Chapter 2 – Andre
The rental van we’ve set up as a monitoring station is beginning to reek like stale takeout and Marcus’s overpriced energy drinks.
It’s been six weeks since we left her in Santa Monica.
Weeks of watching her through a lens, tracking her and waiting after we found her again, hoping for the moment she finally breaks and comes to find us.
I’m running out of hope that that will happen.
Once we found her in San Francisco again, we were going to approach her right away but after some recon, we all decided to wait some more and watch her develop the con she’s working.
When we finally go to her, we want to have as much information as possible to make our case of her taking us on as partners, as a team.
I’m honest enough with myself to admit that a lot of that decision was pushed by me due to my stubborn pride.
I wanted Demi to want us, to come to us. Yeah, I’m a dick.
We all thought if we gave her space after we laid out how we felt and what we wanted from her at Christmas she would realize we all fit together perfectly and she would agree.
Taking Skipper was just a fun way to continue the game we’ve been playing since Halloween.
Now, after six weeks of waiting for her, I’m starting to think this game is coming to an end and she really doesn’t want any of us the way we want her.
I scrub my hands over my face as I stare at the monitor, watching the grainy footage of the Horizon Wellness lobby when she walks in. She’s wearing a cardigan the color of oatmeal, a mousey brown wig and glasses that are two sizes too big for her face. She looks small. She looks ordinary.
It pisses me off.
I really thought she’d come after us. I thought the fact that we had her dog would be the tether that pulled her back to us…
to me. But Blue is stubborn just like me.
She doesn't want to deal with us yet so she’s focused in on her job.
It's ironic in a way. Her not coming after us to get Skipper, must that mean a part of her trusts us. I wonder if she realizes that?
"She’s heading to the breakroom," Damon says, his voice flat. He’s been staring at the office camera feeds for too long, but I can see the tension in his jaw. He’s just as disappointed as I am that Demi hasn’t come to us yet.
"She’s been in there at least three weeks that we know of," Marcus mutters from the back, tossing a stress ball against the ceiling of the van.
Thud. Thud. "When are we going to end this? We know she’s after Horizon.
We just don't know why yet. Why this specific company? What’s her angle and why does she want to hit them? "
"We wait," I tell him, my voice like gravel.
"She hasn't seen us. She doesn't know we're here.
We follow the con until she hits a wall.
And when she hits it, we'll be the ones there to help her break through. She needs to know we’ll stand by her, help her in all of this if she just gives us a chance. "
I watch her on the screen as she refills a coffee pot. She looks tired. My hand twitches, wanting to reach through the monitor and pull her out of that building. We aren't giving up on her but I’m losing my patience so if she won't come to us, then we’re coming to her… soon.