The Mermaid & The Crocodile (The Kill List Series Book One)

by Edee M. Fallon

  “You’re off your game tonight, Jenks. First you approach me when you know I’m with Eddie and then you show up here. You must really be desperate. What the hell has gotten into you?”

  “You need to back off, Berty. Eddie isn’t your guy.”

  I tossed the broken glass into the garbage and walked into the living room, plopping down in the recliner opposite him. “I know he isn’t my guy but he is my way in. What did you really come here for?”

  “Would you believe me if I told you I missed you?” he asked as he looked up from under his furrowed brow.

  “Maybe,” I said as I played with a loose string on the hem of my worn out t-shirt. “But you have a funny way of showing it. It’s good to see you, too, but you shouldn’t have come here.”

  “What are you doing, Berty? You know—”

  “I’m doing what I’m meant to do. You know exactly—”

  “Roberta,” he said as he shook his head. “Please don’t do this. You don’t have to go through with this.”

  “I am going to finish this, Jenks.” I had to.

  He sighed in frustration and shook his head again, accepting that I would not back down no matter what he said to me. We spoke briefly about nothing else of importance and Jenks left shortly after. It was finally time for bed.

  I awoke the next day with the goal of creating my new identity, which I planned to do as I laid out on the beach. I got ready for my day and began gathering what I would be taking with me. A knock at my front door pulled me from my task. If it was Jenks again, I was going to strangle then bury him in the backyard. This was getting ridiculous.

  “What?” I said with annoyance while swinging the front door open. It was Eddie. Shit.

  “Did I come at a bad time?” he asked.

  “Oh, sorry. I, um … I thought you were someone else.”

  “Who?” he asked.

  “A neighbor that I’m not getting along with.” It wasn’t my best lie, but it was the first thing that popped into my frazzled mind.

  “Do you need me to take care of the situation?” he asked with all seriousness, glancing from left to right in search of said neighbor. He really was trying to live up to the knight in shining armor role.

  “No, no. I’m good, but thanks.”

  “Can I come in?”

  Uh … “What are you doing here?” I asked to deflect his question. My mind began to map out what could possibly be lying around that would give me away. The smell of his cologne clouded my thoughts and I could not focus on the mental imagery.

  “I forgot something last night.”

  Now I was really confused. “What?” I asked him.

  He stepped into me and I instinctively took a step back, just like the night before at the casino. I was sure the confusion was etched onto my face and I could not tell what he was thinking or planning by the expression on his. Eddie took another step closer and grabbed my face between his hands.

  “This,” he said before taking my mouth with his own.

  The kiss started out gentle, even if his grip was anything but. He wasn’t letting me get away this time. His tongue swept along the seam of my lips, as if softly asking permission to enter. I opened my mouth to protest, but he took the advantage and deepened the kiss. His tongue tangled with mine and I lost my breath. He pulled back after a moment and just stared at me.

  “Roberta,” he whispered softly before gently pecking my lips once, twice, three times.

  “Eddie,” I tried to speak but was interrupted by another kiss.

  “Let me take you out tonight, please?” he implored.

  “I don’t think that’s such a great idea,” I said.

  “Why not?”

  “Eddie, you don’t even know me.”

  “Isn’t that the point of two people spending time together? To get to know each other better?”

  I still had so much to figure out, but I knew I could not keep denying him if I wanted to work my way into his life. Fate, destiny, or pure dumb luck had brought us together and I could not let that slip past me. “Okay,” I said. “I’ll go out with you.”

  “Thank you,” he said as a look of relief crossed over his face. “I’ll pick you up at six thirty,” he said as he began to walk backwards down the pathway to the street.

  I closed the door and pressed my back against it, sliding down its length until my bum hit the tiled floor. I had a lot to do before my first date tonight. Fuck. I didn’t even know what I was supposed to wear.

  Once I was ready for my date, I poured myself a glass of wine and sat on the couch to wait for him. My mind drifted to the only time in my life I had been asked out before. It was not an altogether unpleasant memory, but it was not welcome at the moment, either.

