Velvet Roses Ch. 08

"I never even got to say goodbye," he said. "All of a sudden, he was just gone."

His arm was resting on the center console, so she rested her hand on top of his and gave it a brief rub, then said, "Yeah, I know. You never got proper closure."

"I don't need closure." As the light turned green, he pulled his hand away from hers and placed it back on the steering wheel, then hit the gas. "Closure won't bring my dad back, and it certainly won't undo Stefania's suicide."

"You're right, it won't. But it may help you to heal."

"No it won't." He said it firmly, with a definite tone of anger. "And even if it would, how the hell would I find closure? We couldn't even have a proper funeral for my dad, because his body was never found. All we had to put in the casket was a damn picture."

She could feel the anger radiating off him, and as he offered her a brief glance, she saw there was a deep crease between his brows. Once again at a loss for words, she realized there wasn't much else she could say, so she chose to remain quiet. So did he, and for the remainder of their drive, they sat in tense silence.

When they finally arrived at her apartment, Jeneda took off her seatbelt, then turned her head to offer Adrian a goodbye, but before she could even get a word out, he spoke.

"Sorry for the way I acted earlier. Between my dad's death, and Stefania's suicide, I've been going through a really rough time. I didn't mean to take my anger out on you."

"It's okay, you don't have to apologize."

"Yes, I do. Ever since dad died, you've been there for me, and you've been nothing but sweet and supportive. I never thanked you for that, and I want you to know that I really appreciate it.

"No need to thank me, Adrian. That's what I'm here for."

He gave her a little smile, then with a thoughtful look on his face, he posed a question. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know. Ever since we were back at my house, you seemed kinda distant and closed off. Is something bothering you?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Okay." He paused for a moment, then said, "If you're not busy, I was thinking we could meet up later this week. Maybe get a cup of coffee and talk some more?"

"Uh, yeah, that'd be nice," she hesitantly said before retrieving her apartment keys from her purse.

"As friends, of course. I'm not trying to pressure you into a date."

"Why, what's wrong with me?" She asked in a joking tone of voice.

He cracked a smile. "Absolutely nothing." His bluish gray eyes locked into hers for a long, lingering moment before coming to rest on her lips. Then once again lifting his gaze, he said, "Anyways, I know you've got stuff to do, so I'll let you go. Take care, okay Jenjen?"

"You too. Later, Adrian."

She slipped the strap of her purse over her shoulder, then reached for the car door handle, but before she could open it, she suddenly paused.

Clad in a pair of gray jeans, a graphic t-shirt, and a black velvet blazer, Dane was descending the steps which led up to the lobby entrance of Jeneda's apartment. His raven black hair, which was a direct contrast to his pale skin, flopped in his eyes, partially obscuring them from view, yet even from where she sat in the car, Jeneda could tell there was deep sadness within them.

As her eyes came to rest on the sharp, angular lines of his handsome face, Jeneda felt her pulse quicken, followed by a tug on her heart, which in turn caused her to feel self-loathing for the reaction of her body.

Dane had just reached the bottom step when he suddenly looked up, and upon spotting the yellow Mazda that Jeneda was sitting in, he froze.

As he stared at her, she stared at him, then after offering Adrian a brief, yet intent gaze, Dane walked off, his shoulders slumped dejectedly as he made his way down the sidewalk.

"Who was that?" Adrian asked.

"Just somebody I used to know." She nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before saying, "Well, see you later." Then she opened the car door.

"Wait." He placed a hand on her shoulder to keep her from exiting the vehicle. "What's the story with you and this guy? Were you two a couple?"

"Yes, very briefly."

"So I'm guessing he came here to try and get back with you."

"Probably, but it doesn't matter to me, because I'm not giving him a second chance. What he did was unforgivable."

"It was that bad, huh?"

She nodded, then quickly averted her eyes so he wouldn't see the tears welling up in them.

"I knew there was something about him I didn't like. Why don't I wait here until you get upstairs? Then once you're in your apartment, you can give me a call and let me know you got inside safely."

"I'll be fine, Adrian. Really. He's not going to try anything."

"How do you know?"

"I just do. Please leave, okay? There's no need to worry."

No sooner had the words left her mouth, did she spot Dane's Toyota Prius halfway down the block. After pulling away from the curb, it made a U-turn, then slowly headed down the street towards them.

As his car passed Adrian's, Dane shot him a withering glare, then he accelerated, rolling right through a stop sign as he made a quick turn.

"That guy's definitely a weirdo," said Adrian. "And I don't like the way he was eyeballing me."

"Yeah, well he's gone now. So you don't have to worry anymore." She got out of the car, then bent down a little so she could say some words in parting. "Thanks for driving me home. Take care, and I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Alright. It was good seeing you again."

"Yeah, it was good seeing you, too."

She gave him a little smile, then shut the passenger side door and headed toward the steps of her apartment building, her breath making a small cloud in front of her as she blew out the trapped breath that had been pent up in her chest.

* * * *

The caged elevator emitted a creaky groan as it jerked to a stop, and after yanking back the accordion gate, Dane stepped off the lift. As he reached his apartment, he spotted something shiny and silver sitting in front of the door, and curious as to what it was, he squatted to have a closer look.

Upon realizing that it was a silver pendant in the shape of a J, he instantly recognized it as belonging to Jeneda. Having seen her wear it countless times, he knew that it was one of her favorite pieces of jewelry, and puzzled as to what it was doing in front of his door, he knitted his brows.

Catching sight of a piece of notepad paper tucked between the bottom of the door and threshold, he picked it up and unfolded it, then read the scribbled words.

