The Assassin's Weakness

by Jeanette Rico

  I cling to his back as he sucks my tongue into his mouth. Someone knocks on the door again. Micah bites my lips giving me a heated look and pulls me close when the door opens. He looks back in anger at the person on the door. “What do you want? Can’t you see we’re busy?” I cling to him trying to cover my nakedness. Willem answers. “My apologies Savage, I just wanted to make sure that you found the rooms.” Micah responds. “As you can see we did. Now, if you don’t mind...” He says sarcastically. Willem must relent because he closes the door.

  Micah turns back to me looking into my eyes for a few minutes. His head is cocked as if he’s trying to hear something. Our bodies are still entwined and our breathing is ragged. I close my eyes trying to get control of my body. “Gideon is going to kill us.” Micah gives me a gentle smile. “He will kill me. But he would never hurt you. He would understand that you did what you had to do.” He lays a soft kiss on my mouth and rises from the bed. I blush at the sight of his erection. He smiles adjusting his pants seductively. “Plus, it’s not like we slept together, unless you want to?” I rise up adjusting my dress and give him a stern look. “As good a kisser as you are, I love Gideon.” Micah gives me a contemplative look and says. “That’s too bad. I would have given you a great deal of pleasure.” I blink my eyes rubbing my hands shyly down my neck. “Oh I don’t know. Gideon can be very inventive.” I say thinking about the shower and closet sex Gideon and I had.

  He moves closer running his finger up my arm, adjusting the strap of my dress and gives me a smoldering look. “I had never envied a man more than I do now.” He gives me one last longing look and moves away. I release a breath that I didn’t know that I was holding. It’s hard not to be lured by Micah. He’s like a beautiful panther with his predatory grace while Gideon is my beautiful golden lion.

  Micah takes one last cursory glance around the room. I move closer. “Do you think he has cameras in here?” He shakes his head. “No. Willem is extremely paranoid. He thinks that if he’s able to spy through a camera someone else is. Working for the Confradia can open your eyes to what people are capable of.” He stretches his hand out to me. “He won’t check on us again. We better get out of here. I don’t trust that he’ll keep his word.”

  Micah moves towards the door opening it gently to see if there is anyone on the other side. After a moment he turns to me and gestures for me to follow him. We make our way through the corridor watchful of whom we might run into. Suddenly, a shadow emerges from the corner. I jump back startled. Micah prepares to fight but stops when he sees who it is.

  “GIDEON!” I gasp out running into his arms. Gideon pulls me close tightening his arms around me. I’ve never been so happy in my life.

  Chapter 30: Confrontation

  Gideon

  My heart stutters when Jade runs into my arms. I wrap my arms around her inhaling her scent. After a moment I release her and turn to an observant Micah. “Where is he?” Micah nudges his head towards another corridor. “He’s at the end of the hall waiting for me to finish pleasuring Jade. We need to get her out. There’s no time…” Suddenly a shot rings out in the hallway. It’s one of Willem’s men. I pull Jade into my arms protectively handing Micah a gun.

  One of the men screams out. “He’s here!” We run out of the hallway to another corridor. Shots continue to ring out. I hold on to Jade, trying to shield her body from the bullets. Micah is shooting as he runs behind us. A man jumps in front of us. But Micah grabs his head and twists, breaking his neck. We continue to make our way down the hall but come to an abrupt halt when a few men with machine guns block the entrance. We turn to find another way out, but we’re surrounded by men holding guns. Micah and I flank Jade. One of the men screams. “Put the gun down or we’ll kill all of you.” I look at Micah nodding my head. We slowly lower our guns and raise our hands up in surrender.

  The group in front of us parts admitting Willem through. He smirks slyly crossing his arms over his chest. “Well, well. As I suspected, Savage you bad boy. I leave you to screw this pretty girl and you end up betraying me.” Micah and I remain quiet. Willem moves forward. “Bring them to the main room.” One of the men moves forward pointing a gun at my chest while another nudges me in the back to move. Micah moves in front of us sandwiching Jade between us.

