Forty Degrees Below

Chapter 20

What did Curtis mean, 'life isn't all it appears to be', was it some abstract way of letting him know he suspects something about Anya and himself? He forgot to tell Anya that Curtis was on his way right now. It didn't bear thinking about. Jake decided rightly, or wrongly he would confront the question at the time if it ever came to that. Anyway, what was he getting so wound up about? It's not as if they'd done anything wrong. If only Curtis knew why Jake was doing it in the first place, he would thank him for it.

Jake couldn't stay still for long, he paced up and down, reconciling various scenarios that played on his mind. He looked out of the window, but couldn't see any signs of them.

Anyway, Jake my lad, the reason you're dreaming these imaginary scenes up in the first place is down to your God damn, guilty conscience. Curtis could have been referring to any number of reasons.

He ground his palms together. They were clammy with perspiration. He obsessed with these thoughts. He needed a distraction, not that he was short of those at the moment.

He wondered what Merc was up to right now? No! Thinking about that wasn't going to distract him too much. She's probably having a high old time with her friend. It'll do him good, having a rest from her. Anyway, they're girls together, what more can you say?

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"You're where?" said Anya speaking on her cell for the second time. "I thought you told me you weren't coming up?"

"Well, Liz and I were sat, twiddling our thumbs, getting pretty bored, and I said, 'Liz, my old fruit, why don't we head on over and see how our good friend Anya is managing our investment. You never know, she just might need our help along the way, so here we are!"

"Okay," said Anya looking over her shoulder as she walked through the grounds. "I'll meet you at the bottom of the driveway, but please, don't come up, otherwise, our cover will be blown."

"Oh, and I was so looking forward to seeing Jakey boy again. Tell me, is he behaving himself?"

Anya heard giggles at the other end. "Sure, but I'll tell you all about it when I get down."

"You don't understand," said Anya leaning against the granite entrance of the driveway. "This isn't a game. You run the risk of being seen; you should go."

"But we've only just arrived," replied Mercedes.

"Nothing is what it seems anymore. You're best out of it. Don't worry, if everything goes according to plan, you'll get your money."

"What's that supposed to mean, 'nothing is what it seems anymore'?" asked Liz.

"Come on," said Anya ushering them back to their car. "I'll explain later, for now, I need you to get away from here, let's head downtown. I'll tell you there."

Anya climbed in the front. Liz drove, making her way down to Highway 101, eventually taking a left onto State Street. They found a cafe, parked up, and sat themselves down outside in the early morning sunshine.

"Let's get one thing clear," said Anya, looking across at them both, "this is a business arrangement, and although it helps, it isn't mandatory that we have to like each other."

"Well, this has been two years in the making, and I wouldn't want to throw it all away because one of us was having a temper tantrum," replied Liz sarcastically.

"I understand. There's no excuse for any of us to lose our cool, as long as we're clear who's ultimately calling the shots and paying," added Anya.

"... and, I'd like to add that we don't forget who's boyfriend holds all of the aces," retorted Mercedes.

"As if we're ever allowed to," quipped Liz uncomfortable.