MAIZE

Vancouver, Canada 8:00 AM

The flight time across the states to get to the northern country took their complete set of daylight hours. As a part of legal regulation when crossing between air borders, passports, documentation and forged legal papers were provided by the aircraft staff of Cassandra's pricy private jet. It had been nearly an hour's drive in one of her SUVs out of the city to reach her private take-off pad.

Throughout the extensive flight, everyone had been rather off. Cassandra's hired staff knew enough about their employer's type of business and were quite loyal for the fee they received, so they didn't bother asking even the slightest of conversational questions. Which was preferred that way.

Alec was still tired, but Maize could tell it was more mental than anything. He spent the flight staring out the window and occasionally getting a frown on his face from whatever thoughts seemed to be racking his mind. More than once Maize had caught him glancing at her, but it was nothing more than a studying look before his focus was drawn away again. Whatever he was thinking about, it really seemed to be bothering him.

Agent Hill—or Maria, as she had offered to have them call her—was a rather secluded character, Maize found quickly. Not shy, but reduced to her own space. They had all managed to become better acquainted with her during the flight with a few exchanges of words and friendly ice breaking. But Cassandra's warning still stuck in Maize's mind.

It seemed everyone had their own things in their own head. Kishan seemed to be the only exception, acting unbothered as usual. Maize briefly wondered what kind of man it took to appear so easy going all the time. Or maybe he was just better at pretending than any of them.

It was past 10:00 Canadian time when they finally touched down in B.C. Vancouver. The airport had been paid off to keep a landing pad open for smaller planes so that they could land. From there, Maize exchanged greetings with the gentleman there waiting at the base of the steps exiting the flight. He was dressed in a uniform suit, estimated forty or so years old, and looked like he could be their escorting guard from his buff appearance alone. However, since Alec and Maize were technically still the bodyguards here, she knew that couldn't have been his reason for being there. He told them his job was simply to drive them to the closest accomodation for them to spend the night, and that after running a few errands per his employer's request, he would depart from them.

A ten minute drive later in the back of his accomodation vehicle, they arrived at a simple off road motel, where Maize used the money she had gotten from Cassandra to pay for four rooms. It wouldn't be permanent, one night at most, until they could get to a proper hide out destination with their own transportation—though Maize, in her mind, did not yet have a clear image of where that would be.

Furthermore, the gentleman, who she learned went by the name John, told her before she entered her room that she need not worry about finding their own set of wheels, and that it would be taken care of by morning. She should expect a pair of keys under her door when she woke.

Maize made sure to thank him more than once, and that f he could manage it, to extend another note of gratitude to his employer for his and her services. He smiled politely and agreed to do so. And then he returned to his own vehicle and was off.

Maize went into her room, furthest door to the left out of the four they had paid for. The motel accomodations weren't anything spectacular, pretty much what you would expect from a shabby place off the side of the road, but she didn't care about that. Comfort had never been something she needed to tolerate for herself.

She set her singular bag over the small armchair in the corner and sat down on the bed.

This was the third time they had jumped locations since they started this mission—only this time, it had been across the states.

So how long? Perhaps it was a frustrating question, but Maize thought of it as more of a nuisance. This job had been turning out to be even more exciting than she had ever thought when she had agreed to take it, but it had also forced her to return a little to her previous life seeking help from Cassandra. And now Vancouver? The entire mission seemed to have been one huge game of tag, and the other side was it.

So how long would they keep running?

The bounty hunter turned back and forth within her sheets as she slept. Festeringly, her mind was consumed with images, disturbing images, and a pair of piercing blue eyes, as the cause of it all. And they didn't stop. She felt for her scar. They didn't stop. The chill of the pale gaze never wavered, not matter what her subconsiounce tried to do.

And then suddenly, it was as if the dream began to crumble away. She heard her name, once. Though faintly, as if being called from a distance. Then she slowly became more aware. And she felt a hand on her left shoulder, shaking her slightly.

