And now the times are changin'
Look at everything that's come and gone
Sometimes when I play that old six-string
I think about you, wonder what went wrong
- Summer of '69
*(I love this song. Are you fan of it and still belt it out every now and then?)*
******
After a good shower, I finally felt like myself. No more stink of vomit and sweat. Yeah, I was a real charmer when I woke up. Getting into new fresh clothes which were way too big for my size I padded across the hallway into the kitchen. It was an automated maneuver actually. You see, as soon as I got out of the steamy bathroom my nose twitched as the delicious smell of pan-fried chicken wafted in through the bedroom's door. There was only so much my stomach could take.
So pulling onto clothes haphazardly which I found spread on the bed, obviously by Ian, I almost glided into the kitchen with my nose picking at the mouth-watering smell as bread crumbs.
There he was with his back turned towards the door. Humming summer of '69 softly while chopping tomatoes on a cutting board and simultaneously stirring something in a pot. He was wearing khaki shorts and a button down shirt which I've never seen him wear before. There was a rag cloth hanging by his shoulder. Although I couldn't see his face but his back looked...good. Long legs which were never so exposed before. Broad shoulder. And tousled brown hair which looked like the wind itself has styled them in a new fashion. It's like I saw him for the first time. At least in a new way. A foreign kind of feeling started bubbling deep inside my stomach. And it had nothing to do with the hunger riot in there. For a moment there I almost forgot how hungry I was.
Captured in the moment I didn't notice when Ian had turned around and was staring at me. "You okay there, Chasity?" I snapped back to focus.
"Yeah." My voice came out a little pitchy. Clearing my throat, I said, "I'm good. What are you doing here?"
"Well, um. I told you that I'll cook something while you get cleaned up. Didn't I?"
"Did you? Ah! Right you told so." I rubbed my neck sheepishly.
Ian eyed me with concern. "Chasity. Are you really okay?" What should I answer him? That while he was busy cooking I was checking him out? That I was finally acknowledging how good his back looked? Nah. Definitely Not!
"Do you feel any pain or discomfort? Because of the concussion? You can tell me. You know."
"Yes! Right!" I exclaimed feeling relieved to have an excuse. "The concussion. Yeah. The concussion. I do feel a little hazy." And there was again that guilt in his eyes which made me want to slap myself for saying it.
"But I'm okay, though. I'm sure with a little more rest I'll be perfectly good." He still had that look disregard of my assurance.
"I hope so. Why don't you take a seat? I'll serve the food in five minutes."
Walking up to the counters stationed in the mid of the kitchen I sat on a stool with my elbows resting on the slap. "Need any help with cooking?"
"Nah! It's almost done."
"What did you make?"
Ian faced towards the cooking area again. "Um. Let's see. Pan fried chicken is already." See my nose can never be wrong. "Spaghetti is boiled. Just have to toss it with the salsa sauce. Tomato and cucumber are cut. Ready to make the salad. I didn't get feta cheese so we have to manage with goat cheese. And then there's an apple pie which is..."
My jaw slacked listening to his menu list. "Holy skittles! For how many people are you making food for?"
Ian turned around as the stool I was sitting on scraped the floor lightly when I jumped a little. "Just the two of us. Why?"
"Why? It's so much food!"
"As much I've noticed. And you told me so too. You eat. A lot."
I narrowed my eyes as a smirk pulled on his lips. "Okay. I'll let that slid since you are making me food. But if you mention it any other time I won't be really happy. And I do hope you remember what happens when I'm not happy." Oh, he did remember alright. If the pale look on his face was to be accounted for.
Ian gulped down and busied himself with the remainder of the cooking. A few minutes later the food was ready. Much to Ian's objection, I helped him to set the table which was in the small but cozy dining room right next to the kitchen. After almost six days which felt like a very long time I finally ate without worrying for my life. Well, not completely since the people were still out there looking for us. But it felt close to normal. As normal as it can get while having a late lunch with Ian.
"Ian? I was thinking."
"Yeah."
"Or should I call you Evan? Now that..."
"Ian is fine."
"Okay. Ian."
He looked at me expectantly. "What were you thinking?"
"You explained everything but I still don't understand one thing. Okay fine. I get it that you helped the FBI to rig the deal so Ramone and Damian are pissed and are after you for a revenge. But going so far as this? I mean it's too much of a hassle for them. Don't you think? Just to take a revenge. The deal happened before two years, you said. It's quite a long time to hold a grudge against a single person. And especially for two very established criminals. Who I'm sure can utilized the time they are spending on you in some other useful works. Whatever work they find useful, of course."