  Once we make it to the main room they create a circle surrounding us. Willem steps forward with a stiff, puckered face. “KNEEL!” He screams out to us. Micah and I look at each other ignoring his request. Suddenly, pain strikes me in my lower back and I fall onto my knees. One of the men does the same to Micah. Jade is pushed down by a hand on her neck. Anger rises in me as the men manhandle her. Her face is devoid of color but she doesn’t cry out.

  Will stands in front of us angry. “Well Reaper… Savage. It looks like you two have been very bad.” My nostrils flare in anger at Willem’s flippant tone. Micah answers instead. “Wow Willem you’re one obtuse guy.” Micah’s words evoke a reaction because Willem steps forward and punches Micah in the face. Jade flinches visibly as Micah falls back spitting blood out of his mouth smirking. Willem looks back to me. “And you Reaper? Do you have something to say?” I ignore his question looking forward with icy regard. Willem pulls his arm back and slaps me in the face. My head snaps but I restrain my anger. My chest is rising erratically.

  My body stiffens when Willem’s eyes turn to Jade. “And you little girl. I get the feeling that you’re worth more than these two let on.” Willem reaches for Jade, pulling her into his arms. One of the guards places the gun over my forehead when I begin to rise. My body feels wired. I clench my jaw breathing through my teeth. Micah looks just as pissed. Willem looks down at us caressing her face. “So beautiful and young…the kind of girl that my clients are searching for.” He grips her elbow tight moving her towards his men. “What do you think boys?” Jade tries to pull away. “LET GO OF ME!” Willem ignores her plea laughing in mockery. I stop breathing when he pulls her closer. “Oh no little one, I think I’m going to enjoy you just like our friends Savage and Micah did.” He tries to lead her away, but she resists kicking and slapping at him hard in the face.

  Everyone stops to watch as Willem and Jade grapple. Micah and I use this to our advantage. I elbow the guard in the thigh. He cries out falling on one knee. I punch him in the face and take his weapon. Micah turns pulling his guard by the ankle. The guard slams down on the floor falling unconscious. I fire at a guard disabling him.

  Willem turns Jade over, using her as a shield and puts a gun to her head. “I wouldn’t do that, boys.” He takes a few steps back dragging Jade with him.

  Micah covers my back as I move closer. “Let her go Willem.” My eyes remain focused on his. Suddenly, the doors open Brian and Kyle walk in holding their guns to attention. All hell breaks loose. The guards begin to fire upon us. Willem pulls back, dragging Jade with him. Micah and I take cover to avoid being shot. I look over to Micah. “Watch my back. Willem is taking Jade.” Micah nods his head pointing his gun and shooting. I run after Willem ducking through rooms. Willem stops, turning around to look at me. Jade is still in his arms trying to break loose. We both stand facing each other. Willem places a kiss in her head. “I suggest you back off Reaper. We don’t want this sweet little thing to get hurt. Do we?”

  I breathe in and out. My nostrils flare as I stare Willem down. “This is between you and me Willem. You know that I won’t let you get out of here alive. Why don’t you let the girl go and fight me? I’ve been dying to kick your ass.” Willem scoffs putting his hand over Jade’s breast. I want to kill him.

  I raise my gun up over my head and step back. “How about you take me instead Willem? Let her go and I’ll go with you.” Jade shakes her head and screams out. “NO GIDEON!” Willem laughs maniacally. “So she speaks.”

  He pulls Jade’s hair forcing her head back. “She’s yours then. I wasn’t sure at first if she was yours or Savage’s. He seemed very enamored of her. You should have seen the way they were going at it in the bedroom.” I igno
re his words. But he persists. He pulls her face close to his and tries to kiss her. She cringes back closing her eyes. I want to shoot the bastard so bad I can taste it. “Tell him beautiful Jade. Tell him about how I found you and Micah in the bedroom.” He forces her head back screaming into her ear. “TELL HIM!” Jade lets out a frightened cry. Her eyes look at me pleadingly. I snap.

  I level my gun down and shoot him in the shoulder. Willem and Jade cry out in pain. The gun falls out of his hand. His grip on Jade loosens. Jade falls forward, skidding closer to me. Willem tries to grab her. I move forward and tackle him on to the floor. He reaches for his gun, but I kick it away. It’s an all-out brawl. I pull back my fist and punch him several times in the face. Gideon might be older, but he’s still a good fighter.

