Killing You Softly

by Khara Campbell

  “I want to leave…I…I’m scared. I been here eleven years. All of my adult life.” She nibbles on her bottom lip. I wait for her to continue. “Where will I go in Italy? Will my family want me back?”

  Now I understand her nervousness. “Why wouldn’t your family want you back?”

  “Why they no fight Lucius to get me back?” Her sad eyes look at me.

  “How would you know that they haven’t? Lucius is obviously a very powerful and persuasive man. He probably stopped them when they tried. Don’t worry yourself about that though. We need to get out of here first. So tonight, are you ready?” I continue to whisper.

  She nods her head. “Yes, I am.”

  “Good.”

  Chapter 30

  CASS

  I’m anxious. Like the first time I did a hit for Vic. But this time, instead of taking out a wealthy man for Vic’s selfish greed, I’m faced with having to defend myself and break free of this prison Vic has sold me into.

  I was living with a wolf dressed nicely in Armani suits for eleven years. Eleven years I’d been fooled. Eleven years my soul was possessed by the devil. And I will raise hell if I have to, to get out of here so I can face the devil again. Send him back to the bottomless pit of hell.

  I stare at myself in the full-length mirror in this posh bathroom. The white lingerie barely covers my boobs and behind. That’s the purpose of it, right? And I look sexy. Too sexy to stand in front of Lucius in a few short minutes. Before I walked into the bathroom, the clock on the nightstand read 7:41pm. Lucius requested that Serafina and I be at his bedroom door at eight o’clock and not a minute later.

  You got this girl! Weakness gets you hurt, weakness gets you killed. I mentally psyche myself up. My plan of escape has to work out tonight, because I have a feeling if it doesn’t, I won’t get another chance. That’s why I’m so anxious. All my years of training to become Vic’s personal assassin comes down to this very moment. When I have to literally fight for my freedom.

  I hear the bedroom door open then close. “Cass?” Comes Serafina’s soft voice.

  “In here,” I call out to her from the bathroom. Soon I see her image appear behind mine in the mirror. She’s wearing the exact same lingerie as me. Hers is black. And like me, the sheer piece of material barely covers her large boobs and butt.

  I’ve never felt so low and degraded in my entire life. Not this low when I was a nappy headed kid with no love and support from my drug addicted parents and older siblings; not when I used to steal my classmates’ lunches at school so I would at least have one meal for the day; not when I lived in a roach and rat infested apartment because I couldn’t afford anything else; and not when I worked as a bartender in a raggedy strip-club getting hit on and felt up by perverts. Never have I felt this low in all my life. And Lord knows I’ve had many opportunities to feel so.

  As I look at myself in the mirror again, a new determination sets in. Go hard or die trying. I’m going to get out of this place one way or another – with my freedom or with my life. Either of which will be tonight.

  “You ready for this?” Serafina asks with melancholy.

  I turn to face her. “We’re breaking free tonight.” I say with new confidence. “You know the plan, stick to it and we will make it out of this hell hole.” She nods, a small smile begins to crack on her perfectly made up face. I pull her into a hug to further reassure her and myself. “Time for you to go back home to your family.” We’ve got to make it out of here alive. “All that deadly fighting you do in the ring for Lucius, I need you to channel all of that tonight. See Lucius and his guards as your opponents and you fight to win. They are our captors and tonight we break free!” I step away from her, releasing her from my hug. “We will be victorious!”

  “I ready. We fight and win.”

  ***

  The bedroom door squeaks open, then Serafina and I step into the hallway. It’s 7:56pm. Time for us to make our way to Lucius’s bedroom. As we walk towards his bedroom door, which is on the left wing of the upper level of the estate, fear is knocking rapidly on the door of my consciousness but I refuse to answer. Our heeled slippers are muffled on the carpeted floor as we make our way towards the man standing guard at Lucius’s bedroom door.

  I don’t know what he sees in our expressions, but for the first time since my being here, he raises his gun toward us. Serafina quickly steps to him, pulling the gun out of his hand, stepping behind him and locking her arm around his neck in a rear naked choke hold. Within seconds the guards body goes limp.

