Chapter 14

"Fuck!" He glared at the one for her untimely pat on the shoulder. That was a perfect opportunity and now there might not be another. "Get the fuck down. They're going to see you." It might be difficult but not impossible. All it would take is a pair of high power binoculars. "Where you goin?" No response is given. It's not the first time. It's the first time this happened though. Now it's necessary to take a look. "What the hell?" Still holding onto the binoculars, he quickly hid behind the curtain again. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!"

Calling crossed his mind until he noticed the door isn't closed. He quickly shuts the door, then disassembles the rifle and puts it back into the case. Calling is no longer in his mind. Where she went, he's no longer concerned. It's more important to leave now before anyone comes up.

No one is in the hallway. Good to go. Even if there is, there's no need to wait. Taking the elevator might not be a wise choice but it's the fastest way down; It would take too long to get down 20 flights of stairs. So far, so good. No one is in the elevator.

c'mon, c'mon...not now.

Nothing can be done to prevent the elevator door from opening but maybe two coughs and a sneeze can take care of the unwanted guests.

"We'll take the next one."

Smart decision. Let's hope there are no more stops. c'mon, c'mon. Hope she wasn't running in the hallway because that would attract attention. Let's hope no one is smart enough to suspect anything. Finally.

Walking as casually as one normally would, he steps out with the luggage. So far so good. Everybody is minding their own business. Those who should be working are working.

"Have a good day."

"Thank you." No one suspects anything, not even the hotel doorman. So far so good. No cops are in sight. No...what the...

The sound of police siren can be heard. No police cars in sight, not yet.

Fuck! It's now necessary to get into any taxi. It's possible they're coming for something else. This is New York. But there's no need to wait to find out. With this many people and with the mask on, it's easy to blend in. Just don't look up, get into the taxi, don't look back and relax. It's not difficult to pretend there's nothing wrong but it's difficult to keep the heartbeat from pounding, the mind from thinking what went wrong.

I can't believe this. She fucking left me.

As his hands rolled into fists, his mind continues to curse at the one whom he doesn't know much about, the one who didn't say much, the one who left him to take the blame. Getting back to a safer environment to make the call didn't take long. What did is waiting for a call back from the one in charge.

"Where is she!" That can't be controlled since he's been waiting for hours for an explanation. "Is she there with you!" A response is expected but when it never came, another thought appeared. "This is not my fault!" An explanation of what happened was previously given but who knows what that freak said. She's probably blaming me for the failure. "I told you I can do this alone. It would've been done if she hadn't distracted me. She left without saying anything. So I want to know what the hell is going on!"

That thought of leaving me behind to be caught made sense at first but not so much after hours of waiting. If I get caught, she should know she would be too.

"Hello?" No sounds could be heard. "Fuck!" Now it's obvious it's disconnected.

No words need to be said. Asking why did cross her mind though for a second but it's quite obvious why she hung up. She's not going to put up with that shit, especially not from him but does she know there's a chance it could backfire? He might not put up with this either, especially from a woman. Men of his type won't. "I think I should" Okay, let's just wait for one more minute.

One minute passed by quickly, then two and three. She doesn't seem to have any concerns whatsoever, still keeping her eyes at the 60 inch tv screen.

"Don't you want to know what happened?" Hopefully, this would persuade her to allow me to call him back. If this keeps up, who knows what he would do. A man's pride is more important than money. A man's ego is fragile. He's probably cursing at me now. He's probably planning to…Oh, he's calling back. She didn't say not to pick up so…

"Did she tell you why she left?"

Guess he's not that type after all. His tone has changed, much calmer than before. Since he didn't ask why, then there's no need to make an excuse of why the call got disconnected a moment ago. "Tell me what happened."

What? She knows what happened. Why is she still asking? (sigh) "The target was in the balcony with a woman." It was supposed to be a simple job that would only take a day. The most difficult part is waiting for the target to come out alone into the balcony. When that didn't happen in the past two days, she said not to wait. The opportunity was there. One shot is all it would take but that window of opportunity was taken away after he felt a hand on his shoulder. "I told her get down. She didn't. She was still looking. Then she ran out without saying anything. Then I looked back to see if they noticed. They were already gone. So I packed up and left." Detailed enough? "A police car came afterwards but I don't know if it was for them." It might not be but there's no harm in letting her know that that is a possibility.

