To Kiss A Man Silly

Chapter 5

"We should get going," I said feeling a little jittery all of a sudden. I actually looked over my shoulders thinking someone was going to shoot out of the shadows and off him.

"Sure. Your place or mine," he said throwing in a mock lascivious grin.

"Mine," I said shortly not up for much humour. "I have my car right outside."

I stuffed back the contract in my bag and  then led the way out.

I drove a small unexciting Toyota Corrolla. I tapped the button that popped the locks and smirked invitingly at Claude.

"Welcome to my lair," I said mockingly. His brows rose before shaking his head he said," I'd never have pegged you for a Toyota loyal endorser."

I shrugged my shoulders. "Its the best car on the road. Cost effective and fuel efficient," I said with a broad grin. He chuckled merrily back.

We buckled up and then I turned the car into heavy traffic.

"Why did you leave?" I asked him finally. That explanation hadn't been included in the dossier that was given to me.

"Why did you stay?" He countered instantly.

"I loved my family," I said shrugging simply. "And then one day they were all dead and I was the only one left. I had to take my place in line as the next Arachnow assassin."

"You could have walked away," he suggested softly.

"And let those who killed my family win? Over my dead body," I replied vehemently.

"Well then you know exactly why I left. It was all these unnecessary feuds and blood shed that drove me away. The last of which saw my little sister fall victim to a two and a half inch shotshell that bored a hole the size of a peach right smack Iin the middle of her chest. I packed up and left right in the middle of that shoot out. There was nothing left for me to stay there for," he said unflinchingly. His face hard. His expression void.

I shivered.

We have both had dramatic fall outs but we both responded differently. I joined the very creed I spent my whole life training for but arguing against and Claude left the mafia he'd been trained to one day overtake. I have seen the reports on that shooting I knew he had been firing back ammunition right up to that point his sister dropped dead not two feet from him.

He dropped his gun and I picked up mine.

"So it was you who killed the Kingpin?" He looked at me in askance.

I glanced swiftly at him wondering how he managed to put two and two together.

"Yes. Yes I did."

"He was your first kill?"

"He was." I wondered how our conversation deviate do far off course. I had been hoping to explore more of his carnal capabilities and instead wound up taking of more gory matters.

"You must have been seventeen when it happened," he stated matter-of-factly.

Seventeen when my entire life turned upside down. My whole family wiped out and I was given employment with the Secret Service. Not that Claude needed to know that. I was mostly legit. But not completely. The Kingpin had been a hit the government wanted me to do. I ran several... errands like that one for the government and did a few free lancing efforts as well. The suffering Mr Perry was one of such and here now killing Claude Roston would be another of the kind.

I turned to face him even as I pulled into the foyer of the five star hotel I was booked into. Being an assassin paid well.

"Don't you want to know who did it? Who killed my family?" I asked him finally wondering just how much he knew.

"I already know. Your family was killed by mine," said Claude Roston softly.