Eureka

10

Thankfully, Landon hadn't pressed more into my sudden and random road trip that landed me stranded on the side of the road. I didn't give him much to go on, and he didn't ask further. Small blessings, really.

I'm sure it is just a matter of time before Millie will ask me about how I came to be here. Maybe it will do me some good to talk about it with someone. I could always call someone from The Family. My mind wanders to briefly catalogue my friends from The Family and debate on who would be the best to reach out to before deciding that would be a terrible idea. 

I already have to tell Victor, and I feel like he will already want to ask a ton of questions. I can already hear his judgmental voice now. Plus, I don't want the rest of the crew gossiping around and airing out my dirty laundry, so to speak.

I finally pull myself out of the much needed shower and tug my clothes on. 

Thinking of Victor reminds me...

I grab my laptop out of my bag and quickly send my change of location to Victor, since he's my handler and all. Then I check the job boards to see what, if anything, is up for grabs. I'll need to get back to it soon now that I've halfway figured out things here. For the moment, anyway. It may not work out, but I do like how Eureka feels compared to other places I've gone through.

I thank the universe that my name is not listed as a target, because that would suck. I'm also not specifically requested for a job at the moment which is a weird blend of good and bad. While I do like when I'm requested for a hit, I need to be a little more settled in before I can do that. Those tend to take more planning and time. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy when my specific skills are wanted or needed. I'll have to wait a bit, it seems.

I'll be able to better be available for those in a week or so, tops. I also need to figure out my ride situation so I can get to the airport and all that. Maybe Victor can help me with that, too. I shut down my laptop before stowing it back into my bag before stuffing my duffel under the bed.

I glance at my phone to check the time and see that I have 14 missed calls from Bradley and a whole slew of messages from him. There are 4 missed calls from Portia as well as a few photos showing some very compromising situations between her and Bradley. I cringe at the sight and save those images for later. I'm sure Bradley isn't aware they were taken. 

I find that I have to pause to think of the level absolute stupidity that one must be to send incriminating and very private photos to a scorned friend and/or lover. Portia's need to come out as the winner in this apparent battle for the stupid piece of man meat known as Bradley is... something else. 

But oh, the damage I could do.

Moving on, I see all of the calls from my old bar, so I go ahead and call them back to inform them that I will not be returning. 

After hanging up, I take a deep, cleansing breath and read through some of the messages from Bradley. I roll my eyes at them feeling frustrated that he would think his empty words would win me back. I doubt there is a single person on earth who would be stupid enough to fall for anything he says. A master manipulator, he is not. 

I don't bother listening to the voicemails they left for me. If I get bored later, maybe I'll listen for a good laugh, but I set my phone aside for the time being.

My mind wanders to my car situation again. I grumble at the thought of my traitorous Kermit dying on me like she did. I'm just going to hold onto the hope that she can be fixed up. I can afford a new car easily, but she was the first car I bought when I left the agency's mansion to become a nomad member. It's a sentimental thing. Even though she was an unusual green color, she surprisingly blended into most environments for a stake outs. It seems that no one will ever suspect someone who drives a 2001 Ford Focus. She's my ugly baby and I'm praying she'll be good to go soon.

I double check my appearance. Today I decided against arming up with a firearm, this town seems pretty vanilla so far so I doubt I'll even need the blade tucked in my boot. Better safe than sorry, though. As I exited the room I nearly ran over Landon in my rush to get out. Thankfully, he moved just in time to dodge me.

"I'm so sorry," I say as I recover from my life flashing before my eyes. My face starts heating up with embarrassment.

He chuckles and says, "It's fine, Scarlett. No harm done." He stands there with his hand on my biceps. Neither of us say anything. I clear my throat uncomfortably.

Giving him a small smile that probably came out as more of a grimace, I side stepped him in the hallway forcing his hands to fall from their place on my arms. I take my phone out of my small satchel as I walk downstairs. Shaking off the awkwardness of that interaction, I try to focus on my task of getting to work.

I have no idea how I'm going to get to the bar now that I'm thinking about it. Does this town even have any Uber drivers? I don't have Carson's phone number and I don't want to go back up and talk to Landon again. I could probably ask Millie, but I'd hate to take advantage of her hospitality further. Maybe I can find a place to get a rental if Kermit is going to take a while to fix. I type the bar name into my phone so I can get a good guess on how long it would take me to just walk.

I'm pleasantly surprised to see that it is not nearly as long a walk as I thought. It should only take me about 15 minutes. Huh. I felt like the drive was way longer earlier, but it may just be because I'm not familiar with the town just yet. I walk into the kitchen to find Millie sitting there on her laptop at the counter.

"I'm headed out! I'll be back around 2:30 or 3, so don't wait up," I say as I grab a water bottle out of the refrigerator.

"I hope you have a great official first day, honey! Have fun and make good choices," She says with a grin, "And try to come back home tonight! I'd love to get your opinion on how it was to actually stay in the room." I chuckle and wave as I walk out of the kitchen and through the front door.

The map on my phone directs me to The Bar and Grill. I chuckle at the name again. With as reserved as he is, it makes sense that he wouldn't choose something with more flair or personality.

I get a better look at the town as I walk through the narrow streets. Most of the people here are probably older retirees. Judging by some of the décor on many of the houses, it looks like there may be a bunch of hippies living here too. I smile to myself as I take in one of the older homes that sits overlooking the town. The road winds down at a steep incline and the homes that litter the side of the road begin to turn into stone buildings holding cute shops and cafes. A sense of peace washes over me as I continue on my trek to work.