LOVE, LIES AND BULLETS

CHAPTER ONE

        HAVING A BAD DAY
                        
             
      
        MOLLY KAY'S APARTMENT
  

Adriana awoke with a start, her heart pounding in her chest. She could still hear the scream, the sound of breaking glass, the blood- curdling sound of a knife piercing flesh. She looked around in panic, the darkness of the room slowly giving way to the light of the morning sun. It took her a moment to realize she was in her friend's apartment safe and sound.
     But the nightmare still clung to her like a shadow, it's grip unrelenting. She could feel the sweat beading on her forehead, her hands trembling.
       Her friend Molly, sat down next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You're okay, Adriana", she said, her voice soft and soothing."It was just a dream. You're safe now". Adriana took a deep breath, the words sinking in." I know", she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "It just felt so real". Molly nodded, " Nightmares can do that to you but it's over now". She paused , then said " I know you have to get to work, but maybe you should take sometime for yourself this morning".
     The thought of taking time for herself was appealing, but Adriana knew she had to get to work. She couldn't let her nightmare dictate her life. So with a heavy sigh, she rose from the bed and began to get ready. As she was about to leave
, Molly stopped her. "Wait, before you leave, you should eat something. You look pale". " Adriana smiled weakly. "I don't have time to eat", she said. "I'm already late". But Molly was insistent, " You can't go to work on an empty stomach. Here, I will make you a quick breakfast. Just a minute okay?"
       Adriana hesitated, but she knew Molly was right. So, she nodded and watched as her friend scrambled to make her something to eat. In just a few minutes, Molly had a bowl of oatmeal and a glass of orange juice ready for her.
       "Eat up, and then you can be on your way", she said. Adriana sat down and began to eat, the food settling her stomach and her nerves. After a few minutes, she felt a bit more like herself. She took a deep breath and smiled at Molly. " Thank you", she said. " I really needed that". "No problem", Molly said with a smile. " Now get going before you are even later than you already are". Adriana nodded and headed out the door, her mind still reeling from the nightmare. But she tried to put it out of her mind because she had a job to do and she couldn't let anything get in the way of that.
      Adriana dropped her bag as she ran to catch the bus. The strap broke, spilling the content of the bag onto the sidewalk. She cursed under her breath as she scrambled to pick everything up, knowing she was already late for work.
         

        FIO-LU HOLDINGS
 

  Luther slammed his fist down on the desk, frustration bubbling down inside him. Nothing was going right today. First, his meeting with a potential client had been canceled, and then his assistant had messed up an important presentation. He felt like he was losing control of everything. As Luther fumed in his office, his assistant Mark timidly knocked on the door." Come in", Luther barked, not bothering to hide his annoyance. Mark entered, head bowed, a sheaf of papers clutched in his hand. " Sir, I'm sorry about the presentation", he began. " I can redo it if you'd like".
      "No that won't be necessary", Luther said, his voice cold. " Just get out of my sight". Mark nodded and scurried out of the office.
       Luther stood up and paced the length of his office trying to calm himself down. But no matter what he did, he couldn't shake the feelings of anger and frustration. He had worked so hard to get where he was and now he felt like everything was slipping away. He looked out the window, trying to find something to focus on other than his problem. That's when he saw her. A woman walking along the street below, her head bent as she hurried to her destination. There was something about her that caught Luther's attention, something that made him stop and stare. As Luther watched the woman, he couldn't help but notice how she seemed to be carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. Her shoulders were hunched, her steps heavy and slow. She looked so alone, so lost in her thoughts. And yet, there was something about her that intrigued Luther. Maybe it was the way she walked or the way she held herself, but something about her caught his eye and wouldn't let go. He watched as she turned a corner and disappeared from his sight, his mind racing with questions. Who was she?where was she going? and what was it about her that intrigued him? But then his phone rang cutting him from his thoughts, he picked, "Let's meet up", his friend Romeo said from the other end.

               DAWN'S COFFEE
    

  As Adriana approached the coffee shop, she took a deep breath and prepared herself for the day ahead. The moment she walked in, she knew something was off. The shop was eerily quiet, the usual hum of activity missing. She looked around confused, and then she heard a voice behind," You're late". She turned to see her boss, Ms Jones. She felt her face flushed. She had never been late before and she didn't know what to say. " I'm sorry, Ms Jones", she stammered. " There was traffic on the way in". But Ms Jones wasn't having any. "There is always traffic", she said. Her voice growing louder, " I don't accept excuses. You're supposed to be here at eight O'Clock sharp, and you are not. I'm going to have to write you up for this". Adriana's stomach dropped. She have never been written up before and didn't want to lose her job. But she had to accept and sign the form. After, she slowly put the pen down and looked around the shop, it was empty, the silence broken only by the faint hum of the coffee machine. She took a deep breath and forced herself to start working after changing into the uniform.
     And then Luther walked in along side his friend Romeo. Before she could go to their table to take their orders, another waitress was already there taking their order. Out of nervousness, the waitress Linda spilled the coffee on Luther. His anger and frustration aggravated, he decided to make a scene. " Who is the manager", he shouted. " Calm down", Romeo said. " I'm not having any of it" he replied." Who is the manager" , he repeated. Ms Jones approached their table with a pleading look. "I want this girl fired" he said . And due to his influence, Ms Jones decided to fire Linda amidst pleading not wanting to get on his bad books. Meanwhile, Adriana was at a corner watching the man Luther sip his coffee away after creating a scene. She nodded her head and wondered who he was but then her phone rang interrupting her thoughts.