Now I just had to get closer to her.
I called her up the very next day, asking if she wanted to grab coffee with me.
"Sure! I'd be glad to go with you!" she agreed, enthusiasm evident through the phone.
"Great! See you there, around two?"
"It's a date! See you then!"
-
She was there 10 minutes early. I knew, because I was even earlier. I went and grabbed some food with Ray before he went with Lex to finish a commission. Some business guy hired him to take out a rival I think. Kylie was busy hacking into shit with Fuyumi, so I didn't really have anything to do anyways. I spotted her looking around excitedly, scarf wrapped tightly around her shoulders. I smiled. So fucking adorable.
"Hey, you're early," I greeted, taking a seat in front of her.
"Of course, I was excited!" she said, quickly opening her purse.
"No no, I'll pay for this. Coffee's on me." I smiled.
-
I stepped out of the changing rooms, all get up in a black tube dress, cropped black jacket edged with gold embellishments, black choker, and gold heels.
"What do you think?" I asked, spinning around and giving Audrey a full 360°. She clapped her hands and told me I looked beautiful as I pulled her up and into another dressing room.
I brought a couple hangers along and tried to get her to wear them, but she said she was good. I tutted. No way.
"Come on," I whined, trying to persuade her out of her cocoon of clothes. She sighed but didn't seem too bothered when I began pulling her scarf off, tossing it to the corner and fluffing her hair out. She had really nice hair, come to think of it. Super soft and curly. I unzipped her jacket and draped my arms around her. She giggled and pulled away as I held her tighter, laughter, complaints and accusations of tickling echoing around the stall. I tucked my head between her shoulders as we calmed down and kept my arms there, across her torso, gently resting it on her waist. I averted my gaze to the mirror and lifted her chin up too, making our eyes meet in our reflection.
"We're so hot."
A woman in a red uniform suddenly pulled the curtains open and got halfway through a 'sorry, we only allow one person in the stall at once,' before turning as red as her dress, quickly apologising and shutting the curtains.
"Holy shit." I muttered, grinning.
"Did she think...?"
"That we were getting it on? Probably."
"God help us," she said, flushing crimson and visibly steaming. I burst out laughing, making my way out and making her promise to try it on.
She emerged wearing a white satin dress, white knee-high boots, and a gold belt. I wound a gold silk scarf round her neck and we struck poses at the mirrors, laughing all the while.
I changed back into my silk shirt and pants as she was pulling her shoes back on. Grabbing the clothes and shoving them into the basket, I made my way to the counter. It would be a waste not to buy them if we looked so drop dead gorgeous.
"What're you doing?" Audrey asked, running after me.
"Buying you the clothes, of course," I said, holding it out of her reach.
"You don't have to buy them!" she said, attempting to grab the satin dress. I caught her wrist and whirled her around instead, and she gave up giggling. That was the good thing about her. I could easily win her round.
-
"Thanks for today," Audrey said, waving goodbye. I'd dropped her off at the end of the street, clutching her paper bag brimming with new clothes. Expensive as fuck, but you gotta do what you gotta do. Everything was going according to plan, and that was all that mattered.
-
I was driving towards the motel dressed in my black leather dress and fishnets. My plan was to persuade Audrey to come clubbing with me this time. Things were like this for a while now, with me often visiting the motel just to pick Audrey up. Hendrix caught on, but I pretended I never knew they were dating and told him I simply had no hard feelings about his rejection and found his girlfriend to be a great friend.
I pulled over at the side of the street alongside a hundred bikers. Probably thought me weird for driving when practically everyone else cycled, but I was not going to start pedalling everywhere. I got out and entered the lobby, only to find out from the receptionist that Hendrix had taken Audrey out.
Well, there goes my plans for the night.
-
I entered the club, disappointed. I wanted to take her out, get some fun out of the mission. Just my luck, I guess I'd have to find some other way to pass the time.
I scanned my surroundings, intensely bored. My days as of late have been filled with random bullshit, and now I didn't know what to do. If only old Hendrix hadn't taken her out. I saw a decent looking lady at one of the tables and was about to chat her up when I saw someone scrunched up at one of the corner tables, crying softly enough to be inaudible but not soft enough that I wouldn't see. I focused on that someone, and made my way there without a second thought.
