It's Not Love

Eric Pt. 1

There are some people you just shouldn't trust. She is smart, stunning, charming, funny and I almost feel bad using her. She seems oblivious to her ex-boyfriend's hidden life, it's almost pathetic. If she had known how he crossed me, she might've been worth having around. Not many people would know, we are both upstanding community citizens. I do have a day job, as anyone would, I'm an architect, one of the best in the business and because of this it makes it easier to travel, I am after all a hired hitman, and so is Aaron, as far as I know as no one, she knows, her ex. I wouldn't have ever looked her way, except this was personal.

We had a job about a year ago in Puerto Rico, usually, we do the jobs on our own, however, taking out a congressman is a little bit more challenging than your average drug dealer. I've worked with Aaron before in passing, not much to talk about, 6'1, has dirty blonde hair, built the same as me but looks more of a banker than a killer. Never had any issues with the guy, he was well-trained, not better than me by a long shot. I was recruited after I turned 18, so it only made sense, both my parents were hitmen. I had been training since the day I could walk, and no my childhood wasn't all rainbows and butterflies, I did have the every night bedtime stories of my mom back in the day. She never told me how they left, because they always told me there was only one way to leave, a wooden coffin and six pallbearers. That was a lifetime ago, and she still never told me how they left, they passed before she could give me an answer.

Anyway, I was about to fire from across the building and Aaron was supposed to be taking the home. Before the congressman got out of the car, I was swarmed by twenty armed guards, when Aaron had assured me the building was cleared before I stepped foot inside. While in transportation, I was able to escape and let's just say knock a few guys out which caused some memory loss, it wasn't hard to reach my handler and get back to St. Louis. After explaining what had happened, my handler told me that someone hacked into his system to give me the order about the hit.

We were both enraged, and duped by the amateur, so my handler passed the message along for my next assignment. Aaron Jarvis. We're not supposed to know personal information about our "co-workers", however, trying to take out one of our own, and not even that, giving up one of us to a known target even if it is a fake one, is punishable by death. Like I said, this was personal, it took some digging but I was able to find out he had no family or any real close friends, which was typical, but when I saw pictures of that striking blonde bawling her eyes out, leaving his apartment, I was going to make the most of his torture.

Emma Rupert, 29, a dermatologist by day, and an enthusiast by night, since her and Aaron's departure it wasn't hard to follow her. She worked, went home, same bedtime routine, a chapter or two in her book before bed, and on the weekends she prowled the same bar. We exchanged words after the first couple of times I watched her, I've seen a lot of things but men, it was so easy for her. She had every man wrapped around her manicured fingertips, Emma could have one guy buying her drinks, and another thinking he was going to take her home, sometimes they'd be lucky but only when she felt especially lonely. I thought she just wanted someone to be around her and not her facade. I also learned she grew up with brothers so she knows how to handle pricks, if one pissed her off, she deflate his ego in a matter of minutes. I had my work cut out for me, but if Aaron had her once, I could take her.

That first night I took her home, past the tipsiness, and the usual sarcastic act she does, her eyes indeed looked lonely, like I said, I almost feel bad for using her.

Aaron hadn't seen me since he left me in Puerto Rico and as far as he knew, I was in a locked-down unit somewhere in the south. I knew he had a hit in the city, my friend John made sure to let me know during the manicure session and it was the perfect way to make myself known, and what better way to do that than wrapped around his old girl?

When we collided off the elevator, his face had seen a ghost standing behind Emma, she stood for a split second before reaching for my arm. Her palms were sweaty when I felt the tug around my arm, however her face was relaxed. She didn't say hi, made it awkward, and did weird introductions of her ex, she practically acted as if he was invisible if he wasn't standing directly in front of her. I didn't know what her thought process was, but she did an amazing job, before we got too far ahead, I turned to meet Aaron's eyes, fear, that's all I needed before smirking and turning back to most closest person he had and waving her in front of him like a dog wanting a t-bone steak from the grill.