Playing Matchmaker

Chapter 5

"Yes, that's her in the camera. Damn! Why isn't she ever facing the camera?!" Luciel was sitting at his computers, searching frantically for the woman who had been here last Friday night. He scoured the cameras all around his place, but in all of them, she was looking down, her waving hair falling into her face. He watched, for the billionth time, as she staggered with him to the door and managed to open it, despite it's ridiculous passcode. She could speak Arabic. He found another camera, although distant, and watched as he stumbled out of a taxi and promptly vomited all over the sidewalk. She had rushed out to care for him, handing the taxi some money and waving him off. Whenever he watched the videos, he felt like someone was squeezing his heart, as his heart tried it's very best to beat hard. The things that had transpired in his room...No! That was not what was important. The only important thing that he could do was find out who she was, and what she saw. Could she have been a spy as well, tasked with recovering information from him? It was very possible. His carelessness must have been too big a mistake to let slide by.
Luciel ground his teeth, smacking his mouse with his thumb as he tried to think of a solution, any solution to find her.

It had been a week of going to the club, every night, and keeping a lookout for the woman with the dark skin and red-gold ombre waving hair. It had been an unsuccessful week of searching for her. Luciel sat in his car, staring at the entrance of the very popular night club. People were still trickling in, one by one. He sat in the dark, his arms folded and his legs planted firmly in nervous worry. "If she doesn't show up again, then it means that she really was after my information. I couldn't find any traces of copying or transferring files from my computer, but I can't assume anything. Please, show up. Show up!"
His phone rang, startling him. He was too on-edge. Exhaling deeply, he looked at who was calling. V.
"Hello, Luciel. Where are you?"
"I'm looking out to find the woman. I'm at Moon's Landing."
"Oh. You're doing ok work-wise, I hope?"
"Yeah. I managed to finish everything I needed to do today. There's no need to worry. How is your trip going?"
"Ah, yes. It's fine so far. I'm sorry I haven't been able to follow up with your predicament. Have you managed to find anything about her from the cameras?"
Luciel shook his head, frustrated. "Nothing. She's always looking away, or down, so I haven't been able to see her face well enough for an ID search. And it was night-time, so the cameras wouldn't catch her well enough."
"You're still keeping it a secret from the agency, I hope?"
"Yes, but if I don't manage to locate her soon, then I'll have no choice but to hand this problem over to them. It's already too late now." Luciel sighed, feeling tired and worn out. He was still kicking himself mentally for making such a ridiculous mistake.
"God...Luciel, I have to go now, but please calm down. Nothing good comes out of panicking, all right?" Luciel shut his eyes, trying to stop the anxious feelings in his belly. "Yeah. Take care, V."
"I will. Bye."
"Bye..." V hung up.
He was alone on this one. There was no one he could tell. There was no way he could let this leak. He had to take care of this quickly and cleanly, or else he would put everyone he knew and loved in danger.

"Oh my God, finally. I can't believe I had to cover some kids for a whole week, urgh." Kiira strode up to the entrance of Moon's Landing, flashing her ID to the buff guy at the front. He nodded, and she nodded, then proceeded to enter. Her heart was beginning to jump with the beat, when she heard thumping footsteps, as if someone was running towards her. They were very quick, and they set a dull, unjustified panic in her belly. She spun around, and saw a guy with red hair sprinting to her. Her blood stopped. It was the guy from the one-night stand.

Kiira didn't bother with the club anymore. She tossed her bag and begun to run down the street. "Wait! Wait!" she heard him call. He was gonna be faster than her, especially because of her royal blue scarpin heels. She stopped for a moment, wrenching them off, and turned round. With all her might, she threw the shoes into his face, then took off across the pedestrian crossing. She sucked in as much air as she could and held it in, running as fast as she could. He was still on her tail, his steps sounding ominously closer with each breath she took. She had to shake him off, somehow. How was she going to do that?! As she ran, she saw a chain-link fence. One that closed off a park. If she could get over there, then she could hide in the bushes or something. Feeling a glimmer of hope, Kiira sprinted to it. She squatted, then jumped high, reaching for the metal bar at the top. She needed to get over the fence in one go, else he would catch her. She couldn't reach the bar, but she grabbed the fence and pulled herself up, throwing her leg over it and hoisting herself up on top of it. "Hey! No, don't! Wait!!" he came to a careless stop, his face twisted in horror. Kiira jumped over, and landed badly. "Fuck!" Had she landed on something that wasn't meant for landing? She didn't quite know, but she knew that it hurt very badly. Her knee was bleeding, and her feet stung with the shock of the landing and the cold floor. But she couldn't stop here. He was already climbing the fence too.

She ran off to the side with a slight limp, as he got over the fence. Why was she running? Did she really steal his data? Grinding his teeth with adrenaline-infused determination, he jumped down, landing on his feet then rolling on the ground. She hurt herself with that jump. Her knee must be busted. Luciel turned , ready to pursue her yet again, but came to a horrified stop. Before him lay a barrier that he hadn't even taken into account. Before him, was a bushy plain, sparsely accented with trees.
She was hiding somewhere in there, and he had no idea where to even start.