Vendetta - Part Six

It had started to pour down rain about a block away from home. Great. I flicked my collar up against the elements and plodded on through the thick sheets of water that had fallen so quickly from the broken night sky.

My rib was killing me, but I didn’t think it was broken, just cracked, bruised if I was lucky. But tonight was hardly my lucky night. The job had been simple. All I had to do was walk in, kill Francis and leave. But it had turned into chasing, gunfights, a dead cop, and a busted rib. Brilliant. Just brilliant.

I stumbled into my apartment and threw the wet coat onto the table; I’d clean up the water tomorrow. Right now all I needed to do was have a hot shower and get something to drink, anything to ease my disappointment over how my last 24 hours had gone.

I sat down in my armchair, a towel wrapped around my waist and a bourbon chaser in my hand. I winced, shifting my weight, and looked dismally at my black and blue chest.
“Dammit.” I muttered. It looked like there was going to be no rooftop jumping for a little while. Imagine my disappointment. I tilted my head back, seeing the saucer on the table out of the corner of my eye and gave a tired smile. Two cigarettes. Not just one. I guess it hadn’t been a completely horrible day.

I leaned forward again and looked out the window. She’d been right about the view at night. It really was amazing. And I’d never noticed it before. Its funny how some stuff just jumps out at you. It was too bad that she wasn’t here now to see it now. Or ever. I was starting to regret letting her disappear so easily from my life. I could still imagine it, that happy, normal life. The kind of life where I wouldn’t wake up in the morning, have breakfast, get ready for work and then go and kill people. But she was gone. Maybe she was right though; maybe we would run into each other again. If I was lucky.

Here I go again with the sentimentals. But all of a sudden, I didn’t care anymore. I was done working for the night, there was no other task that required my focus, and if I wanted to imagine having a woman like Jessica in my life to wake up next to, then I would.

Then I realized that none of it was ever going to be possible. How could Jessica be happy with me? I lived a dangerous lifestyle and she needs someone normal, a person who wouldn’t have to worry that she was going to catch a stray bullet. A life without lies, without danger. She wasn’t gonna get that with me. I was a bad guy and she already has one too many of those in her life. I had to try and forget about her. Get on with my own life. Goddamn shame.

I knocked back the rest of the bourbon and tore myself away from the city view to go to bed. Tomorrow had better be a better day, or someone was gonna have hell to pay.

Just forget about her.

***

I opened my eyes reluctantly and glanced at the clock that glowed away with a time too early to be woken up by a knock on the door.

I threw on a pair of trousers and grabbed one of my colts. Whoever it was, they weren’t welcome. The pounding on my door was giving me a headache and I wished they would stop. I leaned against the doorframe, my head resting on the wall.
“Who’s there?” I put the colt on the bench when I realized that if it was someone here to kill me, they weren’t going to knock first.
“Michael? It’s me, Jessica.”
“Jessica?” What the hell was she doing here?
“From the park. Can I come in?” I pushed the colt quickly into a drawer and opened the door. She lifted her head, brushing wet strands of hair out of her eyes with her hand. There was a dark bruise on her left cheek and her eyes were bloodshot from crying. She didn’t say anything, but she didn’t have to. The bruise told the whole story.
“Oh my god, come on inside, you must be freezing!” Dripping wet, she walked inside, her arms wrapped around her shivering body. I flicked the lights on and sat her down at the table, pushing the coat aside.
“I’m sorry to come by so late. I just didn’t know what else to do.” She stammered weakly.
“Did you walk here? Oh Jessica. Just hang on here, I’ll go and get you a towel or something.” As I went to the cupboard in my bedroom I tried to contain my anger. That son of a bitch. He was gonna pay for this. Christ, was he gonna pay.

I came back out to Jessica, who was looking at her knees, a shocked glaze covering those beautiful green eyes. I wrapped the blanket around her shoulders gently and pulled one of the chairs around in front of her.
“It was Miguel wasn’t it?” She gave a small jerky nod and looked into my face, trying to hold back tears. “Don’t worry Jessica, it’s gonna be fine. It’s all gonna be ok.” She opened her mouth to speak but couldn’t find the words. “I’ll make you some coffee, try to relax. You’ve got nothing to worry about here.”

She started to calm down after a while and I wanted to make sure she stayed that way. I didn’t know if she just wanted to stay here for a while or if she wanted me to do something. But for me, I’d already made my decision. Miguel was not going to enjoy his next few weeks on this earth.
“Now, tell me Jessica, what happened?”
“Miguel, he came to my apartment, I don’t remember why he came. But we got into an argument and…” she trailed off and looked at the floor, touching her cheek gingerly.
“Where is he now? Do you know?”
“He went back to his apartment downtown.”
“I’ll be back in a little while then. Don’t worry, you’re safe here. Just make yourself comfortable.”