Immediately her fist shot forward, logic momentarily giving way to pure reactive instinct before she even opened her eyes. She felt the knuckles of her fist just barely graze off some soft touch of fabric as the hand that was on her instantly recoiled, followed by an instant string of human cursing. Maize immediately recognized the voice. Only one person she knew cursed with such a colourful vocabulary.

She blinked open her eyes, unprepared for the illuminant brightness that greeted her. Daylight shone through the drawn back curtains, even though she was sure she had closed them the night before. She then turned to the one held accountable.

"Ahem," Alec said, standing over her on the left side of her bed. Fully dressed in jeans and a navy long sleeve, with a ticked off air of accusation as he crossed his arms and stared at her. "Mind explaining what the surprise attack was for?" he inquired.

Maize realized that she had tried to hit him just now, out of reflex, and he must of barely dodged out of surprise. "Depends," she answered, "mind telling me what you're doing in here? I didn't order a wake up call."

"I thought I'd be generous," the detective answer back.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "How did you even get in?"

Alec shrugged, complacent uplift on his face. "Just a little trick with locks I picked up on the ever so crime ridden streets of Brooklyn. I thought I'd just keep knocking, but you were taking way too long to answer that I assumed you were either still dead asleep or ignoring me."

"And you didn't take either of those as a hint?" she retorted as she rose from the bed.

She was still wearing her clothes from the day before, only her jacket had been exchanged for a t-shirt to sleep in. Annoyed that the detective was in her room, Maize quickly went to the bathroom with a change of clothes in hand. She emerged five minutes later, in tough black pants, a fresh undershirt, and her jacket. The detective was leaned back against the window, waiting for her to come back out.

Maize sent him yet another irritated look. "You know it's funny, you don't seem to like it when people break into your house uninvited, but you seem to have no problem doing it yourself."

Alec shrugged. "Well, what goes around comes around Maizey. That's life."

"That's hypocrisy."

"Noted."

Maize rolled her eyes. It was nice to know some things didn't change in the midst of their chaotic problems, the detective was still as frustrating as ever.

She pulled her jacket more fittingly over her shoulders as she turned to give the nightstand clock a quick glance. "Hold on...it's already half past 10!" she exclaimed out loud.

"Yes sleeping beauty, it is."

She bit back a curse of irritation at him as she went to retrieve her boots from the door, turning to give the man a look as she did so. "Well why didn't you wake me?!"

"I just did."

"Earlier, idiot," she responded through half clenched teeth. "We could have been gone already!"

Alec frowned and stopped leaning so casually against the wall. "Quite frankly, I don't think I'm ever going to try and wake you up again if it only means you'll try to punch me in the face for the second time in less than 42 hours."

"Not counting the times I've thought about doing it then?" Maize muttered lowly under her breath.

"What?"

"Nothing." Maize then gave him a serious look. "Don't do that ever again. I could of had one of my knives under my pillow or something..." she muttered.

Alec frowned at her oddly. "Do you make a habit of keeping weapons concealed in your pillows?" he asked.

"Only when there's a risk of jerks breaking into my place uninvited," she retorted. Luckily the detective chose to to push the subject.

"So you're not going to even try and apologise?" he questioned dryly.

"Let me say it again, you broke into my room."

"And in case you forgot, not so long ago, you broke into my house."

Maize sighed and mentally dragged a hand over her face. "I guess that's fair..." she muttered reluctantly under her breath. She gave him a look. "So what? Does that make us somewhat even now?" she asked with a faint smirk playing on her lips.

The detective hesitated, and then returned her look with something of amusement. "We'll see," he responded."Get ready with your things to leave. The car was dropped off already and I'm driving," he said as in a flash he dangled a set of silvery car key from his hand. He must have found them outside her door shortly after letting himself in, and he looked rather happy about it as he smirked. "Wheels out in thirty."