The Beginning of Connie & Isaac
Copyright © 2015 D H Sidebottom
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to actual places, incidents and persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Copyright © 2015 D H Sidebottom. Please do not copy, alter or redistribute this book.
Excerpts from The Temptation of Annie and My Diary by Mason Fox, Copyright © 2015 D H Sidebottom.
Please secure author’s permission before sharing any extracts of this book.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Quote
Part I
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Part II
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Part III
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Epilogue
Sneak peek of The Temptation of Annie
The Temptation of Annie - Prologue
Night Fires
Dove
My Diary By Mason Fox
TEN
Acknowledgements
Author Links
February 2005. Aged 19.
PULLING MY COAT farther around me, I turned up the heating dial, shivering against the ice that formed on the inside of the car window, never mind the outside. The music coming from the speakers was quiet and I wanted nothing more than to blast it higher to drown out my thoughts.
I tapped the steering wheel to the beat, shifting my glance to the upstairs window of the house I was watching. Light still glowed from behind the thin curtains, the shadow of a figure moving around behind them.
I needed to wait until they were asleep, to make this easier. For some reason, amongst others, this job felt different. I couldn’t put my finger on it. Although the targets didn’t sit well with me, it wasn’t just that that grieved me. Yet here I sat, waiting to do what I did best.
The shadow in the window appeared to be dancing. I smiled, watching the figure move to what I presumed to be an upbeat tune. The way her hand rested to her mouth, I knew she held a hairbrush, singing for her life.
I grabbed my ringing phone from the passenger seat beside me, rolling my eyes at the number displayed on the screen.
“Yep.”
“Hey. You back tonight? The place is flooded with pussy, man. Your father’s decided to hold a party for some unknown reason.”
I couldn’t hold back the growl. I knew the exact reason for his party. “No. I’m out.”
“What?” Joel scoffed. “Pussy, Isaac. Lots and lots of glorious pussy. What the hell’s wrong with you?”
I rubbed at my face, suddenly tired. My eyes flicked back to the house and I sighed. “I dunno. It’s this fucking job. Doesn’t feel right.”
Joel was silent for a moment. “It’s just a job, man. In, kill, out. That’s it. That’s all it ever is.”
“They’re thirteen, Joel. I mean, shit. They’re kids.”
“Since when did you develop a conscience?” he mumbled, but I knew he understood.
“Since I got sent to do the dirty jobs.”
“You gonna nail ‘em first?”
“What the fuck?” I spat, my lip curling in disgust. “Thirteen, Joel. Thir-teen!”
“Fresh pussy.” I stared, gobsmacked, at the pattern the ice had formed on the window, tracing the developing web with my gaze as Joel jabbered on. “And hell, if I know girls nowadays, you might not even be their first.”
“You sick fuck.” I shook my head, wondering what the hell I saw in Joel as a friend. “You’re gonna regret saying that when I get back.”
“Yeah, yeah. Becca’s here,” he added, as if to tempt me back.
“Yeah? Go fuck her then. She’ll more than oblige.” I ended the call, throwing my phone back on the seat.
Glancing back at the house, I murmured a groan when I saw the upper light extinguish. “Fuck!”
I climbed from the car, looking around to make sure I wasn’t being watched, and walked around the back of the house. I scaled the high gate and dropped to the ground on the other side, my feet skidding slightly on the frosty ground. My brow quirked at the large fountain standing proud in the centre of the garden, masses of bushes doing half my job for me and blocking me from neighbours’ eyes.
My feet dragged along the floor, my heart someplace else. Shit, they were teenage girls. This was never right. What the fuck was my father playing at? I knew he was an evil bastard, but hell, kids? He’d recently started to take kids in, training them into Phantoms, but I’d never been given an order to kill any. And even worse, who the hell had given the order? Which depraved fuck relished in the slaughter of a child?
I traced the length of the wire from the alarm system then slipped the blade from my pocket and severed the line before picking up a stone from beside the door. A key hidden underneath mocked me, making me slightly disappointed with how easy this was. Christ! Did this family have no regard for security? Especially leaving their teenage daughters home alone for the night. Someone, anyone, could break in. I couldn’t help the small tilt of my lips at my humour.
It was dark inside, the door leading into a large square kitchen that was only lit by a small ray of moonlight slipping between the blinds. I didn’t bother to observe anything; there was no point, and this should be easy enough. I didn’t need to be aware of available exits, or objects that may be needed in the loss of my weapons.
I moved silently through the hallway that led off the kitchen then placed a foot on the bottom step to go up to the bedroom. A noise from a slightly open door on the left stilled me, my eyes narrowing and my head tilting as I listened harder.
“I’ve told you no, Lee. I’m not doing it.” Her soft voice seemed to curl inside me. The unique pitch was soothing, even though she sounded frustrated. “She’s my sister, and even I’m not that cruel.”
