No One Here Knows

"Hand it back." Rose demanded as she held her hand out to the man across from her who didn't look from the wallet he was rummaging through.

"I'm not done." He simply replied as he continued to skim through all of the cards that she had. it seemed like she was quite busy based on all the cards and other little things she kept in her little wallet.

"You have quite a few interesting things in here that I think will give me a better idea of who you are." He commented as he pulled out her license and scanned over it before putting it back in place.

Rose Ashford. Ashford was a name that he was certain he had heard elsewhere before. He couldn't quite remember where though off the top of his head. Something to ask Clive about later.

The other information on the card didn't interest him all that much. Age and such were of no consequence to him. Whether she was twenty or fifty years old wouldn't change the fact that there was information that he wanted from her.

The rest of what he came across was cash and business cards, quite a few of them. He wouldn't take them from her but did his best to memorize most of the names he came across. They could become valuable contacts in the future depending on where they fit into the world.

"You know that if you keep looking around like that, you're going to be the one who draws too much attention over here." He remarked when he noticed the way that Rose was looking around them rather stiffly.

She didn't reply to his comment right away as the server was on her way back over with their drinks. She thanked the woman but Zane didn't seem to think that her presence was any reason for him to stop the nosing around that he was doing.

"I'm sorry that I can't help but feel uncomfortable sitting across from someone like you in a place like this." She told him in a harsh whisper over the edge of her coffee cup in order to mute her words.

"Worried much about whose around? Someone keeping tabs on the lady to make sure nothing happens?" Zane teased as he set her wallet back down on the table. He made sure it stayed on his side and just out of her reach.

"If that was the case, there's really nothing for you to worry about since this isn't my nick of the woods here." Zane told her as pulled his milkshake closer to him. He stirred it with the straw so that the whipped cream would start to mix in with the pink milk.

"Thus, it is highly unlikely that anyone in these parts would know who I am. The only way they might suspect anything is if you keep acting so nervous." He told her before taking a sip of the milk.

"So I suggest that you relax now so that we can get down to business. The sooner we talk everything through, the quicker that I will be out of your face?" He offered her a smile but Rose knew better than to think that it was as nice as he made it seem to be.

"Why don't you start then by telling me what exactly it is that you want from me? So far, you don't seem to think that it has been important to disburse that information to me." Rose told him as she fiddled with the handle of her coffee mug.

She took her eyes off the dark liquid to glance up at the other for a second to watch his expression as she waited for him to reply.

"To put it simply, I want to know what you know?" Zane replied as he frowned at his glass. He wasn't pacing himself well so the milkshake was disappearing quicker than he had anticipated it would.

"There are a lot of things that I know about, but what in particular are you asking about?"

Rather than clarifying what he meant with words, he pulled out a yellow piece of material and placed it on the table, sliding it over to her side so that she could see what it was.

"I assume at least that this belongs to you since I saw one very similar being used to help dry yourself off not that long. I am sure that I don't need to tell you where it was dropped."

The moment that he finished speaking, she felt as though the temperature around them had dropped at least fifteen degrees. Rose felt a chill run down her spine that caused it to feel as though the drop in temperature was almost real.

Gone was the light-hearted man who had been sitting across from her just a few seconds ago. He had been replaced by someone who seemed still polite but much colder and more down to business.

He didn't have to say anything for her to know that he was someone that she needed to be careful around.

"I take it by the expression on your face that you remember where exactly you dropped this. So I think that you shouldn't have a problem answering my question now." Zane repeated as he leaned back in the chair and fixed her with a gaze that was almost daring her to lie to him.

Rose weighed her words carefully though as she looked over the handkerchief that she had been handed back. A part of her was relieved that it had been found, but the other part felt dread over where it had been picked up.

"I will admit that I was in the area. I think that there is no denying that with this her." She replied as she continued to fiddle with the material without looking up at the other.

"What I was doing there had nothing to do with you though. At least, I believe that I am safe to presume that is what this is about." When she looked up at him, she could tell by the cold look on his face that he didn't believe what she was saying.

"I was going to go down that way, but I stopped. I didn't hear what was going on or see anything except the shadows on the wall that told me people were on the other side of the ally."

"What were you doing there if not spying?" Zane demanded. He felt an itch to smoke but knew that it wasn't allowed in the café, he had seen the sign on the door when came inside.

"I was there to speak with a client." Rose replied as she turned her attention back to the other man she placed the handkerchief in her purse.

"If you don't believe me, you can look at the last card in my wallet and call that man. He will confirm that I went to see him that day."

Zane didn't have to look in her wallet again to have an idea as to who she was talking about. There was only one card in there that seemed out of place in comparison to the rest.

"And it just so happens that you decided to pass by that place at the exact time we were there?" He asked, tilting his head slightly as he fixed her with his sharp gaze.

He kept his tone level and on the lower side so as to avoid attracting too much attention to them. There was no one sitting too close by that should have been able to clearly hear what they were talking about and he wanted to keep it that way.

"I was passing by because I thought that it would be a shortcut to where I wanted to go. I stopped though because I know better than to pass through such places at night." She replied firmly.

Zane continued to stare at her with a thoughtfully gaze as he considered what she was saying.

She seemed confident and firm enough in what she was saying to make him believe that she wasn't lying.

Yet, at the same time, he knew better than to just drop such a precious matter so easily.

One wrong move could cost him a lot. Even when it came to dealing with women.