"You should get some rest, Diane. We'll talk about it tomorrow."
" I won't be able to sleep. Let's get some coffee instead." -She yanked her head back and pinched her nose bridge-
The Jackal stood up and walked towards the kitchen. There was no point in arguing with her because she needed to be active. Diane couldn't sleep and now that he told her that he wanted to kill the man she crossed paths with, they would need to talk about it in detail. He went to the cabinets and took two cups of coffee. He rummaged through the cabinets and realized they lacked coffee, capsules, ground coffee, or even beans. There was some tea, so he turned on the water heater to face Diane. She had followed him and was standing in the middle of the kitchen. Her frame was barely covered by a short grey t-shirt and a pair of black underwear but he didn't let it distract him. instead, he watched as she put both hands on her sides.
"You have to walk me through that encounter. What did you notice?"
"Alex..." she whimpered, biting her bottom lip hard enough to bruise her skin. It's a little foggy right now. I don't have all the details."
"I need to know if he lives here..."
"Alex..."
"I need to make sure he hasn't figured you out." - He was growing impatient and
"ALEX!" She shouted. Both hands held onto her skin tighter and she shook her head- "Please!... For the love of God, stop!" She then covered her mouth with her warm palm and shook her head. He could see she was still shaking and he felt his body stiffen at the sight. He hated to see her vulnerable like this. It was unlike her. It was... like a knife being twisted in his guts. He hated it but he didn't move closer to her. She didn't want him to.-
"Fine." That was all he said as he placed the cups on the table and returned to the water heater to pour some into a teapot. As he prepared the tea, Diane pulled a chair toward her and sat on it. The Jackal brought the teapot to the table, and he pulled the chair opposite her and sat on it. "We're running out of coffee, but there's some tea."
"I'm fine with it, " she replied in a soft voice. Leaning her arms on the table, she rolled her head to the side to look at him. He remained silent and observant, waiting for the teapot to be ready so he could pour some into their cups.- "I'm sorry for my outburst. I'm a nervous wreck..." -She admitted and chewed at her bottom lip-
"I know. It's okay."-His blue eyes softened upon staring at her. Diane shrugged and started to scratch her cheek-
"I think he was here for a short time. He wasn't relaxed and kept looking at his watch. I noticed he took a phone call and then left the supermarket." -She then pinched the bridge of her nose with her left hand- "I would look into the files I have on him."
"When was the last time you updated it?"
"Two years ago... A short while after we met in Milan." -She confessed, scratching her cheek again-
"Why is that?"
"I was... distracted...I was feeling good for a while and I thought.... I thought I didn't need to enact my revenge. I could hold onto something better."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying /you/ made me feel good. I felt good for the first time in such a long time. I was so happy I thought I could put my past behind me, Alex! That's what I'm saying!" She stared at him and chewed at her bottom lip. His heart skipped a beat as he didn't expect her to speak about her feelings so clearly. He could feel his heart fluster and his cheeks turn red but he didn't flinch. She kept talking to refocus their conversation- "So... I haven't updated the file for this long but I'm sure we can find his whereabouts if we pick up where I left it."
"What was he up to?" -She leaned further into her chair-
"Last time I found him he was in South Africa. He was cozying up with the leader of the far-right party there. I knew because I was working a job in South Africa and after a couple years of absence, he resurfaced in the country. He always goes on a hiatus after his jobs to cover his tracks and cut all the loose ends of his last jobs. He never gets satisfied with just giving advice... He always likes to get his hands dirty that was one of the ways I could track him. I know his work."
"How would you proceed if you were tracking him down?" -he asked, trying to make her focus on something practical. She furrowed her brows for a moment, the little crease on her forehead suggested she was genuinely thinking about his question. How would she do it if she was alone?-
" Now that I know he's in the country, I would first search for him in South Africa. See what was his job there. See if I can find him in pictures like I did last time. Is he still buddy with the president of that far-right party or was that man his target? Then, from there, if he's left South Africa for good, I would look into the big cases of the last years. I know his work, I would recognize it anywhere. I'll look into suspicious deaths, or perhaps massacres. I'll look at the victim profiles and then search for testimonies. He never works alone. He is a mercenary but he has a squad of faithful men who would follow him anywhere, including hell." -She took a deep breath and tilted her head to the side- "I'll also look into Budapest's recent crimes. Perhaps he came here for a job."
"It may be fruitless but at least this is a start. I need to have access to your files Diane." -She pinched her lips together and nodded- " I'll look into South Africa. You can check for any recent crime here."
He outstretched his hand, waiting for Diane to give him her files. She always kept it around her neck, in a makeshift necklace of some sort. Her hazel eyes stared at him and she pulled on her USB key and broke her necklace. She handed the USB key to him and the Jackal nodded quietly. He knew it was asking a lot from her and it was a testament to her trust in him. She pinched her lips together and once he took the USB key, she slouched back into her seat. There was relief on her face, he could tell. It was as if she was breathing for the first time in a long time.
He left the kitchen for a moment and allowed Diane some space for herself. She covered her mouth with her warm palm and cried into it. Her body moved back and forth as she was furiously trying to keep the Jackal from seeing her in such a vulnerable state. Heck! She didn't want to feel vulnerable like that again but meeting that man still made her react the same way. She froze and was unable to do anything but watch that man as he went about his day. She felt as helpless as she was all those years ago and panic mixed with anguish and disgust took over her. She cried into her hand and despite her best efforts, Alex could hear her. He knew what was going on but he also knew it was best not to intervene and let Diane cry it out. What it did, however, was cover his skin with goosebumps and make him angry.
Yes, he was angry. Angry at the man for what he did to Diane. Angry at the horrors she and countless other children were forced to endure at the hands of adults. He was angry but also determined to find that man and put a bullet in his head himself. He would do it for Diane. he would do it for himself as well. Her enemy was now his and he would stop at nothing until he was sure that man was dead. He started his research and after a while, as the sun had risen, he heard no more noise coming from the kitchen. He decided to check in on Diane and upon entering the kitchen again, he saw her sleeping body. She fell asleep there, her head resting comfortably between her arms. So he decided against waking her up and went to the bathroom to grab a bathrobe he could wrap around her frame. They would talk about what he found when she woke up.
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