Murderous Profession

by D J Small

  Excitement made Eliza jump up, and she began to frantically search the ground for something—anything—that would help her pry the board off a bit more. She was so close to Dax, but still so far away.

  “Problem?” Billy asked behind her, making Eliza almost jump out of her skin.

  She rushed over and pushed him in the shoulder. “You scared the crap out of me, asshole.” She forced out a breath and turned to point at the piece of plywood. “That’s an entrance, but the board is blocking it.”

  Billy folded his arms over his chest. “I’ll help you, but you need to explain why you’re not acting like yourself all of a sudden. You would have scalped me for not waiting for backup.” He gave a disbelieving grunt. “Dax couldn’t have been that good in bed.”

  Eliza stared at him for a long moment, then she turned and walked a few paces away from him, putting some distance between them. Telling another person meant acknowledging the feelings that she had been contending with. She turned back around and sighed. “It wasn’t just sex. There’s more.”

  “Okay...”

  Eliza pursed her lips. She couldn’t do this. “You know what? Never mind,” she said, facing the warehouse and staring at the piece of plywood that seemed to be taunting her.

  “Do you want to save Dax?” Billy challenged.

  A low, frustrated growl rumbled in her throat.

  “I have feelings for him, okay?” Eliza blurted quietly, spinning around to pin him with an aggravated gaze.

  She and Billy stared at one another for a few seconds. When the tense moment had passed, his shoulders began to shake as he started to laugh quietly.

  Eliza scowled. “You’re such a jerk.”

  Billy tried to calm down as he shook his head, but he held up his hand in a silent request that she give him a moment as he continued to work through his stifled laughter. When he could speak again, he said, “You have feelings for the prostitute? Like ooey-gooey romantic feelings? After having sex with him once?”

  “Sex. Worker.” Eliza stated, making sure to let her annoyance punctuate each word. “Call him a prostitute one more time, and I’ll report you to the captain and tell her that you’ve been exhibiting discriminatory behavior,” she threatened.

  Billy instantly sobered up and gawked at her.

  The threat wasn’t a light one. Any officer on the force that exhibited discriminatory behavior was immediately placed on administrative leave and forced to undergo psychotherapy and sensitivity training. After that, they would be placed on a six-month probationary period. It wasn’t the worst thing in the world considering the force’s past, but it was annoying to go through when you were just trying to do your job.

  “Then I’ll report you for getting personally involved with a suspect,” Billy eventually countered, a triumphant grin on his face.

  Eliza rolled her eyes. “Because Dax was under protective custody when Andre was murdered, he is no longer a suspect.” She fixed him with a hard stare. “Did you also fucking forget that he is currently in the hands of that murderous psychopath, or would you rather we continue to stand here while you act like a combative asshole about his fucking profession?”

  Billy exhaled and moved closer to her. “I’m not trying to be combative. I just know your stance on sex work, and it makes this whole thing with you and Dax a little perplexing.”

  Hearing a complex word like ‘perplexing’ come from Billy’s mouth caused an incredulous snort to escape Eliza. The situation had to be bizarre if he was resorting to big words.

  She sighed. “I don’t get it either, Billy. I have a lot of confusing thoughts and feelings about it all, but I know I care for him, and I need to make sure he’s safe before I can tackle any of it.”

  Billy placed his hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze as he smirked. “All right.”

  He lifted the hand on her shoulder and used his thumb to point behind him. “I saw a pipe laying on the ground on my way back here, I’ll go grab it. Shine your light on the board.”

  Eliza pointed the beam of light on the piece of plywood.

  Billy nodded, “It should come off pretty easy since it’s old. I just don’t know how quiet it will be.”

  “Yeah, me neither, but it’s worth a shot.” She flashed a wry smile at him. “Thanks, Billy.”

  Billy chuckled and shook his head. “No thanks needed, Miller.” He shot her a quick grin. “I’ll be back.”

  He began to head back the way he had come, and once he rounded the corner, Eliza let her head drop back and drew in a deep breath. They would be inside soon. She hadn’t heard any noises inside the warehouse, which she didn’t know was a good or bad thing, but either way, she refused to think about it further.

