1 Maestro

*Flashback*

"Welcome mister Karlington." A blonde woman in a green dress smiles politely. "The director is waiting to meet you. Please, follow me."

The man in the dark blue suit nods and follows the lady upstairs. At the same time, a younger man is welcomed by another woman who guides him to an office with a tag on the door that says 'human resources manager'.

*End of the flashback*

A woman with dark sunglasses and a red cap gets off at a bus stop in Kilburn. She starts walking in the streets she knows so well. It's been so long since she last came home. She missed that place a lot but she wasn't really happy about coming back. Not that she had much of a choice. Her younger brother called from the juvenile hall saying that he needed her to pay his bail.

'Ah... He's always in trouble. But how can I blame him for having it in his veins?'

Her face is caressed by the cold autumn wind. The sky becomes gray, like it's about to start raining.

The woman prepares her umbrella and a few minutes later, it starts to rain. Before going to see her brother, she walks all the way to their old apartment. She is surprised when she finds the spare set of keys in the same place where she has left them. She takes the keys and opens the front door. After leaving her boots and the umbrella near the door, she tries to turn on the light, but the electricity doesn't work. Not that she had high hopes about it.

She brushes her nose due to the huge quantity of dust around her and she walks to the kitchen, hoping to find something to eat. She opens all the cupboards and the fridge and she finds nothing but some outdated milk and some prehistoric bread that could break her teeth.

Sighing, she goes to light a fire in the fireplace and sit on the old couch facing it. When the rain stops, she gets up and stretches, ready to go to the place she hid money in. Suddenly, someone knocks at the door.

She was sure no one followed her. Still barefoot, she walks slowly to the door, taking her gun from the backpack lying on the ground. She carefully looks from the peephole and she doesn't recognize the man on the other side. "Miss Walker, I think you might want to hear what I have to say." She opens the door and points the gun firmly at the man's head.

"Who are you?" She asks with a whisper.

"Someone that doesn't want the AFOs, SO15, SCO19 and Scotland Yard officers who are on the other side of the street to put you behind bars."

The woman's eyes widen in shock.

"It's not possible. No one knows I'm here. I would've noticed if someone was following me. Could it be-?"

"No, your brother didn't say your name to the officers, like you told him. But the cops have intercepted the call and understood that Julia Norman is actually you."

"How do I know you're not lying?"

"The cops will enter the building in any moment. You can just wait here for them to arrest you, or you can cole with me, even if you don't trust me."

Jessica glares at him, still pointing the gun at his forehead. He takes a bunch of printed photos from the his pocket and shows them to her one by one. She looks at the pictures showing the police forces preparing to enter in action.

"These pictures are from a few minutes ago, so we better hurry. I can't force you to trust me. It's up to you."

Heavy footsteps are heard from the upper floor.

"The clock is ticking, miss." The man says with a serious look, trying to hide his nervousness.

"Damn it! Lead the way."

The woman takes her backpack and follows the mysterious man to the emergency exit. They start running, trying to not make much noise. When they leave the building, they hear the police entering in the apartment. They reach the man's car and leave immediately.

"That was close. I'm glad you made the best decision."

"I still don't trust you. Why did you help me?"

"I decided to help you because I have an offer you can't refuse."

"Who are you, the godfather?"

"No, but you can call me-"

"Daddy?"

"Maestro."