CHAPTER ONE
Mathilda Aaron glanced up from her newspaper at the sound of a car pulling up outside her house; she then glanced at her watch, 11.45. Why would someone be here so late?
She stood up and walked to her bedroom, she pulled out her .45 shot gun and made sure it was loaded, then she hid it in the back of her jeans, she was paranoid, jail had made her paranoid of everything.
The knock on the door was load and demanding, she jumped, even though she was expecting it, she shook her head and calmed herself down; her short blonde hair with chunky black streaks bared her neck, showing a tattoo of a fox under her right ear.
She sighed, cracked her neck, and opened the front door.
"Macgregor? What are you doing here?" she asked in a surprised voice, she dropped back into her native Irish lilt at the sight of one of her old co-workers.
He gave a small smile and gestured through the door,
"Can I come in Mat? It may take awhile." He sounded somber and slightly melancholy, she nodded and let him in, a quick glance around outside, and she shut the door behind him.
After organizing some drinks, she sat opposite him on her table and placed her pistol on the table.
"God Macgregor, you scared me half to death, I thought it was someone coming to try and kill me again, and I'm a little out of practice." She laughed and shook her head,
"So what brings you here?" he sighed a took a sip of his drink,
"Its Ian, he's in gaol and we need someone to help get him out. You're the best so we came to you." Mathilda stared at him in shock,
"Macgregor, you know I am not going to help, he left me to rot in prison three years ago, why the hell should I help him now? How many years he got in there?" She shook her head stubbornly; Macgregor sighed and ran a hand across his tired eyes.
"He won't make it out, he stole the Declaration of Independence, and the guards are rather patriotic, they're going to beat him to death if we don't bust him out of there.
He knows nothing about me coming to you. He said he is going to tough it out but it isn't going to work Mat, I know its not. Please Mat; you're the only one who can get him out."
Mathilda refused once more,
"No." was her flat reply,
"What about Shawn? He was pretty good at that stuff."
"Shawn is dead Mat, look, you busted your dad out so surely you can get Ian out. He did try to get you out of Jail but then he got a lead on the Mason's Treasure so he had to leave that and go after the treasure, he thought you'd understand." Mathilda looked up and sighed, she nodded her head,
"Okay, fine, I'm guessing that file contains all that you know, so just leave it with me and I'll figure it out." Macgregor nodded and left Mathilda to think about how she was going to get Ian out. She opened the file, on top was a photo of Ian just before he had been omitted, his face as smug and arrogant as usual, she smiled and ran a hand over his face,
"Oh Ian, what have you gotten yourself into now?" she murmured, she smiled and remembered all the fun they had had together, and how she had met him, six years before hand at University.
She had been only 22, and in her last year of her double Medicine and Surgery Degree, Ian had been there to give a business lecture to some of the business students.
As Mathilda walked across the café towards the counter, she saw Ian out of the corner of her eyes; a well built handsome man, with a charming aura. She found it difficult to tear her eyes off him, something unusual for her. He was wearing black dress pants, a blue striped shirt with no tie and a black jacket. Mathilda could tell that he was a great deal older than she was; he was in his late twenties to early thirties.
As she turned away, Ian looked up and skimmed the room, amazingly enough, Mathilda drew his attention almost as much as he drew hers. Ian smiled and sat back in his chair. He studied her from afar, she was a student, a beautiful girl, with a clean fresh face, with short blonde hair, streaked with even lighter blonde through out. Her green eyes sparkled with intelligence, curiosity, and mischievousness. His eyes then traveled down her thin, muscular body, an athlete, he deducted with a chuckle. He noted her clothes and marked that she was very confident and independent, she wore skintight ¾ black jeans, and a black racer back singlet, the front of which was decorated with a silver grinning skull, she wore a black leather belt with a large skull belt buckle. Irresistible in his eyes. He stood and walked over to the counter and waited behind her in the line.
Mathilda glanced over her shoulder to see who had lined up behind her; she saw Ian watching her and smiled,
"Hello, are you new here?" she asked, knowing that he wasn't but it was the only way she could think to start a conversation,
"No, I am giving a lecture in business, a favour for an old friend, my name is Ian Howe." He held out his hand she shook it firmly,
"Mathilda Aaron, it's a pleasure to meet you."
"And you too Mathilda, do you have someone you are sitting with?" she shook her head,
"Well, I have a spare seat at my table, if you would like", she agreed.
That was how Mathilda and Ian's relationship had begun.
When she had finished her degree she had joined with Ian to help him with his business, even though they were of, 'questionable legality.' To begin with, she had just been another 'team member', but as the years passed and her skills and friendship with Ian evolved, she had become his second in command, his favourite. Her medicinal knowledge had come in handy many times, and she was a quick learner and was brilliant at solving problems such as breaking into tight security locations. Then the day that ended up putting her in gaol had come around, she smiled at the memory of the night before, Ian and herself had been going over the plans one last time, it was full proof, as long as no one warned the police, there was no way that it could go wrong. At eleven, Ian had left, but before he did, he did something that still surprised Mathilda to this day. As he was leaving he had turned around to face her, a smile on his face, Mathilda had turned her head slightly to the side in a question, her mouth slightly open as she was about to speak when he had kissed her, his lips had caressed hers. A soft, loving kiss, short, yet full of love and emotion. Then he had pulled back, stroked her cheek and left. The next day, whilst they were getting ready to leave the building with the stolen goods, the alarms had started to ring; they had been ratted out, so they fled. Mathilda was the quickest, she darted ahead of them all, which resulted in her being caught, she had turned the corner and run smack into the waiting police. Her annoyed curse had saved the others from prison. But not her. Luckily, for her, the double crosser had only dealt with her; he had been there weapons supplier. She had spent the next three years in gaol. Hopeful each day that that day would be the day that Ian would come and rescue her on, but that day never came. She was let out 18 months early on good behaviour, her respect and affection for Ian was gone. She never wanted, nor planned on seeing him again, now she had just agreed to save him from the fate that he had left her in.
She frowned as she looked through the sheets in front of her; the gaol was a new complex, one she hadn't visited before. Mathilda cursed, she would have to see the gaol as a visitor, which means she would have to see Ian.