"i hallucinate when you call my name"

•••

The blaring of my irksome ringtone woke me up, but I completely neglected it since I felt beat from yesterday. I sighed happily when the sound stopped, making me fall back into that mid-conscious state of mind, but quick knocking on my door caused me to flinch.

"Sabrina!" a voice exclaimed from outside, "Come on, we need to go!"

"Shit," I muttered. Andrew's frantic banging made me leisurely get out of bed. I put on the first robe I encountered over my pyjamas and lifted the curtains, letting the sunlight illuminate the room.

I was momentarily blinded as light poured in through the window, forcing me to squint my eyes in response. I pulled my hair into a ponytail as I walked towards the front door, and when I approached it, I yanked it open.

"Sabr-" Andrew nearly hit me as he got ready to shout my name and bang the door again. Before I could register my hand wrapping around his wrist, my reflexes had done their part. He abruptly suspended his fist in mid-air, a few centimetres away from my face, as he stared at me.

My other hand was automatically raised and ready to hit whoever was in front of me, but I came back to my senses, sparing Andrew a punch on the cheek.

When I registered the awkward moment and my uncanny position, I straightened myself and removed my grip from Andrew's fist. Slipping my hands into my robe's pockets, I pleaded for them to never react like that in front of him again.

I knew Andrew was sceptical about my skills already, and I had thoroughly avoided being interrogated about my life until now. But who was to say he would not do so in the future?

As I prepared myself to apologise for my behaviour, my mind began to muster up an explanation that would be reasonable enough to convince Andrew it was a one-time occurrence. I gazed at him and opened my mouth to speak, but he was faster.

"What was that?" he asked.

"What was what?" I played the fool.

"The thing you just did."

"A reaction," I informed him, giving up on the excuse, "I did not mean to do that."

"You almost hit me as a reflex?" Now he was the one who sounded like an idiot.

"Yes, and I apologise."

"Pfft," he began laughing uncontrollably, and I frowned at him in puzzlement.

"You are not cross about it?" I inquired after a few moments, "I could have actually punched you."

"How could I be mad when you say sorry like that?" Andrew smiled and looked down at my clothes, "Or when you act all serious while wearing a robe?"

"It is not my fault someone decided to barge into my room when I was still sleeping," I replied, putting my hands on my hips, "And quit making fun of my accent."

"You were still asleep?" he lifted a brow, "I thought I told you we were going somewhere this morning." Shit. I had entirely disregarded his comment; that was when I came to the conclusion he was the one who had called me several minutes ago.

"Yes, well," I mumbled, "I was tired."

"Aw, I'm sorry," he walked over to me and placed his hands on my face as if inspecting it, "Did I interrupt your beauty sleep?"

"Stop that," I pushed him off with enough force to let him know he should not do that again, "What do you need me for?" I walked past him and opened the wardrobe, taking out my clothes for the day.

"We are going to The Wynn tonight," he stated, "And right now, you're coming with me." He was not telling me where we would be going.

"Where to?" I questioned, closing the wardrobe's door.

"Come with me to find out," Andrew smirked, and I rolled my eyes.

"Fine, can you leave the room then?" I requested politely, "I need to change."

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" he winked. I crossed my arms and glared at him, ready to kick his ass. Andrew lifted his hands in defeat as if he had been caught in the act of stealing. "Alright, I'm leaving."

"Thank you," I sighed, and as soon as he shut the door, I made sure to lock it.

"Damn," I heard him say, "You don't trust me, do you?" I disregarded him and started changing.

We had been in Las Vegas for a couple of days now, and Andrew wanted to lie low before moving ahead with the job. He had not mentioned we were visiting another place other than The Wynn, so I had no idea what it could be. I could not help but wonder if what we were going to do was something stupid.

I slipped on a white t-shirt and a pair of jeans before looking at my bed. I could make it later. The gun was still in its place inside my drawer, and I did not hesitate before grabbing it. I pulled a holster around my leg and attached the gun to it.

Before opening the door, I took my coat with me and joined Andrew in the hallway. "Took you long enough."

"I am here now, am I not?" I asked, "We can leave now." He left his position next to my door and began walking ahead of me, so I followed him close behind.

We were temporarily living in his second mansion in the outskirts of Sin City, an estate I did not know existed until we arrived. It was an incredibly modern building that had been built a few years ago.

We paced out of the house and got inside a car that waited for us on the driveway. Andrew took the steering wheel, and I sat in the passenger's seat. We drove back to the city's heart without saying a word to each other. I was busy looking out the window, immersed in my thoughts.

The Las Vegas Strip during the day looked like any other street in any other city. Except for the fact that a shorter yet giant replica of the Tower Eiffel rose between the buildings. It did not look as glamorous as it did in the middle of the night with everything lit, but it was an astonishing sight nonetheless.