  He pushes me to my back. Then kicks me in the stomach. I fall back. Willems stands up holding his shoulder. Giving me a resentful look. He turns and runs back towards the stairs. He runs up and I follow. I grip his ankle, but he kicks out. He continues to run pushing through a door.

  I rush through the door feeling the whoosh of air hit me in the face. I can see him running towards the edge of the hull. Several shots ring out. It’s Cameron. Willem runs up another set of stairs to the hull railing. I rush closer tackling him to the ground.

  He turns around and kicks out at me. We are now side by side. I elbow him in the face. He grunts slamming his head on the floor. I scissor kick and hit him in the neck. He grabs my leg pulling it back roughly.

  I kick out again kicking him in the chest. He skids back on the edge of the hull. I rise from the floor moving closer to him. He’s holding his shoulder breathing raggedly. I give him the once over, spitting blood out of my mouth. Before I can do anything. He gives me a seething look, rises up and throws himself over the railing. I rush forward. “WILLEM!”

  I look over the railing but only hear the splash of his body hitting the water. “FUCK!” I yell slamming my palm over the railing.

  Footsteps reverberate in the corridor. I turn ready to fight. It’s Micah with Kyle and Brian. “The men have been disabled. Where’s Willem?” He says gesturing to the empty hull. I nod my head gesturing towards the railing. “The son of a bitch jumped into the harbor.” Micah moves closer and looks over the railing. “SHIT!” We both search the night, but there is no movement. I turn to Kyle and Brian. “Search the dock and call Cameron. See if he can close up the gates. We need to make sure the bastard didn’t escape somehow. The men nod and walk away. Micah gives me a puzzled look. “There’s no way that Willem survived that fall. It’s at least two-hundred feet.” I run my right hand over my neck.

  Jade appears at the hull rushing into my arms. I tighten my arms around her. My phone rings. It’s Cameron. I move Jade to my side and answer the phone. “Yeah.” Cameron answer. “The fucker is not down here. The men are looking. But there’s no way Willem survived it. I called a few divers to scour the harbor. Kyle and Brian will take the yacht in for inspection. You might as well take Jade home. I’ll let you know what we find.” I grit my teeth but don’t argue. “Fine.” I hang up the phone pulling Jade closer into my arms. Micah gives me a questioning look. I shake my head. “Cameron and the men searched. Willem is not there. Either he’s dead or he hasn’t made it to the docks. They’re going to scour the harbor. But he doesn’t think he made it.” Micah lets out a few expletives and slaps his thighs in anger. “God Damn it! Are you okay Jade?” He looks at Jade worried. She nods holding me tighter.

  I rub my hands over her back. She’s so small and delicate. I pull her in for a kiss. I don’t want to hurt her. She’s so young. I almost lost her. She kisses me desperately running her hands through my hair. I pull away from the kiss, caressing her soft cheek. “Are you okay baby?” She nods her head letting out small gasps as she runs her fingers over my lips. I pull her close ushering her away. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Micah joins us. “Cameron will take care of finding Willem for now.” We make our way outside. I hold Jade close to me as Micah continues to talk. “We still don’t have all the information we need from him. From what he told me there’s a lot more involved than we think. He said he had partners. We need to know who they are.” I nod my head, narrowing my eyes when I notice Micah’s gaze locked on Jade. The bastard smirks at my threatening look.

  I walk with Jade towards the car. Her body is shaking. I open the passenger door and slip her inside. She grasps my hands not releasing me. I squat down in front of her caressing my hand over her cheek. “Talk to me Jade. Tell me that this doesn’t change anything.” I give her a pleading look, holding my breath. She leans her forehead over mine placing her hands over my jaw. Her eyes are so beautiful. They are a mixture of molten honey with a mix of green flecks. She looks down as I wipe of a small tear with my thumb. Her mouth trembles slightly. She swallows shallowly and answers. “I don’t know Gideon. I…I do love you. I think I need some time to think about this.” I nod my head feeling my world tilt off its axis. I restrain myself from wanting to howl in rage, to beg her not to let me go. But instead, I swallow my pain tighten my mouth and rise up to close the door.