  Watching this unfold, I’m in awe. If I were a dude I will be seriously turned on right now. Serafina has told me she’s a prize fighter and she’s obviously built for it, however, seeing her in action – WOW!

  She quickly drags the guard’s body to the side, as she does so, the handle to Lucius’s bedroom door starts to rattle. She quickly kicks the gun to the side and steps forward into the bedroom as soon as Lucius opens it. I quickly follow suit so Lucius won’t get suspicious, while wishing I could grab the guard’s gun.

  I close the door behind us, praying that we haven’t blown our cover and still wishing I could’ve grabbed that gun.

  “Ebony and Ivory.” I watch Lucius as he licks his slimy lips. Lust is dripping from his eyes as he looks at me and Serafina in our erotic outfits. “I’ve been thinking about this moment all day.”

  So have I.

  I didn’t have any expectations; however, I’m surprised to see that Lucius is fully dressed in a suit. For which I’m grateful. I would’ve vomited on the spot if he were undressed.

  He takes two steps back, away from the door, his eyes still set on us standing before him. One of his hands reaches down and he grips his package. Bile stirs in my gut. “Serafina, get undressed.” His eyes sparkle with fire. I watch him appraise her body.

  Instead of undressing, Serafina shakes her head no.

  Lucius moves swiftly and is in Serafina’s face. His lust turns to rage that quickly. “Take. Your. Clothes. Off!” He orders her again.

  “No,” she answers timidly.

  Lucius draws his hand back and strikes Serafina with a thundering crack across the face. I watch with balled fists waiting for her to clock him or knee jerk him in the nuts, instead she's holding her face, cowering. My jaw drops in shock. This can't be the same woman that put the guard outside the door to sleep permanently by expertly doing a choke hold move.

  "Get undressed!" Lucius barks at her.

  Heated, I move swiftly towards him ready to go ape on his big grizzly behind. The .45 pistol he pulls from behind his back aimed at my heart, encourages me to stop.

  "Help her take her clothes off," he grits through his teeth at me. I don't move an inch. He pulls the trigger, shooting inches away from my bare feet. Unfazed, I continue to stand still and stare daggers into his hideous face. " Oh, you like to play hard, huh? You're worth five hundred and sixty-five million blowjobs and me sexing your cunt. And I will get my money's worth." He takes two smooth steps towards me and, before I can react, smacks me across the face with the gun. My neck feels like it was just popped out of place. The left side of my face blazes with pain.

  Holy Frank Sinatra! I think I'm seeing stars twinkle before my eyes.

  Before I can recover and rip away the tape that holds the knife I had Serafina tape to my back under this flimsy outfit, she steps to the side of Lucius and hits him with a hammer fist move across his face. Knocking the gun out of his hand and sending it falling my way. Seeing him hit me must have jumpstart her fighter instincts. Lucius stumbles back from the force of the blow. And possibly from shock of Serafina fighting him back.

  He quickly pulls a second gun from behind his back. For a man his size his reaction reflex is pretty darn fast. "Three days with Cass and she turns you against me. Time to die you, traitorous bitch!" He lifts his gun and points as Serafina charges towards him. BOOM!

  A cry gets stuck in my throat as I watch, frozen in place, as a bullet lodges in her head. My friend, my
ally, my sister, her lifeless body falls to the carpeted floor with a loud thud. Her eyes wide open. Crimson blood pours from her head wound, soiling the carpet and her beautiful cream face.

  With the knife I had taped on my back now in my hand, I reach down to also retrieve the gun that fell near my feet. I hear the familiar click then boom of Lucius’s gun going off, the bullet barely missing my fingers as the gun is shot out of my hand. Lucius steps forward and kicks the fallen gun further out of my reach.

  He smirks as he steps back, looking down at me with only the knife in hand, like I've chosen a pathetic weapon against him.

  I stand to my full height. He points his gun at me as I tilt my hand back with the knife. But then he drops his aim.

