Renata
She pulled into the parking spot. A couple cars drove by as she turned off the engine. She checked the rearview mirror, doubling back when she saw someone standing a distance away, in all black. A year had goneâa thousand could have and it wouldn't have matteredâbut she knew exactly who it was.
Renata's body went into panic mode and rightfully so. Her eyes watered and she felt like she was incapable of taking a full breath. She popped the glove compartment open and removed the small revolver there.
The air was stifling as she exited her car as calmly as possible. She looked around as saw no one else in their vicinity. Convenient. Her eyes landed on him. She studied him, really studied him. A solid six feet. Deeply tan skin. All black clothingâthere was a strange material molded to the entirety of his neck, even covering his hands like thin, tight gloves.
But she disregarded his sense of fashion and returned to those red fucking eyes.
He can't take you, so I will.
Now, Renata was shaking with something else. Unhinged rage. Pure hatred. A darkness curled around her heart as she stood by the trunk of her car, directly across from him. Her vision became hazy with the unchecked emotion coursing through her, burning through her. It had eaten at her unrelentlessly. A pretty face wasn't going to change what had been done to her. No, his face made her hate him more.
She raised the gun, aiming right at his head. She was still trembling, but she had steadied more within the last couple of moments.
He tracked every movement, revealing no thoughts, if he had any at all, which she doubted. His brows were set in a stern line, but everything else was placid and controlled. That redness burned with something, something raw, but Renata didn't give a fuck about that, so, she ignored it.
Her voice was cold, giving steel a run for its money. "You've got six seconds, each second for every bullet I will empty into your head."
He nodded. "I believe you." Each word was produced in level measure. The voice she had played on repeat was harsh, erratic, that of a demon, not this. Seeing him like this, acting as though he wasn't capable of atrocious violence, made Renata sick, delirious.
"Five." She was tempted to start pulling the trigger anyway.
"I can help you try to understand why you're immortal."
Renata paused. She hadn't expected him to say anything that would remotely interest her. Even through the thick inferno of her fury, it was unwise to underestimate someone who was intelligent and dangerous, a deadly combination. Even if it was the person she hated most in the world.
She wouldn't hold back in spite of her newfound intrigue. "All I want to do is watch the blood drain from you. I want to catch you off guard in the comfort of your home." Renata never viewed herself as someone who indulged in monologues, but she wasn't anywhere near finished. "Make you feel helpless. Humiliate you. Put the fear of God in you. I want to take a sharp knife and stab you three times. I'll walk away, like I'm strolling in the park. And you'll lay there, in agony, bleeding out until there's nothing left. And you will." She kept the gun aimed at him. There wasn't anything more true to have left her mouth. "That's what you need to understand, first and foremost, you coward."
He continued nodding in a rhythmic, fluid motion. "I do. And while I would give you the opportunity right now, it's just not possible."
Thinking about something beside murdering him proved her hardest task to date. "I suggest you say something else that will convince me to lower my gun. Right now, you're not doing well."
"There is so much you must know. A lot of it can't be said in the middle of a parking garage." He took a step forward but paused as she flinched in reaction. "You're not going to believe me, but I want to help you."
Renata laughed. She was beginning to doubt her own impulse control. "You know what? Even if you could help me, I don't want it. All I want is for you to die." Renata pulled the trigger.
Considering she had become a regular at the shooting range, the loud bang didn't evoke much reaction from her besides the jolt in her body, most of it flowing through the muscles in her arms. The shot caused her to blink, and the next time her eyelids lifted, he vanished. Renata growled as she noticed the hole in the cement wall a ways away instead of his head. She aimed around her wildlyâa scream off to the distance broke the violent trance she was becoming consumed by. So, the parking garage wasn't completely empty.
When Renata was confident he was nowhere in sight, she scurried back into her car. The door slammed behind her. She was gasping in the quiet. Her pounding heart bounced against the confining walls of her vehicle. Her hands grasped at her head as she put the gun away. While contemplating whether to spiral into a full-on mental breakdown, her focus was snagged on a piece of white piper tucked underneath her windshield wiper.
She retrieved it, reading the message from the guy she just committed attempted murder against:
If you're reading this, it means our reunion didn't go so well. Understandable. Depending how far we got into the conversation, you may or may not realize by now that I am not going anywhere, and that I am not so easy to kill. You've had your year. Your time in the world of humans is done. I'll see you tonight, preferably not your place.
