by Lauren Wood
He was angry at the world and I could see the chip on his shoulder. It was easy to recognize these traits. I had been a study of human nature for too long not to see trouble when it was coming my way. He got my name from a vast network of underground contacts. It meant that he was in need of my services and was willing to pay a hefty sum to get it.
The man with the dark hair sat back to back with me on the other bench. He seemed rather nervous, but his conviction was never in doubt. The way he carried himself had the air of sophistication and money. It also reeked of desperation.
“I’m gathering you are Scarlet. I seriously doubt that’s your real name. I don’t want to play hardball, but this has to be done my way. Revenge is a dish best served cold.” I was getting this feeling and I was usually pretty good at reading people.
“I got the file and I believe that I can help you with your current situation. It’s going to take a few days. I need to make sure there are no variables unaccounted for. I’ve never failed in the past and I don’t intend to start now. There is the formality of the money. I require half up front and the other half upon completion of the job.” I didn’t take anything more than they could afford. I made sure to check out my clients extensively before even mentioning a price.
“Money is no issue. I’ve tried to let the courts handle this. It became painfully clear his lawyers are better than the system. My sister deserves more than to be forgotten. I blame myself for what happened. I won’t go into lengthy detail and it’s really none of your business.” His attitude was a bit irksome and I felt like he was trying to insert his own dominance. He was going to have to learn the hard way this woman had more bite than bark.
“I’m sending you a discreet e-mail with instructions to send me the required compensation. I believe that I can get my hands on what you want. Try to refrain from mentioning this without some kind of code. There’s no telling if someone is listening in.” The black leather coat hugged my frame and it had been with me for as long as I could remember.
“I did mention this will have to happen my way. I have been through the wringer. I don’t want to make the mistake of trusting somebody to do what I can’t do. I want to see his eyes and I want him to know who’s responsible.” I was a loner. I enjoyed a certain amount of anonymity. The distraction of having somebody with me was going to cause some considerable angst.
“Calvin I understand how what happened has affected you. Everybody deals with grief in different ways. Justice is in the eye of the beholder. The bible states an eye for an eye. This is a concept I can get behind.” The business I was in wasn’t exactly my first choice of vocation.
I actually wanted to be a veterinarian until my whole family was slaughtered in a house invasion. I was only 13 years old at the time and I came home to find them lying in a pool of their own blood. I was traumatized and it sent me down a destructive path of least resistance.
I had been clean for almost 10 years. It wasn’t easy getting the monkey off my back. It was only when I was in rehab that I met a man willing to take me underneath his wing. He was dying and the drugs had helped him to cope with the disease ravaging his body.
This new client was trying to keep my undivided attention.
“I want the same treatment for him. He needs to feel what it’s like to step into the shoes of his victim. I don’t care that it was in the heat of the moment. I want satisfaction. Having a hand in this will finally give me closure. This is one caveat not negotiable.” He wasn’t listening and I was tired of using a softer tone. I tried to keep my composure.
“I’m reminded of a person I used to know. He told me getting personally involved with anything can only lead to heartbreak. Take a step back and look at the bigger picture. The authorities will automatically finger you as the culprit. You need to have an airtight alibi for your comings and goings.” The blue jeans were a nostalgic trip down memory lane. I learned a long time ago my body could be a weapon.
“I’m way ahead of you and that is one thing you don’t have to worry about. I want my pound of flesh and nobody’s going to stand in my way of getting it. I’m through sitting on the sidelines. You could say that what happened made me fully understand how life can be fleeting.” He was learning a valuable lesson. Others would grieve, but they wouldn’t have the balls to pick up the mantle of responsibility.
“I see that there’s no way I’m going to talk you out of this. I believe you might have to find somebody else to do your dirty work. Lose my number.” I wanted to leave, but I was going to give him one last shot to let the professionals deal with this.
“If it was about killing him then I would have bought a gun and done it myself. I have to put aside by differences with my family over this particular issue. They think I’m all talk, but they don’t know what has been festering inside me.” I could feel the strength of his words and how he felt like people had disappointed him.
“I can’t do this without a considerable bump in pay. If I have to have you tagging along then I need your assurance that you’ll do exactly what I tell you to do. I don’t even know why I’m letting you get underneath my skin. I should tell you to go to hell. I won’t make light of your plight.” I was contemplating how I was going to incorporate him into the mix.
“I need to be the one to put the final nail in his coffin. It gives me no pleasure to end somebody’s life. I think that you can attest to the fact that there are evils in this world. The shadows are ripe with consequences beyond anybody’s imagination.” He was dead set on this course of action. I needed to keep him close to prevent any unnecessary attention coming to my doorstep.
“I’m sending you a preliminary amount. This could change if you make things more complicated than they need to be. I want you to pack up one bag. Come to the address I have attached to the e-mail. You will be living with me under the same roof and I will be teaching you everything you need to know about becoming invisible.” I got up and stretched my limbs with the mirrored sunglasses helping me to survey my surroundings.
