Annabelle
I feel nervous, and that is no way to be feeling in this situation. I need to keep my head straight while on the job. It’s just a hard thing to do while Gabriel is around, making it spin. I can’t believe the mistake I almost made. As I see Xavier Sanchez and his entourage pulling in, I’m grateful that they showed up when they did.
I was about to tell Gabriel that I love him. Actually say it out loud. Getting sentimental like that can get someone like me killed. Like Simon has always said, love is a weakness. Love made me an orphan. What do I know of love anyways? Nothing, when it comes to the romantic kind. Jackson and I love each other because we’ve been all the other had growing up. Sure Simon raised us, but he never showed us love. He taught us to survive, gave us a purpose and we respected him for that. I’ve never had an example of the type of love that my parents had. I was only a toddler when they died.
Gabriel holds my hand as the security men get out of the Escalades. Two men come to open the limo door. I eye the men, knowing that there’s a chance I’ll be coming up against them. Confident of my abilities, should the need arise, I zero in on the man exiting the limo. Out steps my target, Xavier Sanchez, wearing an expensive suit and smiling sincerely at Gabriel when he sees him. Just like his picture and description, he’s tall with light brown skin and black hair. Good looking for a man his age.
Gabriel lets go of my hand and hugs his father. Xavier says, “I’ve missed you, son.” So he’s a loving father, if a little absentee, doesn’t make up for being a criminal.
Gabriel steps back next to me, putting an arm around my waist. “Dad, I’d like you to meet my girlfriend, Anna.” Yeah, this is definitely not the normal meet the father situation. Normally, I’m thinking, bodyguards aren’t standing around.
Xavier raises his eyebrows, still smiling. “Yes, your mother told me that you had a beautiful girlfriend. I can see that she didn’t exaggerate.” Creep.
I put on a fake smile and tell Xavier, “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Sanchez.”
“Call me Xavier, sweetheart.” He pulls me in for a hug. Creepy.
Xavier pulls back from hugging me and I keep wearing the fake smile. “Okay, Xavier.” I step back to Gabriel and he puts his arm around my waist again. All of a sudden, blonde hair whizzes past us and Gabriel’s mom is embracing his dad.
When they kiss, Gabriel rolls his eyes. “Let’s get out of here before I’m traumatized.” Pity swells inside me for Eva Sanchez because she’s obviously so in love with her husband and unaware that he’s not faithful to her. Maybe if I let the information slip after Xavier’s death, it would help her during the mourning period for the bastard.
“Where are we going?” I tease as Gabriel guides me upstairs, even though I already know. The assignment is still in the back of my head, but Gabriel is distracting me, being in front of my eyes.
“The party is starting soon and I don’t know when I’ll get you to myself again.” He kisses my neck as we’re walking down the upstairs hallway. “After we make an appearance at my parents’ party, I was thinking that we could go out and have some real fun.” Eyeing him, I think about how ridiculous our costumes are. But that’s the point, right?
“Sounds good to me.” Although, that’s not going to happen, I think to myself. I’m going to kill your father and you’ll be too busy with your grief to go out afterwards. I’m not sorry about having to kill his dad. It has to be done and if I don’t do it, someone else will. I am sorry for the pain it will cause Gabriel.
For some reason I have the ridiculous urge to cry. I will not cry. I never cry over a kill. No, the kill wouldn’t be the reason. Gabriel said that he doesn’t know the next time we’ll have alone time together, but I know all too well that this may be the last time.
Two hours later, the party is in full swing. Gabriel’s parents are dressed up in civil war era costumes. His dad even has a sword strapped to his side. Eva must have picked out their costumes. Gabriel is taking me around and introducing me to all of his parents’ friends, like I’m becoming a part of the Sanchez family. I’m again wearing a fake smile, not that they’ll perceive it as anything but genuine. I even meet Max’s mom, Lucy. She’s an attractive woman in her forties, friendly, and dressed as a fairy godmother. No wonder Max is such a nice guy.
