Chapter 3

The hotel's concierge had recommended a small out of the way coffee shop a couple blocks away, and Emma found herself standing just inside the door, staring at a man that looked strikingly similar to the one she was sent to find.

"Hey miss, you alright?" He called out to her, pulling her out of her reverie.

"Yeah, I- wow you have a lot of choices" Emma stammered trying to come up with some excuse for her inattention.

"You not from around here eh?"

"No, no I'm not." She noticed his British accent finally, and quickly added "You aren't either are you?"

"I've been here a few years, me accent just hasn't left yet."

Emma stepped up to the counter to get a better look at the person she was sure was her mark. But she also questioned herself, knowing there was no way she could get this lucky. In a city the size of New York, she should not have just happened to wander into the one place that Will Scarlet happened to be working. "So, what's good here?" She hazarded a look down to his nametag.

"Well miss, everything's good here, but my favorite's the Stolen Heart."

Emma's eyes perked up at that name, but she'd manage to catch his nametag said Will. At least that made this conversation promising. It was even more promising after she ordered her drink and saw his number scrawled messily on the side. "Classy," she muttered under her breath, "at least this'll be easier than I thought."

She quickly jotted down his number, promising to send a text later; if she was going to pull this off she couldn't very well seem desperate. She discarded the cup in the trash can by the door before walking out, back into the busy streets of New York.

The next day, Emma sent that fateful text to Will, hopefully this was the right one and not just a look-alike that happened to have the same name. Trying to find the right amount of flirty and interested but not desperate or crazy, she typed out the message and deleted it several times before settling on what she hoped would be the right one. So, is it a normal thing 2 put ur number on cups at work or am I just special?

She put her phone back in her pocket and decided to set out to explore the city. She'd always lived so close to New York, but never had the time or money to actually experience all that the city had to offer. She was going to finally have the chance to be a tourist, and if that wasn't the right Will, then maybe it would be her last chance to play.

Emma had always thought she was one to "live life to the fullest" but she really felt like she was able to live now that she'd met death. Maybe it was cliché, but the skies seemed bluer, the grass greener, the smells stronger. The only issue now, was deciding where to go first.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she pulled it out, seeing a message from that same number she had texted earlier. She rolled her eyes at what she saw, thinking he definitely was a new level of cocky. Just the ones that can't resist my charm.

Emma quickly typed out U think ur that irresistible?

Well, yeah, you were the one to text me remember.

true. So y don't u show me what makes u such a charmer

Can do. Dinner 7 pm you know where to find me ;)

Emma really wondered why this guy was so hard for death to track down, he seemed to be easily found, anywhere near anyone of the female variety. But that would just make her job even easier, and if that $10,000 that had found its way into her account was just part of her pay she really couldn't wait to see what the full amount was.

She slipped her phone back into her pocket, only to sigh in exasperation when it buzzed again.

Just checking in, need any help?

It was Graham. Emma smiled at the thought of not being alone in this mess, though he couldn't actually come help her.

I've already found him, I think. What exactly do I need to do now?

It was only after having returned to her apartment that Emma had realized she hadn't been told exactly how to do her job. Was she supposed to just find them, or did she also have to kill them? She didn't have long to ponder the implications that that scenario could mean when his response came through.

Nothing more than you've already been doing. When you're sure it's him, you'll cuff him as you would normally do. Your handcuffs, specifically the black set, will shine blue. It is important he not escape as it will send out a beacon of sorts, and our hunters will be drawn to it. As long as those cuffs stay on, we will do the rest. Should he escape, it will be up to you to finish the job, we will only have one chance. The hunters will keep his soul contained until myself or an associate arrives to collect it.

Will anyone see this happen?

It is best to do it in a secluded area, but no. It will look like a heart attack to any possible passersby and will not take more than a couple minutes of your time. However, you may wish to brace yourself as you will see all of this, and our hunters are not the most appealing of sorts. I'm sure you've heard the stories; they are often referred to as demons by many of the living.

Emma found that only mildly comforting and shuddered at the thought of being swarmed by demons later that night. It overshadowed the relief she had originally felt when being told she wasn't the one to kill anyone. Now she just needed to make sure she had her handcuffs for that night and this would be over soon enough. In the meantime, she still had a few hours left before she would meet up with Will, and she could come up with no better way than to spend some of that time at Central Park.

The weather was uncharacteristically nice that day and while she wasn't sure the park would offer much more than just a big green patch, she couldn't pass up the opportunity to spend some time soaking up the sun.

She laid down in the grass, enjoying the feeling of inner warmth the sun provided against her skin. Her headphones were in, playing some soft rock, lulling her to sleep. She was fighting it off, unsuccessfully as the sandman grabbed at her eyelids, willing them to stay shut longer with each blink.

Her phone vibrated against her stomach, and as she opened her eyes once more to grab it, she noticed that the sun had sunk further down in the sky. It was nearing 6, and Emma had only an hour left, she was determined to be on time for her "date". The sooner this was over the sooner she could get back to a normal life, or as normal as could be. She wondered how many had actually managed to escape death.

She got up and brushed the grass off her jeans before deciding she'd just have to go on her date dressed like this. There wasn't a chance she'd be able to get ready in time, but she'd have to return to the hotel for those handcuffs. She'd just have to keep them hidden in the pocket of her red leather jacket as anywhere else would be too visible. She normally kept them hidden in a small purse but the one she had brought would seem too out of place with how she was dressed. It was a small black silk clutch but it still seemed too formal for tonight. Hopefully Will hadn't come up with anything too nice either.

She quickly made her way back to the hotel, taking the train in hopes it would be able to avoid the late rush hour traffic that still remained. She didn't have time to get stuck, though the coffee shop wasn't more than a mile from the hotel.

She raced in through the doors and straight to the elevators, shoving her hands in her jacket pockets and tapping her foot impatiently waiting for the arrow atop the doors to finally point to the ground floor. Whispering "Come on, come on" as her constant mantra, the elevator not seeming to go quick enough. She pulled out her phone checking the time 6:38 it read. "Shit" She muttered and went back to hurrying the elevator in between cursing it.

Finally the ding signaling its arrival sounded and the gold plated doors slowly opened. Emma rushed inside only to start jamming on the button for the 7th floor, willing the doors to shut faster. After what seemed another eternity, they finally began their slow creaking movement closed and her foot began tapping impatiently.

Watching the lights change from one floor to the next, she prayed it didn't have to stop at any of the other floors, she silently cursed the hotel for having put a pool on the roof. As she finished that thought, the elevator dinged, once again signaling a stop. She looked up checking the small display for what floor it was. Five. Well, she was almost there.

Emma watched as a woman just a couple years older than her stepped on to the elevator behind her young son. He looked to be about eight, wearing his blue and green beach towel wrapped around his shoulders. It contrasted sharply with his bright red swim trunks and purple noodle. His mom stood next to him, still dressed professionally, her black power suit looking very out of place for their destination. Emma assumed she was just dropping him off at the pool and would not dare swim. Making a mental note as the elevator stopped at her floor, she was going to swim with her kids if she ever had any.

Once again the doors shuddered and creaked open, this time on her floor. Emma rushed off the elevator, forgetting she had onlookers as she took off down the hallway, barely making out a small voice asking "Momma, doesn't that lady know there's no running?"