CHAPTER 27
"How can you eat when you know I’m going to throw up just by seeing it?" Duke’s thighs had been boosting my aching head for quite a while now. We had stopped so they could use the little doggies or boy’s room and so Maddox could buy a hell load of junk food. Oh that burrito, just the smell alone made me nauseous.
"It’s fucking delicious, shorty…" Maddox looked over his shoulder to face me, and it was not a freaking big deal we were on a highway and driving in the speed of light, no, not at all. We wouldn’t crash, of course not. Hell, he wasn’t even holding the steering wheel, just smiling widely with his mouth full. Something was rolling down his lip, maybe it was the sauce, who knew? "I know you want it…" He raised his eyebrows, still not looking at the road.
I looked up at Duke’s calm face and instantly regretted it. My head screamed in pain and he didn’t even notice it. Duke had passed out a long time ago, so I guessed no assistance from his side. It was a shame he was such a deep sleeper, otherwise there would be a chance for me to reconsider the thought of creating a true hell for him just so he would give Maddox one of his ‘I’m Duke Jones, don’t fuck with me’ roars and Maddox would leave me alone. This was almost like a road trip with a dead guy and a soon to be dead guy… and a partly dead me. I closed my eyes and sighed. Why were they saving me? Why were they risking with everything just so I could be free or… conditionally free? I knew I could never return to California, the risk was too great and as we all knew, I was not that suicidal. My heart ached in the thought of never seeing neither goofy Maddox nor idiot Duke. No, theoretically I would see them, on t.v. of course, but the thought did not delight me one bit.
Duke’s heavily tattooed arm rested on my stomach and it made it even more difficult for me to keep myself from puking over his monsters. Why monsters? The concept was just too ridiculous. If I was ever going to tattoo something on myself then it would be something meaningful, something like a goddamn butterfly on my lower back… not. Fine, so maybe his tattoos had some sort of a meaning, a meaning I didn’t know, but for now they were just some monsters being tortured by some device. His inner demons, perhaps? Perhaps. I had never been very interested in his persona, so I didn’t know.
My index finger trailed along some darker outer edge of one of those permanent paintings on his forearm, while Maddox kept upsettingly telling me how I didn’t know what I was missing by refusing the greasy burrito. Oh, I knew. I had bought it once, just once and was not going to repeat it again. It was an experience of a lifetime; I had bent over the toilet bowl soon after and didn’t leave it until it had left my insides. It wasn’t bad, but something about it was very upsetting to my tummy. Almost the same as telling a Chinese person they all look the same, well to me, every junk food was just like a Chinese person, although they were very different, they were exactly the same to me. Somehow I always ended bending over a toilet bowl. Duke’s fingers twitched and he groaned. He did that even in his sleep?
"Duke!" Maddox shouted from the front. Duke replied with a simple groan. "Hey! Motherfucker! I’m fucking talking to you!" Men talk, sometimes I wondered how could they possibly manage to put so much curse words and so little non-curse words (is that even a legitimate word? ) in one sentence. It was just beyond me. "Shorty, poke him!" Maddox turned the steering wheel rather sharply, making me almost fall to the floor, thank god I managed to shoot my hand up and grab a hold on something… the cover of my seat, Duke’s face, maybe? I didn’t know, I closed my eyes, trying not to give in to the sweet voice of my insane stomach. God it was a little bitch, constantly trying to get rid of its content.
Another sharp movement from Madd’s side and I was positive I’ll puke all over Duke and then I heard a somewhat hollow noise, which made me raise my stare.
"You’re a fucking cunt, Madd!" Duke was rubbing his temple. That noise was from his head? God it sounded empty!
"Shut the fuck up… We’re here." A blunt grimace took over Duke’s face once he looked around. I did not dare to make a sound, I was stupid and reckless from time to time, but something just told me to keep my mouth shut. Madd took the key out of ignition, but did not move from his seat, instead he watched somewhere in the empty space in front of him. So they weren’t rescuing me, they were truly here to exterminate me for good.
"I have an annoying feeling in my gut," Duke’s thumb traveled to his lips.