  It was my third year of high school. All my classmates were excited about football games and junior prom while my mind worried about hunting, target practice and if I needed to brush up on my knife techniques. On occasion, I would daydream about my first date or first kiss, but I tried not to dwell on those thoughts often, especially since I could not look any guy in the eyes without being ridiculed. Even then, I intimidated the boys and the girls, who retaliated with name calling and whispers as I passed them in the halls. I tried to block it out, but everyone was impressionable at that age. I could not wait to graduate so I could get away from all the teenage drama and angst. My father would not have approved of me associating with any of my classmates anyway. Who needs friends like that when you have enemies, and all that jazz.

  However, one day the unexpected happened. I closed my locker and gasped as I noticed the boy standing in the space the locker door had been blocking. I leapt backward, startled that someone had snuck up on me without me noticing. It was a weakness of mine that my father pointed out constantly. I would be so focused on my intention that I tended to block out anything that was not directly in front of me. It was a flaw that could be fatal if I was not careful. Mad at myself, more than the intruder who now stood between me and my next class, I pushed past him and starting walking down the hall to try to beat the tardy bell.

  “Hey, wait up,” he called from behind me.

  Naturally, I kept walking. I was not in the mood for pranks, not that I ever was unless I was the culprit. A hand on my shoulder stopped me in my tracks and I inhaled slowly to stymie my urge to attack. I did not like anyone’s uninvited hands on me. I could have taken him to the ground if I wanted to, but I did not feel like spending another day in the principal’s office or risk the chance of suspension.

  “Hi,” he said as he stepped in front of me, blocking my path yet again.

  Stepping around him for the second time, I started walking away once more. This douchebag was going to make me late for English class; the one class I actually enjoyed. I got my education on the range and on the streets, with my father as the teacher. I had always excelled at school, but knowing what I was really destined for made it feel like a waste of my time. He jogged up behind me until he caught up, then kept stride with me as I made my way down the hall as I contemplated tripping him.

  “Can I ask you a question?” he asked as he moved in front of me for the third time. Now I was not only annoyed, I was über pissed. I stared him down with my most evil glare, daring him to go on. His smile faltered for a moment, but it returned quickly.

  “So what are you doing this weekend?” he asked with an air of familiarity he had no right to. Was he serious? We were not friends and we never would be.

  “I, um … I was wondering if you might want to hang out Friday night,” he stammered to my now departing back, his earlier confident tenor now sounding unsure.

  His words stopped my escape and I froze in the middle of the hallway. Instead of the usual snickers and harsh words that most students would have received for interrupting the flow of traffic, everyone walked around me to avoid any type of contact with the “freak”. Obviously, this joker had not gotten the memo.

  “I’m serious,” he continued.

  “Why?” I fi
nally asked as I was waiting for the punch line.

  “Why not? Come on. Go out with me.”

  “Look, whatever you’re playing at, I’m not interested,” I said as I half-turned his way, refusing to meet his eyes.

  “I’m just asking for one night, just a few hours, really. Just say yes. Please.”

  I shook my head, turned around and walked into class as the tardy bell sounded. As the teacher began writing the day’s topic on the whiteboard, a girl who sat next to me in class leaned towards me and whispered, “You know it’s just a joke, right?”

  “Excuse me?” I said to her, confused as to what she was talking about. All eyes turned to me, unaccustomed to hearing me speak to anyone unless I was called upon. Few teachers ever chanced that situation, never knowing what might come out of my mouth.

  “Mike asking you out,” she said when I did not question her further. Everyone turned away, quickly bored at my pretend lack of interest. “He and his friends have a bet going on. Mike said he could get you to go out with him and well you know … like do other stuff, too.”

  “I wasn’t going to say yes,” I told her, although I had briefly entertained the thought. I could not tell her that, though. I hardly wanted to admit it to myself. At least I had not yet made a fool of myself. My new friend Mike, though, had made a near fatal mistake. I was not the kind of girl you fucked around with without consequence. He was about to understand the meaning of real pain.

