"You again," Ema said to Rodriguez.
The latter made sure he had another sip of his orange juice before speaking.
"I'm sorry, Have we met?"
Ema became a bit confused. He had to be the one from Tower, the one who called her Adriana. She couldn't be losing it so quickly.
"You from the company where my father works. Are you the one that helped us...you know from the goons?"
"Actually..." Miranda cut in seeing Ema wasn't even taking notice od the others on the table, "I did. How do you feel now?"
"Better I guess," Ema answered.
Ema stole another look at Rodriguez as she walked sluggishly to the table.
"Adriana!" Nathan joyously exclaimed in his usual bubbly nature.
Ema did not miss it. He called her Adriana so she had to be in the right house since the man in front of her called her that last time.
Miranda could smell the tension in the room, especially between Rodriguez and Adriana's lookalike.
What could be wrong?
"Are you alright?" Miranda questioned Ema.
"Yeah... Nothing."
Getting nowhere Miranda changed the topic,
" You must be starving, You were out cold all night."
"Sure."
"Where are your parents?"
Like on cue, they stepped in, clearly running and worried sick.
"Ema! Don't ever do that again. What if something happens to you?" Her mother cautioned.
It made Miranda wonder if Mrs. Contreras was that sick or she was just an overbearing mother like she had been once. She couldn't help but think that if Ema's mother continued this way, she might regret destroying her daughter.
"I'm fine Mom." Ema groaned, embarrassed by her mother.
"She's still in the house, She's safe," Miranda said, taking sides with Ema. She earned a smile from the girl and God, she even looked more like Adriana.
Mr. Contreras saw his boss and Immediately acknowledged his presence.
"Sir. I didn't know you lived here."
Rodriguez hated seeing him alive but he had to play his role to avert suspicion.
"I don't live here. I'm close friends with Miranda here. I'm sorry about what happened to you, I'll do anything to out those things to justice. I'll also get your money, my men couldn't make it their last time."
That had to do the trick, Rodriguez sighed.
"Won't you sit for breakfast before the cops arrive?" Miranda quizzed, seeing them ready as a race car.
"Thank you, Mrs... But we have to be going. We have things to do."
Rodriguez liked that idea so he spoke,
"You don't need to keep them waiting. They're tense right now. I'm sure they will see the police if they need to. Right?"
Mrs. Contreras smiled at him gratefully before backing him up,
"We will."
"Now my men will finish the job they failed to do." Rodriguez thought.
But then Ema foiled his plans again.
"Can't we just stay for breakfast, I mean, we just escaped death."
Ema then gave her mother puppy eyes she knew she could not resist.
"Ok!" Her mother said, defeated, "we'll stay for breakfast, and then we'll go home."
"Deal."
***
Ema couldn't comfortably eat, not with Nathan staring at her all through.
She noticed he hasn't touched his good and just kept watching her eat like she was some zoo animal.
It was worse, she was so close to him and he didn't even hide it.
"Are you ok?" She finally asked finding courage within.
"Are you?" The man said.
A question for a question, How plausible.
If he wasn't going to acknowledge his staring, she was going to.
"I don't like the way you're staring at me."
"Sorry, but he might kill you this time. You have to be safe."
Ema didn't know why but she suddenly felt the chills, her skin inflicted with tiny bumps that made her hairy skin stand erect.
"Who?" She spat even before she could even think.
He didn't answer. He just smiled and continued eating like their conversation never happened.
Creepy.
Ema resumed to her food but she could shake his words off.
It was probably because someone she didn't even know wanted her family including her dead.
Ema stopped eating again. She could feel eyes watching her every move. She looked up and saw Rodriguez.
He was eyeing her as a lion would to a gazelle.
He just felt so mysterious and sinister. It reminded her of a question that lingered in her mind.
"Who is this Adriana everyone keeps calling me?"
"Someone that almost ruined everyone's life," Rodriguez answered with an intensity that tasted like hate.
"She sounds like a really bad person, definitely not like my daughter." Mrs. Contreras added, clearly in support of Rodriguez.
Ema could finally say her mother had met her better half, it was unlucky that she was already taken.
"She did at first." Miranda acknowledged," but she was a bad person. She just thought she was making the right choice and when she did. Something terrible happened..."
When Miranda paused, Ema could not take the suspense.
"What happened?"
"She was shot along with my son," Miranda revealed, biting her life as those terrible memories came afresh.
Ema knew it was rude but she could stop herself. Her son was different and she knew it, he acted like a child and it could as a result of the accident so she had to be sure.
"Is that why he is like this?"
"Yes." Miranda attested.
Miranda saw this as the perfect opportunity to throw her offer to Ema.
"But there is a possibility he can get better through you."
Ema didn't understand. How could he possibly get better through her?
"How can I help him, Did Adriana hold a special place to him?"
"I think she did. She was his wife."
That was unexpected.
Mrs. Contreras stopped eating, seeing her daughter stop for once to think.
She couldn't be considering it, Could she?
Mrs. Contreras turned to her husband who was surely warning her not yo interfere but she couldn't help it.
"I don't think that is possible."
Ema gave her mother a furious look before speaking for herself.
"Mom! I can think."
To be fair, Mrs. Contreras was taken aback.
Ema had never snapped at her before and this new experience made her sore.
Was she starting to lose her? She pondered.
Ema, having cautioned her mother from jumping far too much in her business.
"Are there any financial benefits?"
Miranda could see where this was going to. It had happened once before.
"Yes. A month here and I promise you a hundred thousand."
Ema's jaws dropped. It was a generous offer. That could surely help her but she had to stay cool. Rich people tended to look at one less if one was desperate.
All she said was,
"I'll think about it."
Miranda smiled hoping for the best.
Breakfast time was almost over since everyone was done with food and Ema knew it was time to go.
She made a mental note to get Miranda's phone number just when the cops came in.
***
"Great, Cops!" Rodriguez muttered under his breath.
"Good day." One of the two men greeted the house.
The men got to the point and soon began to question the Contreras.
It was all unnecessary. They wouldn't get anything, Rodriguez was sure.
Well...until they were asked if they could recognize the criminals.
"One of them." Ema boasted with certainty.
"He was the same man that attacked me and my mother three years ago."
Rodriguez held his breath.
She couldn't remember the cliff, Could she?
She then began to describe Chale, his every features she got right, for someone that passed out while all that's happened.
Rodriguez knew little about Adriana but he learned from the former Nathan that she could be a cunning bitch.
What if she was just playing tricks?, What if she remembered?