Emphasis on ' I remarked. 'I'm not denying it...but rest assured I have nothing to do with them now'

  Alvin's expression turned strange, I saw something in his face that I had never seen before, fear.

  '.......'

  'Hey...why don't you flee?' He managed weakly. 'Once they come for you it's a no go. The only way for former associates to estrange themselves from the Axis is death'

  'I've been fleeing for too long, I'm tired of it now, besides do I look like someone who dies young to you?'

  'Yes'

  'Well, you're mistaken. Anway, I called you here for something else' I said, making my way to a cupboard at the far end of the room. From it I took out a large canvas, tightly bound in wrapping paper.

  'What's that?' Alvin asked.

  'A painting, the delivery is due in fifteen minutes, which is why.... ' rather than speaking I chose to show him why by making my way towards the hardwood door.

  'You're leaving? Now?-- hey, atleast let me go with you, what if the stalkers make a move?' He said between franctic steps, while I hurtled the canvas out the door.

  'Exactly why I need you to stay here. It's twelve noon now, if I donot return by five, come find me at grofens street, fourth block'

  'I'm coming with you'

  'Stay here and gather more information on the organization's movements, do you remember the pattern of their movements?' I asked, tieing up my boots

  'The difference between the binary encodings of the dates are progressive exponential values of ten'

  'Good and donot contact me via mobile anymore'

  'It was hacked?' He asked.

  'Very likely' I replied.

  ............

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  My ride dropped me off at the location.

  The mansion was nothing out of the ordinary. It was two stories tall, and boasted an ordinary yellow colour with an ordinary setup. There was a dog house in the front yard but no dog in sight. The upper floor had a balcony with a few potted plants. That was about all there was to it from outside.

  The wind brushed against the hem of my black long skirt, creating soft ripples in the fabric. It's been a while since I last dressed like this. My hair was tied in a single braid, the turtle neck top extended to my wrists. The outfit might sound suffocating, but it's surprisingly efficient for camouflaging against the dark of the night (Read: efficient for taking care of shady business).

  Canvas in hand, I rang the doorbell and waited on the front porch.

  A lovely lady in white satin opened the door, her short blonde hair formed a crown of curls on her head.

  'You must be Averna, do come in' ushered the lady.

  'Thank you' I courtsied.'The order was placed under Mr Huang, is he in? I would need his signature' I said while flashing her my most flamboyant smile, reserved specifically for clients.

  'Mr Huang, has not returned from work yet..uhh, if you donot mind waiting, he should be in by the next hour' she said. I distinctly heard some apprehension mixed with her sugary voice.

  'That's okay'

  She showed me into the living area, the room had a sofa on the eastern side which took up about half of its area, beside it was an antique lampshade. Book shelves covered the walls, filled with prose from all genres.

  'Tea or coffee?' The woman asked, as she motioned me to take a seat

  'Oh, I'm quite alright thank you' I replied, smile still glued to my face.

  'I insist' her big round eyes almost fell out of their sockets. It occurred to me that the gesture was supposed to be adorably imploring but she overdid it.

  'Iced water then, I'm lactose intolerant'

  The woman exited the room and jostling sounds followed from what I assumed to be their kitchen.

  Now that she had left it gave me the opportunity to get a good look around. The greasy wall paper looked flaky, as if the painting job was done in a rush to cover up something underneath.

  It had not been five minutes by my wrist watch when the woman returned, glass in hand.

  The weather was cool but she had beads of sweat on her brow as she handed me the glass of water. The ice cubes were floating.

  As I took it I noticed a sweet smell about the lady, one I had smelled numerous times before through the years. What I didnot like was that I was the one at the receiving end.

  'Oh and what's the name of the painting?' She asked

  'Azrael' I said, taking a sip.

  Her motions went stiff but she smiled and said between gritted teeth,'but the one I ordered was named Ariel, was it not?'

  'That would not be fitting, I'm afraid, so i changed it' I replied nonchalantly.

  'Thats not for you to decide' her tone was harsh, I could hear blatant scorn as she advanced towards me.

  The very next moment I felt a damp cloth pushed into my face as my vision blurred. The woman's grip on the cloth was beastlike as if she were catching a particularly slippery fish, afraid that it would wriggle out the moment her grip slacken.

  She didnot need to struggle that hard though.

  The smell was ofcourse, the classic,