Chapter 2

Joshua sighed before grasping my hand, and dragging me along the sidewalk. I’m not completely sure how long, far, or where we walked before he ushered me through a door, down a hallway, into and out of an elevator, and into another hallway.

My brain felt fried; I couldn’t process anything I knew I needed. I was shocked that my whole body felt drained from just a name, and a few tears. In short I’d just let some complete stranger, who somehow knows not only me but Godric too, waltz in and turn me into a pitiful cry baby. That wasn't exactly doing wonders for my ego complex either.

Momentarily we paused in a red carpeted hallway; I heard the jingling of keys, and the shuffle click of a door being opened. Joshua’s death grip on my right hand slowly dissipated, as if it never existed at all, only to reappear on my upper arm as he guided me through a door way.

I faintly remember being guided over to a couch, I’m guessing not long after that I’d passed out.

 

*  *  *

     I woke up silently, not stirring one bit. Before I opened my eyes I not only felt, but smelt the dreaded mugginess of dog breath. Groaning I opened my eyes, and sure enough with its face right in front of mine was a big, bulky Golden Retriever. I don’t even think you can have those things in apartments!

     “What are you lookin’ at?” I asked the dog.

     My question didn’t seem to faze the canine any, if at all. It just sat there staring at me with its tongue lolling out of its mouth. I shook my head at the dense animal as I sat up.

     “Where’s Joshua?” I asked the dog, who just twitched its ears.

     I sighed; the dog was really starting to get to me.

     “Oh so you’re finally awake now, huh?” I heard a voice question me from behind.

     Shrieking loud enough to bring pain to my own ear drums I spazzed erratically off the couch, and landed at the Golden Retriever’s feet. Though before I could move said dog decided it was okay to now attack my face with its tongue.

     “Joshua get your dog off me!” I yelled at him as I tried to breathe through the on slot of overgrown puppy slobber.

     “Okay Suey that’s enough, get over here girl.” Joshua called to the dog I deem to be Suey with a light chuckle.

     Without another word needing to be said Suey gave me one final lick on the nose before bounding over to her owner. I watched in disgust a he praised the dog for waking me up. Shaking my head I brought the left sleeve of my hoodie to my face and wiped away all of the nasty dog slobber. Dog slobber is one of the many reasons I’m a cat person. Cats rule dogs drool.

     “So now that I’m awake would you mind explaining to me how you know me and Godric?” I questioned while pulling myself back onto the couch.

     I watched Joshua closely waiting for him to attack me, but he never did. Instead he walked over to the other side of the couch, with Suey in toe, and sat down beside me; Suey taking to the floor.

     “Godric and I grew up together in Berlin. We’d live across the street from each other since we were four years old, and when my parents died when I was twelve his family took me in because I had no one else. Not long after I had turned seventeen his parents, Belinda and Bogart, decided they wanted to move the family to the states. Somehow they came up with the idea to move to Las Vegas, though I couldn’t get the paper work to become a US citizen. They spent a lot of money, and risked everything to get the fake papers, but everything worked out in the end. When we got to the states we didn’t have a lot of money so we settled for a life in the Vegas Slums. About a year and a half later Godric met you; the love of his life.” As Joshua finished I could tell he was on the brink of tears.

     “How come I never met you?” I asked softly mindful of his emotional status, but I was still intent on getting some damn answers.

     “He sighed heavily. “About a week before Godric met you I got an offer to work here in the harbor. It was the best opportunity I was going to get with not being a legal citizen an all, so I took it without much thought. Godric sent pictures of everyone, including you. He loved to brag about you to me all the time, even while in prison.”

     That last bit made me smile slightly, but my smile soon faded when I realized he said “loved” not loves. Had something happened to Godric, or had he simply given up on me?

     “You said “loved” not loves, why?” I asked bracing myself  for the worst.

     “Well, I haven’t spoken with him for close to a year. Have you seen him or spoken to him since he got sentenced?” Joshua questioned me as he ran a hand through his blonde hair.

     “No I haven’t. I tried to before, three months after his sentencing to tell him my father was forcing me to give Genevieve up for adoption, but because I was his victim I wasn’t permitted to seen him. Even if I was to go to see him now with my back ground, and track record I wouldn’t get past the prison gates if that.” I said solemnly.

     Everything I’d just said was the truth. It didn’t matter how badly I wanted to see my lover ‘cause it wouldn’t happen, not with everyone all over holy hell after me. It’s highly likely that every government agency in the country, if not the world, had been warned about me, especially after the massacre I preformed in Paris, France a year ago.

