THE ESCORT

THIRTY SIX | WHAT THE HELL?

⚠️️CONTENT WARNING⚠️

Blood, multiple deaths, gun violence, gruesome description. Please, proceed with caution. And prepare to be shocked. That's all I have to say.

❎

The conservatory was empty.

Elodie did one last lap through the space, walking slowly so as to not alert the other occupants. Sharp eyes sought anyone who looked out of place or who was watching her.

Two women strolled about leisurely, hand in hand, chatting as they went. A man carrying a baby strapped to his front also walked beside a woman with fiery hair holding a child of about two years; neither of them were  talking. No one else could be seen.

She finally found a bench and parked herself on it. After fishing her phone from the pocket of her jeans, she powered it on.

6:05 p.m.

There was no message waiting for her, either. So, it was either this person was running late or had decided not to show up at all.

Deciding to wait for twenty-five minutes, she placed the phone beside her, taking a deep breath and letting her muscles relax.

Angelo had gone out a few minutes after they'd returned from the club, saying he had business to attend to when she had asked where he was going off to.

Elodie slept then, wanting to build up her energy, plus she was also exhausted from their activities last night. By the time she woke up, Hana had lunch waiting for her. She'd refreshed, taken her meal, and called Jean. She'd even seen Mace after they'd both gossiped and talked about any and everything.

She'd also taken care to drop a message to Boss and Sophia, assuring them that she was still alive and doing well.

It was then she also realized that she had just one more week to spend with Angelo. And yet...she had nothing significant to offer Brooks just yet. She imagined that the man wouldn't take too kindly to her turning up empty handed after she'd promised to get him something.

Maybe she could work out something with this person.

A movement from her peripheral had her sitting up and turning her head to the right. It was just the fiery haired woman chasing a toddler who was laughing merrily, cheeks red.

Sighing again, Elodie's gaze fell to her thighs. She had opted to wear dark washed jeans and a black t-shirt. Her dark bucket hat was pulled low on her head to shield her face from any onlooker.

The white sneakers seemed reasonable that the kitten heels she'd wanted to wear before; there was no telling if she needed to get away from this person fast. Heels weren't sensible for running.

Since she hadn't recieved a message from Hana just yet, it meant the other woman hadn't noted her absence just yet. Which was good. She didn't trust the other woman not to tell Angelo about her whereabouts if he called to ask. There was also the fact that she'd have dissuaded Elodie from meeting this person.

Her phone vibrated with an incoming message on the bench. Elodie dove for it with anxious fingers, swiping her fingers across its screen until she was in the message app.

Unknown: The conservatory
is too enclosed.
Let's meet at the Roy Square.
Getting there should take
you about forty minutes.
Don't be late.

Me: Okay.

It wasn't wise of her, agreeing to meet a stranger in an unfamiliar space, that was, but anything sounded better at the moment that Storm finding out her deception.