Austin stares at his mug. Angel is dimwitted but she cottons on quickly. She has picked up on his annoyances and is using them to poke at him. She is going to be a challenge, he always knew she would be. He stands and empties both coffee mugs, rinses them, and places them in the dishwasher then gathers the flowers and his book, walking off to Angle's room and knocking softly on her door.
"What?!"
"I am leaving now," he says then stands back as her door flies open. "I am coming with you! And if I see him I am going to gut him with this knife!" she says pulling a massive hunting knife out from behind her back. What the fuck is wrong with her? He takes the knife out of her hand and holds it up. "Really?" he asks with a bored tone and an annoyed look. "Yes, fucking really! If he tries to take me he will have to do so with that bitch sticking out of his stomach. Give it back!" she says trying to take it, but Austin holds it above his head.
"No knife and you stay in the car. I am only letting you come because you are completely insane and I don't trust you alone," he says turning and walking down the stairs with her rushing behind him. "What?! No! I am coming in with you!" she screeches. She would draw too much attention, she should know that. Austin unlocks the front door and Angel shoots past him straight to his car, trying to open the locked door. The woman is crazy and over the top. Austin takes his time closing and locking her front door then walking down the front steps slowly as he watches her trying to open the door that she now very well knows is locked. He watches carefully as she yanks the handle and then presses the unlock button in time for her yanking back. She squeaks in surprise as the door now flies open and she falls back on her ass.
"Calm the fuck down," he says walking past her to his door. Angel jumps up and dusts her ass off. "Not cool! You are a real dick!" she says climbing into the car. Austin rolls his eyes and places her hunting knife which really is more like a small sword on the floor behind her seat then starts his car and drives off toward the florist. Angel talks all the way, non-stop, and about pointless shit. She talks when she is nervous, which is easy to pick up on. She needs to learn to control that. She gives too much away without even realizing it. The last question in her interview was from her stalker, he's sure of it. Angel had started well but felt the need to talk about what she thought about her views on obsession. Under normal circumstances, it would be a perfectly acceptable answer, but now her stalker knows she thinks it's unhealthy and he will twist her words in his brain - she has given him gold.
He pulls up to the florist and looks in through the shop windows. It's a small shop, that's a good thing.
"What if he is watching us?"
"That is how stalkers work."
"Not helpful!"
"No point in sugar coating, Miss Knite. Stay put," Austin says climbing out and then sighing when her door opens and she climbs out. "I told you to stay put," he says. "I heard you," she says putting her hoody on over her head and tucking her braids and hair in then putting sunglasses on. She is still recognizable but the street is empty. Austin rolls his eyes and turns but stops when she slips her hand into his and gives her a pointed look. "What? It's all part of the disguise," she says. That makes no sense, she is clearly losing her dam mind. He shakes her hand out of his and frowns at her. Then turns and walks into the florist shop and up to the counter throwing the flowers on the counter. The lady behind the counter looks at him fearfully.
"C-can I h-help you?"
"I want to know who bought these flowers from you today?"
The lady frowns and looks at the flowers gingerly then back at Austin and shakes her head. "I am sorry, we sell a lot of those and I could not tell you even if I did know. It's a bit personal," she says. Austin has never hit a woman but he will beat it out of her. Where did that thought come from? He glares at her and leans intimidatingly over the counter as the woman squeaks and steps back.
"You will-"
"You are scaring her," Angel cuts him off and slides between him and the counter, pushing her ass into him. "Oh, did you put my knife in your pocket?" she coos over her shoulder with a smirk. Austin blinks quickly and takes a step back. Unprofessional. "Sorry about my friend, he's a passionate guy," Angel says taking off her sunglasses and hoodie. The lady behind the counter gasps. "Angle Knite! Oh my gosh!" she says now smiling. "Hi. I was hoping you could help me. I got this beautiful bunch of flowers today with the sweetest card. The person who wrote it asked me to help with his sick sister but he forgot to put his name or number on it and I really want to help. He must have been so nervous," she says happily, leaning on the counter as the lady nods along to her words.
"I bet. I am sure lots of people forget things when they meet you," she says. "They do, but I really want to help him so..." Angle says. "Oh, I would really like to help but I don't take anyone's details so even if I remember him I don't have any details," she says. "Do you have security footage?" Austin asks. "Yes, but I don't know if I can show it to you," the lady says. Austin grides his teeth. He will murder her and then view the footage. "Oh, please," Angel says reaching back and grabbing Austin's hand as she feels him shift, it calms him - strange. "I won't tell anyone and you will be doing me a huge favor," she coos out in a silky sultry voice that gives Austin goosebumps. That's not right. "Oh, ok. Just because it's you, Angel Knite," the lady says. "Yay!" Angel says clapping and bouncing. Austin will kill them both just for peace of mind.
