On the Run

10 - Crimson Shadow

Mia opened the door of her motel room and shuffled in, throwing her bag to the side carelessly. It was cosy and small; the bed seemed to be made of dark oaky wood that spouted out dark patterns along its surface. A black carpet covered the floor, and it worked well with the light, cream walls that gave a touch of life to the mostly darkly decorated room. If she wasn't under the certain circumstances, she would've found the room to be comforting and nice to stay in.

She heard Daniela and Lorenzo coming up right behind her, so she swiftly moved out of the way, scooping up her bag again as she walked, and headed over to the window and shut the blinds, not wanting anyone to start peering in and seeing exactly who they were.

Daniela and Lorenzo dropped their bags to the side before Daniela pulled out two other keys, one for her and one for Lorenzo. Lorenzo closely examined his, showing off his still shaky hands.

"Lorenzo, are you OK?" Mia asked as she turned from the window.

"I'm just a little..." Lorenzo started, not even sure how to describe what he was feeling, "on edge."

"It'll pass, trust me," Mia promised, offering him a small smile. He took comfort in it and allowed it to put a few of his worries at ease, at least for now.

Daniela, who had been texting for the past few seconds, put her phone down and glanced up to the pair.

"My contact said he's going to meet us tomorrow to give us what we need," Daniela stated.

Mia nodded before turning away from the pair, taking off her jacket. She pulled the photograph from the pocket and took another glance at, a million thoughts drifting through her confusing pool of a mind. If the person that took the photo of her worked for Orabella, then Mia knew that this conspiracy was much more personal than she had initially thought.

"What's that, Mia?" Lorenzo's voice pulled her from her thinking.

"Huh?"

"That," Lorenzo said again, nodding to the photo in her hands, "what is it?"

Mia looked down at it before shoving it into her pant pocket. "Nulla."

"Daniela could you give us a moment, per favore?" Lorenzo asked. Daniela gave him a slight nod before exiting the room, shutting it behind her, leaving them in just each other's company.

"What's going on, amico?" Lorenzo asked Mia, wandering over to her.

Mia sighed. The last thing she wanted to do was start indulging in her wild theories based on one woman she saw, nor did she want to start talking about the painful past that she seemed to find popping up more often in the last few days.

"Mia, I'm not going to stop asking until you tell me," Lorenzo persisted. He knew he may sound relentless and pushy, but he wanted to be there for his friend and he wanted her to know that she could trust him. And it would also help in taking his mind off his missing brother for a little while.

"Lorenzo, just drop it," Mia said coldly, moving past him. She threw her bag on the bed and started rummaging through it, pulling out things such as toiletries and the other changes of clothes that Daniela had supplied her with.

Lorenzo slammed his hands down onto her bag, startling her. He pushed down, making sure she couldn't keep sorting through it.

"Why do you always put up a wall, Mia? I've said time and time again that I'm here for you, but you won't let me. You're one of the few friends I have and I'm pretty sure that is vice versa," Lorenzo said, his eyes burning into Mia's head which was faced down, avoiding his harsh, truthful glare.