𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐓 • 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟒 : 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐞

Anna sighed as she was shoved into yet another fitting room, a pile of clothes for her to try on in her arms. She had of course made sure the shop was fine before she let Ashley put her in there where she couldn't see her much less who was in the store and if they looked suspicious or not. She looked through the clothes that had been picked out for her, none of them really her style, but then again she didn't necessarily know what her style was. Maybe she had been someone who liked liked fun mini skirts and form fitting tops. She shook her head. Who was she kidding? She hated those sort of things. She found mini skirts hard to move in and not worth the worrying of injuries to her bare legs. and form fitting tops? well those were hit or miss. she didn't mind a dark colored formed fitting turtle neck here and there but not what Ashley had chosen for her. Hadn't she indulged this long enough? After a brief moment of contemplation she decided she had. She would try on the one dress she had picked out and that was it. She undid her holster and slipped it off before stripping of her top and jeans, pulling on the dress.

She had to admit, she kind of liked this one. It was looser fitting, the top part reminding her of a long sleeved dress shirt, the neckline coming down to a subtle v-neck. The skirt was loose and flowy, coming down to her knees. It was simple and more importantly, she liked it. She slipped off the dress and pulled back her own clothing on, strapping her gun and it's holster back on. She grabbed the dress and walked out of the dressing room.

"Okay, shopping is over, I am not being shoved into another dressing room." Anna declared as she walked over to Ashley, handing her the dress she had picked out from the countless other items of clothing that she hadn't bothered to try on while she was in there.

Ashley sighed, giving her usual girlish pout that would make Anna roll her eyes at her. She was like a little sister, the kind that is close enough to your age where she can get on your nerves sometimes but you can't help but laugh and smile at her enthusiasm.

"Fine, just let me try on the clothing I picked out and then we can go get some lunch." Ashley said with a smile before disappearing into one of the changing rooms. Anna stood outside, keeping watch, eyes wandering around the store as she checked out the various customers that were inside. She glanced quickly to the right, catching movement out of the corner of her eye. She could have sworn she had see someone walk past, outside the massive store windows. Her stomach was doing it again and she could feel herself getting antsy. Something was wrong, but what?

Anna pushed the thought away as Ashley walked out once she was done trying on the clothes she had picked out. Most of them, she had decided to keep which only added to the already numerous bags that the poor driver had to unload from the car once they got to the White House.

"Now let's go get some lunch," she said after Ashley paid for all the clothing items with the simple swipe of her credit card. She walked out with her to the car, handing the bags to the driver before following Ashley into the car. She slammed the door shut, watching out the window as Ashley told the driver where she wanted to go for lunch. A figure past by, causing her eyes to quickly dart down the street. She had seen someone was standing there across the street, looking at them, but then they suddenly disappeared into the crowd. But it couldn't be, no, they were long gone, probably off on some other mission. They weren't in D.C. They weren't following her and Ashley around. It was probably just a cause of stress, her job wasn't exactly the easiest after all, topped with the trauma she had experienced. She kept repeating that to herself as they were driven to the restaurant. She needed to stay focused, to focus on keeping Ashley safe.

She got out once the car stopped, following Ashley into the small restaurant. She was quiet, usually Ashley did all the talking. She was by far the more sociable one of the two. The hostess grabbed two menus for the pair before leading them out to a table for two in the patio seating area. Anna took her seat, thanking the hostess before briefly glancing at the menu. She had been to this place a couple of times, always ordering the same thing. She knew that she needed to pay more attention to their surroundings than a menu when she was out with Ashley. Plus she wasn't the most adventurous; once she found something she likes she tends to stick with it for awhile. She tried to keep her thoughts from wandering, thinking back to the person she had thought she had seen. Could it really have been them?

The waitress came by, introducing herself to them before taking both of the girl's orders. She ordered before returning to watching their surroundings. Her eyes watched the various people passed by, most were businessmen and woman, quickly walking to the various cafes and restaurants to get their lunch before returning to work after their lunch break was over. Others were tourists, evident by their cameras and look of curiosity and lost, not familiar enough with their surroundings.

Their lunch was quiet and uneventful, both of them enjoying their food as the city continued to bustle about in its usual rhythm. They finished and paid the check before walking to the car. Anna stopped as Ashley got in, getting once again the feeling that they were being watched. The figure was there once again, watching from across the street.

"What's wrong Anna?" Ashley said when she noticed her not getting in the car.

"Go back to the house, I'll see you there." Anna said, closing the door.

She quickly crossed the street, her eyes watching the figure as they weaved through the crowds of people going down the sidewalk. Her heart raced as she chased after them, eventually losing them as the turned the corner, ducking between two buildings. Anna swore under her breath as she quickened her pace, turning into the alley she had seen the figure go into. No one was there.

"Well, its been a long time."