A Debt Paid

by Black, Joslyn

  Anya smiled at him and kissed his lips. “Sounds good to me.” She giggled. God, how he had missed her. He swore to himself there and then, he would make sure to never screw up again. He needed her too much. He was empty and void of life without her. He knew that his life before her had been shallow, and he never wanted that again.

  Anya and Calix were fresh from the shower. She was wearing nothing but her silk robe, and Calix wore boxer briefs. Even though they had made love again in the shower, Calix had asked her to only wear her robe, so he could touch her skin freely. He preferred her naked, but she didn’t want to walk around that way. She was straightening up the living room as Calix began to cook their dinner. The delectable smells and aromas coming from the kitchen were making her already empty stomach gurgle more in protest.

  Calix raised his voice and asked Anya if she would like a glass of wine before dinner. She said yes and walked into the kitchen to get the glass he had poured her. Walking up into the kitchen, she stood behind Calix and wrapped her arms around him as he moved things around on the stove. Then she kissed him on the center of his bare back and went to get her glass sitting on the counter.

  “Keep that up and dinner will be late or burnt, because I will take you on the counter,” he said lasciviously while wiggling his eyebrows at her.

  Anya couldn’t help but laugh at his playfulness. As she leaned against the counter, she sipped her wine and watched as Calix cooked. Her phone began to ring, breaking the companionable silence. She stood up straight, setting her glass down about to go and answer it. Calix reached out for her and stopped her.

  “Don’t answer it, I want it to be just us tonight.” “I have to get it only my mother and Nicole have that number. If they’re calling, it must be important.”

  He relented and let her go to answer her phone. Now where exactly was her phone? She forgot where she had placed her purse when she came in. So she just followed the sound of the ringing. She walked into their bedroom and saw that she had placed her purse on their dresser. As she opened her purse the phone stopped ringing. Shoot, she thought as she missed the call, but it started to ring again.

  “Hello”

  “Anya, you didn’t call me when you landed.”

  “Oh God, I’m sorry, Nicole, I was so distracted I forgot.” “I figured. Look, I didn’t want to interrupt you and Calix, but I’m too excited, and this is big news.”

  “What is it?” Anya’s gut tightened as she asked Nicole. Something in the back of her mind already knew what Nicole was calling about.

  “Okay, you ready?”

  “Yes,” Anya replied breathlessly.

  “Your test results came back. You, my darling girl, are, in fact, pregnant.” Anya gasped and nearly dropped the phone. She stuttered as she asked her next question, “Are they positive?”

  “Anya, it’s a blood test, there’s no refuting a blood test.”

  “How far along am I?” “The blood test doesn’t show that. You’ll have to go to an OBGYN they’ll estimate by the date of your last menstrual cycle. You may be able to pay to get an ultrasound to get a more accurate

  gestation.”

  “Oh my God.” Anya started to get excited.

  “I know,” Nicole replied giddily.

  “Oh my God!” Anya shouted in her happiness. “I know, Anya, honey.

  Congratulations! I know you want this baby. Now, I’m going to leave you to tell Calix, but when you find out how far along you are, you better call me. Do you hear me?”

  “Yes,” Anya agreed buoyantly. They said their goodbyes and hung up. Calix heard Anya yell when she was on the phone. Panic struck him, and he dropped the spatula and ran to their bedroom. Anya was standing there, her eyes glassy, staring blankly at her phone.

  “Anya, love, what’s wrong? Tell me, tell me now,” he begged as he clutched her by her shoulders.

  “It’s not what’s wrong, it’s what’s right,” she answered as she looked up at him.

  Calix was thoroughly confused, how could something be right if she was yelling?

  “What? I don’t understand.” With a God awful toothy grin plastered on her face she told him, “I’m pregnant.”

  Calix stilled. Pregnant? How was that possible? She took a test, and he saw the test it was negative. He didn’t

  understand. He gently pulled her to the bed with him as he sat down.

  “How? I saw the test; it was negative.”

  “It was a false negative.”

