Alejo [Vampire]

Alejo- Chapter 23

::CHAPTER 23::

I riffled through the papers in the office cabinet ignoring the curious stare I was getting. My back was turned to her but I felt her eyes on me. I pretended not to notice and continued sifting through file after file. Damn it. How on earth did Samuel navigate through all of this? It was some of the most mediocre filing that I’d ever seen. Samuel Di Lorient was the classic stereotypical man even in his death.

That is to say, he made a horrendous secretary and didn’t leave a single clue stating how I was supposed to find my way through this Pandora of sorts. I was getting a headache just trying to figure out why ‘Benjamin Traegin’ came before ‘Alfred Romario’.

“You want some help?”

“Why on earth would you want to help me?”

“Because your frustration is high enough for me to be feeling a bit of it,” Ria said.

“Really?” I turned to her finally, “I can project to you?”

“Only frustration so far,” she shrugged, “So do you want that help or not?”

“I’m pretty damn certain that the only one who can make sense of this is Sam himself.”

“And unfortunately he’s taking a permanent nap.”

“Yes,” I replied around a laugh, “a permanent nap. I like that.”

“Bet you would.” I didn’t miss her smirk no matter how much she tried to hide it.

“But I suppose it won’t be too much of a stretch to let you see if you can figure it out,” I gestured at the extensive filing system sitting along the wall, “You are a woman after all.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

In all my years of being alive, of all the decades that I’ve lived in and all the women I’ve come across, there has never been a time where those five – sometimes six – words boded well for the person on the other side of the crossed arms. Of course, those factors changed when Alejo Mercutio Veracci was involved. Yet I had never been on the other end of this before. No one would dare.

Because this was never a simple question no matter how much it was posed as one. This was how a woman chose to challenge the person being questioned. It was a sort of passive offensive move.

My eyes narrowed at her question and still, her eyes were still on mine as if expecting an answer. I felt the twinge of her anxiety but her gaze never wavered. It was the definition of courage to look fear in the eyes. I smiled; both because of my metaphor for myself and because of the defiant little imp below me. She was tiny but she knew – as I did – that her character was a fiery little thing.

“It means just what you think it does. There’s a reason why this filing system is in a mess.”

“There are male secretaries in the world. Great ones.”

“And as I’m sure that is true, Samuel was not one of them. But these files are sensitive. I can’t have simply anyone with them.”

“I am your Pet. I’m under your rule—.”

“Much to your chagrin.”

“—And I am bound to you too tightly to break your trust, I’m afraid.”

“That must be frustrating.”

“Very,” she sighed, “But there’s nothing to do for it now. Come on. Take me to your Pandora.”

“What did you just say?”

She looked back at me on her way to the filing cabinets. Whatever she saw on my face turned hers from confused to wary in a heartbeat. I walked closer to her but with each of my steps, she took one back. The clang of her back hitting the metal cabinets made her jump. “I asked you a question.” My fingers took hold of her shoulder. “What…did you say?”