Trent spent most of the day moving all of his belongings into his new office. He looked upon his own door, sandwiched between two large panels of glass with sets of blinds for privacy. Why would I need those? It’s not like I have a secretary——yet. The office was only a few feet larger than the cubicle he previously worked out of, so it only required two trips to gather everything. He filled up his laptop cart with folders, manuals, and his essential Lord of the Rings bobble-heads. They made for excellent paperweights and gave the desk some nerd flare. He connected his laptop to an external monitor in the center of the wooden desktop, and spun himself around in his new leather chair.

He organized the blueprints and equipment manuals in all of the drawers except for one. He used the largest drawer at the bottom for his secret candy stash. Trent took the large container filled to the top with his favorite chocolate bars out from the locked section in his laptop cart and nestled it down inside.

A few meetings were scheduled later in the day to set up machine projects for the following week, and he smiled in the company of senior managers that wouldn’t have known his face the day before. He was pleased with now having the authority to delegate projects to the new engineers, that would free up some of his own time, as long as they didn’t screw it up. He never minded helping, but he also didn’t want to have to do their job and his. He had more responsibilities now, and those would need to come first before he could help them. Some things they will have to figure out on their own, just like I had to. 

Trent had his frustrations with how things are currently done, he hated when people got to go sleep in a corner because they weren’t capable of doing their own jobs, and he was ready to take the reigns for a new change. 

He settled back into his office, utilizing the last hour of the day to inform his subordinates of his new position. He sent out a polite yet stern e-mail, and wasted no time in handing off his prior unfinished projects. He didn’t have time for those anymore as a manager, he needed to focus on the managerial duties he was expected to uphold, but he wasn’t quite sure what all those duties entailed.

Telling someone what to do can be hard enough, but telling people over twenty years older than himself would be a much bigger challenge. The previous manager had quit without telling anyone, leaving no one to look to for guidance. Again it was up to him alone to figure out what needed to be done and the best way to accomplish it, and who knows how his men will respond to directives from someone they see as a kid. He would do his best, but wouldn't worry to much about it. This is just an alibi, he told himself.

**

The coffee shop was busy again today, leaving Trent outside to wait out the line while taking in the view, still high from his promotion. He watched the few people that were out on a Thursday night pass him by. He looked back inside the coffee shop and saw a guitar player setting up his equipment atop the small corner stage. Shit, it’s live night. He glanced down at his watch. He knew the place would be jammed packed in less than an hour, and after that he could kiss ‘Rebecca’s Special’ goodbye. On Live Night the wait could take longer than half an hour just to order, and he was never doing that again.

He stood up and intended to look down the street for incoming cafe mongrels, but a slender red head caught his eye. She was sitting on a bench across the street, almost hidden behind the trunk of a parked car. He took a step to the side and looked closer, realizing it was the same girl from the day before. She was even dressed differently today, and he wondered what her true hair color really was. She was staring at him again, not averting her eyes once, and no cell-phone.

Trent gave her a slight wave. She must be single, maybe she is waiting for Live Night—. He checked traffic both ways, but was almost leveled by a car whipping out from an alleyway see. He paused and took a deep breath before continuing on.

The woman's eyes began to widen as he sped his walk towards her. He didn’t want to run across and give her the impression of a mad man, but he didn’t want to take his sweet time and have an impatient driver make him one with the asphalt either. She reached for her handbag as Trent came closer, and stood up before he had made near the parked cars. He turned sideways to fit between the cars, trying to make his way to the sidewalk, but before he could get through she began to walk away. 

He stepped out and followed her, but his high seemed to fade away as she quickened her pace. He tried to catch up to her, but could tell she wasn’t interested by the glare she shot back at him. Damn, I didn’t think I was that bad looking, but she don’t want anything to do with me. God, she probably thinks I am a murderer or something.

She knocked on the tinted window of a black car before ripping the door open and climbing into the passenger seat. He stopped behind the car when she slammed the door shut, noticing the license plate of the vehicle was government issued. What the fuck? 

He resumed walking, looking through the windshield as he passed, hoping that even government vehicles were not allowed to tint the front glass. The woman was staring back at him, disgusted with his presence. The driver was holding their hands longways over their face, shielding Trent’s view. The brake lights reflected off the car behind them, and they pulled past him. Even through the tinted glass of the passenger’s side window Trent could feel her heavy eyes upon him. 

The car sped down the street and around the corner opposite of his apartment building. The craving for ‘Rebecca’s Special’ was gone, as the only feeling left in his gut was churning with nausea. He stayed on the sidewalk, stretching his neck around the corner to see if they were still there, and hurried across to his apartment hoping they were gone. 

He punched in the access code and forced the door back closed once he was inside before lunging up to his room. He locked the deadbolt, the handle, and the chain before sliding his shoes off. He grabbed the ice scraper that was behind the door and held it like a baton as he watched through his peep hole. No one was there. He stood there for over five minutes with one cheek pressed against the wood before setting the ice scraper down, and giving himself permission to walk away.