"So…you didn't see?"

"See what?" Clarification is expected not another question. Apparently, it wasn't detailed enough. "I didn't see them again after she ran out. I think they saw her." This should explain why I left, why I didn't wait for another opportunity.

"So you didn't go back to patch up the hole?"

Damn it. Explaining why would be a waste of time. She knows why. "I'm going to, once the coast is clear."

"You don't need to. It's already done."

"What?...who…" Who else, it has to be that freak.

"Change of plans. You don't need to continue."

"What?" Not what. "Why?" It took two seconds of silence to understand the mistake of asking. It's a job. Only know when, where, who and how, there's no need to know why. "Can you at least tell me why she ran out so suddenly?" There's the long silence again. That could only mean…

"Someone made the shot before you did. She was looking to see who did."

"What? What do you mean? Who..." This time, the sound of a click can be heard. "Hello?"

(Sigh) Doesn't she know hanging up is rude?

"You didn't need to tell him why."

"I don't want him to think that we set him up." He shouldn't but who knows what he's thinking. He did accuse her of leaving him behind hours ago. He should now know that's not the case. It did seem that way though so he has every right to be mad. Leaving without saying anything, who does that? Does it take that long to tell him what she saw? Makes no sense. "Don't you find this…a little odd?" Little is an understatement. She doesn't seem to be concerned since she's casually taking a sip of wine.

"You don't believe her?"

That's an odd question to ask since she should know their account of what happened doesn't match. "How could he not know someone made the shot before he did?" There's no reason for him to lie but there's no reason for her to lie either.

"You didn't hear what he said?"

Of course I did but there's probably a reason she asked so... "What did I miss?"

"Did you see what I just did?"

umm...what? She just stood up, now filling her glass with red wine. Is this what she's referring to?

"Do you know how many times a person blinks...in a day, an hour, a minute?...All it takes is one blink to miss it."

Makes sense. Looking through the riflescope for a long time can be tiring but… "she said there was fire, sparklers, smoke, how could he have missed all that?" He could've if he had been drinking but she didn't say that about him.

"How big was the fire? Where did it come from? Were there alot of sparklers or just one? How long did it last? Where was it? everywhere or..."

"okay, I get it." I should've asked for me detail but she wouldn't have told me anyway. What it would do is make her think I don't trust her. "She should've told him."

"She should've...but don't you know how she is by now?"

"It's hard to know what she's thinking." What? It is. It's not funny.

"It's not her fault. That idiot didn't even notice the window is broken. If he noticed the surroundings instead of focusing solely on the target, he would've realized that someone else made the shot before he ...uh, don't drink that."

"It's fine. A little alcohol won't...oh...what's that?" It's hard to tell without getting it out. Is this...ashes? "How the hell did this...oh" There she goes, laughing again. She won't be laughing after she hears this. "Did you watch the news this morning?"

No news channel is reporting it so that means no one noticed. No one heard. No one cared. If this isn't New York, maybe someone would've heard the shot.

"This tastes yucky. Should've asked for medium rare." This is way too very well done. Looks like fast food pasta isn't that great either. It's going to get worse if she waits any longer. It's normal to be worried but it has been hours. "Don't worry, we'll find him and when we do, I'm going to fucking make him suffer, then kill him." It's normal not to say anything about my fbombs. However, it's not normal for her to have nothing to say for this long. Traumatized? It's not the first time she got shot at. "What?" That's no longer a look of worry. That's a look of realization. "You know who did it?"

"Tomorrow, go home."

"What?"

"This is getting too dangerous. I'll let Anthony know. So go home tomorrow." Amy said before picking up the phone to call ZJ.

"Then what are you going to do?" Blake asked even though she has a feeling of what the answer is going to be.

"ZJ, this is getting too dangerous. I'll let Anthony know. So go home tomorrow. Okay?"

"You know you can't do this by yourself." Blake said without waiting for her to hang up since ZJ needs to know too.

"I'm going home. I can't do this anymore. If it wasn't for you, I would've been…my whole life, the life I want, I was planning to have a baby before this happened, I miss him, I don't want to lose him, I can't, he's right, it's too dangerous. I don't want to do this anymore."