  Micah is leaning on the driver’s side of the car. His arms are crossed over his chest. He gives the passenger side a sideways look. “Is she okay?” I shake my head still unable to talk over the obstruction in my throat. I take a few deep breaths leaning my hands over the passenger window. Jade’s resting her head on the headrest. Her head is tilted in the other direction. I swallow again. “I think she’s done with me.”

  Micah gives Jade another cursory glance then straightens up. He places his hand over my shoulder. “Look man. You can’t force it. Give her time. What we do is a shit load for anyone to take. She’s a strong girl. I can see that she loves you a lot. I mean, she resisted me…”He points to his face and body wagging his eyebrows. “That should tell you something.” He lets out a deep sigh. “I know it’s hard to let someone so beautiful go. Sometimes the situation is impossible and you can’t work through it. In this case though, I really think that she’ll stick with you. If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.”

  I nod my head narrowing my eyes in speculation. “Who is she?” I say in question. Micah tightens his lips straightening his spine. “What makes you think there’s a she?” I pull away leaning one arm on the top of the car tilting my body to his. “Because it sounds like you speak from experience.” I tilt my head and wait for his response. Micah nods his head as if making a decision. “Jade reminds me of her.” He snorts mockingly, running his thumb over his lips. “She and Jade are actually the same age.” He looks down shuffling his feet. “But I know I can’t have her.”

  He snorts again looking off into the distance. “Hell! She doesn’t even know that I feel this way about her. I’ve made sure that she doesn’t.” I shrug my shoulders. “Why?” He straightens from his perch placing his hand in his pockets. “Because…she’s my stepsister….” He runs his hands over the back of his head and neck looking off into the distance. “My father married her mother three years ago. She was fifteen then. I thought she was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

  He bites his lower lips tilting his head back. “What kind of sick bastard am I that I couldn’t take my eyes off her? One day, about two years ago, she revealed her feelings for me. She was sixteen. It would have been wrong. So I pretended to be disgusted by her and walked away. She hates me now.” He releases a deep sigh as if feeling relieved to release his burden. “But now I see you with Jade and all I can think is, maybe…” He looks back at me with a hopeless look and shrugs his shoulders bemused. “I don’t know.” I swallow again, giving him an understanding look.

  Micah releases a deep breath and pats the top of the car. “Don’t worry about me Reaper. I’ll figure it out. You go home and take care of that beautiful girl.” We shake hands and he walks away.

  We don’t talk the whole way home. I run through scenarios in my head. All I know is that I don’t want to lose her. As soon as we get to the apartme
nt she runs to the bedroom. I watch her stiffly as she runs away. I walk towards the living room window with a grim look leaning my elbow over the frame. I don’t know how long I stand there, but she eventually comes out of the room. Her hair is wet and she’s wearing one of my t-shirts. She walks closer to me standing next the window. I turn to her reaching for her hand. She places her beautiful fragile hand on mine. I don’t know how, but somehow I’m kneeling in front of her with my arms around her waist and my head on her stomach. She wordlessly runs her hands through my hair. I inhale her scent placing a soft kiss on her mound and whisper. “I love you.”

  Her body starts to shudder as silent tears run down her face. I remain where I am. Tears prickle my eyes. I grit my teeth inhaling sharply through my nose. After a few moments she pulls away wipes her tears and holds her hand out to me. “Let’s go to bed.” I rise up lifting her bridal style into my arms and carry her to our bed. She wraps her arms around me burying her face in my neck. That’s how we both fall asleep. Her body cocooned by mine.

  Chapter 31: Choices

  Jade

  I don’t know what to do. This morning was so tense. We woke up and began our day as if we were strangers. We barely talked. Everything out of our mouths was a polite “thank you” or a “yes” or “no”. I’m still wearing one of his shirts, plus some boy shorts. His eyes follow me with longing. My heart breaks at the solemn look he gives me before he goes. He places a gentle kiss on my forehead and whispers, “I love you.” before he leaves the apartment. All I know is that I need someone to talk to. I called Adrian last night to tell him that I was okay. He cried in relief. He was so worried. I promised to meet him today. He’s coming over in a few moments. When I told Gideon, he simply nodded.