Commotion

The fairly self-satisfied smile remains on David's face as he takes a drink then walks over to the adjoining room. Slipping back into your heels, you tap your foot impatiently while waiting for him to return. He does so a few minutes later, carrying a small parcel in one hand. Slightly relieved, you swiftly make your way to him. Forcing yourself to stay patient, you stand before him anxiously as he sets his glass down.

"I trust Mr. M to wire the agreed upon amount." He states while removing some of the brown paper covering the mysterious object. "I can feel assured leaving this in your hands now."

"Great." You reply distractedly and eagerly taking the package into your hands. "I will contact him at once."

Pushing some of the paper back, you briefly glance inside to see a dark bladed tip adorned with an intricately carved hilt, along with a leather sheath by its side. The items appear legitimate enough, certainly looking to be quite ancient. Carefully wrapping them back up, you slip them your pocket before giving the man a curt nod.

"I hope to see you again, Miss Jones." You hear him comment when you turn towards the elevator.

Remaining silent, you press the down button and step inside. You can see David continue watching you until the large metal doors finally slide shut. Exhaling deeply, you quickly press your floor number, then slump against the back wall. A mixture of adrenaline and relief is still coursing through you when you step off the platform. Once you've returned to your room you waste no time dialing the number left to you by Alexander. Cryptically confirming the acquisition with the unrecognized voice on the other end, you finally begin feeling a bit calmer. Setting the item down on the nearby nightstand, you decide another shower is in order. Steam steadily begins filling the small room after you turn the faucet on. Wearily, you glance at your reflection in the half fogged mirror while beginning to unbutton your shirt. You certainly don't look any different, other than marginally more tired. However, you're surprised to find you don't feel quite as ashamed nor regretful as you had expected.

Your actions quickly pause when you hear a faint noise from the other side of the door. Hesitantly, you silently make your way over and press an ear against its surface. The sound of the shower behind you is all you can hear, satisfied it was simply your imagination you straighten back up. Just as you turn away, there is another unmistakable thump heard from the bedroom. Remembering the artifact you carelessly left out in the open you brazenly throw the door open.

"Hey!" You exclaim, alarmed to see a figure hunched over the nightstand.

The intruder quickly straightens up and turns to face you. You're somewhat surprised to see it's a young man, perhaps only a few years your senior. A mess of light brown hangs over bright green eyes that slowly travel down your form. A cheeky grin spreads over his lightly tanned, if not somewhat sunburnt face.

"Thanks." He exhales deeply, his rugged tone sending a shiver down your spine.

Following his gaze down, you quickly pull your shirt over your exposed bosom. The aggravating smirk remains on his face while he quickly stuff the parcel inside his jacket. Clumsily fastening a few buttons, you stumble forward as the man swiftly makes his way to the open window.

"Wait!" You protest, failing to catch up to him before he's already scaled the narrow sill.

"Sorry hun." He throws you a wink before plummeting out of sight. Gasping, you rush forward and look down to see he's landed on a balcony just below. Against your better judgment, you quickly throw a leg over the side of the ledge. It's not a terribly long way down, however, you certainly wouldn't be considering risking the fall under any other circumstances. The fear of losing the object you just worked so hard to acquire outweighs any fear you might have of heights. Awkwardly shimming out, you precariously lower yourself as far as you can before you're **** to release your grasp. Exhaling sharply, you feel most of the wind knocked out of you when you roughly connect with the hard surface below. After scrambling to your feet, you look and see the man's figure just as it slips out the door inside. All rationality leaves your mind as you continue chasing after the thief. Exiting into the hallway you follow him to the set of stairs at its end.

Entering the stairwell, you internally chastise yourself for having chosen to wear heels today. Clattering down the narrow flight, you glance over the railing to see the man is already two flights beneath you. Though you have no idea what you might do should you actually catch up to him, you increase your pace nonetheless. Panting when you reach the bottom, you know it's only pure adrenaline that's keeping you going. Bursting out of the door you saw him exit moments ago, you find yourself outside in a fairly empty street. Only a few people move around as the majority seem to have already headed home for the day. Dusk has just arrived, casting a slightly reddish tinge to the light around. For a moment you fear you've lost the man but by some chance you happen to look over just in time to see him slip between a set of buildings just down the road.

Breathing in deeply, you steady your nerves before swiftly making your way over. Not wanting to draw too much attention, you can only hope you'll be able to make out his direction once you enter the alley. The narrow entrance is poorly lit and much longer than you had expected. Slipping inside, you wait for your eyes to adjust while looking for any signs of the man. Sliding a hand against the wall as you make your way forward, you once again fear that you've lost him and the artifact. As you reach the middle of the long walkway, you pause at the sound of voices. Frowning, you follow them to the outside of a slightly decrepit wooden door. Straining to listen, you can just make out hushed whispers that appear to be in Spanish.

