Chance and Reason

Chapter Two

A/N: Thank you for making it to the second chapter! As always, please enjoy.

Reaching for the television remote, Camila turned the volume up, hoping that the reporter speaking onscreen would be able to drown out the sound of the turbulent weather battering the city. Her attempts were in vain however, because the next gust of wind seemed to sever the connection completely, leaving her with a screen of static.

Groaning, she turned the television off entirely and slumped back into the sofa. Her head was pounding, and she pressed her palms hard against her closed eyes until lurid colours burst into life on the back of her eyelids. She allowed them to swirl in her vision for a few seconds before dropping her hands to her side and blinking until her sight returned.

The loss of the television noise had left an eerie quiet inside her apartment that caused a shiver to course through her. It seemed that the storm was worsening, despite the fact that the weatherman had promised clear skies by the evening. It was now throwing its full weight against her building. The chaos outside contrasted so starkly with the stillness in her home that her surroundings seemed suddenly unnatural.

Deciding to distract herself, she retrieved her mobile phone from her pocket and scrolled through her notifications. She found that there were countless messages and emails from her editor but she chose to ignore them all. In her opinion, her latest article had been a huge success. The fact that it had produced such a backlash from some was, at present, the least of her concerns.

Seeing nothing to suitably entertain herself with, Camila threw her phone aside onto the sofa and stood to make her way to bed. As she got to her feet, there was a dull thud and muffled shout from the street below. She froze, her fatigued brain heightening her sense of paranoia. For a brief second, she felt utterly unable to move a muscle, and as she began to feel her panic rising, there was an almighty crash.

The icy wind came pouring through the space where the window used to sit. Shards of glass littered the ground, their jagged edges glinting menacingly on the carpet. Amongst them lay two bricks, which had been thrown simultaneously into the apartment.

Camila threw herself behind the sofa, her mouth opened as if she were screaming, but no such shout forming. Clamping her hand over her mouth, she fumbled for her phone, dialling for the emergency services as fast as her trembling fingers could manage. She almost cried in relief when a voice answered.

"Please," she croaked, "Somebody's trying to break into my apartment,"

The woman at the other end gathered Camila's address and the details of the attack efficiently, whilst firmly assuring her that there would be police arriving to assist her in a matter of minutes. Clinging to her phone, Camila sat unmoving, waiting for the arrival of help.

Sure enough, in a small amount of time, the wail of a siren and electric flash of blue lights approached down the street. Camila quickly unbolted her door, standing back to allow the two uniformed officers into her home.

"Miss Cabello?" the first confirmed whilst his colleague approached the mess of shattered window at the other end of her lounge.

She nodded, and he gave her a reassuring smile.

"Officer Mendes," he introduced himself, and she shook his outstretched hand.

"I've got two officers outside checking the surrounding area to see if the people responsible are still in the vicinity," he told her, "And my team are going to check these bricks for fingerprints,"

She nodded again, unable to think of anything to add.

"Do you have any idea what could have provoked this attack?" Officer Mendes asked, producing a notebook and gesturing that Camila should take a seat.

Initially she shook her head, but then she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and her memory was jolted.

"I'm a journalist," she began, "My recent article caused a bit of a..."

Unusually, words seemed to fail her and her mind went blank.

"A bit of a stir?" Officer Mendes finished, jotting something down in his notebook.

"Something like that, yes,"

The other officer approached them, holding a creased piece of paper up in his plastic-gloved hands.

"You might want to take a look at this, sir," he remarked, "It was attached to the brick. There's writing on it,"

"Like a message?" Mendes asked, "What does it say?"

His colleague held it up for him to view, and his posture stiffened immediately. The two exchanged hushed words, deciding what to do next, while Camila sat anxiously beside them.

"What does it say?" she burst out, tired of the two policemen excluding her from the discussion that was taking place.

"Miss Cabello, considering the nature of this attack and your current profession, I think that it would be wise for us to provide you with a close protection officer... just as a precautionary measure," Officer Mendes replied smoothly, disregarding her appeal and pulling the smile back onto his face.

"You think I'll be attacked again," Camila mumbled numbly.

"I just think that it's best if we don't leave anything to chance," he said softly, "Your safety is our priority,"

"So what happens now?"

"We'll clear up here and cover the windows as best we can, and then I'll leave an officer at your door to keep an eye on everything until tomorrow. By then I'll have hired somebody to fill that role more permanently,"

The two officers worked very quickly to patch the windows up, and Camila managed to pluck the transparent fragments out of her carpet, leaving it safe for bare feet once again. When the tidying was done, she could not help but feel deeply concerned about the idea of being back alone in the apartment after they were gone.

"If you have any further issues, talk to the officer on the door or call the station," Mendes added as he made to leave, "I'll be back here at about midday tomorrow with your close protection officer, and we can discuss what our next move is going to be,"

"Wait!" Camila shouted as he began to walk down the corridor after his colleagues, "You didn't tell me what the message said!"

"It said: 'If you cannot keep quiet then we will make you',"

"So it is about my article then?"

"It would appear so, yes,"

Camila digested the information slowly, digging her nails into the skin on her hand to try and control her shaking.

"Are you alright, Miss Cabello?"

"Yes," she responded quickly, "Perfectly alright. Goodnight, Officer Mendes,"

She disappeared behind her door and he headed for the stairwell. It was still wild outside but did, at last, seem to be easing off a little. Meeting his partner in the foyer, they went out to the car together.

"Can you drive, Toby?" Mendes requested, "I've got a call that I need to make,"

"No problem, sir,"

With one twist of the key in the ignition, the engine sparked into life and they turned out onto the virtually deserted road. With his companion at the wheel, Mendes located his phone and scrolled through his contacts, looking for the name that he needed. Pressing the call button, he lifted it to his ear. It rang twice before somebody picked up.

"Who's calling?" came the voice.

"Agent Jauregui? It's Officer Mendes. I've got a favour that I need to ask of you,"