  “False?” “Yes, if you take a test too soon after your missed period or late in the day when your urine is less potent, you can get a false reading.”

  He pulled her close and nestled his face in her belly. His voice muffled. “God, Anya, I can’t believe it, how far along are you?”

  “I don’t know, the blood test doesn’t tell you that. I’ll need to go to an OBGYN and possibly get an ultrasound to find out.”

  “Blood test?” “When I was talking to my friend, I told her everything. She’s a nurse and said that I may still be pregnant. That I took the test wrong and too soon, so she arranged for me to have a blood test. They’re basically like one hundred percent accurate.”

  He pulled back, placed his hand gently on her stomach, and looked up at her with awe. “My child.”

  “Yes.” She nodded.

  “My child.”

  “Yes,” she repeated and smiled at him. He jumped up, taking her with him and spun her around. When he put her back down, he kissed her with such emotion, such sincerity, Anya couldn’t help but respond to him. They tumbled onto the bed together, hands roaming, caressing, and kisses placed on every possible body surface they could reach.

  “You’re mine now completely. I am a part of you, and you a part of me joined in our child,” he crooned as he caressed and kissed her.

  “Yes.” Being the only reply that she could voice.

  “I love you, Anya.” *** Across the street from the entrance of their penthouse a man sat watching from his darkly tinted car. He reached for his phone and placed the call.

  “Hello,” answered the angry voice.

  “She’s here. I just saw her walk into the building.” “That little bitch. No doubt she knew, as well as her mother. Fucking cunt probably asked him to do it all. Well, I’m not going down by myself. You know what to do, take care of it. And leave no fucking trace, I want this to fall on him.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  And the line went dead.

  Chapter 31

  “Calix.”

  “Hmmm”

  “Something is burning— Oh crap! Did you leave the stove on?” “Oh shit!” Calix yelled as he unceremoniously pushed Anya off him, jumped up, and ran to the kitchen.

  Sure enough, Calix ran in to the kitchen, and it was full of smoke. He was surprised his alarm hadn’t gone off. He would have to call the concierge, and have them get someone to check it. The

  vegetables he had been sautéing in butter on low, were now black, burnt, and stuck to a smoking pan. He waved his hand back and forth in front of him, trying to disperse the smoke enough for him to get to the pan. Grabbing it by the handle, he removed it from the range, and tossed it in the sink.

  Anya was not far behind him, since she had only stopped to get her robe on. She came to the smoke filled kitchen and began to cough as the she breathed in the smoke.

  “Calix, turn on the range fan.”

  “Anya, get out of here. The smoke is not good for you.”

  Calix turned on the fan and left the kitchen, taking Anya with him. “Anya, when I tell you to leave, you leave.” She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at that remark. Calix back peddled quickly. “Love, I didn’t mean it like that, I just didn’t want you getting sick from the smoke.” He placed his hand on her belly and softly rubbed as he spoke. Anya placed her hand atop his and chuckled.

  “I’m only pregnant, Calix, I don’t think a little smoke is going to hurt me.”

  “I don’t want to take a chance,” he replied sternly.<
br />
  Anya gaffed at him and walked to the living room.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Calling for Chinese. I don’t think dinner is salvageable, and I’m starving.”

  *** James sat in his car, waiting and preparing. He was wearing leather, so no fibers would be left behind. He pocketed some blue shoe covers, so no trace evidence or shoe indentions would be left, a pair of surgical gloves came next, and he covered his already closely shaved hair with a beanie, just in case a hair might fall. He was thorough and ruthless, which is why he was so expensive.

  James had no heart. He was a black souled, cruel son of a bitch. He never cared who the mark was or what the job was as long as they paid his price. Most of his hits came from people wanting revenge or pay back, and not all of them wanted it against the actual person. A couple of his clients wanted the hits to be on that person’s wife or child, so the person could live and suffer longer.

  He did a quick re-check of his sling bag.

  Lock-pick set – check.

  Ketamine – check.

  Half face respirator – check.

