Caught Red Handed

BELLADONNA: The Deadly Nightshade

13 – Caught Red Handed

Their regular practice ended two hours later.

When Mark clapped his hands and dismissed his best dancers for shower and change clothes, a feeling of desperation and nausea immediately overtook Belle.

She grabbed a towel and wiped the sweat dripping from her forehead. She wondered if the guy was still waiting for her out there.

Belle sighed as she walked into the bathroom and looked at the locker, inside there was her bag which contained Gavin's wallet.

Immediately, her head spinning around.

"Hey, you all right?" a cold hand touched her shoulder.

Belle opened her eyes and Anne's face appeared in front of her, "Hey, where have you been? Mark said you didn't come to practice because there was an emergency."

Anne nodded slightly, "I was at the hospital."

Belle didn't want to ask any more question unless Anne gave her the details. She only knew that Anne had always gone to the hospital. There's only one answer, James.

Her only child is always sick. James just had this surgery that consume all of Anne's focus.

In order to minimize unnecessary emotional outbursts, Belle busied herself wiping herself with a towel. She was drenched in her sweat from the two hours of non-stop training, following the choreography that Mark had made.

Anne sat in the chair next to her. Handing a bottle of mineral water to Belle who immediately gulped it greedily, "Well, I met a guy in front. Did you see him?"

"Who?" Belle asked, even though she knew who Anne was referring to.

Anne's face wrinkle indicating she was deep in thought "I think I know her. Wasn't he one of the guys who come to the ER last night?"

Belle just raised an eyebrow. Her mouth was busy chugging water down her throat. Soon she must be bloated from drinking too much water.

"Yes. He must be that guy, he said he lost his wallet here. Do you know?" Anne asked with a concern face, "he said he had asked one of us to look out for him, but the girl didn't come out. He's been out for almost four hours. Poor him."

Belle's stomach gurgled. The water she just swallowed rose back up into her throat. She just shrugged her shoulders and signaled to Anne that she was going to take a shower. Anne nodded, still with her concerned look.

Belle hastily showered and dried her hair. Put on her clothes and rushed to her locker. She had just tying up her boots when she heard the sound of girls giggling behind the rows of lockers.

"You see that boy? Oh my, he's so cool!"

"Yes, Anne spoke to him and said he had been waiting outside for four hours. Damn, guys like that are rare. In this cold weather he was willing to wait! So romantic!"

"Who is he waiting for?"

"No idea…"

"You think he waited for one of us?"

"No way!"

"Yeah, then why is he hanging out in front of the club if he's not waiting for us?"

"OMG!"

Belle rolled her eyes at the conversation she overheard. They were the dancers Mark had just been recruited. They were barely adult, just graduated from local high school.

But the most concerning is the fact that Gavin was not messing with his words. He really needs his wallet.

Belle sighed as she slammed her locker door. Stopping the giggling of the half-naked girls behind her.

She passed them nonchalantly, lifting her thick curls hair into a small bun over her head. Her hand sticking a chopstick in her bun.

"Where are you going?"

Belle stopped midway and turned to scowled at Mark, "You said I got a day off today…"

Mark seemed to think for a moment then his mouth formed an O as he recalled his promise to Belle.

Belle groaned, "Oh, come on, Mark. After last night, I managed to get big tip for you, you said you'll give me a day off, remember?!"

"OK. OK." Mark raised his hand in surrender manner, "yes, you can leave until the day after tomorrow. Deal?"

Belle smiled brightly, "That's my boss!" she raised her fist to give Mark a high-five.

"Oh, lighten up!" Belle smiling broadly, "you won't miss me for a few days. I need a good night's sleep!"

Mark smirked, "Yeah, go to sleep. You look bad. And find a boyfriend, you definitely need him."

Belle glared at Mark, "Damn…!"

Her sentence was cut off by Mark's laughter, "Belle, I saw you kissed that guy last night. You need to finish what you're started, or you're going to be cranky all the time. Find a boyfriend or one night stand, or whatever that suits you. Just get a nice laid."

Before Belle managed to kick his ass, Mark, who was still in doubt about his gender was already gone, he laughed so hard, tears came out of his eyes.

Fucking asshole!

Belle snorted in annoyance. Damn, looks like everyone know her rendezvous scene with Gavin last night. Luckily today and tomorrow she is on leave, so she can be free from the whispers and envious glances cast by her fellow dancers.

She'd better get out of here and curl up in her blankets in her paid rent room.

Ooops…!

She stopped at the top of the stairs leading to the door that would lead her into the alley.

The alley where Gavin is still waiting her.

