As scared as she was, Choko never nagged Lulu about her life or her lifestyle. She had known who and what Lulu was when she had approached her. All she could do was to hope and pray Lulu got her answers fast so she could skip all the unnecessary channels of information gathering and get to whomever she wanted.
Lulu suddenly looked up from where she was busy stirring the vegetables. She must have caught the concerned look on her face. “I will be careful, Choko. I will not take chances unless I know I will be able to get out.”
Choko lowered her eyes as she slowly nodded her head. It was time to change the subject before she lost the fight and cried. That was the last thing Lulu needed at this moment. She felt a soft touch on her shoulder and lifted her head. Lulu stood before her; her eyes dark with promise.
“I will not get myself killed; I promise.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I have too much to live for.” Lulu pulled her to her feet and held her in a tight embrace.
“Then do me this one favour,” Choko lifted her head from Lulu’s chest to look into her wife’s eyes.
“I will do anything to make you feel better about this.”
“Then get someone to help you,” she pleaded.
The dark eyes widened slightly before Lulu stepped out of the embrace. She returned to the stove where she dished up two plates.
“Lulu, please.” Choko could see how tense Lulu’s shoulders were. “I would feel much better knowing someone else is looking out for you.”
Lulu returned to the table. Without meeting Choko’s eyes she put a plate before her. “Who do you have in mind? If it’s your father then the answer is no.” Lulu picked up her fork and forked a small bite into her mouth.
The silence in the kitchen lasted for a long while.
“There is no one I can trust out there. They would just as soon put a bullet in me to claim bragging rights.”
Choko picked up her fork and listlessly began to nibble on her food. “There must be someone who would want to help you.”
Lulu sighed deeply. “Believe me there is no one.”
There was a soft knock on the door. They looked up to see her parents come in. Hitero walked over to Lulu. Lulu rose to her feet. Hitero reached out a hand to Lulu.
“I heard about your problem.”
Choko saw Lulu glance her way, a frown on her face. “I don’t want to involve you.”
“I know, but I want to.” He held out the envelope. “This is as far as I can help.”
Choko came to stand next to Lulu. “What is this, father?”
“Information. I haven’t opened the envelope, because I don’t want to know who is involved in this. I don’t think I will ever be able to forgive them for this blatant disrespect they show my family.” Hitero reached behind him and took Keiko’s hand. “I believe the Americans are involved in this, too.”
Choko watched Lulu’s face and saw realization dawn on her wife’s face. “We were both being setup.”
“What are you talking about, Lulu?” Choko grabbed Lulu’s arm. “Lulu?”
“My target in America was Mystique’s lover.”
“The Mist?” Choko watched her father’s face pull into a mask of shock. “And you didn’t know?”
“No, I didn’t. I was sent like a sheep to the slaughter. Someone omitted that tiny detail. Someone who wanted me to kill the lover and have The Mist take revenge on me.”
Choko tightened her grip on Lulu’s arm. “Who is this Mist person?”
“An assassin.”
Hitero shook his head. “She’s every bit as good as Lulu.”
“Better,” Lulu said quietly. “When I broke into my target’s house I walked right into The Mist’s lair.”
Choko covered her ears and went to sit at the table. This was too much. She could not take it anymore. Lulu lived a dangerous life and even then she had never been more afraid for her than at this very moment. That last night she had spent in Lulu’s arms before her trip to America could very well have been the last time she could have been in her wife’s arms. She experienced a deep aching pain in her chest at the mere thought of Lulu lying dead somewhere in shallow grave so far away from her. She felt a hand on her head and lifted teary eyes to see her mother standing before her.
“This is too much for me, mother.” A deep sob tore from deep her chest. “I am trying to be strong, but I am so scared of losing her.”
The familiar earthy scent of Lulu surrounded her as she was pulled to her feet. “Shush, aiko, everything will be okay. I promise.”
She shook her head slowly. “It seems to be getting worse.”
Choko heard soft whispering and heard retreating footsteps and crawled deeper into Lulu’s arms.
“You need to take it easy, love. Remember the doctor warned against stress and tension,” Lulu whispered in her hair.
“I am cancelling the appointment tomorrow.” Choko felt Lulu’s arms tighten around her. “That is another pressure you can do without for now.”
“I…I don’t know what to say.” Lulu sounded close to tears. Choko looked up into Lulu’s face. The anguish she saw there made her touch the pale face. “I am so sorry that this has come up now.”
Choko shook her head. “It’s not your fault.”
They stood in silence, holding each other.
“I’ll call her.”
“Who?” Choko rubbed her cheek against Lulu’s shoulder.
“I first need to go through the file and then I will call Mystique and ask her to help me.”
Choko leaned back so she could see Lulu’s face. The dark eyes were troubled, but the beautiful lips were set in a determined line. “Will you really? Do you trust her?”
“I will and no, I am not sure if I trust her. But if she’s in the same situation as I am, then I think we should combine resources.”
Choko studied Lulu’s face for a long moment, before she smiled. She stood on tiptoe and kissed the soft lips.
