Partners

12.

Elyssa parked in front of the old docks.  She secured her motorcycle and then turned towards me. I ignored her and decided to look around.

Trash is here, the weird smell is here, and I can totally see the place that I hid in the last time I was here. Nothing changed.

I start to walk towards that weird hole like place, where I will probably be sitting.  After few steps I heard Elyssa's footsteps, she quickened her pace and stood in front of me. "Are you mad?"

"I don't know am I allowed to be mad? Wouldn't it be so extra to have fucking emotions?" I said and waved my hands around.

Elyssa sighed. "Look, I didn't mean it that way. It is really complicated." She said and blocked my path. I looked at her. "Try me." I said with anger evident on my tone.

Elyssa looked at me for a whole minute and then silently said. "You were supposed to be sold off to the other gang. The plan was to pin the murder off that guy on you, and then sell you off." Elyssa looked at me to see my reaction.

My brain was busy trying to process that so I didn't have any reaction.

"The gangs, and everyone who are around this shit don't have any rules or moral conduct. Only the rule of eye for eye. You hurt them, they hurt you. In your case, I... kill a guy, you get the name off the killer and have a mark on your back." Elyssa involuntarily stopped in the middle off the sentence, and spoke the rest more quietly.

"What the fuck? Does everyone think that I killed that guy? What if police find out about this? Fuck, I could go to jail." I voiced all of my thoughts at the same time. I took few deep breaths, looked at Elyssa who was trying to keep her calm look but her hands were fidgeting.

"When exactly was that?" I asked.  "It's the time when you were in headquarters and I asked you to run away from the back." Elyssa said, while avoiding eye contact.

I was supposed to be killed then, but I escaped death from the back door.

Elyssa went against the direct orders. Aren't the so called 'elders' really strict on rule following? "I know that this situation is too fucked up, but I am trying to clean it up. I won't let you go to jail or get killed." Elyssa said and looked at me. She was scanning my face, trying to determine my emotions.

"Why get in so many troubles? I am not the first one to get in to this shit, am I? Did you let them all get killed? Why get your hands dirty now huh? I am just another piece in the game." I said angrily. Elyssa's words from before still angered me.

She can't keep doing this weird game off emotions. One day we hold hands and have a picnic, the next few days she just disappears only to be back to drag me out of the work.

I think I hit a nerve because Elyssa franticly shakes her head. "No, no, no don't say that." She moved closer to me. "You are not a piece in the game. Olivia, you are better than that." Elyssa held my hands and looked at me. "You are far more important than any game." She whispered. I leaned closer to her. "Then what am I?" I asked her with a whisper.

For a moment she just looked at our hands, when she looked up to me, sudden sound off car engine startled both off us.

They are here to kill me. I am dead.

We looked at each other with wide eyes, Elyssa quickly pushed me towards the hiding place. I ran there and tried to scoot to the back. Further away from the light and death.

The sound of the engine got closer and finally stopped few miles away from Elyssa. Small cloud of dust covered them all. Elyssa stood there, without any movement, and looked at the car.

3 people came out of the car: a man in his 40's who looks like he could kill you with just his eyes, a woman, probably in her 30s with a scar on her neck, and another guy, who looks much younger than others, but still carries that death like aura around himself.

I am guessing they are the big bosses of the gang.

They all come towards Elyssa, she nods towards the man and the woman, but ignores the young guy. He doesn't seem to mind it and just winks toward Elyssa.

"Why is it that you always come here when you have to hide." The woman says as she looks around the docks. "I am not hiding, I have a deal here in 30 minutes. I just came to check the place beforehand." Elyssa's voice sounds different, I would say more controlled than before.

"That deal is on me now, Lizzy, hand me over the main stuff." The guy says. Elyssa first looks at the man, waiting for a confirmation. After he nods Elyssa takes out small burner phone from her pocket and hands it over to the guy.

He smiles with satisfaction and walks towards the car. "I am changing the location, by the way. No need to meet in this dumpster." He comments before closing the cars door.

Woman just rolls her eye at his actions. "He might be loose on the tongue, but at least he is more reliable than you. I don't want to risk this deal with you. Maybe it will run away from the back door too."

Was she talking about me?

"I don't see why you would think that. Did you finally find that not existing proof off my involvement?" Elyssa quickly answers, eager to protect her pride.

"Honey, I don't need a proof to do what I want. You are getting weak and failing direct orders Elyssa, do you think that's not enough cause to end this?" Elyssa doesn't say anything in return, and turns towards the man who have not said anything since coming here.

"You are getting a 2 weeks discharge. Hand all of your ongoing jobs over to Sofi, who will be working on them while you are away" His voice sounded deeper than I thought. It made me want to crawl deeper inside this hole.

I could see Elyssa's hands forming a fist, but she says nothing and turns to woman, Sofi. "Everything is in the main room, I don't have anything here with me."  Sofi nods with satisfactory smile and goes back to the car.

Elyssa is looking at the man now. "I had to do it, Elyssa." He said, his voice sounding less threatening. "You left me no other choice."

Elyssa shook her head. "I didn't do anything wrong, I have not failed anything. And you know it is true, dad."

DAD???????

"Then what about the girl? What about that mission? How many times have you failed it?" The man says and looks at her.

"First it was to get the trade done, you failed, then you played with us all trying to stop everyone who tried to finish the job instead of you." He was now walking around Elyssa.

"I still don't believe that killing her is the right choice." Elyssa said. The man shook his head. "There isn't any right choice in here. The only choice is what's better for us all."

After few minutes off silence the man spoke again. "Your 2-week discharge is for your own good. Get away from headquarters and rest. Then be ready to finish the job that you started." He said and walked towards the car. Before getting in the car he said one last threat.

"Come back only if you are ready kill her."

A/N- thoughts on Elyssa?