CHAPTER 28
My heart was beating in a frantic manner. It was unpleasant to be around people, who happened to be assassins. Murderers. Hitmen. People who could easily aim a gun towards my temple and press the trigger. It was extremely easy to kill a person, but at the same time it was painfully hard. Dilemma. To kill or not to kill, that was the question, or better yet, to speak or not to speak.
"Who was your first victim?" I twitched in the uncomfortable Victorian loveseat in response to the shrill voice. I would lie if I said I didn’t remember, I remembered. It was somewhat similar to your first day at school- tragic and miserable. I felt the urge to look around, to estimate my chance of escaping and survival. If my eyesight was not playing tricks on me, I would say my chance of escaping was below three percent. Armed body guards were placed around every exit my eyes managed to find. The woman who was around her forties- slender and tall- pursed her lips. A sign of annoyance. Take a deep breath, Morrison, and lay it all out.
"Jill Morrison." I lowered my eyes to look at my bruised hands. Why did they bring me here? Why did Duke think these people would protect me? They were pointing guns and dreadful stares in my direction so where was the part where they’ll switch faces and come begging for a hug? Nowhere, Morrison, that’s a part your schizophrenic side tends to hold on, in reality there will be no hugs, maybe just a hug from a bullet. Do you believe in God written on bullet, Morrison? Do you believe I can be religious, my schizophrenic side? I believe not. I believe in faith written on gravestone. The faith is me.
"Who was this person?" I smiled weakly. Was it really that hard to put two and two together? The same surname, I was pretty certain they had made a background check on me. I had a very colorful past, and this was the part where I had only showed half of it. Maybe even less.
"Jill Morrison was my cousin." I looked up to see the woman’s face completely blank. She sat down behind the dark oak desk and braced her elbows on the surface. She made gesture for me to continue. Yes, I had killed my cousin. It was self-defense. "He died at the age of twenty-two. A very tragic death. Sad really. In autopsy it was said he was shot with a 45 caliber gun."
"Was he?" The brunette spoke up. Was that excitement I saw sparkling in her eyes?
"No." I exhaled. Sometimes I wondered, how investigators could be people, who knew nothing about guns or dead people in general. "It was 40 caliber. A simple 10 mm gun." That was probably the only reason why I wasn’t charged for homicide. The protocol was false. I got lucky, but the wooden floor on which he was shot, did not. My aunt couldn’t get the reddish stain out for quite a long time. And yes, my aunt knew I was the one to kill him, but she did not charge anything. Mothers are a strange species, she loved her son, she really did, but you have to understand, there is a fine line between love and hate. Jill had the tendency of raping children and everyone knew about it. His father, mother, brother, even my family. Except me. No one said anything, well how could they? They were afraid of him. He was tall, well-built and with an extremely bad temper.
"Why?" I cocked my eyebrow. Why what? Oh, why I killed him?
"I don’t want to lie. I won’t say it wasn’t on purpose. I dreamed to kill him since I was twelve. When I was seventeen, I looked rather young for my age. He was very keen of me. One day he came at me and…" Was it right to lie to them? I had never wanted to kill him and that was the only time in my life I had regretted I killed someone. I strayed back in thought and for a while there was silence in between. I had cried soon after. My aunt ran in to the room seeing me next to his large built, blood puddle forming under our bodies. The red liquid staining my knees and the gun cooling off in my icy hand. I was shaking. She pulled me away. "I knew where my uncle kept his gun and I shot him." My voice was calm and my face gave away no expression. In all honesty, it was little more difficult than that. I had struggled to open the drawer where the gun was, and even now, it was a surprise I got out of there alive. He didn’t like when people resisted him.
"Has your feelings ever gotten in the way?" Where were these questions coming from? Was I here for a job interview? Yes, I was.
"Of my job?" She nodded. Maybe once or twice. But that was not the answer she was expecting from me. I noticed how her hazel eyes looked at me. I was the perfect killer in her eyes. I was a sadistic freak with no moral standards. Give me a butter knife and I will kill a puppy. No. I was not like that. I didn’t know how things were done in Nevada, but in California, nobody was allowed to kill an innocent person. "No. Why should they? They’re only very fond of money."
"That’s a great answer." Her voice was somewhat mocking. "Why did you terminate your contract with Trent Black?" She hid her thin lips behind her linked fingers. I smirked.
"A better question to ask is why did he terminate the contract with me?"
"Touché." The metallic sound of safety lock being taken down caught my attention and I knew the woman noticed it. So I was not allowed to speak for my free will? Fine. It’s her game, so let’s play it her way.
"I think it was the most reasonable decision to make after his right hand woman nearly hit every drop of blood out of my body."
"You want revenge?" By now I was very positive that every thought that crossed her mind came straight out of her mouth.
"Who doesn’t?" I didn’t. I could care less about Trent’s slimy backside, but that was not what she wanted to hear. "Revenge is just too sweet to let it go just like that."
"Now that’s why you’re here." A wide smile ghosted on her lips and she revealed some pearly whites towards me. Honestly? I didn’t like this woman, but what other options had I got? Either go back to California and get your ass Swiss cheesed or stay here and do whatever and whenever you are told. "See, I don’t personally like Mister Black. He is too kind to his victims. Death is too peaceful when coming from his hand. I want California to be mine. And you are going to help me." Déjà vu anyone? If I recall right, Trent had said something similar to me. He wanted to start a war with someone of course I wouldn’t know if that was what he is planning on now, I’m not in the trust circle anymore. Boohoo. "We’re going to hit where it hurts the most." She got up from her seat and came closer. Private space, lady, you’re too fucking close! Her hand lied on my shoulder and a strong scent of lavender got in my nostrils. Eww, get away. "You’re good friends with Duke, right? Besides you’re daily job as my assassin trainer, you’ll start by taking out Duke, later Maddox, and then Chris and in the end he’ll be all alone."
"When do I start?"