Keone
Renata scowled and took a deep breath. The idea of ripping it to pieces and burning it crossed her mind, but maybe it would prove useful in the future. She stuffed the thing in her pocket, right as her phone buzzed in the other.
Keone.
What did she expect from his looks, Kevin? Yeah, no. Well, 'coward' worked just fine for her.
Renata checked her phone to see a text from the boss. She groaned. That little interaction with her attacker had made her ten minutes late.
So much for helping her!
**********
She sat in the diner. It was past the dinner rush, which meant there were no more than a handful of booths being occupied by hungry customers. Renata nursed a coke, sipping on it every once in a while. The caffeine wasn't doing much in the calming-down-Renata's-haywire-nerves department. Still, she needed her hands occupied after having finished her burger and fries.
The waitress didn't seem to mind the company in this ghost town during these late hours. She checked in every once in a while, less and less as the time dragged on. Renata expected as much, but because the woman didn't rush her, there would be a decent tip left with the bill.
Her phone rang, making her jump. She checked the name and cursed as soon as she saw 'Diamond'. It was Thursday.
Fuck.
Renata was tempted to ignore the call, but Diamond wasn't an annoyance, she was her best friend, even if they weren't exactly on each others' lines these days. She answered and held the device to her ear. "I'm so sorry. I should have put a reminder. It completely slipped my mind."
Diamond sounded so damn sad. "Are you avoiding me?"
It was official, Renata was the worst friend in the history of friends, and she felt like her heart was being squeezed into worthless mush. The guilt trickled into her chest, adding to the mounting pressure within. "No, of course not. It was an honest mistake."
Diamond wasn't anywhere near convinced, and this was all Renata's fault. "It's okay, Ren. You can tell me the truth."
Renata sighed, scratching her eyebrow with her free hand. "I am such an asshole. I'm telling the truth, Diamond. I swear, you're the one person in the world whose company I want if anything."
Diamond inhaled sharply, and Renata felt heat seep into her cheeks. Too much? "Really?" There was a pause before Diamond asked the impossible question. "It doesn't sound like you're home. Where are you?"
Renata was going to hate herself if she lied to her best friend. What other choice did she have? But did she really want to add 'dishonest piece of shit' onto the list of her offenses? "I'm meeting someone."
"You're meeting someone during the time you were supposed to meet me?" And there returned that hurt tone, breaking Renata's heart all over again.
Those red eyes flashed through her thoughts. The sound of the gun going off, echoing in the open air of the parking garage. I'll see you tonight. "A lot happened today, Diamond." That wasn't a lie. "It has to do with that night." Renata knew she didn't have to say anything more.
Her response was quick and concerned. "Are you alright? What happened? Who are you meeting with?"
"I'm okay. It's just..." If she revealed her prior interaction with her attacker in the morning, Diamond was guaranteed to lose her mind. That was without mentioning that Renata was going to meet him that night. She wasn't ready to lay all the cards out on the table with Diamond, not until she at least knew what cards she was dealing with. "This kind of fell into my lap. This person, they might have answers."
"Answers as in why you were attacked...why you survived? Who are you meeting with?"
"I honestly don't know what kind of answers I may get. It's just the possibility of answers right now. I couldn't say no. And... I don't really know who this person is, but I have a feeling they aren't bullshitting me." See? No lying.
Renata could hear shuffling on the other end of the line. "Tell me where you are, I'll meet you."
Renata shook her head. "No, don't worry about me, Diamondâ"
"Did you seriously just say that?"
"I'm in a public place." Renata lowered her voice. "I'm strapped. I can take care of myself. I'll be fine."
Diamond huffed out a heavy breath. "I've got a bad feeling about this, Ren. Just let me come."
Renata straightened as she saw him enter the diner. He moved so calmly, strolling between the tables before stopping by the booth she was settled in. He watched her for a moment before sliding in the seat across from her. A chill flashed through her, and her nerves were officially obliterated from existence.
"Ren? Can you hear me?" Diamond's panicked words broke Renata's trance.
Renata cleared her throat. "Yeah. I'll call you back later."
"They're there, aren't they?"
"I'll call you tonight. I promise." Renata hung up the call not a second later.
Her eyes settled on the form across from her. He filled his side of the booth, intrusive as always. Renata reached into her purse and glided her figures across her weapon that only had five bullets now.
She took in a deep breath and prayed for patience.