Chapter 9

J9

I felt Melissa slipping of the bed - but I was in daze and fell immedi-ately back into a deep sleep. The next thing I realized was the running shower in the bathroom. I turned my head and noticed that Melissa wasn't laying right next to me anymore. I looked over to James' bed, which was also empty. I wrinkled my forehead and expected already the worse. I got up and took a look at my watch - it was already past lunchtime. I moved to the bathroom and opened the door quietly. But there was only James taking a shower. I was even more concerned now. Where did Melissa go? I quickly got dressed and opened up the curtains. The bright light was a pain in my eyes. I felt a lot better now - I finally had a little more sleep and was ready for the world again. I was just a little too grumpy. I looked out of the window down to the parking lot - but Melissa's car was also gone. I heard James coming out of the bathroom and turned around to him. He didn't noticed my concerned face expression and instead moved over to me with a sweet smile. He wrapped his arms around me and wanted to give me a kiss. I stepped a little backwards - looking angry at him. He started to look confused now. "Uhm -..."

"What is that with you - at one moment you give me the sweetest blow-job and now your playing the unapproachable," he almost yelled. "What in the world are you talking about, James?" I asked. He broke and looked serious at me. "Don't tell me it wasn't you this morning who sneaked into my bed." I realized what happened then - I felt Melissa leaving the bed and also coming back after a few more minutes. I shook my head in disbelief and looked at James. "Where is she?" I asked. James shrugged "I woke up and she was already gone."

"Well, I hope you enjoyed it, James!" I yelled at him. Now I was majorly fucking pissed at him. It wasn't really his fault - Melissa was the one that took advantage of him. But I thought in that moment that he could have avoided it. I sat down on the bed and buried my face in my hands. I raised my head and picked up the phone. "Who are you calling?" James asked. I have him an angry look. I dialed the number which was scribbled on a piece of paper which Michael gave me last night. He picked up after the first ring. "Yes?"

"Michael? It's me," I only said and looked at James giving him a winning smile. "Do you have an idea where Melissa is at?" I heard Michael giving a sigh. Right in that moment I suddenly had the vision of Melissa giving Michael head. "No, Lola, don't have a clue."

"Well, okay - thanks anyway," I said and hung up. "So?" James asked. I gave him a mean grin. "I told you she's a bitch," I only said and grabbed the keys from the table. "You mean..."

"Yes," I broke James' words.

I knew where Michael's hotel was at - and I had a score to settle with Melissa and I knew she was with him. I don't know why, but I knew exactly. James was just quite the whole drive. Michael was stupid enough to tell me what hotel and which room he stayed in. So I rushed into the hotel - James slowly following me. I ran through the hallway - I didn't thought about pulling my gun - I just wanted to surprise them. I found the room and threw the door open. A very scared looking Melissa was jumping off the bed - trying to cover herself with a sheet. Michael only wearing shorts was a sexy sight and also very distracting. I gave a nasty smile at both and walked up to Melissa. I gave her a hard slap for I don't know - either for her giving James head or that she was just about to make out with my former boyfriend. "Get dressed!" I ordered her. Michael who was watching closely what I was going to do - moved over as I had slapped Melissa. James was already in the room with us - standing uncertain in the doorway. I looked over my shoulder and gave him a nod. Nobody was supposed to hear anything of this - so he shut the door. "You know what your god damn problem is, Lola?" Michael asked and looked in an arrogant way down to me. I blinked and must have looked totally blank. He moved closer and stopped right in front of me. "I fucking know you like no one else," he said in a very serious low voice. He gave a little snort at James: "Not even he has a single clue about your little sick mind." Melissa, who disappeared in the bathroom came back - she didn't say a word - I let her feel insecure with me being so determined. "Oh yes?" I said to Michael. "Yeah, damn it. Lola, I taught you - I made the person out of you that stands in front of me right now. Is that your way to be grateful?" I gave him a small harsh laugh and stepped backwards. "But so do I," I only said. "What?" he asked looking confused at me. "You were saying you know me. But so do I. I know you too." He looked at me blank like he didn't expect me to say that. "So, I don't think Melissa knows that you get fucked by your own daddy, Missy. What do you say now?" My mouth dropped open and I felt my face getting red. I feeling of rage just suddenly hit me. I looked back to Melissa who looked pale at James and then at me. James wasn't standing close enough to me to hold me back. I swung back and my fist hit Michael right on his chin. He was as surprised as I was. My hit was strong enough to make him stagger a few feet backwards. He held his chin and I suddenly pulled the gun I was carrying still with me and pointed it at him. He still looked surprised but not scared at all as I was pointing the gun at him. I pulled the safety catch. Still nothing. Michael moved closer again - pushing my gun aside. "See, I know you."

"You will not shoot me, Lola."

"You just can't do it."

"You are mad at me - that's for sure."

"But I believe you are still in love with me and can't hate me enough to kill me." It was frightening. I told James that I wasn't in love with this guy anymore. But I now started thinking that he was right and I was fooling myself the whole damn time. I slowly put the gun back to where it was and turned my back to him. I passed Melissa and James without saying another word.

