Borderline

by D B Steward

  “This is the only thing I have of his.” Her voice rose , allowing Kelly to hear her better. “He used this on his first contract. He showed me how to shoot with this gun.”

  Saying something silly about the gun being a strange family heirloom was Kelly’s first instinct. She fought against it because the gun seemed to be very important to Sonny. She was opening up to Kelly and sharing something that she had probably never told anyone before. The act touched her and she felt her connection with Sonny strengthen even more. She reached out to Sonny and placed her hand on the other woman’s toned forearm. To her surprise, Sonny didn’t flinch or pull away. She let Kelly rub her arm and smiled at the physical contact. Sonny’s dark chocolate eyes met the bright green eyes of Kelly. As part of her training as an FBI agent, Kelly learned to read microexpressions. Small changes in facial muscles; a tug on the corner of the mouth, a twitch from an eye. Little clues about what was going on inside a person’s mind that showed the truth even when they were lying. Like cracks in a mask, they revealed the emotions that a person tried to keep hidden. She was beginning to learn Sonny’s microexpressions. The brunette assassin knew how to hide her inner feelings. Appearing emotionless was most likely a skill she acquired in her vocation. Killing someone was not easy. Physically or emotionally. To move about invisible to witnesses after the deed, required someone to appear as cool as a cucumber.

  But when Kelly looked at Sonny then, she could see her eyes soften. There was genuine emotion there. It was a mixture of appreciation, of acceptance, of trust. Sonny was lowering her walls and allowing Kelly a glimpse inside. She could only imagine how difficult it was for Sonny. Here was a woman who had lived her whole life isolating herself from others. Kelly felt honored and humbled by the action. She felt an emotional connection growing between the two of them. She wanted to pull Sonny into her arms and hold her. She wanted to kiss her.

  It wasn’t the right time. She had to use every ounce of self control she could muster to keep her hand where it was. It was one of the hardest things she ever had to do. Kelly was not someone who denied her impulses. Gambling, alcohol, drugs, sex. Anything that could feed the hunger inside her she would abuse in hopes that it would fill the hole. But nothing ever did.

  She would not use Sonny that way. She couldn’t. There was something different about Sonja Moretti. Something that cried out to her that said this was unique. Sonny was unique. Sonny was calling out to Kelly’s very being and she felt her soul reaching back. This was special and she was not going to ruin it.

  “How old were you?” Kelly asked. “When he let you shoot it the first time.”

  Sonny’s smile was so bright that it beamed outward onto Kelly like a ray of sunlight. “I was ten. He took me far out of the city to some place that looked like a farm.” Her eyes looked out as if she was seeing something far away. “It was sunny outside and the sky seemed so clear, not a cloud anywhere. There was so much grass. More grass than I had ever seen in my life, and it was so green.” She hummed for a moment. Recalling the scene in her mind. “The first thing he did was prepare me for the noise.”

  Anthony Moretti knelt down to be eye level with his daughter. He placed a comforting hand on her arm. “Okay baby girl, this is going to be loud. Probably the loudest noise you have ever heard. When it happens it’s going to make you jump, it will scare you, and it might even make you cry. But the sound can’t hurt you, okay. And you will get used to it the more you hear it.”

  Sonny looked into her father’s dark brown eyes. Although she was nervous about the noise, she believed him. She trusted her father because he had always told her the truth. She nodded her understanding and smiled when her father smiled at her.

  “Now, I’m going to shoot it once so you can hear it. But I will be holding your hand and if you get scared you can squeeze it as hard as you can. You won’t hurt me. After the first shot I will have you wear some ear plugs that will make it quieter. But I will keep shooting so you can get used to it. Okay baby girl?” Sonny nodded again and took her father’s hand and held it tight.

  Her father was right, the gunshot was the loudest thing she had ever heard. She jumped at the ear splitting crack but she wasn’t scared. He had told her that there was nothing to be afraid about and he never lied. After she let go of the breath she was holding she looked up to her father who was smiling down at her. Anthony put the gun in his waistband and then lifted Sonny up into his arms. He gave her a big kiss on her cheek and hugged her tight.

