Chapter 5: Security in the Cafe

Arielle's alarm clock rang out in a light and gentle tune as it did every Sunday morning. The cozy thick blanket draped over most of her body, although one leg always went rogue and found itself exposed each morning. Her attempts to recover them were feeble as her alarm clock continued to go off and she knew that it was time to get up.

The need to be cozy easily became overshadowed as her excitement for the day filled her. It was always a treat for her as the end of the week drew near and the beginning met her again because that meant she would be able to fellowship with her dear friend and congregation that were a family to her. To come together with like-minded individuals who loved the Lord as much as she did.

She looked forward to each Sunday, so much so, that she created a calmer ringtone that would help set a proper mood for her day. The comfort from her sheets was easily forgotten while she was away with her mother at church.

Content with solace, she rolled over, abandoning her blanket altogether. The light from her phone illuminated the dim room. There was plenty of time for her to get ready.

She grabbed the pillow that her mother had gifted to her. Its crisscross patterns were mesmerizing as they were in Arielle's favorite colors, lavender and green. The two always reminded her of a beautiful field in the middle of spring. She placed the fluffy pillow onto the ground gingerly as it would be the cushion for her knees as she leaned against her bed to pray.

Tidal waves of thoughts hit her all at once as she remembered yesterday and what that day had brought.

Quickly, she reached for the forest green journal off of her nightstand and decided to jot more down onto the list she had created. It was a nature-themed book with little flowers lining each page. It was rather simple, nothing considerably intrinsic about it, but it had encouraged her to write her prayer requests down when she had first begun her consistent morning routine. There was something inherently therapeutic about checking off the prayers that she brought before God. It had strengthened her faith to look back and see everything that He answered.

She wrote neatly on the pre-lined pages;

1. Protection for my mother and I

2. Mother and I walk with God

3. Boss and Coworkers' salvation and safety

Her list held over twenty things that she planned to pray on this morning such as her best friend and future spouse and so on, but those three things would hold special attention during her quiet time with God. Regardless of what that strange man, Lorenzo, had said to her, she knew that God would work it out for her good. Not just her's, but Alexander's as well.

She felt sympathy towards her boss. His life had not been easy. He sacrificed a lot to accomplish all that he had and it was as remarkable as it was sad. She would be sure to pray for his peace daily.

For the next hour, she spoke to God. Immediately after she dove into her daily reading. The Book of Matthew was her focus of the week. Time had scurried along and soon she had finished.

Something was refreshing about focusing on God each morning even if she hadn't done any physical routine as of yet. After completing her morning Bible study, she walked over to her closet and grabbed a plain dress. She kept her next routine simple, with just the necessities for her day, and then slipped on her dress with her hair tied back into a low loose bun. Her usual wispy hair, fell onto her face, framing it.

The mist of the morning clouded her windows just as the steam from the shower delicately blanketed the mirror.

Once she exited her room, she was immediately greeted by the scent of her mother's amazing cooking. Angelina turned to smile over at her daughter. She had also woken up early to pray and cook breakfast before they would leave for church. She had been waiting for her daughter to open up about what had happened yesterday.

They had walked through the various shops in NYC and ate dinner at a delicious Italian restaurant, but she could tell that Arielle's mind was elsewhere. Her discomfort was tangible and she only hoped that her daughter felt more at ease in the morning. It wasn't like her to stare endlessly at the crowd of people that walked past the large window pane nor was it like her to play with her food.

Angelina refocused her mind on this moment. She watched her daughter eagerly hop into the kitchen.

"Good morning, mi hija," her mother cheerfully greeted her daughter.

"Good morning, Mom" Arielle responded with a large smile

"Here's your breakfast. Not as traditional as Mangu Con Los Tres Golpes, pero it's delicious all the same." She spoke sweetly as she set down the steaming hot plate of food in front of her.

Angelina removed her small apron and sat beside her daughter. She could easily see Arielle's grin as she took in the delicious food. Her mind didn't seem as bothered and maybe she would feel comfortable to talk about it now, Angelina thought.

"So..." Angelina began. Her lips were pursed as she glanced over at her daughter quizzically.

"Sí, mama?" Arielle asked innocently. She remained naive to her mother's curiosity and pending questions. Her eyes were locked on the dish in front of her.

"¿Entonces, que paso ayer?" Angelina asked casually whilst pushing hair out of her face. (Translation: So, what happened yesterday?) Her dark brown eyes glanced over towards her daughter once more and she noticed her posture grow stiff. Arielle's eyes blinked rapidly as she thought over what to say and what to do. She couldn't lie, but how would she tell her mother the whole truth without causing a panic?