“Thank you, my love.”
Lulu nodded, the anguish on her face almost too much to for Choko to bear. “Just don’t you dare cancel the appointment.”
“You have my word.”
PART 3
Washington, DC
Aware of the eyes on her, Manu made her way over to the bar. She was glad to see there was a large mirror reflecting the whole interior. The bartender came over and she ordered a glass of bourbon. While waiting for her drink, she used the mirror to scan the faces in the room. It had been a while since she had visited a lesbian bar.
“Here you go.” The bartender placed a drink before her. Manu reached for her wallet and took out a hundred-dollar bill.
“Keep them coming.” She took a sip and savoured the taste as it hit her tongue and the back of her throat. She lifted her gaze to catch a few pairs of eyes hastily looking away. She lowered her head and allowed a small smile to play at her lips. It was quite flattering to know that she could still turn heads. Since she had left Logan’s home two days ago, she was still trying to work her way around the break-up. Strange, how after all the lies and cheating, she found that she still loved with Logan.
Logan was, after all, not the only one who kept secrets. Cheating was nothing compared to hiding a life of killing. She blew out a breath. Maybe she should make peace with the fact that they were over. How was a relationship going to survive something like this?
Out of the corner of her eye she saw someone slide into the stool next to her. The person did not speak, but only sat there for a moment.
“Thank you for agreeing to meet with me.”
Manu nodded. “You said it was urgent.”
“Uh…yes…it kind of is.”
Manu lifted the glass and drained it, before turning to face the woman. Logan looked stunning. She must have come here directly from some business function, for she was still dressed in those sexy business suits Manu loved so much. She could see the other women almost salivate at the sight of the tall, gorgeous blonde.
“You look good.” She saw a faint blush colour Logan’s cheeks.
“Thank you. You look good too.” Logan signalled the bartender. “Two bourbons, please?”
The bartender looked at Manu, who nodded. When the bartender left, she looked at Logan.
“Why did you want to see me, Logan?”
The bartender returned at that moment and Logan quickly reached for her drink. She nodded at the bartender and took a huge gulp. Manu watched her, studying her carefully. Logan seemed nervous.
“I miss you,” Logan said quickly and drained her glass with a second gulp. Manu quickly reached for her glass when she saw Logan eyeing it.
She was not sure she had heard Logan right, but if she did, she would want Logan to repeat it while she was still sober.
“Could you say that again, Logan?”
The blue eyes looked uncertain when they met hers. For a moment Manu thought that Logan was going to run, but the blonde straightened her shoulders. A look of pure determination came into the blue eyes.
“I miss you, Manu, and I want to ask you if you would like to try again,” Logan said in a firm voice.
Manu could not help but feel admiration for the blonde. Logan was not someone who liked to apologise. She had too much power at her fingertips to waste her time with apologies and insignificant little feelings of guilt for stepping on people toes. The woman was a bulldozer and was growing even more powerful every day. For Logan to admit that she actually needed anyone was an extraordinary feat for the stoic woman.
A niggling thought in the back of mind suddenly surfaced, curbing her joy. What did Logan actually mean? Was she missing her because of the sex or was there another reason that Manu did not know of?
“I heard what you said, Logan, but I’m not sure I understand what it means.” She held Logan’s eyes. She did not want to miss anything the woman said or left unsaid.
Logan took a deep breath. “I’m saying that I love you and that I want us to try again.”
Manu could only stare at Logan. Twice, now the woman had opened up. Logan was shattering her own record here, Manu thought absently. But Logan had told her that she loved her more times than she could remember over the past two years. Yet, she still went to the dungeon to be serviced and on occasion still took strange women to hotel rooms for sex. She needed to know that things would be different from here onwards. She wanted a normal life as soon as she cleaned out the agency. She wanted to meet her lover at the door after the end of the work day and not smell a different shampoo or body wash than the one she had used that morning. She craved a normal life.
“I love you, Logan, and I always will.”
“But?” Logan’s sharp eyes moved over her face.
“We can’t go back to how things were between us. I would rather that we broke up while I still loved you, than live with you and not know how I feel about you anymore after a few months.” Manu took a sip from her drink and signalled the bartender to bring Logan another. “I’m not sure if you get what I’m trying to say.”
Logan’s eyes were dark as she nodded. “I do. You want things to change.” Logan pushed her fingers through her hair leaving the shiny locks slightly mussed. “You want the cheating to stop.”
“Not only that. I want to retire.”
Logan’s eyes widened slightly. “Will they let you go?”
“They have no choice, because when I find out who tried to set me up and used you as bait, the agency will be no more.” She kept her voice even, but Manu could see that Logan had caught the meaning behind her words. There would be death and destruction before she retired.
Logan reached for the drink the bartender placed before her and took a huge gulp. For a few moments they sat in silence, taking in the music coming from the jukebox in the corner. Logan was the first to break the silence. Her gaze was fixed on the glass in her hand.
