CLASS ACT (A BRITISH ROCKSTAR BAD BOY ROMANCE)

by Julia Gardener

  It was an older flip-phone model. “A cell phone?”

  “A burner,” he clarified. “I’ll use it to contact you and give you instructions in case you find yourself in a corner or need to escape. I have a getaway car I can borrow in case of an emergency. Just act natural.”

  I nodded and pocketed the phone. “Good luck, Jackie.”

  He smiled. “I make my own luck.”

  Walking a couple of blocks, I went to the nightclub’s entrance and flashed a smile at the two men guarding its entrance. I nervously held the smile as one of the bouncers scanned my face. “Do you have ID?”

  I pulled out the fake ID Jackie had forged for me. “Here you go.”

  The man barely even looked at it before waving me in. “Come in. Call us if anyone causes trouble.”

  If he knew it was a fake, then he didn’t seem to care. I guessed they liked having girls here even if they were not of age. “Thanks.”

  Security inside the lobby was a different story. There were metal detectors and even an airport style X-ray machine for bags. One bouncer searched a man for concealed weapons.

  After putting my belongings in a tray, I waited in line. I was nervous as hell. One wrong move and this whole thing could fall apart. Finally, it was my turn to walk through.

  The metal detector went off. The man operating the metal detector sighed and said. “Step aside.”

  I took a deep breath and did so. “Okay…”

  One of the guards sighed and pointed at me. “Take your bracelet off, put in the tray, and go in again.”

  I did so and went through the metal detector again.

  It gave me a clean bill. I took my belongings from the tray and nodded at the guards. “Thanks.”

  Now, it was time to get to work. Unfortunately, the club was loud, noisy and crowed. I had to snake through groups of club goers before I could find a place to seat. I was never a fan of clubs during college and this didn’t change it.

  I took a seat at the bar. I ordered a diet soda and scanned the area. Most bartenders didn’t like freeloaders, anyway.

  It didn’t take too long to find Krause.

  Or I should say that it didn’t take long for Krause to find.

  I jolted up when the man took a seat next to me. From his beard to his scars, this was unmistakably the man I was after. I prayed that he hadn’t seen through my disguise.

  He spoke with a distinct East German accent. “What’s a girl like you doing here?”

  “Me?”

  He smiled and reveal his chipped teeth. “You can’t come in here and just order a soft drink. It’s against the rules.”

  I wanted to sigh in relief but held my composure. “I’m just here to have a good time.”

  “Aren’t we all?” Krause continued, still flashing his sinister smile. “What brings you here? I would’ve noticed a pretty girl like you.”

  I didn’t know whether he was speaking the truth or if it was just a part of his seduction tactics. Two could play at that game. “I heard this club was the wildest in town.”

  “It doesn’t look you’re of age,” he said, his eyes narrowing. I prayed he didn’t see through my disguise. Thankfully, he let out a laugh afterwards. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell. Management doesn’t mind. Let me guess, you’re a college student trying to have fun during the summer break.”

  “Not the first time I’ve lied today,” I replied, keeping my cool. “I’m a dropout, actually. I guess I liked hitting the bottle more than I liked hitting the books.”

  “Is there some drink I could buy for you?”

  “You buy drinks for girls?”

  He smiled again. I wished Jackie would put a bullet in his head already. “Just the ones I like. And the ones that know how to return the favor.”

  I mustered the most fake smile I could make. “Actually, I’m thirsty for something else.”

  “I can get us a private room,” he said, putting his hand on my lap. It took everything in my power not to run away. “No one would disturb us.”

  I got him. “Sure, does it have a window? I just love watching the streets from above. Fresh air never hurts when you’re having a drink... or something else.”

  Krause held out his hand. “It’s got everything a lady like you’d need.”

  I took the hand he offered. “I hope it has a minibar.”

  Krause guided me upstairs to a private room. On the trip here, Jackie had told me how Krause was known for beating and raping women. The club’s management turned a blind eye since Krause’s employers had important business arrangements with them.

  The staircase leading up to it looked to be guarded by two men. However, Krause’s presence alone made the man guarding the stairs to step aside. Either he had some special treatment or Krause’s dangerous reputation was well known.

  I was walking into the lion’s den.

  Finally, he reached the second floor. A sign said only special guests were allowed in here. Krause opened the door to the room and pulled me in by the arm.

  This man was no gentleman.

