Assassin For Hire

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

<Gavin Forrester>

We pull up in front of the destination after at least half an hour of driving. Victoria looks relieved to be out of the car as she takes in a few deep breaths. Her eyebrows knit together in confusion and she taps her stiletto on the ground while she waits for me to join her.

"Keep an open mind and I promise you'll love it." I whisper and lead her to the elevator that will take us up to the art gallery.

We step inside and I press the proper floor. I watch as she bites her lip and looks around nervously.

"You okay?" I ask as we step out into the Broadway 1602 gallery.

"Much better now," Her eyes light up as she admires the many works of art that are greeting us.

"I'm guessing you're an art buff..." I give her an expectant look and she nods.

"Most weekends when I was a child, my parents would drag me to every art museum and gallery in the city...Let's just say, I came to appreciate it more as I got older." She winks as another painting catches her eye.

I just follow her, complete admiration overshadowing the deep brown of my eyes.

She tells me about every painting. The meaning behind the colors, why the artist used the brushstrokes they did and sometimes even what the artist was probably thinking when they created it. I allow her to lecture me on every painting and I listen intently. It's fun watching how happy she gets when she talks about art. It's like she's in her own little world. I'd do anything to keep that light in her eyes, just like it is right now.

She's perfect and I'm not going to take that away from her...A bullet will never touch her skin, at least not by my hand.

Victoria grabs my hand as we continue to walk through the gallery. A smile crosses her face whenever a new painting comes into sight. She makes me stop and admire every painting. Some of them are so abstract that I wonder whether or not the artists were drunk while they were painting. Whenever I say something like that, though, Victoria smacks my arm and continues on with her admiration of the many paintings in this gallery.

"I think this one is my favorite," Victoria says with the biggest grin I've seen her wear all day.

She's pointing at a particularly colorful piece that we passed when we first entered the gallery. Surprised that we are back at the entrance, I look down at my watch and realize that we've been here for almost five hours. I run a hand through my hair and smile at her.

"It's beautiful," I tilt my head so I can fully take in the painting. "The painter seems to be happy because they are using light, pastel colors and soft brushstrokes." I bite my lip and raise an eyebrow, not sure if I gave her the right answer.

"You're learning!" Her grin widens and she pulls me into a hug.

"Well, I sure hope I learned something since you've been the one teaching me all day." I smirk and wrap my arms around her.

I lead her towards the elevator because if we spend one more minute in here analyzing paintings, I think my head will explode. Especially considering I haven't eaten since like 9 o'clock this morning. I press the down button and we both slip inside. I let out a deep breath and press the ground floor button as the doors close.

"I think that's my favorite because this is the first time I've felt happy since my engagement. Thanks, Gavin." She smiles and leans closer to me.

"I'm glad I could make you happy but our little day out isn't over yet. I don't know about you but I'm starved and I know this little low key restaurant that would happily take care of that need." I grab her hand and we walk off the elevator.