“Liam. I’m up.” i whispered.
Liam opened his eyes slowly. His arms were wrapped around me tight. The sun had already peaked and I needed out to track down Zacko. Liam came to and let me go.
“Sorry.” he said, his British accent tight.
I got out and grabbed some clothes. I changed and got out of the bathroom. Liam was sitting on the edge of the bed. He rubbed his face with his hands.
“You okay?” I asked.
“Tired. Before you go, I got to give you something.”
He got up and I followed him to his little office next to the back doors. It’s not really an office, more like a section of the room he’s claimed. He handed me an earbud.
“Put this in your ear. We can communicate through this. It’s like a phone and microphone all in one. You can only hear. Well, if you want to talk you can but people would think you were talking to yourself. Make sure to keep your hair over it. There could be vultures on the roof.”
“Thanks.”
I looked up at him and smiled. his eyes softened and he looked sad.
“Oh, Liam. Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.” I said.
I hugged him and his bare chest was pressed against my shirt, tight. his voice was raspy.
“I worry about you, though.” he whispered.
Pulling away, our eyes met. He was serious. All I could do was hug him again and reassure him.
“I gotta go, bud. You’re tracking me and are able to talk. It’s okay.” I said, walking towards the door.
Before shutting the door, I looked at him and smiled. The door closed behind me and I made my way down the rocky shortcut to downtown London.
**************************************
“You there?” Liam said through the earpiece.
“Yeah. I’m about to go public. Don’t say anything funny unless you want our cover blown. Me laughing to myself would be weird…”
“Oh, alright. Go.”
My hands pushed some bushes away and I stepped out. The sun beamed on me and I could hear the hustling and bustling of cars and people a street over. I made my way.
“Okay so, Zacko Wager. Six foot, four. In his mid twenties. Black hair and brown eyes. He has been arrested for trafficing but later escaped jail. This guy’s insane.”
Moment of silence.
“Oh, and by the way, you look beautiful from up here. And when you sleep. Just saying…sorry.”
“Really? You’re just saying that…gotta go. Tell me why later.”
All the descriptions filled my head. Images ran rampid of making up a face. I turned my head towards the building I passed by.
“Any specific place he’s popular at?” I said.
It was quiet over the earpiece. I finally made it to the busy street. My eyes scanned the rooftop. No one. That doesn’t mean people could hide behind windows. People bumped into me occasionally.
“Try the bar strip. The street filled with bar after bar. I know it’s early but London can hold some drinkers…what a sick man. He also likes the hotel down the street. It’s got a bar and nightclub. Stay hidden.”
I coughed in understanding. A double decker stopped right next to me and I hopped on it. I’d hate to walk three blocks. I got on and sat down on a bench, facing a crowd. A piece of hair fell in my face and in instinct, I pushed it beind my ear. Stopped. I brushed it upward, hiding the earpiece.
Normally, I hate taking the bus because of people. Crowds are a no-no. A baby started crying. I don’t mind them though. It’s natural for that to happen. People are stupid by choice all the time. In mid thought, the bus stopped. After I got off, I looked around. Then, I saw him. Definately him. He was on the same bus. The most ugly man I’ve ever seen. Young, but not attractive. I followed him.
“You doing okay?” Liam said.
It scared me and I almost jumped out of my skin. I coughed once again. Zacko didn’t go into any bar but the hotel. We walked in and the place was ornate. Really pretty and almost too fancy just for a hotel lobby. This place was known for American girls. He sat down right next to the open bar on a couch. I took a seat at the bar.
“What’ll it be?” the blonde bar guy asked.
“You pick.” I smiled, naturally.
Zacko started talking.
“Yeah, the Wharf right? Alright…eight it’ll be..can-“
“Here ya go miss. Straight from the cooler. And uhh, it’ll be three seventy five.” The barsman said.
“I got it.” A voice said.
Turning, I almost lost my balance. Zacko. My stomach churned and I almost lost the beer I just had. He flashed an eerie smile and sat next to me.
“What’s the name Miss?” he said.
“Lucy.” I lied with a smile.
“Well, uhh, you seem like a girl who likes to party. I know a few people who are gonna be down at the dock tonight. Want to come?”
“I don’t know…I don’t quite know you…” I said.
Zacko nodded. Liam said the words that frightened me.
“John said to go under. Be there tonight. We both have to. He doesn’t want to do it bu-” Liam shuttered.
“You sure? You’d have a lot of fun.” He egged on.
“Actually, yeah. I have to go but I’ll meet you there. Name?”
“Zack. See ya there, Lucy.”
Zacko smiled and made his way out. The beer was still in my hand and I looked for the bartender. No where.
“I think you need to come back now. That was too close for comfort.” Liam said.
His voice wasn’t stable. I kept my emotions down and act like nothing happened. As I got off the stool, the man sitting across from me flipped the newspaper upwards to cover his face. I felt so alone. Casually, I walked out and down the street. That presence never left me and I felt like I was being watched. No bus was in sight so I walked fast, blending in with the crowd.
“I don’t feel safe, Liam.” I said, looking down.
He didn’t reply and then I heard some metal. A gun was cocked.
“Get into sight. I’ve got the sniper gun out. Run if you have to. I know you’re not scared, it’s just that feeling of something out of place.”
Jogger. Pretend to be a jogger. I jogged all the way into Liam’s sight. People were bumped into. Like I cared. I found the bush entrance and ran all the way up the hill, pulling out my pocket knife for safety.