  I stewed over the new found information for the next hour of class. Once the bell rang, I waited until everyone exited before I got up to leave. Mike was waiting for me by the door, as I had expected.

  “So will you?” he asked hopefully, shamelessly.

  “Sure,” I said as I headed back towards my locker. The shocked looked on his face was priceless. “Pick me up at seven,” I told him as I strode down the hall towards my locker.

  That Friday night I had my dad answer the door with a shotgun. I was pretty sure Mike shit his pants as my father laid into him about his little idea of a joke and what he had planned for our evening. I could have taken care of it myself, but it was so much better to watch from my bedroom window as Mike trembled with fear at the sight of my larger than life father.

  The next Monday, Mike told the whole school that I blew him in the backseat of his car. I punched him in the balls in front of the entire football team and ended up the principal’s office. At least this time my father could not get mad at me. He took me to Jaxson’s for ice cream that day, a sure sign that he was proud of what I had done.

  What I had not told anyone, and what I was just now admitting to myself, was that for a few moments in that hallway I thought Mike was serious and I had wanted him to be. That maybe for once someone saw past the image I fought to portray; that someone saw through the façade. I thought about how nice it would have been to be around someone who was not forced to spend time with me day in and day out, or that did not have a secret agenda where I was concerned. But, as with so many other things I wanted out of life, I soon realized that it was just another disappointment waiting to happen. Mike had added another crack to an already fractured heart. I promised myself then to never trust myself when it came to men or anyone but myself, for that matter.

  A knock at the door pulled me from my memory. Normally, I would have been grateful for the reprieve, but I found no comfort in the fact that I was jumping from the frying pan into the fire. I took a few deep breaths as I made my way to the front door. Catching my reflection in the mirror, I checked to make sure my game face was on. This was it. Tonight would make or break my budding relationship with Eddie. I would either end up dead or he would end up eating out of the palm of my hand. For obvious reasons, I prayed for the latter. I sent up one more prayer to my father to watch my back, but not too closely, just in case I needed to do something no father should witness from his daughter.

  My stomach was in knots as I opened the door then my breath caught in my throat. For a moment, the world stopped spinning as I took in the sight before me. Eddie stood with his hands behind his back, looking more beautiful than a man should be allowed—if a man could be described that way. He was dressed casually in perfect fitting jeans and a white linen shirt with the cuffs rolled up to the middle of his forearms. His aviators hid his eyes but could not hide the gorgeous, perfect smile that erupted on his face at the sight of me. I guess I had chosen my outfit wisely.

  “You are so beautiful, Roberta,” he said as he stepped into the doorframe. “Here, these are for you,” he said as he handed me two dozen circus roses from behind his back.

  “Thank you. They’re lovely,” I replied as I took them from his hands and stepped aside to let him enter. Eddie closed the door behind us and followed me into the kitchen. He took a seat at the bar as I began to search for a vase under the sink. Knowing I did not own a vase, since I had never received flowers ever in my life, I prayed the previous tenants had left one under the sink. Nike! I hoped that was not the only prayer answered tonight. Eddie continued to follow me with his eyes. I was starting to squirm a bit under his gaze. Maybe that was a tactic he employed often. I was trying to stay cool, but the look he gave me made my knees a little weak.

  “This is a nice place, Roberta. You’re so close to the beach,” he said as he looked towards the front door then back to me. “Have you spent much time there? Do you like the water?”

  “Well enough,” I replied as I filled the vase with water. After removing the cellophane, I began to arrange the flowers. Eddie fiddled with his phone before giving a disapproving look of my handiwork. “What?” I asked sounding annoyed, because I was in fact annoyed. My piss poor attempt and his obvious scrutiny of it grated on my already agitated nerves.

  “You’re doing it wrong,” he said with a hint of a smirk on his face. He stood up from his stool and made his way around the bar to where I was standing. He moved slowly, like a predator stalking prey that was about to run.