Blake didn't follow until after sending a message to ZJ to see if she heard. Yup, she heard. Blake stopped at the bedroom doorway while keeping her eyes at the one who clearly has a lot on her mind since she's opening every dresser drawer. Did she forget this isn't the same condo unit? Did she forget she hasn't unpacked yet? The suitcase is still on the floor, opened but filled.

"So…you're really leaving?"

"I'm sorry I got you involved."

"You don't need to worry about me. I used to be a DEA agent, remember? …and that's way more dangerous than this."

"It's not just you, if something happens to me, he's not going to forgive himself." Lucy is going to so pissed when she

"Have you told him yet? He must be thrilled you're going back."

"Not yet, after I book a flight." There's not much to pack since almost everything is in the suitcase. Thank goodness Anthony planned ahead of time after ZJ got infected, getting one condo unit for each of us just in case is a good idea otherwise the only option is to stay in a hotel which would not be safer than here. He always seems to think of every…thing..this unit...the balcony, wait a minute…Did he…plan this?

"You know, you're a really good liar. If ZJ didn't say you didn't let"

"Did Anthony put you up to this?" Whatever Blake is thinking of is no longer important. This is.

"What?"

"Did he have someone try to shoot me?"

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Don't lie to me!"

"I don't know what the FUCK you're talking about!"

That doesn't sound like a lie. She's always curses when she's upset. Maybe she doesn't know. Does ZJ know?

"Then how could the shooter missed me?" If it was raining, it's possible but it's not. If it's night time, that's possible too but it's not. "He could've made the shot when I was at the roof. He didn't. Why?" It's making more sense now. "He didn't because he knew who I was with. He knew the agents were nearby." That's very possible. "He never wanted me to do this so he had someone try to shoot me so I would think about leaving." Using scare tactics to force me to leave, ohh…that's ssso like him, so like Lucy.

"You…are…crazy." Blake said without shouting or cursing this time. Must be the vege diet. Not enough nutrition, not good for the brain cells.

It's time to call ZJ. Blake is clueless. As expected, ZJ denied it. Her reaction is the same as Blake's but ZJ didn't use the F word. She used the other 4 letter word. It does sound absurd but that's because she doesn't know Lucy that well. She doesn't how much Lucy has changed over the past few months. If she knew Lucy is thinking of transitioning, she wouldn't think it's impossible.

"I know you think it's possible but Anthony wouldn't do this. That is a real bullet."

It is a real bullet but there are too many things that don't make sense until now. Why did the shooter make the shot after I bent down to pick up the cigarette box? Why didn't the shooter wait until sundown? And what's with the fake cigarette box? What Blake did later with that made no sense unless she wants to send a smoke signal to the shooter. But Blake did say it's a distraction gadget and a video cam which didn't make much sense either even if it was able to get a video footage of the buildings across the street. Nothing has been found yet since the video isn't a clear one but that doesn't mean Anthony didn't set this up.

"It might not be his idea but I know who would."

"You weren't planning to go back home anyways. If I knew that, he would know that too. He wouldn't do this." ZJ said.

How the hell does she know that?

This is it. Darkness made this place harder to find. No need to look for an empty parking space. There are plenty. Not surprising. What's surprising is that there are people coming out. Where are they going at this time of the night? Oh. Smoking. No one looks suspicious but it's hard to tell even if they don't have their masks on.

"Keep your mask on."

Air does feel cleaner and cooler here than the city. There's nothing wrong with taking in fresh air but there's no reason to show her face to anyone including the surveillance cameras. Three floors only, oh good. No elevator needed then. It's quiet, as expected. Here it is.

(knock…knock knock…knock knock)

No one else is in the hallway. This would be a good time to open the door. What's taking her so long? She's not in the bathroom, is she?

(knock…knock knock…knock knock)

That's the signal. Why isn't she opening the door? God damn it. She didn't leave, did she? It's late. She knows I'm coming.

"Let me try"

…hm? What can she probably do to …what the fuck. She opened the door for her, not for me! Did she think I came alone? It seems that way since Brie did nothing other than stand in front of the peephole. Same serious look, as expected. Doesn't she know it would be hard to blend in with that death glare?

"Hey…I'm Brie."

