10: The Fright and Calm

The room Faith is staying in is better than the one she had at her own house. The bed in the middle of the room was big enough for two giants to sleep on it, with space still left between them. There wasn’t a window as big as the one in Mateo’s office, but there was one that was securely locked. A door slides open, which is also a full-size mirror, to a small and empty wardrobe while a door leading into a washroom is just beside it. There was a small bookcase in one corner with a small table beside it and a very comfortable couch in front of it. Faith did try to go through the books that were on the shelves, but none of the titles interested her – nor was she in the right mind to read now. There is also an LED fixed on the wall and a small fridge with all the essentials stored in it.

Faith wonders if this is an extra room in this man’s club – how luxurious his house must be. This only made her want to scratch the curiosity in her mind. How did her father know someone like Mateo Nixon? She groaned and rubbed her face in frustration. She has been tossing around for hours, but the sleep just can’t find her. She finally decided to give up. Maybe, she is too anticipated or maybe she doesn’t trust the new premises – either way she can’t sleep. So, she decided to do what she shouldn’t be doing – roam around outside her room.

She walked out to an empty corridor. There were a few closed doors around, but she wasn’t interested in going in them. Her sole interest was to get into Mateo’s office, but she doesn’t know if he is still there or if it is guarded. The only way she can get some sleep is if she knows what Mateo knows about her. She just wants him to give her the information and end her misery. She is stuck and running around in circles because she doesn’t know what is to come next in her life.

She remembered where his office is and decided to take a chance. She might get thrown out if she gets caught. Nevertheless, she has to try to find the answers on her own. She slowly walks barefoot – hardly making any sound as she aimed for his office. She halts on her track when she heard Mateo's voice coming from somewhere downstairs. “I was going to talk to you tomorrow, Arthur, but I am glad you called me yourself.” He paused before he spoke again, “Don’t worry about it, I wasn’t sleeping,” He added. He was talking to someone on the phone. Who is Arthur?

Faith’s curiosity got the best of her so decided to follow the voice. She gasped when she heard Mateo climbing the stairs. Her eyes widened as she quickly hid behind the wall and held her breath as she prayed he doesn’t come this way. She smashed her lips together as she hear Mateo’s voice getting closer, “You need to talk to him, Arthur. I am not going to take responsibility for her for long. She is not a minor anymore. Tell him that our deal was to help her until she turns eighteen. I am going to bring her to you tomorrow. You have to answer her questions and then keep her or hand her over to him. He can do whatever he wants with her, I don’t care.” His words made her heart trash in her chest.

Faith gulped as she heard Mateo’s office door open before he walked inside and closed the door behind him. She couldn’t hear him any longer. Mateo was going to hand her over to someone else tomorrow, and it was enough for her to panic. Sweat started to form on her forehead as started to regret her decision to come to him. She curled her hands into a fist – digging her nails n her palm. Her eyes filled with tears as fright set in her. Levi asked her to trust Mateo, but after what she heard – she doesn’t think she can trust him anymore. There was only one thought in her mind own – how is she going to escape from here?

Ethan came to her mind. Maybe she can ask him for help. If she manages to slip off this place during the night, maybe he can come and pick her up. Maybe his offer to stay with his sister still stands – maybe – just maybe she can hide at her place until Mateo stop looking for her. Tears fall off her eyes. What has she got herself into? She is already so tired. A thought of ending her own miseries came to her mind. Maybe if she could just end herself – she might save herself from getting hurt.

A gasp left her mouth as Mateo, out of nowhere, came out and stood right in front of her. He still had his phone pressed to his ear, while he stared her down. She choked on her own breath and pushed herself against the wall, while Mateo stood tall hardly a few inches away from her. She wondered if he knew she was listening to him. Faith remembered she heard him getting into his office, then why did she not hear him getting out?

“Set a meeting with him first thing when he returns tomorrow. I don’t care about the rest. Goodbye, Arthur.” He talked on the phone, while he kept staring her down. As usual, Mateo had no expressions displayed on his face. Faith couldn’t tell if he was angry to find her hiding here, or if he was nervous that she heard his conversation. The man is made of concrete – she couldn’t tell what goes in his mind. It is like there is nothing ut darkness in his head.

Mateo put the phone down as he heaved a sigh. He slowly blinked, “Why are you here?” He asked her calmly.

She gulped and decided to stand against him. She is not going to let him dominate her. Her challenging gaze met his blank ones, “Who were you talking to about me?” She asked.

Faith noticed a slight twitch in his eye, “Why were you eavesdropping?” He asked in return.

Two can play a game. She tilted her head and squinted her eyes, “Why won’t you come clean to me? What are you hiding?” She asked.

Mateo didn’t speak instantly. He kept looking at her blankly before he sighed and took a step back, “You have waited long enough. Why can’t you wait for just another day?” He questioned.

Faith couldn’t help but snigger, “Do you really think I go with anywhere with you now that know you are planning to hand me over to God knows who? Either you give me answers or I am out of here,” She risked provoking him. If he agrees to her leaving, she will be on the streets for the night.

