Anarameha

Chapter 15

Jiro knocked on Marama's door, waiting with the expectation that she'd answer. He hadn't been to her apartment, but he knew this was her place.

This area was dark, lit up by the neon lights and the occasional street lamp. Concrete walls, steel beams, and grated paths surrounded them like a tomb. Marama's place was the only one that was clean and free of the slime that coated the walls. Jiro looked at the clean walls and noted that Marama clearly had her walls washed as well.

He knew that she didn't do any housework. Jiro had heard someone talking about the woman that had a maid. The woman with silver hair. There was no doubt in Jiro's mind that they were talking about Marama. She was the only vampire in this section that had silver hair.

The vampires questioned how someone who did nothing and didn't have a job could have so many credits flowing through her life that she could have a maid and buy expensive clothes as well. Someone was funding Marama's expensive life. Jiro wondered if it was a payment for something Bran would disapprove of, like being a spy.

When Jiro knocked and got no answer, he figured that Marama wasn't home. If she was, she would have come to the door to mock him or berate him for something. There was no way she'd miss out on that opportunity.

It was obvious that she wasn't here. Jiro assumed that she was probably somewhere in the upper levels spying on Ana again.

With a frustrated huff, Jiro pulled the blade out of his pocket. It wasn't difficult to open a locked door in this city, especially in this area. Jiro assumed it had something to do with the gangsters that had their people breaking into places.

Even though the idea of it angered him, Jiro couldn't wipe the smile on his face. One pretty thief was running around this city, breaking into places and stealing a lot of things she shouldn't, but Jiro didn't care. He'd turn a blind eye to it all, so long as she was safe.

At the moment though, Ana wasn't safe. There was a problem, and she had to be dealt with. Marama was killing his good mood. She despised him, didn't want to be anywhere near him, yet talked to him as if they'd been lovers for years, all because Ana was there. It made him angry, and Jiro knew that things could get out of hand if he let the bad mood fester. There was only one person that could lighten his mood, and at the moment, Ana didn't want anything to do with him.

As he jiggled the handle, the lock popped, and the door opened. Glancing around the street, Jiro made sure he was alone and slipped into the apartment.

A hall lamp was already on but not enough to search the place. Flicking on the overhead light, he began his search in the immediate area, which was the lounge room.

Jiro was surprised at how Marama had managed to get such a nice apartment compared to his place that was closer to a hole in the wall. They were brought into this coven at almost the same time, and this was probably available when Bran offered him the other place.

Jiro grumbled, not wanting to seem jealous when he didn't like Marama, but he wondered if something was going on. Did she buy her way into the nicer place through ways that he could not? Jiro didn't know, and he didn't want to know either. There was nothing he could do about it anyway. No one would care if he complained, and there was a risk that he would be labelled a troublemaker for his efforts.

Jiro was mindful not to make a mess and left everything as he found it. The only thing that would be different was any information he found here.

There was nothing in the lounge room, so he continued to the bedroom. Opening the cupboard was a little enlightening for Jiro. There was evidence of a man having been here. Not permanent but occasional. It wasn't a mistake. He was in the right apartment because there were photos of Marama and her friends everywhere.

Finding nothing, he continued to the back of the apartment, which was the wet areas, bathroom, laundry and kitchen. Her kitchen was far more elaborate than his, which was the standard. This place had a few cupboards, a large sink with a window above it. His eyes narrowed at the state of the art chamber unit. It was the best that credits could buy.

Jiro knew that something wasn't right here, but he was too angry to care. All he wanted was the information about Ana.

Turning, he faced the breakfast counter, another thing that he didn't have. On it was a stack of mail and at the bottom was a large envelope that had no address. Jiro pulled it out from the pile and opened it, finding the much-wanted information.

Sighing with relief, Jiro tucked it into the inner pocket of his jacket and walked out of the apartment. Hearing voices, he quickly darted to the nearest corner and hid. It was Bran's advisor and a few of his goons.

"Master Malakeni has also requested to speak with Jiro Arcale. Go to his apartment and take him to the office."

As the advisor banged on Marama's door, two guards moved towards Jiro's place. He pulled in tight against the building as they passed by without seeing him. When they were gone, he quietly moved down the path and took the long way out of the drains.

Jiro knew that if Bran found him with the information, he would confiscate it. He didn't want that. It wasn't his to let go of, so Jiro decided to take it to Ana. She might not want to see him anymore, but he had to do this. This was about her, and it belonged to her.

If he was lucky, she might talk to him. He hoped. Maybe she might see the goodness in his act and say that they could become friends again. Without the information, Marama had nothing. She might search for it again, but he'd deal with her when he returned to the drains. That is after she'd been to the meeting with Bran. Jiro had no idea what that was about, but he was concerned. More so because Bran also wanted to speak with him. Was he about to rescind the arrangement? Jiro hoped so. There weren't many other choices, but he'd be happy to wait for someone else.