by Ethan Egorov
“I don’t wanna fucking talk about it. I’m taking a shower and going to bed, goodnight Cassandra.” She looked at him sympathetically and sighed. “Well fuck Trent. I can honestly say I know how you feel. Do you want me to try to talk to her?”
“Only if you feel like talking to a brick wall. I’m done though. Do what you want.”
“Sigh. I can see why Kristina loves you. You’re very much a man Trent. Albeit it seems like you’re a good one, but you are stubborn.”
“I don’t care what you think. Like I said, I’m done. You do what you want, though it would be nice if all of us were in the same room since apparently there’s been a price placed on your head.”
“I’ll take care of it. Go on and shower or whatever. Trent?”
“Yeah?”
“It’s going to be alright.”
Trent got in the shower and was outraged. He couldn’t believe that the Kristina he knew could be so cold. After all, this weekend getaway wasn’t for him. It was for her. He took his time in the shower, letting the hot spray relax his tired muscles. He didn’t let his guard down though. He knew that if Cassandra was a target than sure enough her pursuers would eventually track her to their hotel. He didn’t know what had went wrong and why Kristina was behaving the way she was, but he hoped that Cassandra could make sense of it. He had a half a mind to just pack up and leave. He thought about just going home and helping Tommy out with some business affairs while Kristina figured things out with Cassandra but he knew he couldn’t do there. He just couldn’t tell her goodbye, after all she was in his bones and under his skin.
Downstairs at the bar Cassandra sat beside Kristina and frowned at her. “Well, quite frankly I’m disappointed.”
“Listen… I’m tired and I just want to be left alone right now. I don’t know what the fuck your problem is.”
“Can you hear yourself?! I think you should just put down that drink and take a step back. My problem? I don’t have the problem with the way things turned out.”
“Fuck you.”
“Kristina I understand why you’re angry. I’m sorry that I didn’t let you know what was going on but I couldn’t risk your safety you meant too much to me.”
“Right. I’m sure that’s why I didn’t hear from you for years. What the fuck ever, just leave me alone.”
“I can’t.”
“Why not?! I mean all you bring is chaos Cassandra, why can’t you leave me with some peace. I mean I was on vacation.”
“Is that why you’re drinking alone. Some vacation. You know, you do have a moderately attractive man waiting for you upstairs in your hotel room. I’m not an expert but that seems more like a vacation to me.”
“Trent. Yeah. I knew that was coming. I’ll go upstairs to be with him because that’s going oh so well.”
“I don’t understand. What happened Kristina? Clearly he’s in love with you or you wouldn’t be here.”
Kristina looked down into her drink again and then looked back up at Cassandra with a tear in her eye. She softly mumbled, “Oh, he knows Cassie.”
“Oh my God. That’s what you’re worried about. Fuck you’re being a stupid girl. Cassandra sat beside Kristina and took her hand. She then continued. “Kristina…it really doesn’t matter. I mean, you’re a wonderful woman with lots to offer the world. You’re great at your job, you’re beautiful, and you have a great sense of humor. Why does it matter so much if you’ve not given it up yet, huh?”
“How can I be certain he’s the one?”
“How can you not? He’s waited all of these years for you. He’s seen you in and out of relationships. He’s seen your good side and definitely your bad side and he’s been patient. Patience is one of the biggest parts of love, Kristina.”
“I guess. I’m just really embarrassed now.”
“It’s going to be okay…now let me take your drunk ass upstairs. I’d hazard a guess and say that we’ll be sharing the bed tonight. Trent was well, moody when I left.”
“That doesn’t surprise me any.”
They walked back upstairs to find Trent had already settled in for the evening. He was sitting in the lounge area staring at a baseball game with his feet propped up. He wore his sweats and held the remote control in one hand with a half-full glass of scotch in the other. He saw Cassandra and Kristina enter and nodded at them, yet he didn’t say anything. He could tell by the way that Kristina was walking that she was sloppy drunk and after their conversation downstairs it wasn’t the type of sloppy drunk he wanted to be around. This was Kristina at her absolute worst. “Trent, I’m sorry about how I pushed you away earlier. Will you just come to bed with me?”
