Assassin In My Bed

by Samantha Cade

  It was stupid to go out there and see him. What made her think she could spy on the military hero without being noticed? She took an unnecessary risk, and now, the entire mission could be in jeopardy.

  She texts Em Dash, and tells him she doesn’t feel safe in her apartment. She needs to go somewhere else, somewhere safe. Em Dash tells her that he can set up a safe house for her, but it could take a couple of weeks.

  Two weeks seems like a lifetime, and from the way Zane looked at her, the way he so confidently told her that she would see him again, Penny wonders if she can hold him off for that long.

  Her bathing suit, still wet from the lake, has moistened through her clothes. Her arm smells like sunscreen. She hadn’t applied any, so she knows it’s from Zane. It must have rubbed off on her when they were swimming together in the lake. The more Penny tries not to think about Zane’s muscular torso rubbing up against her, and the erection she’d accidentally felt, the more her resistance fails. She can’t believe that she could elicit such a response in a man like that. It makes her feel desired, powerful, like a sex goddess, the complete opposite of her awkward, paranoid self.

  Without thinking, she opens her phone and watches the video she took of Zane. There’s his powerful body emerging from the lake, his biceps bulging as he shakes the water from his hair. She traces the paths of the rippling water with her eyes, as it streams down his neck, over his pectoral muscles, and down the midline of his torso. His swim shorts cling to his skin, revealing an outline of what Penny had brushed against in the lake.

  Heat rises in her body. The primal part of her brain takes over, pushing out all rational thought. She imagines Zane on top of her, thrusting between her legs as she grips his broad shoulders, the intensity in his dark eyes when he looks at her with desire. She watches the video again and again. On her third viewing, her phone buzzes in her hand. Her heart pounds when she sees it’s a text from him.

  I want to see you again

  Penny taps the message box without a clear plan of how she’s going to respond. Suddenly, her hands are paralyzed. Both sides of her brain are screaming at her, telling her to do opposite things. She can’t handle this right now. She tosses the phone to the other side of the closet, then hugs her head between her knees.

  *

  Zane doesn’t want to be here. After his swim, he’d planned to spend the afternoon at home, planning his seduction of Penny. But Jacob had summoned Zane out to Vincent’s compound for shooting practice. Since Zane is on the payroll now, he felt obligated to go. Zane drove straight to the compound, which is only a half hour from the lake.

  The training ground is empty except for Jacob and Zane. Without the dozens of recruits, Zane feels the enormity of this property. It’s a wide open space if Zane’s ever seen one. While Jacob sets up the shooting range, Zane sends a text to Penny. I want to see you again. Shortly after sending it, Zane sees the bubbles pop up, indicating that she’s texting him back. But the bubbles stop with no response.

  “Here’s your goggles,” Jacob says, approaching Zane. “And here’s the lovely lady who will be entertaining us this afternoon.”

  Jacob gestures to the shooting bench where an assault rifle is set up. Zane has seen guns like it before, but never this exact type. He quickly sizes it up. The barrel is around fourteen inches long. It’s a bullpup style, with the action behind the trigger. The selector switch has settings for semi-automatic, fully-automatic, or three round bursts. If that isn’t enough, there’s also a grenade launcher. Jacob runs his hand over the barrel, his mouth twisted in a sideways smile.

  “QBZ-95, made for the People’s Armed Police of China,” Jacob says. His voice is so thick, Zane wonders if Jacob is becoming erect at the sight of this rifle.

  Zane sits at the bench, and lightly runs his finger along the trigger.

  “That’s it,” Jacob says. “Get in there. Juice her up a little.”

  Zane wants to start shooting so Jacob will shut up. He sets the selector to three round bursts, and sets his sight on the target in the distance. It’s a sheet of plywood with a target drawn in the middle. Zane pulls the trigger back, and holds it there. The ammunition explodes from the barrel. Zane watches as a hole forms right smack in the middle of the target.

  “Shit, you won’t need much training,” Jacob says, visibly impressed.

  “I finished my training years ago,” Zane says, standing from the bench. “Your target’s wasted. Do you want to set up another one?”

