Anarameha

Chapter 28

Ana stopped, her hand resting on the metal door frame. Garlet's heavy footsteps closed in on her. He was a man who always liked the dramatic final word.

"I did not know him before, but I can see that he is a good man, Ana."

Ana glanced at Garlet over her shoulder. There was pleading in his eyes. Ana wondered if Garlet thought that she'd run off again.

"Playing cupid now?"

He chuckled, scrubbing his fingers through the hair on top of his head.

"No, just stating the obvious."

"Uh-huh."

"He comes in, he works hard, and he does not stop."

Ana was not surprised, given Keoni's past. Letting go of the door, Ana turned and faced him. Perhaps it was more than a dramatic final word but a deeper conversation that probably should happen behind closed doors rather than a room full of staff.

Garlet closed the gap between them, hoping that Ana would understand that he meant well and wanted her to be happy. He could see that she wasn't. Neither of them was.

"I overpaid him one night. He walked back into my office and put the extra credits on my desk. Anyone else in this damned place would have kept their mouth shut and walked out but not Keoni. Why Ana?"

She shrugged.

"He's always been honest."

Garlet raised his eyebrows. Ana realised the point he was trying to make. With a resigned sigh, she rolled her eyes and relented.

"Fine. When will you see him next?"

"In an hour."

"Tell him to meet me at the empty club."

"What club?"

"The Neon Pit. Do him a solid by paying him for the night as well."

Garlet's lips pressed tight as he tried to subdue the smile. Ana was being cheeky, and it lifted his mood to see her brighten in such a way. Things were going to get better.

Keoni would arrive soon, and Garlet was already planning the stern lecture that he was going to give him. Cautioning him to be careful, to think about what he was going to say rather than just blurting it all out.

"Send Keoni to my office as soon as he arrives."

The guard nodded, and as Garlet turned away, he shifted his attention to Ana. She'd reached the corner, disappearing from his sight. Turning back to his office, Garlet hastened his step. A phone call needed to be made. It didn't take long for it to connect, and a little information was passed. The receiver was most pleased, given that he was in the area anyway.

Ana walked through the crowds, eager to get to the club and see Keoni. She wanted to fix the issues they had and figure out a better path for their future. Ana smiled, wondering what her father would think of her attitude. This was what she wanted, but Ana always played it cool and pretended that it was the worst thing to happen to her. Being forced into marriage was unfair, in her opinion. Ana was grateful that her father had agreed to allow her to say who was on the list.

Ana climbed up onto the roof and began pacing with worry. She hoped that Keoni would turn up. Glancing at her watch, Ana wondered where the time went. It seemed to tick over faster than it should, taking the precious night away from her. The fewer hours in the night, the less time they had for their conversation.

They could take the discussion back to her apartment, but Ana was wary of giving off the wrong signal. The last time they were alone together, they ended up in bed. As fun as it sounded, Ana knew there was a time for that, and tonight wasn't it.

"Hello, princess,"

Ana turned to the figure with hope, expecting Keoni. She was faced with someone different.

Anxiety filled her. She was alone with this man in a quiet section of the city. Even if someone walked past, they wouldn't see or hear a thing unless she screamed.

He seemed taller in real life, but Ana mused that the television screens were always deceptive. The screen seemed to lie about a few things regarding the militia leader. The soft brown hair had a few lines of grey running over the side of his head, curling over the ears. They even extended into the maintained beard, peppering the brown with flecks of grey.

Pierre Normace was smug, smiling at Ana with a defiant attitude written all over his face.

"Who are you?"

His smile deepened, figuring that she was playing a game. Bluff her way out of the situation.

"Come now, Anarameha. You and I both know that introductions are not needed here."

Pierre stopped a few steps short of Ana, his hands moving to his hips. Like the rest of the militia, he was dressed in the standard army greens that were a little looser against the skin than the fashion world liked. Weapons hung in holsters from his belt. Ana figured there would be more in the leather vest he was wearing.

"I heard whispers that you survived the coup and didn't think that it was possible. After all, I had the best working for me, and they told me that they got everyone. Who would have thought that they foolishly believed that a maid was you?"

Taking another step forward, Pierre played a dangerous game but knew every step he took brought him closer to the best outcome. Ana surviving had thrown a kink in his plan, and now his leadership was threatened.

"Did you know that? An innocent soul lost her life so that you could live."

"Everyone that died that day was innocent. You don't deserve to be the leader."

Pierre smiled, hiding that he heard a noise. He figured that someone was about to interrupt their meeting. Ana looked like she was waiting for someone. It was something that he wasn't aware of, which frustrated Pierre.

Brushing the hair off her shoulder, Pierre smoothed his hand over the curve of her neck, dragging Anna closer.

"Who are you to say what I deserve?" he whispered. "You don't know me. You don't know the promises that your father made to me. I will get what he promised me."

Lowering, Pierre risked so many injuries if Ana lashed out, but he knew that she was too frightened. The rigid body under his firm grip told him that this little mouse would not do a single thing.

"And when I get what I was promised, I will be king."

Letting go, Pierre glanced around and moved quickly to the front of the building. Grabbing the string lights, he used the wire to jump to the metal path below.

Ana jumped with fright when Keoni thumped to the floor near her.

"Uh, hey. I didn't mean to scare you, sorry."

"Did you see him?"

Keoni frowned as he turned his attention to where Ana was shakily pointing. He moved to the front of the building and saw nothing.

"Who was here?"

"Pierre Normace," she whispered.