Maybe my luck wasn't so bad.
I approached Audrey, my drink in hand.
"Hey, what's wrong?" I said, feigning compassion. She quickly turned to me, forcing a smile. She always, always smiled. No matter what we were doing or how tired she'd get, she was always smiling.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," she assured me, getting up immediately. "I just thought Hendrix would at least try to make an effort, you know? We haven't gone on a date in months, and even then he didn't make a big effort," she sighed. My luck was definitely redeeming itself.
"Damn, that sucks. I told you he was no good," I replied, taking hold of her hand. "Don't let it get to you, yeah?"
"I try, you know? But he never changes. I try to break up with him, but he'd never allow it."
I thought about it for a bit, and decided to make her an offer.
"You know what, why don't you stay with me?"
-
"Why do you like me so much?" Audrey asked in between sips. I raised an eyebrow at her, not believing she hadn't caught on yet. I'd constantly flirted with her, and the blush tinting her face was about as permanent as the smile she always wore.
"You really don't know?" I teased. Her lips didn't emit a sound, and by the power of half-drunkenness and the fact she looked so cute, I decided to take it a step further. The sooner she catches on, the sooner I'd finish the mission, right? My hand made its way to my face, lightly tracing her jaw, her neck, then her shoulders. Her skin prickled under my fingers, and I was pretty sure she knew.
"Well..." she started, the red on her face intensifying. I smirked at her, silently challenging her to continue.
"Well what?"
Nothing.
"Fine, I'll tell you," I said, setting my glass down. "I want you."
I could practically feel the atmosphere tense up. I knew she liked me, she's made it painfully obvious, but here she was, just staring at me.
Tick tock.
"I'm not a cheater..." she finally mumbled, but she sounded as if she was trying to convince herself. Try as she might to ignore it, she's fallen for me.
I chuckled softly and brushed her hair away, tucking it neatly into the crook of her ears. She always looked at me with such pure adoration, such genuine sweetness.
I sighed, looking at her softly as I whispered into her ear. "Can I?"
She nodded, shutting her eyes and leaning in.
I pulled her close, tenderly kissing her lips. She kissed back, ignoring all her thoughts, giving in to her feelings. Hendrix was forgotten along with all resistance and sense as she kissed me. I pulled away, smiling at her. She broke into soft giggles as she looked at me, and her smile returned. Her signature, soft smile. She hugged me tight as she mumbled into my neck,
"I'm a terrible cheater, but you're worth it. So incredibly worth it. I love you, Sadie."
...
I couldn't bring myself to say it back.
-
I watched as she downed another shot, laughing at seemingly nothing.
Couldn't hold her liquor, obviously. She was a lightweight, clearly unable to handle much alcohol, though she agreed enthusiastically enough. Probably needed to cheer up.
I tapped at the counter, signalling to the bartender.
"A couple more shots, if you please," I requested, flashing a smile at the bartender.
"Haven't you had enough? Look at the state of your friend." He tutted, but he smiled back and poured us another shot.
"I'm not her friend, I'm her lover!" Audrey said indignantly, but she seemed cheery enough when I handed the glass to her.
"Apologies, miss," the bartender said, chuckling. She took the glass as I studied her. She really did seem to like me, more than most. Other targets liked me and frequently went along with my flirting, but they mostly wanted fun. She seemed genuine, loving. She turned to look at me, a bright smile painted on her face.
"Cheers!" she said, handing me a drink. She brought her glass up and clinked it with mine, swallowing the tequila as if it was water. I downed my own drink.
Music was blaring from the speakers and the room was bathed in shades of pink and red. I got up from my seat, taking hold of Audrey's hand and led her towards the centre of the room. Her hair flew out as I spun her round, laughing. We danced wildly around the room, doing our own drunk version of a waltz. I stopped and held her against me, pulling her in for another kiss. She melted into my arms, kissing back immediately. I held her against me as the kiss deepened, my hand snaking to the back of her head as her hands rested against my shoulders. I could feel it heating up, but for the first time in a while, the kiss didn't feel...rushed? Messy? It felt sweet and passionate, leaving us both breathless and leaving Audrey weak once I broke the kiss.
