“Ya know, it should really be me carryin’ that thing,” he commented when they started. However, by the time they reached the roof, he huffed heavily, a bit surprised she wasn’t even breathing hard. “How come you’re not even tired?” he demanded as they left the weapon inside the door, so it would not be seen from another building.
“I work out,” she felt a stab of pride. “Every day when I’m at home. Have done so as long as I can remember.” Pushing the heavy roof access open, she made her way out onto the tar and gravel covered expanse to have a look around in the daylight.
Geek nodded. No wonder she stomped the old man’s ass, thinking about how she had placed the axe handle into his bag before they met up with them. She knew she was gonna confront him, and she intended to win.
The preparations almost complete, the pair headed back down the stairs and climbed onto the bike. Stopping at a small store, Tori trotted inside to purchase the new device. She wasn’t sure how long it would take anyone who might want to track her to know she had it, but it would come in handy tonight if she and Geek needed to communicate.
Back outside, she reassured him again that everything would run smoothly and the phone was just a precaution. It only took a moment for them to exchange numbers, and they were all set. Overtaken by a brief wave of affection, she grabbed him for a quick hug, and then hopped back onto the bike behind him. The sun had begun to set, and they would have a few hours to nap with the rest of the crew before the really exciting part began.
Out with the Old
That same morning, still unaware of his wife’s activities in Chicago, Michael rose before the sun. First making his run, he then completed ten sets of ten, pushups, speed-skaters, and sit ups. He had begun pushing himself harder in his workouts since his love had been gone, feeling a little guilty that she had been the more adamant of the pair.
Getting his shower and slipping on his jeans, he assumed Brian would be in bed until 10:00 am at the earliest, but more than likely noon. Grinning at the thought of the band’s haphazard life style, he stopped by the diner for a small breakfast and a word with his wife’s best friend.
Watching the well rounded woman as she poured coffee for the locals, Michael felt a bit in awe of how hard she worked. Rarely had he been in the café when she wasn’t present.
Things had not been easy for Trish since her divorce five years prior. The couple had learned a bit about the circumstances of it when Tori and Trish first became close. Left to run the diner alone, she opened the doors at 7:00 am and did not usually leave until she locked them at 8:00 pm each evening. No wonder Marge refuses to share her condition with her daughter-in-law, unwilling to pile any more on her overstuffed plate.
“So, you heard anything from that beautiful wife o’ yurs?” she greeted him warmly, pouring him a cup of rich, dark caffeine.
“Don’t really expect to,” he replied as he lifted the cup and gave her a mysterious stare. Failing to get a rise from the mild mannered female, he continued with a guilty grin, “She’s taking care of some business. Things from her past. She isn’t really in a position to call home.”
Trish didn’t know much about the world Tori came from. They had never had any need to discuss the darkness she had seen in the girl’s eyes the day she arrived in the quiet little town. “She ok?” she asked in a timid voice, unable to hide her concern, her tongue tied state giving her away.
“Yeah,” Michael stammered, “Oh yeah. Just complicated. She’ll be fine. I guess that’s the thing I love about her most. Doesn’t really need me to take care of her.”
“She loves you though. Surely you can see that.” Trish filled in for him without hesitation. Patting his arm, smiling, “Don’ you worry none, hun. You know that girl’ll get back t’ you quick as she can.”
Michael gave her a grin of agreement and ordered his meal. He knew he had a long day ahead of him and would need the nourishment. Finishing a short time later, he bid their friend a good day and headed for his current project, thinking to himself how similar the two tasks he and his mate were currently about truly were. Out with the old and in with the new, Tori getting her life straight, and me making a place for her to live it. The thought lifted his spirits as he faced the massive undertaking before him.
A short time later, he perched atop an extension ladder, scraping peeling paint from the side of the Victorian. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he noticed four figures walking up the short drive. He made his way down, deeply surprised to see the four members of Indelible standing before him, grinning excitedly.
“How the hell did you find me?” he demanded, afraid they had talked to Trish and spilled his can of worms.
“Wasn’t that hard,” Brian countered, “Not like there’s a whole lot of places you could be around here. Besides, we took a vote and it was unanimous. We wanna help.”
“Uhuh,” Michael gave them a dubious stare, “You guys aren’t exactly what I would call made for hard labor,” he tried to be blunt.
“Hey, man; fuck you,” Brian pointed a finger as he teased his new brother, “I care about her too, even if I’ve never been any good at showin’ it.” Pausing, he began to peer around, taking in the size of the structure. “Wow, this place is enormous. You’re obviously not just thinking about the two of you living here.”
“Maybe,” Michael admitted, “But first things first. For now, it’s just the two of us. When she gets home, we can discuss it further, and there might be more. It may not ever happen, but I wanna fix it up for her, just the same. Have it ready the best I can.”
“So where do we start? We ain’t soft ya know. We all grew up together in that little farming community in Nebraska, so we all know how to work hard when the need arises. Besides, nothing else to do around here.”
The other three were quick to agree, and Michael had no choice but to put the group to work, secretly happy to have the help with the latest surprise he wanted to give the love of his life.
