The Assassin's Heart

Chapter 9

My POV

"Just business, sweetheart. You understand." 

"Oh, I understand. I just don't care. There's a difference," I grinned as I slashed across his chest, hearing him howl.

"I wouldn't piss her off if I were you their boss-man." Striker's snarky reply triggered anger deep in me. Smiling as I patted the Imp's face, I shot my tail out, grabbing Striker by the throat as I lightly strangled him, hearing a surprised gasp from him as he grabbed my tail.

"Why are you even here!? Huh?!" I took a step towards Striker, seeing a flash of concern in his eyes as he scratched at my tail...gently...

"Ain't he cute? Told me how pathetically he was still admirable about you. Saw my hit out and thought he'd come 'take care of me himself.'" The imp chuckled as I frowned, loosening my tail so Striker could breathe.

"Fuck woman! What the hell!" Striker bent over, putting his hands on his knees as he caught his breath. Narrowing my eyes at him as he hissed, staring right back at me. The tension could be fucking cut with a knife.

"Why?" There was a hint of anguish in my voice as Striker stood up and walked over to me as he grabbed me by his bandana, pulling me close to him as he rubbed the fabric in his fingers.

"Same reason you're wearing this, and from the look at that knot...I take it, you never take it off." Striker's voice got quieter than his eyes analyzed me as I stood there panting.

"Are we going to do this now?" I gulped, never breaking our staring contest as his hand gently brushed against my cheek, a purr rising in my throat.

"Better now than never...Darlin'." Striker quickly smiled as I tilted my head. Angry. Sad. Confused. Happy... hopeful... I closed my eyes as we leaned into each other, our foreheads touching, as I wrapped my tail around his.

"Why..." I choked out as Striker's body shook, unknowing if it was laughter or crying.

"It's such a pathetic story Darlin'..." He paused for a minute, and I heard a sad laughter a moment later, "I'll tell you later...when I know you don't have weapons on you to shoot me first." I turned back to the Imp, who was still tied up as I took a step forward.

"Well thanks, Doc, for that wonderful therapy season," my lip quivered as I held a gun up to his head, firing a single shot in between his eyes. Licking my lips, tasting blood, I turned, seeing Striker still there, leaning against the chair as he grabbed his hat and coat. Not saying a word, we both walked outside by side until we got back to Bomb, who was happy to see us both.

"Hey buddy," I tapped his face as I glanced at Striker. Unsure of what to say or do.

"Where's Nightmare?" Striker asked as I nodded towards the edge of town where I left her. Striker hopped on Bomb as I turned and made my way towards Nightmare, my hands trembling as I controlled my breathing. Numb. Go numb. Hearing Bomb's hooves following me, I gripped my hands tight as I saw Nightmare still where I left her. Whistling for her, I watched as she made her way over here I turned around to see Striker and Bomb standing near me, him scratching the back of his head.

"I guess...thanks." I shrugged, frowning as I hopped on Nightmare. He nodded as I clicked my tongue before looking at him, "You want to come home with me? I heard someone's got one hell of a story to tell me." Watching his face stay the same frown, his eyes lit up as he nodded.

~

Walking side by side on our horses was amazing, as we caught up with each other. Avoiding the topic the atmosphere was still waiting for. Us. Both of us just got right back into work, although I did tell him the few months that I tried hanging up my belt.

"Must have been boring," Striker hummed as I shrugged.

"I enjoyed the time we spent at Joe and Lin's. We weren't assassins. We were two farmhands in love." I shrugged as I snuck a glance in his direction as he kept his head forward, although I could see the flicker of his eyes when he did the same. A glance here, a glance there. Unable to take the atmosphere anymore, I stopped, seeing Striker pull on Bomb's reigns as he turned to face me, confused.

"What?" Striker asked, and I frowned.

"Tell me now." He frowned, clearly knowing what I meant but not wanting to.

"I'd rather not in the open, Darlin'..." I shook my head, now itching for a fight.

"I'm not you're Darlin', remember? You're the one who left me." I hissed, jumping off Nightmare, Striker following suit as he grumbled, blocking me in with both our horses on the other side of me. Whose team are you on, Nightmare?

"Yeah. A mistake. I promise you Liz, I will tell you everything, but not out in the open. I don't like being seen when I'm weak." Striker yelled and when I heard him call me by my name and not Darlin'? It hurt. Even if I was the one who instigated it.

"I know Striker! But I can't-" 

"Ever occur to you that I might love you?! Did you ever think for a second that I might have left you thinking I was protecting you?! From our enemies, from me?!? When I was alone, It didn't matter if I got injured or worse. It didn't matter if someone got in my way. I didn't care. I was broken." Striker hissed as I held back a sob, 'Let's be broken together.' "And then I meet you. At first, I couldn't care less about you, but then something happened on that farm. And I fell for you. Hard." Striker's body was right behind me as his tail wrapped around mine I struggled to stop shaking, tears running down my face. Dammit, I should have listened and we do this behind closed doors.

"Our broken pieces fixed each other, and I felt unstoppable. We would be the pair of killers everyone feared. And then we failed our mission, and then I had this..." Striker's voice turned pained, agony filling his voice, "...damn dream. I didn't want that dream to come true. Because we both know it, in this lifestyle, there is no happy ending. One of us will one day wake up in an empty bed. The other six feet under. You hear the news story and see my body in a ditch. Or I find out through getting drunk at a bar that people are coming after and wanting to kill you because you are just so damn ruthless. What do you think I would do if I got a job to assassinate you!?" Striker's voice broke as I turned around, seeing him just as defeated as I was. Showing that I was his weakness.

"Striker-" I opened my mouth to say something, being blocked as Striker's lips met mine and we passionately made out. The hunger in our bodies from not touching or hell seeing each other in half a year. Striker picked me up, wrapping my legs around his torso as our tails intertwined and I felt the movement of him walking. Pulling away, I realized we had walked back to the horses as Striker set me down. Not saying anything, Striker lifted me on Nightmare before hopping back on Bomb as he tilted his hat down to cover more of his face. Breathing heavily from that outburst, I opened my mouth, knowing there was nothing I could say, and closed it as I nodded, clicking my tongue as we continued to my home.

...Shit...