Melting
Chapter 16
3 days later, a rough looking man waited in an alley, he had been here and hour already waiting for the guy to pick up the package. He would only wait another half hour then he would leave, it would be the creepy mans problem then...
Finally someone turned down the alley and started walking towards him. "You the guy?" He asked, barely above a whisper. "Do you have the item?"
"Yes, completed in three days as asked and completely operational. This paper has the instructions for use and this cell phone is the remote detonator. The number to dail to set off the device is on that paper. Now, do you have my money?" He handed the guy a black breifcase.
"Ya, its right here..." The man reached into his coat and pulled out a handgun with silencer, before the man had a moment to react he'd been shot three times in the stomache and once in the heart. It looked like a drug deal gone wrong and no one would be able to trace him or his boss to this junkies death. He turned and walked away from the alley breifcase in hand.
Phase 2 was complete and there would be no wittnesses.
Seto jammed his hands into his pockets and sighed in frustration. Hed been standing in line for three hours! Didnt they know who he was? he was the great Seto Kaiba, Seto Kaiba didnt wait in lines... for no one! He was fighting the urge to storm to the front of the line and shove the short pale balding man with a speach impedimant out of the way and demand the middle adged over perfumed woman with the hideous manicure assist him immediately. Then a picture of Ashley scolding him for his rude behavior flashed into his mind. He looked at the woman standing next to him reading a brochure on different computer orientated jobs. How much she had changed him in the past few weeks, he couldnt imagine changing for any other woman, where had she been three years ago before all the trouble with Mokuba began, He sighed again.
Ashley looked up at Seto and smiled. "Look at this.." She said and passed him the paper. "Its a job as a technical analyst for Devlin Co, in their gaming department. You could do that, right?"
"I refuse to work for that Playboy." Seto said stubbornly.
"Well i guess you could always work the fryer at mcdonalds. and if their tills ever broke down you'd be of great use. Imagine The Great Seto Kaiba asking you if you'd like fries with that?"
Seto shuddered. "I guess i could work for Devlin."
Rae and Ryou sat in the waiting parlour at the wedding planners office. Rae was flipping through a wedding book rather inthusiasticly and Ryou was bordly looking through a tux magazine. How could there be so many choices for tux's out there? Arent they just standard, black and white.
A small woman dressed in demure grey appraoched them and said "Miss Henderson will see you now. Come this way." Rae and Ryou followed the lady into a beautiful office full of color palettes flower arrangements and wedding idea books. They sat down in two comfortably stuffed arm chairs in front of a large desk scattered in Reds and Whites, Crimsons and Silvers.
A tall woman with blonde hair and striking green eyes aproached from another entrance.
"Hello Mrs Henderson." Rae said politely.
"Please, Call me Julie! We are going to be the best of friends, I could tell from when we spoke the other day on the phone"
"Im Rae and this bored looking man is my fiance Ryou."
Ryou snaps out of his daze, "What? OH, Hello." Ryou smiled nicely and sat quietly while the girls chatted away for the next 2 hours about different wedding ideas. When Rae finally got up Ryou snaped out of his second daze of the day and followed her out of the building.
"I wont drag you to another one of those meetings again." She said laughing.
"Oh thank god!" Ryou said with relief. "I dont care what you guys come up with. Just keep me updated at home." He smiled and pulled Rae in for a hug. "I have a meeting with the bank tomorrow... I wanted to surprise you with the news tomorrow but i think i want to tell you now. We have been pre approved for a mortgage. I go in tomorrow to finalize it and then we can go house searching in our area for a place that fits the budget."
Rae was beeming. "Really, Oh Ryou thats wonderful!" She kissed him. "I cant wait. When we get home I will have to call Ashley and tell her everything!"
Ryou smiled and held her hand as they continued walking the few blocks to their apartment complex.
Malik sat alone in the Egyptian exhibit thinking about the events of the past few days, Things had been busy at the museam and he hadnt gotten out to see Ashley once in the past three days. He shivered as he remembered the chilling words of his last meeting with Bakura. He couldnt shake the feeling that he had inadvertantly ordered Seto Kaiba's death...
As if senseing he was being talked about Malik recieved a messege from Bakura.
'Phase two is complete... :) I am one step away from unleashing my plan, and my dear friend you will be impressed. :)'
He quickly sent a messege back
'What is your plan Bakura... will anyone get hurt... i dont want anyone to get hurt...'
Bakura began to cackle when he recieved Maliks messege but he did not reply, let him sit and think on it a little, after all he wanted Seto gone... He placed his phone back in his pocket, turned up his coat collar and strode off into the lamp lit streets of Domino.
Malik stared at his phone in horror... Bakura wasnt messegeing him back... What was he planning? How could he warn Seto... He'd have to get a messege to him somehow...
He got up and left the museum, He'd think on it and go for a walk. He walked the streets of Domino, not seeing where his feet were taking him... When he finally looked up there was Ashleys appartment building, Taking this as a sign he went in and up the stairs, knocked on Ashleys door. Seto answered.
"Before you shut the door in my face, im here to see you..." Malik studdered.
Seto glared at him. "What do you want?"
"I have reason to believe that your life may be in danger..." He said quietly.
"And how did you come by this intel?" Seto asked, wondering if he had overheard Mokuba's hench men somewhere.
"I...uh... I overheard two people plotting an assasination.. and I destinctly heard your name come up...I uh...I just thought you ought to know." He finished and looked away, terrified that Seto would read his features and know he was one of these conspiritors.
"Uh," Seto shifted a moment, trying to look non-challant. "I will think on that but i fear what you overheard may be no more than some unhappy ex-employees perhaps..." Seto said then went to close the door. "Good night Malik." He shut the door.
Malik breathed a sigh of relief. And began walking back to the museum. Hopefully that would help Kaiba avoid what ever Bakura had planned.
Seto walked back to the livingroom. The phone rang and Ashley answered the phone. "Hi Duke! How are you. Im good! umm yes he is staying with me, sure just one moment." She passed the phone to Seto. "Its for you." She was smiling at him.
"Hello... Yes... Of course...2pm... Ok... Yes, See you tomorrow." Seto hung up the phone and placed it back on the charger. "I have an interveiw at Devlin Co. tomorrow. With Duke Devlin himself.. I guess he decided I could possibly intimidate his employee into hireing me." He smiled.
"Well I guess we need to celebrate a little tonight..." She smiled up at him and leaned in for a kiss. The kiss quickly turned passionate and before long they were making their way to the bedroom...