Chapter Five- Tired & Disturbed

It was still bright and early in the morning when a shrill sound echoed its way through the tiny motel room. Mia froze at the sudden interruption but immediately calmed herself again. Her brain was alert as always. It had to be whenever there was a rude awakening when she was asleep. You never know who can manage to sneak up on you in your slumber. It’s the time the body is the most vulnerable. A lesson that Mia learned quite thoroughly. Her brain was sharp and she didn’t feel the usual blurriness that occupied a waking body. Instead, after three years, her mind would be fresh and her body on high alert. That’s how she realized so soon that there was no threat. The phone wasn’t her’s and the warmth radiating from the other side of the bed indicated that Lorenzo was still next to her. Both of them had slept in the same bed. It wasn’t unusual but they had both gotten one of the best nights of sleep in their entire lives. Both Mia and Lorenzo had fallen asleep as soon as their heads hit their respective lumpy pillows. The blankets were scratchy and the low heating soon caused them to feel incredibly cold. Regardless of all those problems, they slept sound asleep like children at the end of a tiring and fun filled day. Mia kept her eyes closed and resumed her usual breathing pattern. She felt the bed dip as Lorenzo stood up in one movement. He was lithe and she wouldn’t be surprised if he had taken up some kind of sport in highschool. Mia also realized how this could possibly be the last time she would see this mystery man. He had saved her in the middle of the night like some sort of vigilante in the dead of night. All she knew was his name and that was enough for her to bring him to her humble abode. She was so starved of human interaction and basic courtesy that she allowed a stranger into her life. The thought didn’t set Mia off nor did it trigger her into a downward spiral. Her instincts never led her astray. The entire night had gone by and it was probably around seven in the morning. She hadn’t been brutally murdered or hurt in any way. He merely slept sound asleep and was now attending what she assumed was a call. “Okay. I’ll be right there,” The man’s morning voice was deeper than ever as he spoke into the mic. He tried to keep his voice low and Mia realized that he thought she was still asleep. Getting up, Mia heard the faltering of steps before the man walked around the room. She heard a few odd noises before the front door opened up and closed behind her. Mia would have gotten up to have a look around but her body still ached. She knew that as soon as she would get up, her body would protest and she’d fall back into bed anyways. With a comfortable sigh, Mia turned around and fell asleep. She faced the direction where Lorenzo was sleeping and the scent of the intoxicating cologne he wore soothed her. She might never see this man again but something told her that wasn’t true. A gut feeling in the woman made her convinced that she would be seeing him whenever the time came. This wouldn’t be one fateful night. Everything was irrevocably interlinked and she had faith in that. It was something that pulled her through those sordid nights. It was that very thought that made her have a comfortable sleep. Lorenzo on the other hand, stepped out of the room and made sure to close the door behind him gently. The man took the metal stairs two at a time and watched over the railing at the car parked right out front. The entire motel was now empty except for Mia in that one room. As Lorenzo neared the matte black luxury vehicle, his right hand man Lucas Rossi chirps out a greeting. “Long night, boss?” Lorenzo merely nods his head as he gets into the back seat of his car. Lucas frowns and shakes his head. It had been a tough few years. Lorenzo was never the same after certain events took place in his life and he thought maybe he was going back to his old snarky self. He missed the way his boss would rough him up playfully, he was always ready to use sarcasm and right wrongs. Now, Lorenzo was merely the shell of a man that Lucas had known before. It hurt Lucas to see his boss like this. “Did you find out any information?” Lorenzo was quick to get to business. Even after last night’s sleep, he still felt drained. It wouldn’t surprise the man if he had to sleep for a month straight to regain himself back. Every night for the past three years, he was plagued by haunting nightmares that wouldn’t let him sleep. It was the first time in years that Lorenzo had fallen asleep without waking up once in the middle of the night. He didn't even want to think why that had happened. “Mia Stefano. Correct?” Lucas dragged Lorenzo out of his thoughts. The boss nodded. “I found quite a few things on her. She’s an ex con. The woman was thrown in prison for vehicular manslaughter. She served three years at the women's penitentiary and got released a month ago.” The news surprised Lorenzo although he didn’t let it show. People made all sorts of mistakes. You couldn’t judge them for it. “She killed Mary Simmons.” The name caused Lorenzo to stop everything. His mind went blank and his lungs paused in their breathing. His eyes flew wide open as Lucas stared at him through the rearview mirror. His expression was nothing short of being grim. Lorenzo couldn’t even take the woman’s name let alone think of what had happened to her prior. It hurt too much to even fathom the thought. He desperately tried to get the image of the woman out of his mind. Piercing green eyes and strawberry blonde hair. She had a charming smile and was incredibly endearing. The thought hurt him to his core. She had been pregnant as well. Only a few weeks short of her giving birth. It was a baby girl. It would have been a baby girl. “Her ex boyfriend was Andrew Williams. That’s what the man meant when he said to watch out. He himself was Jason Carre. Some low level businessman’s kids. I put two and two together after doing some investigation. Andrew has been paying off people to torment Mia Stefano. I don’t know what to do. Apparently he had paid people off even in the prison to get her beaten up. The Head Warden didn’t like that and so she protected Mia Stefano as much as possible. Now he’s started it up outside of prison too.” Every word settled deep into Lorenzo’s gut. He felt sickened at the chain of events. He realized that maybe Mia had wronged Andrew Williams in some way. The man in question was a very petty man. Lorenzo had no idea Mia had been convicted on a lie. Everyone knew who had killed Mary Simmons. It certainly wasn’t Mia Stefano.