by Mike Dagons
I stood still for a second, and looked up. I could barely see the sun shining through the leaves. The size of the trees made me feel like an ant. The place gave me the willies, and I wanted to run out of there screaming. I didn’t think it was safe to stand still, so I forced myself to slap fear back, and keep going.
I jogged deeper into the woods, scared to death I was going to run into a bear, or an anaconda, or that Jeepers Creepers movie scarecrow looking killer. I wasn’t even really sure I was going in the right direction until I reached the dirt path. I could hear the water flowing in the distance, and since there was no sign of Mark, I stopped and leaned back against a big tree to take a breather.
I was bent over with my hands on my knees, panting deep breaths to slow my pulse rate, when his feet came into view. He just stood there, feet planted wide, not saying a word. I knew that he was smiling triumphantly even before I looked up and saw the wide grin plastered on his face.
“You run pretty fast for a white girl,” he chuckled.
I didn’t need to ask how he got in front of me. He grew up playing in these woods. I bet he knew every tree, cave, path, and shortcut. It was an easy guess that I’d be going to the river, so all he had to do was take a quicker route there to head me off.
“To the victor goes the spoils,” he boasted. “Take off your clothes.”
I was through playing weak with this asshole, so I dropped my jacket and satchel, stood up straight, and looked him in his eyes. “I will not let you rape me,” I stated emphatically.
His eyes sparkled in amusement, and he actually laughed. He was so damn sure of himself. He took off his tactical thigh holster, and dropped it on the ground. “You’re a whore, so it’s not rape. I’ll pay you the dollar that you’re worth. Now, get undressed. I’m going to fuck you until you can’t walk, and you are going to love it,” he took a few steps forward, and I took a few back.
“Isn’t there an emergency going on at the house that you’re supposed to be taking care of right now?”
“Take your clothes off, or do you want me to take them off for you?!”
Now it was my turn to laugh. He was being so fucking ridiculous. I couldn’t help it. “Dat’ ain’t happenin’, playa,” I placed my hands on my hips in a relaxed stance.
“Damn, you going all wigger on me and frontin’ with the tough south side black chick Ebonics?” he cackled. “Is that why my brother liked you more than the rest of his white bitches? You know how to talk like you black?”
“I’m glad I’m able to give you some amusement because it’s all you getting from me, nigga,” I answered, hoping to ignite his anger.
Like I expected, the word coming from me, pissed him off, and his face turned beet red. “Nigga, really bitch?” he frowned, and then reached for me.
I parried, dropped down low, and came up with a solid uppercut that was supposed to connect with his balls, but he deflected it with a hand sweep as he countered with a right cross that reminded me that he wasn’t just some inexperienced mugger I’d come across in an alley.
It was a hard punch, but I recovered quick enough to dodge his next one. I delivered a fast combination palm heel strike to his chin, and then I spun around, and came down quick with an elbow to the side of his face. While he was reeling in surprise, I jumped up and drove both feet into his chest, knocking him flat on his ass.
He looked up at me from the ground, startled, and clearly embarrassed. Mark was bigger, and stronger, and he knew how to fight. I was aware that a wrong move could cost me my life.
Steady your nerves, I coached myself as I waited for his next move. Before I had Charter training, I would have moved in and tried to kick him while he was down, but I’d learned that it was smarter to stay out of reach when outclassed. With a skilled assassin like Mark Basin, it was better to defend rather than attack.
His eyes darted to his gun rig a few feet away. “You wishing you had kept it on?” I taunted.
“You’re no minimum wage cashier. Who are you really?” he asked after he spit out some blood.
“The white chick that you ain’t going to fuck,” I sassed.
He charged, coming up off the ground with amazing speed, tackling, and hitting me dead center. He drove me backwards into a tree.
My back slammed against it hard, sending shards of pain through my neck and shoulder blades. God, it hurt, and I couldn’t help thinking, that’s what you get for monologuing. A fool is known by his multitude of words. Talking when you should be taking care of business will get your ass handed to you, another piece of advice I regretted I’d remembered too late.
