The truth about August

One

"You are late" A man the same pants size of a gorilla told me as I walked inside the ugly, poorly lit room. My boots thumped onto the darkened tiled floor, making it impossible for me not to count my steps as I neared the group of men that were waiting for me inside.

"I am aware" I said, lifting my chin up to lock eyes with the rugged man sitting on the trashiest desk I had ever seen in my life. I could tell he was the one in charge, for the way his dark eyes watched me in silence, and also because he was sitting in the middle of the room, I had seen enough action films to get that right.

I swallowed my spare saliva as I waited for them to say something. I was already debating whether this had been a wise decision, but the feeling I was getting in my gut was screaming at me to leave, to simply walk out and disappear. Being myself, I didn't listen.

"Ren..." The man in the middle said and my thoughts harshly crumbled back to the situation at hand. I had to stay focused, or else my luck would be handled by them and I was sure it wouldn't get me a desirable outcome. "What is your real name?" The man spoke, I could tell he had an accent, but I couldn't identify it, as my knowledge in foreign accents never earned me a living.

"Just Ren" I sternly said, holding my ground. It had been years since I'd told a single soul what my full name was, it was not a wise thing to do while running away and becoming a ghost. I couldn't afford people knowing my real name, and now I was even more aware of it.

"Just Ren" The man chuckled condescendingly. I arched my left eyebrow at him. "Well, Ren" He started. "Why don't you take a seat so we can talk business"

I'd come there to fulfill a mission. My reputation had preceded me as one of the most efficient robbers in west Europe. I had only a faint idea of who these people were, but I wasn't hopeful. I knew they were criminals, and the only reason I agreed to meet was because I was in desperate need for some money, which was something I had no doubt I'd get out from them.

"I'm deeply enticed about your ways of doing business" The man sneered at me and I instantly felt repulsed. "Naturally, my curiosity begs me to ask, is everything they say about you true at all?" He tilted his head and I shrugged.

"Depends on what you've heard" I sang, crossing my legs and sitting back in the uncomfortable wooden chair.

"Let me see... you trick rich men into sleeping with you, then you disappear with all their treasures, isn't that right?"

I rolled my eyes. "Of course it's true. But The way you say it doesn't provide a lot of merit" I said. "The sleeping part is the easy part, people always make of it like it's a big deal and ignore the real challenge of my work"

The man raised a suspecting eyebrow. "Which is?"

I smiled and pursed my lips. "Getting them to trust me enough to actually show me where they hide said treasures, without even telling them my name"

The man moved his gaze to one of the other men in the room and smiled an unattractive smile.

"I'm relieved to hear that, miss" He rejoined our eyes as he was handed a creme folder. "It will certainly be of use for the job we are offering you" He smacked the folder against the weak desk in front of me.

With the encouragement of the man's thick eyebrows lifting towards the folder, I leaned over and slipped my finger inside to open it. Automatically, my sight halted when I caught a glimpse of the deepest eyes I had ever seen. I was looking at the photograph of a man, a young man, he was dressed with a long coat and a suit, his hair seemed to be dark and it was neatly combed to compliment the clean shaved face he sported. The black and white picture showed him walking down a street with a suitcase in hand, his square jaw tightly pressed as his eyes looked directly at the camera. The sight of them made me feel uneasy, and I easily decidedly he could be the most handsome man I had ever seen.