In The Midst of Trouble

Chapter 3

Third person's P.O.V
 
The SUV pulled up to the parking lot of a very large looking shopping center. Lewis jumped out of the vehicle after the engine had been killed and opened Genevieve's door. Just as her feet landed on the tarmac, her phone began to ring. The caller ID showed that it was Jack.
 
"Hey," she said and shielded her eyes from the unrelenting sunlight. It was already well after ten am. There were so many cars parked in the lot, clearly it was a very popular spot.
 
"Have you left the house?" Jack asked, and she rolled her eyes. Of course, he knew she had left the house. He was just trying to play dumb.
 
"Yes, I'm at this huge complex about half an hour from the house."
 
"How long do you plan to be there for?"
 
She sighed. "As long as I need to, Jack. Since when have you been keeping tabs on me? I'm not a dog that's at the end of a leash. I'm your wife," she snapped, becoming irritated. As usual, he chuckled and brushed off the snide remark.
 
"Okay, I'm sorry. Just stay with Perez and Lewis, alright love? It's-"
 
"For my safety, I know. I'll see you at home. Bye," she cut him off and then ended the call. Genevieve began to walk towards the entrance, with the two bodyguards on either side of her. With each step, they were checking everyone who passed by them, and she was finding it very weird.
 
First, she stopped at some random make-up store, where she was just randomly browsing the items. People were giving her weird looks, probably because of the huge men that were following her around. Settling for a couple of tubes of lipstick, eyeliner, and some mascara, she went to the cashier and made her purchases. When the cashier was about to give her the bag of items, Lewis took it and held it.
 
"We will carry your stuff for you," he said coolly, and she scoffed. So, what was she now, some princess who couldn't carry her own things? Choosing not to waste oxygen by arguing, she huffed and then left the shop.
 
This pretty much went on for the next hour or so. Every store she went into, she'd look through the goods, receive inquisitive glances from the fellow shoppers and employees due Perez and Lewis, she'd buy stuff and they'd carry her bags.
 
Having had just about enough from them, she stopped walking. "I need to use the bathroom," she said, and they both nodded. She found the nearest restroom and went in, knowing they definitely wouldn't follow her in. Genevieve ran her hand through her hair in frustration. She was feeling overwhelmed and trapped. Why was her life becoming difficult with each passing moment?
 
An idea popped into her head. At the corner of the room, there was a window. It was big enough for her to get through. It sounded insane but she was willing to give it a try. It was going to be hard to get up to it, but if she climbed onto the counter, she could reach over and jump out of the window. First, she threw her bag over the window. Then she climbed onto the counter, leaped and easily sailed past the small opening and landed on the grass outside. Luckily, they were still on the ground level of the mall, otherwise she might have broken her neck in the process.
 
Barely scrapped, Genevieve rose to her feet and dusted herself off. Nobody was around to have seen her showcase of her acrobatic skills, and she was immensely grateful for that. She picked up her bag and then ran from the buildings back, past the street where she hailed a cab. She was probably going to get into trouble over this, but she didn't care.
 
In the back seat, Genevieve decided to switch off her phone. She knew very well that as soon as the guards noticed her disappearance, they'd notify Jack and he'd call. All she wanted was a day to herself. It had been such a long time since she'd been out in the city alone.
 
"Where to miss," the cab driver asked. Where could she go? She was still very new to the city of Houston. Maybe this was her opportunity to take some of it in.
 
"I'm new around here. Maybe you could show me around?"
 
'Well," he began hesitantly, "this is a very big city. I don't think we can see it all at once, but I guess I could show you the major attractions. But it might get expensive," he warned but in a friendly tone.
 
She reassured him that it was no problem, so he obliged. For the next three hours she took in the sights. There were some skyscrapers, business offices, racecourses, clubs, themed restaurants, even more malls, quaint shops and a whole lot of cowboy hats. Houston was indeed wonderful, but she couldn't help but miss home. This would never be her home, not by a long shot.
 
Her tummy began to rumble. She asked the driver to turn back and take her to one of the restaurants they'd passed by earlier. It was a neat luncheonette that specialized in Mexican food. Never having tried Mexican food before, she paid the cab driver and went into the food establishment. Its name was Flavio's Tacos. There were few people inside, so it was not long before she'd chosen today's special and sat at a booth to eat.
 
It took her thirty minutes to finish her food. It was a delightful meal, bursting with flavor. Mexican cuisine was decidedly her favorite now. Genevieve left the place and began to stroll the sidewalk. She powered on her phone to check the time. It was already three pm and she had fifty calls from Jack. Fifty calls!
 
"I'm definitely toast," she sighed and then dialed his cell. He didn't even greet her but just got right to the point.
 
"Where the hell have you been? Perez and Lewis told me you escaped from them. Do you know how stupid what you did was? You can't be off on your own for goodness' sake! It's not safe out there!" he yelled and her in one breath.
 
She gulped. "I-I'm sorry Jack, I just wanted to be alone," she replied lowly, continuing to walk down the pavement.
 
"Where are you?" he asked, tone clipped and furious.
 
She looked around her and saw the name of the street she was in. She told him. "What the hell are you doing all the way over there? You know what, stay put. I'm sending my men to come and get you," with that he ended the call.
 
Her hands were practically shaking at this point. She had never heard him this angry before. Her head was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't see the person in front of her until she bumped into them.
 
"I'm sorry," she apologized. The stranger looked at her. It was a man dressed in formal clothes plus a huge khaki trench coat, probably Hispanic and in his late forties. His eyes were green but frosty, and he somehow looked familiar. Could it be that she had seen him somewhere before?
 
"It's okay, senorita. Mistakes happen," he responded in a heavy Spanish accent which caught her by surprise. So, he was indeed Hispanic. "You seem lost. Are you new around here?" he asked politely, with a small smile. There was something not right about this man.
 
"Y-yeah, I was just looking around, but my ride is coming soon," she answered shakily. The hairs on her head stood. The way he was looking it her sent shivers down her spine, like he was undressing her soul.
 
He nodded. "Okay then. I'll leave you alone. I'm sure I'll see you around somewhere, senorita. Ciao," he said but it sounded somewhat more of a promise than a simple statement. With that, he left and disappeared around the corner.
 
About an hour and a half later, three black Lamborghini SUVs pulled up to the sidewalk she had been standing at. She hadn't dared to move from there because that creepy man left an unsettling feeling in her heart. Out of one of the cars Lewis and Perez emerged, looking ever so annoyed. Lewis opened the back door for her with a look of disdain on his face, whilst Perez looked past her.
 
"I'm sorry guys," Genevieve mumbled lowly as she got into the car. Perez finally turned to her, his face hard and lips thinned.
 
"Let's just hope the boss won't kill us for this," he replied curtly, and Lewis closed the door behind her.
 
When she got home, she had a feeling that it was not going to end well.