Twisted Allegiance

Chapter 2

This isn't easy!

The first thought that occurred to her as she sat in the café sipping on her Banana Split Frappuccino, her perfect cure to hangover, surfing through numerous job hunt websites. The last termination still lingering fresh in her mind. 

It's been a month already Savannah, move on for Lord's sake!

Taking a deep breathe she started counting the number of people around her, describing them. Focusing on things around her rather than on the screen seemed to calm her down. From counting heads infront of her seat in the exam hall, to counting people at the reception desk during her first job interview and then counting the people in front of her in a meeting room and out the door during some of her very last encounters at the company she had used the age old habit for as long as she remembered. 

 Seven, she could see a woman feed her what seemed to be son, she was in doubt due to the lack of resemblance among them. Declaring it wasn't her business she moved on ahead to the next digit, next head, Eight, a broad shouldered man with a blue baseball cap was sitting two tables ahead of her shuffling through papers. University admissions probably?

She remembered her university applications. Sighing at the resemblance to then and now she smiled lightly but frowned at the difference of scenarios and the environment. She was happy back then, finishing a part of her studies, excited to start a new part of her journey but now she was just sad, hiding from her family that she was fired, sitting unemployed, living in her best friend's apartment. She was embarrassed, feeling pathetic at the moment whereas she couldn't have been any more proud all those years ago. 

Focusing back on the screen, engrossed in the repeated letters stating the requirements, the numbers stating the expected salaries and work hours asking her for her qualities. She went on engrossed in looking for the perfect part, maybe even finding her calling who knows. 

"If you are done staring like a creep, speak Kevin," she said not stopping the tapping on the keyboard momentarily looking at the blonde man, with his infamous pout she has found cute for the past seven years now.

"Creep? Me? Nope!" Kevin said popping the p at the end. 

Rolling her eyes at the childish response Savannah decided to discreetly go back to searching for a discreet job. Blind eye Sav, complete blackout! Repeating the same mantra over and over in her head while taking a sip of her drink. The sweetness calming her anxious head.

She seemed to be failing at the simple task of getting a job. Her anxiety reaching peaks as always with even one thing going wrong. Meanwhile a set of blue eyes were following her every moment, the blonde headed man getting concerned over her friend's sudden obsession with the laptop. He was concentrated on her shaky fingers moving across the keyboard as if she was scared of getting caught doing something wrong, hasty movements of her grabbing the cup, taking a sip spilling some on her lips and then biting her lips again furrowing her brows looking at the screen. The process seemed to go on and on in a loop of infinity. 

Amongst his concern for the younger female infront of him he failed to have a realization of what she was trying to do. 

"Are you done fussing over the junk, pancake?" Kevin enquired.

"Fussing? Me? Nope?" Kevin laughed at Savannah's failed attempt at mimicking him.

"How can you be so bad at imitation? You couldn't pop it but ended it as a...as a.. question," He barely got the words out while laughing to the point tears formed in his eyes, breathing hard. People around them stared at the table and Savannah looked down embarrassed regretting her decision of putting her hair up in a ponytail for the lack of them to hide her face from the onlookers.

"It's not even that funny! Tell me why are you here?" She gritted her teeth seeing how Kevin could barely breathe now. She contemplated throwing water at his face to sober him up from the laughing fit or maybe she should throw some salt. What if he is possessed by a demon all of a sudden?  She shook her head off as if the absurd thought would just be thrown off of her hair.

At her question about the reason of his visit Kevin sat up straight, face still red from the hearty fit of laughter he just head and beads of sweat visible over his hairline. 

"Ah yes, I have a job for you."

Savannah's ears perked up at the man's response, amber meeting the deep blue now but she took her eyes off towards her drink reminding herself not to get her hopes up considering Kevin was a prankster. She tried keeping her straight face on but failed miserably. The unnerving curiosity didn't go unnoticed by Kevin. Taking it as his cue to end her inner battles he started to answer.

"Milo wants you to work for him."

Milo.

The name sounded so familiar yet so out of reach for her semi-anxious and utterly conscious mind right now. He was someone she should know. Someone of importance. Someone she should fear maybe? Or someone she should steer clear off of? She was not sure at all. Would it hurt if she forgot?

"Ah yes, you don't know who Milo is! I never told you!"

Glaring at his stupidity she took another sip of her drink almost finishing the remaining in one go. 

"Go on, it still ain't too late. Who is he?" 

"Oh he is my boss, the upper men, the one up there blah blah you get me right? That's all you need to know."

"Ahh nothing more?"

"Nope, I am not allowed to tell you anything except the job description and the boss' name as of now." He informed her of the condition seemingly ridiculous to her popping the p to nope again making Sav think twice about being friends with the hunk of a child sitting right across from her. 

"What kind of absurdity is that? If I am supposed to work for him should not I atleast know who he is? What if he is some sort of a mafia leader?"

"Come on," he groaned "I only said I cannot tell any detail to you right now not that I am gonna throw you right into Lucifer's fire, Tom Ellis did a great job in that one by the way just so you know." Finishing off with the shrug of his shoulder. This time Savannah reached over leaning her body on her laptop to hit him smack on his arm only for her to wince hitting his muscular shoulders.

" Why the hell do you need to be built like a rock?"

"It's called muscles honey, besides all part of the job, reminding me," He seemed to remember again he was supposed to tell her the job description," The job is for you to fish out the bad putting them in place wherever they belong be it in the gutter or the ocean trenches, Milo's words not mine." He ended with a look of innocence getting up from the seat taking the unfinished drink from Savannah and finishing it in one go.

"Hey! Atleast give me more on what am I supposed to do instead of talking in riddles like we are in a fairy-"

"Sorry buds I gotta go," his voice echoed across the café while he waved his phone screen flashing violently with the name 'Boss', "I'll come back soon to hear your answer, hopefully it will be in affirmation. Adios!" 

And that was it she saw his waving hand disappearing as he turned around putting the phone on his ear and disappearing on the busy street. The laptop infront of her forgotten. Thoughts to what the job might be swirling in her head.

If I agree would he make me do a con job? A prostitute? A seductress? Would Milo make me fool people deliberately? Will I still be respected enough to show my face in family gatherings?

Ridiculous thoughts occurred in her brain a mile a minute. Milo sounded like a pimp's name to her after all. Her thoughts ranged from what he looked like to how he behaved. Clearly, it was not only the job and it's description that kept her on the edge of the seat. Something in her gut told her it was going to be one hell of a ride from here on and somehow she did not trust herself enough to stick to the seat. 

*

Word count: 1432