Mateo rolled his jaws. He averted his gaze from her for a second. She believed he would ask her to leave like before, but instead, he heaved a sigh and bobbed his head. “Follow me,” He said.

Faith blinked and she pulled her eyebrows together, “Follow you where?” She asked.

“To my office,” He replied and walked back into his office. She blinked and barely gave it a thought before she rushed after him. Mateo closed the door behind him which made her feel a little anticipated. What if he locks him here? Or what if he chains her till that Arthur person comes to collect her? Or what if he tortures her here and then kills him? What if he forces himself on her? The last thought knocked the breath out of her system.

Faith can be very expressive. Her thoughts always make it to her face, and Mateo is an observant person – he can easily read faces. He could see the fear in Faith’s eyes. He softly rolled his eyes, “You are safe here.” He assured her before he walked towards his desk while waving his hand for Faith to take a seat as well.

Faith followed him to his desk in the middle of the room, but unlike him, she didn’t sit. She is highly strung to do that. Mateo didn’t ask her to sit again. He hunched and intertwined his fingers before placing them on the desk. He squinted his eyes as he stared blankly at his. “You are very stubborn,” He passed a comment. Faith wasn’t sure if he was criticizing her or just passing an observation. She didn’t answer him back, instead, she averted her eyes away from him for a moment.

She looked back at him when she heard him release another sigh. Mateo leaned back to his chair and placed his foot on his knee, “The person I was talking to – he is a middleman. His name is Arthur. He is in direct contact with the person that has all the answers for you. I was talking about taking you to him.” He informed her. “I am not going to put you in any sort of danger. If I were to do that, I would not have brought you here. You are here because I promised to protect you. I am keeping my promise, you need to trust me.” He added.

“I thought you were only supposed to help me out if I was underage,”

Mateo barely smirk, but Faith couldn’t help but notice his lip twitch. “I know,” He sighed. “I am doing beyond the promise I made,” He added.

Faith tilted her head and squinted her eyes in curiosity, “Why?”

“So I can get rid of you for good,” He replied without any hesitation.

Faith dared to roll her eyes, but she understood him as well – she would have gotten annoyed if someone would have been as persistent with her as well. But what is she supposed to do anyway? He is her only lead. If she had any other option, she would have taken it. Faith gulped, “This person that has all the answers for me, who is he?” She asked.

“Someone, I believe, that cares deeply for you,” He replied.

Faith knitted her eyebrows together, “Have I ever met this person before?” She asked next.

Mateo slowly nodded his head, “Many years ago, I believe. Then you were very young,” He answered.

She smashed her lips and stepped closer to the desk. Her fingers dig into the vacant chair, “What if this person harms me?” The fear was vivid in her eyes.

Mateo softly shook his head, “I highly doubt so,” He replied.

Faith pulled her eyebrows together, “But what if he does? How can I trust him?” She pressed.

Mateo slowly blinked, “Like you decided to trust me.”

Faith couldn’t say anything in return immediately. She decided to speak after a small pause, “What makes you think I trust you?” She asked in return.

Mateo’s lip curled into a mere smirk, “Why else are you here?” He asked.

He is right. Why else is Faith here if it wasn’t for trusting him? She has been running away from everyone for weeks, but she didn’t even hesitate to come here with Mateo, maybe it was because her father asked him to, but then again, why would she believe a man that killed her entire family and then kill himself in front of her? She looked at Mateo and sighed. Maybe she doesn’t trust her completely, but at the same time, she feels the safest in weeks.

“Do you know the complete truth about everything that happened to me and my family?”

Mateo exhaled, “I believe so.”

“Then why can’t you tell me everything? Why do I have to go to this other person?”

“I already told you, Faith. I am in no place to answer any of your questions. My job was to protect you from any harm and bring you to this said person. I will do as I promised.”

“When I know a complete truth, will my life change for better or worse?”

“That’s for you to decide,” He replied.

“I am scared,” Faith whispered. Her eyes filled with fresh tears. She hasn’t said it to anyone else since the incident that changed her life. She doesn’t know why she said it to him, maybe she feels heavy from all the burden she is carrying with her, or maybe she is just tired of keeping everything to herself.

For the first time, she saw Mateo’s eyes softening. “I know,” he replied.

There is something in his earthy eyes that makes Faith want to keep on looking into them. Maybe it is how vacant they are, that she feels the need to search for something – anything in them. She gulped when she realized she has been staring at him without any purpose. She swiftly blinks and averts her eyes elsewhere. Mateo never take his eyes off her either, but unlike her, he didn’t panic. The tension between the two raises with each second spent in complete silence. She smashed her lips together and glanced around his office, even though she has been here earlier, it still intrigues her. She didn’t think that a club would have an office as such.

Although, she should have excused herself back to her room. Mateo should have asked her to leave as well. He never let anyone stay here longer, except for Levi. But now here he is, stilling calmly and watching her fascinated gaze roam around the room. He watches how her eyes halt at the bookshelf.