I walked silently to the door and pushed it open a little more. She sat on a couch, bent over, painting her toenails a sickly red as she held a phone to her ear. Her long black hair fell in front of her face, hiding me from her view as she slid the brush slowly up each nail, dipping it into the pot occasionally to recoat it.
She giggled into the phone. “No,” she breathed, her soft whisper making me wince at how it made me feel. My brow lifted at her obvious flirting. The sound of her laughter made me smile slightly. She was so contrary, flirting one second then giggling like a small child the next. This girl had no idea of the affect she had over boys, but she would find that seduction and teasing are two different things and would one day get her into trouble. Then again, after tonight she’d never… yeah.
“No. Mae’s in bed and my parents are in France at some conference of my father’s.”
I shook my head, pissed off with how her parents had left them alone at such a young age.
She terminated the call and flung the phone onto the couch beside her. Her head tilted as she studied her toe decorating. “Oh, they’ll do,” she murmured as her head lifted and she stared towards the TV.
I took a step further into the room, the thick carpet silencing my feet. I frowned when she stilled slightly but she didn’t look up. Taking another step, I bit my lower lip when she reached for the phone again, obviously about to make another call. As I reached out to plant my hand over her mouth, she flung herself round and bashed the phone into my face. I was too shocked that she’d realised I was there that it didn’t register that she had taken off across the room at speed until she was yanking at some double doors at the rear.
I raced after her and she pulled them open, looking over her shoulder to see where I was. Her bright blue eyes smashed into mine, the terror in them clashing with the adrenaline coursing through her. Her lips were parted, allowing for her deep panting, her chest stuttering as fright quickened her heart rate.
She turned again and disappeared through the doors, bringing us both into a dining room. A huge mahogany table sat in the centre. A large black dresser sat on one wall, plates and glasses perched orderly on each shelf.
My eyes widened when a plate sailed across the room and smashed on the wall beside my head. “Wow.” I laughed. “You are a feisty one.”
“I’ll scream!”
I shrugged. “Go for it. Then we can get your sister down here and get this over with.”
Her head shook rapidly. “No. No, you leave Mae alone.”
A glass shattered across my head. Her eyes widened when I growled at her. “Do that again and I will make this really difficult.”
“Like it’s not already?” She picked up another plate and held it above her head to launch it at me.
She moved around the table when I did, both of us sidestepping, our eyes on each other, our bodies ready to launch at the first opportunity.
“What do you want?” I noticed the trail of tears on her face but her courage surprised me.
“I want you. Simple really.”
“W...what do you want to do?”
A small smile crept across my lips. “Well, I’m not going to rape you if that’s what you think. Give me some credit.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Credit? I… what…?” She stared at me.
“I have standards. You’re just a little girl.” I smiled at her.
Anger contorted her pretty face as she launched the plate at me. “I’m not a little girl!”
Fuck this. I was tired of playing.
I shot over the table after her. She finally screamed and ran to another door, pulling it frantically.
“Oh dear. Is it locked?” I laughed when I grabbed her, my arms completely wrapping her up. She kicked at me, struggling in my arms as I dragged her across the room. Her head flung backwards, the back of her skull connecting with my nose. Pain exploded in every nerve ending, making my eyes water, and a choked grunt forced up my throat.
“Fuck!” I snarled when I clamped her down harder. “You bitch!”
“Let me go!” she cried, a deep sob wrenching from her as she writhed against me. My chest tightened. Shit, this was so wrong.
Slinging her face down on the couch, I straddled her back, bracing any moving parts as I fought for breath. “Jesus Christ, love. You’re a lunatic!”
“GET OFF ME!” she screeched.
“Sshhh.” I slapped my hand over her mouth. Her teeth sank into the flesh of my palm. The slap around her head was instinctive as I brought my bitten hand to my mouth, sucking on my own blood. “For fuck’s sake, you crazy bitch!”
The heel of her foot thudded into my lower back. I turned around, wondering how the hell she had freed the lower half of her legs. However, I was slightly in awe of her spirit and fight.
I forced her face into the cushion with my hand on the back of her head, and leant into her ear. “Will you stop! I’m seriously considering making your death as painful as possible!”
She froze, her body seizing up beneath me. My heartbeat stuttered. “What?” she whispered, her body now completely lax underneath me.
“It’s your time to die, love. I’m sorry.”
She was silent, her whole spirit drowned in my declaration. “Why?”
I frowned. I hadn’t expected that question. Sometimes kids are more intelligent than the hardest adult who would right now be begging me to let them live, not asking why I was ending their time on earth.
“I have no idea. You’re just a job to me.”
“How?”
What the fuck was this chick on?
“Uhh, I don’t know. How would you like it?” I shook my head in bewilderment.