“Just go to sleep, Kristina. You’re drunk, we’ll talk in the morning.” Trent watched as she frowned and pouted. She then walked to their bedroom and shut the door, leaving both him and Cassandra to somehow deal with the aftermath of emotional night. Cassandra looked at Trent quizzically and asked, “You really love her don’t you?”
“Yep. I sure do.”
“You’ve seen her like this before?”
“I’ve seen her like this lots of times actually. She was like this for about a week…after Paris.”
“Damn. I’m sorry Trent. I never knew just how much that affected her.”
“Well you do now. Why did you do it anyway? Why disappear?”
“You know just as well as I do how dangerous our lives are. I was feeling the pressure even then. Something just told me there was a storm coming to mess up my tranquility. That’s when I knew I had to get out.”
“Well so far it’s quiet. I doubt I can sleep though. Hey Cassandra…do you like baseball?”
They sat on the lounge and stared at the baseball game on the flat screen television. Cassandra looked at Trent quizzically and asked, “Who’s your favorite team?”
“Definitely the Red Sox. I think their coaching staff is one of the best in the league.”
“That’s funny. You appreciate the merit of the strategy rather than the individual ability of the players.”
“Yeah…so what’s your point?”
“You surprise me that’s all.”
“Why’s that?”
“You put on this front like you’re some super tough guy, but then you also appreciate a point of the game that people often overlook.”
“Now don’t get it twisted. I’m no slouch when it comes to the ability to crack some heads. In fact, I enjoy it. It’s like there’s a beast within me and trust me when it comes out to play you don’t want to be around. I love it. In fact I live for it. I guess that’s why I’m in the business I’m in. In a lot of ways it’s like pacing the pitch in anticipation for the sound of the bat cracking against the ball.”
“Believe it or not I can understand how you feel.”
“So why are you here again, Cassandra?”
“I really wish you’d call me Cassie. Kristina does.”
“Fine, Cassie quit dodging the question. Why here? Why Las Vegas?”
“Sigh. I don’t know. Peace? You know they say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. I just wanted to start over and set up shop. I wanted to have a ‘normal’ life and pursue my art.”
“Well you were doing pretty good I guess until now. That says something.”
“Isn’t that what you want, Trent? Just to settle down?”
“Nah. I don’t think a nine-to-five job behind a desk will ever be in the cards for me.”
Chapter 11
Cassandra slid closer to Trent and she placed her hand firmly on his knee. Trent swallowed a lump which formed in his throat. “That’s not what I’m talking about. I know deep down that you want the same thing I do. Do you really think that Kristina’s going to settle down and be waiting on you to make a happy home? It’s not in her nature Trent.”
“Pfft. Whatever. I don’t think you know her as well as you think.”
“Don’t I? I’ve seen her in those quiet moments when she’s just sitting there being still. She’ll just stop and
breathe lost in thought. In that moment when she doesn’t worry about anything, that’s when she’s heartbreakingly beautiful and she’ll make you want her to have that moment all the time. Some things, though aren’t meant to be. You see Trent…we’re the same. We have needs that have to be met.” Cassandra moved her hand further up Trent’s thigh and looked at him earnestly. There was a mixture of want and fire in her eyes and Trent saw the flecks of passion and danger. He felt his heart beating faster and felt a burning begin low in his belly. Did he want her? He was afraid to admit it to himself, but he sincerely did. Her melodious voice continued. “Do you know how many tattoos I’ve done for people that were tribute pieces to their longtime loves? I can tell you the number of cover ups I’ve done is double that. So what’s that say about true love? It says that passion always trumps love. As much as you’re trying to deny that right now, you know that fact is undisputable. So ask yourself, can she really give you what you need? I know I can.”
Before Trent could respond or even move away from Cassandra there was a knock at the door. He looked at Cassandra and narrowed his eyes. “You’re not expecting anyone are you?”
