by Ethan Egorov
“Well I’m pretty good with a gun, but I’m much better in hand-to-hand combat.”
“Okay, I’ll draw his fire then you try to get in as close as possible to him.”
“Sounds like a plan. I just hope that his thugs aren’t in as good of shape as you.”
“Pfft… Augustin’s training methods are rigorous and unforgiving. They won’t be in as good of shape as I am. They’ll be in better shape. “
“Fuck me.”
They made good time walking up the few blocks together still pretending to be tourists in love. Occasionally they would stop to catch their collective breath and Cassandra would lean over without warning and kiss Trent either on the cheek or once or twice directly on the mouth. Her lips were surprisingly soft again his own and he was tempted to kiss her back only more forcefully. He knew though that she was only making it appear as if they were an ordinary couple on a romantic stroll through the French Quarter. They didn’t want to draw attention to themselves until they were well within Augustin’s home.
They stopped for a few moments before they were close to the entrance and surveyed the surroundings. It was quite odd to find that despite the busy crowds, the gated area by the mansion seemed mostly empty. There were no signs for the home whatsoever and it seemed to be devoid of any information that would have drawn tourists in. A single guard did sit in a tiny building manning the gate and after a quick scrutiny, Trent decided the man seemed formidable and he was intent on his job. He stood actually surveying the property and wasn’t playing on his cell phone. He wasn’t distracted by anything and through is dark sunglasses appeared to have a permanent scowl on his face. “Fuck Cassandra. This isn’t going to be easy. He’s not going to let us in is he?”
“Nope. I certainly wouldn’t bet on it. That’s Augustin’s training though. He demands a distraction-free work area. His security detail was always top-notch. If you’re in his fold though, that’s a great thing. It’s one of the safest places on Earth.”
“Well if Kristina’s with him I don’t care how safe it is. I’m getting her out of this prison, Cassandra. You better believe that. So I’m just going to roll up my sleeves and take this guy out. We’ll figure out the rest as we go along.”
“Oh Trent. Augustin would have had a field day training you. You don’t have any tact do you?”
“Nah. I’m kinda proud of that fact though. I somehow always come out on top, but I never beat around the bush.”
“So you’re just gonna try to walk up to this guy drag him out of his booth and beat the fuck out of him?”
“Yeah. I mean, do you have a better plan?”
“Sigh. I can’t believe you would ask that question. Of course I have a better plan. Be as quiet as possible and wait for my signal to approach the gate. You understand?”
“Yeah.”
Cassandra walked quietly to the edge of the gate that surrounded the structure and opened her jacket. To Trent’s surprise she didn’t pull out her gun, instead she pulled out what appeared to be a long wooden shaft from the inside pocket. She then also pulled out a separate piece that she began screwing into the end of it. He watched the entire process with fascination. Her eyes were narrowed as she concentrated on twisting the weapon together. She then knelt against the corner of the brick wall diagonal to the guard’s office and rested her back against it for support. She crouched for a few moments and Trent studied her movements. She seemed to be waiting for the perfect time to make her move. She took a deep breath and then brought the weapon to her lips. She took a deep breath then suddenly blew into the wooden pipe. Trent almost cheered when he saw the projectile hit the man in the neck. He swatted at the side of his neck as if he were trying to kill a mosquito. Cassandra looked back at him and smiled then held up one finger, indicating for Trent to wait a minute before he rushed to her. The large guard’s face turned blood red and he grabbed at the front of his neck in a panic. Cassandra looked positively evil in that moment when the man suddenly lost control of his body and slumped down in the booth landing with a loud thud on the office floor. She then motioned for Trent to come closer to her. “What in the hell was that Cassie?!”
“Just some different strategies I’ve picked up through the years. That is actually an ancient art. We’re just lucky the wind was in our favor.”
“Is he dead?”
“Hard to tell, normally though the poison in the tip just acts as a tranquilizer or a paralytic. Since he’s out cold, I’m guessing he’s just under and will sleep for a long while. After you Trent. Now don’t be stupid and make too much noise going through the gates. We definitely don’t want a disturbance this far out of the mansion. If so there’s no way we’re getting in.”
“Okay. I’ll follow your lead, but I assure you I won’t be killing Augustin with a dart. I’m going to make him bleed.”
“You have no idea just how menacing he can be Rambo. Just focus on getting Kristina out and we’ll figure out the rest as we go, I hope she’s still in decent shape.”
Kristina sat cross-legged on her ‘bed’ and stared at her hands. She had already given up the hope of escaping from her own prison. She wondered though if she were strong enough to kill Augustin with her bare hands. She had never really been much of a fighter, she only learned the basics from Trent and her brothers when their father had taught them all how to fight as youngsters. He had advised them that at some point in life everyone had to eventually take up for themselves. Kristina silently thanked her father for his advice from years ago. She wasn’t as strong as him, but if she could somehow only get him hurt enough she could then make a break for her freedom. She knew there was peril in that plan because she didn’t know just how many guards Augustin had waiting in the hallway. It all seemed relatively quiet, but at the same time, she didn’t know enough about the location to make an educated guess. So thinking logically it seemed that killing the man was her best option if she wanted to ever see the skyline again.
