by Natalie Dean
“Yes, sweetie?”
“Why are we going this way? I thought we were going to that store down there.”
This was another one of those things that Adrianna struggled to communicate. To a grown-up, she could say that her intuition told her to get far away from that guy. To a five-year-old, that wasn’t something that she could just declare. She’d tried once. Ellie had peppered her with questions. “Why? How? Why?” That was a big one for Ellie - why. Adrianna rarely had an explanation. She had attempted to explain her sixth sense to Ellie one time, but Ellie had absolutely panicked because she didn’t have them. Ellie felt alienated. The only woman in her life had this sixth sense, and she didn’t.
Adrianna had tried to assure her that most other people didn’t have those abilities and that she was completely normal, but Ellie was having none of it.
So when Ellie asked her why they left, she just said, “Because we need to. You want to go get ice cream?”
Upon Adrianna uttering the words “ice cream,” Ellie completely forgot about everything and shrieked with childlike joy.
A few minutes later, they were sitting at one of the best stores in the mall: the ice cream shop. It was an old mom-and-pop store that just adored Ellie. There was a lot to adore. Ellie was cute as a button and as hardy as one too. That was one of Adrianna’s greatest worries- that she’d be rearing a wimp. Adrianna herself had taken bullets, been interrogated, and pretty much endured all manner of pain. It wouldn’t fit to have her try to raise a kid that couldn’t handle herself. That wasn’t the case, Ellie was the type of girl that ran around all day long and roughhoused with the neighborhood boys. She would probably grow out of it around puberty, but for the time being, it was fun to see her wrestling and goofing around like Adrianna did at that age.
While Ellie ate her treat, Adrianna thought about the situation. She couldn’t feel the aura anymore, so the guy was probably gone, but the residue of it was still staining Adrianna’s mind. And the strange thing was that he had been watching them. He wasn’t just out for a stroll. It seemed like he had been there specifically for them.
Not a comforting thought for Adrianna.
David, aka The Celtic, dropped by just as Ellie was getting a brain freeze.
“Aiighhhhhhhhh!” Ellie moaned, grabbing her head. “My head!”
David decided to get in on the action and copied her. “Oh, the pain! Must… fight….through… it!” As he did this, he feigned injury and fell towards the ground, dropping all the bags of goodies he had just bought.
David wasn’t the kind of guy that Adrianna had expected him to be when she’d first been sent to track him down. He was a big kid at heart - proved by him flopping like a dying fish on the floor. A grown man just playing on the floor right there in the mall, in front of the entire store. His goal was to enjoy life, plain and simple, regardless of who was watching.
Ellie giggled and dove from the stool onto David, which probably was a bad idea, but David caught her and the two burst into laughter like a couple of middle school girls at a dance. Adrianna was left to be the mature one, trying to ignore all the befuddled looks of confusion from other customers.
She was honestly getting used to his random bursts of childish actions. It had embarrassed her the first couple months of their relationship, but whenever he showed up, life just got…better. First of all, he was an MMA fighter that was dominating the ring, so Adrianna felt safer with him around. She could handle herself, no problem, but it felt comforting to have a partner to take on the world with. Second of all, it was like all of Adrianna’s worries got lifted off by him whenever he showed up. He made her smile, made her laugh. Made her forget her troubles.
He was her Superman, and she was his…not Lois Lane, but someone equally talented. She didn’t sit around all day waiting to be saved. That’s why they made such a wonderful- and dangerous- pair.
Finally, David and Ellie fought through the pain and joined her at the table. Ellie went back to snacking, and David pecked Adrianna on the lips.
“I got you something,” he told her.
Uh-oh.
Every time David said he got her something, Adrianna prepared herself. She never knew what on earth it could be. “Oh, yeah?”
He reached into one of the bags and pulled out….a pipe. One of those tobacco pipes that educated gentlemen used in the old days.
Adrianna’s eyebrow jumped up so far she thought it might escape. “You bought me a pipe?”
He nodded enthusiastically.
“Thanks….why?”
“Why not?”
She tried but failed to hold back a laugh. “I guess so.” She looked at Ellie, who was swinging her feet around happily, not paying a lick of attention. “I need to talk to you.”
Instantly, David was all business. That was something she really appreciated- he could be a joker when she wanted, but when he knew something was serious, he was all business. That’s probably why she hadn’t known about his childishness when they’d first met- he was stressed the entire time.
She told him about the mysterious, hooded man. He nodded silently when she was finished. “That’s… not good. You’ve never seen him before?”
“Nope. But he was indeed watching us. I think he was looking at Ellie.”
His eyes fired up. He was incredibly protective of Ellie. “You can’t sense him here anymore?”
“No.”
“Let me know if he shows back up again.”
She nodded. She was hoping nothing would come of it, and that she would never see him again, but something in her soul told her that she hadn’t seen the last of the stranger.
Something told her she’d see more of him than she could ever want to see.
Chapter 2
They arrived back at the car a little while later. Adrianna always drove. David didn’t mind. Adrianna was honestly just the better driver. She’d never had a ticket. David, however, had a special seat at the DMV reserved for him for all the money he’d paid them for tickets.
