Karen's gaze didn't waver as Drogo's voice filled the church. His song was haunting, each note reverberating through the large, sacred space.
Within herself, she felt the tug of something familiar — a blend of nostalgia. She leaned back in her seat, feigning indifference, but Mathieu's quiet chuckle beside her betrayed his awareness of her internal turmoil.
Even he noticed it sooner...
Without long passionate minutes of heavy sounds, Drogo finally finished his performance to a standing ovation.
The congregation erupted in cheers, clapping so passionately that the wooden pews seemed to vibrate. Karen's hands remained still and her body still glued to her seat, resting atop her leather purse, while Mathieu clapped lazily, his expression bordering on amused mockery.
"Guess now we know what we're doing tonight," Mathieu murmured under his breath.
Karen's eyes slowly dragged in his direction, "The blankets in the trunk should be comfortable for our stakeout tonight." A bitter sigh escaped his pursed lips. "I hope he doesn't have mosquitoes in his neighborhood..."
Mathieu then leaned in closer, his voice teasing. "But just to be sure... His singing didn't serenade you into repentance so soon, did it?"
Before Karen could respond, Drogo stepped down from the altar, gracefully weaving through the pews as he greeted his audience.
Their attention shifted.
His aqua eyes scanned the crowd with practiced ease, acknowledging the congregation with a smile that seemed as genuine as it was disarming.
But when his gaze finally landed on Karen, the smile faltered.
For a fleeting moment, his mask slipped. His eyes narrowed slightly as his posture stiffened.
The crowd's chatter seemed to have faded into the background as the two locked eyes.
"Oou... Talk about sexual tension..." Mathieu murmured by her side.
Karen's lips curled into a subtle smirk as she tilted her head slightly, daring him to make the first move. She knew that look.
Drogo then broke eye contact first, quickly plastering the smile back onto his face as he moved to greet the elderly couple seated in the row ahead.
Karen leaned toward Mathieu, her voice low. "We're staying for the after service."
Mathieu groaned. "Do we have to? Church wine isn't exactly the finest."
Karen didn't reply. Her eyes were still on Drogo, watching the way he interacted with the crowd, noting every calculated gesture, every carefully chosen word.
This wasn't a man who belonged in a church, Karen's thoughts aligned.
This was a man who knew how to command a room, who knew how to hide his secrets beneath charm and charisma.
And she intended to find out exactly what those secrets were.
• • •
At the small banquet after the service, the church's hall was alive with chatter and laughter.
The smell of roasted chicken and freshly baked bread filled the air as the congregation gathered around the buffet tables.
Karen and Mathieu stood at the edge of the room, observing the scene like predators studying their prey.
"Do you think he knows?" Mathieu asked, sipping a glass of watered-down wine.
Karen's eyes didn't leave Drogo, who was standing at the center of a small crowd, entertaining them with light-hearted stories with the static charming smile on his lips unwavering.
"He will soon..." Mathieu raised an eyebrow at her statement. "And how soon?"
Karen's lips twitched into a cold smile.
As if on cue, Drogo excused himself from the group and made his way toward the refreshments. Karen took a step forward, her heels clicking sharply against the polished floor.
Mathieu sighed, muttering under his breath, "Here we go."
She approached Drogo with an air of casual confidence, her gaze locked onto his without hinge.
Drogo halted into her approaching figure as she finally paused within his personal space.
With a smile, she spoke, her voice smooth and almost playful. "Impressive performance up there, Mr Vetter," she said, tilting her head slightly. "You've got quite the voice."
Drogo's aqua eyes remained fixed on hers with calculated calm. "Thank you, Ms Benjamin," he replied, his tone polite but guarded. "I'm glad you enjoyed it."
Karen's smile widened, her gaze sharp enough to cut glass. "Oh, I didn't say I enjoyed it. Just that it was impressive." "And a mere comment like that from someone of such prestige as yours, weighs far more than a standing ovation."
Karen felt her brows twitch to his hinted sarcasm and mockery; reminiscing on the subject of their very first encounter.
Her lips remained static with a smile. "I see you are both gifted and anointed. A rare cocktail of blessings in one." "You flatter me, Ms Benjamin..." The corners of his eyes squinted slightly to his stretched lips. "Although I must say, you didn't strike me as a woman of faith."
"And you didn't strike me as a man with secrets." She countered, earning a slight tilt in his head as his innocent smile only widened. "Secrets?... Ms Benjamin such allegations on a second meeting is somewhat bizarre, don't you think?"
"Call it a hunch." "And I'll call it a day," his head dropped to a subtle bow as he added. "As much as I would love to converse longer, Ms Benjamin, I must be on my way. The schedules only tighten by the minute."
Responding to his closing statement with a bow as well, Karen stepped aside silently to offer his path to walk away from her.
Drogo proceeded with calm measured steps as he lengthened the distance between them.
Karen's gleaming eyes fixed on his back as the edge of her lips tugged higher. "Oh, wie traurig wäre es, wenn jeder in diesem Gebäude verbrannt wäre. (Oh, how sad it would be if everyone in this building is burned to death)." Drogo's steps froze as his smile dropped in an instant.
The grip on the shaft of his wine glass tightened, his eyes darkening to the dawning aftermath of the words she just spoke in a foreign language.
He slowly craned his head over his shoulder to sight the sly glint in Karen's brown eyes as her smile pulled wider.
The sounds of the indiscreet chatters surrounding them seemed to have dampened to the tight air that loomed between their momentary silence.
Drogo slowly turned to face her fully, his feet moved forward in long strides to steal the gap between them as his frame towered over hers.
His eyes narrowed, shrouding his previous expression with a plastic smile as he crooked his head. "I do not remember German being one of the languages in your résumé."
Karen chuckled, "I must commend your acting skills, Mr Vetter. I almost didn't realize through your flawless acting." His smile twitched.
Karen's foot bridged the small gap between them as she tilted her head ever so slightly. "It's rather fortunate your roots betray you whenever you sing." His deep ocean eyes shifted to gauge her figure from head to toe. His smile dimmed as his eyes narrowed, lowering his head to lean towards her ear.
"Have a good day, Ms Benjamin." His voice was guttural and husky, as if masking an underlying tone.
Straightening his back as he took a step back, Drogo offered a subtle bow before striding in the opposite direction, reaching the exit in moments.
"That went perfectly well." Mathieu's low voice reached her ear as the sounds of his footsteps drew nearer to halt at her side.
Karen's eyes remained glued on the door Drogo just walked out through. She snickered, raising the rim of her glass to her lips as she dashed the wine down her throat.
In a gulp, she lowered her glass and tossed it to the side, "Get the things ready." In bold strides she paced out of the hall.
Mathieu sighed with slumped shoulders, placing the empty glass to follow in the trails of her footsteps — unknown to him, a digital lens captured from afar between the distracted crowd; following his figure as he walked to the doors of the church hall.
The camera zoomed.