Blood Oaths

by Stein Willard

  “On the contrary, I must say. It’s a great pleasure to see you again, Blade. Last I heard you were setting up house with that secretary you met in a bar. Although you and I know who she really is.” She gave a genuine smile when she saw a flash of anger in the assassin’s obsidian gaze. “Ah, Lulu, don’t tell me that was supposed to be a secret. Come on now, you know in our business there are no secrets. The world’s simply too small for us to afford such a luxury.” Her gaze narrowed as she took a sideways step under the pretence that she wanted to lean against the sofa. The Japanese woman stiffened and Manu could see the tension in her shoulders.

  “But I think you have been very negligent and that’s stupid, Lulu-san.” For a bystander it would look like her taunts were falling on death ears, but Manu was trained to notice miniscule changes in her environment and in people. This little gift had saved her life countless times. She could detect a slight ticking muscle in the woman’s cheek, as well as the tightening of her jaw. She was getting under Lulu’s skin.

  “Why would you say that?” The assassin tried to adopt a relaxed stance.

  “Your target is my lover.”

  This time the Japanese woman did not try to hide her surprise. Her mouth fell open as she quickly glanced to where a dazed Logan sat flat on her butt, her eyes darting between the two assassins. The Japanese woman turned back to Manu, a taunting smile on her lips.

  “You must be absolutely terrible in bed, Mystique, because earlier tonight she was panting after me.” The obsidian eyes turned back to Logan. “All I could think about then was how much fun it would be to cut off her tits and her labia to feed to the dogs.”

  Manu knew what Lulu was trying to do, but she could not help the icy rage filling her. She grinned at the assassin.

  “I admit that I could probably do better in bed. You know what they say, practice makes perfect. That’s why I take offense at you wanting to cut off parts of her—parts essential to my ongoing training.”

  +++

  Lulu’s eyes narrowed as she looked at the blonde woman. She was completely taken aback by the fact that she was The Mist’s lover. Her gaze hardened and she saw the fear in the woman’s eyes. Her intel on this job was incomplete and once she was done here, she was going to make sure that whoever was responsible for this sloppy job paid for it—with his life.

  She had looked forward to this job. With the right setup and execution, it was to be her big comeback into the arena. Her gaze moved back to her nemesis. Mystique was truly an unpleasant surprise. She had many run-ins with the woman and in many she had to back down, because the bitch was always a step ahead of her. It grieved her even more that the woman was regarded as the best. Her eyes travelled over the tall, muscular frame. Mist was not easy to take down in hand to hand combat. She had tried before and had managed to get in quite a few well-placed blows, but Mist still managed to come out the victor. The great Dan Lee had created a near indestructible weapon when he took her under his wing fifteen years ago.

  A thought crossed her mind, making her raise her eyes to look at the big American. Why was it possible for the Yakuza spies to have found out so much about The Mist’s past but nothing about her present life? If the target was indeed her lover, then there should have been many opportunities to have captured them together. She received several pictures and background information on the target. Why leave out such an important thing as her relationship with the assassin. Something was not right here and she always trusted her instinct. There was something else going on behind the scenes.

  “Doesn’t it strike you as odd that I would know everything about the target except the fact that you are in a relationship?”

  She saw the amber eyes sharpen as the wheels started to turn behind the golden curtains. Yes, even she had not picked up on it.

  “Now that you mention it, it is rather strange.” Lulu heard the reluctant note in the American’s voice. “But on the other hand, it could also just be sloppy work by your spies.”

  The obsidian eyes were cold as they studied the American. “I doubt it. I know everything, even her telephone code at work.”

  She noticed a tightening around the American’s mouth and knew that the seed of doubt had been planted. She raised her hand slowly, but stopped halfway when the American held up the dagger.

  “I’m leaving now. I don’t know about you, but I find this too much of a coincidence.” Her eyes met fear-filled blue ones. “I promise to leave her unharmed until this thing has been cleared up.”

