Chapter 3
”Hey, Eve, are you okay?” Lily”s voice snaps me out of my thoughts.
I turn my attention back to my best friend sitting across from me, and it takes a moment to remember where I am. Right, Lily and I are at our favorite restaurant, a tiny, cozy place that feels more like home and serves the most delicious brunch. It”s why we come here every weekend. I take a deep breath, reach for my drink, and in a very tacky way, I down the whole thing in one quick go.
”Wow, slow down!” Lily says, her voice filled with a hint of concern as she waves her hand.
”I”m sorry, this past week has been,” I pause for a split second, ”quite difficult for me,” I say, trying to hide the exhaustion in my voice. Sleep doesn”t come easily these days. Not knowing when he will try to kill me again, if he will try again at all.
”What’s going on?” she asks, her eyebrows furrowed, the soft lines on her forehead revealing her worry. I look into her eyes, and guilt makes my stomach churn. It’s not that I don’t want to tell her the truth and be honest with her, but I know she wouldn”t believe me. And who would? The story sounds like something out of a cliché Hollywood movie: a hitwoman who becomes the target. I really don”t like it when I have to lie, but it”s best she knows as little as possible about this part of my life. Any knowledge will only put a target on her back, and I don”t want that. A watered-down version of the story will have to do.
”I know it may sound crazy, but I can”t shake the feeling that someone is following me,” I confess. It’s a half-truth. Someone is watching me–day and night–but I don”t know who or where they are.
Her face twists, her concern becoming more pronounced. ”As in stalking you?” she says with a raised voice, the panic showing on her face.
My eyes widen and I raise my hands and wave for her to be quiet, pleading with her to lower her voice so we don”t attract any unnecessary attention. It”s bad enough that my so-called stalker is probably listening to us. I don”t need anyone else to hear. ”Yeah, I think I”m going crazy.”
”Have you been to the police yet?” she asks, now in a more hushed voice, which gets lost in the lively chatter of the other guests in the restaurant.
I shake my head and sigh. The police are the last people I need sticking their noses into my business. They will cause more problems than they will help. It was already a pain in the ass to get rid of them after the initial shooting. They were completely outraged that I didn’t press charges and wrote it off as an unfortunate accident. And after all, they wouldn”t be able to protect me anyway. There have been numerous incidents where the police have failed to protect someone receiving threats from a hitman in the past.
”No,” I say. ”They’re not going to do anything unless something really serious happens anyway.” I reach for the bottle of champagne and pour myself another glass. I really need the alcohol today.
”But wouldn”t it be beneficial if they knew something was going on at least?”
”Maybe, but I can”t even give them a description of what the person looks like.”
”So you haven”t actually seen your stalker yet?” Lily raises her eyebrows.
”No, maybe I”m just going crazy and there really isn”t anyone stalking me.” I chuckle with nervousness as I try my best to find humor in the situation that is wearing me out, leaving me feeling physically and emotionally drained.
”I don”t think so,” Lily says. ”Your gut has never failed you, and I believe you when you say someone is following you.”
”Thank you. It’s nice to hear that.”
”Do you want me to stay with you for a few days, just to make sure everything”s okay?” she asks, reaching out to take my hand in hers. Her thumb brushes over the back of my hand.
”No, I don”t think that”s necessary. Besides, I don”t want to put you in a situation that could be potentially dangerous.” A small smile tugs at the corner of my lips, and I squeeze her hand in an attempt to reassure her. I don”t know who’s after me and whether he has any morals. The chances of it being someone who will spare the life of someone innocent aren’t very high, and the last thing I want is for Lily to get dragged into this. She has so many dreams and goals. She recently landed her first small role in a movie, and I want her to be able to fulfill her dreams.
”Okay, but don”t hesitate to call me at any time, I”m here for you.”
”Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind.” I sigh and shift my attention to look out the window. Scanning the crowd of hundreds of people passing by the restaurant, I envy them as they go about their day like nothing is out of the ordinary. Not having to worry that someone is lurking in the next dark alley, waiting to pounce and kill you.
My eyes land on the other side of the street, where a group of people wait for the traffic light to turn green. I narrow my eyes when someone in the group catches my attention. A man dressed in all black; from a distance, it looks like a black suit with a grayish turtleneck underneath. It”s almost thirty-two°C, a beautiful summer day. Is he crazy? Feeling my own body heat up at the sight of the man, my lips begin to feel dry. My tongue slips out of its own accord, and I run it over my lips, to moisten them while my eyes remain glued to the man.
From afar, I can see that he has light brown, messy hair, slicked back, though a few loose strands frame his face. From what I can see, I would rate him handsome; exactly my type. Which means... a hitman. I knew something was off about him. Is he staring at me?
My heartbeat quickens, pounding against my chest as anxiety begins to overwhelm me. Is he the one hired to kill me? Ever since we got here, I”ve had the feeling that someone is watching me and he is looking in the direction of the restaurant. But that”s impossible. I must be hallucinating. There is no way he is looking directly at me. He is probably just checking out the restaurant, maybe looking for a place to go for lunch later during his break, I tell myself in a pathetic attempt to calm my anxiety. Closing my eyes I take a deep breath to calm my racing heart. When I open my eyes, I turn my attention to Lily for a quick second.
”Hey, you see that guy over there? Dressed like it”s winter?” I point out the window in the man”s direction.
”Who?” Lily asks, her eyes following the direction I point out. But in the brief second that I took my eyes off the man, the street light changed from red to green, allowing the crowd of waiting pedestrians to cross the street. I search the crowd for the man”s messy hair, but he”s no longer there. He’s gone.
I think I”m really going crazy. Was he there, or did I just imagine him? I look down at the glass of champagne in my hand and put it down with a heavy sigh.
”Don”t mind me. I think I”ve had enough to drink for today.”