One Shot (Ruby Rose/Adele fan fic)

FIVE

Walking barefoot I make my routine check of doors and windows. It's past midnight, the lights of my neighbours are off and everything is quiet. Finally, I switch on the alarm and go upstairs, I hesitate for a while in front of Chris door listening... nothing, she ought to be sound asleep by now. "Poor girl," I think for the umpteenth time today. I get into my bedroom and undress without turning on the light, I can see well in the dark and the moon is almost full. I collapse on my bed after checking that I have a loaded gun in the nightstand drawer and one of my knives under the mattress at hand, just in case. Finally, I'm able to do a mental review of today's events.

We arrived late to Malibu, it was dark when I finally parked my car in the garage and I invited Chris in. I took her bag to the guest room and I showed her the bathroom where she could have a shower while I put clean sheets on her bed. When she got out she had wet hair, wore an oversize T-shirt and shorts and was barefoot. I was doing my best to be polite and don't ogle her so I asked if she wanted something for dinner or maybe a painkiller for her headache. She shook her head silently and just crawled wearily into bed, she must be exhausted because I barely had time to get out of the room and close the door and she was already asleep. To be honest I needed my rest too but before I had to make my rounds.

My uncle's beach house is one of the eldest in this area but it's very well preserved: the outside of the house is made of wood in a light blue shade with white doors and windows, it's a two-story house and it's built on stilts on the beach sand, there're white balconies on booth floors and a set of stairs lead to the seashore. During the storms, the sea waves splash your face if you're sitting on the broad upper terrace where the barbecue is. My neighbours have been restoring their houses turning them into modern big glass boxes, with steel railings and plenty of little terraces and rooftops that any asshole could climb to sneak in and rob grandma's jewels. My house is flooded with daylight thanks to the French doors but the frames are strong and the windows have diaphanous white curtains that protect the interior against prying eyes while letting light through.

Actually, my house is more than meets the eye: the front door and the garage door are made with a hidden steel reinforcement, an alarm and some security cameras control the perimeter, outside lights are strong and bright and are lit automatically when someone steps on the terraces, windows have bulletproof glass and all the house doors and windows have security locks. I can't say it's like Fort Knox but it certainly is the safest house of this neighbourhood and would make difficult for any intruder to sneak in. In addition to this, I have a gun rack on each floor with guns, rifles, knives, hand-grenades, ammo, combat gear and explosives in sufficient quantities to outfit a whole army. I know the surroundings like the back of my hand and I took the time to find all the spots from which a shot would be possible and rendered them unusable.

Concerning the inside of the house, to be honest I barely spend time here and I don't care about how the house looks like as long as it's clean and well kept. Most of the furniture was bought by my uncle years ago, that's why everything has a dated look with an 80's vibe. Downstairs, the kitchen has light wood cabinets and granite countertops in dark and golden shades, electrical appliances are a little bit newer but even the fridge is wood-paneled. A little island stands between the kitchen and the living room, long and narrow, with a tiled floor that looks like worn-out old stones. It has a wide dining room table with a glass top and modern metal chairs, or what they think it was modern back in the 80's, and a big light wood bookshelf where all the books about military tactics I've read in my entire life are piling up, including some ancient stories of Greece and Rome like 'The Gallic Wars' by Julius Caesar. Most the books belonged to my uncle and I'm really quite attached to them.

A big oval mirror with metal frame hanging over the gas fireplace marks the division between the dining room and the living room: there's a huge beige couch in L shape, a coffee table and an earth toned carpet in front of a metal and glass television stand. Those are the newest things in this house: all the electronic equipment like TVs, computers and video game systems are state-of-the-art. French doors lead from the living room to the terrace where there's an outdoor dining area with metal chairs and blue cushions. The set of stairs go down directly to the beach. The first floor includes a little guest bathroom along with the entrance hall where the garage door is.