  I was so scared that I didn’t have time to take in the fine furnishings. Krause guided me to a pair of chairs across a small coffee table. “Sit.”

  I did as commanded. He went to a minibar to pull out a few chilled drinks. He poured a glass of scotch. “Thank you…”

  “I know how to treat a girl right,” the man, said, putting his hand on my thigh. His fingers began to trail up my skirt. “She just has to treat me right… if she knows what’s good for her.”

  Suddenly, Krause reached out to grab me. I instantly pulled away but he was too quick. “Stop!”

  His hand grabbed my neck and chocked me. His other hand clawed at my blouse. I felt him palm my breasts as he eyed me with carnal intent.

  Recalling the martial arts training Jackie had taught me, I used my free elbow to strike him in the chin. The move caught him by surprise as he let go of me. Krause was so surprised that he didn’t see me hook him in the cheek with my left hand.

  The man double over the chair and onto the floor. He stared at me with disbelief. It soon turned into rage as he wiped his lip.

  I had drawn blood.

  “Bitch!” Krause spat, his mouth spewing fresh blood. He wasn’t prepared for a woman who was willing to fight back. “I’ll kill you for this!”

  I knew I wouldn’t be able to resist him for much long in a hand to hand fight. Krause was a veteran hitman. He could snap my neck in a split second. I needed Jackie to swoop in and help me.

  Krause raced towards me and cocked his fist. He was inches from me. It was too late to dodge his attack. I needed a miracle.

  BANG!

  The man went careening to the side. He collapsed eagle spread onto the fine carpet. Blood leaked profusely from his head.

  He was dead.

  I could’ve sworn I heard a gurgling noise but it had to be a death rattle. I stared at the lifeless body in disbelief. The man had been a feared hitman one second and a corpse in the next.

  I looked across to see that that a window had been completely shattered. That was from where Jackie had fired his sniper rifle. I couldn’t make him out due to the long distance.

  In a broken shard of glass, I saw my reflection. My face had droplets of blood on it. It had fallen onto my blouse as well and formed reddish-brown splotches.

  Suddenly, the cell phone Jackie had given me began to vibrate.

  I opened it up and read the text. “They’ll find out what happened soon. Leave before they do. Get out of the room, make a left, and take the emergency stairs down to the back entrance. I’ll meet you outside. Move quickly. –J.”

  Gathering my wits, I memorized the instructions before wiping my face off with a bottle of water and some cloth. I didn’t have time to clean the blouse or redo my blouse. I opened the door and prayed no one suspected what had just happened.

  I followed the directions to the emergency exit. I went down a flight of stairs and found a pair of lovers making out in the
stairs. I zipped past them and made a run to the back entrance.

  I swung the door open and nearly knocked out a bouncer guarding the back entrance. He glared at me but didn’t notice the blood on my shirt. “Sorry.”

  The bouncer looked to scold me but his radio went off. He sighed and activated it. I listened in on what it said. “There’s been an incident. All available personnel report to the second floor.”

  The bouncer groaned and entered through the back entrance. “Son of a bitch.”

  I looked around to find Jackie. Someone was going to find out my hand in Krause’s death. I needed to get out of here.

  I felt someone kiss me on the cheek. I turned to see Jackie’s face looking at me with a boyish grin. “Come on, sweetie. Let’s head home.”

  Like your typical boyfriend, he placed a hand around my waist and walked me out. His other hand held onto a suitcase which had his disassembled sniper rifle. We walked a couple of blocks and entered into an alleyway. Jackie looked at me with concern. “Are you okay?”

  I slapped him.

  He shot me a look of surprise and nursed his cheek. “Ouch. What’s that for?”

  “Why did you take so long?” I spat at him. “He almost killed me.”

  He gave me a boyish smile. It failed to charm me. “But he didn’t. He’s dead and the mission is complete.”

  “You didn’t have to wait for him to choke me!”

  “I waited for the perfect shot,” he said plainly. “You were never in any real danger.”

  “I wonder if you’d say the same if our roles were reversed,” I sighed. There was no point in arguing over this. What’s done was done. “Is Cobbs willing to talk with us now that Krause is dead?”

  Jackie smiled. “He’s willing to sing for us. Cobb will meet us in a couple of hours after making sure the coast is clear.”

  We saw a police car race past us with siren blaring.

  Jackie shook his dead. “The club’s management would never call the cops. Some guest must have found the body and phoned the police. The guys in charge are not going to like the police sticking their nose in their less than legal enterprise. Let’s get out of here.”