“That night when…when that woman tried to kill me, I made you a promise. I called a psychologist.” She took a sip from her drink. “I had my first appointment today over lunch. It’s still early, but I’m going to keep my promise to you.” Logan looked at her and smiled weakly. “I told her that it was going to be especially difficult for me, because I had an astonishingly gorgeous girlfriend.” There was a pleading look in Logan’s eyes.
Manu’s breath catch in her throat. She had forgotten how sweet Logan could be. Logan was determined to win her back and Manu was not going to fool herself anymore.
“Have I told you that I love you?” This time it was Logan who stared at her with a look of such delight on her face. “We still have to talk though. It would be foolish of us to believe that you are not affected by my profession and all it entails. I want to help you through this.”
Logan reached into her pocket and took out a small box. Manu blinked. When she looked up into Logan’s eyes, she almost burst into tears at the tenderness she saw there.
“Some might think that it must be extremely unromantic to give this to you here, but no matter how long I live, I doubt a more appropriate time will come.” A tear slipped down Logan’s cheek. “You see, I have had this ring for so long and as I waited for the right opportunity, I almost completely lost my chance. I love you, Emmanuelle Mistral. This ring is a promise that there will never be another woman for me besides you. It is also my promise that I will do everything in my power to be the woman you deserve to be with.” Logan reached up and wiped her eyes. “I’ve hurt you so much in the past with my infidelity and neglect. It would be selfish of me to want you to believe me when I say I want to change… but I will. Please…please, take this ring and keep it with you. I don’t need an answer now, but I’ll have my answer when you know I’ve changed and am worthy of you. I’ll know because I’ll see you wearing my ring.”
Manu watched as Logan reached for her glass with a shaky hand and brought it to her lips. She took the box, opened it and slipped the delicate gold band over her finger. When she looked up, it was to find Logan looking at her, her throat working as she swallowed hard. Manu wanted to be somewhere she could hold this woman to her heart and kiss her.
“Take me home, Logan.”
The blonde drained her glass, but before they could move, a bottle of champagne appeared before them. Surprised they looked at the bartender who stood looking at them with a huge smile.
“Congratulations. Take this with you. It’s on the house.”
Logan smiled and grabbed the bottle by the neck. “Thank you.”
“No, thank you, for making this one of the best nights for me. I think I’ll call my wife now.” The bartender walked away.
Manu smiled at Logan. “Ready?”
Logan took her hand. “Always.”
As they walked to the door, hand in hand, Manu was still dazed by what had happened. An hour ago, she had walked in here, defeated and hurt only to leave here on a cloud. She squeezed Logan’s hand and her fiancée offered her a brilliant smile.
+++
Logan wrinkled her nose when she opened the door to their townhouse. The air smelled stuffy. She had locked up the place two days ago and told the housekeeper that she would call her when she was home again. Then she had moved into a hotel. This place was not a home without Manu. Now that she had her love back in her life, she was ready to create new memories here.
She reached for the light switch, but Manu gently pulled her back. “Let me go in first.”
Manu reached under her jacket and Logan’s eyes widened at the gun that appeared in her lover’s hand. She immediately stepped closer to Manu. The brunette signalled for her to lay flat on the floor as she walked deeper into the foyer to the hallway table where she rummaged through the drawer. She came back and Logan heard a soft click. Manu had a flashlight trained on the light switch. After having studied the switch for a few moments, she held out her hand to Logan.
“I think we should go to my hotel room for tonight. Call Andrea to make sure she stays away from here until we move back.”
Manu’s voice was calm,
but Logan could not help but feel panicky. There really was someone out there who wanted them dead. The thought was so scary that she could feel herself begin to shake. Manu pulled her closer.
“I will not let anything happen to you, baby.” Manu gave her a tight squeeze. “We have to leave now. I’m sure you’ve been followed. That’s why they knew when to come and rig the house. I have someone who will clean it up for us.”
Logan was in a daze as Manu pulled the door closed and locked it again. They briskly walked back to the car. Manu slid into the driver’s seat. She calmly pulled out of the driveway and drove down the street, her eyes constantly straying to the mirror. Logan saw Manu’s face hardened suddenly.
“Bloody amateurs,” she mumbled under her breath. “Just as I thought. We are being followed.”
Logan sat in silence; her hands folded in her lap. Manu threw a worried glance at her.
“It will be okay, I promise.” A small smile appeared on her lips. “Please don’t ask for the ring back.”
That shook Logan out of her frozen state. “No chance of that happening. You’re stuck with me.”
Manu gave her a tender look. “I wouldn’t want it any other way, my love. I’ll have to do some hard driving, but would you put your hand on my thigh. I need to have a physical link with you.”
Logan closed her eyes at hearing those words, before complying. She was so hooked on this woman, completely hooked. Manu put her hand over hers for a long moment.
“I will not let anything happen to you, but I need you to do everything I tell you to, okay?”
“I will.” Logan looked at Manu’s profile. It would take getting used to seeing her usually docile girlfriend in this ‘Killer Babe’ mode. She had to admit that as scary as the whole situation was, it was unbelievably thrilling to see Manu like this.
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