Smitten: A Mafia Romance — Chapter 14

"When it rains, it pours" Korina remembered the old adage as she looked through the windows.

The proverbial term was literally playing out in front of her. She watched the rain drops come down aggressively, two huge rain drops fell on the window and her eyes followed their movement as they rolled downwards.

She sighed, I have a feeling that today is gonna be hella terrible.

She turned to look at the clock, it was 9:00AM and she was late.

"I just have to go in the rain." She mumbled, she buttoned up her coat, grabbed an umbrella and exited the apartment.

The elevator ride all the way down seemed longer than usual to Korina today, it was beginning to irritate her, as soon as it stopped, she got out of the elevator and raced towards the garage.

Thank God, She breathed as she neared her car.

Alas, there was a car in front of hers that had to pull out before she could.

She marched towards the valet and asked for the owner.

"I am afraid ma'am." The middle aged man said dropping the phone, "He doesn't seem to be picking up, you would have to wait."

"Look sir, isn't there a way you can contact him?" She asked, "I am in a great hurry and I need to go out now."

"Sorry dear." He apologised, "You just have to exercise patience and wait."

Korina was sure that the amount of time she spent waiting and the energy she put into exercising patience was enough to burn some calories, She had been waiting for more than fifteen minutes, She kept glancing at her watch and at the lobby to see if anyone was coming for the car in front of hers.

"Ah! There he is." The valet announced pointing at a lean English looking man coming their way, his coat tail flying behind him as he hastened towards them.

"I am so sorry for the inconvenience." He said apologising to Korina as they both made way for the garage.

"No offence." She replied tight lipped.

The man pulled out of the garage waving cheerfully at her as he drove into the rain.

Phew, She closed her umbrella, folded it and put her hands into her coat pocket to fish out her keys.

No keys, her pockets were empty, Dammit, she swore as she hurried back into the building to get her keys.

Damn me for picking an apartment far up, She cursed, the elevator ride was taking longer than the first time.

Korina scanned her scattered apartment, her hands at akimbo as her eyes wandered around.

Finding the keys would be hard, but let's get to it, She thought.

She threw the apartment upside down trying to find the keys but her searching tactics were in vain. She was standing on top of the bed now, her hands on her hips, things and clothes strewn everywhere.

"Where the hell is it?" She screamed, "okay, okay." She lowered her voice, "Calm down Korina." She pacified herself taking deep breaths, motioning with her hands, "just calm down and you would find it."

It took Korina extra five minutes to find the keys and she found them in the bathroom sink, how it got there? She never knew, all she cared was that she had found her keys and she should get to work instantly.

She snatched the keys, bolted out of the apartment and raced to the elevator, her boot heels making fast clicking noises as she ran.

"Hi, I am Rick." Korina turned to look at the man beside her, he had brown hair and slightly tanned skin, he was a bit on the tall side and his hands quaked but it was slightly noticeable.

Oh, now I have to be nice, She accessed him again with raised brows.

"I am Korina." She said and brought out her phone and started tapping on it, hoping he would get the cue and figure she wasn't in the mood for conversations.

"So, do you happen to live here?" He asked.

No, of course not I came to hunt for bugs, She did a 360° eye roll, "yes, I live here."

"Are you new?"

"No, I am not."

"How come I have never seen you around?." He asked, "It would be hard to miss such a pretty face."

"Look sir, it's a big building, you don't meet the same people every day." She sighed, would this elevator ride ever end?

They reached the ground floor and she sped out immediately the doors opened. Korina got to the exit of the building and was reminded that she wasn't with her umbrella when she caught site of the rain.

She hit herself mentally for her forgetfulness and turned back towards the elevator.

"Hi." She heard a voice say as soon as she got in.

"Oh, you are still here?" Korina asked the man who introduced himself earlier as Rick as she was shocked he was still in the elevator.

"Uhhmm... I just got in." He smiled.

"Huh?"

"My name is Sam." He said, "what's yours?" He asked with an outstretched hand seeking a handshake.

It's either this man is crazy or I am? She looked at him wide eyed.

"Didn't we meet earlier? You said your name was Rick."

"No we didn't." The man shook his head, "I am sorry, I can't seem to recall this face."

Korina looked at the man's face, scrutinizing it looking for hints of jest or a suppressed laugh to show he was joking but she found nothing but seriousness not even a muscle twitch.

She stared at him dumbfounded and just then the elevator stopped at her floor and she got out paying no attention to the man and scampering to her apartment.

Korina got to her place and saw she had left the door unlocked in a hurry to leave.

Dammit, She cursed.

She entered and did a quick scan of the room wondering to herself how she would know if anything was stolen since everywhere was scattered.

She grabbed her umbrella and got out but not before convincing herself that nothing was stolen.

"Excuse me ma'am." Korina turned to look at the person that stopped her, she was in the hallway now, what the fuck is it now?

"Yes." She answered the last who was dressed in a blue nurses uniform.

"Sorry to bother you, but my colleagues and I are looking for a man."

"And?" Korina asked rather impatiently.

"We are actually from the New York psychiatric hospital." The nurse continued, " And a patient escaped this morning so we want to know if anyone had seen him by asking around."

"I don't think I have seen him." Korina said, "Like I would definitely know a mental patient when I see one."

The woman smiled, "He's putting on a black suit which he stole from the hospital, he's brown haired, blue eyed, slightly tanned skin, he's about 5" 11 tall, his hands quake a bit but it isn't really noticeable, is anything wrong ma'am?" The woman asked as she finished her description, she noticed that Korina's face had paled.

Korina nearly screamed, I had been in an elevator with a psychiatric patient?what if he had attacked me?

"His accent sounds Australian?"

"Yes." The woman answered, "Did you per chance see him anywhere?"

"I saw him in the elevator." Korina said, "I was actually with him in the elevator twice, he introduced himself as different personalities twice."

"Oh yeah, he does that a lot."

"Oh, I thought I was crazy."

"Thanks so much for your help." The woman said politely, "He might be out of the elevator now, I will alert my colleagues and we will go look for him."

Korina nodded and the women turned away and walked in the opposite direction. She continued her way towards the elevator.

"Hi, I am Sandra." She heard the familiar voice say as soon as the elevator doors opened up, she pressed the buttons in an attempt to close the doors and turned away towards the stairs.

Not me taking an elevator ride with a mental asylum escapee, I am taking the stairs.