The bottom floor of the house is an explosion of any color associated with the holiday. Eva must have had the place professionally decorated for the party because it’d be too much work for one woman alone. Maybe she put the security men to work. Throughout the house are flower arrangements in orange and purple. Along with that, there are mummies, cobwebs, balloons, a large witch’s cauldron of candy and probably every other Halloween decoration available for sale. This is a real family affair, with the smallest guest being an infant in a frog suit and the oldest being a pirate that’s, well, old.
Gabriel goes to get something for us to drink and Max walks over to me. He’s wearing a classic vampire costume. White face makeup is not a good look with his brown skin. “So, what are you supposed to be, Anna, besides beautiful? A dark angel?”
I smile mischievously, answering him, “A fallen angel.” Pointing over to where Gabriel is on the other side of the room at the refreshment table, I add, “I sold my soul to the devil.”
His gaze follows my gesture. “He’s a devil alright. When are you going to realize your mistake and dump him for me?”
I laugh, telling him, “I heard you were already in love with some new girl.”
He fakes sadness, which is a weird look with the face paint. “Not anymore, she couldn’t compare to you.”
“You’re so full of it.”
His humor fades. “You know, I really didn’t think Gabriel was serious about you, but I guess I was wrong.” There’s a tinge of wonder in his tone. Jeez, I feel like a bitch.
I know better than to show uneasiness on the outside, but I’m squirming on the inside. “Yeah, I guess he is.” How I wish that I could be as serious about him and somehow keep him.
Through the crowd, I spot Xavier leaving the room alone. I’ve been waiting for an opportunity like this. With this many guests present throughout the bottom floor of the house, no one will know who killed him. I quickly excuse myself from Max by telling him that I need to use the restroom. He moves on to a group nearby and within seconds I’m hearing his good humor behind me. Gabriel is still on the other side of the room, talking to one of his dad’s friends as he holds two plastic cups in his hands.
Following Xavier into the foyer, he’s already at the top of the stairs by the time I get there. With a quick look around, I take the wide stairs slowly and once at the top, see Xavier slip into his study down the hall, probably to make a phone call. Making my way to Gabriel’s room, I grab his desk chair. I retrieve my gun and silencer from his closet, still wrapped in a scarf. Screwing on the silencer, I take off the safety. Holding the gun inconspicuously down at my side, in the folds of my skirt, I walk to the study.
Xavier is sitting in a high back office chair, facing away from the door and towards the large windows. He’s on the phone as I’d guessed, speaking Spanish. He isn’t saying anything incriminating, just talking to what seems to be an up-and-up business associate.
Creeping quietly into the room, he doesn’t even notice me. The bastard probably feels safe in his own home with security downstairs and surrounding the house. There’s even an added buffer of guests tonight. I bring the gun up and take aim, putting my finger firmly on the trigger. Xavier continues his conversation and I listen carefully for the sounds of anyone coming.
I’m about to pull the trigger, when I glance at the picture on his desk of Gabriel as a child. Gabriel’s grown up face flashes through my mind. Faltering, my hands start shaking and I try to regain my focus. Just pull the trigger, Annabelle. This is your job and you’ll be doing the whole world a favor.
But I’ll lose Gabriel in the process. No more of his humor. No more of his tenderness or desire. No more of what, even in my inexperie
nce, I’m pretty sure is his love. My eyes start to water. I’m not ready to lose him yet. Just a little more time won’t hurt. I’ll still do the job in the end, so what does it matter? I lower the gun and slowly step back out of the room. Once in the hallway, I return to Gabriel’s room. My whole body is now trembling. Using the chair, I put the gun back into its hiding spot and sit down on the closet floor, with my back against the wall.
Giving the tears free reign to take over, my knees are drawn up with my arms wrapped around them and my chin resting on top. I know that I’m acting weak. Crying is for victims and I was raised to be the predator, a fighter. Never a victim and never weak. I just need a little more time with Gabriel. This will be the only taste of love I’ll ever have. I’m not ready for it to be over yet, because I know I’ll never allow myself this weakness again. The girl inside me will just have to be satisfied with that.