“Nope.”
He motioned for her to get down and walked to the door. He looked out the peephole and saw man dressed in the hotel’s uniform. He had a cart with a tray on it. “Room service.”
When Trent didn’t respond the knocking continued. He motioned for Cassandra to go to the other room. Before she had a chance to duck into the other room, the door suddenly beeped and the man pushed the cart inside, knocking Trent out of the way. He unbuttoned his hotel jacket and pulled out a gun. He suddenly began firing into the lounge at Cassandra. Hearing the gunfire, she ducked behind one of the sofa. Trent slowly got to his feet shook his head recovering from the shock of being knocked to the ground. “Fucking Cassandra.”
He set his eyes on the man, who still was firing shots into the room. His bullets didn’t land anywhere near Cassandra, but as he turned and walked to the bedroom, Trent’s heart froze. Was Kristina still sleeping? Surely the commotion had woken her up. This couldn’t be happening. It was their vacation and he knew that once Kristina came to her senses and got over whatever fear was holding her back, they’d work out. That is if she didn’t die by some random thug’s gun first. He gritted his teeth and knew that in the position he was in he’d have a clear run at the attacker. From where he stood there wasn’t anything that would block his momentum and he’d be able to take the assailant down, that was unless he turned and put a bullet in his chest. Without access to any of their weapons, though this was the only way. He never played football, but he knelt down and placed one hand on the ground to steady his balance like he’d seen done numerous times. He then bent his knees and propelled himself towards the gunman.
After running a few paces, he then leapt in the air and hit the man squarely in the chest with his shoulder. He landed on top of their attacker and fortunately the blow was enough to send the man’s gun sliding across the room and resting against the wall. The attacker tried to break free and after dodging a few ill-timed elbows the man threw, Trent pulled his arm back and punched the man. He connected with the man’s jaw and he watched in satisfaction as the man’s eye’s crossed and he slumped down against Trent’s weight. He was unconscious. Trent then sat up and caught his breath. Cassandra had confiscated the gun. He smiled at Cassandra and panted, “I really hope that’s not their idea of room service. I was thinking about ordering some breakfast.”
Cassandra held the gun in her hands and examined it. It was silver and appeared antique. “So that was fun. I don’t think this guy’s going to be talking anytime soon. Go check on Kristina.” Cassandra walked into the other room to find that Kristina was already up, though she did already take measures to protect herself against an attacker. She was in the corner of the room and had taken a side chair, propping it up over her head and using it as a barrier to shield herself from any shrapnel or bullets. “Kristina! Hey it’s Cassie! We’re all clear.”
Kristina lowered the chair and also lowered her own handgun. “Cassie! Well thank God you’re okay. What the fuck is going on?! Where’s Trent?!”
“He’s out with the hired gun. Well at least he’s watching him while he’s unconscious. Come on.” Cassandra extended her hand to Kristina who took it and allowed Cassandra to help her to her feet. She walked out into the lounge and saw the damage. She couldn’t believe what had occurred. “Oh my God. I can’t believe this. What the fuck?! Cassie who is that?!”
“I think we should go somewhere to talk.”
Trent looked at the unconscious assailant. He hadn’t moved. Trent then began raffling through the pockets of his jacket. There was nothing at all in the way of identification on him. He only had his obviously fake hotel ID on his person. He examined his hands and didn’t see a tan line from a ring. They at least knew the person who attempted to murder them was single, or at least did a good job of concealing it if he wore a ring. The man had no outstanding features or attributes. He appeared as if he could have been working at the hotel for years. He was the perfect undercover agent. Had he succeeded he wouldn’t have left behind anything to trace. He wore gloves that Trent had taken off to hide any fingerprints and he also wore a cap which would have stopped any hair from falling off in the scuffle. Trent looked at Cassandra and Kristina and frowned. “Yeah, he’s got nothing. Let’s get dressed and go. Some bystander or at least concerned guest would have already contacted the authorities by now. We don’t want to be here when they arrive. I really don’t want to spend the rest of my vacation caught up in an investigation.”
