Obsession

8

It's been a couple of weeks since I updated this story, so here's a brief recap of the last chapter: Rhian is having trouble confronting his feelings about Taylor, and it's taking a toll on him. So far, he's had flashbacks of the night he lost his grandmother, and a weird dream he is yet to make sense of. The story continues now.

The dark clouds had hidden the moon from sight, and every now and then, a flash of lightning would be accompanied by the violent sound of thunder. Apart from that, everything was oddly still. It was the proverbial calm before the storm.

A cold draft blew in, and I shivered. I buried my hands deeper into my hoodie to find that extra bit of warmth. What I would give to be in bed right now, I thought, but I knew that was impossible. I had to be there no matter what, and I was already considerably late. I had completely forgotten about the appointment, and I knew I would pay for it dearly.

With that thought in mind, I hastened my steps towards the agreed meeting place. In the back pocket of my jeans, my cell phone rang for what must have been the thousandth time. I was really in trouble now. At this point, brisk walking had broken into a jog and eventually turned into a run. I was running as fast as my legs would carry me. I needed to be there before the deal fell through. I could not afford to slip up, not this time.

The store was pretty desolate when I got there, and that was to be expected, considering the time. There was only one car in the parking lot, and it was on its way out.

"Sir! Sir!" I yelled at him as he passed by me.

He stopped the car and honked at me. That was my signal to get in, and I did so as quickly as I could.

Warm, recycled air welcomed me as I sat down. It didn't beat the warmth of my bed, but it was a massive upgrade to the cold air outside.

Then came my punishment.

"Boy, this should be the last time you keep me waiting, " he warned, and I gulped. His voice was calm, but I knew better than to trust that he was calm.

"Yes, sir. I'm very sorry, but do you have my package?" I asked boldly. In these transactions, a false sense of authority could be the deciding factor between getting a good deal or being bullied into accepting a bad deal.

"I have what you want, but you need to earn it, " he replied, a sinister smile forming on his face.

Whatever he was playing at, I didn't like it, and I made sure to tell him that.

"If by earn it, you mean to pay for it, trust me, you'll get your money once I've seen my package. "

"Boy, that's what you said las time, and I didn't receive a dime from you until last week. This time, I want something else."

"Something like what?" I asked, wondering what was going on in his sick and twisted head.

"I need help dealing with a little mess I made. "

"What mess?"

"That's for me to know, and for you to find out. That's if you agree of course."

I didn't like the look on his face or the tone of his voice, but I knew I either had to agree to this or lose my partnership with him.

"I'm in."

"I was hoping you'd say that. Don't worry, it's nothing major. "

"So what's this job?"

"I'll tell you, but first we're going to an auction," he said as he ignited the car's engine.

I couldn't believe I was going through all this trouble for one little package. Hopefully, the reward would be worth it.