Masked

xx.

xx. Emerald's POV

Shit. 

That is all that went through my mind as we stared at each other. 

It didn't cause a disturbance with anyone on the floor because nobody noticed this gorgeous man, standing outside, looking directly into the diner, at me. I held his stare, trying to remain as calm as possible but I couldn't make out what that smirk meant. Was it one that meant that he found me out and that he had every intention of scoping me out. Or was it just a smirk of someone who found me attractive. 

I highly doubted the latter approach but it slightly calmed me to think that were the case. 

Of course, he couldn't have made a scene on capturing me inside the diner, not with everyone being human and attracting attention. That didn't mean though that he wouldn't be waiting for me outside with his pack to take me in. 

I cursed again. 

I remembered what Luna and Venus had said about no harm coming to me, but I couldn't be so sure. No harm meaning I wouldn't die but what could happen when I was captured? What would happen when I left this diner?

Breaking contact, against my body's will, I let out a sigh as I ran my hand through some of the bangs that had fallen out of the braid. I couldn't stay cooped up here forever, it would raise suspicion.

Clocking out and getting my things from my locker, I placed my bag on my shoulder and began to leave. Saying my goodbye to Rhoda as she remained in her office all day, I went out front and said another to my coworkers. 

Noticing that he was no longer there in the window, it raised suspicion but also lowered my nerves a tad. Pulling out my phone as I was leaving the diner, I caught sight of him across the street. Standing in a storefront, leaning against the brick wall, staring directly at me. Moving my eyes briefly away, I noticed another, sitting in front of a cafe at a dining table, looking at me as he sipped his coffee. Turning to my left, I noticed another. And another. And another. 

Fuck. 

Easily dialing the number that I had memorized, not sure how much of conversation I could have before seemingly being taken, I pressed the call button and pressed my phone to my ear. It rang three times before the person answered. 

"Hello?" Malena said. 

"Hey," I said, as I began to walk as if nothing in this situation was treacherous or nerve-racking. "How are you?"

"Emmy?" she asked confused. "What are you... are you alright?"

"Yeah of course," I say nonchalantly. Of course not. "Couldn't be better. I was just calling to check in."

"Well, there's nothing going on here if that's what you're asking."

"Uhhh," I say, letting it hang as my eyes observed that two out of the five men had moved position and seemed to have been coming in my direction but had stopped for some reason. "No, not really my priority for calling."

"Then what would be..." she let the sentence hang, and I could only hope it was her way of knowing that I was being sought out. But to not make it obvious. "Do you know that Calvin is fifteen pounds heavier than the last time you saw him?"

I chuckled at her excuse of a coverup. "I can't really be surprised, you feed him as if he's human."

"I don't like to deprive him, he'd hate me."

"And that's why he's fifteen pounds overweight. He needs a diet."

"Huh, that's what the vet said."

As I continued to walk to my apartment, none of the men made a move to come towards me. Maybe it was the fact that I was on the phone and they didn't want whoever I was on the phone to be suspicious. To them, it seemed like a normal conversation. As I had hoped. 

"So how's Derek?" I asked randomly. 

I heard her soft intake of breath at my question, knowing that she had never mentioned him to me before. I just seemingly knew. "He's uh... he's good."

"Three months right?" I questioned. "Do anything special?"

"The usual," she mumbled, knowing that she wanted to ask me how I knew but couldn't for the sake of being found out. "Made dinner and watched a movie... How about you? Anyone on your end?"

I suddenly felt tense, not in a way that made me uncomfortable but one that made me confused. I wasn't sure why I was suddenly tense or why that made me feel the way it did. 

"No," I say easily. I was suddenly calm. "Not seeking one as you know."

"Couldn't blame me for asking. Would've thought you'd have a cowboy by now."

"Oh ha ha," I say fakely. "How amusing you are."

I was only a couple feet away from my apartment and I had still not been taken, much to my surprise. That only made me even more confused. If they had figured it out, that I was the rogue, why wouldn't they have come after me by now? 

As I entered my building and into the elevator to go to the top floor, I let out a sigh. 

"You alone now?" Malena asked. 

"Give me two more minutes," I negotiate. 

Once the elevator got to my floor, I quickly booked it to my apartment and once I was in the confines of my place, I flicked my wrist and the candles that were around every inch of my apartment, sparked a flame. Instant privacy. 

"The Johnson pack figured out I'm the rogue," I say. 

"Wha... are you sure?" Malena asked unbelievingly.

"Would I have called you to talk about your cat if it wasn't the case?"

"But then why are you still on the phone with me?"

"αόρατο," I mummer as I head to the window that faces the front of the apartment complex, knowing that they couldn't see me now. Out of the five men, only one remained. Not surprisingly, the god himself. He looked to be in deep thought, possibly trying to figure out why he couldn't hear within my apartment. "I'm not sure," I finally responded. "They made moves to capture me but didn't when I got on the phone with you."

"Well, that's odd."

"Tell me about it," I say, a tad frustrated and majority confused.

"Be careful," she warns. "You know to go to Jemma or Max if anything happens."

"Alright," I responded warily. "I'll talk to you later."

Bidding me goodbye, we hung up. 

Now we wait.