Vampiric: Chapter Seven, Part 6

 “You beat me here?” Caroline stopped at the table I had chosen in the café; she was dressed in her usual black skinny jeans paired with a bright red kimono-esque blouse.

The cafe was a small, popular place, always full of people. If you asked me, it was overpriced but the atmosphere managed to feel rustic and down-to-earth. The natural wood furniture was accented with the soothing greens and blues of the walls. A few throw rugs in earthy tones and some low table lamps finished off the space, creating an ideal place for anyone in need of creativity or, in our case, a casual business locale.

“I didn't have anything else to do.” I sipped my cinnamon chai latte. I didn’t have a job and was mostly confined to the apartment—by her recommendation.

“Then you won't mind while I get something?” She motioned towards the counter.

“Mocha chai?” I asked, nodding to the other mug on the table.

She smiled, sitting down across from me. “Two percent?”

“I didn't think you'd go for skim.”

“How'd you know?” She grinned.

“Remember that first time we met?” She nodded, sipping her drink. “I just remembered from then.”

“But I don't remember telling you what I had? Did I?” Her brow furrowed slightly.

“You didn't.  But if you remember, you didn't need to.”

“Right,” she said, suddenly perking up. “Air. I almost forgot.”

“So what's this promotion?” My hands wrapped around the mug. Despite it being well into the upper 90's outside, inside the cafe was freezing. I was grateful I had opted to wear a white half jacket with my otherwise seasonally appropriate attire. That was mostly to hide the scars, though.

Caroline reached into her handbag, sliding a flip phone across the table. I cocked an eyebrow at her.

“I know it’s practically archaic, but it’s a burner and it’s more durable than a lot of what is available anymore.”

I nodded, still a touch skeptical. It seemed more like the cheap choice than the logical one, but I also wasn’t the one bankrolling her endeavor. “So why do I need this?”

“Since you're coming back, I'm giving you a new job. A better one. Relatively safer,” she said, sitting up straighter as her tone became more authoritative. “Drei says you were the one who tipped him off on Conan. You'll be glad to know you were right. He wasn't on our side.”

“He's the reason they found us the second time.” I remembered that night vividly. Conan’s dismissal was somewhat of a relief. He had been a shady character and altogether too comfortable, especially with me.

“And he's the reason we didn't have an untraceable line. They looked at it later on and someone had reprogrammed it.”

“So Conan did that, too?”

“The night before. Anyway, since then I've been short a secretary. A few people tried it out and weren't up for it. They wanted days off, had kids to worry about, another job, so on and so forth;” Caroline rolled her eyes. “The last few months, Ian's been doubled up as driver and secretary but he hates the job. I know this, but there's no one else. But now there's you.”

“And this is for…?” I brandished the cell phone.

“The reason everyone else failed,” she said simply. “As secretary, you're on call. When I need you, you drop whatever it is you're doing and high tail it to where I need you. Even if it's at two in the morning. No questions, and there's no compromise. It's the toughest job anyone gets. The plus side is, there's more work, and there's more pay for it, especially if you do it well.” She drank more of her latte. “But the big thing is, when you're called, you’re there.”

“I don't have a car.” Maybe she didn’t see that as a problem, but it looked like a pretty huge one from where I was sitting.

“No worries. Ian can pick you up;” she shrugged. “I'll call you first; you tell me where you are, and then Ian will pick you up on his way.”

“Won't he hate that after a while?” I didn’t want to put him out. He seemed like a fairly laid back person, but who, other than Caroline, really knew?

“You'll see how silly that question is after you get to know Ian.” She raised her cup to me and took a swallow. I took a drink from mine also, waiting for whatever she planned to say next. “And you'll get to know him, too. He's always there. Aside from myself, he's the only one who knows everything. That's another perk,” she added. “Being secretary, you know more of the big picture than everyone else.”

“That's not so bad, I guess;” I stared down at the phone. More of the plan meant knowing more about how everything worked and that really was what I needed in the long run. Knowing how to keep most somewhat in the dark was good to know, but actually running the show was another business.

My concern was if I could handle this. Being on call was a lot of responsibility, especially since it meant keeping a cell phone on me at all times when I hadn’t had one in what felt like ages.

I started laughing, unintentionally.

Caroline’s face sunk. “What is it?”

“Nothing,” I said, waving it off, trying not to start laughing at her concern. “I just thought I might have to start carrying a purse again.” A smile cracked her lips as I admitted, “I haven't carried a purse in years.”

“It's not so bad,” she admitted, half laughing.

Thinking on it, I realized the last time I had taken a purse anywhere was when I had lost control—that was also the last time I had carried a cell phone with me anywhere. It seemed strange that so many things pivoted around that one event. Then again, it did change my entire life. If it had never happened, I wouldn't be sitting across from Caroline receiving a promotion in her project. I wouldn't have kissed Drei, ever. And, neglecting the negative, I never would have met my mom. Who would have thought one event would have had such a powerful domino effect? And don’t even pretend you did.