  “Look at that! Not one tear!” She looked at her father as he exclaimed happily. “That’s my baby girl! You’re a natural!” He spun her around and she laughed as her feet swung free as he twirled.

  “It was one of the best days of my life.” Sonny’s eyes became watery as she smiled. The emotional look on her face gave Kelly a lump in her throat. Kelly felt honored that the closed off woman had chosen to share that special memory with her.

  Sonny stood. “Well, it’s getting late and I am getting tired.” Kelly glanced at the nearest floor to ceiling window of the luxury penthouse. It was getting dark.

  “Late?” Kelly’s face scrunched up in confusion. “The sun just went down! Since when did you become an eighty year old woman named Gladys?” Sonny shook her head and laughed.

  “I need to get some rest. Besides, I’m going to go shooting tomorrow after I run.” Her reason seemed a little slim to Kelly but she nodded along anyway. “Good night Miss King.”

  Kelly watched Sonny turn and walk to her bedroom. Kelly’s eyes were glued to Sonny’s tight ass in her black yoga pants as she moved. She sighed as she thought about what it would be like to touch those toned buttocks. Her daydreaming was cut short when Sonny reached the room and turned before going in. She caught Kelly looking and winked at her before shutting the door.

  Kelly didn’t know what to do. Was Sonny hinting that she wanted her to follow her? Was that why she went to bed so early? Or maybe she was tired and would get creeped out if Kelly went in there. She was fighting her instinct to burst into the bedroom suite and jump Sonny. To grab her and push her up against the wall. Kiss every inch of her body. Tear the clothes off her gorgeous, athletic body. To touch her sex and taste her essecense.

  ​Her train of thought slammed on the brakes. She couldn’t do it. They were partners. If Sonny wasn’t sending signals, then Kelly would be throwing their whole relationship into jeopardy. Her history of bad decisions replayed on fast forward in her head. Immediate gratification had never worked out for her in the past. Her history of addiction and broken relationships was all the evidence she needed. That kept her sitting in front of the television watching Marrisa Tomei. Sonny was special. She didn’t want to ruin everything by thinking with her pussy and not her brain. Her fingers combed through her curly red locks in frustration. With a low moan she rose from her seat and shuffled to her shower.

  “Okay Kelly.” She said under her breath. “You’re going to take a cold shower, flick your bean and then fall asleep.” As she turned on the water she prayed that she wasn’t screwing things up as per usual.

  She needed to keep her focus on the woman’s hands. Don’t look down. Don’t look down. If she kept her eyes up it would be alright. But Kelly knew that she would look. She didn’t want to. God, she didn’t want to. The hands were dirty. The nails cracked and damaged. Her palms were almost touching, her fingers curled and unmoving.

  Don’t look down.

  The skin on the wrists of the woman had torn open under the handcuffs. Dried red blood painted thin streams down her forearms. There were old bruises there as well, dark purple blotches on her skin. She had been handcuffed before. Many, many times before. Her arms hung above her head. The manacles were attached to a hook jutting out of the water stained ceiling.

  Don’t look down.

  Kelly’s heart was pounding in her chest. She couldn’t breathe. Her eyes moved against her will and traveled down the slashed arms. Deep cuts of different lengths covered them. Her blood mottled hair was stri
ngy and tangled and covered her face.

  Don’t look at her face.

  She was dead. Tortured to death. Her naked body had been stabbed and struck with all manner of weapons. It should be making her angry, furious. She should be disgusted. But all Kelly felt was fear. Mind numbing terror. And she couldn’t stop looking. Her hand started to move the hair away.

  No! Don’t!

  Her body wasn’t listening to her. It was moving on its own against her will. Her fingers were touching the strands now. She tried to scream. Nothing came out. The strain of screaming with no sound was tightening her throat like a vice. Like a curtain being pulled back, the hair fell away and the face came into view. It was Lori.

