Bloodlust (John Wick) *COMPLETED*

Chapter Four

LYDIA

I make sure to take several different diversions to get to the bank just in case anyone was following me. Dad had sent me to England with the second key, worried about someone stealing it from him. I didn't know what to expect if I was being honest, had never told me about the contents wanting it to be a surprise. It couldn't be a weapon or any sensitive information, he wouldn't be that foolish.

'This way miss,' a man with salt and pepper motions towards a staircase behind the counter at the bank.

We make our way down into the basement and through a locked door, entering a large white room which had hundreds of numbered boxes.

'Can I have the key?' he asks.

I hand him the key and watch as he locates box 101, it was one of the smaller ones. Its placed on the table in front of me and the man excuses himself to give me some privacy. I take a deep breath and open the lid examining the contents. There was a manila envelope which contained dad's last will and testament, pretty much giving me ownership of everything from the house to the cars.

Usually, assassins didn't have next of kin, preferring not to bring a child into a dangerous world, but mum and had a whole week off and went away to a tropical island, and I was made. According to dad, he and mum were over the moon, mum even managed to get out first, but dad had a few loose ends to tie up before he could retire. However, dads, few loose ends didn't quite go as smoothly as he anticipated, which resulted in mum getting shot multiple times in the middle of a supermarket while eight months pregnant. The doctors gave them a choice, only one of us could live, and mum told dad to keep me, and we'd been very close ever since, only really trusting each other.

There were a few photos I'd never seen before. Dad kept a couple of pictures of both him and mum and then one or two of just her smiling and looking beautiful. But these photos in the box looked older, and my parents a lot younger. I glance over the back and see that I was correct, they dated back to around the time dad first laid eyes on mum and decided he was going to marry her one day. Two assassins who fell in love, a beautiful love story turned tragic.

I put the photos and documents into my satchel and close the box, before walking out of the vault and nodding to the guy to tell him I was done. The safe box was all well and good, but it didn't tell me who had killed him, maybe those answers would be found at the house.

Dad lived in a relatively upmarket part of New York, the last place you'd expect an assassin to live, but it allowed him to blend in. I'd bugged him for years to modernise his security, even offering to come over and install it to put me at ease, but dad refused stating he was 'old school' and had survived long enough without technology.

I enter the house, it had been two years since I'd last been here and the furnishings hadn't changed. I close the front door behind me and make my way to where Winston told me dad had taken his last breath at the bottom of the staircase. Even though the body was gone, there was still a whole lot of dried blood on both the wooden floor and rug leading away from the dining room table.

'Oh dad, why did you have to get involved?' I whisper and crouch down in front of the stairs.

I hadn't really had much time to process everything, having jumped straight on a plane, slept one night in The Continental, before opening the safety deposit box and then rushing over here. But now crouching next to a dried pool of blood which belonged to my dad it suddenly hit me, I was now all alone without a family, my best friend was dead.

Tears fall freely, splashing on the wooden floor as my whole body begins to shake with grief. I hated showing emotion, it made you look weak, and in this world, you couldn't show weakness because that's when everyone pounced on you.

'Lydia.'

I freeze, I'd know that voice anywhere, 'John,' I whisper sob back.

Next thing I know a set of arms have wrapped themselves around me from behind. Usually, if someone came from behind I'd pull my knife and beat them shitless, but John wouldn't kill me, sure he was an emotionless killer when needs be but even he had a heart. I relax into his embrace and attempt to wipe the tears away.

'It's okay Lydia, I'm here,' he says soothingly, like a parent trying to calm an upset kid down.

'Why did he take the stupid job?' I huff, anger mixing with sadness.

John positions himself so that the back of my head was resting on his shoulder, 'he had honour and was loyal to a fault. It was his greatest strength and weakness, Lydia.'

I sniffle, 'who did it?'

'Lydia—'

'John, I have the right to know,' I reply, cutting him off.

He sighs, 'Viggo Tarasov, Russian crime boss, both your dad and myself have worked for him in the past.'

The name didn't ring a bell, then again, dad always tried to keep me out of his jobs and vice versa.

'What happened?' I ask, genuinely curious.

'His son killed my puppy and stole my car, so I killed his son,' he replies, emotionless.

I wanted to laugh about how ridiculous that sounded but knew better, John was a driven man who if you crossed he wouldn't rest until he got his revenge.

'Seems a little overkill.'

'The puppy was a gift from Helen, it was delivered after her funeral.'

Even in our current situation, hearing Helen's name made a bitter taste in my mouth. Maybe Winston nailed it on the head that I was jealous about what I couldn't have. She was dead for fuck's sake, and here I was complaining about her. John really did love her, she was the first and only woman he took things seriously with. Why couldn't he have loved me the way he loved her?

'Sorry about Helen sucks to lose someone.'

John chuckles, 'you never were one for words Lydia. We should get out of here.'

He helps me back to my feet, and I stare down at the blood one last time, 'how did you know I was here?'

He straightens his jacket, 'I'm staying at The Continental, and Winston said you were in back in town. You might be losing your touch, Lydia, yes you made it tricky for me to follow you to the bank, but once you left all your basic training left you and if I could follow you other people could too.'

I wanted to curse my own ignorance, if dad were here, he would have scolded me, then again, John was doing a pretty good job. I rub the back of my neck, 'do you think word will get back to Viggo that Marcus's daughters back in town?'

John nods, 'I'm sure of it, my cars outside.'

Taking one last look at the house which was now mine if I wanted it, I turn off the lights and follow John back outside onto the bustling street. This time, however, my eyes darted everywhere, seeing if John was right and someone else had managed to track me in my moment of weakness.

'Get in the car Lydia,' he calls out, already in the driver's seat having rolled down the passenger window.

I roll my eyes, he still liked to order people about, and get into the car.

UNKNOWN

'Lydia's back in town, what should I do?'

'Kill her, and then kill Jonathan,' Viggo's thick accent replies through the phone.

A smile curves on my lips, if John was a challenge, then Lydia was going to be even trickier to kill. As long as John didn't tell her about me swapping sides, I'd be able to wrap this up nicely and get my money.