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“Liv, you don’t understand…!” Martha says, gesticulating widely.
“No, Idounderstand, Martha. You want to expose the truth, and you want the challenge. I totally got it.” I cross my arms to accompany my crossed legs, and for a second, I feel like a languid and sexy Buddha. “But things are more hostile than a war zone there, girl!”
“Grr,” Martha growls. “It can’t be that bad!”
“A fifteen-year-old pulled a gun on me there. Big Teddy’s henchmen are trying to expel the family Alex helped from their apartment. And I’ve heard of other horrible things.” I shake my foot incessantly. “The police have an ongoing investigation on Big Teddy. Maybe you should talk to the police about it instead? And if in the near future he’s arrested…”
“I can talk to him while he’s in jail…!” Martha has an eureka moment.
I offer her my hand to shake as an unspoken agreement that she will not risk her life in this, and I think she gets the message as she shakes it. After looking at her for a few good seconds, I turn to my computer, to save my work and shut it off, as it is almost quitting time.
“What are you up to later today?” Martha asks upon seeing me busy. She’s been wanting to hang out for a while now, but there’s never seems to be the right moment.
“I have a freelance after work…” I say, airy and unfocused. “Alex paired me up with Bella. Can you believe it?”
“I do; you two always worked so great together!” she interjects.
I take it as a compliment, but my ego isn’t ready for me to admit it yet. “I hope it won’t be too awkward…”
A message makes my phone buzz. It’s Alex, letting me know they are waiting for me outside.
“I gotta go, Martha. Take care!” I hug her and get out of the offices with my camera at hand and my mind feeling scattered.
Alex is driving the BMW today and waits for me by the side of the car, leaning sideways against the vehicle and tapping his nails over its roof. Parked alongside, is the car with the security men. It looks like this time they’ll be following us, instead of guiding us in their car.
“Ready to go?” Alex says, planting a kiss on my cheek. His demeanor so serious that I desperately search for a joke to break the tension.
“As ready as I can be!” I reply with forced cheer, turning around to reach the passenger door.
I enter, and the first thing I see is Bella in the back seat, nervously hiding behind a sheet of paper.
“Hello, Isabella,” I say with a hint of playful sarcasm, hoping to get at least a smile out of her. “How are you?”
“Doing fine, Olivia, thank you.” My attempt at humor seems to work a bit, as she responds with a small smile that barely escapes her lips.
Alex joins us and starts the engine. “You two behave, okay?” he pleads, pulling the car away from the curb.
“We have no reason not to, bro!” Bella says, perking up her nose.
As the car hits the road, the security guards trail behind. Alex then shares, “So… There’s a block party going on in Helding Heights today—”
“We’re going to Helding Heights?” I ask, shocked.
“There’ll be a lot of people out today,” Alex says, trying to pacify me. “You’ll be with a trained Navy SEAL and with professional security — most of these guys are former military too.”
“I thought we had an agreement to stop going there…” I say, looking away from him and pouting.
“Wasn’t the agreement for me to always go with you?” Alex asks, polite yet defiant.
“How bad are things there right now?” Bella takes an interest in the conversation.
“That drug dealer Simon was working for is taking over things quite aggressively,” Alex replies. “Liv and I added our statements to the police investigation on him.”
I look at Bella through the front view mirror, and she nods in acknowledgment, as if recognizing the danger we’re putting ourselves in.
“Well, it’s still daytime,” she says, shrugging. “We should be fine.”
She is apparently forgetting that it was broad daylight when the kid pulled a gun on me, but I’m not about to start an argument. Instead, I focus on looking at the security car coming behind us through the side mirror, and soon we’re at Helding Heights.