  But it hadn’t been Lori before. It shouldn’t be Lori. But it was. Lori’s lifeless eyes stared right through her. She was dead. Lori’s mouth was moving. How could her mouth be moving? What was she saying? It was like trying to hear something underwater and in slow motion. Kelly tried to shout. Her own mouth wouldn’t open. Lori’s voice began to get louder. It was becoming clearer. She could understand what Lori was saying.

  “Kelly!” Her voice was loud now and it was making Kelly shake with fear. “Kelly! Wake up! Wake up!”

  Kelly shot up out of bed. The room was blanketed in darkness, she was sweating and breathing erratically. She felt someone’s hands on her and she jerked away.

  “Kelly! It’s me! It’s Sonny!” The voice cut through the fog that was lifting from her mind. “It’s only a dream Kelly. You’re okay, you’re okay.” As her eyes adjusted, Sonny’s concerned face came into focus. Her breathing began to slow down. Her heart rate was returning to normal. She was in the hotel. She was safe.

  “Sonny?” Her throat was dry and her voice cracked. Sonny touched Kelly’s sweaty shoulder. “What happened?”

  “I heard you screaming and I ran in here to see what was wrong.” Concern radiated from the tall brunette. “You were thrashing around in your bed.”

  “It was a nightmare.” She took a deep breath and tried to slow her heartbeat more. The fear was starting to fade. “We were in that house again. With the girl.” Sonny remembered and nodded. They had both seen the horrific scene inside the rundown house that had been used by Amina Golovkin.

  They had been too late to save the girl, murdered by one of Amina’s clients. When Sonny had seen what he had done, she had shot him dead right there. It was a terrible scene and Kelly had known then that the image would haunt her forever.

  But the girl was not Lori. Lori was Kelly’s ex who had been killed by Petrov Popov’s men. They had been looking for her but found Lori in Kelly’s apartment instead.

  “It wasn’t the woman in the room, it was Lori.” Sonny nodded her understanding and began to massage Kelly’s shoulder with her hand. “This is so fucked up.” Kelly covered her face with her hands and moved them through her hair until she laced her fingers behind her head, resting them on the back of her neck. “I wish I was like you and didn’t have emotions to fuck me up like this.”

  Kelly felt Sonny’s touch disappear right away. The other woman had gone rigid and her body shifted away from Kelly’s. She knew right away that she had said the wrong thing.

  “You don’t think I have emotions?” There was a sharp edge in Sonny’s tone.

  “I didn’t mean it to sound that way Sonny.” Kelly tried to reach out to her but Sonny stood up abruptly.

  “Oh, I believe I heard what you wanted to say Miss King.” She walked to Kelly’s open doorway. “Good night.”

  “Sonny, wait.” The slamming door was Sonny’s response. “Good job Kelly. Good job.” She sank back onto the bed and stared up into the darkness.

  Sonny had noticed her five minutes ago. She had made it a point to wake up early and be out of the hotel suite before Kelly had gotten up in the morning. She slipped out for her morning run. After running for about thirty minutes before she spotted the redhead trying to catch up to her. Sonny began to speed up. She smirked as she imagined Kelly trying to match her speed. She didn’t know how long the woman had been following her. Seeing as how Kelly hadn’t caught up to her yet, she figured that Kelly might not be a great runner. Sonny knew it was a tad sadistic, to exhaust the redhead like this. But she was still hurt about what Kelly had said the night before.

  She slowed down and stopped at an intersection to allow Kelly the opportunity to catch up. Sonny was stretching when she heard Kelly breathing hard as she got closer. She grinned when she finally looked up and saw Kelly’s fair skin flushed with red.

  “I thought federal agents were supposed to be in shape Miss King.” She taunted. “How do you follow someone when they can hear you huffing and puffing blocks away?”