  “Got it,” Billy announced quietly. Eliza lowered her head to look at him.

  They went over to the piece of plywood, and Eliza pulled back the lower left corner so Billy could slip the narrow pipe underneath it. He pushed on it, and Eliza helped him apply weight to the piece of metal. After a minute or two of struggling, the corner of the rotting piece of ply broke off with little noise, leaving an opening that was small enough for them to crawl through.

  “You should go in first,” Eliza said as she brushed her hands off on her jeans.

  Billy shook his head. “No can do. Backup is on the way, and one of us needs to be out here to let them know where we are.” He smirked. “Besides, it’s not like you would trust me with saving your boytoy anyway.”

  The fact that he was right annoyed Eliza to no end, and she swore to herself several times. Between swears, she started to make a list of all the things Dax would have to do to make this up to her.

  She didn’t dwell on what the list meant, or the poor logic behind it—it gave her something to focus on other than thinking about whatever creatures waited beyond the entrance that she and Billy had created.

  Eliza knelt to look through the opening. Nothing but darkness greeted her. She took a second to wave her arm through it, clearing it of cobwebs and active spiderwebs, then she took a deep breath to force down her fear of all things insect and pest related before she crawled through the opening.

  “Eliza, here,” Billy whispered behind her.

  Eliza looked over her shoulder, and saw that Billy was holding out her flashlight. She had dropped it on the ground to help him pry off the piece of plywood.

  “Thanks,” she said as she took the flashlight from him, but froze when she heard something scurry across the warehouse’s cement floor. Oh, she was going to kill Dax for this.

  Eliza drew in a deep breath of the cold, stale air inside the warehouse and tried not to give into her urge to go back outside. “Billy, if you hear anything, don’t come in without backup.”

  “Nope,” he stated simply. “I don’t take orders from stubborn women that aren’t thinking clearly.”

  “I’m going to report you,” Eliza sniped. The back-and-forth with Billy kept her from thinking about what creatures and critters possibly resided in the abandoned warehouse.

  She stood up and swept the beam of light around. A rat scurried through it, and Eliza drew in sharp breath and covered her mouth with the side of her fist. When she knew she wouldn’t scream, and had come back from the edge of being scared out of her mind, Eliza lowered her hand and added two more items to the list of things Dax would have to do to make this up to her.

  The total darkness that surrounded Eliza had her on high alert and made her phobia of bugs and rodents worse, causing a cold sweat to break out on her back as she began to make her way through the long warehouse. To make sure she didn’t trip over any debris that littered the floor, she continuously moved the beam of light coming from her flashlight across it.

  Eliza heard people talking, and the sound got louder the closer she moved to the front of the warehouse.

  “I suppose you think this about money, but it isn’t,” a familiar and distinctly female voice said.

  “You coulda fooled me,” Dax countered dryly. “You got pissed when An
gelique told you about starting her own firm, and you fucking snapped when you found out that she was taking her clients and your money with her.”

  Eliza stopped in her tracks as the woman laughed. Veronica was the one who had taken Dax—and possibly killed Angelique, Simon, and Andre.

  “Angelique was as disgusting as the perverts that sought her out for their own vile and disgraceful needs. She believed that she was better than me.” A second sharp bark of laughter echoed through the empty warehouse. “A whore thought she was better than me. Can you believe that? I am not the one who lies on their back and allows men to paw at me and rut against me like I’m a piece of meat. I have standards, ethics, and a conscience.”

  “Except when it comes to murder,” Dax pointed out.

  Eliza shook her head. Why he felt the need to bait a murderer was beyond her, but it wasn’t helpful.

  “Clearly you have no qualms about taking a life.” Anger laced his words. “So Angelique thinks she’s better than you—FYI, she was—and decides to branch out on her own, and you think that’s an offense that she deserved to die for?” Dax released a short, bitter laugh. “I have to say, that doesn’t lower your crazy any.”

  A loud slap resonated through the warehouse.

