Page 316 of 5+Us Makes Seven

Peeking past the corner of the building, I saw a man wearing a turban walking down the street. Mother fucker. My heart beat faster as I switched into self-defense mode.

All my thousands of hours of practice were about to be put to the test. I took a deep breath then stepped forward, running into the suspicious man.

“Watch it,” he yelled in broken English.

“You watch it,” I said as I walked away.

A few steps away, I stopped and turned.

“What are you doing following me?” I asked. “You’re obviously in a costume.”

“What are you meaning?”

“Your fake accent isn’t very convincing either.”

The man frowned then yanked his fake facial hair down.

“It’s the fucking fake beard, isn’t it?” he asked.

I nodded.

“Something like that. What’s up?”

“People want to talk to you.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Too bad,” I said then turned and bolted down the block.

“Hey, wait!” he called out.

My military training took over as I dodged traffic and crossed the street, disappearing into an alley. Five minutes later, I had climbed the fire escape to the top of the building, all unseen.

I took a moment to catch my breath, occasionally peering over the edge of the building at the street below. After fifteen minutes, I convinced myself I had lost them.

Fuck the bad guys, I thought with a smile as I climbed down to the alley. The feelings of joy I’d had before came rushing back, even more intense than before.

All of that changed when I got to the building where Jade lived. As I approached the entrance on the opposite side of the street, I saw Max standing outside talking to her.”

She laughed. Her fucking face would be forever etched in my mind. I kept walking, my blood boiling. How dare she accuse me of hiding something when she’s obviously the one sneaking around.

And Max! My thoughts about Max ran the gamut from swindler to asshole to mother fucker and everything in between. Fuck both of them!

TWENTY-FIVE

Jade

As I reached my building, I felt someone approach. The moment I turned around, a frown fell over my face. Max walked over wearing a cocky smile.

“Are you stalking me?” I asked in a half-joking voice.

“Nah, not really,” he said, his bulky body shaking a bit as he laughed. “I was in the neighborhood and I thought we could talk about the story on me.”

“I’m a bit busy right now.”

“Come on. It will only take a bit. The story is gonna be a hit.”