CHAPTER THREE

continuing from the morning run, why is Nathan angry? Hmm I wonder...

We got back at my place everyone including Marci had died on the sofa the moment we had got in. Nathan had been wearing an irritable expression since we left the station feeling useless after all the trouble he had gone through just for my well-being. I admired him for that and managed to plant a rewarding ‘thank you for what you did earlier’ kiss on him as I dropped weakly on his chest. Doing this made that wrinkle on his forehead smoothen and he broke into a smile, hugging me against his warm �" still clothed body.

            “It’s so not like you to forgive someone.” He said. I nodded pulling back, this time straddling my legs as I sat on his torso and I slid my hands inside his shirt having him to flinch uncomfortably as I pulled them out. Working my way to his flies, he seized my hands with a confused look in his face. This however didn’t stop me because this time I snaked forward to kiss him �" passionately.  He resisted at first, groaning as I made my way through him. He eventually gave in and pulled me up, still locking our lips as we moved in the dark quarters of my room �" a dull shades of dark purple room with laced mosquito drapes hanging above the silky lilac bedding, where the intense make out session continued, like I said there was an exception the rule of my anti-sweating.

            “I don’t remember adding wine on your drink,” Nathan’s voice was husky and exhausted. “Are you either happy or worried about something?” I shook my head, he knew me too well I on the other hand didn’t know what I was feeling. I’m not happy, or worried. I’m not in the lines of frustrated either so, maybe because I felt like it?

            I paused, dropping my apparently bare body against his and with my ears pressed against his violently beating chest. “Can we just stay like this forever?” I whispered, without even looking, I could tell Nathan was raising an eyebrow. I looked up to meet his graze, “In the future, if I did something unforgivable you’ll forgive me right?” He looked utterly confused and without him saying I can tell what he was thinking which was somewhere in the lines of ‘what are you talking about?’ I won’t even judge him; I myself didn’t even know what I was talking about “Nothing” I whispered, resting my head on his surprisingly smooth firm chest once more and instantly falling into a deep sleep almost like a coma, where no matter what movement you made wouldn’t even stand a chance in waking me.

The truth is I was scared. I didn’t really mind getting my hands dirty just for the sake of seeking revenge. I know that my crimes are starting to pile up, especially once I take down the remaining four involved in the case, I was willing to go to jail if I was caught and only if I was caught after I was done with my mission. I didn’t want to worry Nathan or anyone who cares for me at that matter, I really didn’t want to disappoint Nathan who might have to bring me behind bars after finding out I had betrayed him. I can’t stand him getting hurt.

I woke up that evening, now dressed. Nathan wasn’t beside me and instead Marci took his place. Throwing myself sideways, I spotted a bouquet of flowers on top of the drawers by my bedside. “He knows me too well.” I muttered, admiring the lilac cone detaining the red and white roses together, beside them was a note and an untouched tray of dinner. He was the perfect husband, perfect boyfriend. However, what relationship do we have? Whatever it was, I was content with what we had.

The meal ended up to be a lonely one, as always, except I had to share it with Marci. Compared t0 me, she looked like she had enjoyed it much better than I did, which I envied her for since it was solely for me.

The rest of the evening went by without anything to do, it’s funny how I always longed for a stress free day off where no one suddenly interrupts my evening, but I had actually miss the sudden phone calls on my typical weekends back at the office where I’d end busy all night long. Nathan didn’t bother to call either, and I wondered if he thought I was weird, you know for suddenly going too fast.

I decided to work on some information I already had about my next target. Today must have been my lucky day since while I was working on the living room with the muted television still on, I noticed that the heavens above must have been on my side sending me a blissful message: Holden Liu, an Asian in his late forties had finally returned to Cello Cove after those oh-so many years.

He was the only politician who didn’t gain a seat in the political warp despite the fact that he was one of the five oligarchs’ involved in the McCormick’s case. He was a skilled businessman running for the governor’s position but had backed out once he found out Reynolds was running for the same position again. He then ran for the next higher-ranking position, but apparently didn’t make it at the top as well.

Glancing at the television and the files in front of me, I noticed that he hadn’t age a wink. He looked the same and unlike Torres, puberty served him right. I skimmed through the document. There I found out that he wasn’t wholly involved in the McCormick’s case since someone had forced him to keep his trap shut after witnessing Logan and his wife’s death.

I was thinking whether I should let him go, but stumbled on a bit of information enough to keep my blood boiling: He was involved in the 2005 McCormick Trial as well as the Cello bay shootout where hundreds of innocent lives, mostly kids, killed after they had opposed his private beach house project.

Pain began to swell not only in my heart but also on the temples of my eyes. I was starting to get tired. After all, it was two a.m. in the morning. I rested my head on the table closing my eyes to ease a little of that pain when Marci ducked from under my arm and turned up the volume of the television. I’m guessing Marci does have a mind of her own, unless Logan McCormick had possessed her and has been helping me with this case for years.

