Mia

Mia's first order of business was to investigate her new home. She started with the part that existed beyond the shadowy doorway - the bedroom. It was a large room containing a queen bed and a full bedroom set - nightstands, dresser, mirror. The furniture didn't look extremely expensive, but seemed sturdy and functional. The walls were sunshine yellow and the furniture was light wood, which brightened up the space. The carpeting was a plush cream color that swallowed her footsteps. On one side of the room there was a walk-in closet, and on the other, a door leading to the bathroom. Another door led into the bathroom from the hallway, so it could be accessed without entering the bedroom. The bathroom contained a walk-in shower with glass walls, and dual vanities. Mia poked through the closet and the drawers in the bedroom, but they had been thoroughly emptied. It was the same for the bathroom medicine cabinet. Whoever Rita had been, someone had done a meticulous job of erasing all traces of her from the apartment.

Mia found soft white linens and towels in the closet, and a sufficient number of pots and pans in the kitchen. There was also a set of four ceramic plates and bowls, along with glasses and silverware. The living room had the couch, which was upholstered in a tan suede; a glass coffee table; a flat screen TV mounted on the wall; and a small desk containing a desktop computer. It was all very utilitarian and practical. Apparently, Rita had not had much interest in interior design. Mia turned the computer on and it booted right up, but unsurprisingly, it was password protected.

Returning to the couch, Mia took out her phone and called her best friend, Isabella. Izzy picked up after one ring. "So? How was the interview?"

"Well, funny story…" Mia gave her an abbreviated rundown of the morning's events. When she finished, there was dead silence on the line.

"Are you messing with me right now?"

"Nope."

"Some stranger hacked your phone and led you to a chat room full of mysterious men?"

"And one woman."

"Who just happen to run a non-profit and are looking for a PR person? And they throw in a downtown apartment, to boot?"

"That is correct."

"How much does this job pay?"

"Um…we didn't really talk about that."

"Uh huh. And what will you be doing, exactly?"

"I'm supposed to find out more about that this afternoon."

Izzy sighed. "So, what exactly makes you so sure these people didn't just lure you there to murder you in your sleep? Or sell you into slavery?"

"I'm not sure they didn't. But I'm out of options. I can't even make this month's rent."

"I told you that you could come stay with me."

And Mia loved her friend for that. But Izzy lived in a small two-bedroom with a roommate of her own, and Mia knew there was no room there for her.

"Are you working today?" Mia asked, changing the subject.

"Not until five. Why?"

"Could you meet me at my old place and help me bring some of my things over? This apartment is fully furnished, so I just need some clothes and toiletries."

"If that means I get to see your new place, then heck yeah!"

"You bet! And I'll even throw in lunch."

"Deal!"

They made plans to meet at Mia's soon-to-be-former apartment in half an hour, then hung up. Mia grabbed her laptop bag and left her new apartment, the door locking automatically behind her. She had a moment of panic thinking that she would be locked out, but when she input the code, the latch obediently released. With a relieved sigh, she hurried to the elevators and out onto the street to catch the bus for the trip home.

In sharp contrast to that morning's commute, the bus was almost empty. As a result, it made infrequent stops, and Mia arrived at her destination before Izzy. As she climbed the steps to the second floor, Mia couldn't help but unfavorably compare the crumbling brick building to the new, modern structure containing her recently acquired accommodations. Leaving the front door unlocked for her friend, Mia pulled a beat-up, thrift store suitcase and a ratty backpack she'd had since college from the closet, and started filling them with her belongings.

"Hey!" Izzy called when she showed up a few minutes later.

"In the bedroom!"

Izzy popped into the room with her usual boundless energy. Physically, Izzy was Mia's polar opposite - a tall blond with sparkling blue eyes and an athletic build. She attracted male attention everywhere she went, but Izzy was far from a damsel in distress. She had played college basketball and had earned more than her fair share of fouls on the court. Woe to anyone who imagined her to be some kind of delicate flower due to her Scandinavian good looks.

"How's it going?" Izzy asked, inspecting the clothes strewn across Mia's bed.

"Not too bad, actually," Mia replied, as she shoved some socks and underwear into the suitcase and zipped it up. "I just need to grab some stuff from the bathroom, and I'll be good to go."

"What are you going to do with the rest of your stuff?" Izzy asked, looking around the room. "You said the new place is fully furnished, right?"

"Yeah. Luckily, most of the stuff in this place was Crystal's, and she took it with her when she left. I'll probably hold on to what's left for the next week or so, to make sure this doesn't all just…go to shit…but then I guess I'll donate it. Unless you want any of it?"

"No, thanks. Our place is cramped, as it is." Izzy sat on the bed, idly folding some of the clothing Mia had discarded earlier. Another way in which they were different - one neat, the other messy. They had discovered that early in their experience as college roommates. "So, tell me more about this job."