"The one which says to pack your fucking bags and run like the wind?" Maddox sighed nibbling on the key chain in his hands, "Yeah…"
"Look at that place, man…" Duke leaned forward, completely forgetting about my head which was in his lap.
"Hey!" I roared, when my face was just inches from touching the disturbingly clean rug. Why was it clean? It was Madd’s car. It felt unnatural.
"Oh shit…" In the very last moment, slender fingers wrapped around my upper arm and pulled me back. "Sorry, babe…" Babe? Had he forgotten what happened the last time when he called me a ‘babe’? I didn’t even notice how I’ve been staring him in the eye this whole time and he had stared right back, not fearing the consequences of such reckless behavior. But then again, yes, I was in no condition to teach someone a lesson. My body was still soar and honestly, even through the pain, I wanted to stretch my legs. We’ve been in the stupid metallic box for a long time. Yes. I’ll do it.
I sat up and opened the door despise the horrible pain. Once I got outside the car, I heard Duke and Maddox yelling at me something about my stupidity. Yes, please tell me more how I’m not doing you both a favor by making the first move.
So this was how Nevada looked like. To be completely honest, I’ve been to other continents, but never in my life had I been to this state. And it was so close to California, no, it was exactly next to California. I guess I was just lazy… or not willing to risk with my life. A cleaner of California is supposed to be only in the borders of California in order for his/her employer to take care of her. Once the assassins went over the border, the employer had no saying over his/her life. If the assassin got caught in some… let’s say close encounter when being in a different state, it didn’t matter if the employer was standing next to the assassin, he could not do anything. There were rules, rules that nobody were brave or stupid enough to brake. Each and every state had a person who was responsible for keeping it clean, and of course, there was an even higher power- a person who stood over all the states. Am I making a picture of how small I really was? We, assassins, were the one who got the job done, but we were truly powerless creatures. A sad life we had indeed. Such power… so much money! Oh well…
A big mansion was rising in front of me and I could only stand and stare in awe. Something about it was inviting, yet something told me to turn around and walk away. The building itself was more than four times bigger than the house I owned. It was dark, not only the aura, but the building itself, darkish brown wood and stone… They were the main components of the house. At least the outside of it. Completely opaque windows laughed at me for my curious nature. The big, black entrance door… I had seen it somewhere before. In my dreams? No. Not in dreams. And these naked tree branches and dreadful sky, something was oddly familiar. The stench of death was in the air. Terror and suffocation. Would I finally admit that I was crazy if I said I liked the feeling? It turned me on. Power. A lustful grin appeared on my lips.
Maddox had told me these people would help if I said and did the right things. The right things you may ask? Yeah, beats me. Was I supposed to be friendly or just the opposite, make the expression of being able to chop somebody to pieces just by using a spork? I knew I was not here to be a maid, if they agreed to give me a full protection, they must be interested in something that I could do. The question was- what could I do?
"You’re scaring me…" A warm breath shook the bloody hair beside my ear. Gentle, yet strong arms lied on my bare shoulders. It was noticeably cooler in Nevada than back home and I was grateful for Duke’s body temperature… No, not temperature, but his body… So close to mine, I could feel his steady heartbeat, his toned chest. "You like it here, don’t you?"
"And that’s scaring you?" His palms slid up and down my arms, making me end up in somehow unreal feeling, it was like I was floating in a dream. A pleasant one.
"Yes…" He exhaled and his hands stopped, "I’m scared you’ll completely forget about me while staying here…"
"You truly are something, Duke…" A smile ghosted on my lips and I turned in his hands. "It’s hard to forget a pain in the ass like yourself." He tilted his head back and laughed in his roar like laugh. "Oh my god!" I mouthed. No, no, no… This could not be happening. No, this can be happening, but this shouldn’t be happening. Morrison, you idiot!
"What?" His chocolate browns locked on my beaten up physiognomy. They were full with wary. "Morrison!" He shook me, when I didn’t respond. Why… How could I be that reckless? How could I forget?
"Friend! I left him…"