Prolog in progress

It was starting to drizzle as the stream of moviegoers started dashing towards their vehicles. No one noticed the man parked near the rear of the parking lot. His drab military green SUV was designed to blend in and not be noticed. Like the vehicle, Don was also purposely nondescript. His large six-foot three-inch frame hunched down to appear less tall. A black v neck t-shirt and ball cap was worn low nearly covered this mop of dirty blond hair. A faded, utilitarian green jacket hid the gun securely tucked in place. Like the well-trained predator he was, he watched the people closely. He knew exactly what he was hunting for.

Then he spotted her. She ozzed self-confidence as she briskly went up to the ticket window. She smiled and her round cherub face lit up. Never taking his eyes off his target, don's boots hit the ground at a fast, steady pace. He moved with stealth and precision and was stepping up to the ticket window even as his eyes watched the target get in line for snacks.

Ticket in hand, don casually eased up behind his target. He knew his smile was charming and he turned it on full force. He ordered a small popcorn and as the clerk turned to get it, he spoke to his target.

" I can never choose which candy I want," he said to her. "You got a preference?" The target smiled as she was picking up her popcorn and soda.

"You can never go wrong with something chocolate," She said. Up close, don noticed green flecks in her brown eyes. She was a hefty girl but shot. He pegged her not more than five foot three but outweighed him by at least a hundred pounds. His pulse raced as the adrenaline shot through his system. He smiled. He loved the challenge of hunting larger game.

"Lady after my own heart," He nodded his head and selected two boxes of Sugar Babies and set them on the counter. The target smiled back at him. Told him to enjoy his movie and turned her back on him as she walked away. Don paid for his stuff, told the clerk to keep the change and slowly headed the same direction his prey had gone. He watched her slip past the doors and enter the cinema room.

The lights had already been dimmed and the previews were starting as he spotted her in the half-empty room. She sat midway on the aisle seat. Silently, he slipped in three rows behind her. He kept his eyes focused on the back of her head. She had beautiful, natural strawberry blonde hair that she wore gently swept back and held with a velvety black scrunchie.

He waited until nearly twenty minutes into the main feature when he slid out of his seat and approached her. He whispered "excuse me" and waited for her to shift her legs before squeezing through the tiny space. He left one empty chair between them and sat down. He flashed his most charming smile at her as he saw she recognized him.

"The movie I was supposed to see was boring," He whispered. "How's this one starting out?" As she leaned towards him to whisper, he caught a faint whiff of lavender and vanilla. He had no idea what she had said but nodded at her. It was all he could do, to keep himself under control, knowing she was right there in hand's reach.

He sat in silence, pretending to watch the dramatic car chase on the screen. When she sat her empty box of popcorn on the seat next to her, he waited a few minutes then pulled the boxes of Sugar Babies from his jacket. He held one out in her direction and gently shook it to get her attention.

"You sure?" She asked and took them with a smile when he silently nodded. They chewed their candy in silence as the movie climaxed and the subplots began tying themselves up. Right before the ending of the movie, he took out his cell phone, glanced at it and slowly gathered up his trash.

"Sorry, gotta take this call," He said as he once again made her shift her legs so he could pass by.

Outside, the air was cool and breezy as rain fell relentlessly. He headed in the direction he had seen her come from. She'd exited a Red Neon and it was easy to spot half-hidden by a white minivan. Using the cover the minivan provided, he withdrew a sharp, jagged hunting knife and easily jabbed it in to the rear passenger tire. Before all the air had hissed out of the damaged tire, he had slipped into the shadows of the theater. He walked completely around the building, away from prying eyes and slid into his truck.

As the first of the moviegoers spilled out of the theater and huddled under the awning, gaping at the rain, he slowly drove to the side of the theater where she had parked. He left his truck in a no parking area but wasn't worried. He wouldn't be there for long. Quickly, he joined the flock of people on the sidewalk fumbling with umbrellas and making wild dashes to their vehicles.

He spotted her the instant she pushed the glass doors opened and stepped out into the wet night. He noticed the rain didn't seem to bother her very much. She simply started walking along the sidewalk towards her car.

"Hey, there," he said as he fell into step with her. "How did the movie end?" She slowed her pace and glanced at him. A wet curl of dirty blonde hair clung to his forehead.

"Oh, you know," she said. "They captured the bad guys and as usual, Bruce Willis kissed the girl."
"I hated to miss it," He said. "But I'm a doctor and that was a call from the hospital. I had no choice but to take it." She raised a sculptured eyebrow at him.
"And you lingered out here in the rain, because why?" She asked. Amusement sparkled with something she wasn't quite sure what, sparkled in his eyes.
"I couldn't leave without knowing the ending." They had approached her car and she pulled her keys from her purse and hit the button on the key fob to open the doors. He held the door for her as she slid in behind the wheel.

"I know this is out of the blue and might be a bit weird, but would you like to go someplace for a late dinner?" He asked, looking boyishly flustered. "I have a little over an hour to kill before my night shift, and nothing to do." A confused look in her eyes was quickly replaced by a look of doubt.

"I dunno," she stalled. "I mean, I know nothing about you." The man smiled his best charming smile.
"Well, you know I like movies, Sugar Babies, and I'm a doctor." He said. "You can follow me in your car to the IHop just off the interstate and we can have coffee if you like." He could practically hear the argument going on inside the woman's head.

Finally, she smiled and nodded. "Alright, what's the harm in that?" She asked rhetorically. He flashed her another smile and she wondered if they were addicting, because she sure loved how this man smiled.

"Great, just wait here while I go get my truck and you can follow me." He said. While she waited, she started the car and turned up the heating vent. It wasn't all that cold per se, but being damp in the night air was a bit chilling. She watched as he pulled his truck up and rolled down his window.

"Your car looks a bit lopsided," He said as he put his truck into park and slid out. She watched curiously as he made a slow circuit of her car. "Oh no, look, your tire has been tampered with." With a small groan, she climbed out of her warm car and walked around to where he was standing. She gasped at the sight of her flatter than flat tire. He hunkered down and appeared to study the tire.

"This was stabbed," He explained in his smooth, easy tone. "Do you have a spare?" Even as he asked, she was reluctantly shaking her head in the negative.

"The spare is already on the car, I meant to replace it, but have not gotten around to it yet." She said. The man slowly nodded his head and there was that smile again.

"No problem, After we get that cup of coffee, I can drive you back to your place before I take off to work." He watched her gather her purse, keys and cell phone from the car and felt the rush of victory as she slid into the passenger side of his truck. She was his. All his and it had been all so very easy.