“George,
how much longer do I have to put up with this? Low profile, it’s not really my
cup of tea.”
“Listen,
we’re doing this to be safe. Just a while longer.”
“How much
longer?”
“Until
those dangerous people decide to give up looking for you.”
“Can’t come
soon enough.”
I picked at
my meal for most of the evening. I was surprised George could cook, or even
invited me over. The last couple of times we just met at a coffee shop for our
checkups. I wasn’t sure how this whole thing worked. Couldn’t have much of a
normal life while keeping my head down.
“C’mon
George, it’s been almost a year. You think if they knew where I was, they’d
have come for me already.”
“I
understand. Just a precaution. You know how my bosses can be. After that, you
should be in the all-clear.”
“So is this
why I’m over here tonight?”
“Figured
you get one last good look at my ugly mug before I go. I still have to finish
some paperwork, but to be honest, you seem to be in the all-clear.”
“Good, the
weekend was just coming up. Figured I could …”
“Yeah, have
fun for a change.” George let out a hearty laugh that I hardly expected. This
government agent had always seemed so reserved every other time we met.
“Looks like
I won’t be seeing you again, will I, George?”
“Sure hope
it doesn’t come to that. You still have my number, just in case right?”
“Yeah.”
“Enjoy your
start of your new life Clement … or should I say Clark Debont?”
I gave him
a handshake and said goodbye to George as I hopped into my car and headed for
home.
On the way
back, I thought back to the last year and a half. It wasn’t even a few months
before everything went to hell in my life. Maybe I shouldn’t have decided to
look for my birth parents. My birth mother had died years ago, survived only by
her husband and my half-sister. The reunion wasn’t what I was expecting. Just
suspicion that I was after my mother’s stuff after she’d passed away. I told
them I didn’t want anything but they kept harassing me. Family, right?
Then there
was that night me and Lindsay were out. Seemed like ages ago. Been only what,
about sixteen months ago? She got flat out drunk – nothing new for our nights
out – but she happened to stumble away into an alley that night. Guess that
same night, a Vincent Palatzo decided he wanted to personally make an example
out of someone and made us witnesses to the incident. Such the upstanding
citizen I was, I called the police and got stuck in the middle of it when they
told me that I had I.D.’d a top lieutenant of the mob and the Don’s cousin.
I trusted
the police. At least they kept me anonymous from the press but the mob was
another matter. They knew everything about me. Next thing I know, my
half-sister and her father turned up dead. I wish I could’ve been more broken
up about it, or maybe it was the shock. But I hadn’t known them long enough,
never mind the bitterness between us. Guess the mob didn’t care. Lindsay
dropped everything and moved back home after told her I wasn’t going to be
intimidated. I don’t blame her for being scared, nor could I. Probably won’t
ever see her again. Then there was my relocation after the trial. I felt good
knowing it was me that got him sentenced for execution but in retrospect, maybe
I should’ve just kept my mouth shut and forgotten that night. Fortunately I had
no one but myself in the crosshairs this time. Everyone I cared about was gone.
It was all me, wandering alone in a new
city.
=================================================
“Hey hold
the door!”
I could
hear Mike running frantically for the elevator.
“Hey thanks
Clark.”
“No
problem, Mike.”
“So …
Tuesday … long week, huh?”
“Sure,” as
we step out of the elevator, “so … you and Al still go out for drinks after
work?”
“Well,
well. What’s this Clark? Decided to finally
come out of your shell? What happen last night? You get laid?”
“No, but I
plan to this weekend.”
“From what
I can tell, it might take you a while. I get the impression you might be out of
practice.”
“I’ll be
fine. This weekend okay?”
“Hey, why
not tonight?”
“Just got
some things to square away”, I replied. He didn’t need to know anything more
than that.
As we
turned the corner into the office, I noticed a new receptionist sitting at the
front desk.
“Who’s
she?”, I asked.
“Beats me …
hey Freddie! What’s with the new receptionist?”
“Well, we
finally got a replacement ever since Trudy left, God bless her.”
“She seemed
to have left in a hurry if I remember correctly”, I pointed out.
“Yeah,
family emergency or maybe she won the lottery or something”, as Freddy belted
out a laugh, “least she’s a hottie this time”.
“I’m gonna
go introduce myself”, I said.
“And here I
thought you were afraid of women, Clarke.”
“Fuck you
too, Mike”, as I let off a smirk at him.
As I
approached the desk, I got a good look at the receptionist. She seemed to look
familiar. I could’ve sworn I’ve seen her on the subway or at the park a while
ago.
“Hey…”, I
said, almost at a loss for words.
“Good
morning”, she replied.
“Hi, my
name is Clark, from accounting. I’m sure HR or
whoever already introduced you but I’d thought I’d say hi, and welcome. It was
kinda hell missing a receptionist for half a week.”
She
giggled, “Nice to meet you, I’m Andrea.”
“So, where
you from?”
“Oh, not
from anywhere important, I just moved into the city about a week ago. I guess I
was lucky to find this job so soon.”
“Say, I
don’t happen to know you do I? You look familiar.”
“I guess I
just have one of those faces.”
“Well, I
guess I’d better get to work. Guess I’ll see you around, Andrea.”
