Bold Amusing Woman

"That wasn't so hard now was it?" Rose didn't expect to see such a young-looking man sitting two seats across from her. She knew exactly who he was the moment that she saw him though she had been expecting to see his father, not the son coming to bother her.

He had a rather amused smile on his face as he sat there observing her with his legs crossed.

"So this is the face of the little spy I have been looking for." He mused as the man on the other side closed Rose's door effectively shutting her inside with the young mafioso who was sitting only two car seats away from her.

Looking at her, he couldn't deny that she was a rather elegant-looking woman who knew how to hold herself well. Zane had always heard that red-heads tended to be more bold and stubborn, the woman in front of him seemed to prove that to be true.

It could have also had something to do with the way she was dressed. Her blouse and slacks didn't look as though they came from any old store around the area. A subtle indication of the money or potential power she was used to wielding.

"Spy? I don't know what you're talking about." Rose replied as she shifted her position to fit her purse on her lap. She made sure to keep as far away from the other as she possibly could.

"Oh but I think you do," Zane replied. He didn't move to elaborate as the other man had just gotten back into the car.

"Where would you like to go?" The driver asked now that everyone was back inside.

"I think that we can stay right here if this isn't going to take that long." Rose replied. The other shook his head, however.

"I think that it would be nice to stop at a little coffee shop or maybe a place for a little bit of early dinner. Our guest here is soaked, and I would hate for her to get sick in our company." He was quick to reject her idea which miffed her.

"I don't need any such thing. Especially not from people such as yourself. If you're not going to be serious about telling me what exactly this is about, I don't think that there is any reason for me to stay here." She replied sharply as she turned to grab the car door handle .

Rose didn't get that far however before she heard the sound of the locks clicking into place. The driver had clicked the child lock into place. There was no way for her to be able to open the door on her own now.

"Now come, I'm sure that you were taught better than to just walk out during an important meeting." Zane chided Rose. The woman didn't turn to look at him however as she kept her head turned in the direction of the car door.

"It's up to you really how things can go from this point. You can either tell me where you would like to go eat or I can pick someplace for us. Money isn't an issue of course." Zane reached into his front pocket to pull out the carton of cigarettes that he kept there.

Rose still didn't speak as he lit it up and blew out a small puff of smoke.

"Time is ticking dear; I would think about making a decision sooner rather than later if I was you." He allowed her a few moments of silence before he spoke again. She wasn't the only one who had a limited amount of time to spare.

He was used to dealing with stubborn people but knew that women could be of a different variety from the men he was used to pushing around.

"Don't condescend me in such a manner." Rose finally spoke and when she turned to look at Zane, he could see dark anger burning in her eyes that wasn't present before.

What an interesting woman he had come across..

"I am not someone that you have the right to refer to in such a manner. If you're going to insist on taking me anywhere, there's a café a few blocks from here that isn't usually busy during this time of day. I will give you thirty minutes of my time and then I expect that you will take me back here." Her tone and facial expression remained the same as she spoke.

"As for your money, you can keep it. I have more than enough to pay for myself as well and would prefer to keep my hands clean." Once she was finished speaking, she only took her eyes off Zane for a brief moment so that she could put on her seatbelt.

"Well? What's it going to be?" She turned to look at the other again who had remained quiet as he observed her.

An amused smirk had spread across his face. This was certainly more entertaining than he had expected it to be.

"Very well dear. You heard what the lady said. If you give the driver the name of the café, he will be happy to drive us there." The young mafia boss told her. Knowing it annoyed her was enough to make sure that he wouldn't stop calling her 'dear'.

"As for your money comment, I can assure you that the money I make is no dirtier or cleaner than what is in your own purse." He took another puff of the cigarette after he finished speaking.

Rose was silently watching him smoke while the woman gave the name of the café to the driver.

The other man who was in the passenger seat stayed hardly moving. Almost as though he was stone and would only be summoned into moving should his boss in the back seat give the directive.

Rose found him to be somewhat more intimidating than the young mafia bossed she was forced to sit near.

"Would you like one?" He asked as he held out the carton to her. She refused promptly, however.

"I don't smoke such things. I was merely wondering how long it would take for such a thing to call you."

Zane couldn't hold back the laugh that bubbled up inside him and broke free. The woman and even Clive seemed surprised that he was capable of laughing so strongly over the comment that she had made.

Despite her small size, standing at least a foot shorter than him, this woman seemed to not fear him. Or perhaps it was that there was something she feared greater than this man.

Either way, she was certainly entertaining.

"It has been quite some time since anyone dared to speak to my face in such a manner and walk away with their life." He remarked as his laughter died down to a mere chuckle. The amusement he still felt was reflected in his eyes causing the color to light up brighter than usual.

"I find you quite entertaining so I will humor and reply to that question." He announced as he took another drag of the cigarette before snubbing it out in the ashtray.

"It will probably be quite some time before I die. In case you are unaware people from the underworld are more akin to demons and monsters. Normal mortal things don't kill us. We consume the darkness and continue living until we have a stake run through our hearts or our heads are removed, and our brains destroyed. On some occasions crosses work as well, they have to be the right kind though."

By her expression, his female companion wasn't as amused by the teasing as he was.