We finally reached a tall, grey warehouse after making our way smoothly through the city since the construction was situated on the opposite edge of town. Two armed men were standing on either side of the dark doors and signalled the car to stop.

"Good morning, guys," Andrew greeted them as he slid down the window, "Elias knows I'm coming, so you might as well open those up." He pointed at the doors. The man stared sternly at Andrew before ducking his head and looking inside the car. His eyes met mine as he motioned with his chin towards me.

"He didn't mention anything about a girl," the man replied, making Andrew scoff, "How do we know she will keep her mouth shut?"

"She's obviously with me," he declared, "So you either let me go in, or you can tell your boss the deal is off." He laughed sarcastically. "And you know how much he hates when a contract doesn't go through." The guard looked at him for a brief moment before nodding to his partner. They slid the doors open, and Andrew moved the car inside, rolling up the window again.

I remained silent as he halted the engine and took off his seat belt. When he noticed I was not doing anything, he gave me an expectant look. I lifted my eyebrow as I turned my head towards his gaze.

"Let's go, love," Andrew said, making me understand I had to accompany him. I unbuckled my seat belt and got out of the car, letting out a breath.

I paced behind Andrew as we zigzagged between the different containers in the warehouse. We arrived at a large section full of wooden crates with their lids resting next to them. I did not need to look under the hay that covered the top to know what was inside.

"Hey!" one of the armed men exclaimed before Andrew could do anything, pointing at me with his gun, "What's with that?" He was motioning to my leg as he took a few steps towards me.

"Woah, if you are going to aim that on someone, do it on me," Andrew stepped in front of me, his body towering over my own, "And  she clearly has a gun, do you have a problem with it?"

"Why does she have a weapon?" the guy inquired, "She doesn't need it." He walked even closer.

"Take another step, and you will regret it," Andrew crossed his tattooed arms over his chest, "Elias, you either tell him to back away, or I'm fucking leaving, and you can tell the money goodbye." I glanced over his shoulder as a tall man nodded at the guy, and he immediately went back to his place.

"Andrew, sorry about that," the man, who I assumed was Elias, said, "How have you been?" He walked over to us and extended his hand. Andrew shook it firmly as Elias smiled at him.

"It's fine," he looked at the guard once more before turning his attention towards Elias, "You know I dislike when my employees are questioned about their loyalty."

The man was wearing a dark blue suit that complemented his high figure. He grinned at Andrew with perfect white teeth and nodded before inclining his head of slicked hair to look at me.

"And who is the woman who caused such a fuss?" Elias asked with curiosity, offering me his hand. Andrew opened his mouth to speak, probably to introduce me, but I was faster.

"Sabrina Rhodes," I informed him and slipped my palm into his, "I am Andrew's assistant." His blue eyes glanced quickly at our intertwined hands before returning to my own.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Sabrina," he replied, "And I apologise for his behaviour." A shiver ran down my spine; I did not like the way he pronounced my name.

Elias then walked back to the crates, standing casually in front of them. Many of his men were surrounding the packages, all armed with weapons. "I have what you asked for, Andy."

Andrew approached him and stared down at the crates, moving the hay out of the way. I was too far from the boxes to see their contents, but Andrew took out one of the weapons, confirming my suspicions.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Elias said, tucking his hands in his pockets. Andrew admired the shotgun in his grip, and I swore I could feel his smirk all the way across the room.

"Indeed it is," he said, placing the gun back inside the crate, "You know where to send them." He put the hay back on top of it. "I will transfer you the money as soon as they arrive."

"Of course," Elias replied, "They'll be there by tomorrow morning." Andrew nodded before walking back towards me.

I could not help but notice the contrast between Andrew and Elias: they were complete opposites. Andrew was casually dressed in jeans and a random t-shirt while Elias looked ready for a formal meeting. One was completely serious, and the other had a permanent smirk implanted on his face. Even their movements were different, and I found it rather amusing.

"Thank you, Elias," Andrew stated as he seized my arm. Before I could nod in goodbye, he yanked me after him. We soon reached the car, and I removed my arm from his grip forcefully.

"Why did you grab me like that?" I asked, brushing my hand over the grasped skin. Andrew only got inside the car, motioning me to do the same. As soon as I shut the door, he started the engine and drove slowly out of the warehouse.

"I didn't like the way he looked at you," Andrew merely asserted. He ignored the guards' nods and finally made his way onto the road.

"Well, I did not like it either," I muttered, looking out the window.

"Fortunately, Elias is wise enough to know that crossing me is a mistake," he accelerated, "So you won't have to worry about him, love." I sighed quietly, knowing he was right and proceeded to get lost in my thoughts once again.

•••

i love that ive updated this story three consecutive days :) dont forget to vote!

farewell,
miss lp