Mia set down the backpack that she had been filling with toiletries, and sat next to her friend on the bed. "I told you what I know. Here's the history from my chat with them this morning."

"This Zayn guy sounds like a piece of work," Izzy observed as she scrolled.

"Oh, I almost forgot about that…click the link that he sent to the video. I didn't get a chance to watch it earlier."

Izzy did as Mia asked, and a video came up on YouTube. It was an amateur-quality concert video of the same guy Mia had seen in the headshot earlier that day. Neither the audio nor video quality was great, but Mia could tell that he had a smooth, sexy voice - more R&B than pop - and he prowled the stage like he owned it. The venue didn't seem full, but the woman holding the recording device screeched hysterically whenever he approached the crowd. Judging by the audio distortion, she wasn't the only one.

"Wait…I know this guy!" Izzy said. "Zayn…Zayn…shit, what was his name? Zayn Rose! He opened for Atonal when they toured around here last year. He got some press at the time, but I haven't heard anything lately." Izzy clicked away from the video, back to the headshot. "How could I have forgotten that face? Hawt!"

"Mmm." Mia feigned indifference.

"Don't even play," Izzy scolded, staring at the phone with Zayn's photo on the screen. "That sexy stare could set your panties on fire."

"Yeah," Mia agreed, picking up her bags as she moved to the door, "and burn down your life in the process."

"Only if you let it. Look, I know you haven't been interested in dating ever since…" Izzy trailed off awkwardly, following Mia through the living room and out the front door. Mia paused to lock the door behind them. "And I get it, I really do. But sooner or later, you're going to have to trust someone."

"It's not that simple," Mia replied, as they walked down the stairs. Izzy pushed the fob for her car, and the doors unlocked with a beep. Mia threw her belongings into the back seat and closed the door.

"I know," Izzy said, sympathetically. "But if you're going to get back on the horse," Izzy gave Mia a wicked grin, "this stallion is as good as any." She made a whinnying sound as she waved the phone in Mia's face. Mia snatched the device from her friend's hand and stuffed it in her pocket.

"Just think about it," Izzy advised, as she took her place behind the wheel and drove out of the parking lot.

"Okay," Mia said in an attempt to appease her friend and end the conversation. But as Izzy drove, Mia found herself sneaking another peek at Zayn's photo. That gorgeous face. Those smoldering eyes.

One sexy stallion, indeed.

They stopped at Dick's Drive-In on the way back to the apartment and loaded up on burgers, fries and shakes. They found metered parking not far from the building and hauled the food, along with Mia's bags, up to the 14th floor. Mia punched in the code to open the door, then almost ran into Izzy's back as her friend came to an abrupt halt just inside the entry.

"Um," Izzy said, motioning with her head. Mia peered around her to find a man with fiery red hair seated at the desk in front of the computer.

"Seven?" Mia guessed.

"Yeah. Sorry." Seven stood, unfolding to an impressive height. He was long and lanky with unkempt hair, dressed in baggy, black cargo pants and a hoodie. Thick-framed glasses magnified amber eyes that shone with intelligence. Black lines of a tattoo peeked out from the collar of his t-shirt, and he had a gold loop through one nostril. A computer geek with an edgy side. "I know I said I was gonna call later, but…"

"No worries," Mia replied, as she pushed past Izzy, dropping her bags on the floor. "We grabbed some lunch on the way. Hungry?"

Seven greedily eyed the greasy takeout bags. "Oh, well…are you sure you have enough?"

"I don't mind sharing," Mia said, as Izzy finally seemed to accept that Seven wasn't a threat and followed Mia into the room, setting the food on the coffee table.

"Hi, I'm Izzy, and I do mind sharing," she said flirtatiously, extending a hand to Seven. "And your name is…?"

"Seven."

"Like the number?"

"Yep."

"Hmm."

But Seven's attention had already shifted to Mia. "You're even cuter in person," he observed, as she retrieved plates from the kitchen cupboard for them to eat on. "Though I'd have to see you in the bikini to do an actual side-by-side comparison."

Izzy's eyebrows shot up. "He's seen you in a bikini?"

"No! He hacked my phone and saw the photo from spring break." Mia narrowed her eyes at the hacker, who was sporting a sly grin. "I'm going to delete it from my camera."

"Too late. I've already got a copy," Seven informed her cheerfully, already stuffing fries into his mouth. Mia rolled her eyes, wordlessly reaching into the takeout bag and tossing him a cheeseburger, perhaps with a little more velocity than was technically necessary. Seven caught it easily and pretended not to notice her disapproval. Conversation dwindled as the three of them dug into the food, and in no time at all, there were nothing but crumbs remaining.