They quickly packed up their things and walked out of the hotel. They were pleased to discover that traffic had stopped the police from arriving promptly. Trent was delighted to discover though, that Drew had already pulled up at the curb and had the doors and trunk already opened. “Trent! Good to see you my friend. I heard the call on my scanner. I figured that you were somehow involved as trouble seems to follow you. Everyone in. I know a way around the accident.”
Once they were all in the vehicle and situated, Drew asked, “So who’s our third passenger.”
“This is Cassandra. She’s a local…well in a way.”
“Well, where to? I personally don’t feel like being interrogated for driving around persons of interest in apparently a now open police investigation.”
Cassandra looked at Trent and Kristina questioningly. Trent responded, “This is Drew. He’s a longtime family friend and personal driver. He’s safe. You can talk to him.”
“There’s a diner at the edge of town. You know the place…the one was the cow skulls above the door?”
“Yeah… I know it. I went there a few times in my youth after more than a few drinks. They make one hell of a chili if I remember correctly.”
“Yeah they sure do.”
Drew wasted no time in driving to the place on the edge of town and Trent decided that the least he could do was buy Drew dinner as payment for his prompt getaway at the hotel. Then they could make plans as to their next move. They entered the restaurant and as they did the bells on the outside of the doors rang loudly announcing their presence. They did at least change clothes before leaving the hotel so they didn’t look quite as shocked or bedraggled. Trent even took time to wash the assailant’s blood off his hand before they left. Kristina had changed into a pair of her old jeans and wore a hoodie which was warm and also concealed some of her curves. While he wasn’t particularly happy with her choice, he was pleased that she was at least comfortable. After all, the night had grown particularly chillier. He was suddenly grateful for his own jacket which he pulled closer to his chest as they all slid into a corner booth. Trent looked around at the décor and shuddered. The place was definitely southwest. Cassandra and Drew were right about the cow skulls. They lined the walls and gave the place an eerie feeling. He wondered how many people sat in their booth dwelling on the thought that it may be their last stop.
Chap
ter 12
A waiter dressed in jeans and a t-shirt came up to their booth with a pad and pencil. His features were rough and textured. It seemed as if he spent his days working for long hours in the sun before coming to work the night shift at the diner. He cleared this throat and asked each of them what they wanted. He was in Trent’s best estimation a good waiter. He took their order promptly and then returned with their drinks quickly. He spoke with the man behind the counter working the grill before the man nodded at the waiter, holding a spatula in one hand while speaking actively with the other. The waiter nodded at them before he gave them a nonchalant smile and walked out the door. He stood out in front of the restaurant and pulled a package of cigarettes from his shirt sleeve before lighting it and looking up at the warm pinks and oranges that appeared over the city’s skyline. The sun was already rising. He pulled out his phone and checked it, then he smiled to himself and pushed it back down deeply into this pocket. Trent could see from the man’s now broad grin that it seemed as if he’d gotten good news. Trent felt himself suddenly envious of the man. It had felt like years since he’d been able to smile that broadly without fear of everything falling apart.
After he smoked his cigarette, returned inside and walked back to the kitchen where he proceeded to bring out their plates. Drew had taken the opportunity to order the famous chili that he’d been thinking about, while Cassandra opted for a burger and fries. Trent followed suit with Cassandra and went ahead and ordered a burger plate as well. Kristina opted for a southwest grilled chicken salad that looked both fresh and spicy at the same time. As they sipped their non-alcoholic drinks, Trent watched as a man in a flannel shirt and a trucker hat walked to their ancient jukebox and threw a few quarters in. He cringed at the man’s selection, it was just as he feared, some old country tunes that he was certain only those lost on their path listened to. Drew was the first to break the silence as he took a few bites of his chili. “Yes. Now this brings back memories. So what’s the plan? I mean, what do you intend to do now that you can’t go back to the hotel?”
