My cellphone had broken down during my little scuffle with Anthony . It was not like I couldn't live without it, quite the opposite, really . The things were a bit troublesome if one thought about it properly . On a mission, just one vibration of the d.a.m.ned piece of technology could ruin a fully laid down plan . If the ringer was on and the phone went off—bang! My cover would be broken . It was as simple as that .

Death by technology—the finest example of it .

But my cellphone breaking down was not a happy cause . I wanted to take care of business . I wanted to talk to Jacob about my newfound need for change, my plans, and my dreams . I had thought over what Daisy had said, and I realized that I, indeed, needed to get out there, leave my connections and do what I wanted with myself . It was scary to think that I would have to start from scratch and that I had no clue as to what I would do with myself, but I also knew that it was okay to feel that way . There was no need to panic; lots of people go through the same change every day . I could make it in the world and figure out what I wanted in life like all those other people—it was a difficult task, but not an impossible one, and it needed me to speak to my fiancé .

So, when Daisy provided me with a new phone, I was excited . The messages crept into the archaic piece of technology Daisy had found in her cupboard, constantly vibrating . I read through them, finding nothing of consequence . There seemed to be an awful lot of voice messages, which I kept for later .

Punching in the numbers, I waited for Jacob to pick up his phone .

"Jacob," I sighed when he finally took the call .

"Mia?" his voice was urgent . I heard his voice become faint as he took his leave . "Where have you been?" he hissed . I heard the sound of his footsteps . He was pacing in the corridor outside his room, as he always did when he was worried about something .

"My cell broke," I told him lightly .

"How?" he asked, suspiciously .

"Nothing special . "

"I have been trying to get hold of you since yesterday . I needed to know how it went!" At that point, I was sure that he was waving his hands in exasperation .

"The mission went fine," I told him, the lie easy . The target was killed, whom the target was killed by should not matter as much .

"And what are you hiding from me?" Of course, he would find out if there was something amiss about the mission . The brother was the instigator in the first place .

"I may have been followed by Francis' men," I added . In no way was I telling him about my encounter with Anthony, not over the phone at least .

I heard him sigh in frustration . I waited for him to overreact, and soon enough, it came .

"Did you manage to lose them?" I bit back a smart reply and went with a simple 'yes . ' "That's good," his tone was thoughtful . "Mia, I need you to stay low for a few days," he informed me . "I need to talk to one of my informants about how the situation is around Armando's death, okay?"

"You don't need to worry so much about me, you know . " My own frustration was growing beyond bounds .

"I'm just trying to keep you safe, for now," he told me, and I believed him . That didn't seem necessary any longer . I could take care of myself, I always had .

"I know you are, but I need s.p.a.ce to breathe, okay?" The results of my newfound desires oozed out of my words . I wanted to change my life, and in an attempt to push Jake away, I had given him a slight hint . From the silence on the other end of the receiver, I knew that he had some idea of what was running through my mind . Every man knew the meaning of those words .

"Take care of yourself," he whispered . "I will call you as soon as I get some news worth sharing . "With that promise, he hung up on me .