"Llegas tarde... el trato... dámelo..." Are few of the words you're able to make out, though you're unable to decipher their context. Something about being late for a deal before a gruff voice interjected to demand something. You're about to pull away when you hear one final word that catches your attention, 'La daga.'

"The dagger." You whisper the translation to yourself, assuming they mean the one just taken from you.

Any common sense regarding the potential danger of the situation has completely left your mind. The door's hinges creakily loudly as you **** the old entry open. A hush falls over the small, dimly lit room as you enter breathlessly.

"Esperate!" You demand for them to stop as your eyes land on the dagger lying across a table. "Eso es mio."

"Yours?" A man repeats in a heavily accent voice before barking out a harsh laugh. "What is this Ethan?"

Your gaze turns to see who the man is addressing before your eyes widen in surprise and anger. The thief from before looks back at you with an expression of equal surprise mixed with slight amusement. He takes a step forward, holding his hands up in a halting gesture.

"Don't mind her." He replies casually, throwing you a look as if to say 'play along.' "You said to acquire the dagger by any means necessary and it appears its previous owner is more attached to it than I assumed. However, I'm certain I can straighten that out."

Grabbing your arm, the man roughly pulls you aside. Glancing over your shoulder, you can see the group of men around the table eying you suspiciously before your eyes slowly drift down to the dagger. The tight grip around you pulls your attention away and you turn away.

"What the _hell_ do you think you're doing?" The man hisses in your ear, his fingers painfully digging into your arm.

"Me?" You whisper back in a mix of astonishment and annoyance. "I'm taking back what _you_ stole from me."

"Look lady." He snaps, his deep tone lowering further. "I don't have time to deal with some museum curator or whoever the hell you are. How much do you want for it?"

"Excuse me?" You scoff, shrugging his hand away from you. "It's not for sale."

"What is going on?" The man from before interjects from behind, sounding increasingly impatient. "I don't appreciate my time being wasted."

"Just paying the nice lady." The man calls over his shoulder, flashing a somewhat strained smile before turning back to you. "You better do as I say and leave if you don't want any trouble."

"This isn't over." You quietly inform him before turning around. "Lo siento señores, me iré ahora."

The man at the table nods at your apology and offer to leave as you approach him. Smiling in return, you nod as if paying your respects to the gentleman. Out of the corner of your eye you can see the thief move over to stand beside you. Straightening up, you take in a deep breath before plunging forward and grabbing the dagger.

"Puta!" The man exclaims, leaping to his feet and reaching for his waistband.

Ignoring the cries from the group around as they all scramble to stand, you quickly slip the sheathed item into your shirt before turning around.

"You idiot!" The thief growls, grabbing your arm and pulling you away just a bullet whizzes past you. "This way."

Realizing the danger you carelessly have put yourself in, you allow him to pull you towards the exit. The smell of gunpowder fills the air as bullets begin ricocheting off the wall in front of you. Effortlessly, the man barrels through the frail barrier. Gasping, you feel his grip tighten around your wrist and are **** to keep following him through the narrow passage. The last few rays of daylight barely illuminate the street you find yourself on a moment later.

"Wait, my hotel is back the other way." You exclaim, trying in vain to pull in the opposite direction. "We have to go back!"

"No time." The thief informs you gruffly as he continues pulling you further away. "You've really fucked up."

Though you'd like to keep protesting, you decide to save your already weary breath. You run further into the city until your legs and lungs feel as though they're on fire. Finally, the man ducks into a final alleyway before stopping in front of another shabby looking door. Panting heavily, you slowly lean against the door and try to catch your breath. Seeming relatively unfazed from the long sprint, the thief you assume to be called 'Ethan' begins moving around the small room. A moment later, an empty backpack is shoved into your arms.

"Hold this." He instructs brusquely before slipping some items inside.

"What's going on?" You inquire cautiously while glancing around the scantly furnished area. "Who were those men?"

"The less I tell you the better, just know they're trouble." He explains sharply and begins fastening the backpack shut before pulling you forward. "And now they likely think I staged this whole ordeal as a way to get both their money and the dagger."

"I'm sorry." You can't help snapping irately despite your sudden proximity to the stranger. "But none of this would have happened if you didn't steal the dagger from me in the first place."

"That doesn't matter now." His voice grows low and slightly threatening before he slips the backpack onto your shoulders. "We need to get out of the city, it's only a matter of time before they figure out where I am."

"Take me back to my hotel then." You quickly interject, clearly picturing your bag sitting on the end of your bed, filled with your wallet and passport. "They don't know who I am."

"Don't underestimate them." He scoffs unsympathetically while throwing another, already full backpack over his shoulder. "You're a tourist, it won't take them longer to figure it out."

"I-" You begin to protest when a sudden noise outside catches both your attention.

"How are you at driving?" The man all but grins before handing you a set of keys.