  "You should know that you never bring a knife to a gun fight," he taunts. "You can't hurt me with that, baby girl."

  I throw the knife towards him and he doesn't flinch. Instead, I see a smirk on his face. He's probably guessing I will miss. I watch as he tries to dodge, but it's too late. The knife perfectly pierces his Adam's apple. Blood stains his throat as he stupidly pulls the knife out. His gun clunks loudly to the floor falling from his hand. Next, he's dropping to his knees. Bleeding to death.

  A smile spreads across my face. "Correction, you should never bring a gun to a knife fight. Because I fight like a girl!"

  I watch Lucius until I see life seep from his eyes. Then I turn my head to look at Serafina. My heart pinches with pain at the sight. Both of us were supposed to be standing triumphantly over Lucius’s dead body. But I have no time to grieve her death. I’ve got to get out here and off this estate. I pick up Lucius’s gun, and the knife he pulled out of his throat, wiping his blood on his suit jacket.

  I stick the knife and gun in the white stockings held up by the garter belt I’m wearing against the back of my thighs. At least the weapons will be hidden from behind when I approach the guards downstairs.

  Taking the stairs, I walk down seductively. I immediately catch the attention of the guard standing at the front door. His eyes are wide with desire. I’m mentally telling myself to calm down and act cool. The sight of Serafina’s dead body is still in the forefront of my mind. I’ve never been this affected by death. I’d been conditioned for so many years to be heartless. And I sure didn’t flinch when I saw Lucius drop to his death. But Serafina – my friend. She was supposed to be at my side right now. She was supposed to get back home to her family.

  I push that all aside though the moment my feet reach the main floor. I walk over to the guard and sling my arm over his shoulder. He’s too busy ogling my body in this lingerie to think of me as being a threat. For which I’m thankful. I’m also hoping the guard watching the cameras is distracted as well. “I’ve been wanting to get close to you since I got here,” I whisper in his ear.

  “Hmmmm, you trying to get me killed?” He asks with his hands on my hips.

  “It will be our little secret. Just let me get a taste, hmmm?” I lick his ear and I feel him shudder. I reach my free hand behind me and pull the gun free from the stocking. I bring the gun up swiftly and ram it hard against the side of his head, not once, but twice. The first hit shocks him, the second knocks him out. I push his body against the door then help it slide down to the marble floor.

  One down, maybe one more to go before I reach the kitchen. I kick off my slipper heels because they will make too much noise against the marble floors. I stick the gun back in my stocking then head towards the kitchen, I must pass the door to the pool house first, where another guard is usually standing guard.

  I notice that he is busy on his cellphone. And with me being bare feet he doesn’t hear my approach. It will be so easy to shoot him, but that would blow my cover. And, for some reason, I don’t want to take his life, unless he attempts to take mine. So, like the guard at the door, I hope seduction will work.

  “I was wondering if you would like to have a treat tonight.” My voice draws his attention away from his phone. I walk closer to him, pushing my breast against his chest. His Adam’s apple bounce as he swallows.

  “W-what do you have in mind?” His voice is husky with need.

  “You, me, in the pool house. It will be our little secret.”

  He answers me by turning the knob for the door leading to the pools. “We’ll have to make this quick.”

  “Definitely.” I follow him inside, closing the door behind me. The gun is already in my hand, behind my back. His back is to me as he moves further into the room, looking for the best place for our tryst. I walk up behind him, hitting him bluntly with the gun against his head. Like the other guard, I hit him twice. He falls to his knees then flat on his face, unconscious.

  I’m out of the door leading to the pools and heading towards the kitchen. I peep inside and there’s no one in there. Dinner was earlier this evening, around six, so the kitchen staff is done for the night. Knowing that I’m on borrowed time, I dash to the supply closet where I hid a change of clothes for me and Serafina. Again, I push the loss of my friend aside. I quickly pull the bag out of the closet and pull the sweatshirt over my head then joggers up my legs then I slip my feet into sneakers. With the gun and knife in the front pouch of the sweatshirt, I head for the kitchen door where there is no guard.