  Nitrous oxide – check. Brass knuckles – check.

  Leather sap/slap jack – check.

  Wiping rag – check. Everything was ready, all he had to do was wait for the right time. He went through his steps one by one to make sure he did all he needed to do in less than an hour. He looked down at his watch; it was two am, and it was time to proceed. He got out of his car and kept his head low while he walked around to the back of the building. When he came to the back door that they used to throw out the buildings trash, he pulled out his lock set and picked the lock. Once inside, he walked to the service elevator and rode it up to their penthouse. He made sure to keep his head low on the off chance that someone in the building joined him in the elevator.

  When the doors opened, he gradually walked out, checking the floor for any signs of the other occupants being out and about. There were three other penthouses on this floor. He walked to the end, where in gold letters next to the door read P4, and quickly picked the lock. When he heard the tumblers click, he reached into his pockets for his booties and gloves. With the stealth learned from a lifetime of crime, he entered the apartment and slowly shut and locked the door behind him.

  The apartment was dark, and there was the hint of burnt food smell still clinging in the air. He crept around till he came to the kitchen; sure enough they had burnt whatever they were cooking. He looked around till he spotted what he needed. He went to the knife block on the far end of the counter and pulled a small steak knife from the block, something an amateur would use. He placed it in his back pocket and went to their bedroom.

  He slowed his pace as he saw that their door was open. He took hold of the door handle and silently closed their door. He waited a minute to see if either had awoken. He learned in his line of work that no matter how silent you are, some people, very few people actually, but some people had a sixth sense when there was a presence in the house.

  Kneeling on the floor, he removed his respirator from his bag and strapped it around the bottom half of his face. Doublechecking that it was on good, he pulled out his compressed tank of nitrous oxide. He pulled the hose out, connected it, slid it under the door, and twisted the nozzle open. It would take ten minutes for the tank to empty and another five just to make sure they inhaled enough to keep them asleep while he shot them up with

  Ketamine.

  He kept still, staring at his watch waiting for the time to pass. He was already in about twenty-five minutes that meant he had twenty minutes to do the job and leave to get out of the building in under an hour. Time up, he closed the valve, coiled the hose and put everything back into his sling bag. Cautiously, he opened the door and walked in. All he could hear was the huff of air as he breathed through his respirator and his own pounding heart. His adrenaline was pumping; it always did right before the actual hit. As he walked to their bed, he started to pull out the vile of Ketamine and syringe. He carefully measured just enough to keep Calix out for about an hour. He leaned over Calix and pushed his hair aside to inject him on the back of his neck at his hairline where a puncture wound not be found. Finished with Calix, he drugged Anya just the same.

  Completely satisfied that they were out, he began setting the scene. He broke the bedroom mirror and knocked lamps over, making it look like a fight broke out between them. He was fast and thorough. He pulled out his leather sap, it was time to get started. Picking up Calix’s hand, he started to repeatedly hit his knuckles on his right hand with his sap till they were bloodied and bruised.

  It was lucky for him that they were in bed sleeping close to each other, so he wouldn’t have to lift her as much. He pulled her arm over to Calix’s face and used her nails to claw down his cheek, neck, arms, and chest. He took the steak knife from his back pocket and place it Calix’s hand making sure good fingerprints were on it. Placing the knife back into his pocket he then reached for Anya and drug her out of bed by her hair. Her body made a hard thud as it hit the floor. He looked down at her and saw that she was completely naked. Nice tits, he thought to himself. He stood up and looked around the room. He would need to put some article of clothing on her to make this work; no couple would fight naked. As he drug her to the bathroom, he ripped some of her hair out, dropping strands on the floor. Fully inside the bathroom, he dropped Anya’s head without a second thought, making a sickening cracking sound as it hit the tiled floor. He walked over to the bathroom door and shut it.

  Chapter 32

  Thump! Thump! Thump!

  “Mr. Anastas, open the door; this is the police.”

  Thump! Thump! Thump! Calix began to stir and wake. Pounding—someone is pounding on the door.

