One Way Or Another ( Tom X F!Reader ) DISCONTINUED

Chapter 7: The Hunt Begins

Y/N

The cab driver babbled about her son to lighten the mood. I figured I wouldn't burden her with my sob story, and the topic switch from my life, to another's was pleasant for my psyche. Her vehicle smelled of a library or classroom.. strangely nostalgic and warming.

"The name is Veronica by the way. It'll be awhile 'til we're there, sweetheart so feel free to doze off if you need."

"With all due respect", I managed to pipe up, "Ma'am.. I can't sleep."

Her worried expression was clear as day in the mirror.
"Why ?"

"....Long story. "

"Well this is a long car ride, and I'm fairly curious as to what's troubling you. I know I'm a stranger, but you can talk and I'm all ears. I've seen plenty of things in all my years. And that son of mine is a cop."

So, I gave in, feeling a certain sense of safety with Veronica that I hadn't felt since the last time I was in Tom's arms. I confided in her, telling the long and short of it as the blur of the city transitioned into redwood forests and open fields.
When I was done, she had not a look of shock on her face or disgust, merely still curious. She pondered in the silence for a moment and then gingerly smiled.

"I could have Maxwell look into it and see if we can get that boyfriend of yours back. He's had a hunch for awhile that Europe was harboring an organization like this .. "

From what she had expressed to me Maxwell, her son, was a handsome and dark-haired male my age. He was also very pale and clean cut, obedient and needed someone to soften him up. Someone who could empathize. I folded my hands in my lap.
Sounds as if she's trying to set him up with me. It took lots of self control not to scoff.
But..with the law on my side, maybe I could actually find Tom again. All the while as I sat quietly, Veronica was idle in the driver's seat, the faint buzz of the radio filling in where conversation once was. We were silent for the rest of the car ride, both of us presumably reflecting on the past brought to our minds by my story. I turned my head to the window, numbing out the whole world except the flashing trees outside the glass. For the first time in a long time, I felt at peace. Maybe I didn't need love, maybe I just needed a fresh start.

We arrived and my legs had received an unfortunate plague of pins and needles. The car door opened from the driver's seat and slammed shut. Veronica greeted me at my window and opened the door for me. The house's light eggshell blue was chipped in large areas, revealing rotted wood interior and spring green stalks of weeds with sprouts of sickly yellow, wilting "flowers" at the tops of them, reaching for the shelter of the broken house. In brassy letters, the address plaque read "6377".

Veronica stepped forward first, trudging through the brush without a lick of hesitance. I, naturally, followed behind and knocked on the door once we both reached the porch.  No answer. Not surprising really. She hung behind and gestured towards the door for me to open it. There was a look of slight fear in her eyes but it was merely a flicker before she smiled encouragingly. I clutched the doornob and opened it, the hinges making a god awful noise as I did so.

"Hello?", my voice rang out and I winced as I heard it. I sounded quite weak and definetly a target if whoever or whatever was in this house was looking for a victim. The voice that answered was mousy and small. It was a girl, who sounded really young actually.... But when she emerged she was a teenager. Blonde, short, hazel and glimmering eyes. Her prescence was eery, but when i scanned anything but her,the house came off as harmless, just old and not terribly broken down as I had suspected previously.

She looked at me and came towards me. My body was iced over with fear for a moment.
"I gotta find my sister maa'm
Someone said they would send help"
Great. Some kid needed help when you yourself were stranded in a forgein country.

"Who's your sister?", I asked, trying to be as sympathetic as I could and possibly get information that would benefit my search.

"She works for an army..red army.. her name is Aspen."
Hm. Maybe she could be of some help to me...
Veronica called me.
"You okay, dolly?", her voice came from outside on the porch still.
"Yeah", I called back

"Do you think we can fit one more?"