"Is that true?" Melissa asked James as we were outside the hotel. They were walking behind me only a few feet. I felt sick to my stomach and turned around to look at James. Our eyes met and then we looked at Melissa. Her face went even paler than it already was. "Let's get some food and I tell you," I decided. We ordered us something at a drive through of a fast food restaurant and sat in the parking lot. "Okay, Melissa - I never wanted to tell you this - because it could get you into some serious trouble. But honestly I don't give a shit on that right now. I'm a professional killer - Michael taught me everything I need to know about doing this job. I get orders by people I don't know to kill people I don't know. James was ordered dead by a guy named Louie Morris. And I was supposed to kill him - but it somehow ended up totally different. Melissa, do you remember the name Howie?" I asked. She looked startled. "You mean... ?" she said. "Yes, James is Howie. Mom used to talk about him as being our father, right?" She nodded in silence staring at James. We are in so much trouble because I first had to kill one of my intermediaries and then we killed Louie and one of his guys. James helped me with all of it."

"Michael already knows most of it and it's just a matter of time that he'll be after me and your sister," James said. "You two... you two had sex before knowing that... ?" Melissa asked. Me and James gave a nod. "But you were still making out after you knew already?" I gave another nod. "I don't get it, Lola," she said. "You don't have to, I don't understand it myself," I said.

"We are leaving tomorrow," James suddenly asked. I looked surprised at him. That was a plan I had no idea about. I was scared of leaving Melissa with that much information by herself. I looked over to Melissa - she looked blank, speechless and sad at the same time at me. "I won't reproach you, Lola," she said with a small forced smile. The ringing of my mobile phone brought us all back to life. I opened it up and held it on my ear. "Hello?"

"Lola, it's me, Marcus," I heard a familiar male voice saying. Now I realized why this guy was so familiar to me. He had gave me orders before... he was one of my most important intermediaries. I knew him already a while. "What can I do for ya, Marcus?" I asked using on purpose his name to get James' and Melissa's attention. It worked both looked at me surprised. I gave them a small sigh of relief. "Meet me at the club where your sister dances tonight at 11:30," he said. "May I ask why?" I knew I wasn't supposed to ask any questions when I got an order from Marcus. Damn, I knew this guy as long as I knew Michael. "You may, but don't expect me to answer you," he said and hung up. "What is it?" James asked. "We are not leaving, James. Well, I first have to meet Marcus." Since no one was totally against it I thought that nothing was wrong about meeting him.

I don't remember how we got through that day - but it seemed to be the longest day in my life. Melissa kept asking several questions, but I ended I don't know when up in Melissa's hotel room sleeping until late that evening. James had spent a lot of time with her and tried to answer all her questions. I knew it was a very bad idea to give her that much information. But I was hoping for the best for all of us.

Marcus got up as soon as he saw me. He was being the real gentle-man I was not expecting him to be. I had a totally wrong picture of him as I met him at his club the night before. But James still seemed to be uncertain about him. "I'm glad to see you again so soon, Lola," he said and gave me a soft kiss on the back of my hand. I flushed a little of embarrassment. James and me sat down on the opposite of Marcus. "I think you can imagine that I know more about you two." That didn't surprise me. I have James a little smile. I was still very attracted to him - but also very uncertain about who I was loving more. I was smart enough not to let James know about that. "Lola," Marcus suddenly said in a very serious voice "I have a job for you to do." I looked surprised at him. If he actually knew as much as he says about me than he just must know about me wanting to quit this job. "Get rid of Michael as soon as you can. I can't stand this guy anymore. He's too much trouble. I pay you for killing him," Marcus said. James looked at me in shock. He expected me to totally not agree with this idea. But the money was just something we could really need. I didn't want to kill anyone again - but this was different. He shook his head: "Don't." I looked back to Marcus and then back to James. "That's a test, isn't it?" I asked Marcus still looking at James. "You are good, that's for sure. You proved your professionality already often enough before. There are a few people very pissed - I think you can imagine. But if you do this one with success than you'll be back in business."

"Sure, people will not just give you the trust they used to have in you right away. But you'll be in a way better situation then. You'd prove that you are still the professional killer who they could rely on." I took the idea into consideration at all. I was a pro - but even with me still having feelings for Michael - I still felt like I could to the job. If that would make that up what I screwed up in the near past... Why the hell not? I looked at James and then back to Marcus. "Would you excuse us for a few minutes?" I asked. "Sure," he said got off his chair and moved closer to the stage to watch the dancers. "What are you doing?" James asked as soon as he was sure Marcus couldn't hear him anymore. "I thought you were not going to do this job anymore." I looked at him seriously without saying a single word. I broke the silence after a few moments: "James, that was always my job - it's well paid and I can't do anything else."

"That's my chance to get back in business."

"I don't want to run away from all this, James, just because I'm not getting along with it anymore."

"Marcus is giving me this one last chance - I could make everything up with that and then everything will be just alright and like it was again." James shook his head in disbelief. "I thought you wanted to start all over again."

"Going to a totally different place where no one knows us and no one will ask any questions." I knew I had disappointed him. But that was a chance I just had to take it. "I changed my mind, James. I'm not leaving. I'm not going to run away. That's my chance to make things up," I only said. That was it! I just told him that I wouldn't go with him. But neither was I 100% sure to actually kill Michael. I was confused and felt lost. One second everything seems to be clear like I know exactly what I was going to do. In the next moment I didn't want James to leave me, I didn't want to kill Michael nor did I want make a decision who I was wanting to be with. Michael pissed me off earlier, but I wasn't mad enough at him to kill him. I still had this feeling inside me heart that told me that I was always been loving him...

S10

I stared at Lola in disbelief. "How could you think about going back to that life honey?" I asked gently. "I mean, I can see that you needed to do it to make a living but we have a suitcase full of cash!" She looked and me and shook her head. "Look James, that money won't last forever."