Chapter 14 Bunnies

Chapter 14 Bunnies
A black sedan pulled up in front of Lynch Cosmetics, and Zina got out. Behind her, Gabriel followed. He stood in front of the open car door with his hands in his pockets as Zina turned around to face him.

"I appreciate your help through this mess. It wouldn't have concluded as smoothly without you" she smiled warmly at him.

Gabriel turned from her and glanced down the sidewalk at the throngs of pedestrians going about their day.
His eyes tightened gently in a squint.

"I'll call and we can schedule a date to talk about Z359?" she asked.

"Hopefully sooner?" Gabriel's squint morphed into a frown as he turned back to her.

Watching his facial expressions, Zina's smile slowly faded and her expression turned wistful.

"Yeah," she replied halfheartedly.

A figure in a tight pink dress approached from behind her with a tablet under her arm.

"Ma'am" she called softly.

Zina's turned, her smile returning. "Aika".

Behind her, Gabriel gave a small nod of acknowledgment.

"It was nice working with you as well Mrs Freeman. Hopefully, our next collaboration will be under better circumstances," Gabriel suddenly spoke up, causing Zina to turn to him with her mouth open yet without words.

Accepting Gabriel's handshake, she took a gentle step back to allow him enter the car and close the door.

Curiously she stared as the car drove off into the distance.

"Doesn't get seem very familiar?" Aika asked, a thoughtful expression on her face as she watched the car go.

"You think so too?"

"Yeah from the moment we met, something about the way he looked at me. Like he knew me"

The two women stared a little longer in silence then Aika turned to Zina.
"I took One Love to his Parents in Zurk. What happened in Min?"

Zina had left her and her entire entourage to hold down Lynch Executives at the Min branch while she fixed the issue.

"A lot" Zina's eyes widened. They turned around and slowly walked into the magnificent high-rise.

"I need you to find all you can about Gabriel Auralis, especially his dealings with Min Officials. Then send me all of Adam's old photos"

Her request elicited an odd glance from Aika, but she respectfully refrained from asking questions. As they walked into the building, a few figures intercepted them.

Meanwhile, in the car, Gabriel sat with Andrea who had her head down on her tablet across from him.

His gaze fixed on Andrea, he noticed the slight crease between her brows and her concentrated expression. His gaze traveled to the stray stand of hair on the corner of her head, then to her moving lips as she seemingly muttered silently to herself.

"Is everything okay?" he asked.

"Yes," Andrea replied reflexively without looking up.

Tilting his head slightly, Gabriel's eyes flashed but he turned to look outside the window.

Andrea's fingers paused and she slowly raised her head to him. Seeing him stare out the window, her tense shoulders slacked and her expression evened.

"I'm sorry. I'm still a little tense" she said.

Leaning back on the chair, she set down the tablet and crossed her legs, her arms limply on the leather at her sides.

Gabriel turned to her and a small grin appeared on his face at her posture.

"Tired?" he asked smiling.

"Yeah, but I have a lot to do," Andrea replied.

Gabriel nodded but said nothing more, his expression still distant as he stared out the door.

"Zina called me your assistant" Andrea suddenly smiled and said.

Gabriel's expression morphed into a small smile and he turned back to her.

"You must have been getting her worked up" he chuckled.

"Why do you automatically assume I did something?" Andrea scoffed, amusedly.

"Didn't you?"

Her gaze turned distant for a moment.
"Yeah. . ." she muttered.

"I just realized I still resent her a lot" she added after a moment of reflection.

Gabriel said nothing and simply stared patiently at her.

"Letting the past die isn't as easy as I thought"

"It's not all bad" Gabriel spoke up.

"How's that?" Andrea sat forward.

"She evokes emotion out of your cold heart, someone has to" Gabriel joked, he corner of his lips stretching into a grin.

Andrea deflated instantly, an unrestrained smile on her lips as she grabbed her tablet and flung it at him.

Without much focus, Gabriel caught it by the edge and set it down beside him.

"Want me to find out who set up this whole fiasco?" Andrea suddenly asked.

Thinking for a moment, Gabriel softly shook his head.

"Probably someone trying to slow down our work on Z359. Or working an angle I can't see. In either case, they are inconsequential, they'll either retreat into the shadows or show themselves eventually." He replied.

Andrea stared at him a moment longer, then looked down at her hands.

"What do you think of Zina?" she asked.

Gabriel frowned.
"Odd " he muttered with a thoughtful look.

"Nothing" he frowned.
"I think nothing of her"

"Why is that?" he asked and looked up at Andrea.

Andrea smiled, soft and gentle as she gazed at him.
"You'll figure it out," she gently tapped on his knee, then reached to grab the tablet beside him.

As she leaned forward, the cut of her shirt revealed smooth white of a ravine that entranced Gabriel's gaze for a spell. He peeled his gaze away unsettled at how easily his perception faltered. His attention turned to the passing scenery outside the window but not fast enough. . .

Andrea gaped slightly, shock evident on her face as she sat back down. Reaching to her chest, she pulled her shirt together a little and then took a subtle glance at Gabriel.

She looked back down at her tablet and pulled out a screen displaying rapidly changing statistics. Rapidly changing numbers and figures appeared on the screen, scrolling upwards at astonishing speeds.

Not intimidated by the complexity on her screen, she watched intently, her eyes slowly widening in amazement.

"Oh my God" she exclaimed softly as she watched.

Gabriel heard her and turned to her. From her shocked expression, he lowered his gaze to the tablet.

"My codes?" he asked curiously.

"Yes, and a lot has changed. Something is happening to you. Do you feel anything?" Andrea asked and looked up at him with concern in her eyes.

"I feel fine," Gabriel shrugged, seemingly confused.

"This is amazing! We'll check the server when we get home"