I need to get my shit together before Gabriel finds me like this. I laugh humorlessly, just imagining how I’d explain. Well Gabriel, I wimped out when I went to kill your father. Oh yeah, didn’t I mention it? I’m an assassin hired to kill your drug-dealing, murdering dad. Unfortunately, I think I’m in love with you and it’s really getting in the way. But don’t worry. I’ll overcome it and finish the job, because I always finish the job. Yeah, that would go over real well.
Standing up, dragging the chair back out of the closet, I walk to the bed where my purse is. I pick it up and go into Gabriel’s bathroom, locking the door behind me. I look at myself in the mirror. Pathetic, Annabelle. I wash my face and reapply all of my makeup. It takes a while, since I’m wearing it heavy, with lots of black eyeliner and mascara to go with the costume. When I’m done, I look good as new, at least on the outside. On the inside, I feel as if knives are having a go at a few of my vital organs, most especially my heart.
As I’m walking down the stairs, Gabriel enters the foyer down below, looking impatient. Looking up at me, his mouth melts into a smile. Even in his ridiculous costume, he makes my heart skip a beat, revived by his presence.
“Where’ve you been?” he asks, relaxed now, but giving me a questioning look.
“I went upstairs to touch up my makeup and grab my purse. You did say that we were going out, didn’t you?” I inquire calmly, showing no hint of the emotional turmoil I just experienced upstairs.
His smile broadens as he claps his hands together eagerly. “Great idea. We’ll leave now.” Gabriel suggests that it’s better for us to slip out without saying goodbye because his mom might make a fuss over it, wanting us to stay longer. Max joins us outside and we all pile into his Mercedes, with me in the front passenger seat and Gabriel in back.
We go to the same club that I ‘met’ them at. I already know from the information Simon provided, that the club, Cameo, is owned by a friend of Gabriel’s father. One of the bad friends. Will Gabriel continue to go there when I’m gone? Just because it’s Halloween doesn’t mean you need to be morbid, Annabelle.
There’s a long line of people waiting to get into the club. Most of them are wearing costumes. Some of those costumes are very interesting. I’m pretty sure some of the women are wearing lingerie, not costumes. I knew I should have gone with the hooker princess idea. Most of the girls look like they have sex for money. Hell, the girls that come to clubs like this usually give it away for free. In other cities, I’ve even seen them giving it away in the club. Makes me want to shout, Yeah, it’s not that dark in here!
We get to skip the line and the bouncers let us right in, making some people clamor in irritation. Max goes straight to the bar and Gabriel leads me to the middle of the dance floor. The song is a techno remix of “Thriller”. With Gabriel dancing closely behind me, running his hands over my stomach, hips and outer thighs, kissing my neck, I’m lost in it, lost in him.
Yes, I just needed a little more of this, a little more time to savor these precious memories, since it’s all I’ll be able to take with me. I’ll finish the job because it’s who I am, an assassin. But for a while, in moments like this, it’s just him and me, Gabriel and Annabelle. After the song is over, Gabriel wraps an arm around my waist and leads me upstairs to VIP.
A blonde server comes up to our table. “Happy Halloween, Gabriel, what can I get you two?” I narrow my eyes at her and determine from the way she’s looking at Gabriel that they’re only friends. Dang, it’s stressful having a boyfriend.
“Hey, Rachel. I’ll have a Corona. What do you want, baby?” he asks me, snuggling close.
“I’ll have a Long Island Iced Tea,” I tell the woman. I’ve decided to stop worrying about things I have no control over and have fun tonight.
Gabriel
Two hours after arriving at the club, five more times dancing with Anna and four Long Island Iced Teas total for her, I can tell that she's tipsy. I’ve had only three Coronas, so all I’m feeling is a slight buzz.
“I can’t believe I’m drunk!” Anna says excitedly, throwing her arms around my neck, giving me a big kiss. Hmm, stay right where you are. We’re up in the VIP section and Max has now joined us with a brunette girl dressed up as a nurse. A hooker nurse is what Anna would call her. Hopefully she won’t, though.
I put an arm around Anna’s shoulders and sit back into the leather booth, bringing her with me. “And why is that, baby?”
Her cheeks are flushed and she looks adorable with her eyes shining. “I’ve never been drunk before!”
“What?” Max and I ask at the same time.
