"I'll break down your walls one by one and sneak into the gates of your icy heart before crushing it into tiny pieces." He murmurs mercilessly as his lips lightly brush my ear, the contact eliciting an indescribable sensation through every inch of m...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Similar to our time spent in San Francisco, Ludovic and I vagabond through the streets of downtown Seattle later in the evening with one mutual target in mind.
Cole Landford.
At the beginning of our search, Ludovic and I agreed to split up to increase our chances of finding him.
We scout out any public places we can find, starting with supermarkets, the public park, and restaurants. What started as a search turns into a game of hide-and-seek that lasts for hours with no end in sight.
For safety measures, security guards have been tailing my every move.
To foster efficiency, Cohen can also access each of our separate locations through a GPS tracker app.
"Still haven't spotted him?" Ludovic's urgent voice vibrates through my wireless earphones.
"No luck, man," Cohen responds through our three-way phone call.
At this point, I could seem like a nutcase to bystanders based on my endless sprints through supermarkets, scouting out every aisle, in the hopes of finding Landford.
"I don't see any sign of him at the mall either," Ludovic confirms, his tone utterly frustrated.
Our search continues for another what seems like an eternity.
At least that's what I was expecting until an hour later.
"Suspect has been spotted through an IP camera." Cohen reports, "He's headed north."
"Can you be more specific?" Ludovic demands in impatience.
Another round of silence ensues before Cohen confirms, "I think the suspect is headed near the Fiesta pub."
Realization dawns on me.
"I was there 30 minutes ago," I report in urgency, "I'm ten minutes away."
"I'm sprinting there," Ludovic's voice is erratic, followed by the sound of rushed steps.
On cue, I sprint as fast as I can down the congested street, bumping shoulders with bystanders every now and then.
Every second counts.
By the time I arrive at the designated location, I need a second to catch my breath.
Pressing my palms against my knees, I crouch down to pant.
A minute barely passes before Ludovic appears in my peripheral vision.
Once he takes an abrupt turn next to me, we don't have time to talk. In synergy, we bolt towards the bar's entrance.
The room is packed as expected for a Saturday night. Chitter-chatters and laughter dominate the background sound.
With so many people in the bar, it's challenging to spot Landford.