  I thought of Krause’s lifeless body before burying it in the back of my mind. “Agreed.”

  We went back to the safe house with dried blood still on my blouse.

  We briefly stopped at my safe house. Kelly needed to fresh up. Besides, I still needed to wait until Cobbs contacted me again.

  Thankfully, he upheld his part of the bargain. He not only gave me his location but also a sizeable cash reward. I didn’t need the money but it was appreciated, nonetheless.

  I was more worried about Kelly. She had her first taste of what it meant to be a professional killer and it had left a mark on her. I’d thought she’d appreciate putting a man like Krause six feet under.

  But some people weren’t cursed with my killer instinct.

  She came out of the shower in her regular clothing. The young woman looked so rejuvenated. Yet, I couldn’t help but shake the feeling that the whole experience had left her cold. She sat next to me on the couch. “Did you hear back from Cobbs yet?”

  I placed hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, Kelly.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “For what?”

  “For pressuring you into acting as bait for Krause,” I sighed. “I’ve been doing this by myself by a long time. Any people I’ve worked with were trained professionals. I didn’t consider your feelings. You don’t deserve to wade through the sludge like I’ve done for years.”

  “I know the risks,” she replied. “I want to get back at Colman and Gregori for killing my father.”

  “You’re not a wolf like me,” I said. “You don’t have the killer instinct to be in this line of work. Maybe when all of this is over, you can return to society and live a normal like with your humanity intact. Society’s no place for a monster like me.”

  “I thought it would be easy watching a man like him die,” she whispered, glancing away for a moment. “But it made me think of my father.”

  I gave her a bittersweet smile. “Good, it means you’re still human.”

  “You’ve been good to me, Jackie,” she said, placing a hand on my cheek. “Don’t think of yourself as inhuman.”

  I looked away. “That’s the worst part of it of it. I don’t feel anything about that man’s death. It’s just business as usual.”

  Kelly didn’t say anything. Instead, she kept her hand on my cheek. Then, she leaned forward.

  We kissed.

  It wasn’t the first time I had kissed a woman. Not by a long shot. But it was the first time it didn’t feel like perfunctory gesture.

  Kelly’s love for me was almost tangible. I could feel it permeate the air. This wasn’t some make out session before a quick fuck in the private room of some whorehouse. The woman poured her heart and soul into me. It felt so sincere that I almost wanted to weep.

  I placed a hand on the back of her head and took her in for a deeper kiss. My fingers trailed through her hair that had been now cut short. I hated the fact that I had changed her appearance. But I had to keep her safe.

  I’d protect Kelly even if it meant putting my life on the line for her.

  Then, the phone rang.

  Startled, we both broke apart. I took the phone out of my pocket and opened it. Business always had a way of interrupting pleasure.

  Kelly blushed as she asked. “Is it Cobbs?”

  I nodded before looking back at my phone. “We have work to do.”

  This time, I rented a car to meet with Cobbs. The man was holed up in the back of some Korean dry cleaning service. Laundry wasn’t the only business this establishment dabbled in. It was owned by one of the most notorious fixers in the criminal underworld. He went by the name Mr. Lee and no one knew a thing about his real identity.

  The ride to our destination was without conversation. Kelly sat beside me and looked at the streets. Her eyes took in the various apartments and stores. It was as if she was trying to say goodbye to them. A part of her knew she could never go back to her home after all of this was over.

  Her kiss still burned on my lips. I hated to take her deeper into my world. She deserved a normal life away from a man like me.

  When we reached out destination, Kelly and I walked to the back entrance. A tall Korean man guarded it like a hawk. He looked large enough to be over three hundred pounds with most of it being muscle. I could’ve probably pulled out a win against him in a fist fight but I didn’t intend to find out.

  His eyes narrowed when he saw us approach.

  “Mr. Lee’s guest wanted to see me,” I replied. “I’m here to get some stains out of a sweater.”

  It was a stupid password but Mr. Lee liked to have layers of protection.

  The guard didn’t move. Instead, he glared at Kelly. “You can’t bring your prostitute inside. It’s against Mr. Lee’s rules.”

  Kelly wanted to retort but used all of her willpower to hold her tongue. It was good that she had learned discipline. Nevertheless, I answered for her. “She’s my partner, not a whore. The more you delay, the longer it takes for Mr. Lee to get his cut of the payment. Does he want his transaction fee or not?”