They drove back to the apartment. It took about half an hour, which was excellent time for them. Usually, it took double that. Even more unusually, Adrianna didn’t get a single call from her office. Typically, the FBI kept her up to date on everything- break-ins, suspects being spotted here or there, that kind of thing, just in case she happened to be around. Adrianna wasn’t an actual agent that went in every day from 9-5 and hung around the office. She was what some of them called a Hound, a fearsome term for agents that rarely did any office work, who went out into the field and chased down suspects. But nevertheless, business was quiet.
When they got back to the apartment, Adrianna and David went to work on wrapping presents while Ellie dashed off to play. She was a popular little kid, which was great for some things, but awful for others. It seemed like every week they were dropping her off at another birthday party or letting her stay at a sleepover. It was expensive, too. The older the kids got, the more expensive toys that were required. At first, they could give a three dollar toy and the child would be delighted. Not anymore.
As they were wrapping, The Celtic brought up something. “Hey babe,” he said while trying unsuccessfully to tape two pieces of wrapping paper together. “Wanna get something to eat tonight? And do you have the scissors?”
She handed over the scissors. “Where do you want to eat?”
A little while later, after a couple places were shot down, they decided to go ahead and do something they hadn’t done in as long as they could remember- going out to a nice, romantic dinner. They had a strict rule- if Ellie couldn’t come, they didn’t go. They didn’t go to R-rated movies, they didn’t go to fancy restaurants, nothing. Adrianna had sat through more fast food and more kids movies than she had ever expected she was capable of surviving.
Adrianna instantly thought they shouldn’t go out to eat. The biggest thing was that they didn’t want to leave Ellie alone at the house (the restaurant had a strict no kids policy). But then again, as David remin
ded her, Ellie was going to a birthday party for a friend that night. It’d be a perfect crime- dropping Ellie off to hang out with her friends at a bowling alley, while they had some time to each other.
“But what if that guy from the mall shows up?”
He shrugged. “There’s too many people. He couldn’t do anything. And we don’t know he was after us, right?”
“Well….not really.” It was true. She’d felt his aura, not his intentions. She’d done it before, where she’d read someone as being a dangerous person, only to never see them again. “I guess you’re right.”
The idea was tempting. When Adrianna and David decided to become engaged to be married, Adrianna had known that the majority of their time would be geared towards the kiddo. That was all right. Adrianna had lived her life. She was ready to have a family life. But it had been so long since she’d pampered herself. She couldn’t even remember the last time. Months, at least.
“Okay,” she finally said. She felt half of her stress wash out, but a different kind built up. “Let’s do it. John’s a cop. He should be able to handle anything that comes up.”
He squeezed her hand affectionately. “I’m excited we’re having a date night.”
Despite herself, Adrianna herself was getting pumped. A little relaxation was long overdue. She loved Ellie- both of them did- but she missed romantic dinners.
She picked out a lovely dress that she’d only worn a couple times. It was her best dress, probably. Form-fitting, elegant, and she looked beautiful in it. She checked herself in the mirror in the bedroom while David picked out his clothes.
“What do you think?” Adrianna asked.
“I think you look beautiful,” he told her, pulling on a dress shirt over his muscular frame. “Relax, babe.” In one smooth motion, his powerful hands were massaging her shoulders. She practically melted. “You’re tense,” he said. “You okay?”
She tried to form some semblance of a proper thought. “Yeah…” she purred. “That feels so good…”
He smiled at her, and she remembered how handsome he was. Even though he’d been fighting for years, he was exceptionally quick in the ring. He rarely got hit in the face. Sure, if you looked carefully, you could notice his nose was just a little off center, but somehow it was rather charming. He wasn’t a pretty boy. He was a rugged, hot looking fighter.
He went back to dressing. Adrianna sat down on the bed, thoughtful. Something was still bugging her. She wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to go after all. What if something went wrong? What if the guy showed up?
But then again, what if she was wrong, and nothing happened, and the entire night was ruined because of her paranoia?
“Are we making the right choice?” she heard herself ask. It was rare that she felt off kilter either way. Everything was black or white to her. Yes, or no. Right or wrong. There was no gray. It unsettled her to not be confident.
He finished buttoning up his shirt. “Everything will be okay,” he assured her. “Relax! You’re stressing me out.”
You know what?
No.
She wasn’t going to let her night be ruined by worry. She was leaving Ellie in good hands. John could handle himself. He had three daughters. If he could handle ten little girls at a party three times a year, he was made of steel.
Adrianna was determined to make the best of the night. She shoved her worry away. She had enough to worry about without adding silly concerns to it.
She left the room to Ellie, who was bouncing on the couch like a little tornado, chanting “The floor is lava, the floor is lava, the floor is lava!” When she saw Adrianna standing on the bare ground, she yelped. “Adrianna! You’re on fire!”
“I’m not on fire,” Adrianna assured her. She checked her phone for the time. “What I am is late. And so are you. Are you dressed?”
She kept bouncing. She was running on a sugar high from the ice cream. By the time they get to the party, she’ll probably calm down. Hopefully. “Yep!”