  She gave one last look at The Mist and retreated. She quickly slipped through the window she had broken into earlier and disappeared into the night.

  +++

  Logan pushed herself up on shaky legs, her eyes fixed on the flint-eyed woman who stood in the centre of the room, a faraway look in her eyes. She slowly walked over to the bar. As much she wanted to hit the inside of the tumbler, the more she spilled whiskey on the surface of the bar. She finally gave up and brought the bottle to bottle to her lips, taking a long pull. She felt a hand on her shoulder and yelped.

  “Easy, baby, it’s just me?”

  Logan turned dark blue eyes on her lover. She could still see her standing there with a piercing gaze, radiating raw power and menace. How could Manu have kept this side of herself from her for so long?

  “Who are you really?”

  “What do you mean, Lo?” Manu spread her arms wide. “It’s me.”

  Logan took another sip from the bottle, grimacing as the fiery liquid scalded her throat on its way down.

  “From what I’ve witnessed tonight, I’d say you’re a spy or something. Am I right?”

  “No, but you’re close.”

  “Cut the crap, Emmanuelle. What happened here tonight?” She took another mouthful from the bottle. “Since this has been a night of revelations, why don’t we look under your hood for a change? Let’s start with the disappearance of the accent.”

  The amber eyes flashed and for a moment. Logan was stunned by the dark predatory look in Manu’s eyes. Just as quickly it was gone and intense golden orbs studied her calmly.

  “My name is Emmanuelle Mistral and I’m a hired gun for a clandestine government-affiliated agency.”

  Logan stared at the woman she had been dating for two years. A woman she realized she barely knew. She lifted the bottle to her lips again, sighing as the liquid hit her stomach.

  “From my understanding a hired gun is the same as an assassin.” She searched the Manu’s face, as she waited for her reply. “Are you an assassin?”

  “Yes, Logan, I’m a contract killer.”

  “Oh my…” The breath caught in Logan’s throat as, for the second time this night, she witnessed Manu’s transformation from the shy, soft–spoken woman, to a flint-eyed stranger.

  The longer she stared at her once tender lover, Logan experienced a trickle of fear course through her. She suddenly wondered how many times Manu had crawled into bed next to her after having killed someone. She shivered at the thought. Had she kissed those hands, allowed them to glide over her body, bringing her pleasure? She could not take it anymore. She quickly turned away, leaving a stranger standing the living room.

  +++

  Manu dropped to the sofa; her face buried in her hands. This was not how she had wanted Logan to find out about her. Nor that Logan had become the target of a hit. She sighed deeply and dragged her fingers over her face. It was all out in the open now. There was nothing else she could do except to wait and see what Logan threw at her. She slowly came to her feet and walked through the house, checking each lock and window. She had enough of Lulu’s company for one night. She did not want to give the woman an easy way to take her out. She walked out to the garage and brought a piece of plywood with her to barricade the shattered window. After she had fixed the window, she set the alarm and made her way to the guestroom. She was sure that Logan would need space after what she had seen and heard tonight.

  Stepping into the room she softly closed the door behind her
and immediately started to undress. Revved up by Lulu’s presence, a nice warm soak would be wonderful. She walked into the large bathroom, shedding the last of her clothes before filling the tub. She sorted through the bottles of bath salts, sniffing and replacing them. When she lifted her head, she caught sight of her face and stared. She looked bad. Her eyes were dark and looked a little bruised. Her face looked stiff with the skin pulled tight over her cheekbones. She lifted her hand to her face and roughly stroked over it. Who was she kidding? She feared losing Logan. Even after the cheating and the lies, she still wanted to try and make it work with the blonde. She sat on the rim of the bath, her hands hanging limply between her legs. After tonight she doubted if she would have another chance. She heard a soft knock on the bedroom door and quickly reached for her dressing gown. The door opened to reveal a dishevelled Logan.

  “We need to talk.” Logan’s eyes were bloodshot and slightly puffy.