Run Its Course
The group rolled out a few minutes before midnight, Tori riding with Geek. He had his computer in his saddlebags, and she noted with a pleased grin that he took them straight to the diner. Watching as he set up the slim laptop and plugged it in, she tousled his hair. Such a sweet kid.
Images of Chris and Steven flashed through her mind, and she felt sad, ready to get home to the people she cared about and hoped were waiting for her. Forcing the thoughts aside, she knew she needed to focus.
Leaving the young man to do his thing, she pushed open the glass door to exit the diner and climbed onto his bike, riding away into the evening. Tori could feel her pulse in her throat as she rode across the pavement. Time to let this bitch run its course. Her palms tingled as she gripped the black rubber of the handles.
She knew this could the most important night of her life, with so many innocent lives depending on her for protection. Rounding the corner to the tall abandoned building, she picked the lock on the back door again, blocking it with a wedge of wood while she pushed the bike safely inside and allowed the door to close behind her.
Pulling out the six inch mag light, she twisted the small handle to illuminate her way through the empty structure. Reaching the large metal door that led to the staircase, she took them in twos, running the fifteen stories for the second time that day with ease, and hitting the top only slightly winded.
Making it out onto the roof, she checked her time, delighted to be right on schedule. Thankfully I never skimped on my workouts, she praised herself happily, recalling the climb with Geek and his obvious exhaustion.
Grabbing the long brown case she had hidden inside the door, she pulled it out into the clear area and flopped it open with a loud fwack. Staring down at the fifty-caliber rifle tucked inside of it, Tori knew she only had a few minutes to get into position.
Lifting the twenty-two pound weapon, she made the assembly and checked the parts quickly before sliding over along the edge of the roof. Although proficient with the device, it wasn’t her
weapon of choice, as she typically preferred the up close and personal touch her knife afforded her.
Waiting patiently, she knew she had about a five minute window, as she expected the pair she currently hunted to be on schedule. Time passed quickly, and the two walked around the corner of the building, stopping to stand in the street for a moment. Tori surveyed them through the scope before they proceeded down along the extended length of brick that would take them to the next corner. Looks like they can follow orders.
The position perfect, Tori had the first man down with a clean shot to the head. His partner, sprayed with blood, stood over his body for half a second in utter disbelief at what had occurred. His mistake, as this gave her enough time to acquire her new target and make the second shot. Not bothering to clean the weapon, she dropped it onto the case and dashed down the stairs, sliding her hands along the rail to quicken her pace.
Pushing the back door open with haste, Tori wheeled the bike out and kicked it over, eager to be on to her next stop. Two down, nine to go, if I let Enrique live. She still had not decided how she felt about that, and would have to make up her mind when she caught up to him.
The fact he had endured torture on her behalf swung things in his favor. He could have just as easily rolled over on me and sent the Scorpions into Texas. The thought of them showing up at her doorstep reminded her of Marge and her concern about hoodlums, giving her a tiny giggle, although the actual event would not have been funny.
Taking the bike up to the highest rate of speed that she dared, Tori felt free as the wind poured against her face in the darkness. She had come to love the feel of a motorcycle beneath her, the adrenaline it produced incredible. I’m glad they actually taught me how to ride, not only be a passenger. Taking the turns and curves expertly, she made good time.
Pulling up outside a tiny bar, Tori put on her sunglasses despite the darkness and stepped in through the back door. This would ensure her eyes were night ready when she exited the pub in short order, not having been exposed to the light inside.
Buck had been instructed to wait there, and he would be the toughest of the group to eliminate. She couldn’t very well walk out into the crowd and waste him in front of God and everyone, but if she were able to catch him going to the bathroom, that would be her chance. She had twenty minutes she could wait. After that, she had to go with plan B, which would be a bit tricky at best.
He had been sitting at the bar for over an hour, presumably drinking beer. She opened the door to the office, prepared to take on or out anyone inside, but fortunately found it empty during the busiest part of the night. She waited in the tiny cubicle, peering out into the hazy, smoke filled room.
Spying her target, his fat ass hanging over the sides of a stressed stool, Jesus Christ, he’s disgusting. There’s no way he’s the toughest man in this miserable outfit. Her heart began to pound when he stood up from his perch and headed her way. Staying out of the line of sight, she watched him go into the men’s room across the hall. Exiting her hiding spot, she walked in behind him.
Buck had his pants open, his rolls of gut sagging over the urinal that hung on the far wall as he relieved himself. Sensing the motion behind him, he caught a glimpse of her in the mirror to his right, and dropped his business in an attempt to swing around and face her.
His move came too late and the pop of the blade rang out a brief instant before it severed both his carotid arteries, along with his windpipe, leaving a large gurgling wound in his neck. She thought he might fight, but instead he fell over, his chin catching on the edge of the porcelain so that he slumped in a more sitting position, allowing his pulse to squirt his precious fluid out on the wall underneath it. He knew he was a dead man.
As he sat on the ground, Tori reached over to the rectangular basin and rinsed the blood that had squirted onto her hand down the drain, allowing the liquid to purify the shiny metal as well. Grabbing paper towels to dry the steel and her fingers, his eyes still watched her as she turned to leave.
