Wren pushed the down button on her floor's elevator panel, she always managed to somehow be late and the elevator always seemed to take its sweet time getting to her. That was the problem with living in a dying highrise building and living on the 22nd floor. She tapped her stilettoed foot and checked her watch again for the 3rd time. The older woman standing behind her cleared and sighed heavily. Wren didn’t have the patience or the manners to deal with her normally ornery neighbor today. She received a text from her daughter who was on her way home from school on the bus.

 

“Can I have nachos for dinner?” Elsie asked. 

   Wren smiled at her phone and the elevator doors sprung open. She stepped inside and pressed the hold button for her neighbor.

 

“Oh wow. You usually ain’t this nice Ms.Harris.” The crotchety old woman said. 

Wren stayed quiet and gave the obligatory eye roll behind her neighbor. 

 

Wren couldn’t wait for her application for the new building near the federal building to be approved, then she’d feel safer and less annoyed with her neighbors. 

 

The doors opened on the lobby floor and Wren slid out past her neighbor, her heels clicked on the floor as she scurried to the front of the building. Wren checked her watch, Elsie's school bus was a few minutes late as usual, but she didn’t mind as long as her daughter made it safely home. 

 

Her phone rang and it was her cop friend who loved to spoil her daughter.

“Hey, Eddie. What’s up?” 

 

   “Eh not much, how’s our girl?” He said from his cruiser.

 

“You tell me, you’re behind her bus,” Wren said, spying a police cruiser behind her daughter's school bus.  

 

    “I was hoping you were still upstairs.” He said. Hanging up and pulling his cruiser into a parking spot.

 

The bus pulled up slowly and let some kids off. Wren hadn’t even noticed the other kids' parents standing behind her. Elsie hopped off the school bus and hugged her mom. Eddie walked up and she gasped in surprise.

 

“Eddie!” Elsie said, hugging her favorite cop. 

 

Wren wasn’t fond of police but Eddie seemed to be different, when Wren made it back to the U.S and needed someplace to stay Eddie offered his empty home to her and her infant daughter. 

 

Eddie hugged her back and pulled out the stuffed lizard plush he bought for her. Elsie nearly squealed in excitement.

 

 “I want you to come up with a great name for him. Surprise me.” He said. 

 

   “Ok!” Elsie said. “So mom, about those nachos?” 

 

“We’ll go to the store and get the stuff to make them ok? But you know we have a routine. You need to go upstairs and shower first.” Wren said, reminding her daughter.

 

  “Wait, I want nachos too mom,” Eddie said jokingly.

 

Wren laughed, “Well then you should change out of that uniform. Also, a lizard toy Eddie? You know how many times a day I get asked to buy a bearded dragon?” 

 

“What can I say, they’re cool reptiles. At least it can eat the bugs in this disgusting building.” Eddie said, looking up at the crumbling building.

 

“Maybe the office will give him a job and he can pay rent too.” Wren joked. 

 

Eddie, Wren, and Elsie went back up to the 22nd floor, where the Harrises resided. You would have no idea that Wren’s sophisticated apartment was in a run-down building. Wren was an interior decorator with a penchant for organizing. That was until you got to Elsie’s messy room.  Some would say that Wren had slight OCD but with her history, she’d tell you that she needed to know where everything was because she needed to be able to tell if there was someone in her house.

 

The shower water ran in the bathroom, and Eddie grabbed a seat on the couch that faced the door. He always sat there. Wren knew why. She poured him a glass of water and handed it to him. He sipped it twice and sat it down on a coaster that seemingly appeared out of thin air. 

 

“So uh, you hear from him? You better tell me the minute you do.” Eddie expressed. 

 

    “I doubt I will hear from him. It’s been 5 years since I've seen him, and even longer since he saw her.” Wren said, staring at the closed bathroom door. Elsie was all Wren ever worried about. Elsie was all she had.

 

“So you gonna stay for nachos?” She asked. 

 

Eddie shook his head. “Nah I gotta get back on patrol. Lunch break is over in 5. Gives me just enough time to get back to the car. By the way, your front bumper is dented. Take it to that shop I mentioned. Stop putting it off.” He said, standing to leave.

 

Wren hugged him, it was something he had recently gotten used to. “Thanks, Eddie, I will. You always take care of us.” Wren said, smiling at him. 

 

He smiled back and left the apartment, He heard Wren click the lock 3 times after he left. Making sure the lock was working. 

 

Elsie emerged from the shower minutes later and went to dry off in her room. Wren parted Elsie’s hair and threw it into 2 afro puffs. She helped Elsie dress and held her hand back down to the elevator. Wren helped Elsie into the SUV and handed her her iPad. The two took off for the grocery store. 

 

Chai pulled his hair into a tight ponytail and pulled his hat close to his eyes. He was sure that upstate NY was far enough away and obscure enough from L. A that he could disappear and live happily. He did not know that his new boss had just got a contract to finish the luxury apartments that were being funded by the state. That meant press conferences and endless negotiations about building material costs and labor costs. The meeting laste