All's Fair In Love and War - Page 57/88

Sometimes a little heartbreak is a lesson, and the best thing to do is just learn the lesson.

-Jon Voight

R.O.S.S. Headquarters, Belle City, 3:56p.m

Denella tried to forget about Raphael and focus on what the real problem was. She called John for the hundredth time but still couldn't get a hold of him. Brandon had told her that John would be back soon but probably not soon enough. Denella was starting to worry about John. He didn't tell her anything about his mother being ill, so she decided to look into this a little deeper.

She looked up Maryanne Elizabeth Reed and found her address on one of the high-tech computers they used to locate people and places. Once she found it, she decided to give Maryanne an unexpected visit.

T.E.R.S.E. Headquarters, Belle City, 4:14p.m

Raphael couldn't stop thinking about Denella. He wasn't mad at her, although it seemed like that. Maybe she was right; he was a bit jealous. When he showed up at R.O.S.S. Headquarters, Denella acted as if she didn't want to see him by saying, "What are you doing here?" When Brandon came out of the elevator, she greeted him with a hug. She hugged him too, but Raphael felt like it was his fault. He shouldn't have walked away and left her.

He noticed how one of the agents, Chris Delarosa, was running around the offices. It was as if he was looking for something, or someone. He was wearing a purple t-shirt and a black leather jacket over it. He thought he looked more attractive in the leather jacket. He had on his favourite pair of jeans that he always wore because it made him look much taller. He was about one and a half heads shorter than Raphael. Finally, he stopped and was looking straight at Raphael. He rushed up to Raphael and was panting so hard.

"Finally I found you." he managed to spit out. "You have to hurry. The boss is in the hospital, and he isn't doing too well. Go before it's too late!" he demanded.

Raphael nodded and instantly left.

Maryanne's House, Belle City, 4:22p.m

Ringing the doorbell, Denella waited for someone to answer. She never expected Maryanne to answer the door quickly because even though she was only in her late sixties, she had Parkinson. It affected the way she moved. She got it a few years ago, as John had told Denella, a few years after her husband passed away.

As Denella waited, she admired the way Maryanne kept her garden. There were many flowers, all kept in neat rows. The stucco walls made the house look new, even though the house was about nine or ten years old. It was a smaller house, but it was suitable and good enough for one person.