Marching out of the tiny space and into the alley from the rear door, she snapped the blade shut. With a quick shove, it went back into her boot, and she swung her leg over her ride, gone before the man’s heart had stopped pumping.
So far, things had gone according to plan. Three men had been eliminated, and after a short drive, she would tend to the two who would be breaking into an apartment a few blocks away. Half an hour, plenty of time. Tori used the rope she had hung from the fire escape to climb up, her footsteps barely audible as she ascended the metal case.
Finding the window already open a small crack, a chill tickled her spine before she slithered inside. It’s a warm evening, maybe she needed air. Entering the living room, she surveyed the space silently, her pulse pounding in her ears like a hammer.
Not seeing anything out of place in the room, she made her way to the bedroom as quietly as she could. It stood open about six inches, so that a line of light shone across the floor. She huffed silently, aware of the need to control her breathing. I’ll be able to peek inside before being visible to anyone looking out, but only if she were quiet about it.
Reaching the door and peering through the crack, she caught sight of a gruesome scene. On the bed lay Debra Paisley’s blood spattered body. She lay naked, and the look of horror frozen on her face stopped Tori cold, her heart still thumping in her chest.
The two men had intentionally disobeyed their directive, having wanted to assault the woman before they finished her off. They had just completed the job and put her to rest, one of them still standing with his pants around his ankles as he appeared to be cleaning himself with a piece of the victim’s clothing.
Heartbroken, Tori felt a flood of uncontrollable anger pouring over her mind. Pulling at her jacket, she allowed it to fall to the floor in a heap, dropping her pistol on top of it. Grasping a large cat shaped statue from the corner next to the door, she flew into the room and knocked the half-naked man to the floor. The heavy glass figure had rendered him unconscious with a single blow to the back of the head.
Spinning to face Dan, who stood gawking at her in utter dismay, she unleashed her fury. Knocking him against the wall with a few heavy swings, she tossed the effigy aside and released her knife.
Rather than cutting him and allowing him to die easily, she stabbed him in the gut, puncturing him, listening with clenched teeth to the thock sound as her arm shot back and forth in quick motion. She hit as many vital organs as she could through her rage red vision.
He would bleed out in short order, the blood from his liver oozing a deep burgundy, but he would have sufficient time to think about crossing her. Standing straight, she spit in his face as he stared in wide-eyed disbelief.
Tori heard the groan of the man who lay next to them. Her raw anger spent on Dan, she flicked her knife in her hand, spinning it playfully as she considered her options. Decisions, decisions. Kicking him in the side, he coughed as he rolled into a semi-fetal position, exposing himself as his pants were still at his calves.
Glancing over at her friend’s assaulted body, she re-clenched her teeth before dropping her right knee to his chest. She faced Dan, no desire to turn her back on him, while holding her new target pinned. Twisting, grasping him firmly, she used the knife to remove his flaccid bulge with a single decisive stroke, as if it were the head of a snake.
Coming around with a horrified scream, the trapped man tried to knock her off with a shove. Clutching the bloody stump in her left hand, Tori pivoted and sank the knife into his throat to silence him with her right.
Holding her position, she allowed the blood to ooze over her fingers as she squeezed his manhood, tempted to defile him further with the trophy. Dan still watched her as his own blood soaked into the carpet, and she froze for an instant when their eyes met, her heart knocking loudly in her chest as heavy gasps escaped her.
Giving the knife a twist, she finished off the mutilated Scorpion. Her face made of stone, she dropped his organ next to him, wiping her crimso
n hands and blade on his shirt. Rising, Tori turned towards the bed. Catching her breath at the sight of her first female friend, the hot tears streamed down her face.
Moving closer, her chest heaved while she allowed herself a short moment to remember how Debra had made her feel like a person. Drawing a ragged breath and wiping away the drops of grief, she pulled the sheet to cover the woman that she loved and touched the top of her head in parting.
With a disgusted grimace, Tori washed her hands and knife in the bathroom basin. She could hear Dan laughing around the corner, “Guess we know what happened to the Dragons…” he taunted her, his voice raspy and faint.
Grasping the hem of her blood covered shirt, she lifted the article over her head, dropping it onto the floor before inspecting herself in the mirror. Swiftly, she removed any spatter that she could see on her skin and hair. With a snap, the knife closed and she toyed with it briefly before returning it to her boot.
Tori felt angry at herself for the random stabbing. Jesus, did I really just cut… she couldn’t finish the thought, something so degrading, so vile, about her actions. I guess I never realized how horrifying my most depraved self could be. She shuddered, knowing what she would have done with the chunk of flesh if the other man had not been watching.
Returning to the bedroom, she stared at Dan through hollow eyes. She could see him taking in staggered breaths while leaning against the chest of drawers, watching her. Reaching into the closet, she removed a plain white tee from a hanger and tugged it over her head, freeing her long dark waves from inside.
Dan sneered at her, still panting, “Ya know, your tears don’ mean shit, bitch. You’re goin’ to hell, jus’ like the rest of us, you filthy… fucking… whore.”
A New Life Series - Finisher Set Page 14
