by May Gordon
I chuckle and explain, “It’s like the mafia, a mob boss, a kingpin, pick a term.”
“How's the medical in that line of work?” She jokes, making me laugh.
“As good as my vacation days.” I smile, then gesture to my gunshot wound, “And, as you can see, that’s not going very well.”
“Something tells me you don’t come to this slum city for that.”
“You’re right,” I tell her, “I’m here on a hunting trip.”
She gives me more water, and I gladly take it as I’m still feeling a little lightheaded. “And who is your prey?” She catches on quickly.
“A man by the name of Arnold who has been causing me a lot of trouble for as long as I can remember.” I pause, then think for a moment before laughing, clarifying, “My whole life.”
“Who exactly is this guy?” She asks.
“He’s my father.” And I’ve finally told someone the secret I’ve kept inside for a long time. Not even the guys know.
“Father?” She sounds shocked. "What caused the falling out?"
“It’s a long story,” I tell her.
“Well, considering you’re not ready to move yet, I think we have time.” She grins.
And so, taking a deep breath, I tell her every in-depth dark, miserable detail, and what I thought about it. She doesn’t flinch, doesn’t look at me with pity or disgrace, she just listens. After keeping it in my whole life, I’m finally able to let it all out. It feels terrific, and a little terrifying, but freeing all the same. By the end, I feel connected to her, bound to her.
“So, that’s why you’re here? To find him? Is he the one that shot you?” She asks, unfazed by my story.
“No, some of his men did. I’m trying to get him out of hiding, so I thought finding and burning all his stash houses would compel him to come out.”
“Right, and he’s been pretty much awful since he kidnapped Cleo, and attacked your base in Portland? Correct?” She asks, recapping for clarification.
“Good listener.,” I praise her with a smile.
“I try.” She returns it, then asks, “What's your plan now? I mean, after you heal? Did you successfully burn that building?”
“No. Some of the charges didn’t go off before I had to haul ass out of there,” I grumble, sounding pathetic that I even had to run in the first place.
She laughs once again, and I realize she’s done that a lot since I woke up and I think I’d do anything to hear her continue making that sound. Everything about her mesmerizes me, and I remember what she told me during my fever, “You're staying with me, forever.” She said so multiple times, not knowing I’ll try my damnedest to make it true.
Chapter 4
Annabelle
I change his bandage and notice he heals fast, but seeing the rest of his scars, I guess his body learned to adapt over the years. I trace a few with my finger, and feel him shiver under my touch.
“You can physically see the horribleness on your body. It’s amazing,” I muse mostly to myself.
“How so?” Foster asks, shocked.
“Because after all this," I gesture his body, "you’re still here.” He seems taken aback by my comment.
“Barely this time. I’m only alive because you’re such an amazing doctor,” he praises me.
I smirk at him and say, “I’m not a doctor.”
“You’re not?” He asks, unconvinced as if I’m teasing.
“Nope, but my parents were.”
And then I tell him my story, most of it happy and adventurous. Even after my parents’ tragic deaths I remained in high spirits and decided to carry on their excellent work.
“That’s an incredible story, and I’m sorry for your loss.” He sounds genuinely upset by my words.
“Thanks,” I smile and grip his hand.
Our eyes connect for a long moment, but I break the connection. It's powerful, overwhelming, and this isn't the place to explore it. “I think you're well enough now to move,” I tell him as I stand.
“Move?”
“If you're being hunted then I don’t want this place put in danger,” I explain as I gather my stuff. “I have a place nearby, it’s a hole in the wall, but it has a bed and clean water.”
“Angel, as long as I’m with you I’d go anywhere,” he informs me and I can't help but get butterflies in my stomach.
Once packed, I help him from the bed and he wraps his arm around me to support his weight. We hobble to the door, and I peek out first. Night has fallen, so that’ll help hide him. "It looks clear.”
“We should move as quickly as possible. These guys won't give up just because I've been missing the last few days.” His voice is low in my ear and his breath on my skin makes me shiver with pleasure.
We slowly head toward my place using alleys and shadows. Luckily, it isn’t too far. When we arrive, I help him to the bed, making sure he's comfortable.
“Comfy?” I ask, tucking him in.
“Yes, dear,” he huffs out. “I fucking hate feeling weak.”
“Well, you’re healing incredibly fast, so you can't be all that weak.” I run my hand over his head in a soothing motion. I don't know what compelled me to do so, but he leans into it. Again, the connection surprises me, and I pull away.
I take a water bottle from the piece of shit fridge and set it on the nightstand, then get some protein bars and open one for him. “You need to eat, and we both need sleep.”
I quickly change in the other room, and when I return, he’s devoured the bar. I shut off the one tiny light I have in the room and crawl in bed with him. He looks shocked and pleased at the same time.
“Hey, I'm not sleeping on the grimy floor.”
“Angel, I wasn’t complaining,” he grins.
We lay there for the longest time without speaking, yet I have so much I want to say, but for some reason, I feel perfectly content in the comfortable silence.
“What do you want in life?” His question catches me off guard, but I don’t have to think about it. I know what I want.
