Halcyon

Part 60

"Phoenix cube," Tamir once said, he was standing in the kitchen of his mansion, he had his arms around me as I sat on the counter, dangling my legs off the edge. "It's a stupid box really."

"Must be pretty important if you guys take turns hiding it." That's all he told me then, I never asked what is was, what information it held, where he hid it, all I know is that they played hot potato with it.

"No!" I tell denying the memory. "He didn't say anything about a cube!" The last slash stings just as painful as the first before she comes back to view with inked hands.

"I hope for your sake, that's the truth." She has a butterfly knife in hand and snaps it shut. "What about a butter key?" She eyes me and I shake my head.

"A butter key is what opens this thing," I think of a different night he was showing me the cube once more, this time with a weird looking USB stick in his other hand. He pushes the two together, as I watch behind his shoulder, it lights up with a green light.

"What's so important about this cube?" I placed a soft kiss on the skin of his shoulder.

"Each Kim's body count is on here, each person that's died at my hand, my sisters hands, my brother-parents. If any enemy gets a hold and exposes us. My own men will turn against me. I'd give it an hour before I'm a dead man."

I remember kissing him some more, trying to end the conversation at that.

"Are you lying to me?" I'm looking up at his sister once more, back to reality. I shake my head faster then before. "I feel like you're lying to me."

"You said it yourself, I'm merely a pass time for him. Why would he tell me about a...box?" I hold her challenging eyes, what the hell am I doing? Lying through my teeth in front of my lovers sister who, by the looks of it, isn't finished torturing me.

"You're the last of your family aren't you?" My eyes blur at the mention of my family. "Mother dead, father dead, brother dead. I guess it's just a family thing." I drop my eyes blinking the tears out.

"How a confusing way to lose both parents just as high school finished. Double suicide."

"Shut up." I mutter feeling my blood boil.

"Bet that really messed you up didn't? But, oh no! That's not what drove you crazy, it was losing the sole family you had left. Brain tumour was it?"

"I don't know anything okay?!" I burst. "He doesn't tell me these type of things!"

"You're telling me, in the ecstasy of you guys fucking he doesn't say anything?!" She yells at me. "You're full of shit you know that."

"Everything about his mafia scares me! I don't ask about that part of him!" That's a lie.

"You're an exceptional lair-"

"I'm not lying!"

"Quite convincing,"

"Oh my gosh," I snivel.

"Let's try a different approach, shall we?" I watch her frantically as she reaches behind her and pulls a gun out. "Let's play a game shall we? How about Russian roulette?"

"What?..." I watch her empty her gun out letting the bullets bounce off the floor until there's only one left. This gun is old, the type of gun where you can spin the bullet containers. "This is insane."

"I ask you a question, if satisfied by the answer I pull the trigger on myself, if not I pull the trigger on you."

"No..." I shake my head.

"Would you rather take a shot?" My mouth goes dry at her words. "Of vodka I mean..." the corner of her lip curls. "..ooo someone doesn't look too happy about that idea."

"I don't have any answers." I plead with my eyes. "You have to believe me, he doesn't tell me anything." She points the gun at me and I watch her finger hover over the trigger. "But he told me a little about his family."

Her eyes focus on me mixed with eagerness and confusion. "He said it was a real chore with you guys..." her eyebrows meet her hairline, I know I'm using his words out of context but what do I have to lose? "I can see why."

"Talking real loud for a girl that has a gun pull on her," she lifts the gun to exaggerate.

"I'm just repeating what he said." I try putting the best innocent act I can put. The eyes, the tone, the body language. "I guess he wasn't really all that wrong. When you have so much to do, you can only look at it as a thing to be done,"

My eyes follow her as she stands, her once confused eyes look at me irked. "But family? A chore? That's gotta hurt-" the left side of my face is sent to the right in such speed the only way I know it happened is the sting that's left throbbing on my cheek. My eyes water.

"I strongly suggest you watch your mouth," the cold tip of the gun is pressed on my head, my hair curtains my face making it hard for me to see, quite frankly, don't want to see. My left side of my face starts to burn.

The gun is lifted from my head and forcefully she picks my head up. "Do you know what he said about you? He said that you're a real nuisance and a crybaby, and that he was supposed to get rid of you a long time ago.

"But like the true parasite you are," she rushes her words out, "you just stuck around." I guess if I take her words to heart, it was natural for me to cry after seeing all that I did. She lets go of my face before tucking her gun behind her.

"I'm going to ruin all the fun if I stick around any longer, I'll leave you to it." I drop my head feeling my hand fill up with still fresh blood, she's just going to leave me here? Bleeding? "I was going to get someone to clean you up, but, I think you won't bleed to death so."

I messed up my sole chance.

She waltz out and I'm left, alone, bleeding. Maybe not to death but definitely bleeding.