“How is it that you’ve never been drunk before? We met you at a club, Anna. Was that your first time clubbing?” I ask her, thinking her declaration unlikely.
Anna pecks me on the cheek. “Oh baby, that’s so cute. You thinking that it was my first time at a club. I got into my first club when I was thirteen in Thailand. At that age in Thailand, it was actually quite easy.” She starts giggling and I think her words again unlikely.
I’ve never seen her speak so freely of her past before. I know that it’s her being drunk that’s loosening her tongue and I wonder what else I can get out of her. “What were you doing at a club in Thailand, at only thirteen years old?”
She taps me on the nose with her index finger, with challenge in her gaze. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“Yes, I would. So, why don’t you tell me?” I prompt her.
“Sorry baby. If I told you, then I’d have to kill you. And believe me, I wouldn’t like doing that one bit,” she says, the expression on her pretty face turning sad.
“Good to know,” I tease her. “How would you kill me?” Glancing across from us, at Max and his nurse, I see they’re amused by Anna too.
She stares into my eyes with her slightly dazed golden brown ones. “Something quick and painless would be the only option, maybe in your sleep, so you wouldn’t see it coming.” Max starts laughing, but something in Anna’s demeanor bothers me. I shake it off, thinking that maybe I’m drunker than I realize.
Max’s laughter is interrupted by a commotion coming from a table to our right. A guy who looks to be in his mid-twenties has a woman by the arm and is shaking her. The abuser has an enraged visage and the woman looks terrified. I start to stand up, to intervene, but Anna quickly rushes over to them, moving fast for someone so far from being sober. The man grabs the woman by the hair with his other hand and I follow Anna, afraid that she’ll get hurt. I can feel Max’s presence right behind me.
As I’m coming up on them, I hear Anna say, “Let her go or I’ll hurt you.”
The man laughs at her and before I can intervene, she pulls back her fist and punches him squarely in the jaw. The guy falls to the ground, losing his hold on his victim. I look at Anna in shock. “You knocked him out!”
Anna is asking the woman if she’s alright, stepping over the brute on the floor. When she’s satisfied and the girl is walking down the steps out of VIP, she turns to me. “Lucky hit, I guess.” But I’m not so sure. Anna being drunk is only adding to her mystery. Not that I don’t like the ti
psy Anna. Bouncers finally show up to carry the guy out. Bouncers are some of the most efficient employees out there. Troublemakers in clubs are always dealt with quickly.
I grab the hand that Anna used to hit him. “Are you okay?” Checking her hand, I see that it’s a little red, so I place a gentle kiss on her knuckles where they’ll probably bruise.
She pulls her hand back, looking at me funny. “Yeah, I just need to go to the restroom and run my hand under cold water.”
“I can get ice from a bartender,” I suggest.
But she’s already walking away, almost at the stairs. She shouts over the music, “No, that’s okay. I’ve got it.”
I lean against the rail, in the same spot that I was in when I first laid eyes on her. I can see her making her way towards the restrooms near the front of the club. She’s almost to the hallway that leads to them when a man grabs her arm. My first instinct is to rush down there to kick his ass, but after what I just saw her do to the guy up here, I’m curious to see if she can do it again. Was it really a lucky hit? Instead of hitting the guy, though, it looks like they’re in a heated argument.
About to rush down there anyways, I suddenly recognize the guy. It’s that Russian friend of hers. I don’t remember if she ever told me his name. What’s he doing here and why are they fighting? Still holding her by the arm, he starts dragging her to the exit of the club.
Running down the stairs, I weave my way through the crowd. I pass by the doormen and look around outside, spinning in all directions on my feet. I can’t see them anywhere, so I run under streetlamps towards where Max parked his Mercedes. As I near the car, I see a yellow Lamborghini race down the street past me.
Chapter 10
Annabelle
After Jackson pulls me out of the club, he leads me to where he parked the Lamborghini. He doesn’t say a word to me, but I’m not exactly eager myself for the conversation to come. I get into the passenger side without arguing and Jackson speeds off. My phone starts ringing and I don’t even have to look at it to know that it’s Gabriel. Does he even know I left the club? He’s probably still waiting for me to come back to our booth.