  Guilty for being the cause of Logan’s state of mind, she stepped back, allowing the blonde to enter the room. Manu closed the door softly and made a quick excuse as she walked into the bathroom to close the taps. She returned to the room to find Logan sitting on the bed, her hands in her lap.

  “Before we start, I have to tell you that I will not hold back on anything. I’ll be brutally honest with you.” Manu’s eyes darkened with emotion. “You should also know that it will not be easy to hear about it. I have been in this line of work since I was sixteen.”

  Bruised blue eyes looked up at her. “Why didn’t you tell me about you…your job?”

  “At first, I thought it wasn’t necessary, because I wasn’t sure if we were going to work out. Later…later I tried to find the right opportunity to tell you. But once I found the perfect opportunity, I was at a loss for words.” She rubbed over her tired eyes. “When I finally found the words, the opportunity was gone. Lulu Chen appeared.” She slowly seated herself on the bed.

  The silence stretched in the room until Manu could not handle it anymore. She got up and started to pick up her discarded clothing.

  “Have you ever made love to me immediately after a kill?”

  Manu’s eyes became shuttered as she looked at Logan. She relived one night not so long ago.

  The house was dark as she let herself in. Her eyes were sharp as she pierced the darkness. Logan was attending a function. Manu quietly made her way over to the whiskey decanter to pour herself a drink. Taking it in one gulp, she had poured another and carried it over to the couch. There she sat looking at the faint glow of the moon through the curtains, her mood dark as she relived the events of the night. Jorge Menendez had died brutally earlier. The drug lord had begged for his life, but all she could see were the numerous pictures documenting his reign of terror. Children and women were abused and slaughtered like cattle, just so he could assuage his dark lust for power. She had lost whatever humanity she had left as she had chased him through the marsh, making sure that he knew what her intentions were. Like an angel of death, she had pursued him. After killing his bodyguards, she had taken him to the corner of the room. His death was noisy and messy. The message had to be clear.

  She had barely finished her drink, when she heard the garage door open. Logan was home. Not ready to face her lover, she made her way to the bathroom. A quick shower might buy her time to pull herself together.

  Logan, however, gave Manu very little time to gather herself. Her company had acquired a new Government contract worth over two billion dollars and she was in the mood to celebrate. Against her better judgment she had broken her personal rule of never allowing the morbidity of her ‘other’ life to infect the one she lived with Logan. As wrong as it felt that night, she had used Logan to drive away the darkness in her soul.

  She felt bile rise in her throat as she nodded. Logan’s eyes widened in horror and Manu felt like the worst kind of monster.

  “No matter what I say, I will never be able to find the words to apologize for that.” She bundled the clothes in her hands into the laundry basket and turned back to Logan. The blonde was looking down at her hands.

  “When?”

  Manu closed her eyes. “Would it make any difference if you knew the exact date?”

  “When, Manu?” Logan’s voice sounded hoarse with tears.

  At the start of the conversation she had promised to be honest with Logan. There were to be no more secrets.

  “Do you remember when you landed the D.O.D deal?” She saw a pensive look come over Logan’s face followed immediately by shock. “I returned from...”

  “A teacher’s conference in Austin,” Logan choked out. She lowered her head into her hands.

  A shudder went through Manu. Was she ever going to be able to get through all the layers of lies?

  “No, I returned from Panama.”

  The blonde head jerked up. “You…you weren’t in Austin? But you showed me pictures.”

  “They were all doctored.” Manu held Logan’s eyes as she watched how the blonde’s face crumbled.

  Logan slowly came to her feet as she ran a shaky hand through her hair. “I don’t think I can do this.”

  Manu quickly walked over to door, blocking the exit. She sighed when she saw a flash of terror in Logan’s eyes. “You asked to talk and I promised to be honest. I need for you to know everything…please.”

  “It’s too much to take all this in. There are so many lies and…and death. The person you had to meet at the dungeon was…was it a target of yours?”

