He Saved Me(3)

“Come on,” the shadow said, tilting his head at me, signaling me to follow. So I did.

“Who the hell are you?” the feminine voice said as we neared her.

The man leading me pointed a thumb back to me. “Julian.”

I was now close enough to see her features lit up by the flood light. She had blue hair and bright jeans. “You’re an idiot,” she said flatly, glaring at me.

“That’s what I keep hearing,” I said, running a hand through my hair. “Is Andra here?”

She waved off the big man beside me and looked at me for a minute, her black-rimmed eyes sharp. “I need a drink,” she said, as if that answered my question. She turned away, heading towards Andra’s cabin. I followed, even though she hadn’t given me any invitation. She practically kicked the door open and waltzed in as if she owned the place. I followed, reluctantly, and watched her open up cupboard after cupboard, searching for something. She was tiny, but compact. She looked to be early thirties and had exceptional muscle tone. After watching her rummage around for a minute, I decided she was the scariest kind of beautiful. But she was not Andra.

“Where’s Andra?” I asked.

I watched her slam a couple cupboards before she hung her head down, her blue hair swinging around her head. She sighed and reached into the back pocket of her jeans, coming out with a pack of cigarettes. She didn’t look at me, but smacked the pack against her hand as she looked around the kitchen. She pulled out a cigarette and popped it in her mouth before resuming her search of the cabinets, the unlit cigarette hanging from her lips.

I was usually a very patient man, but this woman was testing me. “Where is Andra?” I demanded.

“God!” she yelled. She slammed her hands onto the counter. I heard the rattle of something in the drawers below, but she paid no mind as she dragged a lighter from her pocket, lighting the cigarette. She took several puffs and closed her eyes, leaning her head back. After a moment, she opened them and looked at me. “You aren’t supposed to be here.”

“Well, I am. And I want to know where Andra is.”

She laughed and crossed an arm over her stomach, supporting the elbow of her other arm with her hand. She sucked on the cigarette and released a puff of smoke. “Safe. Andra is safe.”

It was what I figured, based on her text. “Which means she’s not here, I’m assuming?”

The woman looked at me a minute, cigarette in hand and licked the side of her lips. “Guess you’re not as big a dummy as I thought,” she finally said.

“Who are you?”

She laughed again. It was getting on my nerves. “Nobody.”

“What is your name?”

“Why should I tell you?”

Yep, my patience was all but gone now. “Because you have something to do with Andra’s disappearance, and I want answers.” My fist hit the island countertop harder than I intended.

The woman’s eyes were as sharp as razor blades. “Now listen here, Julian,” she said, enunciating every word in a way that made me feel like she was disciplining me. “I don’t have to tell you shit. I’ve had a long god damn night and your presence here only messes things up. So excuse me if I am not willing to spill my guts out for you right now.” She huffed on her cigarette, eyeing me up and down. “What happened to your hand?” she asked, motioning with her cigarette.

I looked down at the hand that I’d punched the tree with. “I was angry.”

“No shit?” Her eyebrows were drawn together and she looked at me like I’d just told her the sky was blue. She watched me for another minute, alternating between sucking on the cigarette and chewing her lip. “Mira.”

“What?”

She sighed and sucked once more on her cigarette. “My name. It’s Mira.” She blew out the smoke with her head leaned back.

“And who are you?”

She stabbed out her cigarette in the sink and threw it in the trash. “I’m Six’s girlfriend.” She looked up at me. “Six and Andra are gone.”

“Where?”

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. “I am not telling you anything. You’ve already fucked things up coming here. It’s best that you get back on the road.”

“No,” I eyed her just as sharply as she eyed me. “I’m not leaving until I know where she is.”

Mira walked to the refrigerator and opened the freezer. Before I knew what was happening, a bag of frozen vegetables was flying at my face. I grabbed it just barely in time. “Put those on your knuckles.”

I dropped the bag onto the island. “Tell me.”