A small hiccup echoed from her before she tilted her head to the side and looked up at me. Her blue eyes shimmered under the pool of her tears. Her lower lip trembled but she had a resolve about her, a steel spirit that was determined to keep her dignity.
“Please don’t hurt Mae,” she whispered. “You can do what you want to me, but please, don’t hurt my sister.”
I stared at her, my heart threatening to break out of my chest. Her eyes locked onto mine as she pleaded with me. My throat constricted, the bile in my stomach threatening to spray across her pale cheeks.
I turned her body under me until she was on her back looking up at me. “Do you know what I am?”
She shook her head, a tear that rolled down the side of her face flinging off and landing on the knee of my jeans. I pressed my finger into it, the damp transferring onto my fingertip. “I’m a Phantom,” I told her as I ran the tip of my finger along my bottom lip, tasting the salt in her despair. “I’m trained to kill. I have a contract to end your life.”
Her wide eyes stared up at me, her chest heaving as she tried to stop herself from crying. I had never witnessed anyone with as much resilience as this thirteen-year-old girl trapped under my weight.
“I’m afraid that whatever happens tonight, I have to kill you and your sister. It’s my job.”
“No!” She shook her head from side to side, her tears now streaming over her defined cheekbones. “No, please. Leave Mae. Tell whoever sent you that she was in France with my parents. Or… or you could just say that you killed her and they’ll never find out. Please! Please! She doesn’t deserve this.” Obviously she thought that she did.
I slid my thumb across her cheek, collecting her tears. She reached down and tore at her t-shirt, ripping it over her head, baring her small breasts sheathed by a simple white bra. “You can take what you want, you can…” She nodded to me, not wanting to voice her words. “Just leave Mae alone.”
“Jesus Christ!” I yanked the throw from the back of the couch and covered her with it. “I’m not going to touch you. Not like that.”
“Anything,” she begged. “Anything.”
I looked away, biting down the hatred curling inside me. An idea started to form in my head and I slowly lowered my eyes to her. Cocking my head, I studied her. She was exactly the right material. Strong, feisty, brave, and fucking crazy.
This would cause a shit storm back home, but something told me that it could work.
Pulling in a deep breath I narrowed my eyes on her. “I’m going to try something.”
She frowned but gave a slow nod.
I lifted my hand, then paused and lowered it.
Shit!
Lifting it again, I slapped it across her cheek. Her eyes widened as her skin blushed but she bit into her lip, nodding in understanding. She braced herself and turned her face to the back of the sofa. “Do it.”
I slapped her again, watching how she reacted to it. After twenty she started flinching, her skin sore, her tears stinging where her skin was starting to break out with tiny blood vessels that had erupted on the surface.
“What’s your name?” I asked as I smacked
her again.
“C… Connie.”
“Connie, listen to me.” She nodded, squeezing her eyes closed as I hit her again. “You’re not breathing properly. You’re tensing before I even connect with you. Your tears are making this harder. Your fear is making adrenaline which is heightening the pain.” She opened her eyes, looking at me curiously. “Breathe in and out slowly.” She fought with herself but I waited until she’d taken control, the deep heaves of her chest bating. “Relax your body.”
She scoffed at me, looking at me like I’d gone mad. I quirked a brow. She took a deep breath, forcing her body to loosen. I smiled to myself, satisfied with her ability to take orders.
“Now,” I whispered as I tilted her to face me with a finger on her sore cheek. “Stop - crying.”
She gulped but nodded, calming beneath me. Her compliance made me grin. She scowled at me but I shook my head slowly, tutting at her. She relaxed again, taking another breath, her chest still stuttering slightly.
She blinked when I suddenly struck her twice, once on each cheek. The lift of her brow confirmed that she had followed my instruction perfectly.
“Good.” I slid off her. She blinked at me, confused as to why I suddenly relented. “You show promise.”
“Promise?”
“Uh-huh.” I made my way back to the door and turned. “You will become a Phantom on the night of your fifteenth birthday, in exchange for your sister’s life.”
Her mouth dropped when realisation hit her, her eyes widening as her breath stuttered. “You’re too young now. However, don’t think I will forget you, Connie. And don’t think you can hide.” I smirked at her. “And believe me when I say that no one can get you out of this. Tell anyone and our agreement is void. I will return and I will kill both you and your sister, but next time I won’t be lenient.” I pulled open the door and looked back. “Do you understand me?”
She nodded slowly.
I winked, clicking my tongue at her. “See you soon.”
I couldn’t help the large grin from erupting across my face as I left the house. Suddenly, life didn’t seem so bad. There was something about the kid that got to me. I had no idea what, but I was sure I would soon find out.
February 2005. Aged 13
The Beginning of Connie and Isaac (The Blue Butterfly #3) Page 1