“And, on the south side of the ring,” came David’s voice from the bathroom. “We see our reigning champion…The Celtic! America’s dashingly handsome fighter, women love him, men love him!”
He kicked open the door and stepped out dramatically. At least that was the plan. What happened was the door swung open, hit the end of its path, and bounced shut again. The two girls waited patiently, trying to hide their laughter. He muttered something, then tried again. This time, the door didn’t bounce back, and he strode out confidently.
“Yay daddy!” cheered Ellie as David made cheering sounds with his voice. He did actually look rather dashing. David had put on the suit with the gold tie and black shirt. He was a snappy dresser. He took pride in looking good when he wanted to.
He stopped in front of his daughter, bending over to look her in the eyes. “My stars!” he exclaimed. He looked towards Adrianna. “Who is this? My heavens, she’s absolutely beautiful!”
Ellie bashfully looked down, twirling her hair with a finger. She wasn’t good at taking compliments. All it took to shut her down was to say she looked nice, and she was done.
“C’mon, kiddo,” he said. “We’re going to be late.”
They weren’t late as it turned out. Adrianna got them there just before the starting time of the birthday party. She and David were some of the deadliest people in town. Between her military training and his fighting expertise, they were quite a power couple. They were, however, victims to the clock like everyone else.
“Oh, hey, we’re early,” David said as the car came to a stop. “That’s cool. Were you speeding?”
“A little…”
“Setting a bad example for Ellie I see,” he said with that impish little smirk he got.
“Aw, shut up.”
They unpacked from the car. By then, the two of them were practically professional birthday-partiers. Adrianna got Ellie, and David grabbed the presents. Within a few moments, they were out and ready. They trooped towards the building, which had been adorned with balloons and a sign that said there was a party inside.
Outside, in the parking lot, there were dozens of cars. It was probably a big party. It was one of those school-wide parties, so there were probably quite a few of Ellie’s classmates that were there. Ellie had been psyched for it ever since they got the invitation in the mail.
Inside the bowling alley wasn’t quite total pandemonium, but it was pretty darn close. Little girls were everywhere, absolutely everywhere. Most were dressed in regular clothes, but a couple were wearing costumes. There was a huge cake by the bowling lanes, and stressed workers running around trying to accommodate them.
“There’s so many of them…” David gasped. “It’s an army of little girls!”
“Mother of God…” Adrianna was delighted that they were going off to eat. Ellie would jump into the group of kids and be gone. If they had chosen to stay there, it would have been just David, Adrianna, and a couple of parents trying to speak over the happy shrieking cacophony.
John came over. His eyes were wide. “If it isn’t my two favorite heroes!”
Ellie dashed off to join the crowd, leaving the three adults together. David gave him a resounding handshake. They’d always gotten along great. They were two of a kind.
“Hey,” David said, speaking up to be heard. “Keep an eye on Ellie, would you?”
“Of course,” he said. “Anything in particular?”
David hesitated. Big scary guys was kind of an obvious statement. “Just…do not let her go with anyone that’s not us, okay?”
John frowned. He was a big guy. Adrianna had forgotten just how big he was. It was comforting. The man she’d seen, the one that she was worried about, was a huge man, but John could handle himself. “Well…of course. She’ll stay with me. You two lovebirds going out for a nice dinner?”
“Yeah, we figured it was overdue.”
“Good for you.” He slapped David on the shoulder. “Have a good time. I’ll keep a good eye on your lit
tle girl.”
Adrianna reached out with her sixth sense just to make sure that she was making a good decision. His aura came back solid. All good. Sure, he had some flaws and some darkness in there, but she had never met someone who was entirely good or entirely bad. Even the darkest people had just the tiniest glimmer of light in them.
She could trust him.
They grabbed a hug from Ellie and had her recite their telephone numbers again. It was a thing that Adrianna’s dad had taught her- to memorize his number in case something ever happened. She hadn’t ever needed to use it, but it gave her comfort having Ellie know both her and David’s numbers.
David crouched to give Ellie a hug. Adrianna normally gave her a hug standing up, but that day she decided to go ahead and get on her level. Bad idea. Ellie, delighted, dove into her chest. She was a bony little thing, which Adrianna hadn’t really noticed until right then.
“Augh….” Adrianna gave her a quick hug before standing up and hugging her chest. “Ouch….”
“Are you okay?” Ellie said. She didn’t understand. “Did I do something wrong?”
“No,” Adrianna muttered. It wasn’t Ellie’s fault. “No…you’ll understand when you’re older…”
Ellie looked concerned, but Adrianna gingerly gave her a hug, and they were on their way.
“You okay, babe?” David asked, trying to avoid grinning.
“I’m going to have to explain that to her someday,” Adrianna said. Her chest was aching, but her heart was soaring. She was absolutely thrilled with going out to eat, more than she’d expected she would be when David had first tossed the idea out there.
Midway to the restaurant, David found the pipe that he’d given her earlier. “Hey, here’s your pipe.”
“I’m glad.” She shifted lanes.
David stuck the pipe in his mouth. “Ello, guv'nor,” he said in an English accent.
Adrianna smiled. “Why did you even get me a pipe? You know I don’t smoke. I don’t even know how to use that, honestly.”
