7

The detective had claimed the dripping red to be paint. It wasn't blood,she kept reminding herself. The killer was playing one damned joke on her. She git chills,the killer knew her!

She had refused a guard once again but that didn't stop her from buying four new pepper spray cans. She kept one in her bag,one in her newly fixed car(Goddamn,she had missed her lively and old silver Subaru),one in her living room and one in her bedroom. She was not about to take any risk. The killer knew her and worse,where she lived. And if the paint had still been dripping,it only meant the killer had followed her around. He may be following her around. He may be somewhere sitting or standing around her!

Subconsciously,she looked around in fright;unable to help the goosebumps that crawled her skin. Everything,however,remained the same. Bethany was talking with Lukas whose desk stayed opposite her;Emma was frowning over her computer - probably stuck in a few words. A few other of her colleagues ran around. Two stood beside the printer waiting for the dispense as they laughed about a joke either of them told the other,another stood by the window with one hand resting on the frame as he made a call. Chatters were muted but everywhere seemed normal. She just had to stop thinking too much. At least,she was safer at work. The killer couldn't get to her here. Not with these many people.

Her eyes followed the sound of the door. The new intern came out of the editor's office and walked to her. "Hi" He all but grinned.

"Hey" Since the reply didn't come out so great,she cleared her throat and tried again. "Hey"

"You're Leah,yeah?"

"Yeah. And you're the new guy."

"Yes,Sherlock." He chuckled slightly. "So Nick says to come into his office and you should go meet him now...but maybe we could have lunch together later?" She inwardly rolled her eyes. He was a terrible flirt.

"Thanks-"

"Dec. Declan." He offered.

"Well,thanks Declan but I think I'll pass on that for today. Maybe another time." Maybe never. She stood up, gathered her drafts and left him hovering over her desk;probably peeping through her works. Not like she cared;for him or lunch. She most certainly didn't want lunch with a blond who starches his pullover. Why was the collar of his shirt so crisp? That seemed too meticulous. And meticulous people were never up to any good. For all she knew he may be the killer. Okay,she probably was overreacting.

She knocked softly on Nick's door and entered after a much calmer 'come in'. She recognised him instantly. "Mall guy!" And elevator guy! She thought immediately about the day she spilled coffee at the entrance of Warrens' building.

He laughed. "We've met twice already." She gave him points for remembering. "And yes,I was able to get shoes for my sister". He stood up and man,oh man,he towered over her. He stretched out his hands. "I'm Nicholas Warrens"

"Leah Flemming"

"Please have a seat" He motioned for her to sit and took his too."The name should be a dead giveaway but I own the company. I had to send Ms Moore,Danica to a different location. I'll oversee your works henceforth. I hope we get along."

His eyes were warm towards her.  "I heard about the unfortunate incident you were involved with."

"Yeah. It wasn't the most pleasant."

"I could imagine." He clasped his hands over the classic mahogany table. The setting seemed very professional;his stance only accentuating that. Files and newspaper cuttings were neatly arranged on the left side of his table. There was a decent computer right behind the files. His desk phone stayed at the opposite end with a white table lamp positioned to face the middle of the desk. A coffee mug containing various types of pencils was closer to her;it was placed on top of a stack of magazines. And behind him,a tall potted plant rested against the wall. "How's resuming work being for you?"

"Very helpful" She ground her teeth into a forced smile.

"With gritted teeth,I doubt." He smiled a little. "Don't talk to me as a boss,Leah. Tell me as a friend."

She needed no more prompt. Everything came out. " Annoying. Everyone keeps looking at me like I'm broken or about to break. Everyone wants to have lunch with me and that's saying a whole lot as I've always eaten alone. Beth's the only one who sits by me a few times. Hell,even the new intern wants to eat lunch together! It makes me want to scream sometimes. The craziest part is them wanting to see my bullet wound. They don't expect me to strip and be like,'hey,so here's the bullet wound. It almost reached my heart but I'm a survivor'. How the hell do they want me to even write properly if there's always someone looking at me with pitiful eyes. Those motherfuckers..." He was almost laughing at this point. "I'm sorry."