She should give him credit for his patience and loyalty. But Belle really didn't want to see Gavin, ever.

Why didn't the guy just leave? Just you wait, Belle will be sending the wallet and its contents right away – well, minus the cash, she already spent them – to his house.

It will be easier for everyone.

Belle is sure Gavin won't mind losing a few hundred bucks, as long as his ID and driver's license is back, right?

Or was there something important to him in that wallet?

Belle didn't see any suspicious photos or objects in there. It was a normal wallet.

Belle took a breath as she opened the club door and stepped out.

Right there, down on the deserted alley, Gavin stood waiting for her. He was staring at the door with his arms crossed. His gaze was intense, like a lion about to ambush its prey.

She, Belle, is his prey.

*

"Hi." Belle greeted him, hiding her emotion "sorry, it turns out the interview took longer than I thought."

Gavin straightened himself up from the wall, his eyes flashed as their gazes met "Hi, how was it?"

Belle was about to tell him about her training when she realized that Gavin didn't recognize her.

Maybe this is the right time.

"Well, it went well …. And the good news is …." Belle reached into her bag, "I got your wallet!" she smiled broadly, holding up Gavin's leather wallet.

"Oh, thank you!" Gavin smiled wider, taking the wallet from Belle's hand. Opened his wallet and checked its contents.

"OK, I have to go. So, goodbye…!" Belle was about to sprint out from the danger when Gavin held her, "Wait!"

"Y-yes?" Belle murmured. She turned hesitantly, trying to give him a sweet smile.

"What's your name?" Gavin asked suddenly, looking up from his wallet, he looked into her eyes.

He got her.

Belle held her breath. Oh, this is not good. She tried to maintain her smile and waved her hand, "You're welcome."

"Your name …. You're welcome?" Gavin asked hiding his small smile, he held up his wallet, "I'm sure there was money here last night."

Belle's face paled, "Oh …. Huh?"

Gavin nodded, "And now it's gone. I think there are few hundreds here."

"Sorry. I found your wallet in one of the rooms back there." Belle said, lying straight to his face.

Gavin nodded, "So, I don't have cash for you…" he grimaced with an apologetic look.

"Oh." Belle replied sheepishly, "no. no." she waved her hand at Gavin, "it's OK. It's a pleasure to help you get your wallet back."

"Are you sure?" Gavin asked her, "we can go to the nearest ATM to get you some money as a reward."

"No, it's OK." Belle refused; she shook her head. She couldn't take Gavin to the nearest ATM to get more money. How can she receive any more money from him? She's the one that stolen the wallet, for God's sake!

"All right, I got your wallet and I got the job, so … I gotta go." She wanted to get the hell out of here. Get the guy out of her hair.

"No, please…" Gavin pulled her hand closer. His grip was firm and soft when Gavin's hand touched her skin. They were close enough that Belle could feel Gavin's breath on her face. Their nose almost touched.

"I want to tell you something…" whispered Gavin in a secretive tone, "this might be a little difficult for you, but I need your help."

Oh, please dear God. It felt like Belle's brain was invalid. Without her mask, she couldn't be the Deadly Nightshade. While the sun is shining, she couldn't be anyone but the plain Belle.

The naïve Belle.

Gavin's hand suddenly grabbed her in his arms. Forcing Belle to hold her breath.

"I have to make sure something…" Gavin murmured as his hands tugged at the chopstick that held the hair bun, strands of brown curls falling on her shoulders, framing her delicate face.

Gavin's hand covered her forehead and eyes, as if she was wearing a mask.

Oh, fucking shit ….

Within seconds, Gavin was holding her. Hooked up Belle's leg on his waist. He lifted her body like he just lifted a feather.

"Kiss me." He demanded.

What?

"Kiss me, you dammit!" He roared.

Half-heartedly, Belle grabbed Gavin's hair and pulled him into a kiss. In a matter of second, they were taken back into the ER, the room where they destiny met.

They revisit the moment as they kissed, touched and groaned.

But this time, they kissed in an empty alley, in the middle of the day when anyone could see they making out like teenagers.

Gavin couldn't care less, he needed to confirm something. During two hours of waiting, he thought a lot.

When he first saw the girl who dropped the mask, Gavin felt something tickled in the back corner of his brain. He thought he had met this girl before. He hadn't noticed even when the mask was in his hands.

Even though he was sure that this girl was The Deadly Nightshade who kissing him last night, he let this girl off the hook to set her up again.

And now, when their lips met, Gavin is 100% sure that she is the one.

She is The Deadly Nightshade.

She was the girl he had been looking for.

*