51
Zayne (33 years)
“You don’t need to stay in a hotel, you know, you’re more than welcome to stay at my place.” After agreeing to stay in Chicago and help Jaz find her nephew, she was offering me a place to stay.
“I’m good, thanks. Phil’s arranged an apartment for me.” I sipped the whiskey she set in front of me. “So, do you own this place or just work here.” I waved a hand in the air to encompass the bar we sat in.
She laughed. “Silly story. I was crossing the street one day, in a hurry to get to an interview for a job I was eager to get. I passed this old man and realizing he was walking way too slow that the traffic would start moving again by the time he reached the other side. Slowly, I backtracked and started walking again at his pace. Weirdly the other pedestrians did the same. While the drivers weren’t happy, we got the man safely across. I never made it to the interview and the next day walked into this bar with a friend to have a drink. Saw the old at the bar, he recognized me, and we got talking. He offered me a job and six months later, he passed on leaving the bar and a large sum of money to me in his will.” She downed her drink and set the bottle down. “Serendipity.”
“You believe in that?” I asked.
“I do. Because you never know where your destiny lies. While we may be the CEOs of own destiny, if something is fated to happen, I believe it will.” She studied my face for a moment then asked, “what about you?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe some paths are meant to cross, maybe not. Is that that serendipity, who knows?” I shrugged. “I just believe that it doesn’t matter what route you take as long as it gets you to the right destination. Some routes might be difficult and filled with potholes and some might have the best scenery but if they both lead to the same place, its lessons learned.”
Her chuckle was low and charming. “I’m surprised you’re a single man.”
I’d been too long without a woman yet not ready for another woman. Rising, I smiled. “Yeah, me too. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She nodded.
As I walked out, I thought of her words wondering if serendipity existed. It’d been close to three years since Ria walked out of my life and if love and fate were connected, why hadn’t I found her yet. Maybe she wasn’t part of my destiny.
Thirty minutes later, as I walked down the landing toward the apartment, I stopped a few feet away from my door, slipped the Colt out of my side holster, and held it at ready as I approached the door. As a standard safety precaution, I always stuck a two-colored strip of paper above my door. Small enough that it is only noticeable if you know to look for it. The slip of paper I’d stuck in the door was there, but on the opposite side to the color, I’d chosen today.
Glancing around the landing and the only other apartment on the floor, I slipped my key in the lock and inched the door open. My steps tentative, I entered the apartment and did a slow room-by-room check. Last, I entered the bathroom. Nothing. Frowning, I stood on the threshold and switched gazes between the bedroom and bathroom. I sniffed the air. Someone was definitely in here. A familiar scent wafted up to my nose. I was sure it was lavender. Then I shook my head.
“You’re fucking drunk or it's too much of a coincidence.”
I was about to walk out when I turned and glanced behind me one more time. My gaze fell to the note standing up against my cologne bottle. I stiffened, every cell or high alert. Someonewashere. I picked up the note and read it.
If you want the child you’re looking for, wait outside Jasmine Malik’s apartment at precisely 10.00 am on Wednesday.
I flipped the note. Blank. How the fuck did someone know I was helping her? Apart from Phil and Jaz, no one else knew. Wednesday. The day after tomorrow. Still, time to rethink my decision if I decided to go. Walking back into the bedroom, I sniffed the air once more, but my entrance had shifted the stagnant air, or I was delusional. No other scent besides mine floated around me. As Kat would say, psych eval required, stat. Grinning, I dropped to the bed.
