1927: Redemption

Somebody Watching?

“If you believe you can be a champion, you will be. If you believe you can stride over frontiers, you can. For just as muscles get bigger and stronger with use, so does the brain... it is a physical organ after all... still a part of the body.

And so, whatever you feel is your mission, your duty for the self, others and Earth... become the gold standard of that mission. If you can imagine everyone setting out to find a different set of GPS coordinates, their own personal geo-cache, that's what we have in reality. It's your treasure, my love, so really own it, make it yours.”

22 DECEMBER 2021- SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO

William’s eyes were widened in the alarm of Adeline seeing her face and then recognising it. He immediately tried to turn around but she held his shoulders and kept him still.

For the first tune, Adeline could see him without that annoying mask. Her mouth experienced a sudden, inexplicable lack of saliva.

He looked nothing like imagined… but more than that.

The feature you would notice about him first was hardness. Yes, that was what he looked like: a hard, chiselled face. A little stubble on his face gave him a sexy look, full lips. And then, finally, there were his eyes… His forest green eyes that she had already seen. They sometimes looked like dark pools of immeasurable depth, pools you could drown yourself in and never again come up for air.

Her bubble got busted when Ace came across, yelling, “Will you leave him Martinez?!”

Her cheeks tinted scarlet as she let go of him and stood straight, “Are you feeling alright?” She asked.

Although his face was stoic, amusement flickered in his eyes as he stood up, saying, “Yes.”

Untying the bag from his waist, he pulled out the container and gave it to her. “The second task is done.”

Giving the container to her, he strolled towards his bag which Adeline though he did not bring, and took out a new face mask.

Adeline rolled her eyes when he turned around, but she could not let his exceptional face out of her mind. It was like it got imprinted and would be there till the last day she took her last breath.

.

.

.

.

“Well?” Adeline heard a cool voice coming from right beside her, and yet somehow, for very far away. “What do you think?”

“I don’t understand,” She slowly, not quite ready to wait in San Juan for a day. “Why are we not leaving yet? We have got what we need right?”

Before William reasoned more with Adeline, Ace intervened. “Did you not hear the first time? If you didn’t, let me clarify, there is no flight to Bermuda Island until tomorrow, got that i***t?”

Her eyes widened as Ace pushed her head, swaying his hand away, “Of course, I heard you the first time! But can we not take a ship or something? Is that also unavailable?”

“We will leave tomorrow, end of the discussion,” William said, gesturing to her to shut her mouth.

Wow! Wowwww! What an adequate answer!

Which left the question of what the heck was happening here. She watched as Ace went to fetch a cab and William, now in a new pair of jeans paired with a white shirt, and his signature black mask had Nike sunglasses covering his eyes, while the dusty browns on his forehead made him look a bit more adequate than any other day.

Great! Now she was checking him out instead of questioning!

“Egotistical jerk.” Her voice was weak. This had come as rather a shock. For weeks and weeks, there had been tension crackling between Adeline and him because he just got away, then got back. And now this attitude? She could not believe it. She just could not. “You will not answer me, right?”

He nodded.

What the-!

Under normal circumstances, she would have retorted then and there, but today after seeing him- more specifically his face, and he completely took a toll on her thoughts. And she did not care a penny. She was in shock- stunned by the sudden changes in the dynamics of their relationship. He was now speaking more than just nodding his head.

Don’t bet on it, said a nasty little voice in her head, but she ignored it.

“You are serious? Wouldn't it be late? What if-”

Before she could complete, he took off his glasses and gave her a look. One of those looks.

Translation: They would not be late.

“I have some questions.”

“Indeed you have.” He replied, wore his glasses and returned whatever he was doing.

“Huh?” She walked towards him, gripped his hand to make him look at her, she snorted whilst ignoring the sparks. “What does that supposed to mean?”

“Think about it. A girl leaving Crestview- and travelling to Miami, San Juan in just two days. If there is somebody watching, somebody hostile, it is likely the two events will be connected and conclusions will be drawn.”

Adeline felt a sudden shiver go down her spine. “Somebody watching?”

“Archer Lewis,” He told her darkly, “has many ears and eyes.”

“Oh.”

That might well be true and from what she had seen of his companionship, it would be a very good idea to keep out of his line of sight. She still did not really think relaxing for just a day would help a lot with that but for the moment, she shoved the thought aside.

Thinking about her next and last task, then the bigger one, she said: “This is really going to happen?” She could hardly believe it. A thousand sensible reasons were whirling inside her head- why relaxing was actually more practical than fighting and getting over it, but she could not ruin this with silly objections. Finally! He had caved in, he started reacting, even if it was for some stupid reason, finally he was letting her by himself.

“You really mean this? I don’t know why you are still here because you have a tendency to leave me whenever you want. But, do you really want me to be nearby?”

He stared at her, coolly, as if she had misplaced her sanity and he highly disapproved of her negligence. “Of course not! I am here to be with Ace. Only as long as we are in the same ro together, you can be nearby.”

She blinked at him, not sure whether she was hearing right. “What?”

“You heard me.”

“You….You are unbelievable!”

What has gotten into his brain?! Thought Adeline.

Nodding, William then said: “I am a statement I have always thought myself that I am quite exceptional.”

“That’s not what I meant, f**k you!”

“But I won’t.”

This comment stole her from sanity as she yelled: “You are a f*****g son of a bachelor!”

His eyes narrowed a fraction of an inch as she could see it from the corner. “Show some respect, Miss Martinez.”

“You have got some nerve there, SIR!”

Adeline did not know how he did it- the tinnines of the wooden cabin that they were in should have precluded any such movement- but somehow he managed to take a threatening step towards her after taking his glasses off.

“What is it you want, Adeline? Do you want to get caught by Archer’s goons?”

“I want you to answer me!”

“Does this conversation not involve me answering your questions?”

“Yes, but-”

“Then I suggest you hold your tongue before I change my mind and drown you in the ocean Park,” he told her, with a jerk of his hands towards the rolling curtain. “Do you understand?”

Adeline opened her mouth to argue.

“Do you understand, Adeline?”

Slowly, agonisingly slowly, she forced her mouth shut again. “Yes, I understand.” She managed to get out between clenched teeth.

“Adequate, I will see you outside.” Saying so he left the cabin, leaving angry Adeline behind.

Why did he become so distant?

Was this also a part of his plan?