CHAPTER 32
Sure, I was desperate for a job, but this was not what I had in mind, when Catherine ordered me to take someone out. A sickening ball for Christ sake! Can you imagine Elle Morrison in a long, silk evening dress and heels higher than five inches? I clearly couldn’t. They were bruising my aching feet and it was a fully different hell walking in them. Surely, when I arrived at the docks and saw two overly manly silhouettes waiting outside a black limo, it all already started getting suspicious, but who knew I had to wear heels? I had stopped right in front of the car and noticed Dante standing with a very grumpy Duke. So he didn’t like suits, imagine my surprise.
"Why is he here?" I took off the helmet, still being on the motorcycle. "And why is he wearing a… tuxedo?" That left him grunting.
"You’re late." Dante checked his wristwatch. I wanted to take a spin, is that’s illegal? An hour late, so what? Sue me, see if I care. I stepped off the vehicle and with my boots clicking against the asphalt, I walked over to them. "Your outfit is in the car."
"Speak English, por favor." Outfit. If he said I will have to wear a dress, he must’ve been one brain side short. Dante sighed deeply, while Duke tried to control himself by smoking his already second cigarette. If I wasn’t so positive I will get mad just within seconds, I would’ve considered his poise rather… hot? But now I didn’t even take any notice of it. Dante leaned inside the car and pulled out a box. Please say it isn’t so. He came over, massaging his temple eagerly and shoved the box in my hands. It was too light for an AK-47 to be put in there. I opened it slightly. Something black. Something silky. Please, shoot me.
"I believe size two should fit you." Dante’s fingers ran through his chestnut bangs as he walked back to the car, reaching desperately for something in the trunk. I still had this small question travelling in my mind- why was Duke here?
"What’s the task?" Duke asked dryly. I hoped it didn’t start with- run a marathon and ended with in high heels. Dante raised his head, a devilish smirk ghosting on his lips.
"You, big boy, have to escort her to a ball. Entertain her." The cigarette froze in Duke’s fingers, his hand stopped just an inch from his lips when they parted to let out a roar like laugh. Why was he laughing? This was… terrible. A ball. I had never attended one. Did I look like some pretty princess? No. I hated social events.
"So this is a twenty grand task?" Dante ignored him and just then I realized he’d extended his arm towards me and there was something hanging off his index and middle fingers. A pair of perfectly comfortable pump heels. Perfectly comfortable when sitting in them, or even better when they’re laying buried deep in your closet.
"Try not to ruin them. They’re Louboutin after all." Lou- what? Unsurely I took the shoes from him. Why couldn’t sneakers do? And most importantly what was wrong with my boots? Or my look in general? Some ripped up jeans, pretty black boots and a leather jacket. After all, people did turn up like this to ball. I think. "You’ll dress in the limo, now listen..." He took a deep breath. And went closer to Duke, without thinking I followed him. His palms laid both on my shoulder and Brian’s. "An old friend of my mother’s is throwing this event, mostly criminals. You, Elle, have to take out the host." A good friend, indeed. "Don’t drag any unnecessary attention upon yourself, is that clear?"
I was freezing cold in the dress and changing in the back of the limo was a complete nightmare. I didn’t know what had gotten to Duke, but he wasn’t talking to me. He was emptying the bottle of champagne all by himself, not even greeting me with a glance. I had tangled myself up in the dress, but after a good fight with it, I won and got it over my head.
Now the biggest question was- where to put the gun? I could always put back the shoulder strap and wear a coat, but wouldn’t it be too suspicious, if I would be in the coat the whole evening? No, not at all. How to kill someone at his own party? Breaking his neck? No, it was too inconvenient, I didn’t know his built and let’s face it, I wasn’t the biggest of the people. Throughout the whole ride to the mansion I had only grown to know that Duke was with me just because Matt owe Catherine. Speaking of a friendship. Again. When the car finally stopped, Brian got out of the car, nearly hitting me with the door. Such a gentleman.
"Before we get inside the snake pit, you mind telling me what have I done this time?" I addressed him, but with no luck. He just stood there, watching over the staircase. "Duke?" Unknowingly, my hand lied on his shoulder. He shot me a death glare, forcing me to pull back my hand.
"Why can’t you stand for yourself?" He made me furrow my eyebrows. Stand for myself? When had I not been standing for myself? It was the only thing I was capable of doing. Didn’t he know of any of my earlier employers? Damn right he didn’t, they were all fucking dead. "It just fucking pisses me off."
"How am I not standing for myself?" I folded my hands. Even though I was wearing a trench coat, the chill got through it.
"This dress for example. The Elle I know doesn’t wear them." Was that it? I thought he would be glad to see me in a dress, Michelle, after all, wore only skirts and dresses, so I really didn’t see the problem. Was it too revealing? I believed not. "And the way you let that scum talk to you. It’s like you’ve been chained to the whole wolf pack."
"I am, Duke, or don’t you remember the day when you and Maddox brought me to this disrespectful state?" He let out a displeased groan and went for the grand entrance door. Of course, I could always take Trent out and with it all my problems would end, but what fun would that be? Torturing myself was sort of a way of entertainment for me.
