Chapter 7

The rain fell heavily like shards of glass under her feet, Mia tutted to herself as she tried to avoid splashing through the puddles. She found the little coffee shop that had become like a second home to her and pushed the heavy old door open revealing her own little bit of heaven. Big comfy arm chairs with pretty scatter cushions and mismatched furniture adorned the little shop. On each table sat a vase with Peonies in each one and next to them a pile of magazines and books to make it feel more like a home rather than a business.
The smell of coffee and home baked goods filled her nostrils and Mia closed her eyes and inhaled the heady aromas. Her usual chair was empty as always, Mia knew exactly why....It was because it was the oldest, scruffiest one in there and to the naked eye looked to be uncomfortable. That couldn't of been further from the truth and Mia sank down into the squashy chair feeling like she was being enveloped by an old friend.
The girl behind the counter nodded and smiled "Just the usual" she said whilst leaning over the back of the chair. Mia jumped "Errrr...Yes.......Sorry....Yes please, just the usual". The girl laughed and hurried off to get the order.

Hours had gone past and Mia had read 3 magazines, 7 chapters of a book and finished 2 crosswords. She had also consumed 2 slices of lemon drizzle cake, 1 ham sandwich and 4 coffees. She sat back and marvelled at how hungry she had been whilst rubbing her belly. It was dark outside now and Mia decided it was time to make a move or risk exploding through greed. Just as she reached for her bag that familiar ring that only Mia understood sounded in her ears....."Yes" she answered "There is an envelope waiting for you in your mail box, once you have finished your coffee and copious amounts of cake I would be grateful if you could retrieve it and follow the instructions" the same electronically distorted voice spoke to her. "OK, OK, no problem, calm down, I was only grabbing a bite to eat.....I take it that is allowed" Mia spat back down the phone. "Now now little one, lets not forget where you are and who you are shall we" the voice on the end calmly replied.
Mia almost threw the phone across the coffee shop but instead grabbed the sim out of the back and snapped it viciously between her fingers.

She walked home kicking at the puddles whilst looking around to see where he was watching her from. It was worse than being a prisoner and she knew that every second of every day was governed by them.
Once in her building she grabbed the envelope and stormed upstairs to her apartment almost taking the door off of its hinges as she opened it with a bang. She had to calm down and control her emotions, Mia didn't care what they did to her but after seeing her mother it confirmed why she was doing all this.
The instructions were as detailed as ever and she read them the usual 3 times before destroying any evidence. She made her way down to the parking lot and was greeted by a BMW Z3 waiting for her in the allocated parking bay. The car was new and Mia screwed up her nose as the smell of the new leather hit her, she quickly turned on the engine to get some air into the small space.
Suddenly she stopped.....This was the very same car that Greg had been going to buy her as a wedding present, she had chosen it herself and it was to be the first brand new car she had ever had. Was this The Institutes idea of a joke she wondered as the car roared to life and she sped out of the car park.

It handled beautifully and in no time as all she was at her destination. She carefully adjusted her wig and left the car in the correct bay as instructed. The building was dimly lit as she entered. Expecting to find at least one security guard Mia was surprised to see the front desk completely empty and the screens of the security cameras all turned off. She made her way to the elevator and pressed the button for floor 26. A memory pierced her subconscious...Floor 26 was where Greg had fallen from............

The elevator pinged and the doors opened to revel a long corridor with offices either side of the hallway. Carefully checking her surroundings Mia made her way along the hall "Good God what awful wallpaper" Mia whispered, Funny the things you notice just before pumping a bullet into someone she thought.

The office of Mr Neville Dawson was in front of her and Mia stopped outside for a few minutes to get ready for her grand entrance. Mr Dawson deserved everything he was about to get, he had stolen millions from a soldiers widows fund and then claimed he had lost it all in bad deals. He was to stand trial in 2 days and had been granted bail on the condition he didn't leave the country. Unfortunately for him for whatever reason someone wanted him dead and they clearly wanted him gone before the trial began.

Mia slowly opened the door and looked around for any signs of life. That was the strangest thing....There should of been the face of Neville Dawson looking surprised as she entered but instead she was greeted with an empty chair. For a few seconds Mia was confused, then a sight that she wasn't expecting......A man......Neville Dawson..........was there but he was slumped against the wall with a single bullet hole between his eyes.

Her eyes darted round the room as the sound of the door locking behind her rang out. Mia swung round only to receive a swift punch to the face followed by the gun she had been holding being grabbed out of her hand. She shook her head trying to gain some composure, a figure stood in front of her wearing all black, a hand reached for her face and she smacked it away.

Then a voice....................Not just any voice.............A voice she knew..................."Catherine, my little one"

Mia slowly lifted her eyes to face a ghost.......There in front of her stood a very real a very alive....... Greg.



Come back on Monday for the final chapter....And a bit of a twist. xx