The Illusion of Danger

Chapter 20

Mordecai found himself very lucky to have been able to move as quickly as he did.
Asa, of course, tried to convince him that he would tell Nico and Serafine to steer clear of his residence, but the tuxedo knew that wasn't going to cut it. Those two would still come up with some ridiculous excuses to show up time and time again.

It was fortunate that Mordecai didn't have many personal items. Every apartment that Asa provided usually would come fully furnished unless of course it was requested otherwise, so there was no furniture to be relocated.

Swiftly packing all of his clothes and gathering all of his belongings, Mordecai left the apartment through the front door, locking up behind him. Asa offered to drive him to the new location considering it was a bit of a distance. It wasn't often that the black and white cat drove, so the offer was appreciated.

"Is that all you own?"
The large man asked as Mordecai put his few cases in the back of the vehicle.

"Yes."
The tuxedo replied simply as he climbed into the front seat.
"I thought you would have known that I travel lightly."

"I didn't think it was that light."
Asa chuckled and shook his head before taking off in the direction of the new apartment.
"Now, this place is a little out of the way and will take you a little longer to get to the Maribel."

Mordecai nodded and kept his eyes forward.
"Yes, I'm well aware. I know of the area it's in."

"And it's a fair bit bigger than that other place."

"I will work with what you give me. I appreciate the immediate action that has been taken in this case. Those two have been nothing but trouble."
The black and white cat stated.

"Mhm, so you've said. I thought for sure you would have been up that early this morning though. You seem to be the kind that wakes up at the crack of dawn every morning."
Asa hummed, glancing across at the tuxedo.

"If I didn't have a schedule like the one I have now, I would. I had gotten to bed late and would have liked to have slept in."

"You've mentioned that already, mhm."

Mordecai's brows furrowed and glanced across at the larger man from the corner of his eye.
"I'm going to have to ask you not to give my address out again under any circumstances. It's safe to assume there will be a telephone available in my new living space, therefore, you'll be able to reach me with that. Obviously, if I am not in, you will not be met with an answer. I'm sure you understand how telephones work, yes?"

Asa's brows raised and glanced at the tuxedo again.
"Of course. You have my word, I won't give anything out. I can't promise that those two won't figure it out eventually though. They're smart." 

"I'm aware, however, should they turn up again, I will be relocating. You know that I like to have my privacy. If push comes to shove, I will find my own living quarters out of your parameters."

"By all means, you know you're welcome to do that. I don't have you on a leash or anything. Outside of work, you know that you're welcome to do anything you darn well want."
Asa replied, watching the streets closely now as they approached their final destination.

Mordecai simply nodded and fell silent for the remainder of the journey so that Asa wouldn't miss a turn or pass the building. It wasn't far, only another five minutes or so when they pulled off to the side of the road.

"A few things about this place, kid."
Asa began, fishing the key out of his pocket.
"It's bigger than the other place, there are no tenants below you so you can stomp around to your heart's content, everything is already set up for you, and everything is to your cleanliness standards. I had someone in today to make sure everything was cleaned up and in order for you."