In a rage, he twisted his hands in the straps of my tank, and then slung me around, slamming my back into the tree again. The shock of pain vibrated through every part of my body. It hurt so fucking bad I almost started crying.
He could have hit me, and knocked me out, but he didn’t because he wanted to degrade me by throwing me around and showing me he had the power. I knew that he was teaching me a lesson for trying him.
“So, you like it rough?” He put his face real close to mine, and glared into my eyes.
He was holding me up against the tree high enough to keep my feet from touching the ground. He was doing a good job of making me feel helpless, but I was not ready to give up the fight.
“Yeah, I like it rough,” I grunted, and then I snapped a knee up, and this time I didn’t miss his balls.
“Bitch!” he screamed, and slung me to the ground.
I almost laughed at the sight of him standing there cupping his junk with his knees kissing. “Now, I’m not just going to fuck you! I’m going to kill you after I finish!” he shouted when he got enough relief from the pain to talk.
Fool me once, blah, blah, blah. I was not going to get caught up in another monologue with this muthafucka. My vision was blurred. Blood was dripping from my mouth, and my body ached like I’d run into a tree, which I had, but I was so pissed, fear was staying the fuck outtá my way.
Craftiness is your best groomed skill. Always remember to use it. “Please, don’t kill me. I’ll do whatever you want,” I moaned as I crawled up on my hands and knees.
Mark stopped rubbing his balls and started laughing. He was so sure he had me beaten, he relaxed.
“You going to have to be the best fuck I ever had to keep me from killing you now,” he boasted, proving once again that all men think with their dicks, or is it, all men are dicks?
He took his time and reached down and took hold of my tank top, and pulled me to my feet. I didn’t hesitate. Relying on speed more than accuracy, I plunged the blade I had pulled from my belt buckle into his chest; snatched it out, and stabbed him again.
Mark released me and wobbled backwards, his eyes wide in disbelief. He pulled the blade out and looked at it like he’d never seen a Brous blade before. “You bitch,” he dropped to his knees.
“I said that you ain’t fucking me!” I shouted at him.
He stared at me with a humorless grin plastered on his face for about sixty seconds, and then he toppled over. Too weak to break his fall, he landed hard on his face, the blade bouncing out of his hand. He lay sprawled on the ground panting shallow breaths.
My adrenaline ebbed, and exhaustion and pain rushed in. I dropped down on my butt right where I was standing. With great effort, I pulled off my t-shirt, and used it to wipe blood off my face, and then I crawled over to Mark, and picked up my blade from beside him. I wiped his blood off before I put it back into its place in my buckle.
“Severe!”
I looked up and saw Ceylon running towards me. I can only imagine what I looked like sitting on the ground beside a dying Mark Basin in my sports bra.
“Are you alright?” he knelt beside me.
“I’m great, but he’s not,” I looked over at Mark.
Ceylon got up, and walked over to him. He turned him over onto his back and checked his pulse. “He’s still breathing.” He walked back over to me, and then helped me get to my feet. “What happen
ed?” he asked, and started inspecting my bruised face.
“He forced me out here, and then he tried to rape me,” I offered what seemed like a good explanation for trying to kill his boss’ son.
“One of the guests told me he saw him dragging you into the woods. I know you did this in self defense, but Basin is going to want to make you pay with your life if he dies. I have to get you out of here, and then I’ll come back for him.”
I saw Roc approaching in my periphery. He already had his Sig in his left hand. “No, Roc, wait!” I shouted as I whirled around in front of Ceylon, putting myself in Roc’s line of fire.
Ceylon reacted immediately, targeting the threat and firing in a millisecond. I reacted instinctively, grabbing his wrist and knocking his aim off. The bullet kicked up a plug of dirt a few inches in front of Roc’s feet, stopping him in his tracks.
Keeping a firm grip on Ceylon’s wrist, I held my other hand up in a stop sign to Roc. “Please don’t shoot!” I shouted, and backed up against Ceylon protectively. He was a foot taller than me, so Roc could easily shoot him over my head. And even if he didn’t, Ceylon was still in danger of getting shot because Valow was out there somewhere.
