Devious Intentions

Charlotte's radiant joy clung to the air as she and Mika walked along the sidewalk, the city's hum a backdrop to her contented chatter. The paper bag with the knife and rings swung lightly in her hand, but her other arm was firmly looped through Mika's, her shoulder brushing his with every step.

As they walked, Charlotte slowed down a bit, her free hand unwrapping the foil bundle he'd given her, revealing the sandwich, simple, almost comically plain.

A couple of slices of bread, some ham, a smear of mustard, thrown together in a rush that morning. But she stared at it with her eyes twinkling like it was a priceless artifact, her lips parting as if to say something profound about the sandwich.

But before she could, Mika stopped dead in his tracks, as he knew it was time to deal with 'pests' that he just managed to locate using his feathered friend. But he also knew that he couldn't bring Charlotte along so he decided to show a little performance.

"Oh my god." He suddenly groaned, slapping his hand on his forehead. "I can't believe I actually forgot that."

Charlotte's head snapped up, her sandwich forgotten as confusion creased her brow. "What? What did you forget?" She asked, her voice tinged with urgency, stepping closer to him. Her grip on his arm tightened, like she was afraid he'd bolt.

Mika sighed, his shoulders slumping as he met her gaze. "I had an errand to run today, something important. I was gonna do it earlier, but then the accident happened, and all this..." He gestured vaguely at the city, the park, her. "I totally spaced on it and the thing is it's gotta get done today, no question." He glanced at a nearby bench, its paint chipped but sturdy, and nodded toward it. "So, can you wait there for me? Just sit, eat your sandwich, and I'll be back quick after finishing my errand."

Charlotte's eyes narrowed, her lips pursing into a pout. "Wait there?" She echoed, her tone skeptical. "Why can't I come with you? We can do your errand together!" She tugged at his arm, her voice brightening with insistence. "I don't wanna be apart from you, Mika. Whatever it is, I can help!"

He shook his head, firm but gentle, his eyes steady. "No, Charlotte, this is something I need to do alone. It's not a big deal and I don't wanna drag you into it." He gestured at the bench again, his voice softening. "Just sit and eat, okay? I'll be back before you're done with that sandwich."

She hesitated, her face shifting from confusion and then suddenly agitation, like she thought of something infuriating. Her eyes narrowed further, glinting with suspicion as she leaned closer, her voice dropping to a sharp whisper.

"Mika...are you ditching me because of another girl?" Her words were laced with accusation, her grip on his arm tightening like a vice. "Is that what this is? Some secret affair you don't want me to see? Because if you're sneaking off to meet someone else—"

Mika let out an exasperated sigh, cutting her off.

"Charlotte, for the last time, even if I was meeting another girl, it wouldn't be an affair because I'm not dating anyone not you, not anybody." He pried her hand off his arm, his tone calm but pointed. "And it's not a girl, okay? It's just an errand at the bank. I need to handle some paperwork, and I don't want you there because you'd draw a crowd."

"People staring, snapping photos, it'd turn a five, minute job into an hour, long circus. I just wanna get it done and come back." He softened his voice, almost soothing, as he gently pushed her toward the bench, guiding her to sit. "So, can you do that for me? Just wait here, eat your sandwich, and I'll be back in a jiffy."

Charlotte's suspicion wavered, her pout deepening as she sank onto the bench, her eyes still locked on his. His gentle tone, the way he looked at her like she was the only thing that mattered in that moment, melted her resolve, so she nodded, her head bobbing in a cute, reluctant motion.

"Fine." She huffed, crossing her arms. "But you better be quick, Mika. I can't survive too long without you, you know. If you take too long, I might just wither away and die." Her voice was dramatic, her eyes fluttering for effect, but a playful glint peeked through.

Mika snorted, a rare chuckle escaping him. "Wither away? Please. Even if death itself showed up, you'd probably punch it in the face and tell it you're too busy making me fall for you." He smirked, his tone light but fond. "You'll be fine."

Charlotte's face lit up, a cheeky giggle bubbling out. "You know me so well!" She chirped, her pout vanishing as she leaned forward, her eyes sparkling. "That's why we're perfect together, Mika. You get me like no one else."

He rolled his eyes, but his hand reached out, almost instinctively, to pat her head, his fingers ruffling her hair gently. "Just stay put." He said, his voice warm despite himself. Then, with a quick glance around, he turned and jogged off, his figure receding into the city's flow.

Charlotte watched him go, her grin softening into something tender. She was then about to bite into the sandwich, her fingers peeling back the foil, when her gaze flicked to her other hand, and froze.

The paper bag was gone. The knife, the rings, all of it, missing.

Her eyes widened, realization dawning that Mika had taken it, slipping it from her grasp when he'd pushed her onto the bench. She blinked, then let out a soft chuckle, leaning back against the bench with amusement and curiosity.

"What's he up to?" She murmured, her voice playful but edged with intrigue. "Gonna rob the bank with that knife? Pfft, if he wanted to rob a bank, he wouldn't even need a knife...He could just glance at it and the bank itself would shift to another realm."

She shook her head, her grin widening as she dismissed the thought, her attention returning to the sandwich. She lifted it to her lips, taking a small bite, and her eyes lit up like fireworks.

"Delicious!" She squealed, her voice muffled by the bread. "Oh my gosh, Mika, this is so good!"