  “Well, to be fair-” She gasped as she struggled to catch her breath. “We usually don’t have to chase Olympic class athletes over a mile.” Sonny’s grin widened before she wiped it away an instant later. “Look Sonny, about last night…” Her voice trailed off when she saw Sonny cross her arms and scowl. “Can we sit down before I collapse? There is a bench right over there.” Sonny shrugged and followed her to the bench.

  “You were saying?” Her voice was cold.

  “I’m trying to say I’m sorry Sonny.”

  “It’s easy to say. You should be able to manage it.” She harrumphed.

  Kelly blew out a long breath. “I’m sorry Sonny. Really sorry.” Sonny smirked and readjusted her crossed arms. “Really, really sorry.”

  “Do you even know what you’re sorry about?”

  “It’s because I said you have no feelings right?” Kelly’s voice was an unsteady mutter.

  “Exactly Miss King.” There was a sharp edge in her tone. “You think I’m some non feeling monster. I can assure you that I am not.”

  “Sonny, look. I didn’t mean it that way.” Kelly tried to touch Sonny’s arm but the other woman pulled away. “I was trying to say that you aren’t bothered by all this death.”

  Sonny’s eyebrows shot up and then lowered into an angry glare. “You think it doesn’t bother me? When I see someone tortured and murdered, it doesn’t bother me?”

  “Well, you do kill a lot of people.” Kelly’s joke landed flat.

  “I have never killed anyone that didn’t need killing. But an innocent? Never. And I hate to see someone murdered for no reason. It does bother me Miss King. But I’ve learned to deal with it.”

  “You mean you bury it.”

  “I manage it.” A man ran past them and they fell silent, once he passed Sonny prepared to leave. “I’m not having this discussion here.” She jogged away, leaving Kelly sitting on the bench alone.

  “Sonny I’m sorry!” Kelly yelled behind her. “I’m sorry!” Way to go Kelly. Way to go.

  CHAPTER THREE

  ​“You, my love, are going to be the first American president of Mexican descent.” Her words sounded like music to his ears. Her voice traveled from behind his reflected image to the full length mirror in front. Jose Sanchez smiled at his wife and she looked at him lovingly. The junior Senator from Texas turned to face the petite woman. His wife had dark caramel colored hair and eyes to match. Admiring his young wife, he closed the distance between them and embraced her curvaceous body. The well built senator kissed the top of his wife’s head and smelled the fresh spring scent of her shampoo.

  “The convention just ended and now you want to skip over the general election?” He joked. “Let’s not count the votes before they are cast mi amor.” Carmella Sanchez pulled back while keeping her arms wrapped around his waist. She looked up at her husband with a broad smile.

  “I know you too well Jose. You can be humble in front of the cameras, but don’t try it with me.” Her playful smirk made him shake his head. “The poll numbers show you with a double digit lead after the debate. There are only two months to go until the general election. Don't you think it's safe to say that we will be moving to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue come January?”

  “Don’t go borrowing trouble Carmella! A lot can happe
n in two months.” His tone was light but Jose did not want to jinx his chances. He was not a superstitious man. But with so much on the line he was not going to thumb his nose at whatever forces could be controlling his fate. This was the presidency of the United States, not some student council election.

  “Oh please Jose, we both know that there are no October surprises coming. The people love your ideas, and they love you. Almost as much as we do. Come on and enjoy this now while you still have the chance.” She jostled him in her arms as she attempted to try and loosen him up a little. “God knows you won’t have much time for celebrating once you’re in The Oval Office.”

  He knew she was right about there not being any scandals popping up to derail his campaign. Jose Sanchez was a God fearing man who had never cheated on his wife. He had never done anything close to being illegal, and everyone who had ever worked for him or with him loved the man. He was honest and he was a man of conviction. He was humble, but confident that he was qualified to lead the United States of America as its president. Since he was a young child growing up in Dallas, Jose had always had a strong love for his country. His patriotic nature had led him to serve in the Army as an officer, then in Washington as the junior senator of Texas. Now he stood on the cusp of his dream of serving his nation in the highest elected office possible.