     "Genevieve?" Joshua looked at me questioningly.

     "Genevieve is the name Godric, and I chose for our daughter. As I said my father made me place her up for adoption. Godric doesn't know anything about the adoption at all, and finding her has been one of my top priorities for the last seven years, along with breaking him out of prison by whatever means necessary." I replied, looking at the floor hoping somehow it would magically speak and tell me all the answers I wanted, but of course it didn't.

     "I'll help you in any way that I can." Joshua said to me with a sympathetic look on his face.

     "I don't want your pity." I snapped at him testing his true intentions.

     "I'm not giving you pity. Remember Momo he's my best friend that I would do anything for n a heartbeat; that includes busting him out of prison and finding his daughter." He spat back obviously offended.

     I smirked. "Good 'cause I don't except pity."

     "So while you figure out what we're going to do next would you like something to eat?" Joshua asked with a shining smirk of his own that could easily rival mine.

     "Sure what are we having?" I asked pursing my lips.

     "How do you feel about roman?" He asked as he got from the couch, and headed to what I presumed to be the kitchen.

     To put it as simply as possible when the word "roman" came out of his mouth I felt my little world brighten by just a smidge more.

     "Hell yeah it's my favorite!" I cried with joy as I hopped off the couch and followed.

     For the first time since I'd been here I took in my surroundings as I followed behind Joshua. Everything was extremely vintage, and I'm talking 1960's vintage here. Though a few things struck me as odd. Everything I was passing seemed extremely clean, and that isn't normal with most male bachelors, at least with the ones I've met, though he could have a girlfriend that cleans up after him, but there were no pictures in sight to suggest that either. Another thing was that a twenty-five year old guy, not to mention someone who's friends with the legendary Godric Jeager, should have band posters, posters of women, and stuff dealing with cars practically everywhere, but he didn't.

      When I factored in more elements of how he was similar to Godric the only thing I came up with was maybe that attitude, but then again I don't know him very well; plus for all I know it could be some weird German trait. As I started to think more about it he was more like me than he could possibly be to Godric, and that send a small wave of panic through me. I already knew that all information I'd been given was completely false, but the worst part of the situation was I was in his home. In his element.

     I shook my head trying to get the paranoid thoughts out of my mind as I entered the kitchen. It was a small room; the walls were wood paneling, there were a few aged oak cabinets, a pantry in the corner, a small dining table, and appliances from the nineties. I saw Suey laying down in the middle of the floor, and decided if I was going to be around a lot I might as well start liking the dog, and sat down on the floor beside her.

     "So why did your father make you give up Genevieve?" Joshua asked completely out of the blue.

     I swallowed hard, Genevieve was a touchy subject. "He felt that Godric was nothing but scum, and he didn't want the child of scum around. Plus he had some notion that Godric corrupted my mind."

     Suey showed me no more interest, so I got up and sat down at one of the chairs at the table. Sighing I placed my chin on the back of the chair, and started to watch Joshua as he cooked. Joshua turned to me, and sent a reassuring smile with eyes filled with hope.

     "Don't worry," he said pausing to stir the noodles. "Once you have Godric back everything will start falling back into its place."

     A few moments of silence later Joshua served us both our bowls of roman, and sat down in a chair across from me. When he sat down my eyes went wide, and everything I'd brushed off in the hallway rushed back to me. Every piece of information I was given in that file was wrong, and I wasn't given a reason for the hit either; that said something, no it screamed something. I was in his home, in his element, and if he found out what exactly I was hired to do who knows what could happen. The possibilities of the consequences to my stupidity could be endless, and I mean that quite literally.

     Of course in the back of my mind I had that ignorant little voice, yes the one we all say we love but in secret we actually hate dearly, saying the guy who hired me knew of my situation, and was just trying to help. That was not only very unlikely, but pure stupidity.

     As I dug into my roman Joshua for whatever reason decided then was a good time to ask the questions I was avoiding ever since I met him.

     "So what exactly were you doing kicking a car tire, yelling at a phone, running away from me, and why was 'this' in the back of your pants?" He questioned, 'this' referring to my 9 millimeter standard police issue Glock he'd just placed in front of me on the table.

     To put it lightly I was in some deep s**t.

        

 

 

 

Reviews

[alexlessah]

I love this, very interesting.