Trained to Kill Book 2: The Aftermath

Introduction

This book, as state in the title, is the second part of a series. If you haven't already, please read the first one so that you can understand.

*This had been revised. Even if you have read it before, I suggest re-reading, as some details and storylines have changed

Introduction

When I woke up that day, I had an inkling. It was small and I almost didn't catch it, but it was there. It was there when I poured my orange juice, it was there when I was spreading butter on my toast, it was there when I jammed my keys into the ignition in a rush to get to work thirty minutes early like I always do, and it was there when I pulled up in the Barnes and Noble parking lot, annoyed that I was there twenty seven minutes early instead.

What the inkling was about? Well, back then I had no idea. It was just an inkling. Something was different about this day, something was going to happen. I had no idea just how serious this inkling was.

"Hey Liz!" I say cheerfully when I see her cleaning off the Starbucks counter top. Elizabeth was the only friend I had at work, even though she technically works for the coffee shop that is located inside Barnes and Noble.

Her wide smile appears when she looks up and sees me. "Hey, Karma. Running late today, are we?"

I laugh and shake my head. "You just love making fun of me, don't you? How'd it go last night with Kevin?" I stop by the counter and lean on it, unintentionally.

She crosses her arms and her smile shines brighter. "Let's just say he had an excellent birthday." A wink.

"You're disgusting. Hey, you two are still coming to Calvin's big announcement dinner tonight right?" I ask but she's already headed towards the back. I see her thick blonde pony tail bouncing behind her as she answers, "Of course!"

Chuckling, I make my way over to my station, ready to start a brand new day, no matter how weird I feel like its going to get. The day pans out to be pretty normal, that is, until around the end of my shift nears. I glance at my watch and take note of the time, 2:49 pm, and that's when the energy shifts.

The door dings and someone walks in. A guy, to be more specific. A hot guy, to be even more specific. The hairs on my neck stand up as I watch him walk towards the Starbucks. He's dressed in all black. He has a black muscle shirt that fits the contours of his arms and chest, black pants, black shoes. He has the hair to match. He has a mass of curly, inky, black hair on his head that's pulled up into a pony tail with a little hanging out in the back. He has dark tattoos curling around his arms, peeking out from his shirt. A chill runs down my back as he walks past me without a glance, taking a seat in one of the small café chairs, looking extremely out of place. He's too big for the chair, too big for the table. He sets down his cell phone and suddenly looks up at me through beautiful, long eyelashes, his dark brown eyes meeting mine.

I look away immediately, but I can still feel his eyes on me. His presence alone sets off alarms in my mind, but with those eyes to match you'd think the world was ending the way my body was freaking out. His aura is powerful, much too powerful for my liking. I can feel it from way over here.

Keeping my cool I focus back on the task at hand. A customer comes to buy a book. I ring it up for her. The stranger's eyes watching my every move. Elizabeth comes out and asks if he wants anything, and he orders a drink. Orders a coffee.

Fun fact time: I have special abilities. I won't go into the details at the moment, but when I say special abilities, I mean special abilities. One of these include being able to read people's emotions. When a person is feeling something, the hormones in their body give off an energy. I can read that energy. I can read that energy very well. There is never a time when I don't know what emotion a person is feeling. Well, except for now. With Dark Stranger (that's what we're calling him now), I can't read anything. I'm drawing a complete blank. I don't know if it's because his stare is throwing me off or if it's because he's an evil henchman sent to come and murder me, put under the protection of the Dark Lord himself. I don't know, I have a vivid imagination.

The door rings again and the next heartbeat is one I'm familiar with. I smile as soon as my boyfriend, Calvin, walks over to my register. Calvin has mocha skin with a short haircut, muscles that could kill and beautiful grey eyes. He's awesome. He smiles back and I practically melt into my B&N employee shirt as he shows me a bag from our favorite bakery. "Brought you dessert." He beams. His bottom teeth are a little crooked, but you can't really tell when he smiles. We kiss and I immediately feel a fiery heat burning from Dark Stranger. I glance at him and Calvin turns around curiously, but he's not looking at us anymore. He has a book in his hand and appears to be reading it very intently.

"Thanks, babe." I take the bag and stash it behind the register. "I get off soon, do you want to wait around?"

He checks his watch and smiles, a dimple appearing in his right cheek. I could eat cereal out of that dimple. "You get off at 5, that's in two hours, Karm."

"You could easily entertain yourself here." I smirk.

"What entertainment could I possibly find in a bookstore, love?"

"Come to the back and I'll show you." I wink.

"God I love you, woman. Look, I gotta go run some errands but I'll see you tonight, okay?" He

leans over and kisses me one last time.

"Bye Calvin."

"Goodbye Karma."

And he smiles and walks out the door. I look over at the table and Dark Stranger is gone, so is the electricity of his presence. When did he leave?

I turn around and start munching on the delicious red velvet cake my delicious boyfriend brought me and a book slams on the counter behind me and I jump. Weird. I can always feel people coming. Nothing ever catches me off guard. Ever.

Dark Stranger looks at me with stony eyes. Beautiful, but stony. And very very brown. "I'd like to buy this." He says, his voice a deep tenor. So deep it vibrates my organs inside. He rubs his glorious five-o-clock shadow and waits for me to respond.

I look at the book and ring it up. "Interesting choice." I say with a hint of humor. "Although,

thanksgiving is kind of far away." He's chosen a book entitled "How to Cook Everything: Holiday Edition". "Unless you're planning on cooking a turkey for the fourth of July?"

He doesn't respond to my genius wit. He just stares. I gulp my pride and bag his purchase.