CHAPTER 30
Well, this turned out to be a rather hilarious outcome. To look your savior straight in the eye and have this small dilemma about sparing his life or just the opposite was quite ironic, don’t you think? Since when was I such an ungrateful person? A rather rhetorical question, Morrison. You see the armed killers around the room, don’t you? Hmm… Don’t you?! I wonder how his lips tastes these days. Oh, for pitty sake! Hey, you two, stop babbling, you’re distracting me. Thank god, sanity, what took you so long?
A total of six body guards were spread across the room and Catherine herself. She was slow and not capable of killing me, otherwise she wouldn’t need such big pack of wolves. But then there was Dante. A devil in disguise. I could’ve bet on hundred bucks he would not hesitate to break my neck and I would be the first on his tonight’s list. Those muscular arms weren’t there just for the view. Yeah, fold them to show off your muscles even more. I had no chance against him, maybe against the body guards, I had six bullets after all, but not against devil himself. Was it just me or everything seemed bigger in Nevada?
"Elle, please, we don’t have all day," Her shrill voice caught me off guard. Well, it’s now or never, decide, Morrison, either the dog lady or the slimy pig and your friends. My fingers were already wrapped around the handle, feeling the cool metal against my skin.
"Oh, for the love of god," Dante sighed, leaving me questioning… well, everything. He walked around the table and towards the door isle, "Berta!" He yelled, making me arch my eyebrow. Why was he calling the maid? As far as I knew she was only good with kettles and tea pots, but oh, maybe Dante had planned to ask Berta to throw a tea cup at them? "Show our guests to their rooms, they’ll be spending the night here." He explained as soon as a chubby midlife Russian housemaid came in the room. My hand fell from the gun. Hospitality… Staying… I looked at Catherine through the corner of my eye and she hadn’t moved by an inch, but then… What was going on here? She saw me reaching for my gun and she heard what the hell just happened here, so who out of us did understand the word ‘hospitality’ wrongly?
I noticed Duke and Maddox whispering something to each other and I also noticed Trent’s wrinkled eyebrows. Had I truly be mistaken, I would’ve shot them just because I misunderstood? Heck, no! I don’t misunderstand things.
"You’re free to go, Elle. I’ll come by later." Dante continued, returning to the side of his mother. Why in the deepest corners of hell should he come by later? He had no business with me and frankly no one except Catherine had. I took orders only from her that was the wonderful glamour in this mad situation. Berta was already waiting for the guests when I walked past Trent, our eyes locking on each other. Still the hypnotic hazels and still the suppressed anger inside them. But I could care less about his will to strangle me, I wanted to know what the hell just happened here, cause this sure as fuck was not going by any kind of a scenario.
I was too disturbed to notice Duke trying to get my attention; I just walked past him and out of the room. I was about to shoot them… me… Of course you, what are you so worked up about, hmm? I don’t… You don’t do the killing? Well, not recently. Then you should, stop being such a rag, grab your balls and go for a hunting spree.
"Shorty!" Maddox’s voice caught me as soon as I was about to step foot on the staircase. With a deep inhale I turned my head to meet their confused faces. What did they want from me? I didn’t have any answers to their questions. The maid looked at me with a great frown on her face. It was amusing, Berta was terrified from me, and hearing someone call me Shorty must’ve brought a hell load of questions up. She thought of me as the replacement for Catherine, so I had to be as horrible as she was. Her emerald eyes lowered as soon as she noticed I was looking at her, it was a way to show respect for me. Silly Russian, I was no more of a killer trainer around here and even if I wanted to kill her, I couldn’t. Not without the permission of Catherine, otherwise my head would be rolling in the deep.
"You’re free to go, Berta, I’ll show them to the rooms." She bowed and tiptoed away, leaving me with those airheads. All this time I wanted to see them, wanted to hear their voices, but when they were finally here, I wanted them gone. I turned my back to them and walked up the stairs.
"Morrison!" I froze, hearing Duke’s voice. Duke’s soon to be angry voice. "What the hell happened to you? You were about to fucking shoot us back there!"
"What did you expect? A handful of candy and warm hugs?" My boots were sinking in the reddish carpet, letting me move practically without a sound and so did they. If I didn’t know how stubborn could they get, I would’ve thought they were already long lost gone. For god sake, I would be, if I was in their place.
"A hug would’ve been plenty…" Madd sounded offended, well, join the club. I’ve been offended the whole time I’ve been here, just now I realized what was the cause of my depression- no money! If I considered Trent a miser, then I didn’t know how to call these good for nothing people.
"You don’t get it, do you? You just fucking don’t get it!" I turned around and pinched my nose. I got irritated quite easily. My bank account was empty, I had to slave for an annoying miser and I hadn’t killed anyone in a very long time. A perfect way to displease a control freak/ maniac. "I’m walking on a thin line around here!" God dammit, I wasn’t even supposed to talk to them. My head instantly shot from one side to the other, valuating if no one was eavesdropping. My hand reached for the nearest door handle and I dragged them both in what seemed to be a library.
"What is your fucking problem?" Duke did not actually ask me this.
"My problem?" I laughed sorrowfully. "My fucking problem?" I spread my arms open as I walked towards a table with loads of crystal carafes. I needed a drink. Who knew Elle Morrison would end up as a cheap, good-for-nothing, curse words loving drunk? I hated myself at the moment, I wanted the old Elle back, but, god, the brown liquid was just so great. I noticed their significant looks between one and other. I laughed yet again. "You’re probably thinking I’m finally gone crazy, mental, super mental and blah, blah, blah, right?" I swayed the bottle around, probably spilling some of the drink on the probably very expensive carpet of which existence I probably didn’t even care. It was hard to say what made my tiny icy heart tremble these days.
"Dude, she’s a full head case, I knew we should’ve brought cotton candy," Even Maddox seemed a little perplexed. Not that I cared, I took a big gulp of the intoxicating liquid. The soothing pain in my throat took a little bit pressure of my daily problems. But just a tiny bit.
"Madd, darling, tell me- is my suitcase with you?" I knew they were going to show their faces here sooner or later and when I saw them the last time- the time when they took me here, I asked them to bring me my suitcase, cause what would a killer be without his/ her instruments? I was tired of this place and I was going to quit. Sooner or later. And everyone knew how I quit my jobs.
"Not quite," Okay, that got me angry. It seemed my departure will be later rather than sooner.
"You’ve fed it to the pope? Where is it?" I walked closer to them, my palms made in fists and my teeth clenched.
"Safe." Duke stepped in the middle. There were just inches between us.
"Is that supposed to be funny?" I raised my eyebrows. No matter how appealing he could be, his cocky attitude was a major turn off for me. At least in this state.
"Not at all." My eyes spotted that arrogant bastard forming a grin on his lips. "What’s so important about that suitcase?" He folded his arms as he came closer, forcing me raise my head to look him in the eye.
"Answer me- you want to live?" I reflected his movement, just without the crossed arms and now his forearms were brushing against my shirt. Such a pleasantly torturing feeling. His arms fell to his sides and he pulled me closer, grabbing me by my hips.
"More than ever," Duke pressed his forehead against mine, I could feel the Marlboro in his breath and I new he could smell the magical bourbon in mine. Along with a coughing noise in the background, which surely came from Maddox, a smile ghosted on my lips.
"Then bring that fucking suitcase."