No greeting or smile, just looking at Brie up and down like what a man would do. Doesn't she know that's rude? Oh no you don't. Blocking the door from closing is now necessary. Did she think I'm here for no other reason than bring Brie here? She shouldn't. Even Brie knows what to do at this moment without being asked. What the hell? Two queen beds? Why? Things she does make no sense. (sigh) The balcony with a view of the creek and small waterfall looks nice though. Here will have to do. With Brie in the bathroom, talking softly is still necessary. "I need to know." Saying this shouldn't even be necessary. Coming here isn't either if she had done what she's told. "Well? Was it you?" There is no reason to leave the last hotel if it wasn't. Damn it. Now it's obvious. She didn't deny it. "Did you have to cut his" No need to continue; she should get it. (sigh) "The sooner you answer my question, the sooner I'll get out your way so can you answer my question please?" Maybe there's another reason other than …

"The shark did it."

What! A shark! Getting upset at this point is pointless. Getting frustrated is hard to control. "Whyy?" Why do I even bother. What the hell. I didn't blink. Where did she get that? Walking away from her is now necessary since she's flipping the seven inch knife like it's a plastic toy. "I just want to make sure you're not hurt. You're not hurt, are you?" Stupid question, I know. "Okay, let's talk tomorrow. You did good today. Don't do any damages on the walls…or the beds. You don't want attention. Okay?" This time, there's no need to wait for a response. Getting out of there is more important. Psycho. Okay, calm down. Slow down. Cameras are watching. No need to look suspicious. A woman walking out of the hotel alone in the middle of night, this already makes me look suspicious. As safe as this is, looking around and locking the suv door is necessary before making the call.

"It's me…mhm, it's a small hotel, near the Esopus creek, should be safe, mhm…I think she did, she said the shark did it…yes, shark" Ridiculous right? She agrees but why is she laughing? She wasn't two hours ago. There are sharks sightings in that area but really? Who's going to believe that? "no injuries…she looks fine." Why would she be hiding it? That's ridiculous. "I didn't get a chance to tell her yet." What's the urgency? She's the one who changed the plans in the last minute. "She wouldn't even tell me where she is if I didn't bring Brie."

"Brie? You sent Brie?"

What's wrong?

"Did she ask for Brie?"

Why would she think that? "No, they've never met." What's wrong? Why the long sigh? "She's not sick." Is that what she's worrying about? "There's no one else." She should know the situation. Everyone else is either sick with covid or sick with something.

"Call Brie, see what's happening."

Whatever she's thinking can't be good. If Brie changes her mind, there could be problems. She should know what that psycho can and might do. "Brie?" Asking is necessary since there are only sounds not a comprehensible word. "You okay?" Please say yes. A barely audible mhm is not a yes. That doesn't sound convincing. What the hell? She just screamed. "Brie?...Brie!" Oh fuck. The phone is dead. Calling again might be too late. Calling for help will be too late. Now getting out of the car is necessary. Running is necessary even though it might cause suspicion. Hope she's…

(bzzzzz…bzzzzz)

Brie's calling. Yes, it is her. No need to ask, she explained why the phone went dead. Accidentally dropping the phone makes sense but is that the truth or is she forced to say that? That doesn't explain the sound of broken glass. Wait? What? Oh, she's talking to her. She sounds okay. "You sure?" The tv fell? That does explain the sudden screaming but how the heck did that happen? She didn't say how. She didn't say the safe word either so there's no need to check up on her and no need to worry. No need to worry? Yea right. She might feel that way but that's because she hasn't seen that psycho with her eyebrows, nose, lips and tongue pierced. She hasn't seen that psycho cut herself like it doesn't hurt. If she heard about the dead body washed ashore, she too would be grossed out by it. If she knew that psycho did it, she would be worried.

"She said no need to worry." Inside the car is a safe place to make the call but it's still necessary to look around to make sure no one else is nearby. Another long sigh? It seems she's not convinced. Why? She should know Brie is not the first woman. No one got hurt. Everyone complained though but that's normal.

"All right, get a room next to hers, make sure she's not staying overnight."

What! Why do I need to stay here?

"Let me know when she's done and…remember what I said, apologizing does not make you weak, it's the outcome that matters. Okay?"

That's good advice but…"THAT WASN'T MY FAUUULT!" She yelled at the top of her lungs but no one else heard.