A Warning
916 Words
For the first time in what felt like forever, Elena wanted a normal day.
No files.
No notebooks.
No Silver Emblem.
No Adrian explaining things in the most frustrating way possible.
Just one normal day.
Unfortunately, Adrian existed.
Which immediately reduced her chances.
---
Elena walked into the dining room and found him reading documents.
Again.
At this point she was beginning to suspect he slept inside a pile of paperwork.
"I'm going out."
Adrian didn't look up.
"No."
Elena blinked.
"That wasn't a question."
"It should have been."
"It wasn't."
"It should have been."
She stared at him.
"You practice being difficult, don't you?"
"I don't need practice."
"That explains a lot."
---
Adrian finally lowered the document.
"You shouldn't go alone."
"I'm going for coffee."
"Trouble seems to find you."
Elena pointed at herself.
"That's a weird way of saying I'm interesting."
"I didn't say interesting."
"Rude."
"It was accurate."
She narrowed her eyes.
"One day I'm going to become rich."
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"I'm hiring someone to argue with you for me."
---
Twenty minutes later, Elena was walking through town.
And unfortunately...
Adrian was walking beside her.
She glanced at him.
Then glanced again.
Then sighed dramatically.
"You know, normal bodyguards stay a few steps behind."
"I'm not your bodyguard."
"Could've fooled me."
"I'm making sure you don't do anything reckless."
"I've never done anything reckless."
Adrian looked at her.
Elena looked away.
"Okay, that one time."
"You mean the twelve times?"
"You're keeping count?"
"Unfortunately."
---
The city felt different today.
Normal.
People moved between shops.
Children laughed.
Music drifted from somewhere nearby.
For a little while, Elena almost forgot about the mystery.
Almost.
---
They stopped at a small café.
Elena immediately claimed a table near the window.
Adrian sat opposite her.
The waitress arrived.
"What would you like?"
Elena smiled.
"Coffee."
The waitress nodded.
Then looked at Adrian.
"The usual?"
Elena's head snapped toward him.
"The usual?"
Adrian looked mildly annoyed.
The waitress laughed.
"I'll bring it."
As soon as she left, Elena leaned forward.
"You have a usual order?"
"Apparently."
"How often do you come here?"
"Sometimes."
"You know what's funny?"
"What?"
"That's exactly the answer someone gives when they're hiding something."
"I'm hiding coffee?"
"It starts with coffee."
---
Several minutes later, the waitress returned with their drinks.
Elena immediately grabbed her cup.
"Finally."
"You've been waiting three minutes," Adrian said.
"It felt like thirty."
"You're dramatic."
"I'm passionate."
"About coffee?"
"About survival."
The waitress placed a small receipt holder on the table.
"Enjoy."
"Thank you."
She smiled and walked away.
---
A few minutes later, Elena reached for the receipt.
"Let's see how much my financial suffering cost today."
She opened the holder.
Then frowned.
"What?"
Elena pulled out a folded piece of paper.
"This isn't a receipt."
Adrian immediately became serious.
She unfolded it.
Two lines were written inside.
Stop looking.
Some truths should stay buried.
The humor vanished instantly.
Adrian took the note from her.
His expression darkened.
"When did this get here?"
"It was inside the receipt holder."
Neither spoke for a moment.
Someone had known they would come here.
Someone had left the message before they arrived.
And someone wanted them to know they were being watched.
---
Elena leaned back in her chair.
"Wow."
Adrian looked at her.
"That's your reaction?"
"What else am I supposed to say?"
"Something sensible."
She pointed at the note.
"At least buy me a pastry if you're going to threaten me."
Adrian closed his eyes.
"You're focusing on the wrong thing."
"I'm focusing on the lack of pastry."
---
The rest of the afternoon felt different.
Not because they were afraid.
Because the mystery had suddenly become personal.
Again.
---
As they left the café, Elena shoved her hands into her pockets.
"You know what annoys me?"
"Several things."
"Besides you."
Adrian looked at her.
She continued.
"If someone wants to threaten me, they should at least have the courage to sign their name."
"That's your problem with this situation?"
"Yes."
Adrian shook his head.
"Unbelievable."
"Thank you."
"That wasn't a compliment."
"It rarely is."
---
Across the street, a young man stood near a bookstore.
He wore a dark jacket.
Nothing unusual.
Nothing memorable.
Exactly how he preferred it.
His eyes followed Elena and Adrian as they walked away.
Calm.
Patient.
Observant.
A phone vibrated in his pocket.
He checked the message.
Observe only.
Do not interfere.
The young man looked toward Elena one final time.
Then typed a reply.
Understood.
He slipped the phone away.
And disappeared into the crowd.
---
That evening, Adrian sat alone in his office.
The warning note rested on the desk.
Simple.
Short.
Effective.
He didn't like it.
Not because of what it said.
Because of what it meant.
The Silver Emblem knew they were looking.
And if they knew that...
Then it was only a matter of time before things became dangerous.
---
Meanwhile, Elena stood by her bedroom window.
The city lights glowed in the distance.
Her thoughts returned to the note.
Most people would probably be frightened.
Maybe she should have been.
Instead, she felt angry.
For ten years, people had hidden things from her.
Protected her.
Lied to her.
Decided things for her.
And now someone expected her to stop searching because of a piece of paper?
She laughed softly.
"Good luck with that."
Outside, the night remained silent.
But somewhere beyond the city lights...
Someone was already watching.
- Writer
