Love's Cunning Ruse

At the shooting range.
"Find anything?" Rowan asked in an even tone, a compact pistol in hand as he aimed at the silhouette target downrange. He squeezed the trigger
without haste.
Standing beside him, Kleist was busy sanitizing another firearm and nodded, "Yeah, we've got something. It was Zenith Moore's guys who took
Davina Field from that small-town clinic. The place is long gone, but the folks who worked there are still kicking around. Someone got paid off to keep
quiet, but we found out it was Zenith's men. However..."
A loud 'bang' echoed as the bullet tore through the target's neck, severing the cardboard figure in two.
"Keep talking," Rowan said, reaching for another gun.
Kleist replied, "Well, we don't know where Zenith took her, just that they dumped a half-dead Davina on the shore. Hayden's people picked her up
later, and then it was Miss Patriot Newell who personally pulled the plug on Davina's life support."
"Mhm." Rowan suddenly turned back to Kleist with a reminder, "Her name is Julie."
Kleist gave his boss an innocent look. Wasn't it Rowan who always referred to her as Miss Patriot?
"Got it, boss."
"Mhm." Rowan gestured for his phone.
Kleist handed over Rowan's phone. Rowan frowned slightly and corrected, "Patriot’s phone."
Kleist sighed inwardly; what should he call her, really?
After getting Julie's phone, Rowan quickly dialed a number.
The call was answered by Shannon, who heard a cool male voice, "I need Julie."
Shannon, momentarily stunned, handed the phone to Julie, whispering, "Ma'am, a man for you."
"A man?" Julie put the phone to her ear, only to hear Rowan's deep and pleasant voice calling her, "Woman."
"...Rowan?" Julie's 'man?' was directed at Shannon, not him... and him, with his casual 'woman,' as if it rolled off the tongue quite naturally.

"Nine-one Shooting Grounds, waiting for you," he cut to the chase.
Julie paused, then, she hung up with a 'click.'
Did he think she was a dog on a leash, to come and go at his command? Julie had a temper too!
Besides, Rowan was, in Kyle's words, better left unprovoked.
Handing the phone back to Shannon, Julie grinned, "Wrong number."
Shannon, a smart man, knew better. The caller had addressed Julie by name; it was no wrong number, just a call she didn't wish to take.

He returned the phone and went to do laundry. Julie was busy discussing Camilla's situation with Daphne. Daphne had never liked Camilla, and the
news of her moving out was almost cause for fireworks.
As Julie was engrossed in her chat, the phone rang again.
Irritated by the persistent ringing, Julie snapped, "I'm not coming, stop calling!"
"Where aren't you going?" Kieran's voice came through the phone.
Julie deflected, "Why didn't you call my cell?"
"You didn't give me your new number," Kieran answered.
Julie laughed it off and gave him her number, then added, "I'll bring you lunch today, wait for me~"
She hurriedly ended the call, wary of further questions.
But when the phone rang again, Julie, feeling guilty, sweetly asked, "Honey, something else?"
Rowan checked his outgoing call display to confirm it was Julie, and then he stiffened.
Julie glanced at her old phone's number and felt her expression darken.
"Patriot, calling someone 'honey' doesn't make it legally binding. Don't worry, I won't sue."
Patriot? Why would he call her that? Julie was about to hang up without another word.
But then Rowan casually mentioned, "I have your phone."

"Keep it as a thank-you for not killing me," Julie retorted sharply.
"Your nudes are in it," he said, sounding unbothered.
Her grip tightened on the phone, but after a moment's consideration, she was confident there were no such photos on her phone, so she boldly
replied, "Then keep it for your viewing pleasure."
In reality, there might be at most a couple of selfies.
The call ended abruptly, Rowan's doing.
Julie sat on the couch, clutching the handset, trying to recall any compromising photos. She was sure Rowan was bluffing.
Seconds later, Julie's new phone buzzed with a message. The photo was of Kieran, stark naked.
In an instant, Julie was up in arms.
Shannon returned to find Julie standing on the couch, shoes still on, and startled, he asked, "What's gotten into you, ma'am?"
"No worries!" Julie forced a casual look on her face as she clutched her cellphone and the landline receiver, heading upstairs into the bedroom.
Shannon was left scratching her head in confusion.
Julie quickly dialed her old number from the landline and immediately asked the person on the other end, "What on earth do you want?"
"Mr. Hernandez has a... particular taste," Rowan said, his voice dripping with insinuation.
Julie racked her brain and realized indeed, there were no photos of her undressed on that phone. But there was... a photo she had snapped of Kieran

wearing her bra after they had both had one too many drinks. It was likely Rowan had scrolled through her phone gallery, so his so-called 'particular
taste' must refer to that.
"Do you even want your phone back?" he asked indifferently.
Julie retorted weakly, "You do know this is an invasion of privacy, right?!"
"I'm aware," he responded, his tone suggesting an unspoken 'so what?'
Julie, feeling a bit inspired by her friend Daphne's knack for flattery, said, "Mr. Kyle, how about you mail it to my husband's office then? I'll thank you
on behalf of my entire family. Wishing you a lifetime of peace, health, and happiness."

But the man on the other end was clearly not charmed by her words. "I've got connections in the media, and plenty of company-owned outlets too."
The implication was clear, Come and get your phone, or your husband's nude goes public.
Julie dropped the flattery, "I don't get it. It's just a phone. Even if you release the photos, it's just gossip fodder, nothing that would truly affect my
husband. What's the point of threatening me with this?"
"It amuses me," he replied calmly.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Julie asked, irritated.
"It would be interesting to see you," he said bluntly, as if she were an entertaining specimen.
To Julie, however, this confession only sent chills down her spine.
"Mr. Kyle, you wouldn't be falling for me, would you?" Julie joked, not really believing someone of Rowan's stature would be so bored as to fancy a
married woman he'd met less than five times.
Rowan paused at her question, then asked, "What makes you so confident to ask me that?"
"Divine inspiration," Julie shot back, "Keep the phone, release the photos if you like! My husband can settle the score with you, that'll be between you
and him."
She was about to hang up when Rowan suddenly said, "Nine-one Shooting Grounds, I'll tell you what's on the USB Zenith gave me."
Julie's finger hesitated over the end call button, then pulled away. "Are you just toying with me?"
"If I wanted you dead, would you still be alive?" Rowan said. "Come alone. Bring a knife or a gun if it makes you feel safer."
With that, Rowan hung up, instructing Kleist to wait for her at the gate.
Julie sat on the bed, deep in thought. Kieran had said it was best not to go out these days, to stay with Grandma in case she became emotionally
unstable. But what Rowan wanted to discuss concerned Lucian.
Grandma's ailment was of the heart, and the cure for that would be more than just physical presence, wouldn't it?
After much contemplation, Julie got up, grabbed her phone, and ran downstairs. She slipped a sharp paring knife into her bag.
Shannon approached, puzzled, "Are you heading out, ma'am?"

"Do we have a gun, Shannon?"
"What?" Shannon's eyes widened in shock.
Julie flashed a grin, "Never mind, just kidding!"
After that, she mixed a bottle of pepper spray in the kitchen, grabbed her car keys, and stepped out. Sitting in the driver's seat, Julie drafted a timed
text message before starting the car...