The Devil's Mark (Book 1)

Chapter Thirty Nine: Stalker

Lucifer

The smell of exhaust fumes lingered in my nose as I watched Jason get into the backseat of a taxi and drive away. I sighed heavily as I kicked at the gravel and stared at the three-digit number on the trunk. A few minutes passed before I got into my car and decided to follow him. Like hell I was going to stay away while he went off into the city by himself. I managed to stay three cars back as I drove down the expressway. Jason was more hurt than I'd ever seen him, the sudden death of his parents had taken its toll and like the rest of the world, he needed his space.

Twenty minutes later I watched as the taxi parked next to a curb in front of the Chicago museum of science and industry. The door opened as Jason stepped out and handed the driver some money before walking up the steps. "Come on, baby," I whispered. "Let me see you." My heart roared in my chest like thunder as Jason reached the top of the landing and turned his gaze toward the parking lot. I parked in the back behind a black Chevy Tahoe as I thought about how I was going to enter the building undetected. The roof sounded like a good entry point but it was the service entrance that I liked better.

I walked through the maze of cars as I took the long way around to the back of the museum where I noticed an employee dressed in black pants and a white shirt smoking a cigarette. My presence went unnoticed as I walked right past him and slipped through the door. Chefs armed with pots and pans were in the zone as they chopped up various foods that were intended to be served for lunch. A metal tray sat out in the open as I walked past it and took a couple of knives just for protection. I tucked them behind my jacket and into the waistband of my pants by the time I walked out onto the main level of the museum.

Humans walked amongst each other in drones as I stuck to the shadows, my eyes scanning the crowd until I found the one person I was meant to look for, my fiance. His look had changed from casual clothing to high-end fashion while still retaining that old school feel. Dark navy slim fit jeans, knee high boots, a Versace t-shirt and a long black cardigan to complete the overall look. A streak of sunlight shined down on him from the dome ceiling as I smiled at his radiance. His face showed no signs of emotion or change, almost like he was trying to hide it while out in a public setting.

I hated myself for hurting him. And it was going to take some serious forgiveness on my part to make him love me again. A man spending the day with his wife and kids blocked my line of sight as I moved out from behind the column to get a better vantage point. Jason turned left and headed into the Yesterday's Main Street exhibit, a recreation of a Chicago street in the early nineteen hundreds. He walked down the authentic cobblestone street admiring the earliest shops and places of business of that time. I stayed back as far as I could without losing sight of him as I pretended to stare at a window that showcased some vintage clothing.

Turning his sense of direction due east, I followed him from one exhibit to the next as he listened to the tour guides give history lessons about the first flown airplane to America's leading railroad. It was interesting to watch him from afar in a way I never thought was possible. He seemed to walk through life as if it were a book. While the narrative of his own life was already being written. It was up to him to come up with the ending. I just hoped that I was still in it by this point.

Midday rolled around shortly after twelve PM as the activity inside the museum started to wind down for lunch. It was at this time, that my element of surprise was starting to lose its credibility. It was getting harder to maintain this so-called game of hide-and-go-seek as the crowds began to thin and disperse. Nevertheless, I could sense that Jason was looking a little tired as he entered the main hall on the second floor and sat down on a hard wooden bench. I jumped from the floor to the upper balcony that overlooked the entire room including the stairs that went down to the first floor.