  “Shut up!” Veronica spat. “What the hell do you know about morals? You’re a filthy abomination, contorting yourself into something nature never intended you to be.”

  Moving closer, Eliza saw lights illuminating the area beyond the wall she was approaching.

  She turned off her flashlight as Dax chuckled. “A transphobic remark. How am I not surprised?” He chuckled again. “All you crazy nutjobs go for your target’s quote, un-quote ‘weakness’ like it will do something. Guess what, sweetheart? Me being trans is not a weakness; it’s a strength. It’s made me stronger than you will ever be.” Dax let out an amused snort. “You got your feelings hurt over a little competition, you thin-skinned wench. Meanwhile, I’m sitting here, looking you in your crazy eyes, not at all bothered or afraid by your failed attempt at a threat.” He paused. “Do. Better.”

  “Dax, shut the fuck up,” Eliza whispered to herself. Someone who told a crazy person to do their worst sounded like someone who didn’t want to get out of their situation alive.

  “Better?” Veronica repeated. The sound of her heels clicking on the concrete floor filled the warehouse. “Okay, I’ll give you better. You’re just like the rest of them; trying to fill the empty space inside of you that will never find satisfaction for. The same empty space that was ripped open by those who were supposed to love you the most but ended up being the ones to break you. Tell me, Dax, who broke you? Your parents when they found out that you were an abomination? Did someone violate you and leave you in shattered little pieces that you’re still desperately trying to put back together, but fail to time after time? Hmm?” Veronica hummed. “Tell me, strong one, who broke you?”

  Eliza peered around the wall and saw Veronica leaning down so that she was eye level with Dax, who was bound to a steel folding chair. The gun in her right hand got Eliza’s immediate attention. Veronica slowly caressed Dax’s cheek with it as the two of them maintained their intense stare.

  Eliza reached for her own gun, which was underneath her coat, and pulled it out.

  “No one,” Dax replied a full minute and a half later. “I left my home not because they hurt me, but because I was better off without them. The family you’re born into can sometimes be worse than any stranger on the street, and mine were the worst. I wasn’t raped, and I am not some naïve child looking for a home that I’ve always longed for. I am who I am because I want to be this way. I want to be a whore because it makes me happy. I like giving bodily pleasure to other people, and I like making people come. Maybe that’s what drove you to this point. Perhaps you need to get off more, Veronica. Then maybe you wouldn’t be this wound-up psychotic wench.” He brought his head closer to Veronica’s. “Do. Better.”

  The hand holding the gun drew back to hit Dax, and Eliza took that as her cue to move. Holding her gun out and training it on Veronica, she shouted, “Put down the gun, Veronica!”

  Both Veronica and Dax’s heads whipped around to look at her.

  A wide smile broke out on Veronica’s face. “Detective, color me surprised and slightly impressed. Come to kiss your whore goodbye?”

  “I came to get a little clarity,” Eliza said as she moved closer. “I heard some of it, but I need know a little more. From what I understand, you hate sex workers, correct?”

  “Hate is such a light word for how I feel about whores, but since you’re feeling polite, yes. They are filthy creatures who should be abolished from society.”

  The response gave Eliza the perfect gauge of how far from sanity Veronica was, so she kept her tone light and conversational. “As a Catholic—”

  Dax snorted. “Makes perfect sense.”

  Eliza shot a glare at him. “As a Catholic,” she repeated, “I am well aware of the sin that is giving into the temptation of the flesh, but you’re not Catholic, are you? In fact, if I did my research correctly, you’re an atheist.”

  Veronica laughed. “Doesn’t mean I don’t find prostitution and whores abhorrent and repulsive. They have no place in our society, and the fact that the government has made laws made to protect them is laughable.”

  An internal groan filled Eliza’s thoughts. She did not have time for this level of crazy, and she doubted she had the patience for it either. “So why get into sex work at all? Why not save yourself some strife and go into something else?”

  “Notoriety,” Veronica answered simply. “I had had several unsuccessful businesses, and my family saw me as a failure. I refused to fail again; not for them or anyone else. When sex work became legal, I saw an opportunity to show the world that I had what it takes to become successful.”

