part 2

Her car finally stopped in front of a large building. She collected her things and got out. It was early morning now and the sun was just starting to peak. The cold morning air brushed her face. She drew her coat tight and ran inside. It was an apartment block and she rented a flat on the third floor. Her quick steps making no noise on the carpeted stairs.

As she unlocked the front door, she noticed her feelings of unrest remained with her.

She opened the door and walked in. The place was elaborately decorated in reds and golds. She went for the bedroom and emptied the contents of her purse on the bed. A small camcorder tumbled out. Several envelopes and scraps of paper also found themselves unceremoniously scattered on the bed.

She sat down on the edge of the bed and sighed. She allowed herself to fall back and closed her eyes.

It was a smell that awoke her. It was the kind of smell men have after they've spent 30 minutes in the bathroom. It was a sweet musky scent.

Jayde sat up.

Quickly gathering the contents of her purse, she went to the window. There, the fire escape offered a less than dignified exit, but she took it. Not looking back, she silently left the apartment.

At the bottom of the fire escape she ran into Fredrick. He was a nice man, but he often carried a cricket bat in case he needed to be a not-so-nice man.

Today Fredrick was carrying the cricket bat and looking at Jayde in a less than friendly manner.

She considered her chances of escape. Not great in a dead end ally.

Fredrick motioned for her to follow him. She did.

Clutching her handbag, she followed Fredrick to his car. It was parked on the street, in front of her own. She noticed that her tired had been slashed and the front wind screen broken. From a brief glance, it appeared the steering wheel had been removed. At least there was little chance it would be stolen.

She slid into the back seat of Fredrick's hybrid Toyota. Fredrick cared about the environment.

The car already had two other occupants. Jerry sat in the front passenger seat. Carmen sat next to Jayde. Fredrick drove off.