  “Tell you what, I won’t keep you here all day. VC wanted me to get a sense of your skills, and I think I’ve done that.”

  Zane’s relieved. He doesn’t want to spend another second in the middle of nowhere with this creepy guy. Zane nods at Jacob, then turns back to his car.

  “Hold up,” Jacob calls after him. “You’re forgetting something.”

  Zane turns around to see Jacob holding the assault rifle. He turns the butt of the gun towards Zane, and hands it to him.

  “She’s all yours,” Jacob says with a wink. “And you don’t have to be gentle with her. She can take it rough.”

  Zane doesn’t want to waste any time arguing, so he accepts the rifle with a grateful nod. Though with each gift bestowed upon him by VC or Jacob, Zane feels even more in their debt, and more pressure to be a dutiful servant.

  The QBZ-95 is stretched across the backseat of his car as Zane drives away from the compound. With nothing to distract him, Penny is on his mind. Why hasn’t she responded yet? She’d starting typing something, why did she stop? Zane wonders if she has a boyfriend and didn’t tell him. A jealous rage rumbles in the pit of his stomach, and spreads through his limbs. The intensity of his feelings confuses him. He’s never felt this way about a woman. Back when he was sexually active, he had a different one every night. He never grew attached to anyone, because there was always someone else to take her place.

  But Penny is different. Ever since he laid eyes on her this morning, she became the only one. There’s no one else but her. It was a quick, gut feeling, and Zane’s learned to always trust his gut. No one but Penny could satisfy the craving that gnaws at his skin. The pattern of freckles around her belly button has burned into his mind. He wants to taste her skin as he traces the freckles with the tip of his tongue. Not only is she hauntingly beautiful, she’s intriguing. What’s lurking under her layers of shyness and secrets? What’s she hiding? He has to find out.

  He pulls over on the side of the road, and looks at the text he sent her. There’s still no response. Zane clenches the back of his teeth, thinking of her on the other end. Trying to evade him is a dangerous game. If he’s forced to hunt her down, he will. His fingertips tingle with excitement. Dormant parts of his brain light up with the thrill of the hunt. Only this time, he’s not on a mission to kill. No, this conquest will be much more pleasurable.

  *

  Penny has been able to calm herself down enough to get some work done, though she’s still huddled in the closet. With the laptop balanced on her lap, she schedules the next week’s Facebook posts for one of her clients, a local Mexican restaurant. Looking through stock photos of bright green margaritas, vividly red salsas, and fresh avocados have lifted her mood. She tries not to focus on her phone that lies silently on the other side of the closet.

  Two weeks, max, she tells herself. Then I can get to the safe house. But will I feel safe?

  She’s searching online for the correct spelling of taquitos, when she hears a familiar ding. The dark closet is illuminated by the glowing screen of her phone. Immediately, she knows it’s from him.

  When and where?

  He’s rather blunt, Penny thinks while rolling her eyes, though actually, his shameless pursuit of her is a turn on. It makes him seem strong, determined.

  Two weeks suddenly feels like a lifetime. If she carries on ignoring his texts, he may find other ways to track her down. And once he finds out that she’s his target, he’ll hunt her like prey.

  Penny stares at Zane’s text, her mi
nd spinning. Maybe the smart thing would be to play along, seduce him, so he’ll have second thoughts about killing her. To overcome her fears, she’ll have to get closer to the thing she fears the most.

  A voice in the back of her mind tells her that she’s simply rationalizing the irrational thing she wants to do, which is to see Zane again. She ignores that voice. Penny texts him back, telling him to meet her tomorrow afternoon at the most conspicuous place she can think of.

  *

  Zane goes through the glass paned doors into the sterile space of the Raleigh Museum of Art. Looking around the lobby, he notices the high level of surveillance, the cameras, and security guards keeping an eye on everyone’s movements. There are even alarms rigged up along the walls that will go off if someone gets too close to the art. Zane wonders if Penny chose this place for this very reason. He can’t blame her. She is meeting a strange man who randomly picked her up at the lake yesterday. He hopes that today, he can gain some of her trust. Then they can get together in a more private place, like her bed.

