Ruthless Devotion

Xavier

Roller doors to the underground parking lazily wind up. Turning the radio down I quickly glance at Eva. Her skin is pale, the dark circles under her eyes show just how exhausted she is. Parking the car, I take a moment to collect myself.

The tips of my fingers tingle from the unbridled rage and I make a note to spend some time in the gym. As quietly as I can I bundle unbuckle Eva and bundle her into my arms. To my surprise she naturally presses her head into my chest.

I feel the ever-present icy grip of guilt chill me to my core. Glancing down I'm struck the beauty of her soft features. Her messy hair covering half her face as she mumbles sleepily. I can't quite make her words as we shuffle into the elevator, and I awkwardly position myself to hit the buttons.

Eva stirs in my grasp once I cross into the apartment. The automatic lights flooding the loungeroom in bright light. Cursing I flick the switch back off and descend the hallway towards one of the guest bedrooms.

Placing her on the bed she rolls over onto her side pressing her face into the pillow with a happy murmur. The sound causes the tightness in my chest to loosen just for a second. Bending down I place a kiss upon her head. For a moment I allow myself to stay there soaking in the spicy scent of her hair. 'I'm so sorry,' I whisper standing back up.

As soon as I shut the door behind me the hot anger makes an expected reappearance. Fishing the phone out of my pocket I dart down the hallway punching at the device. 'Mhm,' the voice on the other end is drowsy by the time it picks up.

'Arrange for Dr. Lee to attend my apartment tomorrow morning, I'll also be putting in an order for some items which I expect before then.' Without waiting for the reply, I end the call immediately punching in another number.

I wait even longer for the second call to pick up. Each second causes my heart rate to spike.

'Not a great time,' the other end spits out. Mason is trying to catch his breath as he talks and is failing miserably. I can just make out the deep rumbles of Gabriels voice and the high-pitched giggle of a woman. 'It's an emergency,' I spit out.

Within the hour I'm restraining myself as I storm into the offices of G&M. Maison looking unimpressed readjusts his crotch clearly perturbed by having to throw on the first pair of pants he found. Gabriel is by a window puffing out smoke acting like a surly teenager which I readily ignore. I will have to make it up to them at some point for ruining their evening.

'I need some footage of a recent install you did for Ivy Residences.' Gabriel pipes up for the first time since I entered, 'well this must be serious then.' Flicking his cigarette out the window he saunters over taking a seat behind a desk and rapidly typing in his credentials.

'It is.'

Mason crowds behind us as we review the footage of the lobby from the afternoon. I feel my eyes burning from how intensely I'm staring at the screen.

'What exactly are we looking for?' Mason mumbles as the screen in front of us flickers figures walking comically fast across the lobby of Ivy Residences. 'Something like that,' I his pointing at a figure. He's facing away from the camera but is wearing bright orange, fluorescent shirt. There's a bag slung over his shoulder which appears to be bursting with tools.

No one pays him any attention as he jabs at the elevator and ascends. Reviewing the footage, we catch the man strolling out onto Eva's floor. Pressing my lips together I watch the screen closer than I've ever watched anything in my entire life, and that includes the 2012 AFL premiership win for the Sydney Swans.

Turning once more away from the camera the man drops his bag and goes to work on the apartment door. He struggles for a moment before finally it gives way. As much as I try, I don't recognise the man, in every shot he's positioned away from the camera. Having already known this was a targeted attack his behaviour unsettles me even more.