I got dressed quickly and realized I was going to have to leave with only one colt. I didn’t want to risk having her see the other one as I pulled it out of the drawer. She told me his address and I was out the door. I was going to have to make a detour to pick up my car that I’d left at the café earlier today.

In the car I was a bat out of hell. He’d gotten off with a warning from me before; he wasn’t going to be so lucky this time. You’d better watch yourself Miguel because something wicked your way comes.

The car screamed to a stop outside his building and I stormed up to his apartment. Drawing my colt I kicked savagely at the door. It flew open, shards of broken wood exploding in the air. Before the splinters hit the floor I was inside and ready to unleash a fury like he’d never seen. Miguel came out of the other room screaming and waving his arms around. And then I was on him.

For the next five minutes I was an animal. Kicking, punching, stomping, smashing and all the while roaring like some demented boxer on the ropes. Vengeance was swift and it was brutal.

When I came to my senses, Miguel was a bloody mess on his knees, with my gun pushed firmly into his forehead. His face was a pulpy wreck, cut and swollen, bleeding heavily and I doubted he could see much out of his right eye. If it weren’t for the gun jammed against his head, he would have fallen onto the floor amongst the broken glass and wood. I cocked the gun and Miguel whimpered, blood spilling out thick from his mouth. I tried to slow my breathing so I could say what it was that I’d come here to say.
“I am here, you disgusting ingrate, because of what you’ve done to Jessica. You so much as think her name and so help me god I will come back here and blow your fucking head off your shoulders!” What I think resembled a cocky grin spread across his broken face as I let the hammer forward, and lowered the gun.
“What’s wrong? Haven’t you got the cahonés?” He choked out, blood splashing all over the place. I bolted right next to him and jammed the gun under his chin. Then I pulled the trigger. His woeful scream drowned out the click of an empty magazine. He wasn’t so cocky now. I bent over and put my mouth next to his ear so I was sure he would hear me through the clotting blood and broken cartilage in his head.
“Don’t even tempt me.” I whispered maliciously. I stood back and put a hand over his face, pushing him over roughly. I holstered the gun and left the scene of havoc I had just created.

During the drive home I wondered why it was that I had sprung so vehemently forward to protect this woman I barely knew. This went far beyond the chivalry in the park. Was it just moral standings to protect those who couldn’t protect themselves? Or was it more than that? I’d have been a lucky man to end up with her. The words echoed in my mind. I couldn’t seriously be considering a relationship with her. It just wasn’t going to work. I didn’t have feelings for her, it was just loneliness. But was that reason enough to drive like a man possessed halfway across town in the early hours to beat a man into an unrecognizable pulp because he hurt her? Jesus, get a grip. If she found out who I was, and what I did, she wouldn’t hang around long. Just send her on her way safely and try to forget about her.

I opened the door and Jessica rushed over to me. She was looking much better, ignoring the bruise. She grabbed my hands and gasped. I looked down and saw they were bloody and shaking, my knuckles a raw crimson.
“Holy crap! What happened?” She took me to the sink and started cleaning me up. I would have told her not to, that I’d be fine, but I was still breathing too hard for coherent sentences. “Jesus Michael.” She cleaned my hands carefully, her delicate fingers gently working their way across my wounded flesh. In this instant, I felt she really cared. And all the hate in my life, all the pain, just washed away, because I had a woman who cared about me. Me, a man she’d only met twice. The assassin
“Michael what happened?” I sat down at the table and lit a smoke.
“I gave Miguel a taste of his own medicine. He won’t be bothering you anymore.”
“You didn’t…”
“No, don’t worry he’ll live.” There it was. The suspicion. It could only get worse from here.
“Are you alright? He didn’t hurt you did he?” I gave a small chuckle at that and looked up at her. That worry, that care, was still there in her eyes.
“I’m fine. I just need some sleep.” I put my cigarette down in the saucer and leaned back. “You can stay here tonight if you don’t want to walk home again. The couch is comfy enough I think.” I started to get up, but then my rib burned with pain. I’d ignored it before, but now I just couldn’t. She put her arm around my waist and helped me to my feet. “Thank you.” I started to make my way towards my bedroom.
“Michael, wait.” I turned to face her. “Thank you. For everything.” She smiled and my heart damn near skipped a beat. I smiled back as best I could and kept moving. Just forget about her I told myself. But now I didn’t want to.

I took my coat and gun off and then hit the bed. This shit would all look better in the morning. Which wasn’t that far away. But it didn’t matter, I wasn’t busy tomorrow, I could sleep in if I wanted to.

I thought about Jessica in the other room, sleeping soundly on my couch, knowing that she was safe in the care of hands she’d just washed blood from. Maybe she was different. Maybe it had a chance at working.

Just forget about her Michael, it will only end in tears. Just forget.
***