Afterwards, Mia gathered up the dishes and carried them into the kitchen. Izzy trailed after her, carrying a single burger wrapper. "That's subtle," Mia noted, eying the solitary piece of trash.

"Well, I needed an excuse to come in here with you," Izzy whispered, throwing the paper in the garbage bin. "So…?"

"So…what?"

"Seven! He's totally your type. Although, I'm not one hundred about a guy named after a number. But he's definitely flirting with you!"

Mia wasn't sure that was true. Seven was snarky, and they definitely shared a similar sense of humor, but his teasing felt more like that of an older brother than a potential love interest. Still, there was no denying that she found him attractive. She'd always had a weakness for nerdy bad boys. "He's definitely my type," she admitted.

"Yes! And not as pretty as Zayn, but still…pretty enough!"

"What is up with you trying to play matchmaker all of a sudden?" Mia asked her friend, eying her suspiciously. "Do you need to collect my dowry or something?" Before Izzy could reply, Mia saw Seven casting curious glances in their direction. "C'mon, let's go back. He knows we're talking about him."

They went back into the living room, where Izzy lounged on the couch while Seven showed Mia how to access the RFA's files on Rita's computer. He had her sit on the desk chair while he leaned over her from behind, sometimes putting his arms around her to type something on the keyboard. Mia was so distracted by his proximity that she found it difficult to concentrate on what he was saying. At one point, he leaned over her shoulder to explain something to her, and she turned to look at him. He was so close that his face was mere inches from hers. Seven's rapid-fire instructions trailed off as their eyes met for a long moment, and she saw his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed. Hard.

Mia had to admit that this particular moment definitely did not feel brotherly.

"So, anyway…" Seven straightened abruptly, clearing his throat. "You should be all set with the computer. Maybe you can go through the files of the previous guests and see if there's anyone you think we should contact. The info is a couple of years old now, so you may have to do some updating. I can help you with that if you get stuck."

"I've got to get going so I can get ready for work," Izzy interrupted, rising from the couch where she had been uncharacteristically quiet while Mia and Seven worked.

"Okay." Mia stood and gave her friend a hug. "Thanks for your help. Call me later?"

"Yep." Izzy slung her arm around Mia's shoulders and turned her to face Seven. "Listen here, Seven…or whatever your name is. Mia is an awesome person, but she tends to be a little too trusting sometimes. I'm still not sold on this whole situation, but you seem okay. Promise me you've got her back?"

Mia blushed, embarrassed by her friend's casual bluntness, but Seven looked Izzy straight in the eye as he said, solemnly, "No one in the RFA will hurt Mia." His steady gaze shifted to Mia, and her stomach fluttered nervously in response. It was unnerving, the way that he could go from joking around one moment to being intensely serious the next. "I give you my word."

"Okay, then. I'm gonna hold you to that." Izzy gave Mia an enthusiastic smack on the cheek and then departed, leaving her and Seven in a somewhat awkward silence.

"So, shall we reset the door code?"

"Sure."

They moved to the entryway and out the front door. Mia propped it open while Seven pushed some buttons on the keypad. "Okay, go ahead and enter your code."

"Oh! You don't want me to just tell it to you?"

"Err, not unless you want me to have access to your apartment anytime I want," Seven chuckled.

"Right. Duh." Wasn't Izzy just going on about how naïve Mia was? Way to prove her friend's point. Flustered, Mia switched places with the hacker and entered her code while Seven made a point of not looking. The system beeped and Seven said, "One more time." Mia entered the code again, the lights blinked green, and the deed was done.

"Now you don't have to worry about coming home and finding me in your apartment ever again," Seven teased. Mia nodded, but truthfully, there was a part of her that was somewhat disappointed by that thought.

"I'm gonna go. Call if you need anything. Oh, right." Seven took her phone and entered his contact info. "In case I'm not available on chat."

"Okay." Seven's fingers brushed hers as he handed the phone back, lingering just a few seconds longer than absolutely necessary, before he quickly headed down the hall towards the elevators.

"By the way," he said, pausing to turn around. "I'm still trying to track down info on the hacker who brought you here, so for now…just be careful, okay?"

"Why?" Mia asked, nervously. "Do you think they could be dangerous?"

"No, it's just…they knew about the RFA, and this apartment. So it wasn't just a random attack. Until we figure out what they want, and why they brought you here, it's better to be safe than sorry."

"Okay," Mia replied, less than reassured.

"Next time, you're going to have to model that bikini for me." Seven tossed a wink over his shoulder as he continued toward the elevator lobby, breaking the tension and bringing a smile to Mia's face.

"In your dreams, hacker boy."

His laugh echoed down the hall as Mia went back into the apartment and shut the door.