Forty

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Derek's house is exorbitant

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Derek's house is exorbitant. A large and fine modern-retro with two floors, painted in classic white, huge colorless windows and a luxurious panel fence adding more to its beauty. It's not a surprise, for he's the son of the richest man in Portland—the first son.

Red and I are somewhere near the driveway leading to Derek's house. We left the car a little farther behind. I'm positive Anne is here, so all I need is put my plan into action. Streetlights don't have dominance over the darkness; we are at advantage on being unnoticed.

"Where are you going?" Red stalks me as I rush to cross the driveway toward the tree park that's opposite to the house. "I swear you're stubborn." He knows I'm not gonna give up on this.

"We can still see even if we stay in the dark, can't we?" I ask him. We're already hiding beneath a giant tree, the scent of fresh leaves and grass wafting my nose. Smooth breeze reverberates as I add, "I mean, I can watch from here?"

"Yeah, you can. We'll just use the night vision. Let me." He takes the binoculars from my hand. I sigh heavily, impatience taking a toll on my curiosity. "I don't know why you're so interested in your friend's personal affair," he blurts while adjusting the things only he understands.

"I know you're not that stupid; you're just pretending to be," I mutter, my eyes on the house that we can clearly see its exterior from here. The lights on the first floor are on, but the upper one looks dark.

They're downstairs.

"And I think—" I pause when Red's arms encircle my neck, a sudden shift of our decent stance from two steps away to zero distance. His body towers over mine, and I'm suddenly like a mouse in a trap.

"Here. If you need to magnify, you just rotate this thing here and . . ." He's demonstrating for me to see, standing behind me. I gulp, trying so hard to ignore the touch of his chest muscles against my back. "And I think the light is fine; you won't have problems."

I say nothing. His warm breath caresses my neck, and I find it hard to focus. When he casually steps aside, oxygen finds its way back in my lungs. Damn! I don't understand how he gives me these reactions whenever he's closer. Is he doing it on purpose? I sigh again.

I follow Red's instructions with binoculars on my face. Slowly the inside of Derek's house comes closer through the vast front window overlooking this side. It's foggy, and the images are disintegrating as I try to find the focus on them.

Red moves close again as he asks, "Do you get it?"

"Um . . ." I close my right eye, and a large kitchen streams into view, followed by the dining room as I move the gadget rightward. "Got it!" I say placidly, the eyecups perfectly level with my eyes.

My target is the living room, and soon I capture the sight of it. I narrow my eyes into more focus, and at last I see a man in white shirt and black or blue pants. His favorable height, copper hair, and fit physique suggest that he's indeed Derek Kingston.

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