Her high came crashing down when she noticed the letter. Instead of Lucia in her mind, the Fireman lingered, watching.
As did the idea of two hundred thousand gold.
The time and date was once again for that night. The drawing included was far simpler, a simplistic but recognizable face of Queen Elincia with the words: 'She doesn't care'.
She stared at it for a long time. Her hesitation didn't stem from any love for the Queen. Hell, Heather was one of those that wouldn't remember her last name were it not for the country named after it. No, that hesitation came from the blue beauty she'd met face-to-face that night.
Heather was no fool, she'd done her research. Lucia Delbray had grown up with Queen Elincia. They were said to regard each other as sisters. Or as the tabloids stated it, lovers.
A vile taste surged through her mouth. Heather growled as it slowly passed. The next person she saw who insinuated that her Lucia was fucking the Queen…
But what if it was true?
She bit her lip, drawing blood. Heather had no way of knowing if she was just a fling or not. Except if she was, wouldn't Lucia have tried to suggest sex? Had she been too dense to notice?
"Fuck," Heather mumbled, the ecstasy from the evening gone completely now. And if Lucia wasn't treating her as a plaything, then she repaid that affection by fucking with the reign of her sister.
"Motherfucker."
Heather grabbed her coat and bag, sorting colors out. She had a job to do and money to earn. The rest of it could be thought about later.
She was halfway through writing the sentence below the picture when her phone rang. Swearing, Heather slipped her phone out and gave it a glance.
Her mother.
"Dammit, mom," she muttered, slipping the phone back in her pocket. Her mother had the worst timing. From calling during work, to that time she was getting her brains fucked out, mother knew best.
Heather finished the sentence and looked around. This time it had been a busy street that saw frequent traffic from the people living in suburbs as they commuted to work.
Barriers had been put up, blocking off the road. Heather had investigated, watching the detour signs for an hour before getting to work.
The Fireman. Had he blocked off the road? As late as it was, traffic was inevitable on a road like this. And roads weren't closed down on a whim like this.
But wouldn't it be obvious for the road to be closed, then a makeover of a wall on that road? Heather didn't know. She bit her lip as she sized up the picture.
This time it hadn't come out quite as similar to the picture. Elincia had far more expression. Her head was tilted down, in a way people might interpret as shame or perhaps something else. Heather saw it as sadness.
Walking away while keeping to the wall, she dialed her mother.
"Oh hi, honey! I just tried to call you!"
"I know, mom. I was busy with something, had to get away."
"What are you up to?"
"Just work."
"That pizza place has you working this late?"
"It's the city, mom. No one sleeps when they should."
"Hmm, just be careful on your way back. I see all kinds of awful news stories about gangs and—"
"Mom, did you have a reason to call me?"
Her mother paused for some time. "I got your package. It's a lot more money than I was expecting."
"Got a second job. I've got a friend who has some odd jobs for me to do. He pays well."
"What kind of jobs?" Her mother's tone was nothing but suspicious.
"Don't worry about it. It's just some construction kind of stuff, but it varies. Like I said, odd jobs."
"And he pays you this much?"
"He's loaded." Heather laughed. "And he likes me."
"Like…?"
"No! Gross, mom." Heather wrinkled her nose. "Sothe is never someone I'd want to think about like that. Or any man for that matter."
"Hmm, alright. I better go, it is late after all. But this time of day is the only time you ever answer your phone!"
"What can I say, I'm a busy girl."
They said their goodbyes, Heather hanging up first. Miles and miles away, Heather's mother hesitated to put the phone down, unasked questions at her lips.
A sigh of relief. Back home, the stress of the night passing over her and out of her body. She took off her coat and draped it over the chair.
She looked at the table, frowning. Something sat on it in the faint light. When she flicked the lights on, Heather gasped.
Two bulging bags of money.
Pawing through it, Heather's breathing quickened. Not only had they known the job was done, but they left the money in her apartment.
They could get in.
Her phone was in her hand the next moment.
"Sothe, we need to talk."