Chapter 27 The Letter on the Table
Something was going on. Maybe this letter will explain it. Anxiety filled me as I approached the table. I picked up the letter and opened it.
“Sorry, I did not have time to prepare for you. Someone is up to something, and I am unsure if you are in danger. This is a safe house I have set up. I would like you to stay here for a bit until I know whether you’re being watched or not. Admittedly, there are a couple of fractions that might be. I will explain more later. Even though I am a villain, I hope you trust that I want you safe. This room is bug proof and soundproof. No one can spy on you in there. Do not trust the cameras in the halls. Don’t let on that you know you are being watched. There is a stash of weapons throughout the apartment ,though just to be safe. You are mostly safe inside. DO NOT trust anyone. There is a cell phone in the nightstand in the bedroom for you to use. My number is on it. ONLY call if there is an emergency.”
WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL? He admitted to knowing I was the fox. I wasn’t some weak damsel in distress that needed to be saved. For a villain, he does a lot of hero stuff. I knew I was being watched, I knew that before the attack and I was doing just fine protecting myself. Something was going on, and he was clearly worried about it. I wasn’t going to sit around waiting for him to figure it out. I was going to do my own investigating.
I took inventory of what was in this room. It had plenty of food and water that could last me a few months. Some knives, a gun, and a few packs of bullets. It also looked like they bought me some new clothes that are just my size. I checked the bathroom to find more items, mostly an array of feminine hygiene but I was surprised to see a couple of boxes of hair dye and more brown contacts. I was grateful he seemed to understand my undercover identity.
I touched up my hair with the dye and cleaned up as much as possible. I still looked like I was beaten to death, but not as bad as before. I know he left me a cellphone in case of an emergency, but I still felt I should get my own. My job at the cafe was also something I needed to confirm. On the bed, there was my bag along with my wallet and debit card. He must have made sure I wasn’t going to need to stop at my place for anything. I grabbed my favorite dark sunglasses and tossed my bag on my shoulder and straightened my stance as I prepared to head out.
No one seemed to be in the hallway as I left, locking up with the keys that were placed next to the door. The note was right there were cameras everywhere. Thankfully, with my dark glasses, they couldn’t tell I was looking at them as I headed straight out without pausing. I didn’t even pause as I left the building and headed straight for the phone shop. There was a suspicious black car parked down the street. It didn’t move from where it was parked but the car behind it pulled out. It turned down the first side street it could go down.
Today the phone shop was open. I made my way in, no other car seemed to have followed me since that one went down the side street. The woman behind the counter seemed bored out of her mind. Even when setting me up with a phone plan, she seemed unamused. I turned her down for all the extra crap she tried selling and just got my basic phone with a good phone case. Before wrapping up the sale, I did cave and get some wireless earbuds. They would be nice to have. But also, if I’m walking with them in and people can see I have them in, they might think I can’t hear them.
I got the earbuds and my phone all set up and turned on. It's at 30% right now, so I had to be good with it until I got home to charge it. I put everything I just bought, paperwork and all in my bag as I hold on to just my phone and earbuds. I step outside, make sure my hair is tucked back behind my ears, put on my dark sunglasses, and pop my earbuds in. I make a show of going through my phone like I were looking for something to listen to. That I definitely didn’t just buy my phone. Once I felt like I would have picked something by now, I turned off the phone discreetly and put it in my pants pocket.
I didn’t notice anyone seeming to be watching me until I got further down the road. The same car with the same plate number was now parked. I watched it as much as I could without turning my head. The windows were too tinted to see who was inside. Before I got too far ahead of it I took out my phone and turned it back on. It was then I heard a car door slam shut. I had to be quick when opening up the camera. I wanted to sneak a pick of the plate number in front but now I had the chance to get a pick of the people in the car. I made a point to take a silly teenage selfie. It was embarrassing to pose like that, but I was supposed to be a teen girl, just out for a walk, unaware of what was around me.
I laughed out loud when I looked at the picture to further sell myself as a teen girl, unaware of what was behind me. I wasn’t surprised to see it was the duo that followed me from the bookstore to the dinner. The girl was walking behind me, now clearly following me. The man was smoking a cigarette in the car like he wasn’t watching the girl follow me, and where we would go next.
She couldn’t get close enough to me to try and grab me. I watched her in the mirrors of the shops we passed without turning my head. She kept a hand in her pocket. I was concerned about what that could be. I wasn’t back at full strength yet so I didn’t want to let her get close enough to try something on me.
A few times, she got close but I would walk in a store and pretend like I wanted to buy something. When she would look away to pretend she was buying something, that was when I would pretend I didn’t find what I was looking for and leave. I thought I lost her a few times, but I didn’t. They followed me all the way to the diner. Not like they didn’t know I came here, but it was thankfully crowded enough that she couldn’t do anything to grab me.
I was too busy watching the guy pull in the drive, and the girl approached the guy as I put my earbuds back in the charging case and slipped them into my pocket as I walked in. I was distracted and didn’t notice what I was walking into as muscular arms grabbed me once I was inside.