyway. Let's go!" "Wait! Wait a minute." I faced her. "You say she was caught on camera?" "Yes." A frown lingered a moment on my friend's pursed lips. She knew something I did not; I could tell by her face and the glimmer in her eyes. "David," She forgot or ignored the fact that we might be overheard. "Calico isn't stupid. She wouldn't have let the camera catch her unless she really wanted someone to see that footage." "What are you suggesting?" "I think she preformed that just for us. She probably expected us to think as you did and return to New York while she waited for us there. We should stay here." 'No. No thanks, not a good idea; let's get going!' "Anya, I like the way you think: you're brilliant.but this time I think you're wrong. I'm going back." She stepped forward and thrust the bag she still held into my stomach so that I grabbed it. "I'm staying." 'Fine! Okay then.who needs her anyway?' "Fine." . 'Me.' I dropped the bag she'd shoved at me onto the floor. "You might need that. Those are your clothes." Bending to pick it up again, Anya muttered 'thanks'. "You're bent on staying?" I inquired. "Yes. Unless you have something else to suggest that sounds more appealing." I shifted and moved one of my packages so both were in the same hand, leaving my other hand free to take Anya's. "Come. Come with me." "What d'ya plan to do back in NY?" I turned to look at her again. "Kill Nicole before Calico does.I need the money. I figure I can pick up Mrs. Velmen on the way back, then kill her and collect my payment." "Hey." "'Hay'? Hay is for horses." I joked, before becoming serious again. "What is it?" "I thought we were gonna do that together, then use the money to go to Orlando, or somewhere." Anya protested. "You're right." I agreed, knowing the conversation would go nowhere unless I did. "We'll both go." "You mean we'll both stay." Sigh."I think I know what I mean. We're going, Calico or no Calico." Anya moved closer and looked up to search my eyes, digging for a reason not to leave. But I wouldn't give her one. "All right." She smiled a little, raising my hopes. "We'll go. How do you want to evade my neighbor, Cruella DeVil's less nice little sister?" Her word choice, being humorous, made me laugh. "I was thinking about that. You know, I could just apologize to Alex-temporarily of course-and give him some odd reason to give me another chance, with my promise to kill her. Then he'd probably keep Calico Black away from us." "You know she doesn't always do as told. She might follow us, or kill us anyway. That's the way she is." "At least we'd die rich." The joke wasn't lightly taken. "That's not funny, David. I mean, normally it would be.but we're talking about us here. It'd be our lives taken." "I'm not afraid to die." I insisted, trying to convince not only the person in front of me, but myself also. "Neither am I, but I'd like to have my money for thirty or forty years before I pass on, thank you very much." "Okay, I understand, and I promise you, we'll figure something out.on the way. All right?" "Yes." "Good, then let's go." I gave Anya another smile and continued through the door. "What, we're leaving now?" "Yeah." She grabbed her bag and trailed me. "Why can't we leave in the morning?" "Because we're leaving now." A hand folded onto my arm and held me back. I faced Anya and gazed lovingly into her deep eyes. She repeated herself. "Why can't we continue in the morning?" "I told you already." "And." "And.I already checked out."
David For hours I waited for Anya's return. When it finally came, the time was nearly twelve thirty in the afternoon. I'd obviously had some time on my hands, and in those hours had packed all our clothes as well as some food in bags and prepared to leave as soon as it was humanly possible to. "What's going on?" Anya asked, looking around and noting the bags, some opened drawers, and the blaring television, which I'd turned up so it could be heard even in the hall, just in case Calico did something else incredibly stupid.like getting caught on film again. But she didn't. "We're leaving." I replied in response, picking up a bag and shoving it into Anya's arms, taking the other two from the bed and walking past her afterwards. "Dav-Jason-it hasn't been two weeks yet, in case you hadn't noticed!" She stated the obvious, using my temporary name, in case anyone else could hear. "Yeah, I know. But it's time to go.Now!" Then I made myself explain. I had to tell her something. "Calico knows which train we took. She's gonna be looking for us. She will eventually come here, and I don't think either of us wants to be here when she does." It took a moment for Anya to consider what I'd said before she responded. "Okay.but wait-how do you know Calico knows?" "It was on the news. She was caught on camera with our pictures interrogating the ticket man, demanding to know where we'd gone. After cocking her gun which was in his face, she got her answer." I explained hurriedly. "Now come on! Maybe when she's traveling all over looking for us, we can make it back to New York. Alex will be all alone without his hit man-woman, and we can easily take care of or evade him. And Nicole-it doesn't particularly matter if Calico finds her because Alex wants her dead anyway. Let's go!" "Wait! Wait a minute." I faced her. "You say she was caught on camera?" "Yes." A frown lingered a moment on my friend's pursed lips. She knew something I did not; I could tell by her face and the glimmer in her eyes. "David," She forgot or ignored the fact that we might be overheard. "Calico isn't stupid. She wouldn't have let the camera catch her unless she really wanted someone to see that footage." "What are you suggesting?" "I think she preformed that just for us. She probably expected us to think as you did and return to New York while she waited for us there. We should stay here." 'No. No thanks, not a good idea; let's get going!' "Anya, I like the way you think: you're brilliant.but this time I think you're wrong. I'm going back." She stepped forward and thrust the bag she still held into my stomach so that I grabbed it. "I'm staying." 'Fine! Okay then.who needs her anyway?' "Fine." . 'Me.' I dropped the bag she'd shoved at me onto the floor. "You might need that. Those are your clothes." Bending to pick it up again, Anya muttered 'thanks'. "You're bent on staying?" I inquired. "Yes. Unless you have something else to suggest that sounds more appealing." I shifted and moved one of my packages so both were in the same hand, leaving my other hand free to take Anya's. "Come. Come with me." "What d'ya plan to do back in NY?" I turned to look at her again. "Kill Nicole before Calico does.I need the money. I figure I can pick up Mrs. Velmen on the way back, then kill her and collect my payment." "Hey." "'Hay'? Hay is for horses." I joked, before becoming serious again. "What is it?" "I thought we were gonna do that together, then use the money to go to Orlando, or somewhere." Anya protested. "You're right." I agreed, knowing the conversation would go nowhere unless I did. "We'll both go." "You mean we'll both stay." Sigh."I think I know what I mean. We're going, Calico or no Calico." Anya moved closer and looked up to search my eyes, digging for a reason not to leave. But I wouldn't give her one. "All right." She smiled a little, raising my hopes. "We'll go. How do you want to evade my neighbor, Cruella DeVil's less nice little sister?" Her word choice, being humorous, made me laugh. "I was thinking about that. You know, I could just apologize to Alex-temporarily of course-and give him some odd reason to give me another chance, with my promise to kill her. Then he'd probably keep Calico Black away from us." "You know she doesn't always do as told. She might follow us, or kill us anyway. That's the way she is." "At least we'd die rich." The joke wasn't lightly taken. "That's not funny, David. I mean, normally it would be.but we're talking about us here. It'd be our lives taken." "I'm not afraid to die." I insisted, trying to convince not only the person in front of me, but myself also. "Neither am I, but I'd like to have my money for thirty or forty years before I pass on, thank you very much." "Okay, I understand, and I promise you, we'll figure something out.on the way. All right?" "Yes." "Good, then let's go." I gave Anya another smile and continued through the door. "What, we're leaving now?" "Yeah." She grabbed her bag and trailed me. "Why can't we leave in the morning?" "Because we're leaving now." A hand folded onto my arm and held me back. I faced Anya and gazed lovingly into her deep eyes. She repeated herself. "Why can't we continue in the morning?" "I told you already." "And." "And.I already checked out."