  “How can you do it wrong?” I asked without hiding the irritation I was feeling towards him or the situation. This date was not starting out how I had planned. I guess that should not have surprised me since nothing had gone as planned so far as Eddie was concerned.

  “You’ve never done this before, have you?”

  “No,” I said with hostility.

  “Hasn’t anyone ever given you flowers?” he asked, sounding genuinely curious and amused.

  “No.” I saw no reason to lie about what was so glaringly evident.

  “Really?” he asked. “So I was your first? I’m honored.”

  Not bothering to answer, I stepped out of his way as he rolled up his sleeves even further, showing more of his dark skin and strongly veined forearms.

  “Do you have any scissors?” he asked as he opened a side drawer that normal people kept junk in. I was not normal and I did not horde junk so of course that was my weapons drawer. He pulled out the gun before I had the chance to stop him. My heart stopped again as he palmed the glock and checked the clip and safety.

  “What’s this for?” Eddie asked, eyeing me suspiciously.

  “A girl can never be too careful, right? New house, new city and all. It gives me peace of mind,” I said nervously.

  “Do you know how to use it?” he asked warily.

  “Of course,” I replied tersely. His question stung my pride a bit. I reached for the weapon, checked the safety and stuffed it back into the drawer. I retrieved the scissors before sliding the drawer shut. Eddie took the scissors from my hands and set them down on the counter.

  “Who are you?” he asked as he searched my face.

  My stomach was in my throat and I wished I still had my gun in my hand. “What do you mean?” I asked as I stared at the closed drawer longingly.

  “Such a beautiful girl who’s never received flowers, but knows how to handle a gun. It’s a very unusual combination. I’m only trying to solve the mystery that is you, Roberta.”

  “There is no mystery,” I replied as I turned towar
ds the counter, grabbing the scissors. They weren’t a gun, but at least they were a weapon I could wield if necessary.

  “Here, let me show you,” he said as he placed his hands on my shoulders from behind and positioned us in front of the sink. His left hand slid down my back, stopping at my waist, as his right reached around me to turn on the warm water, effectively trapping me between his body and the counter. God he smelled so good. Obviously, Eddie was wielding weapons of his own, the bastard.

  “Hand me the scissors,” he whispered into my ear as his warm breath tickled my neck. I tried to hide the effect it had on me, but my body’s response to him was uncontrollable. I shivered within his arms and felt, rather than saw, his grin. “I’ll teach you,” he said as he took a stem into his left hand, held it under the water and snipped off the tip.

  “You see, you have to cut it at an angle so the stems don’t lay flat on the bottom. It helps them to drink in the water,” he said in a quiet voice.

  “How do you know this? And why are we whispering?”

  Eddie let out a small laugh before he continued at a normal volume. “My dad likes fresh flowers in the house. It reminds him of my mother. He wasn’t around much when I was a kid so I spent a lot of time with the staff. I guess I picked up a few tricks along the way,” he said as he continued to cut and arrange the flowers.

  I knew that his mother had passed, but he didn’t know that I knew, which meant I had to ask, “When did she die?”

  He didn’t seem rattled by the question. “I was five.”

  “Do you remember her?”

  He leaned into me then and pressed his soft, warm lips to my neck where they lingered for a small eternity. “Can we talk about something else?” he asked as he turned me around to face him.

  “I’m sorry if I upset you,” I said as I looked down at our feet. Maybe I’d jumped the gun and asked too personal of a question. I had no idea what the proper etiquette was for a first date. His finger lifted my chin so he could look me in the eye.

  “You didn’t, if that’s what stole your smile. I just want tonight to be special. Let’s celebrate what we’ve found, not what we’ve lost, okay?” He leaned his body into me from the top of his thighs to his chest. His tentative lips met mine in a gentle kiss as his hands swept up my sides to my face that he held reverently. Pulling away he asked, “Are you hungry, Roberta?”