Give me what's mine, and I won't go after her

His throat grew tight, so he gave a hard swallow, and as he reread the note, his mouth went dry. Caught in a kind of trance-like state, Dane continued to stare fixedly at the piece of paper, and as the menacing words echoed in his head, his stomach twisted into a knot.

Obviously the note was meant to scare him, and it had indeed sent a chill up his spine, but what he couldn't understand was what they meant by 'give me what's mine.' For a moment he remained perplexed, wondering just what it was they thought that he had. Then suddenly, it dawned on him.

The night that Vincent had been shot, Dane had unloaded several large boxes from the back of the trucker's semi-trailer. From what Dane could remember, the boxes had contained high priced electronics, and most likely had been worth quite a lot of cash.

But due to the fact that their heist had been halted by Vincent's accidental death, Dane had never gotten around to removing more than half a dozen boxes from the big rig.

Taking a moment to ponder the approximate worth of what he had stolen, Dane came to the conclusion that the electronics he'd fenced couldn't have been worth more than five or six hundred dollars, if that.

Petty money, considering that the entire load in the truck would have fetched tens of thousands of dollars, so why would someone be eager to recoup such a measly sum?

Clearly they wouldn't, unless there was something particularly special about those stereo systems he'd stolen. Furrowing his brow, Dane wracked his brain, trying to figure out why someone would be so desperate to recoup half a dozen boxes of electronics.

Having lived the life of a criminal, he'd seen a lot of crazy stuff, and knew that people could be very creative when figuring out ways to smuggle items into the country. He also knew the incredible lengths that one would go to when bringing items over the border illegally, and that if somebody got hurt or killed in the process, it was of no concern to them.

Marla's death was a perfect example of this, and the fact that he himself was now being hunted down only furthered his conviction than the electronics were nothing more than a smoke screen.

So it was now clear that this person who was after him wasn't avenging Vincent's death, but was set upon getting back whatever it was that he had hidden in that truck. Surely that had to be it, because what other logical explanation was there?

Thinking back to that fateful night, he realized that nearly eight months had now elapsed, and he found himself wondering why it had taken this person so long to come after him and Marla.

Had this stalker simply been biding his time, hoping to lull them into a false sense of security, or had he simply been unable to track them down? Whatever the case, this person was now after him, and it was clear from the way he was dragging things out that he was enjoying the hunt.

Dane directed his attention back to the pendant in his palm, and as he came to the realization that Jeneda's path had crossed with this deranged stalker's, his blood ran cold.

How had they managed to get hold of her necklace? Had they broken into her apartment and retrieved it that way, or had they managed to come into direct contact with her?

Barely an hour had passed since he'd seen her in front of her apartment, sitting in that horrid yellow car with that douchey looking guy, so he knew that she had made it home, but that still didn't mean that she was currently safe.

After driving away, he'd circled the block and parked far away enough so that he wouldn't be spotted, and had observed the mustard colored Mazda from a distance.

It'd made him feel like a complete stalker, not to mention disgustingly pathetic, but he hadn't been able to help himself. He needed to make sure that she was okay, and seeing her in a parked car with a strange man had driven him crazy with jealousy.

He hadn't taken his eyes off that car until Jeneda had gotten out, and only after watching her walk up the steps and pass through the lobby doors, had he driven away and headed for his apartment.

Now here he was, staring sadly at her J shaped pendant, wondering if she was still okay, and hoping like hell that she was. Whoever had been in possession of her pendant was clearly sending him a message, letting him know that the stakes were being raised, and if he didn't return whatever it was they were seeking, Jeneda would be next to die.

The thought alone caused his heart to hammer painfully in his chest, the thump, thump of it reverberating loudly in his ears, and as he came to realization that she was already deeply ensnared in this insanity, he became filled with self-contempt.

No, not his Jeneda. He wouldn't let it happen. He'd rather die than let someone harm her.

Inwardly chastising himself for not having been more careful while dating her, Dane let out a long, heavy sigh, then raked his fingers through his hair. If something happened to her, he would never forgive himself, and would certainly be driven to insanity as a result.

*You'd deserve it*, his inner voice mocked him.

The words were utterly harsh, yet were they not true? Perhaps insanity would be just punishment, as his deplorable actions had undoubtedly caused more than a few people to suffer unneedlessly. Everything that was happening to him now was a result of his own moronic decisions, and like it or not, her life was now in his hands.

Sick to his stomach at the thought of both his and Jeneda's personal space being invaded, he knew that it was crucial for him to track this person down, and that until he did, he was putting her life at risk. He slipped her pendant into the pocket of his blazer, then rose to his feet and opened the door.

Instead of immediately walking in, he paused at the threshold, feeling out the energy before venturing forward, then once he was inside he closed and locked the door and headed to his drafting table.

After turning on the small lamp, he took a moment to study the messy, nearly chicken scratch script. He didn't know just what exactly what he was doing, or what he hoped to discover from analyzing the writing, but it just felt like the right thing to do, so he did it.

As he was staring at the note, he noticed there were indentations on the paper, and realizing that it had been made by the pressure of a pen on the proceeding page, Dane grabbed a pencil from the holder on his desk, then rubbed it over the impression.

As he shaded the spot where the indentation was, an address was slowly revealed, and once it was completely visible, Dane threw the pencil aside, then made quick steps towards the door.

Just before opening it, he paused to check on the gun that was tucked into the waistband of his pants, and after assuring that it was tightly in place, he slipped his hand into the pocket of his blazer, allowing his fingers to roam until they found purchase with his switchblade.

Properly armed and primed to go, he reached for the doorknob, and after closing the door behind him, he headed for his destination.