With a heavy sigh, I walked up the staircase to see Duke giving his coat to a rather young fellow. I really felt sorry for him, both if he knew where he’s gotten into and if he didn’t. Even more if he did, because, let’s face it, which, mentally stable person, would want to be in between people, who could easily blow your brains out? No one. No fucking one.
"How’s your sanity?" Duke put his hands in the pockets of his pants and looked at me over his shoulder.
"Never been better." I stripped myself off the coat and gave it to the same guy Duke had given his. I even winked and saw him… blush? It made me smile, I never knew making young boys blush could be entertaining, so that’s why Duke got so much joy from stripping girls off their panties? I would never had told.
"You mean never been further away?" No, I’m here. Just not always on the track of everything that’s happening. I’m on vocation.
"No, it’s here. For now." I looked around and saw only a bunch of boringly old people sipping their champagne, some something stronger, but nothing out of them caught my eye. "So, where do you want to start?" I walked forward so I would be right next to Duke. He looked at me like I was mentally ill.
"At the bar." He hissed and left. Yet again. Who stepped on his toes? This whole situation left me uneasy, why was he suddenly acting this way? His bank account was full, while mine- empty, he should be walking on sunshine, yet here he is- shooting daggers. Strange. It clearly wasn’t because ‘I wasn’t standing for myself’ there had to be something else, something that he was not willing to tell me. If he would be me, I would bribe him, because honestly, I would bribe myself if I could, and I, clear as hell, would take the bribe.
I walked deeper in to the big hall where the event was taking place. Some young girl was sitting by the grand piano and entertaining the piranhas, some elderly women were cheerfully laughing their way to the bar where Duke was ordering his, I supposed, daily beer? No, not this time, this was a ball, so perhaps a whiskey? Or some liquor? No, whiskey was more likely. A man in his forties and in a ridiculously expensive suit came up to him. I had a ridiculously stunning idea of stripping the man naked and selling the suit, I believed I would get a few grand. It seemed like Duke and the man knew one and other, otherwise they wouldn’t be shaking hands. As for me? I was flirting with a lovely blue Victorian sofa. A good catch, Morrison.
"Eyeing the big fish, are we?" A dark haired girl took a seat next to me. Her grinning lips touched the crystal glass which she was holding in her gloved fingers. A devil in disguise? No, I was the devil, so who was she? Jesus?
"The big fish?" I tilted my eyebrow as I watched her hazel eyes travel back to the bar and to the man to whom Duke was talking.
"The host." She answered simply and I laughed at my own stupidity. Even though this little small talk was not what I had intended for this evening (remember- Elle Morrison comes and kills, no chit chats) I felt somehow pleasant sitting next to, probably, most sophisticated and yet tempting female out of them all. "So what kind of a wind blew you here? I believe we haven’t met."
"Western." I smiled. No names, Morrison, get out of this situation without a name. Please, dear lady, change the subject, please, please, because I don’t know what has gotten into me, but my brains has completely shut off.
"California?" She revealed her pearly whites, "Just don’t shout it out loud, dear, otherwise, everyone who possesses a gun, will kill you."
"So I’m your prey for tonight?" Honestly, that got me laughing. So did she, she threw her head back and let her melodic laugh through the whole room.
"You’re funny." I had to be, but that didn’t answer my question. Did I have to look out for her or not? I couldn’t gamble with my life tonight. "I’m a lady. I don’t kill." Okay, that offended me, what was I considered then, a man? Certainly not, I had everything a lady should possess- breasts and a fine ass. Okay, maybe I lacked some manners and moral standards, but I could always learn those, couldn’t I? There should be some ‘table manners for idiots’ at the library, I think…"Anyhow, I’ve heard Black is willing to start a war?"
"Pardon?" Again with the war thing? What had I missed throughout my stay in this state?
"I mean, it’s obvious. If he’s in Nevada, it can’t be on friendly terms. Besides, Catherine was very displeased with one of his killers…" Who was this woman?
"Killers?" Catherine? Why should Catherine even be interested in how things were done in Cali?
"I don’t know names, but there are rumors about some killer gone on insane rampage. He was rumored to kill a very valuable asset to Catherine." Somehow this story just got interested and I found myself nearly hypnotized. "Walker. Lee was his name, I think…" You know those times where it feels like somebody had just hit every bit of air out of your lungs and you go pale white? Yeah, I felt like a bulldozer had just hit me straight into my grave. "But then again, there is rumor flying around of Catherine herself killing this man. Who knows?" She smirked as she stood up. "It was a pleasure talking to you, Elle."
"Yeah, you too…" I was left completely blown away as she went to join the small group beside the bar. Catherine killed Lee? Because, it clear as hell was not me, the whole job back then had been against my policy and I wasn’t even on the list to do it, but then again… It could’ve been a set-up from Trent’s side, although I don’t believe the thought. Trent had been too clueless for the whole case.
Wait… did she just call me Elle?