“He’s helping me, Valow! Please, don’t shoot him! He’s not a threat!” I couldn’t see him, but I knew he could see me.
Roc didn’t shoot, but he didn’t lower his gun either. I was still holding Ceylon’s wrist down by my side, and I could feel his pulse beating in a slow easy rhythm. I was amazed by how slow his heart rate was in the face of danger. Mine was trying to beat out of my chest.
Valow dropped down out a tree behind Roc, and like I thought, he had his rifle slung over his shoulder. “What’s going on, Severe?” he asked as he passed Roc, and walked right up to where we were standing.
Roc was still pointing his Sig at Ceylon, but now Valow was in his way too.
“Yeah, what’s going on, Severe?” Ceylon asked, but he didn’t wait for me to explain. “I know you. The man simply known as Valow,” his eyes shifted to Roc. “And you are William Rottweiler. Retired Charter 6, and presumably now working for Melvin Ryan at Genesis. You working for him too?” he asked Valow.
Valow locked gazes with him over my head. “And you are Ceylon Battle, the infamously deadly California Viper,” he smiled roguishly.
“Now that we’ve all established our bona fides, I’d like to know how y’all know Severe Payne,” Ceylon said.
I turned my back to Valow and faced Ceylon. “I work for Genesis, too,” I answered honestly.
Ceylon broke a tactical rule, and took his eyes off Valow and looked directly at me. It wasn’t shock I saw in his face. It was something else, the pain of betrayal, maybe. “You’re an operator?” he frowned. “You been working me?” he asked, his voice raw with emotion.
“No, you are not the job,” I answered quickly. “It was, is, real for me, I swear,” I reached up and caressed his face with my fingertips.
I heard Valow step back to give us some privacy. Ceylon holstered his gun while he continued to search my eyes with cold intensity. “Why is Genesis here?” he asked, his voice tight.
Okay, I cared for him deeply. Maybe I even loved him, but I was not going to give up details vital to our mission. The best lies are told with your eyes, not your tongue. I kept my eyes fastened on his, and lied my ass off.
“I am here to observe, and find out who won the bid. Our mission was not to interfere with the auction or to try to steal the card from Basin.”
“Did you kill Steven? Genesis, I mean?”
“No, we did not, and we don’t know who did. We suspect it was Yeltsin, but we didn’t have any proof.”
“Did you know Steven was dead when you showed up at his loft?”
“No, I came there expecting to spend the night, and I was genuinely surprised to learn he was dead.”
“Did you really plan to marry him, or was he just a mark like me?”
This question was personal, not business, and I answered with heartfelt sincerity. “He was a mark, but you are not. I was not told to make a connection with you,” I spoke softly, barely above a whisper.
“Really?” he grunted derisively.
“I admit that I was working Steven to get information, but I was not working you.”
“How I know that? You fucked me like you did him.”
“No, I didn’t,” I said slowly, and I knew he understood the meaning behind the words. I had never fucked anybody like I had fucked him, and probably never would again.
“Steven was a nice guy, and I liked him. I used him to get as much information as I could about the auction. Being with him was just a job I had to do. It wasn’t like that with you. My job wasn’t to get information from you. We didn’t even plan on me being brought here.”
“You’re good at your job. Hell, you had me convinced that you loved him. Mark was the only one who didn’t believe you,” he said sadly, and then glanced over at him half dead on the ground.
“I’m sorry I had to deceive you.”
He nodded, but he didn’t look like hearing me say it made him feel better. Then we heard the gunshots in the distance signaling there was no time left for talk.
“Y’all need to get out of here,” he spoke loudly, and then stepped away from me. “If you let me use your gun, I’ll take care of Mark,” he said to Roc, who was still absent mindedly holding the thing on him.
“Here, man,” he tossed him his second Sig.
Ceylon snatched it out the air with his left hand, and fired a single shot into Mark’s chest wound. He was as amazing with a gun as it was rumored.
“None of you were ever out here,” he said to no one in particular.