“A home,” I state simply. He turns to look at me, wanting a more detailed answer. I suck in a breath because he’s so close his beard tickles my face. “All my life I’ve been traveling, one adventure after another. And that was great, I didn’t feel the need to have a home because I had my parents, but after their deaths, it felt more like wandering, being lost. So, one day I want a home and people that make it feel that way.”
He’s staring, mesmerized by my words, as if I just said a magic spell.
“That sounds amazing,” he whispers.
“What about you?”
He lets out a breath then at the ceiling. “Honestly, I haven’t been able to think of anything besides killing my father.”
“Well, maybe one day you can think past that,” I say, trying to be hopeful.
He watches me again, and a small smile forms. “I’m starting to see something.” And once again that strong connection hits me like a bolt of lightning and grips my heart.
“We should get some sleep,” I remind him.
“Whatever you say, angel,” he smirks. I playfully roll my eyes before closing them and resting my head on the pillow.
“Goodnight, Foster,” I say softly in the dark.
“Goodnight, angel,” I can hear the smile in his voice.
For the first time in years, I feel something I haven't since before my parents died.
Peace.
Two days later
“Do you deal with prostitutes?”
“No.”
“Are you a hitman?”
“When I have to be.”
“Do you kill innocents?”
“Try not to.”
Foster answers every question I pester him with and its been like this the last two days. We’ve spent the time letting Foster recuperate a bit more. We talked a lot, more like shared every inch of our souls. I don’t think I’ve smiled or laughed so much in my life, and realized I love making him do the same.
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br /> “I need to get my hands on a phone,” he says, knowing I don't have one.
“There’s another town about two hours away,” I tell him. “It’s better off than this place, so you could properly find a prepaid there.”
“Do you have a car?” He asks.
“No, but I think I remember you saying you learned how to hotwire when you were young. Well, there are tons of cars just sitting around here.”
“Pack your bag, we’re leaving,” he informs me.
“You want me to come with you?” I ask, shocked.
He gives me an ‘are you crazy look?’ before answering, “Of course, you’re coming with me. You said it, didn’t you? I’m staying with you,” he reminds me. "Forever," he adds with a grin. I feel my heart flutter and a warmth spreads through me.
“What about Arnold’s stash house? You said it wasn’t fully destroyed yet.”
He looks at me, amusement plain in his expression. “Are you suggesting what I think you are?”
“Well, you said yourself you came here for a reason, and the job isn't done. You’ve been gone for days now, so those guards would never expect you to return. Let's go finish the job,” I say eagerly.
I can see the debate forming in his eyes, but then he smiles slowly. “I guess my angel can be a bit naughty.”
“Sometimes,” I grin.
“Okay, but you listen to me and stay clear when I say so.”
“Sir, yes, sir!” I agree, making him laugh. So, I pack my small bag, and we set off on our adventure together.
Chapter 5
Foster
“I can't believe how easy that was to blow up,” Annabelle giggles at my side.
We finally made it to the bigger town after making a pit stop to finish my mission.
“Well, it’s easier when there are already undetonated explosions waiting to be set off,” I laugh at her.
“Still, it was a lot of fun.” She pauses a beat, then asks with a slight smile, “Does that make me a bad person?”
I swing my arm around her shoulder and bring her closer to my side, placing a kiss on her head. “Angel, you could never be a bad person.”
She smells incredible, even with a layer of smoke covering her. We stop in a small store where they sell prepaid phones. We buy one, food, and water, then find a secluded area to sit. I set the phone up while we eat and drink, then dial Jace.
“Who you calling?” My angel’s sweet voice asks beside me.
“Jace and Cole.”
“Your second-in-command and the tech wizard,” she supplies, making me smile. I love how much she retained when I told her about my life.
I put the phone on speaker, so she can listen too.
“Who’s this?” Jace’s voice is stern and angry.
“Rude,” Annabelle sounds like she’s scolding him for talking to me that way and it makes me laugh. I love the loyalty she has to me already.
“Jace, it’s me,” I tell him.
“Boss! What the fuck! Like fuck! We’ve been going out of our minds!” Jace yells.
“Calm down. I’m fine, but I need an extraction.”
“What? That’s all I get? Where the fuck are you? What happened? Why haven't you contacted us before now? And who the fuck called me rude?” He fires off so many questions and f-bombs.
“Jace, take a breath,” I order then hear him take a deep one.
“My name is Annabelle, but you can call me Anna,” my angel pipes up and it’s followed by a long pause.
“Okay,” Jace says, drawing it out, clearly confused.
I take that opportunity to give him the rundown of what happened and that we need a way out and fast.
“Cole and I are on it. Start heading to the location I’m texting you and we’ll get a plane there ASAP.”
“Thanks, man.”
“Bye, Jace,” Annabelle says.
“Er, bye Anna.” I laugh at Jace’s uncomfortableness and hang up.
“Well, I guess this is goodbye,” she sounds downright miserable about it, and I love the thought of us separating makes her so sad, little does she know i’m never going to let her go.
“Angel, I’m pretty sure I said us in every sentence during that phone call.”