"This is better than being with Hendrix, isn't it," I whispered, planting soft little pecks on her jaw.
"Much better," she replied, pulling me close and resting her head on my shoulders.
Sweet.
-
"Success!" I said, striding into the safe house. I deserved a congratulatory drink, even though it was currently eleven o'clock in the morning. It was a Saturday anyway, and I was an adult. Legal age.
"Success?" Ray questioned, putting out his cigarette. Probably his third or fourth smoke, but I don't judge. Especially since my hand was reaching for a glass of its own accord.
"I've successfully made her betray dear old Hendrix. She's on my side now." I opened the fridge and took out a bottle of champagne, filling the glass to the brim. I could drink whatever, but the only alcohol I disliked was beer. Gross.
"Miss charm. That'll help us at least. I'll break the news to the rest, you can update Sev. He'll be wondering what happened to us anyways," he said, leading me to the main room. Fuyumi was ー yet again ー bent over the computer, and a quick glance told me she was researching Germany.
"What's the news?" Kylie inquired as I sipped my drink. "Judging from the champagne, you're either stressed or celebrating."
"The latter. I managed to get her to go against Hendrix, it should be easier to kill him now."
"About time," Lex said, emerging from the back. "You've been spending a shit ton lately. I expect you to have Hendrix dead and gone soon."
"Don't forget your place, Lexis. You aren't my boss," I complained, pretending to knock him on the head.
"Don't test me, miss Kobach, or I'll contact your boss," he retorted, swatting me back. "Seriously though, we're running out of time. No more nights out," he scolded. Dick, but he was right.
-
"Woah. Your place is really pretty," she marvelled, observing the safe house. I chuckled, leading her to the door.
"It's not really mine, I'm just staying with a couple friends," I explained. Her eyes lit up at that, a wide grin appearing on her face.
"Can I meet them?" She asked, suddenly excited. I internally panicked, but decided now was probably time to tell her.
It was time to finally tell her why I approached her.
"Hey Sadie, welco-" started Ray, before stopping short at the sight of Audrey. I frantically gestured to him, and his eyes darted from me to her, then back again. He raised his eyebrows, but seemed to catch on.
"Ray Peralta, pleasure to meet you," he greeted, doing his usual bow and handshake. Audrey giggled and shook his hand as she made her way inside.
"Audrey, this is Kylie. That over there is Fuyumi, and this is Lexis," I introduced, mentally begging them to understand. Lexis and Fuyumi played along, introducing themselves normally. But Kylie? Oh boy.
She crossed her arms, raising her eyebrows at Audrey. Audrey looked uncertain, but Kylie was busy staring me down.
"Guess you're finally breaking it to her," she said. "Good luck, Kobach."
Audrey's grin faltered, but she smiled determinedly at me. I swallowed my anxiety down. What was I so worried about? I just had to tell her. No big deal.
I knew why I was scared. I finally met someone who liked me for me. I can't say I was as devoted, but I would hate it if she suddenly started disliking me. I still want her to be head over heels for me. It was in my nature.
"Tell me what? Whatever it is, I'm okay with it," she coaxed, looking up at me. Seeing right through me.
"Are you sure?" I asked, serious now. She nodded, still smiling.
"Of course. I'll still love you, whatever the problem is. I don't want you to keep secrets from me," she reassured me, patting my hand.
"Promise you won't freak out and leave?" I implored.
"Cross my heart and hope to die," she swore, dragging her finger over her heart, then her throat. I took a deep breath. I was banking on the fact that she won't freak out, that I've charmed her enough. One small fuck-up and we could be screwed.
"I'm not who I say I am."
She looked confused for a second, but responded with a "What does that mean?"
"I'm a criminal."
"Like you have a criminal background? That's okay with me! It's fine, you know. You made a mistake, and you've grown! I'm prou-"
"You don't get it." I interrupted, grabbing her wrist and staring into her eyes. Her bright green irises latched onto my cold hazel ones.
"I'm still a criminal. I work for an agency. I'm an assassin. Hitman. Whatever you want to call it."
She paused at that, mouth opening but no sound coming out. The smile she always wore faded, and she stared at me wide eyed.
This is it.
The moment of truth.
She has to keep on.
Please.
ns 15.158.61.55da2