While I was speaking Ian was shifting in his seat uncomfortably. If I knew any better I would have thought he had stomach problems.
"Um. You see, Chasity. Um. I didn't really tell you everything." His eyes were stealing glances at me but never actually staying on me.
"What do you mean?"
"You remember? I told you about the money. That it disappeared."
"Uh huh."
"Well, actually. It didn't. Not exactly."
"Can you elaborate a little?"
He pulled at his shirt's collar hesitantly. "The money did disappear. But for the FBI and Ramone and Damian. That night during the deal, I transferred the money nor into the account, Ramone told me neither in the one the FBI told. I transferred it into another untraceable offshore account under a fake company's name."
"Oh, my god! That's why they're after you."
"Well, I think so. But it shouldn't have happened that way. No one was supposed to know about it. I don't understand how this knowledge of the mixed up money transfer got out." He was guessing how the leak happened whereas I was freaking out on some other matter.
"Ian! Why did you even do it? It's stealing. How could you do it? Oh my god!"
"It wasn't stealing."
"Oh really!" I narrowed my eyes rather accursedly at Ian. "It's not the medieval time and neither are you, Robin Hood. Stealing money from big bad people is still stealing. Oh god! I can't believe it you did that. And here I thought you were..."
"Chasity! Will you shut up for a second and listen to me!" Ian's booming voice cut my rattling short. When he was sure I wouldn't start again he gave out a sigh. "I didn't steal the money for myself. And I definitely didn't take it to spend it on anything. It's still there on the same account. Untouched. It was meant to be a safe card."
"Safe card? I don't really see it working as that."
"Well, it isn't working so as it seems." Ian raked a hand through his hair and backed on his chair. "I knew that there was a huge possibility that I would die that day. There was even less chance that if I somehow come alive then I wouldn't be in danger later. The only chance of being safe was to be under FBI protection. But I also knew that as long as the case wasn't cold I would be given priority and protection. After that, I was on my own even though I was put in witness protection.
Though Ramone and Damien weren't caught but if the money along with the drug was caught the case would have gone cold and they would have very well tossed me aside. There was no telling how long I would have survived then. So, just to be on a safer side till those two weren't caught I thought of hiding the money. This way the agents couldn't close the case yet and I was still kept in a tight loop. But somehow I guess they got the sniff of what I did and now they are after me to get their money back."
"So, let me get this straight. You hid the money to keep the case open so that you'll be kept protected by the FBI people. But somehow Ramone and Damien know that you have the money and so they are after you to get it back. How much exactly the money is?"
"Around three hundred million dollars."
"Holy mother of all the candies! That's a lot of money."
Ian replied with a shrug, "It is. That's why they are not letting go."
With this, another question unexpectedly popped in my mind. "Ian. If FBI is supposed to protect you then where are they now?"
"That is what I've been thinking too. I have contacted them every time. Told them about the situation and our location so that they can handle the condition but..."
I cut his sentence in mid and added my own epiphany. "Each time instead of them MIB men got us. Every place."
"What? You think that...?" This time, he himself let the question hang.
"Don't you think it actually makes sense that way."
"But how is that possible?"
I stood up from the table in awe of his obliviousness. "For a genius geek, you're one hell of a stupid. Don't you watch movies? I think there's mole in the FBI. Someone within them is in contact with Ramone and giving him your locations."
"But then why didn't Ramone get me in the past two years. I have been perfectly safe till last week. Why now?"
Walking around my chair, I placed my elbows on its back and leaned over. "Hmm. Apt question. Why now?" I asked to no one in particular.
"How often did you meet the agents?"
"Every week."
"Okay. So you stayed in touch with them quite frequently. Did you see any new agent in the team handling your case?"
My question seemed to spark something in Ian because he jumped out of his chair right then. "Yes. Actually, there is one. And..." Suddenly his face clouded with dread.
"And what Ian?"
"My mobile broke during the fight so I couldn't contact the agents. I didn't get to call them till we reach here. Not at least today. So when I went out to buy some grocery I called one agent from the payphone."
"And?" The intermediate pauses Ian was taking was killing me.
"And when I called Agent North picked. He is the new agent, Chasity."
******
Hey!
I won't say much this time. 'cause I seriously need to sleep now. It's freaking 4:30 a.m. And I have to meet my project mentor at 9 a.m. I'm awesome. Aren't I?
Okay. So I'm just gonna say that if you liked this chapter then please Vote
And tell me what you think about the new revelation Ian made and of course, the story so far.
Bye Bye
Love you all
--Jags