Through the thin motel curtains, a dull red glow was cast by the faint buzzing neon "VACANCY" sign outside. The air inside smelled of regret and cheap disinfectant, but it was safe for the moment.
Dante flipped through the evidence on his laptop while perched on the edge of the groaning bed. Raven was chewing on a burger with aggression as if it had personally wronged her, while she was half-buried in fast food wrappers across from him.
"All right," she declared, her mouth agape. "We have two leads now—"
Dante silently grabbed a napkin and dabbed at a ketchup smear from the corner of her mouth before she could say anything more.
She blinked. "Thank you." Then, without interruption, she went on: "First, the locket—oh! What do you know? We ought to have brought a whiteboard. Without one, this doesn't feel professional.
Dante let out a sigh. "You mentioned the locket, right?"
"All right! The locket. They found a small silver pendant, which she held up. A faded picture of Valerie and another woman, both grinning as if they weren't caught up in a web of crime lords and kidnappings, was inside. Delicate initials were engraved on the back:
"From E to V"
"So, obviously, V is Valerie," Raven went on, emphasizing with a fry. However, who in hell is E? And why was this photo taken at our secret coffee shop—
Dante's eyebrows went up. "Hold on. I assumed you detested coffee.
Raven sneered, "Of course I do." This explains why it is so hard to guess. For example, why would we be in a place that I hate?
Dante let out a breath. "Somehow, that makes perfect sense and no sense at the same time."
"Exactly."
Dante scanned the locket once more while running a hand through his hair. "Well, Javi might know if we want to identify this woman. He has known Valerie for many years.
"Or we find the old man who supposedly saw Valerie first," Raven interrupted.
Dante thought. "So, we either follow a lead that might be a dead end or speak with someone we believe we can trust?"
"Exactly!" Raven smiled. "You have a choice!"
Dante let out a groan. "Why are you like this?"
"Because you'd have no sense of adventure without me."
"I wouldn't have as many death threats without you."
Raven smiled. "Semantics."
Red and blue flashes came through the dirty window as the neon motel sign buzzed outside like a vengeful fly. Dante and Raven had finally gotten a few hours of sleep inside, but it wasn't very good sleep, given that the previous forty-eight hours had been a blur of gunfire, bad takeout, and morally dubious choices. Still, get some rest.
But that calm didn't last long.
"Why do you follow me?" Still on her side, Raven asked suddenly, her voice piercing the quiet like a badly timed commercial during a dramatic film sequence.
Dante woke up from his half-slumber, dreaming of a world in which Raven didn't initiate such conversations. Without hesitation, he reached for his gun and looked around the darkened room.
"Who? What? Where? His heart was racing as he blinked, searching for the imminent threat.
Raven let out a sigh. "Calm down, Bond. I was referring to you. You're following me, but why?
Dante wiped his face with his hands and let out a breath. "Your phrasing needs a lot of work."
She grinned. "Life wouldn't be the same without a little drama."
Dante leaned back against the dubious-looking headboard. "You really woke me up to ask me that?"
"Yeah, well." Her shoulder protested, and she shifted slightly, wincing. You didn't have to stay, after all. You could have simply said, "Well, that was fun, have a nice life," after the warehouse incident, but you chose not to. So why?
After giving her a long look, Dante sighed. "I'm not sure."
Raven's eyes narrowed. "Liar."
He was obviously unsure whether or not to respond as he combed his hair. He sighed at last.
"I consider your safety my responsibility after the warehouse incident," he said, his voice now softer.
Raven blinked. "Hold on. You mean you're in charge of me? In a big brother manner, perhaps? The way of a faithful partner? Or in the manner of "I made a terrible mistake by choosing to be near you."
Dante gazed at her. "Yes."
Raven gave a snort. "It wasn't a yes-or-no question."
"Yet here we are."
Despite the dull ache in her shoulder, she laughed. "You're impossible, God."
Dante grinned. "So I've been informed."
Raven stretched, instantly regretting it as her arm began to hurt. "Aw. All right. Do I at least receive benefits if I'm under your supervision? For example, will I receive a "Dante Protection Package"? A punch card, perhaps? "Get one free escape route after surviving five life-threatening situations."
Amused, Dante shook his head. "You have already exhausted all of your escape routes. Right now, your credit is running low.
Raven gave a fictitious gasp. "Robbery on the highway!"
After grinning, Dante became serious. "Observe, Raven. We must relocate quickly. It's not a good idea to stay put for too long, especially since Morelli's guys are still searching for us.
With a sigh, she kicked the thin motel blanket off her legs. Yes, indeed. I am aware. Only one issue.
Dante cocked his head. "What is that?"
She gestured toward her shoulder. "I'm going to run out of working limbs if we keep getting into high-speed escapes, gunfights, and rooftop chases."
Dante looked at her icily. "So... What other options do you have? Do you want to be carried everywhere by me?
Raven smiled. "If you're offering, that is."
Dante let out a groan.
She laughed. "Putting aside the jokes, how can we approach the elderly man without encountering Morelli's men? Because, really? I would adore a day off from being shot at."
Leaning back, Dante pondered. "We can either be distracting or stealthy. We can either slip away undetected or set up a distraction large enough to lead them astray.
Raven's eyebrows twitched. "Is there anything we can blow up?"
"No."
"A minor explosion?"
"No."
"A little fire?"
"No!"
Raven let out a loud sigh. "All right. You're not entertaining.
Dante grinned. "I'm alive, which is more than I can say for some of the fools you've encountered."
She let out a moan. "Oh no. Alright. Let's do it the boring stealth way, your way. However, I will blame you if we are discovered.
"Agree." Dante reached for his gun and jacket. "Now, before Morelli discovers us, let's go find an elderly man."