Guns and Mirrors

SIX

♕Harley Anderson♕

I packed whatever I could really get my hands on and thought I'd need. That mainly consisted of clothing, medication, shoes and a few photos. Without knowledge of what is to come, I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to bring with. But I know that we can always come back if I do need something back home... hopefully. Danté didn't pack much either besides for the necessities and some cash we kept on hand. There's also a black bag that I'm pretty sure is filled with guns.

The drive to Cali is quiet aside from the Latin music spilling from the speakers. The man sings about how he and a girl are about to go on a heist and I almost laugh at the absurdity of it.

I sleep most of the drive, although it's plagued with my fears of what to expect when we arrive there. Danté informed me of what Mason said about Concord and I haven't being able to shake the feeling of fear and unease ever since. And, judging by the way Danté grips the steering wheel and clenches he jaw every few seconds, I'm not the only one secretly freaking out.

We stop over at a hotel in Redding when the sky is beginning to darken, about halfway from where we need to be. Jack said that we needed to be there by tomorrow- Tuesday- so that we could begin doing what he had set out for us. He also informed us that accommodation was taken care of although I would have preferred to have done that ourselves. Not that I'm going to start arguing with a gang leader though.

The hotel is nothing like the motel we stayed in when Danté ended up getting shot and I stitched him up in some backward bathroom. No, this hotel is clean and airy and the lobby makes sure to emphasize that.

"Can I have a room please." Danté says at the counter towards the receptionist. She gives him an award winning smile.

"For one night or two?" She asks.

"One."

She types into her computer before asking us how many beds we wanted and if we had any other certain requests for the room. After receiving our key, we make our way up to the third floor. The room we're given is themed with the colour blue and white and I'm grateful for that since it provides a sense of calm. A king sized bed with white sheets and numerous big, blue pillows is placed in the middle of the room while a flat screen TV is up against the wall in front of it. A shelf with artificial blue flowers rest below it and a door is on either side. One leads to the bathroom which has a huge shower and bath with expensive hand soap while the other is a simple kitchen. The bedroom, however, has a balcony and after setting my things down, I slide the door open and take a breath on it.

It overlooks the swimming pool and tennis court of the hotel and then the rest of the city that is still bustling with life. In the far distance, I can see the ocean and I can almost smell it, too. The nearest beach to Concord is nearly two hours away which is kind of disappointing... if I have to move because of some gang shit, I think moving near a beach would have made it a lot more bearable. The last time I was in California was about seven months ago, a few days after everything went down. Danté and I had stayed in LA and I spent most of my time on the beach, in bed with Danté or sleeping to numb the pain.

I sigh, retreating back into the room to see Danté putting the bags away.

"I'm surprised they didn't search us." I confess and he looks up to me.

"I left the bag with the... stuff in the car." He says and I nod with a smile.

"Ever the genius."

He smirks at that and I pick my bag up, searching the contents to try and find something more comfortable besides the jeans and bodysuit shirt I have on. Fishing through everything is proven difficult so I begin pulling out various items before I hear a throaty laugh escape Danté and I look up to see him holding a lacy lingerie set in his hands. It was the first one I ever wore for him and I made sure to buy it  in blue- one of his favorite colours on me. Although that night he preferred it off of me.