Blurred To Indigo

3: After Midnight

Madeline returned home a few days later. It was only a short time away from everything going on with Red, and whilst he and the team assigned to him worked to find a prestigious killer, she set in motion the plans for the job he had assigned her to. She was able to take a step away from them all without rousing any suspicion, that her job as a doctor required her to have permission to actually leave Red's side, and she vehemently refused any special treatment or to be babysat like Red was currently being. She had to remind them that whilst yes, she knew Red, it didn't mean that she was dangerous like him, too, which had only seemed to make Red smirk from his seat. She didn't need a chaperone; she wasn't a threat.

And with that, she was let go. Despite their promise to not chaperone her, she was still cautious on her way home. She walked mostly, feeling the cold bitter day more after being confined in a conveniently warm hotel room for the past few days. She could feel their eyes on her up until she turned down a road, then hiding down an alleyway until they passed her, she went the other way and headed back to her apartment.

A quaint little apartment above a coffee shop, she almost raced up the endless stairs with such energy that it surprised her. She opened the door and shut it again in a swift motion, locking it behind her before looking through the peephole. No movement, nothing. She was grateful that her quick thinking of hiding down an alleyway and behind a smelly bin had made them lose her. She had three days before she was expected back at the hotel with Red, she didn't have time to waste. She packed a bag quickly, throwing in only the necessities she needed.

Red had told her his jet would leave at noon, and looking at her watch now, she saw it was 11:15. Dembe would meet her outside her apartment in a black SUV in less than five minutes and they would travel to the airport. She moved fast, instinct kicking in. She pulled out the trunk underneath her bed and opened it, her gut sinking as her eyes moved across the multiple wigs she kept in there, all of them having played a part in her life as an assassin. The multiple identities she'd adopted and become, the lives she'd infiltrated and destroyed, the lies she weaved, the hurt she caused.

Her skin prickled with unease. And here she was again, dipping her toe back into the dark water, unaware of how deep the depth truly was this time. It was the one thing she promised she would never do again, promised herself that she would always do good things from the moment she escaped that life. But one thing she didn't have last time was waiting to pull her from the water before it completely engulfed her. It had destroyed her, completely tore her down, made her a shell of her former self and she'd had to rebuild her life brick by brick. And he had found her, stumbling upon her when she needed saving herself and being pulled from the wreckage.

Grabbing her bag and heading out the door, she took the opportunity to look back at the apartment. Everything in there had been something she'd fought hard to save, to protect from the darkness that never strayed too far from her. She'd fought tooth and nail to have a normal life, to never get lost in the whirlwind of that life again. She wondered if she would return home the same person as the one leaving. She promised herself that it wouldn't change her. She wouldn't let that happen.

..

Dembe was already waiting outside for her, parked on a side street to remain inconspicuous and away from prying eyes. He knew all too well that his departure, similar to Madeline's, would raise suspicion and he kept his attention on the black SUV similar to his own had been following him since he left the hotel. He thought he was going to be late picking her up, with the amount of wrong turns he decided to take. Red's orders were clear: get her to the jet without them knowing.

"Ah, Miss Madeline," he smiled when he opened the door for her. She looked rushed, pale from nerves. She offered him a smile in response and it was only when she was inside the vehicle, safe and hidden from view that she relaxed.