"Well..." Arielle begun.

"Yes...?" Angelina encouraged, leaning forward in her seat.

"Maybe we can discuss this after church?" Arielle quickly responded. "Don't we have to leave soon?"

Angelina's gaze remained on her daughter, unwavering. "Ari, it's only 9:30 in the morning. Church doesn't start until 10 and they're down the road."

"What if I need more than 30 minutes to explain?" Ari asked rapidly. She played with the fork in her hand and pushed the food around on her plate.

"It didn't take more than 30 minutes for you to be in that office with that strange man. He looked at me funny. I just want to make sure that you're alright, honey." Her mother spoke gently.

Arielle sighed. She knew that to be true and if she had a child of her own, she would be asking the same questions and encouraging them to talk with her as well. But how would she muster up the words? She wondered to herself.

"Well that man that Susan told us about, Lorenzo, is possibly as dangerous as he seems," Arielle confessed with a defeated sigh. She could hear her mother gasp beside her.

"What do you mean?" Angelina's naturally arched brow arched further as she raised them towards her daughter.

"I mean, he's seemed to take a liking to me. Whether it be just to anger my boss or to try and win me over, I'm not fully sure, but he's a powerful man and he's likely dangerous from what I've learned." Arielle responded. She continued to play with her food as she pushed the soft eggs around on her plate with the small fork she had been eating with. For a moment she felt like a child, although she could feel her mother's strong gaze on the side of her face.

"What why? What do you mean it would anger your boss? Why would your boss feel any emotion about someone's feelings towards you?" Her mother's tone had slowly become accusatory and it made Arielle visibly cringe.

Great, she'll be hyper-focused on that. Arielle thought disappointedly to herself.

"I don't know," she answered truthfully. Arielle didn't know why her boss seemed to care for her in such a short time or with little knowledge of her life, save for what was on her resumé, she only knew that now, her mother wanted to know too.

Angelina remained silent. She trusted her daughter not to lie, but she couldn't help but feel as though she was missing something. Her eyes glanced at the clock on the wall and she sighed. There was no time to ask and divulge deeper. The time would move on whether she liked it or not and she wasn't entirely ready for church.

"We'll talk about this another time. I have to get ready." Angelina said softly. She rested a hand on Arielle's shoulder before walking to her bedroom to pull herself together. Arielle sat still for a short while as she thought over what could come of this. The possibilities appeared to be endless because of how little she knew about this mysterious man named Lorenzo.

With a sigh, she shook her head.

I'll think of this another time, she thought. For now, she wanted to eat and focus on the things that brought her joy. God, family, and friends.

It didn't take long before her mother exited her bedroom and soon they were on their way to church by 9:50 and arrived by 9:52. Church was just down the road.

Arielle felt pleasantly surprised to see her best friend standing in the small building. It had been two weeks since Julia last returned to church. "Be right back," she said to her mother before running off to jump towards Julia. Julia quickly caught sight of her best friend and the two girls hugged and spoke rather fast with one another, like a pair of teenagers. Julia's doe-shaped eyes were bright with joy as she caught up with Arielle. Her hair had been swooped up into a casual, yet pretty bun and her dress had dainty flowers throughout it.

They briefly talked before walking back towards Arielle's mom, who had already picked their seats next to Hope, her mother's best friend. Arielle waved over at the older woman who seemed to be happy to see the young lady too. She turned her face forward to see the rest of the congregation. She smiled and glanced around at the common faces among the crowd. It was a moderately sized church, but she still knew the majority of those in attendance

Yet as her eyes browsed the crowd, they abruptly stopped on a group of people. These people were unidentifiable. Five men in identical suits sat towards the very back of the church. Their eyes were on Arielle and her mother. Arielle's eyes darted back and forth at the various faces as she nervously inspected if others had caught sight of the strange men sitting behind them. She knew exactly who they were.

Alexander worked fast, she thought to herself. She shyly pulled herself further down into her seat, pretending that she hadn't seen them at all.

This would take a lot to get used to, Arielle realized.

The quaint worship band walked onto the stage. Seven people made up the worship team in their church, but honestly, it was all they needed. They had one drummer, two guitarists, one pianist, and three singers. They harmonized beautifully every service and balanced each other out.

Arielle tried to remain focused and she successfully did during worship, but it was when the announcements returned, that she caught her eyes wandering to the back of the church where the group of suited men sat. They all seemed to be focused on the sermon, save for one who kept his eyes on her. This shocked Arielle, so soon she turned her gaze away and refocused her eyes on the front of the church.