“You want me to come with you to Portland?” she sounds surprised, but I don’t know why. She must be feeling what I am because this connection isn't one-sided. My heart known she’s mine.
I lean in close and place a kiss on her cheek and fuck me isn’t her skin as soft as satin. “Angel, it isn't even a question.” I look her in the eyes, and I feel like this is my moment to prove to her how I feel. Touching my lips to hers, something I have wanted to do since I first laid eyes on her. Hers are so fucking soft, pouty and addicting. I want to devour her, but that’s when I hear gunshots and our kiss is interrupted. I grab her and duck, crawling behind a dumpster for cover as bullets fly everywhere.
“What’s happening?” She shouts. “Who’s shooting.”
“Arnold's men!” I yell over the gunfire. “We need to get out of here.”
“Follow me.” She grabs my hand, and we make a break for the alley nearby. We run through the maze of abandoned buildings, taking a bunch of different routes.
We turn a corner and come face to face with the local drug cartel. “Well, shoot.” Annabelle says.
“Relax, angel, they're on our side,” I smile. One of the men hands me a gun, and the rest start firing on Arnold's men. I do some business with them, and Jace must’ve given them a call.
“This way,” the other man says.
We follow him, and he leads us to a waiting SUV, where I get in and make sure Annabelle is inside before taking off.
“We’re just going to leave those nice drug dealers to deal with Arnold's men?” Annabelle sounds concerned, and I want to laugh at the sentence that just came out of her mouth.
“Relax, they’ve come across worse,” I assure her.
I speed to the location Jace sent and am surprised there’s already a helicopter waiting, Damn those guys work fast.
“Let’s go.” I help her out and to the waiting chopper. She pulls me to a stop, and I turn to look at her.
“I trust you,” She tells me, and those three words impact me so much.
“And I you.” I don’t think she could ever understand what saying that means to me. I don't trust easily, but with her, I know what's between us is life changing. It’s fast, but after what I’ve seen and done, when you know you know. Not only do I trust her, I think I might even love her. “Now, let's go home.”
Chapter 6
Annabelle
The plane touches down, and I’m startled awake by the landing. I feel Foster’s heavy hand on my shoulder followed by his voice whispering in my ear. “Easy angel, we're here.” I calm instantly at his words.
I sit up a little taller and look out the window. I see the fantastic city line, as well as trees and mountains.
“You know, believe it or not, I’ve traveled all over the world, but not much within the States.”
“When this is all over, we can travel to every state if you want,” Foster offers.
“Right now, I’d settle for a shower,” I say, making him chuckle.
We debark, and I see two men, whom I assume are Jace and Cole, by an SUV.
“Boss, you can't be skipping out on us like that!" The one man starts in on him. "Do you have any idea how hard it was to keep the other crime kings at bay when they realized you were missing?” He growls and I figure he must be Cole because I don’t recognize his voice from the phone.
“Well, I’m here now,” he replies with a bored tone. He takes his hand from mine and wraps it around my shoulders. “Annabelle, I’d like you to meet Jace and Cole,” he says, gesturing to the two. “Guys, this is Annabelle Glen.”
“Hello,” I smile and wave at them.
They look genuinely surprised and confused at my presence. I turn to Foster for help with their reaction, but he shrugs and rolls his eyes at them.
>
“Can we please just go home now?” He snaps at them but his face softens when he looks at me. “This way, angel.” And he leads me to the SUV.
“What the fuck? He’s nice,” I hear Cole whisper.
“And he smiled too. Is he dying?” Jace whispers back.
I hold back my giggles as we all get into the SUV and start to drive. Foster asks them for updates, and I can see they’re worried glances through the mirror. They’re hesitant to speak in front of me.
“Talk freely, guys,” Foster encourages.
And they do. Nothing surprises me as Foster told me everything, but when we pull up to his house, I think there’s one thing he left out. He’s rich. This is more like a fortress. There are large gates that enclose the whole property. The place is hidden, yet looks over the city.
We park, and Foster helps me out, leading me into the giant house. Jace and Cole follow us.
“So, Annabelle, where you from?” Cole asks.
“You look like Snow White.” Jace pops out.
“Oh yeah, she does,” Cole says as he takes a step closer to me.
“How old are you?”
“How did you meet Foster?”
Their questions come out in rapid fire. “Enough!” Foster snaps, making both men jump, and I giggle.
“I’ll answer all your questions later. I need a shower first,” I tell them.
“Fuck off, she needs rest,” Foster growls. “You two start tracking down Arnold,” he says, then pauses before continuing, “Again. Come on, angel I’ll show you to the bedroom.”
He takes my hand and leads me upstairs and to a large bedroom. It’s beautiful, clean with gray and navy throughout. I walk into the bathroom next and its just as grand as the rest of the house.
“I didn’t know crime kings made so much money,” I smirk as I turn to face him. He’s leaning against the bathroom door and is a mess. His clothes are dirty, his face, beard, and hair are disheveled. “You look dreadful,” I tell him.
He laughs and walks past me to turn on the shower. “Take your time cleaning up. You’ve done a lot the last week,” he says with a soft smile.