  He buys a ticket and enters the first exhibit room. He spots her right away. Penny’s wearing a knee length sundress. The pale pink cotton accentuates the tinge of redness in her pale skin. Her dark hair is pulled back into a loose ponytail. She’s standing in front of a sculpture, all twisted metal, with her back to Zane.

  Zane injects some confidence into his step as he approaches her. He places his hand on her lower back to alert her of his presence. Penny jumps, and turns to him with wide, doe eyes.

  “It’s just me,” Zane says with a chuckle. He moves in to to hug her. Penny lets him, but her body is stiff and rigid against him. He gets a whiff of her coconut scented shampoo, and holds it in his lungs. “Good to see you again.”

  Penny smiles, shyly. “You too.”

  Zane notices her eyes flitting over his body. His thick arms and torso fill out the black V-neck T-shirt he wears, and he’s happy to see Penny noticing. He can’t take his eyes off of her either. He’s hypnotized by the slope of her bare shoulders, and the pinched hardness of her nipples beneath the dress. There’s something else about her, something unseen, that draws him towards her. He wishes they were somewhere not so public, so he could gather her in his arms and taste her lips.

  “What do you think of this piece?” Zane says, wiping his brow.

  Penny turns back to the sculpture, and chews her lip thoughtfully. “The torment of the modern person. I believes it harkens to the industrial revolution, when industry and steel replaced pastoral life. It still has resonance today with all the new technology.” She extends her hand, tracing the flow of the metal without touching it. “We’re closer together than ever before, but also so far removed from one another.”

  She continues gazing at the sculpture, her mind somewhere far off. Zane studies her, thinking that she’s more beautiful than ever when lost in thought. Penny shakes her head, then looks at him with an embarrassed smile.

  “You’re probably not interested in art babble,” she says with a self-deprecating laugh.

  Zane can’t help himself. He steps towards her, and grazes her hair with his knuckles. “I could listen to you babble all day.”

  Penny giggles as she looks down at her feet. The strap of her dress falls down her shoulder. Zane has to tighten his muscles to keep from scooping her up and pressing her against his chest. But this isn’t just about sex. He’s willing to put in the work, to build something deeper, something real. He holds out his elbow for her to take. Penny slips her slight arm through his. They stroll through the rooms, stopping to admire a particular piece on occasion. Their conversation is light, and mostly has to do with what’s in front of their face. Penny knows her stuff about art. Some of her insights open up the pieces for Zane, and give him a greater appreciation for them.

  They stop to look at a light installation. Hundreds of tiny bulbs in a variety of colors are strung along a wooden grid that runs just below the ceiling. The bulbs pulse with light, guided by a rhythm that only they know.

  “It’s like a symphony,” Penny says, looking up in awe. “Can you hear it?”

  Zane looks up too, absorbing the rhythm of the bulbs. He sees what Penny means. A few twinkling bulbs are like a melody, and more and more light up into a dramatic crescendo. Zane doesn’t hear the music, but he can feel it on his skin. It causes adrenaline to surge through his body, making him want to dive head first into his impulses.

  Penny is busy staring at the lights, she doesn’t notice his arm snaking around her waist. When he nuzzles his nose into her hair, his breath against her ear, she goes completely stiff.

  “I don’t want to talk about art anymore,” he says with a gruff whisper. “I want you to tell me something.”

  Penny swallows. “What?”

  Zane slips his hand down to her hip, and grabs her flesh there. “Who are you?”

  Penny giggles nervously. “I’m Penny.”

  “No.” Zane tightens his grip on her. “There’s more. I know it. And if you don’t tell me, I’ll find out myself.”

  Zane forgets about the other people in the exhibit. His radar is set on Penny. His every movement is fueled by desire. Being so close to her, smelling her scent, makes him want more. And he can’t take his hands off of her. Through the haze of yearning, he sees that Penny has gone stark white, and she’s trembling in his arms. But she’s not pulling away. He’s about to whisper in her ear, let’s get out of here, when he hears someone call his name.