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With scraper in hand he crept into every room, checking every corner, nook, and cranny, making sure he was alone. He checked the pantry in the kitchen and all three closets before moving to the bathroom. He flipped the light, stood there a moment, and raised his weapon above his head as he pulled the shower curtain away from the wall. He could feel someone standing inside, but no one was there. He cut the lights back off, closed the door, and went back to the living room.

He peered through the long rectangular windows towards the corner of the coffee shop. The line had grown longer and the chatter of the people waiting consumed the street, all waiting for their favorite cup and free music. Trent looked towards the park cars and skipped over anything that wasn’t black. If it was black, he examined it for darkened windows before moving on to the next. He saw only three vehicles encased in ebony paint, one being an SUV, and the others had no tint. Where are you guys hiding? 

He powered on his computer before dropping the blinds on two windows on the edges of his computer desk. The other’s were already closed to keep the glare off the television. The room had no overhead lighting, though he had intended on getting that fixed, he had to rely on a tall corner lamp that his mother had given him as a gift. He sat down at the computer desk after taking one last peak through the door, and pulled out his phone.

He sent a text message to his brother, urging him to call when he was available. He sat the phone down on the desk, and turned to the computer for his e-mail. While it loaded he went to check the peep hole once more. He was relieved that no one was there, but disappointed in himself for succumbing to paranoia. Come on Trent, fucking hold it together! They aren’t doctors. He rubbed the palms of his hands into his eyes as he sat back down, as he did whenever he felt nervous or anxious. He picked the phone back up to see that there was no message back from his brother. Jake, I know you’re just playing video games, just send something. I hope he isn’t doing a raid, that shit takes almost a whole day.

With no luck in getting a hold of Jake, he decided to make the dreaded phone call to the ‘money man’.

“What do you want?” His thick accent spilled through the receiver. He never sounded pleasant, and Trent didn’t want to imagine how he would take the news.

“I think I am being watched.” He said, voice trembling. “We should probably hold off on the meeting.

“I don’t think so boy.” The money man told him. “A deadline is a deadline. You give us what we want, and on time. Or we will get our payment in other ways. I’m tellin’ you that right now.”

Trent didn’t understand what that meant, but it didn’t sound appetizing. He tried to explain what happened, and though the money man seemed curious, he showed no signs of wanting to wait for the swap. Against Trent’s better judgment, he agreed to going through on time. Just the thought of it made his stomach turn again.

**

Trent spent most of the evening on the couch with his phone in hand and the ice scraper at his side. Making several attempts to call his brother resulted in leaving several unsavory voice mails. He didn’t want to say too much over the phone, worrying that it may be tapped or monitored. He figured the best bet was to send him an e-mail desperately needing to talk to him, but only adding the fine details. 

He made regular rounds throughout the apartment, starting with a glance through the peep hole, and finishing back on the couch. He would check the locks on the door, tugging the handle to verify the mechanisms, and would split his fingers through the blinds just enough to see the street below. As the night drew on he only saw one couple go up the staircase, though the footsteps gave him an instant chill, and it became too dark to differentiate the colors of cars. He was alone and scared, clenching the handle of the scraper for any possible comfort.

Even later, lying in bed, it felt identical to the first night he slept there after moving in. Every sound brought forth curiosity and unease, while the bedding lacked the warmth of his parents home. He lay there with both eyes open facing the bedroom door, wishing it had some lock as well. The feelings of being alone stuck with him through the night, though he wished he had someone he knew there with him. Perhaps mother, or Jake, maybe even Rebecca if she somehow found herself single, but not likely.

Maybe she wasn’t even watching me. Who’s to say it wasn’t coincidence? Kinda like the right-time right-place deal, he thought to himself. Nah, I don’t buy it. Two days in a row? And why did the guy cover his face? Holy shit I am over thinking this. He tossed to his side and plugged in his phone to the charging cable before tossing it on the nightstand. It was a government car—— that’s as shady as it gets. 

He thought back to when she walked away from him, trying to piece the riddle together. She couldn’t have been waiting for a ride. The car was off, and he didn’t start it until she was inside, which means he was parked the whole time. He stretched the blanket over his shoulders and tucked it under his chin the way his mother had done since he was a boy. The thoughts and possibilities swept through his mind, leaving assumptions instead of reasoning. Why would two government officials be downtown unless they were looking for someone? 

His conscious mind fought the urge for sleep, but his body remained still as stone. The bedroom felt safe and secluded, but not enough to drift away into dreams or nightmares. He attempted to sleep with one eye open, but the air would suck the moisture out of it like a vacuum, leaving an unpleasant discomfort. He wondered what tomorrow would bring, and if he could hold himself together at work. Sleep was what he needed right now, but there was no telling what could blow open that door. They could have his house wired right now, just waiting for him to shut his eyes.