“Yeah, of
course.” She let off a smile.
=================================================
“So the
receptionist seems nice.”
“Yeah,
she’s new in town too, Mike.”
“Well, that
makes it easier than it sounds, I mean, it is unfair but what can you – “
I cut him
off, “Please Mike.”
“You’re no
fun Clark, I thought you were going to become
a bloodhound for the ladies.”
“That
doesn’t even make any sense, Mike.”
=================================================
If you’re
wondering, nothing really happened with me and Andrea – for a while anyway. I finally
found the courage the next day to ask her out and she shot me down. Well, she
shot everyone down. Even Mike, but that was a given. Guess it would be awkward
dating someone from work.
I met with
George a couple of weeks later. He seemed much more reserved and nothing like
the man I had dinner with that Monday evening. At least I was “officially” free
now.
=================================================
As I walked
into the office like any other day, I saw Andrea arguing with a delivery guy.
It was getting a bit heated but as I approached them to see what was going on,
it was over. The delivery guy bumped into me heading out.
“Watch
where you’re going, bub.”
“Well, that
wasn’t very friendly”, as I approached Andrea’s desk, “what was that about?”
“Oh
nothing. I guess he must be new or something. He lost a package that was
supposed to arrive today so I gave him hell for it.”
“My, my,
sassy, aren’t we.”
“Well,
thank you for being such a gentlemen and arriving to help me.”
Just
because she said no didn’t mean we stopped flirting so often. It was usually
one of the brighter parts of my day, sneaking in a few moments to talk with
Andrea.
“Hey,
listen Clark, I know you tried to ask me out a
few months ago but …”
“Yeah, what
about it?”
“Just that
I was kinda new in town so I really wanted to get my bearings before dating;
that and work … so ...”
“Okay …”
“Well, I’m
asking you out Clark, you know, if you still
want to …”
“Yeah,
definitely”, I replied at the speed of light.
“How about
… lunch on … Saturday, at Carolines? It’s by my apartment…”
“Oh yeah, I
know that place. Lunch? Sure, I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
“Tomorrow!
Wow, so soon!”
“Guess you
must be pretty excited already”, I replied, “to forget tomorrow was Saturday.”
She let out
a giggle as I walked to my desk.
“Tomorrow,
m’lady!”
=================================================
“Mmm, that
was delicious! Here, let me get the bill.”
“Well, as a
gentlemen, I believe I should get it.”
“I did ask
you out.”
“Touché.”
“Say, Clark, my apartment is …”, she handed the bill our
waiter, “…nearby”, she whispered.
“Oh.”
“Wanna come
over for some drinks? Maybe chat a bit in … privacy?”
“Seems
unorthodox,” I chuckled, “but I like it. Sure, let’s go.”
=================================================
“Your
apartment seems pretty … empty for having lived here for a few months,” I
asked.
“Yeah, I
used to move around a lot - military family. You get used to it. Here.”
“Scotch?”
“Yeah, you
can hold your scotch, can’t you?”
“Guess
we’ll find out in a bit.”
“I’ll make
sure to hold your hair back if it comes to that,” she grinned.
Everything
after that I can’t seem to remember. I blacked out. When I came to, I wasn’t in
Andrea’s apartment anymore.
=================================================
“Okay,
well, he’s your problem now,” I overheard a voice. It sounded like Andrea
“Hehehe,
this is gonna be fun,” said another voice. It was a man.
I couldn’t
move my arms or legs. I was chained down to a chair. I tried to move, but all I
did was rattle the chains. The two voices turned around.
“Well, he’s
awake now.” It was Andrea, but with a different … demeanour. Not that
semi-ditzy blonde that she was just earlier.
“I usually
wait until they’re awake anyway. I want them to take it all in,” the second
voice said. He looked familiar … it was the delivery guy that bumped into me
the other day!
“Oh, Clark, I see you two have met. His name is Hugo. Hugo,
Clark.”
“What is
going on!”, I yelled.
“He’s
yelling. I think we need a gag. Hugo…”
“Keep your
panties on, I got it. No one can hear us here anyway.”
“I suppose
you were going to ask what is going on or whatever. A bit cliché, but I guess
you have the right to know,” Andrea was saying as she circled me.
“Mr.
Palatzo hired me … well, the both of us. Hugo swore he saw you a few months ago
at a park or something while doing work for the boss. Hugo here works for him …
his boss hired me because of my … expertise.”
Andrea
backed off and the continued, “see, the boss got the idea from me that we …
play the long game with you, Clement.”
I let off a
surprised expression.
“Yeah, be
surprised if you want. Anyways, you should be lucky. Hugo wanted to waste you
right away. In public. What a dolt,” she laughed.
“Hey!”
“Anyways,
just figured I’d point out you got screwed by fate. You almost got away but you
didn’t, so I told Mr. Palatzo that you’d drop your guard sooner or later.
Sooner, it seems from the situation here. That’s all there is. You know the
rest. Have fun with him, Hugo.”
I tried to
let off a scream but to no avail.
“This is
gonna hurt a lot”, said Hugo, as he picked up a crowbar and raised it above his
head.
He was
right, this was going to hu---
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