“I wasn’t expecting you to say that. I’m not going to question you for the reason why and maybe I don’t need to know. We need to find some way to work together. It’s obvious you like to work alone. This is going to throw a major wrench in your plans.” I glanced over to see his broad shoulders. I purposely made a circuit around him on the way out of the park.
Calvin wore the dark business suit like a shield of armor. His hair was uniformly cut with not a single hair out of place. Even standing, I could see that he was over 5’10 with about 180 pounds of solid muscle underneath his belt. The blue eyes were disarming and the slight fuzz on his face gave him the air of a rebel without a cause.
He was a novice getting in way over his head. I looked down at my phone to see the required amount signaling an end to my hesitation. I was going to have to keep a careful eye on him. It wasn’t hard to spot the kind of man who could attract the opposite sex like bees to honey.
Having him underneath my roof was going to cramp my style. I had a simple way of living and he was going to disturb the monotony of boredom. Quiet and reserved as how my neighbors would describe me. I didn’t socialize, but I tried to emulate pleasant greetings in passing. It made me choke on the very idea of making nice with the neighbors.
Calvin wasn’t the kind of man I gravitated toward sexually. I liked the strong and silent type, but he was opinionated with no filter to limit what he was going to say. It was going to be interesting to live with him. There was going to have to be some ground rules and one of them didn’t revolve around him wearing clothes. I did like what I saw and I had no problem mixing business with pleasure.
Chapter two
I had to make sure all of the tools of the trade were securely stashed away. I didn’t want him to feel like I was throwing my profession in his face. He was obviously distraught and looking for any kind of life support. Running on empty fueled by hatred was going to leave him exposed and vulnerable.
I heard the doorbell and I go
t this jittery feeling like I had been drinking too much coffee. This would be the first time I had ever had a guest stay over for any more than 1 hour of unbridled passion. It was time for them to leave after the deed was done. Kicking them to the curb was necessary to acquire my beauty sleep. It was also a defense mechanism to keep myself from falling too quickly for a pretty face.
It was one of the many things my benefactor had taught me over those three months in rehabilitation. His words still followed me like a dark cloud. Losing him had sent me into an emotional tailspin. I climbed out of the abyss by focusing on the work I had inherited in his name.
Jason knew that I was struggling from the moment I entered onto the premises. We got to talking and he finally opened up about his past. It was a little jarring to hear him speak of the cold and clammy hand of death with such callous disregard for human life. It finally dawned on me this was my way to exact my own personal vengeance.
I think he enjoyed the attention and how fascinated I was by his stories. When we got out, I knew that he was on borrowed time and I took full advantage of his need for personal comfort. I didn’t have to sleep with him and he was more a father figure.
The annoying reminder that Calvin was waiting at the door was making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
“Keep your pants on.” I had on the same blue jeans, but this time the top was a sweater with nothing on underneath it.
I felt constricted in underwear in any form. I didn’t believe in the necessity to dress up for the occasion. I was more at home casual without putting on airs. I didn’t even bother cleaning up not really caring what his opinion of me was. I did a quick inspection of the bathroom and got rid of some of my tricks to what most would consider my fountain of youth.
“I’m getting some dirty looks from your neighbors. They might call the cops if you don’t open the door soon.” My hair was in disarray and in desperate need of a washing.
I couldn’t remember when I did a wash for my clothes. They must’ve been piling up and would need to be taken care of.
“Come in already. You can take the room down the hall on the left. The one at the far end is off limits and the one across from it is for authorized personnel. I think you understand what I mean by that. When my door is closed nobody is to enter for any reason. If you don’t think I’m serious then take the risk and see for yourself.” I walked ahead of him feeling like he was watching my every move. Being in an enclosed space was never one of my favorite things to do.
I was surrounded by death at an early age. I had become numb to those things that would make most people cringe and close their eyes in horror. I believe that the punishment should fit the crime. It was my signature and something that carried with it a distinct scar on my soul. The faces of my victims were horrible people and deserved a fate worse than death.
“There’s not a feminine touch in here. It’s clinical…cold and impersonal without anything to give it that homey feeling. I don’t mean to judge, but you could really use some light in this place.” The drapes were drawn to give me the illusion of privacy in a world of chaos.
“Don’t even think about opening up those drapes. I like things a certain way and I’m not comfortable with change.” I had to take a shower and running from the law last night was a perilous ordeal. I had gotten too caught up in what I was doing to see the writing on the wall.
“I’ll find some way to amuse myself. You don’t even have a television. What the hell do you do for fun?” I turned and pointed to an array of books on a shelf. I found losing myself in the moment through other characters something of a reprieve.
“It wouldn’t hurt you to crack a book once in awhile. There’s plenty of food in the cupboards and the fridge. I live modestly, but I can afford anything you want. Make a list and post it to the fridge. My lifestyle is pure. I don't put anything into my body that isn’t organic. You know how many pesticides go into store-bought food every day?” I didn’t want to preach, but I had to do something to get it off my mind.