She chewed slowly, savoring every bite, her face glowing with pure bliss, like the simple ham and mustard was a gourmet masterpiece. She kicked her legs, humming happily, oblivious to the passersby who stole glances at her divine presence but kept their distance, cowed by her aura.

Meanwhile, Mika's jog carried him deeper into the city, his warm expression from moments ago gone, replaced by a solemn look. His dark eyes glinted with a cold glare, his grip tightening on the paper bag tucked under his arm.

The knife inside felt heavier now, its bone grip a quiet pulse against his side. His steps were purposeful, each one driven by a suspicion that had rooted itself in his mind, the ambulance that vanished, the driver's intense stare, the raven he'd sent flying.

This wasn't just an errand...It was a hunt, and whatever was plotting against them was about to learn that Mika wasn't prey.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

A warehouse loomed at the edge of the city, a crumbling building of rusted steel and cracked concrete, its windows boarded up, its walls streaked with grime and graffiti.

The air inside was stale, thick with the scent of motor oil and decay, and the only light came from flickering fluorescent bulbs dangling from exposed beams.

And in the center of the space sat an ambulance, its white paint scuffed, its red lights dim...and unmistakably the one Charlotte had described.

It wasn't on route to any hospital but parked here, in this deserted husk, surrounded by a group of men whose rough appearances scarred faces, tattered jackets, and restless pacing, screamed trouble. Among them also stood the driver Charlotte had noticed, his lean frame slouched against the ambulance, his eyes glinting with a sharp edge.

One look at everyone's faces was enough to tell that everyone was frustrated by something, almost as if a fox that they were trying to capture escaped the trap they set.

One man, broad, shouldered with a jagged scar across his cheek, slammed his fist against a rusted barrel, his shout echoing off the walls.

"The plan failed! Horribly failed! I can't believe it was because of that brat who pushed her out of the way!" His voice cracked with rage, his hands trembling as he raked them through his greasy hair. "We were this close, and some kid ruined it all!"

Another man, thin and twitchy, kicked at a pile of debris, his face twisted in irritation.

"You're tellin' me! We put in so much damn effort, weeks of planning, tracking her movements, even stealing this damn ambulance to make it look legit." He gestured at the vehicle, his voice dripping with bitterness. "And then that dumb kid had to play hero, throwing himself in front of the truck like some wannabe martyr. Screwed it all up just to show off for the girl."

A third man, older and heavier, slumped onto a barrel. "It was perfect, you know." He said, his tone almost wistful, though his eyes burned with resentment. "Utterly perfect. We knew exactly which path that gal would take, set up the ambulance right next door, ready to roll."

"The truck was supposed to ram her, blast her into the park. Sure, it wouldn't kill her, she's blessed, not to mention a legendary SSS-tier as well, no way a crash takes her out...But it'd knock her out for a few seconds, leave her dazed and hurting."

He leaned forward, his voice lowering as he recounted the plan with grim precision.

"In that gap, two of us, dressed as medics, would jump out, rush over like we're saving her. But instead of help, we'd jab her with that chemical." He patted his jacket pocket, where a small vial glinted faintly. "Stuff's so strong it can knock out even a SSS-tier blessed like her in seconds. Our employer gave it to us, said it was foolproof."

The scarred man nodded, picking up the thread.

"Then we'd haul her into the ambulance, drive off, and everyone'd think we're just hospital workers taking her for treatment. No one suspects a thing. We deliver her to the boss, collect our cash, and vanish...Easy money." His voice turned venomous, his fists clenching. "But that damn brat ruined it! The girl dodged the crash, and he took the hit instead. What even happened to him?"

The thin man scoffed, spitting on the floor.

"Who cares? I hope he's dead, limbs scattered all over the park. Doesn't matter...What matters is we failed, and we ain't getting paid." His words landed like a stone, silencing the group, their frustration coalescing into a heavy, brooding quiet.

But the driver, leaning against the ambulance, broke the silence with a smirk, his voice low and oily.

"Forget the money for a second." He said, his eyes glinting with something darker. "I'm more pissed we lost our shot to have some fun with her. She'd be unconscious, helpless, nothing to stop us from doing whatever we wanted." He licked his lips, his grin widening. "You saw her, right? That body, that face...damn."

The older man on the barrel stiffened, his voice sharp. "Don't even go there." He snapped. "We were supposed to deliver her in one piece, untouched. You mess up the package, and the boss would've had our heads."

The driver laughed, a harsh, grating sound. "Relax, I wasn't gonna break her. She'd still be in one piece." His grin turned vile, his eyes gleaming with intent. "Just...covered in my DNA, if you catch my drift. A whole lot of it." He chuckled, the sound chilling, and a few of the others shifted uncomfortably, their faces torn between disgust and temptation.

The thin man shook his head, muttering. "You're sick, man. That's next, level messed up." But his tone lacked conviction, and his gaze flickered away, like he wasn't entirely innocent of similar thoughts.

Another man, quieter until now, piped up, his voice low and eager.

"Can't blame him, though. That girl's the most seductive of all the goddesses daughters. Hips like that, those eyes...I'd be tempted too if she was right in front of me." He glanced around, his voice gaining confidence. "Don't act like you wouldn't. Every one of us thought about it, admit it."

The group fell silent again, their eyes darting away, guilt and desire warring in their expressions. The truth was undeniable, they'd all harbored those vile thoughts, imagining what they could do with Charlotte, unconscious and defenseless.