  Zane’s shocked back into reality by the sight of a middle aged man wearing an American flag T-shirt. He’s smiling broadly and holding a phone.

  “Zane Celick?” the man says. “Is that really you?”

  Penny steps away from Zane, and he suddenly feels cold. “I’m just looking at art, man,” Zane says.

  The man squints at his face. “It is you.” He extends his hand for Zane to shake. “I just want to thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for your service. Do you mind if I get a picture?”

  Before Zane can answer, the man has his arm around him and is snapping a selfie of the both of them. He’s about to demand that the man delete the photo, when he hears Penny speak.

  “I should get going,” she says.

  “Wait,” Zane says, stepping towards Penny. But her face is pale, and her hands are shaking. Zane feels like a big buffoon. He couldn’t control himself, and now he’s scared her off.

  “I have work to do,” Penny says, twirling her hair casually. “Bye, Zane.”

  The man is calling his wife over to take a picture with Zane, while Zane watches Penny rush away. A woman approaches, smiling and gushing, but Zane doesn’t hear a word she’s saying. While the woman is trying to position her phone to take a picture, Zane walks off. He’s going to follow Penny. He needs to know where she lives, so she can never hide from him.

  Chapter Six

  Penny can’t sequester herself in the closet. She’s so worked up, she has to move around. Nervous energy tingles through her veins as she flits around the apartment, finding little jobs to do. She throws away the old magazines on the coffee table, straightens the cushions, dusts the neglected vases on top of the kitchen cabinets. She even pours white vinegar into her coffee maker, then turns it on to clean it out.

  None of this activity does any good. Her stomach is a tight ball of nerves. She keeps getting a fluttering in her chest that leaves her breathless. But when she thinks of Zane, his arm hooked around her waist, his fingers digging into the soft flesh of her side, she’s flushed with a relaxing warmth. Once she considers that Zane’s been hired to kill her, that warmth wears off, and she’s left more of a mess than she was before.

  She’d had a half-hearted plan to seduce Zane on false grounds, all to manipulate him not to kill her. Now, with her heart quickening at the thought of him, she knows that will never work. Because when she was so close to Zane, feeling his heart beat in his chest, she knew she wouldn’t be manipulating anyone. The connection between them is real. Zane recognizes
it. Penny does too.

  While elbow deep in the toilet, scrubbing the porcelain within an inch of its life, she considers her options. She should leave. That’s absolutely what she should do. She should block his number while waiting for the safe house to be set up, then get the hell out of here and never speak to Zane again. It’s the most practical move, but it also threatens to rip her heart out of her chest.

  The other option is to stay, to let this current of lust drag her under, and deal the with consequences as they come. Zane has made his interest in her very clear. She can’t imagine he’d flip sides once he finds out she’s the target. Then again, if he finds out she’s been lying to him, it could make him angry. And she doesn’t want her assassin getting angry with her.

  Penny sits back on her knees, considering her third option, the one she’s avoided thinking about until now. She could stay, and she could tell him the truth. She closes her eyes, imagining sitting the hulking man with impeccable predatory skills down and laying everything out on the table. Which way would those dark eyes turn? Would they sharpen with intense protectiveness or rage? Would Zane suggest they run away together, or would he finish the job he was hired to do right then and there?

  While weighing both scenarios, Penny realizes that she’s as terrified of Zane as she is attracted to him. Even more pathological, they aren’t competing feelings. They mingle together, one outweighing the other, and vice versa, a never ending rollercoaster. And one wouldn’t be as strong without the other.

  Penny rips off her plastic gloves and tosses them to the side. Suddenly, she’s exhausted. Her arm muscles are sore from the vigorous cleaning, and her lower back aches. She doesn’t want to go back to the dark, cramped closet. She locks the bathroom door, then lies down, fully clothed, in the dry bathtub.

  Ten minutes later, her eyes jolt open. She must have fallen asleep. There’s a painful crick in her neck from her awkward position in the tub. She sits up slowly, rubbing the grogginess from her eyes.