He walked over to Roc, and gave him back his gun. “The roads are not going to be safe to travel. I assume y’all came in on the river, so you need to leave that way, and take her with you,” he started to walk away.
“Wait!” I ran after him. I skipped around in front of him and wrapped my arms around his waist. “I’m sorry I had to lie to you about my job, but nothing that happened between us was a lie,” I whispered against his chest. “I really would like to keep in touch.”
He rested his chin on top of my head for a second, and then he pushed me back off him. “I’ve already let you go, so you don’t have to keep pretending,” he answered coldly.
I looked at him with pleading eyes. “Please, believe me.”
“Oh, I believe you’re a trained liar whose job is to use sex to manipulate men. You handled me, expertly.”
“Damn, that hurt more than I thought it would,” I said.
He was hurt and like most men, he was lashing out to ease his pain. Every man wants to believe he’s special, so make him feel like he’s one of a kind. I needed to convince him that I hadn’t been playing him, if I wanted to see him again. I really wanted to see him again.
“I said I love you because I feel connected to you. I’ve felt this way since I walked into Steven’s apartment and found you sitting on his sofa. What I feel for you is outside the job. It is really real. I know you’re angry, but I can’t believe you don’t feel it too. Please, keep in touch.”
“Severe, we don’t have time for a love spat, baby,” Roc shouted.
“You better get going before somebody sees you,” he pushed me away, and then ran away from me fast.
I stood there staring off after him until he disappeared into the trees. I didn’t even realize I was crying until I felt the wetness on my cheeks.
“Severe! We need to book before we get caught up in whatever the fuck is going on here,” Roc shouted.
I walked over and picked up my shirt, jacket, and satchel off the ground. I avoided looking at Roc because I was so fucking mad at him. I wanted to punch his insensitive ass.
“Baby, are you okay?” Valow wrapped an arm around my shoulders.
“Yeah, I’m great,” I leaned my head against him.
“You don’t look great,” Roc huffed.
“Ceylon told me t
hat Basin ordered a lockdown at the house.”
“Then he must have discovered the money Yeltsin paid him was fake,” Valow laughed. “It’s probably what all the shooting is about.”
“Maybe we should stay close in case Choc needs our help getting out,” I said.
“Choc can take care of himself,” Roc said. “We need to get your beat up ass out of the woods first like yo’ boy said, before some of Basin’s men see you out here with his dead son.” Roc climbed into the small motor boat, and then helped me to get in. He sat on the bench near the bow, and I sat in the bottom of the boat between the two benches. Valow pushed us off, and then hopped in and started operating the motor. I leaned my back against the side of the boat and closed my eyes.
“You digging on dude for real, ain’t you?” Roc asked in an annoyed tone, letting me know he didn’t like it.
We were like siblings, so I wasn’t surprised that he was angry about Ceylon. He had fought hard to get me this job, and he thought I was fucking it up, so he was putting me on blast. It was what big brothers did. He was looking out for me, so I shouldn’t have been mad at him, but I was.
“I had a job to do, and I did it,” I answered dryly because I wasn’t in the mood for a fucking lecture from him.
“You did an excellent job,” Valow said. “Getting a man like Ceylon Battle to trust you takes real talent.”
“You fuck Ceylon Battle to get him to trust you, or because you like him?” Roc asked.
I opened my eyes and stared at his rude ass. True to his nature, he didn’t shy away from my hard gaze. “Well, is it personal, or the job, girl?” he growled.
“I’m sure Severe did what she had to do for the sake of the mission, Roc,” Valow tried to help me out.
“Stop babying her, Valow,” he barked. “You can’t fall in love with every nigga you fuck, girl, or you gon’ be broken hearted and depressed after every muthafuckin’ job!”
“Just because you black don’t mean you can say the word, nigga, to me, NIGGA! And nobody told me I couldn’t enjoy my job when I took it. Ceylon found out I worked for Genesis. I needed to make him believe I have real feelings for him to make him want to keep protecting me. I believe it’s what I did, even after you almost fucked it up by threatening to shoot him, so why the fuck you complaining?”