My faithful companion was raising his ugly head. I considered my sex drive a man with only one thing on his mind. My thoughts were cluttered with death, but there was always that crack in my armor to allow an unsuspecting victim into my lair.
“I do see that you have an eclectic mix in your collection. I’ve always been partial to mysteries.” I enjoyed a more subdued kind of literature. I needed the space between my life and what I found within the pages of some literary masterpieces.
“I like to consider myself well-rounded. I go out of my way to do different things for the sake of saying I did it once. I’m perfectly comfortable in my personal haven. This place is designed specifically for my needs. The walls are soundproof so that nobody can hear you scream.” I was poking fun and I could see the gears working in his head.
“I hope you’re joking. I’m sure there are ways for you to make me scream and not necessarily in pain.” This was the first inkling that something physical might happen between us.
“I have this need to repeat myself about my door being closed to visitors. There is no lock, but I have a snub-nosed revolver underneath my pillow for such an occasion.” He didn’t look scared and the object outlined in his pants told me of his excitement.
“We will have to play it by ear. You never know what strange bedfellows will make. Sometimes you don’t know a good thing until it’s right in front of you.” I was not opposed to doing something, but it had to be on my terms. I didn’t like the control being wrenched from my hands.
“I don’t know why this is hard for you to understand. What you see standing in front of you is off limits. I won’t be responsible for my actions if you get too close. I always sleep with one eye open. The slightest noise will wake me up from a dead sleep. You could say I tapped into those instincts of a mother waiting for their crying baby to inform them of their needs.” I was still female, but I could easily become the predator and not the other way around.
“We can talk about that later. I brought some things and I hope that you will appreciate the length I have gone to make it easier on the both of us.” He lifted his lone bag which was gray and had no real label to indicate it was something high end.
It was nondescript and maybe he was learning to be less conspicuous. The blueprints he had acquired from the city were a red flag. He was leaving bread crumbs in his wake.
“I didn’t ask for your help and this doesn’t prove anything to me. In fact, I would say that you have gravely made a mistake. This thing could go sideways. Let’s say everything goes off without a hitch. They will still investigate you and what happens when they find out that you had the blueprints to this man’s home in your possession? Don’t even answer and we both know living behind bars is not an option for you.” I was trying not to show the anger seeping through every word.
“I’m not an idiot. I got these off the Internet at a café offering free Internet to all of its customers. I made sure not to leave any sticky fingerprints in digital format.” I was actually mildly impressed, but he still needed to know that his actions had consequences.
I walked away from him and I wasn’t even thinking. I peeled off my sweater and dropped my pants at the threshold to the bathroom. It finally dawned on me that I was completely naked and at the mercy of his hungry appetite for my form.
“Don’t even get any bright ideas about joining me in the shower. I’m comfortable in my own skin and this isn’t an invitation. I never even thought you were in the room when I took off my clothes. It just goes to show how much influence you have in my life.” I slammed the door shut loud enough to make him aware of how his health would be jeopardized by opening it up again.
The water was steaming up the room and then I turned it to freezing cold to give me a chill right to my bones. I didn’t want the temptation of making him think I was an easy target for seduction. I did want him, but his arrogance made him less likely to find me on my back looking at the ceiling with him on top of me.
“Scarlet, you should always take time to smell the roses. This life can bury you in feelings of regret and recrimination. Find yourself something of an anchor. It doesn’t matter what it is as long as you can lose yourself in it without thinking about those who have fallen at your hand.” My benefactor was a wealth of information and every word coming out of his mouth was like gold. I’d made sure to soak everything in like a sponge.
My body shivered to the touch from the freezing cold droplets making contact with my skin. It made me aware that I was alive. People were living on life support waiting for somebody to show them the mercy of pulling the plug. I wasn’t one of them. I couldn’t even begin to think in those linear terms.
“I hope I’m not disturbing you. I’m not going to open up the door. I find myself curious to know what is in the other room under lock and key.” I was making the effort to meet him halfway, but he was stepping over the line I had drawn in the sand.
“You don’t want to go in there and once you see it there’s no going back.” I thought for a moment I had dissuaded him from continuing this line of questioning.
The silence was a breath of fresh air and then I heard the unmistakable sound of a body slamming up against the door. I quickly got out and wrapped my body in a towel to avoid any miscommunication.
He was standing at the door with the hinges barely hanging on. He was impetuous and acted without thinking. This man didn’t know the meaning behind the word no. He lived his life by following the beat of his own drum. This was something we had in common although I would never admit to any kind of shortcomings.
“I hope you’re satisfied. You act like a child throwing a tantrum when you don’t get things your way. I can see from how your face turned white as a ghost that you don’t approve.” My many trophies were lined up in glass jars filled with formaldehyde. It contained various body parts which had left many coroners shaking in their boots.