"No,go on." He let out a little laugh. "That sounds frustrating."

"That's because it is." She quickly fixed her pout when she caught him staring.

"Do you want to have lunch with me? I'm your boss,you can't say no"  The smile in his eyes sold out the joke.

"Would I have to tell you stories about my bullet wound?"

"You may have to strip at some point". Silence. And then their laughter interwove. They sounded beautiful;or so she thought. "I'm sorry your colleagues are making you experience this but think of it as a form of care because it is."

"I know. And that's why I try to not be mean."

"What about I make this experience a little more fun for you?"

"What do you have in mind?" She switched to a more professional position. Ironically,his hands unclasped and he leaned back into his swerving chair.

"You could write an article on how it feels to be a victim."

"The Aftermath of a Trauma:What Kills More? The Event or The Stares?" She laughed at the fabricated title. "That could be the name of the article,written boldly across the third section of Warrens' Magazine."

"I'm thinking first section if you do a good job."

He was being serious. "Are you for real!?" Quickly,she corrected herself,"Do you really mean that,sir."

"Nick." He smiled. "Always be at ease with me. I prefer a more informal work environment." She nodded. "And yes I am being so serious. One more thing. Have you attempted writing a book before?"

"I currently have an ongoing project."

"Good. Warrens would love to publish when you're done. We could talk about that later. The incident you were involved in is currently undergoing investigation."

"Yeah. But they've been no major success."

"Minor successes count too. How about you work with the detective?"

"I thought we already have someone from the crime section documenting the progress."

"Yes,we do. And I intend to leave them with that job. I'll,however,like to make a story out of it. Just think of it as a mission. You get to give me more detailed findings about the crime and you can feel more at ease if you're working hand in hand with a detective to find out who attempted to kill you."

It didn't sound so bad. She could make peace with the incident,overcome her trauma and also be on the boss' good side. And hours away from work would give her more time to put into her book. Her eyes already agreed before she opened her mouth to say yes.

~

"Guess who's home!" Anne screamed into the bright living room. Everything was too orderly and that scared her. Leah was one of the most disorganized persons she knew. The flowers also looked like they had been tended. Was she in the wrong house? Seeing her vinyl properly placed on the music box at the far west of the living room,she confirmed that she was in the right place. Then where the hell was Leah? And Masai? As if on cue,Masai came running out with a sharp bark. "It's only me,Masai" The bark turned excited. She looked over where he came from and saw Leah bent over in a corner;pepper spray in hand. Quickly she ran towards her. "Leah! You okay?"

Her head shot up like she had been in some trance. "Yeah,yeah." She tucked the pepper spray behind her. "I only freaked out a little. I thought it was a burglar...or a killer"

"A killer? You're freaking me out." Anne watched Leah stalk to the door to shut it up. "What is up with you?"

"So,long story." She watched her best friend and roomie crack a little before hugging her. "Damn,I've really missed you."

"Oh baby,I've missed you too". They hugged for maybe too long before Leah pulled out. "What is wrong,baby?" Anne made her sit on a couch before sitting next to her. She took Leah's hands in hers. "Now,talk to me. You're freaking me the fuck out."

"You may need to get popcorn  first. It may be too early to start talking about that,by the way. Why not tell me about how Paris was first?"

"I would tell you all about Paris. This,this can't wait. I need to stay awake anyway. That's the best cure for jet lag."

She sat with her best friend and with Masai settled at their feet,listened to the horrific things that happened when she was away.

"And now I'm just so scared because he knows me and where I stay." Leah was already in her arms crying now. She needed a hug,not a voice so Anne gave as much as she humanly could. Anne couldn't help but wonder as she looked around the quiet apartment in fear,what if he really was watching?