Page 48 of Spark

“Detective Jones,” he said, and she gave a little laugh. “Hello?”

“Hey Oliver, it's Mia.”

“Mia!” His tone shifted. “Where are you?”

“Home, why?”

“Last night, did anything weird happen when you got home?”

“Oliver, what does that even mean?” she said flatly, hoping he would get the hint that the line of questioning was kind of rude.

“Listen, I saw my car last night.”

“Cool, I saw mine, too,” she answered, her sarcasm bleeding through her tone.

“No, Mia. Listen. My car, the one that was stolen, a yellow Mustang. A Shelby Mustang.”

“Shit,” Mia breathed quietly, but Oliver heard it.

“What? You saw it, didn't you?”

“Oliver, I don't know what you mean,” she answered, forcing herself to remain calm and take a deep breath. “I came home from work, tired, and still had work to do. I don't think I saw any special yellow car.”

“Mia, it pulled right behind you when you pulled in.” Oliver's tone was stern and angry. She was sure he could tell she was lying.

“Wait,” she said, shaking her head. “How do you know when I pulled in? Were you watching me?” Mia’s tone turned accusatory. Although it was a tactic to get him off her case, she really did want to know what he was doing keeping tabs on her.

“No, not like that!” Oliver stumbled. Her switch-up had worked; he was on the defense. “I happened to be looking out the window that overlooks the alley when you pulled in.”

“Sure, exactly when I pulled in. How would you even know what time I would be home?”

“I may have called the diner after we left, and they gave me your schedule.”

“Oliver, what is wrong with you?” Mia yelled, her anger rising. “Oliver, you need to back off.”

“Mia, I …”

“Seriously. You were waiting for me to get home the last two days.” She bit her lip, the anger making her see red. “You show up at my work, call for schedule!”

“I am worried about you!” he screamed. Mia jumped. “Something is going on, and I know it. Last night,my carfollowed you home! Who was driving it?!”

“Oliver… are you asking as my neighbor?” she asked trying to remain composed, the anger peaking. “Or as a detective?”

“I'm asking, Mia.” He released a deep breath; she assumed he was trying to calm his nerves. “You need to meet me and answer some questions.”

“Oliver,” she said, an edge to her tone. “I need some space. You just admitted to watching me and invading my privacy, you’re practically stalking me.”

“Stalking?!” His voice dripped with spite. “You’re the one dodging answering any questions.”

“Oliver.” She cut her tone short, unwilling to engage in this banter further. “Give me some space.” She took a deep breath. “Detective Daniels said at my convenience.” Oliver scoffed on the line.

“Ill call him when I have time.” She took in his silence and pushed forward. “Till then, I need you to back off and leave me alone. Goodbye.” Without letting him respond, Mia hung up and clicked the screen off.

Mia closed her eyes, breathing in deeply. She had to call Aurelio. She had to tell him everything that was going on and figure out what was going on, too. Clicking over to her messages, she saw a list of unread ones starting from right after she came home.

Aurelio:Mia, I'm sorry for disappointing you again. Please understand that I want nothing more than to be next to you right now. This bond, this connection, this spark is everything I am holding on to. I am working hard to get out of this life. There are things I have to do, but soon I'll be free. I need to keep you safe from it in the meantime. And sometimes, that means dropping everything so no one asks questions. Until I'm out, maybe I should stay away. As much as I don't want to, I want you to be honest. If this is too much, please just tell me and I will disappear. But if not, if there is a chance you are willing to ride this out with me, I promise to make your life the best it could ever be. ????

Mia let the messages sink in. She could walk away; she could go back to her normal, everyday college and work life. She thought of all the days she had spent going to class, writing her paper, and working at the diner. The mundane life she had lived before all of this. How had things changed so much in such a short time?

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