She frowned at the books he had left her. The thought of them still made her stomach twist and turn. She knew that Cassandra spent many years with the man and at one point she did seem genuinely frightened of him. She would often allude to her employer being quite the taskmaster. She always said it was for her own good though. When Cassandra said that though, Kristina could tell by the way she shrank her shoulders and dropped her head, that the woman knew otherwise. It was never for her own good. Whatever punishment he had doled out to the young woman did nothing to make her a better assassin, it only served to help break her spirit. Kristina steeled her own resolve. She would not become his puppet. She would fight with everything in her body, she’d die before she would become his slave.
As if on cue she heard the lock click. Secretly she hoped it was Trent rushing in to find her, but she knew that was an unlikely possibility. She didn’t even have an inkling as to where she ended up. He could have taken her half way across the world and no one would be the wiser. Her stomach fell once again as she recognized that it was Augustin walking into the room. “Ah…I apologize once again for abandoning you. I assure you that it was all business and not so much pleasure. I had a meeting with one of my correspondents back home in Paris. He’s a lovely chap, but he is very long-winded. I grow quite tired hearing about his children. I mean, it’s certainly good to repopulate the planet, but at the same time, everything a child does shouldn’t be praised. What do you think?”
“I think that’s completely up to the children’s parents. I try not to meddle in the affairs of others, especially ones that don’t concern me.”
“So you don’t have an opinion. That’s interesting. As the fairer sex I thought you may have an opinion on child rearing. So I take it you don’t have any of your own?”
“No. I don’t have children. Let’s just say that I’ve never really had the inclination to be domestic.”
“Hmm…that’s very intriguing. I thought that was something that was biologically embedded in women.”
“Not all of them. I m
ean, sure maybe one day when I settle down I might have a couple, but right now I don’t feel settled enough.”
“Yes…I suppose being a contract killer would certainly not work around an infant’s feeding schedule.”
“Yeah, something like that.”
“Anyway, I’m sorry that I kept you waiting. Did you enjoy any of the reading material I supplied you with?” As he asked the question, Augustin sat on the edge of the bed beside her. He held his hands in his lap and looked down at the books, taking a moment to run his finger along one of their covers. “So what did you think?”
“You came to see me to talk about books?”
“Haha. No dear, not at all, I’m just making pleasant conversation. You still seem rather concerned and I just want to alleviate your fears.”
“Well honestly…yes. I am a bit afraid Augustin.” The man slowly moved his hand onto Kristina’s and he gave it a gentle squeeze. “I assure you Kristina, that’s not my intention at all. Cassandra was a bit afraid at first too. I just want you to be the best version of yourself you can be. I want to make you the best assassin you can be also. Of course, I have my own motives for doing so. I want you to of course work with me and also provide me with occasional companionship. There are times when I need a beautiful woman hanging off of my arm for business purposes and might I say you are one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever encountered.”
Kristina tensed up and inhaled sharply. Her skin suddenly felt as if it were on fire. She felt bile in the pit of her stomach and it churned in protest. She was repulsed and sickened at the thought of being his plus one to anything. “So is that what happened to Cassandra? Did she grow tired of being your Barbie doll?”
“I’ve told you Kristina… I am sorrowful about Cassandra, but she betrayed me. She refused a very important job, and I simply couldn’t have her refusing work. We’ve too much to do in our organization for me to micromanage all of my employees.”
“Fuck you. She was the closest thing to a best friend I’ve ever had.”
“Are you sure about that Kristina? Those are harsh words. I’ll forgive them this once, though. I understand you’re upset about being removed from your familiar surroundings.”
“Yes. Why would you say that?”
“Haha. Oh you are quite beautiful in this light. I feel as if your innocence makes you more beautiful somehow. Think about it Kristina. Was she really your friend or did she only want more from you? Didn’t she ask you to do more than what you were prepared to do?”
Kristina reddened and remembered the night that everything went wrong once more. She then shook her head and looked at Augustin who looked at her earnestly. He was right. Cassandra did want more from her than she was willing to give her, but at the same time, she didn’t feel neglected or used. She simply couldn’t give her friend everything she needed. She knew deep down that Cassie didn’t hold that against her, she was only hurt and needed time to heal. “Yes…she did, but at the same time, I suppose I didn’t set clear boundaries in the beginning.”
“Ah boundaries! I’m glad that you brought that up. That is another reason I wanted to come see you. You see, Kristina if our relationship is going to work we are going to need boundaries as well. You’ll find my boundaries are fairly easy to live with though.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Well there are some rules I think we should set from the beginning so there’s no confusion later. I’d hate to have another Cassandra on my hands.”
Kristina glared at Augustin in disgust. She was tempted to just lunge at him but knew that she’d be easily overpowered. Her body was still weak from whatever sedative he used in kidnapping her and she still felt somewhat sluggish. “I’m listening.”
“Well for starters I think that having mutual respect is a great ground rule. What you did right there… that I would praise you for. See, in agreeing to defer to me for dominance in the conversation you just proved you know how to show respect. I will expect this always from this point on. With that understanding, I will expect you to listen to all of these rules then confirm your understand. Shall I continue?”