  He made to sit up. “God my head,” he groaned. He reached to touch his pounding head but touched something wet on his forehead. He bought his hand back down to look. “Blood, blood? What the fuck? Wait, Anya?” He turned quickly to her side of the bed. Oh that had been a mistake his vision blurred, and he felt a sickness in his stomach. “Anya!” he yelled for her. Trying not to make himself sick again, he slowly got out of bed. He stumbled his first few steps but steadied himself. He looked around, the bathroom door was open and from where he was standing he saw Anya’s foot on the floor, but the rest of her was hidden behind the door.

  “Oh God, Anya!” He ran, stumbling to the bathroom, and the sight that awaited him was so shocking he dropped to his knees. Sprawled on the floor was Anya’s battered and bloodied body.

  “Anya, love, no God no!” He reached out to pull her close. He frantically tried to find a pulse; he pressed his ear to her chest. She was breathing barely. He needed help he needed to call nine-one-one.

  *** “I hear yelling, you open the door or we’ll break it down,” the officer yelled at the concierge.

  “Yes, sir.” Door open the officers went in, calling out, “Mr. Anastas, this is the police. We received a call of loud shouting and screaming.”

  “Help!” Calix yelled. “Please, help me! In here, please!”

  The police came charging through the door and stopped short.

  “Hernandez, call a bus!” Officer Curtis carefully took in the scene in front of him. Scanning over Calix, he saw scratch marks everywhere, and his right hand was bloody, cut up with a hint of swelling and bruising. With just the evidence visible, it looked like a crime of domestic violence, but he had to ask a few questions before he called it in.

  “She needs to get to the hospital now! Can’t you get an ambulance here faster?” Calix began to shift Anya closer.

  “Mr. Anastas, it’s best if you don’t move her. The ambulance is three minutes out. Mr. Anastas, sir, is there an attacker in the house?”

  Calix looked around before he answered. “I–I don’t know.”

  “Can you tell me what happened?”

  “I don’t know, we were in bed asleep.” Hernandez walked back over to Curtis and informed him the bus was here and the medics were on th
eir way up. Officer Curtis’s radio started to buzz from dispatch.

  “Yes, this is Officer Curtis reporting in, I believe we have a two seventy-three D. I’m requesting addition back up.”

  The bustle of noise from the medics could be heard down the hall. “Mr. Anastas, I’m going to need you to lay her down gently then step away and leave the bathroom. The medics are here and need room.”

  Calix looked to the officer and the medics at the door. He laid Anya back down and left the bathroom as the medics came in.

  “She’s pregnant, please, just help her.”

  “Mr. Anastas, this way, sir.” Officer Curtis lead Calix away from the bathroom as the medics rushed and worked on Anya to get her stable enough to transport to the hospital. Walking into the living room, he had Calix sit on the sofa for questioning.

  “Okay, Mr. Anastas, I need you to tell me everything that happened. Or you can just start on how you got that bruised hand? Did you fight off an attacker?”

  Shock and the drugs were starting to wear off completely. Calix looked down and saw the scratches on his chest, and he began to feel the throbbing pain coming from his hand. What the hell happened? he thought. As he was about to answer, Calix watched as the two medics rushed Anya out the door on a red backboard strapped to a gurney.

  “Can I do this later, I want to ride with her?” “Mr. Anastas, sir, I need you to answer these questions first. We also need some photos of your injuries.”

  Calix had had enough of this shit. He didn’t know happened or how it happened. All he knew was that he was going that hospital now unless this prick of a cop was going to arrest him.

  “Look, Officer…”

  “Curtis,” the officer curtly replied. “My fiancé is on the way to the hospital, she’s pregnant, and I have no fucking idea what happened. So, unless you are going to arrest me, I am going to the fucking hospital now.” He was standing in front of the officer now. His fear for Anya having turned into anger. Officer Curtis step back and gave Calix a little room; he did not want this to get confrontational. The scene was already bloody, and it would mean a lot more paperwork for him.