A SUSPICIOUS PHONECALL

< Athaire Starlight Hotel

UTC+2 0840 AM SAT

Lobby, Coffee Shop >

"Then I will see you later," Angel said as she picked up her purse and started walking away from One Shot. Within seconds, she had plugged in her earbuds, fished out her phone from her purse and speed dialed her first and primary contact, her boss.

"A slight delay, but I am positive that we can handle the issue by today. Is it still unsure who is the cause of the issue?"

She walked towards the door leading into the lobby, glancing at the glass wall and stopping a step away from the door – just as it was slammed open and a man burst into view. Surprised he met her eyes still in a forward motion, caught hold of the handle, and propelled himself to the slide by taking a step to the side and slamming into the wall with his back. He was breathing heavily but now excitement lifted his features. He was clearly younger than her, still emitting so much energy. There was a hunger in his eyes, a thirst that could never be clenched. Now a spark with enough potency to start a fire was radiating from him as if he had seen something he couldn't wait to sink his teeth into.

"Don't worry," Angel replied without taking her eyes off Jack. "I will take care of it." She took another step, this time in the direction of Jack who blatantly stared at her. She slowly reached out with both hands towards his neck and fixed his necktie. With a sweet smile, she encouragingly said to him, "First day on your job? All the best of luck. Careful though, we don't want anyone to get hurt."

She turned on her heel and left both Jack and the coffee shop behind her, walking out towards the lobby, past the reception and out the entrance. Looking to her right, she saw a taxi pull up and turned left, down the street leading past the coffee shop.

"It might get complicated, but I can handle it."

Each step she took gave a dull, lonely tone as her heels hit the concrete.

Tak.

Tak.

Tak.

Inside the hotel, on the other side of the window, was One Shot. He hadn't moved yet. Still sitting in the same spot, with one hand covering his face and a look of disbelief on his face like he had just won the lottery. She stopped in her tracks on the other side right across from him. He raised his head and glanced up into her eyes.

"No, he was surprisingly considerate, even picking up my shoes and purse where I left them at the bottom of the ladder," she said, looking down at One Shot sitting at the other side of the glass. Not even the window tint could hide the blush stretching beyond the boundaries of his face to his ears. His pupils dilated and right then, he looked like a cute, little baby bird. A corner of her mouth pulled up without her say so.

An ever so slight nod later, and she moved on, glancing one more time into the shop towards the man who lingered by the entrance with an expression of complete disbelief.

Tak.

Tak.

Tak.

"I'll catch the culprit, so stop worrying, Chris."

Tak.

Tak.

Tak.