The Pastor had smoothly preached his sermon on walking in faith and she kept her eyes on the stage, willfully ignoring the gazes that landed on her every few minutes. Although Arielle loved church, today had been unsettling and so she struggled to focus. She needed to contact Alexander and make sure that these were his men. The sermon came to an end and the pastor began to greet the guests. He briefly waved over at Arielle and her mother as they collected their things.

Julia had already made her way to the door and out of the building by the time Arielle grabbed her notepad and purse. She chuckled and shook her head at her speedy friend, but her quiet laughter was short-lived as she saw the men, from her peripheral, come to a stand too. That uneasy feeling returned, but thankfully it didn't last long as her phone dinged and called to her attention.

"Planning to hop in?" Julia called over to her. She had a glowing smile on her face as she waited on her best friend, but she soon noticed the distraction etched on Arielle's face.

"Is everything okay?" Julia asked. A frown etched into her face as she observed her best friend. Arielle's mouth opened and closed as her eyes fell back onto her phone. She sighed in relief as she read the notification that popped up.

"My men are watching you. They will be rotating shifts, but you should see the same group of twelve interchangeably." Alexander Marquee's message was reassuring and thankfully it answered more questions than it caused.

"Yes, yes everything's okay." Arielle managed to muster up a smile to direct towards her concerned friend. Julia didn't seem convinced though and only stared at her best friend a little longer before shaking her head in defeat.

"Fine... if you say so. Let's go."

And off they went on their adventure for the day, but Arielle's mother didn't miss the group of men in suits that followed after her daughter. Her eyes widened when she realized that their focus was on her child. She wanted to follow after them, prompting her to race towards her car, but she was interrupted as her phone rang aloud.

A text message popped up at the very top of her screen.

"Mom, they're with me." Arielle typed quickly, pressing send. She hoped that with the clarification, her mom's heart wouldn't beat too fast at the sight of the strangers that stayed nearby.

Arielle could see her mother watching as they all drove down the uneven road, staying close enough to the two young ladies to keep a steady eye on them. With a shake of her head, Arielle sighed. There was not much else she could do. She knew that her mother's protective nature was likely urging her to follow after them and make sure that they were genuinely safe.

"Are you sure that you don't want me to come with you? I can watch from a distance." Arielle's mom replied.

"I'm sure, mom." Arielle's response was almost immediate.

Arielle sat quietly beside her best friend who had already gotten them halfway to their favorite shop. Thankfully, they escaped the uneven roads and the slow-changing traffic lights.

"Soooo?" Julia dragged out excitedly. She glanced over at her best friend with bright eyes.

"So?" Arielle laughed.

"Come on, you know what! You've been working for the Alexander Marquee, himself! His success has been the motivational fuel for young adults in our generation aspiring to be as successful as him and you get to work alongside him!" She ranted and sighed with bliss.

"I'm only his intern. It's hardly comparable to anything that he's done." Arielle casually shot back. She watched as they drove past the bodega she found herself hanging out in as a young child along with her friends. The building had become worn down after all these years, but the neon open lights were as vibrant as she remembered them to be.

"But that's not the point Ari! You're already so close to the top, yet so far. If he wanted to, he could boost you into a successful long-lasting career. Doesn't that excite you?" Julia pushed further, astonished by her best friend's nonchalant responses.

"Yes, yes!" Ari laughed. "Now focus on the road." Julia's eyes had wandered one too many times as she continuously glanced over at Ari for any kind of reaction.

"Humph, fine." Julia pouted. She glanced into the rearview mirror and narrowed her gaze. Arielle quickly found what had caught Julia's attention and gulped. "That car has been following us for the past fifteen minutes."

Arielle stilled and Julia's eyes widened. "Those men were at the church! I've never seen them at service before today though. Hang tight Ari, I'm gonna try to lose them." Julia warned as he hands grew tighter on the steering wheel and she scoped out for the best turn to make.

"Wait wait wait, no!" Arielle yelled while throwing her hands up as she leaned toward the steering wheel. Her quick movements pushed against Julia's hands, causing her to lose her steadiness on the steering wheel. Within seconds the two women veered into the opposite lane.

"What in the w- ah!" The car swerved in the road between lanes, tossing Julia and Arielle to either side of their seats. It took a moment for Julia to regain control over the steering wheel.

"Arielle!" She screeched.

"Yes?" Arielle mumbled quickly in return. She cringed and peeked over at Julia who was huffing and puffing while shooting over startled glares.

"Yes?" Julia mimicked. "What was that about!?"

"I'm so sorry, Jules," Arielle replied panting in shock. Her heart felt as if it would jump out of her chest.

"Where do I begin," she pondered internally.