I listened intently, although Liu was one hundred percent Asian, he had a clear British accent. Thinking back at what information I had dug out I remembered the fact that he studied at a prestigious university in Great Britain. It was a small detail, but it was best to know more of your enemy, since it could be a lot useful in the future.

Liu cleared his throat, I never expected him to sound young despite his looks. He wore glasses and squinted in front of the camera, unlike Reynolds he was sincerely distressed for his lost. The reason behind his return is that his mother, who is probably in her nineties had just died a week ago and Liu would be staying indefinitely in Cello Cove for the mass and throughout the burial that would take place for forty days.

For Asian’s I believe did this as a tradition. It was believed the souls of those who passed were still lingering around, and within those forty days, they stayed on this earth until they finally left, probably because they still had unfinished business to do. Sounds frightening to have a decaying body for forty days, but everyone had their beliefs and I had mine. I respected that.

The Mass would start eight a.m. and end at nine p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, Friday’s and Sundays the remaining days at seven a.m. to eight p.m.  It would be a little rude to destroy a peaceful mass all for the sake of my greedy need of revenge. I’ll leave it up to the heaven’s to decide what path I’ll choose, and whatever happens after this day, I can’t promise I’d wake up planning to give up what I’ve started and live a clean life. Because I made a promise, engraved in my heart that someday, I’ll seek and commit that rightful justice all of those people especially the McCormick’s deserve and completely attain peace in not only this town, but around the world as well.

That night I had fallen asleep in the living room, head rested on the coffee table as I still sat on the sofa a few a few inches apart, and had two dreams.

A dream

I see myself, 24 years ago, crying hard as a woman with red hair, held me close. She hushes me by singing a quick lullaby. It’s familiar, it sounds just like what Josephine’s been singing to me at bedtime before I go to sleep when I was young. She had this beautiful angelic voice, she was young, she had this rosy complexion and was gentle when she held me close, tenderly holding me against her warm chest and showering me with her love. Even as an infant, I could easily tell we were at sea in an exquisite liner, because I felt sick by rocking of the vicious sea. She smiled sweetly as she conversed with the younger version of Josephine who was right beside her. There was a knock from the door, and a man came in, I’m smiling it’s him. He had the same eyes as me �" azure and ambitious, we had the same hair color �" hazel brown except mine was a little bit redder like the woman who held me. The man crosses the room and takes me in his arms they are warm and fatherly. He tells me how much he loves me and suddenly, there is a loud pounding coming from the door. The three adults exchange worried glances, nodding as if they were communicating mentally instead of verbally. I am crying, I don’t know what’s happening, but the woman who was now joining the same hold with the man who had held me once more hushed me. They handed me to Josephine and ushered her in the bathroom, instructing her to lock it. This time there was a tone of panic in all of their voices, the red headed woman had told Josephine not to open the door no matter what sound she heard, and if things got worse, she’d escape from the window. Josephine nodded both of us are now locked in the small dark bathroom, dimly lit by the moonlight. Josephine is shaking, silently sobbing. There is a loud gunshot, followed by five more. Josephine was shaking hard, jerking her hand whenever she hurt the gunfire. Thankfully, the bathroom window was big enough for the both of us to fit, she held my small body close to hers, wrapping her arms around me as we fell on the wooden flooring, the shooting sound had stopped, and Josephine once more panicked and jumped inside the roaring walls of water hurling towards the ship. We were drowning thankfully Josephine was an expert swimmer… and floater and was able to hold her breath longer. We were a few feet away from the ship when I hear a loud explosion it was coming from the cruiser. The cruiser had bursts into flames and immediately sunk right before our eyes.

Darkness envelopes me and I suddenly enter yet another dream

I’m at the rooftop of a giant skyscraper in the center of the town (I don’t know what it is, like I’d know in detail what is appearing in my dream). It’s like those action movies where the good guy and the bad guy are having their final battle before the ending and one of them is going to die, obviously the bad guy is. My belly is bulging… am I pregnant? I don’t really know since it’s a dream after all. There is a dead body a few feet from me, apparently belongs to Reynolds. I think I killed him. I suddenly felt a surging pain at my side and my belly, both from the kicking baby and the wound I had from struggling in a fight with someone. Nathan is a few feet across me, holding up a gun pointed towards me. I’ve never seen him this mad before. His arm was bleeding and there was a little streak of blood running down his forehead as well. Before fire’s but it misses, at the same moment another wild bullet is shot towards him and he falls off the rooftop and down below us, where the cops had surrounded the entire building. I’m crying, falling into my knees in severe agony.

Author's Note

i'm not really sure about the audience should it be in the category of mature, teens, or everyone