Animalistic (Tiger in Her Bed)

It felt kind of risky just to barge in, since Frank associated with nasty individuals. So, Arielle decided to ambush the guy. She kept her eyes on the Ferrari that was parked in front of the club. She checked the plate number and it was a match with the information she had in the file. The Ferrari definitely belonged to Frank.

Arielle spotted a Laundromat across the street, so she went there and sat on the bench inside the shop, waiting for Frank to come out. She waited for over an hour, but there was no sign of Frank and she found she was getting bored.

Arielle bought a frozen cherry drink from the convenience store next door, and then went back to her stakeout. She checked her watch again.

It was 3:45pm now.

She was hungry, tired, and annoyed. She had a lot of work waiting at the office and Sabrina was wasting her time by making her do this job. It wasn’t as if she was getting paid extra for this. Sabrina just relished the concept of making Arielle miserable.

It wasn’t long before her bladder was full from the drink, and she regretted her decision to drink that much liquid. She was pondering whether she should look for a bathroom or keep watching, and that was when she saw a squirrelly man that matched the description she had on Frank Darbo exiting the club. Arielle quickly sprinted outside, the envelope containing the summons was in her hand.

The man remotely unlocked his Ferrari.

“Frank Darbo!” Arielle shouted at him.

The man glanced briefly in her direction, then ignored her. Before she could reach him, a bald man with a thick neck and giant muscles stepped into her path and blocked her.

“Darbo!” Arielle called desperately.

“What kind of business do you have with Mr. Darbo?” asked the bald man unkindly.

“It’s private. Get out of my way.”

“No. You’re the one who needs to go away.”

Crap. It was Darbo’s bodyguard.

Darbo’s Ferrari engine roared to life. The tires squealed as Darbo hit the gas pedal.

Arielle watched with desperation as Darbo slipped away. She shoved the bodyguard away. “What the hell is the matter with you? Get off me or I’m calling the cops.”

The man was built like a tank with a face like a Rottweiler. He was someone you wouldn’t want to mess with and her bravado diminished instantly.

The bodyguard jabbed a finger at her. “Now you listen; you’re the nuisance here. Go ahead and call the cops. I’ll tell them that you came here to harass my boss.”

“You think I’m afraid?” She was actually freaking terrified, but she wouldn’t show it to this bull of a man. He wasn’t the first person to threaten her today.

“You should be,” the Bald Rottweiler glowered. “Now scram. The next time I see you—you’ll be very sorry.”

“You can’t threaten me like that. This is public property.”

“Lady, you had your last warning. Don’t try my patience.”

Why do I need a law degree if I’m going to be doing this kind of work? Arielle lamented. This is useless.

“Fine! One way or another, I’ll get to your boss,” she spat back. She knew it was an empty threat, but whatever. Licking her wounds of defeat, she retreated.

She walked quickly in the other direction and fished her phone out from her purse. She dialed Sabrina. A sugary, annoying voice answered her.

“Did you do it?” Sabrina asked.

“I can’t. Can’t get past his bodyguard.”

“Try again. Make sure he gets the summons today.”

“You know, delivering summons’ isn’t my only job. I’ve got five open cases on my plate. Your cases, remember?”

“Make this a priority. I’ll give you an extension.”