Thirty minutes later

"And that's why a group of six men are following us." She smiled. But her smile soon wavered when she saw Julia's eye twitch.

They sat at the coffee house table sipping their drinks. The men in suits were sitting a few tables away, carefully keeping their eyes on the two ladies. Arielle laid down her drink and peered over at Julia with that same nervous smile. She had unleashed all the details of what had taken place, up to Alexander's recent text.

"What!?" Julia yelled. Her brown eyes were wide and her facial expression could only be described in one word; flabbergasted.

"Shhh! Keep your voice down!" Ari pleaded as her eyes searched the small cafe. Only a few heads had briefly turned to look over at them. Most of the people in the cafe were studying or working while wisely wearing earbuds. Smart people.

"How can I!?" Julia whispered and yelled over to her friend."You just told me that your boss may have googly eyes over you, while his arch nemesis is after you, and you have men in black following your every move until kingdom come!"

"I-" Arielle snorted. "I did not say all of that." She fought back a laugh at her friend's hysteria. Julia wasn't one to be... calm. She never was. Whether it was joy, anger, or even sadness, she was naturally very loud and exuberant.

"You practically did!" Julia accused while jabbing her finger in Arielle's direction.

"Did not!" Arielle protested.

"Did too!" Julia's mouth opened again to add to her accusation when a voice interrupted them.

"Ladies! What is going on here?" Arielle froze in her seat and her best friend followed suit. Slowly she lifted her gaze to see the one and only Alexander Marquee and by his side was a woman she had never seen before. The tall brunette woman was noticeably judging Arielle and Julia. She had a brow raised and Arielle couldn't help but notice that her sleek brown hair fell neatly down her back. Not a hair was out of place. Her features were quite angular, making her high cheekbones more apparent. The makeup that she wore seemed to be skillfully applied, with winged liner that likely doubled as her weapon.

The mystery woman looked Arielle up and down before ignoring her presence altogether.

"Why have we stopped here?" She complained to Alexander who ignored her.

"Arielle." That is all that he said. Just as he would in the office, he seemed to fall into a short trance as he watched her. She took in her facial features, drinking them in and getting lost in them. Willfully so it seemed.

"Alex, I don't have much time." A male voice called out from behind him. Another tall man soon stood by his side. His hair was the same shade of brown as the tall woman by Alexander's opposite side, but it was cut much shorter and had a slight wave to it. He wore similar attire as Alexander wore and Arielle chalked it all up to being a business meeting.

Even though it was a Sunday.

The man looked Arielle up and down as well and opened his mouth, to say, "Ah." A look of realization became apparent on his face and then he looked away entirely. He tapped Alexander's shoulder and tilted his head towards a nearby table.

Alexander's attention went to the man who had spoken and he nodded. They all began to walk off, but Alexander's head dipped low.

"Don't draw too much attention to yourself, Arielle." His words were serious and she nodded in acknowledgment. She knew that she had to be wiser with her outings and how much attention she drew to herself. She knew nothing about Lorenzo and what he was willing to do to get at her boss and that was a part of the problem.

"Mhm." Alexander cleared his throat. "So I'll see you tomorrow then?" He asked with a slight boyish grin on his face. It's as if someone flipped a switch and he had become a lighthearted man, replacing the stoic man that was before him.

"Of course." Arielle smiled back up at him. His eyes lingered on her face for a second longer than they were meant to and the shrill voice of a woman called to him, breaking his gaze momentarily.

"Alexander! We have things to discuss!" She yelled causing many heads to turn in her direction.

Alexander sighed and rolled his eyes, earning a chuckle from Arielle. Her eyes widened when she realized that she had laughed aloud and so she slapped her hand over her mouth. His gaze fell back on her, twinkling with amusement before he walked off.

Arielle just sat there and smiled while playing with the straw in her drink before finally meeting the gaze of her best friend.

"What was that!?" Julia nearly shrieked as she leaned forward.

"What was what? That was my boss, Alexander." Arielle shrugged.

"Oh I know who he is, Ari." Julia's tone had changed to that of a playful, yet accusatory one. She also stirred her drink about. Swirling it as she waited patiently for her friend's verbal defense.

"What are you insinuating, Jules?" Arielle sung.

"What are you ignoring, Ari?" Jules sang along in her best friend's tune.

"Nothing!" Arielle tried to clarify.

"Lying is a sin." Jules plainly stated, testing her friend's reaction with narrowed eyes.

"Good thing I'm telling the truth." Arielle smiled while lifting her drink to her lips once again. It was warm, cozy, and a much-needed distraction from Julia's interrogation.

Arielle was telling the truth. Everything that she believed to be true, she told.