“Yes.”
“Very good. Yes, you are doing an amazing job Kristina. So we’ve established what respect means. The second rule of our arrangement is trust. You will abide by my commands even if you don’t understand their practicality at the moment. This proves that you trust me to make sound decisions for both us and our business.”
“Okay.”
“Very nice. The last rule is one that I’m not quite certain you will understand, but I will attempt to make it easy for you. You must always address me as Sir. Augustin is far too informal for our arrangement. From this point on, I’m not just some casual acquaintance you met last week. You are mine and I am yours. Do you understand?”
“Yes…sir.”
“You have been very good so far Kristina. Sigh… I just don’t know how I became so lucky. I do believe that you and I shall get on far better than Cassandra and I did. She didn’t listen to these rules very well. She did have some, well, some unpleasantness because of it though. Ah yes… fond memories. For me at least.”
“What do you mean?”
“Let’s just say that I learned a lot from Cassandra. I learned all the right ways to break someone at least. I’d like to think I’m a professional at it by now.” Kristina slid a bit further from Augustin and he immediately noticed her subtle movements. “Ah. There is nothing you need to fear from me at the moment. In fact, I’m rather pleased at your behavior so far.”
Kristina looked at him and saw a mixture of both pride and something else in Augustin’s eyes. She didn’t want to upset him for fear of his wrath, but at the same time she knew that if she didn’t at least attempt to fight back that at some point he would eventually wear her down and she’d suffer the fate of being his kept woman. She would never do that. In fact, when she managed to escape she decided that she was going to try to settle down and live with Trent. She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt now that he was her home and would always make her feel complete. “You’re being exceptionally quiet now. I wonder what you’re thinking about Kristina? You’ll have to share what’s going on in your head with me at some point. I think that I am going to find you intellectually intoxicating. I rather enjoyed mine and Cassandra’s discussions. You wouldn’t think it, just judging her by looks alone, but she has some interesting theories on the universe and of course art. I rather enjoyed our chats. Oh well, such is life I suppose. The only thing that matters aright now in this moment is that I have found a suitable replacement for her, I do believe. So tell me Kristina, what did you think of the literature I left you with?”
“Oh… yeah, I’d never read any of those before. I guess they were okay, I mean they’re really not the type of books I’d pick for myself though.”
“Hmm…that’s curious. Do go on. Tell me what would you pick for yourself given the option?”
“Oh I like romance novels. I guess you’d call them um, Harlequins. When I was a kid, I’d sneak into my grandmother’s attic and find scores of them. I’d take them with me to the lake when I would go and read them in secret.”
“Why in secret?”
“Oh we were devout Catholics growing up. It was have upset my grandmother quite a bit to see that I was pursing that type of reading material. She would say it was much too mature for my age.”
“Ah. I’d definitely have to disagree with her there. I know many teenagers who read far more mature titles and they didn’t grow up to be any different than anyone else. In fact they’re probably more successful. It seems that the lawyers and professors I know tended to pick up mature titles at a very young age. So in making that correlation you just may have a genius hidden in you.”
“Haha! Now see Sir…that is funny. Trust me, there’s no genius here, just maybe a young woman who was an early bloomer.”
“Your use of my proper title is very much noted and appreciated Kristina. I see you are going to be a
quick study. Something tells me that there was something else that Cassandra discovered about you that you’ve kept hidden for many years. She often alluded to you in our chats. I was a bit of a sounding board for her for quite some time. It seems that she fretted over you quite a bit. I think I know why now. You are intoxicating.” Augustin slid closer to Kristina once more and took his hand and gently twirled his fingers through her long red tresses. He then took a few moments to gently caress the side of her cheek with the back of his hand. Kristina closed her eyes and inhaled sharply holding her breath at his touch. She then bit her bottom lip nervously in anticipation of his next move. He took his time and studied her intensely while he caressed her cheek. “You can relax, my Kristina. I’m not going to hurt you. I do want to know your secret though. Hmm perhaps I can guess it. Was it a man that came between you and Cassandra? Was it? I expect you to answer me now Kristina.”
Kristina remained silent and shook her head from left to right. She knew what he was talking about though. She recalled the moment that she told Cassandra. The woman was shocked and also more intrigued than ever. She knew the woman desperately wanted to show her just how good of an experience she could have, but something within her stopped that from occurring. “So if it wasn’t a man, what was it? Did you two have a falling out over pride? What was it that really caused the rift that was not repairable? You know she was a mess. It was sad actually. She was despondent, if anything made her a better killer, trust me you certainly did. She just didn’t seem to have a heart anymore.”
They sat in silence for a few moments and Augustin slid his arm around her shoulders and began rubbing her back in slow circular movements. “Tell me Kristina. I need you to trust me if you don’t want to have the same experience that Cassie did. Things could have went better for us in the beginning, trust me. I never enjoyed torturing her, but at the same time she was so very stubborn. I see that trait in you. I know you’re fighting the urge right now to elbow me in the ribs and attempt to run. Please Kristina don’t do that. You’ve much too beautiful for me to destroy, but if it’s a necessity I certainly will.”