They follow her to the back and she puts on the footage from that morning. Her shop is not as busy as she implies. Austin forward the parts where no one is in the shop and then stopping when someone walks up to the counter. But person after person Angel shakes her head until she doesn't and her breath hitches. A man in a dark blue hoodie walks in and picks up a bunch of flowers, sniffs them, strokes them, talks to someone who is not there then walks up to the counter. The florist looks up at him and takes a step back, Austin can see her shiver on camera. He pays and then walks out. He had kept his head down the whole time - clever. "I remember that guy, he was really creepy," the florist says. Angel steps closer to Austin with a little whimper, slipping her now-clammy hand into his. He does not shake her hand out this time, she needs the comfort, he can feel her shaking like a leaf. The guy seriously scares her. From what Austin can see on the footage - the guy is not right in the head and that makes him very dangerous for Angel as his fixation on her grows.
"Do you know him? Has he come in here before?" Austin asks. "No, thank goodness. Is that the guy you were looking for?" the florist asks. "No," Austin says, "I don't think the person we spoke to came in here - must have gotten a friend to collect the flowers," Austin says. "Oh, well I wish I could have been more of a help," the forest says turning off the monitor. "And don't worry, I will delete the footage of you coming in here Miss Knite, I know how you celebs like to keep your privacy," the florist says.
Angel clears he throat, "thank you," she says, her voice small. The girl is rattled.
Austin puts her hoodie and glasses back on her then pulls her to the car quickly and puts her in the front seat. When he starts the car he hears her sniffle and his heart drops, he's not good with emotions. He tries to ignore it but she continues and Austin is starting to feel bad. Eventually, he pats her arm lightly.
"There, there."
Angel turns her head and blinks at him. "There, there?" she asks in confusion. "I don't know how to deal with...this," Austin says waiving his hand around her wet face.
"Emotions?"
Austin should answer but he doesn't. She has hit the nail on the head, he sees no reason to confirm it. Besides, he would rather not talk about it. He is here to protect her not soothe her emotions, she has friends for that.
"Most people would offer ice cream in this situation."
"I don't like ice cream."
"Not for you! For me you dick!"
Austin sighs, her emotions are all over the place. But, he will get her ice cream just to shut her up. He looks for an ice cream shop and pulls over when he sees one.
"Stay here."
"But how will I know what I want?"
"What do you want?"
"I don't know. I need to see the menu."
"Miss Knite. Make a choice or you will get nothing."
"Ok! Geez! I want a chocolate milkshake, a mint choc chip bowl, a caramel swirl, cookie dough, and three sprinkles...hey! Wait! I was not finished!" she shouts as Austin gets out of the car. How the fuck was she going to eat all that anyway. He pulls open the door and walks up to the counter. There are a million flavors. He points to the first one and looks at the man behind the counter.
"You want that flavor?"
"Mhmm."
"You want one or two scoops."
"Don't care."
"Cone or bowl."
"Don't care about that either."
"Ok..."
The man scoops ice cream into a bowl and hands it to Austin as he taps his card. He turns but stops when he nearly walks over a kid about five years old. He looks at his mother with big eyes. "He is scary" the boy blurts. His mother laughs nervously and shakes her head. "I am so sorry," she says to Austan. Austin smirks down at the boy and then widens his eyes. "Boo!" he says and the little boy jumps behind his mother with a fearful scream. Satisfied, Austin steps past them and walks out of the shop. He climbs into the car and hands Angel her ice cream. "Did you just purposely make that kid shit his pants? Dick move, man. And what is this? This is just regular vanilla ice cream - no sprinkles, no nothing!" she groans. He ignores her and lucky for him she starts shoveling it into her mouth.
"Ahh, fuck! Brain freeze!" she groans but continues to eat. She is like a fully grown child with sticky fingers and all. Halfway home her phone rings and Austin grimaces when she grabs it with her sticky fingers leaving streak marks across the screen as she answers it.
"Mom!!" she screams into her phone nearly making Austin crash his fucking car. She is going to drive him off the deep end. He tries to shut her voice out as she speaks a million words very loudly and very animatedly to her mother and they seem very close. She talks all the way home, her ice cream melting in her bowl and by the time he pulls into her driveway, she has given him a tension headache. He gets out of the car and walks around to her door, opening it for her. She climbs out while she continues to talk and follows Austin up the stairs then hands her sticky ice cream bowl to him absentmindedly as she steps through the front door. She continues talking as she walks up to her bedroom, shutting the door behind her. "Thank you for this," he mumbles throwing her sticky bowl in the trash and then washing his now sticky fingers. He does his parameter scan and then checks the doors and windows are securely locked. He phones a security company to come the next day and install cameras, and lasers on the windows too, and also a gate company to install a new gate - she has a huge wall around her property and no gate, only in Angel's world does that make sense. He might be going a little overboard, but the video of that stalker and Angel's reaction has him concerned, but only because that's his job. He was employed to keep her safe and so that is what he is doing.
He makes dinner, washes his dishes, and then checks his book. Today was a dead end, he knows no more than he did yesterday about Angel's stalker and it annoys him. The longer it takes him to sort this out the more chance he has of getting hold of Angel. He grabs his bag and chooses the room next to Angel's room, placing his bag on the end of the bed he unzips it and opens it. Thankfully his sister had packed it exactly the way he would have - he would not have enjoyed any more shit today. He takes his sleep pants out as well as his toiletry bag and walks into the bathroom. He just wants to wash this day away.