Faith always liked to read. At her house, she had a bookcase in her room – it was much smaller than this one, but still, she liked it. She kept all her favorite novels in it. A ghost of a smile curled on her lips, only to drop. She felt a sudden thud in her chest as she recalled the night her father came to her room for the last time. She wonders if that bookcase had her father’s blood splattered over it. She shivered at the thought as quickly get on her feet. She doesn’t want to think about that night. She looked back at Mateo, who never took his eyes off her. “May I?” She seeks his permission while pointing toward the bookshelf.

Mateo nodded his head once – give her access to look through his books. Mateo isn’t much of a reader now as much as he was before. A lot of the books here were in different languages. Since he was little, he liked to learn a different language, and gather knowledge about different cultures, communities, and countries – and for that, he would read. This is probably why he is so good at what he does – he is well aware of many dynamics of different countries and regions. He wondered what kind of books she likes to read, or if this is her way to find something around.

Mateo doesn’t trust her, and she doesn’t completely trust him. If it wasn’t for her father telling her to come to see Mateo, she wouldn’t even come near a man like him. His eyes followed her to the bookshelves. His eyes were on her hands – he wanted to make sure she doesn’t place anything there or take anything. He tilted his head and witness her eyes squinting as she look through the titles of the books, many of them foreign to her. Faith tied her hands behind her as she looked through the books. Mateo noticed how she was muttering something under her breath as she go through them.

She twisted her mouth and decided to pull a heavy hardcover book from the case. It was in another language. She grunt under her breath as she picked it up. It was heavier than it seems. She pulled her eyebrows together and looked at the cover – not even a single word was in English. She looked at Mateo, “What is this language? Arabic?” She asked curiously.

Mateo shook his head, “No, Urdu.” He replied and got on his feet.

Faith chuckled as she knitted her eyebrows together, “How embarrassing is it that I never heard of that language before,” She mumbled as Mateo walks closer to her with his hands in his pockets.

“Hmm, it has a very rich literary background. It was and still is widely spoken in many regions of South Asia, although, it has been modified through time.”

For some reason, Faith felt a little embarrassed by her lack of knowledge about this language – she felt like Mateo was teaching her about it. “Can you even read Urdu?” She muttered.

“Very little. I bought it at an auction. This is an original first edition book from the early nineteenth century.”

Faith twisted her mouth, “Wow,” She breathed out, “What is it about?” She asked as she opened the book – not understanding a word it says.

“Poetry,” He answered. Faith raised her eyebrow and flip through the pages to learn, that it indeed was written in a way poetry is often printed. Something about the font suggested to her that it was handwritten. She couldn’t tell properly, but it was – then whoever wrote it had such beautiful and curvaceous handwriting. It makes her want to read it.

“Oh wow, you don’t seem like a guy who reads poetry.” She chuckled. Mateo didn’t answer her. Although she did see the corner of his eyes slightly wrinkled. She should have thought about it before saying it to him. She cleared her throat, “Umm, so, is it handwritten?” She asked next.

“It is,” He confirmed. She flipped through some pages before she decided to put the book back before she damages it.

“Can you read it?”

“No.”

She chuckled and carefully placed the book back on the shelf and embarrassingly chuckled, “You have a lot of foreign books here. I can’t even read their titles,” She told him with a shrug. “I usually read English fictional novels. I don’t even know any language other than English,” She unnecessarily added.

She doesn’t understand why she had to tell him that. Mateo only nodded his head. Faith dig her teeth into her lower lip and twisted her mouth. There has been something on her mind lately, so she asked. “Can I ask you something else?”

Mateo gazed down at her and hummed, “Sure,” He replied.

“The card that my father gave me. Did you really not sign it?” She asked. She remembers when she first came to him and he denied that he signed it. She was curious now. Was he lying before and if so, why?

Mateo scratched his forehead, “Yes, I did.” He replied reluctantly.

Faith pulled her eyebrows together and squinted her eyes, “Then why did you lie to me before?” She asked accusatively.

“I had my reasons,” He replied without any remorse. Faith sucked in a breath to ask him more about it when Mateo interrupted her, “That’s all you will get from me for the night, Faith. It is getting late. Please, go back to your room and take some rest.” He spoke firmly. He left no room for my discussions because he can imagine what is going on in her head, and because he is not in any place to answer them for her, it is better if he ends it here.

Faith wasn’t even angry at him for shooing her away like this, at least he is not sugarcoating anything for her. She appreciates it. Maybe – just maybe, she can trust him. There isn’t anything she can do. Either she can trust him or keep running in circles. She slowly nodded her head, “Alright, well, okay, goodnight – and, thank you.” She said as she stepped nearer to the door.

Mateo squinted his eyes, “For what?” He asked.

Faith went blank. She doesn’t know what she thanked him for. Maybe because he didn’t hide who he was talking to from her. Maybe because he didn’t scold her for eavesdropping on his phone call, maybe because he didn’t get mad at her like before when he threw her out of the club, but most importantly maybe, she was thankful to him for not giving up on her. She needed someone – and he came to help her, even when he didn’t want to. She is an adult, he could have easily given up on her, but he didn’t and for that, she will always be grateful to him.

Faith smiled, “I don’t know.” She shrugged before she narrowed her eyes, “Or maybe,” she paused, “For everything,” she told him before she turned around and walked out of the room.