  She held Logan’s eyes for a moment before she nodded. “We have to get all this in the open. Please sit down.”

  Logan stood motionless, her face pale. Manu desperately wanted to pull her into her arms, but knew that the timing was not right. Not when Logan was trying hard to hide the fear that clung to her.

  “Maybe I don’t need to know anymore,” Logan whispered after a long while. “I…I want to leave.”

  Manu gasped softly. She wanted to leave? She took a step closer and her shoulders drooped when Logan took a quick step back. “Are you leaving me, Lo?”

  She saw confusion and fear in the blue eyes, before she looked away. “I need time away from…” Logan waved her hand around her. “… from all this?”

  “And what about me?”

  Logan’s eyes were dark as they met hers. “I don’t know. I…I feel like I never truly knew you.”

  Manu shook her head slowly. If she was honest with herself, she knew she was not expecting a different outcome. She had known all along that once the truth came out that Logan would leave. “I understand. I will be out of here tomorrow.”

  Logan’s mouth opened then closed. She gave a shaky nod and pointed at the door. Manu stepped aside. She could not help herself leaning closer as Logan passed. It would probably be the last time she would ever smell the familiar scent again. She closed the door softly after Logan’s departure. Her eyes hardened as she reached for her cell phone. Something was up and she wanted to know who was stupid enough to try to set her up.

  PART 2

  Tokyo, Japan

  The soft trickling sound of water nearby was so relaxing that she closed her eyes for a moment, soaking up the tranquillity of the garden. Sometimes she came here at night when she needed to feel human again. She also came here to cleanse herself of the stench of death before she allowed herself to get close to her wife. Choko always fought with her over that particular practice. A slow smile formed on Lulu’s lips. Her wife did not disregard her need for seeking serenity, but according to her, as her wife, it was her job to chase the demons away.

  Lulu pushed away from the tree trunk and reached for her duffel bag. She had landed in Tokyo an hour ago and it was time to reunite with her wife. Her trip had put her in a strange mood. She had a lot to think about on the plane and what she had realized had unsettled her even more. Not only had she seen the human side of The Mist, but she knew now that she was being sacrificed to the American authorities. Why, she would have to find out, because prior to this job sh
e had been completely inactive.

  She walked over to the station and waited with the masses for the tube to arrive. In the meantime, she looked around, watched every face, and memorized exits, ready for whatever might come her way. Her bosses had set her up and she doubted they would accept her failure. Failure in the Yakuza was tantamount to a death penalty. Luckily Choko was safe. She was the granddaughter of the Great Yoshi, of the Sumiyoshi-kai clan and the most revered Yakuza chief ever. Although she was not involved in the family business, she still carried the blood and was family. Family held great value in the clan and even with Yoshi gone, his legend lived on. Harming Choko would mean that the other two prominent clan family heads would come baying for blood. Choko was untouchable. She, however, was not.

  The tube arrived and getting on, Lulu kept her eyes on a group of youngsters who entered the tube. They looked like a couple of youths messing around and aggravating the older commuters with noisy talking and crude language. But she knew better. As a juvenile she had started off the same way as them. Rejected by her parents when she revealed her sexual orientation, she was disowned and cast from the family. At the age of fourteen she had nowhere to go and no one to look out for her. It was while living on the streets that she entered a gang with strong affiliation to the Yakuza. Suddenly money was no problem any longer and wanting more, she worked her way up into the ranks and moved from street runner and dealer to collecting protection money. It was while collecting money that she was noticed by the Shateigashira, their local gang boss.

  Her surprise was great when he invited her to join him at his table. Overwhelmed by the man’s power and money, not to speak of the gorgeous women who sat with him, she could only stare in envy. So many nights she had lain awake in her bed, craving more. She wanted to command respect, have money, and screw as many beautiful women as she could. Thus, when he made her an offer, she accepted immediately. The agreement was cemented with the sharing of sake. She was now part of the Shateigashira’s inner circle.