  The frigid air is a shock to my face when I step outside. It’s like a cold reminder that I’m not out of danger just yet.

  Chapter 31

  CAGE

  We landed in New York four hours ago. My team and I met up with our contact here and got equipped with all the gun power and gadgets we need. Then it took some time for us to get situated near Lucius’s estate. In this swanky part of New York where his estate is located, we couldn’t just come driving in droves in SUV’s and trucks without drawing unneeded attention. So, we waited until dark to get close to Lucius’s estate to scope out the scene.

  Like Drake had mentioned, there are guards all around. But the part of the property that leads to the beach doesn’t have anyone standing guard. That’s our opening. Our only problem now is not knowing where in the estate Cass is located. It would be easy to blow the whole place up, but not with my life inside.

  I have a team situated at all sides of the estate. I’m at the back, on the beach, with Drake, Rick, and Raj. Our bellies are against the cold sand, wearing all black, we’re blended into the dark beach. The sound of the waves behind us brings no calm to my raging emotions. I need to get Cass out of there – alive and well.

  The plan is to sneak in, hopefully undetected, and take out as many of the guards as possible. Starting with the ones on the outside. With night vision goggles, we will aim our weapons and start to drop as many of the enemy’s men as possible. The silencers on our rifles will help muffle most of the sound of the shots, not all. Before shooting, we will have all our targets on the outside marked and will all shoot at the same time.

  “Targets locked?” I say into the headset. I wait for response from each of my team members, positioned and ready. “On three. One, two, three!” The sight of bodies dropping to the ground from my vantage point on the beach. Four guards down at the back of the property that Rick, Raj, Drake, and I took down. And I’m positive an additional eight down from the other perimeters of the estate.

  “Cage, I see a figure coming out of the doors. Doesn’t look like a guard,” Rick says next to me. I turn my eyes to see what he sees, and sure enough, I can make out a green figure through the night vision googles. The image isn’t that clear, especially from our distance, but it’s enough to let me know that whoever just stepped outside isn’t a burly man in a suit.

  As soon as the person steps further into the yard, stark light flashes down upon…her. Everything is now clear with the bright lights on. It’s Cass. A blaring alarm sounds and within seconds she’s darting towards us on the beach, ducking between the trees lining the grounds. She’s a good sixty feet away from us.

  Men from the inside are running out of the estate since Cass triggered the alarm system. Their guns are raised
and they are running and shooting after Cass. I watch her duck behind a tree and pull a gun out of the front pouch of the sweatshirt she’s wearing. She fires her weapon, taking down one of the guards on her own.

  I position my rifle and start shooting at the guards, along with Drake, Rick, and Raj beside me. I give an order into the headset for my other men to do the same. I get up from the sand and make my way towards where Cass is running towards the beach.

  Looking over her shoulder, she doesn’t see me and runs smack right into my chest. She recovers quickly, swinging her arm forward to punch me but I stop the attack by pulling her arm down. She’s still in fight or flight mode.

  “Cass, baby. It’s me. Cage.”

  Still struggling to attack me, she finally looks up at my face. I watch recognition then relief flash in her eyes. Not saying a word, she lunges herself at me. I feel her body shake, then I hear the muffled sounds of her crying against my chest.

  After slinging the strap of the rifle over my shoulder, I lift her into my arms and quickly walk away from the line of fire. However, per the responses from my team that I hear from my headset, all of Lucius’s men are down.

  It’s time for us to get the hell out of here. I doubt the elite residents of the Hamptons will let a blaring alarm and the sound of gun fire go unnoticed.

  ***

  I can finally breathe. Cass is back home, safe and sound. Well, almost home. We’re now on the jet I chartered flying back to Atlanta. Ignoring the “fasten your seatbelt” warning from the pilot, Cass is curled up in my lap. She’s holding on to me as if I may vanish if she lets go. We’re in the back cabin of the plane, alone. I had to force Cherese out just to give us some privacy. I know my sister missed Cass too and was concerned for her safety, but as Cass’s man, I get dibs on being alone with her on the long flight back.