  “But then Angelique threatened that success?” Eliza asked, trying to put all the pieces of the puzzle together.

  Veronica let out an arrogant laugh. “She didn’t threaten anything, but she did believe herself better than me. No whore is better than me.”

  “Delusional,” Dax remarked in a sing-song voice.

  “Dax,” Eliza hissed through clenched teeth. Comments like that would derail the conversation, and she wouldn’t get the information she needed.

  “Simon?” she asked quickly, getting the conversation back on track.

  “Really, Detective? You had to ask?” Veronica inquired, her head tilting to the left.

  Eliza gave a faint smile. “Better to ask than assume.”

  “Homosexuality is unnatural. Simon was also an arrogant prick.,” Veronica said. Her expressionless face conveyed both how serious she was, and how much she believed in what she had said.

  Eliza, dumbfounded by the response, stared at her and muttered, “You have got to be kidding me.”

  Dax, on the other hand, wasn’t as quiet about his disbelief. “Are you fucking kidding me? A homophobic, transphobic, atheist? Detective, isn’t that an oxymoron?” He laughed. “Let me guess what happened. A hot, tall, dark, and handsome gay boy caught your attention, and rebuffed you—because despite your delusional thinking—your pussy isn’t gold, and he didn’t bow down to it, being a bona fide cocksucker and all. Is that about right, princess?”

  Veronica sneered and jerked her head toward him. “I think it’s time I put an end to your incessant chatter and holier-than-thou attitude, hmm?”

  She brought the gun to Dax’s forehead, and he smiled. “Go ahead, Veronica. At the end of the day, I’ll still be better than you. Period.”

  “Veronica, put the gun down,” Eliza called out in warning, ignoring the fear racing down her spine.

  Instead of putting down the weapon, Veronica pulled back the hammer, giving Eliza just cause. She aimed her gun and pulled the trigger. The shot landed as Eliza had intended, hitting Veronica in the knee.

  A scream of agony filled the warehouse just as a cacophony of noise descended on the building
. Members of SWAT burst into the warehouse through the metal front doors, automatic rifles at the ready as they swept the area. Two members of the team trained their rifles on Veronica while two officers took the gun from her and put her in handcuffs.

  Still in a daze from having discharged her weapon, Eliza moved her eyes to Dax. Two SWAT team members untied him from the chair and helped him up.

  Dax shook out his arms, then his eyes met hers.

  The organized chaos surrounding them faded away, and all Eliza saw was Dax. She didn’t know when she started moving towards him, but by the time she came to a stop in front of him, she only needed one thing. Taking hold of Dax’s face, she lowered her head and kissed him, hard and deep.

  His arms wrapped around her waist as the kiss grew passionate, and their tongues slowly explored one another’s mouths, soothing the parts of Eliza that had been riddled with worry and dread the moment she had found out Dax had been taken.

  The warmth of his mouth and body told her that he was alive, and here with her. Eliza didn’t think about what would happen once the high of everything had passed. That was after; this was now.

  Her need for oxygen caused her to break the kiss, but she placed a light, lingering one on his lips before pulling away, her thumb caressing his cheek. Then she slapped him, lightly. “That’s for antagonizing a crazy woman with a gun.” She gave his cheek another light slap. “That’s for making the officer watching you uncomfortable enough that he didn’t go into the locker room with you.” She delivered another light slap to his cheek. “That’s for making me worry.”

  She went to smack him again, but Dax caught her hand. “No more of that, Detective.” He stared into her eyes. “You came for me.”

  “Of course I came for you,” Eliza said, annoyed that he would even question whether or not she would. “I made a promise to protect you, and I was going to do everything to keep it.

  Dax pursed his lips. “Of course.” He let go of her and moved away. “I guess I should go with these nice officers and give them my statement.”

  Eliza quickly remembered that they were surrounded by a large segment of SWAT, and that they had just witnessed her kissing Dax. Oh, how the rumors would fly.