Isabella

~8~

Isabella

"Where did you get this watch from?" The salesman asked me as I handed Luigi's watch over to him. I didn't see a solid use for the watch anymore so it's better I sell it so no one would be able to connect my involvement with the watch or even Shayne.

"It belonged to my dad before his passing. Think you can pay me good cash for it?" I asked him, running my hand over the golden watch that glittered even though it wasn't the regular modern kind of watch. Made me wonder if Luigi was the wealthy type to be able to afford a watch like this.

I waited and watched as he conversed, sold a few things to a customer before making his way back to me. The man only sold male stuffs and accessories; he was the only one who could find a buyer for the watch quicker than anyone could even expect.

"I'll pay four hundred for this."

Wtf?? "Four hundred dollars?!" I couldn't believe my ears. A watch Shayne traded a million dollars for?! That got me thinking. Why would Shayne even waste----why were people ready to throw in a lot of money for a piece of watch? Unless, it wasn't really a watch. Something was definitely creepy about Luigi's watch.

"Nevermind, I'll keep it." I said and scrambled the watch off the counter, tucked it into my pocket and started for the exit.

"You'll never find a better buyer than me!" The man yelled from behind.

"Then I might as well keep this piece of shit."

~

After paying for a hamburger and a bottle of coke, I settled on the rooftop of one of the many shops in town and watched as the town busied; people going about their normal business like it wasn't two in the morning.

Halfway into my bottle of coke, my phone rang and I picked it, the caller ID and picture flashing up on the screen.

"Hey,"

"Hey," Nicole's voice came through as I busied myself with my hamburger. "Where are you?"

"Somewhere, safe. You don't have to worry about me."

"I wasn't worrying about you, stupid, it's just that sometimes, you disappear and never return."

I grinned into the phone. "As long as I didn't go into the world beyond. Is something wrong?"

"No nothing, I'm at work. It's just Lucas...he pulled off just in front of our shop and walked across the bar next to ours. He's with a strange looking man."

I chewed the hamburger down, savoring its appealing taste. "Normal stuff. Anything else?"

"It doesn't seem normal to me when the man is formally dressed and polished, looks a few inches into his late thirties, carrying a suitcase, something's definitely up, El, I can smell even the raw sense of it. Care to drop by our shop for a little chitchat?"

"Ah, there you are. Personally pushing me into the arms of danger." I mused and waited for her reply.

"I'm not!--pushing you into the arms of danger, Isabella, I'm just making sure the old man's not planning on taking you in by surprise."