++++++ Life...life just sucks right now...end of story.
I hope you enjoy.
I do not own ++++++
Four
"Only the dead have seen the end of war."
Plato
Twenty-seven-year-old Abigail Fisk sat waiting in the diner of some little seventies diner waiting for Anatoly and Vladimir Ranskahov to join her. At the counter sat a bulky bodyguard wearing a suit and sipping on a cup of black coffee but ready to protect his charge.
Abigail looked up over the top of her smartphone and scowled when she saw the two Russians come in. "You're late!" she snapped.
Vladimir rolled his eyes. "We're not your dog's, woman. Don't treat us like dogs."
"What can we do for you?" Anatoly inquired as the waitress nervously came over with two coffee cups and a fresh pot.
"There's a problem and he has ordered that you fix it!" Abigail snapped. She slid a file over to the Russians. "A hacker by the name of Cyber Blue has gotten involved in our business. I don't like it when people become involved in our business."
"We're dealing with it," Vladimir argued. "We don't need some prissy, little rich bitch in our business."
She laughed. "It doesn't look like you're dealing with it. When a hacker get's interest in our business it doesn't bode well. I had our IT department look into it-the account and website are untraceable, bounced through several different proxy accounts all over the world. They lost the signal in Sydney, Australia. I need this dealt with. Who took the photos?"
"Some whore," Vladimir hissed. "Her name is Isabelle Murdoch. She must have uploaded the photos."
"Take care of her!"
"We're already working on it," Anatoly replied. "We sent men but the man in mask protected her."
"I want this finished!" Abigail snapped. "Immediately! Or There will be hell to pay! I don't care how you do it! Put her body in a ditch! Cut off her head! Feed her to the dogs! Sell her into slavery! I don't care! Just do it!" She shoved her phone in her bag and got to her feet. "If you can't be competent about it, I'll hire a cleaner and take care of it myself."
Abigail slid out of the booth and headed out the door. "Call me when it's done."
-XXX-
Buzz!
Buzz!
Buzz!
Izzy yawned and rolled over to look at the time...she scowled seeing that the clock on the wall only read 7:09. Blue snuggled into her underneath the covers as the doorbell continued buzzing. She slowly climbed out of bed as the doorbell buzzing turned into loud knocks.
On her way to the door, Izzy stopped by the credenza to grab her baseball bat to hid behind her back before she looked through the peephole. It was her parents. She sat the bat behind the door and unlocked the chain as well as the normal lock, opening it to let them in.
"What's the story morning glory?"
"Oh my god what happened to your face!" Annie Moran screamed, rushing forward to take a better look. "Isabelle Elizabeth Moran, explain this moment!"
"And a hello to you too," she yawned, stepping aside to let them inside. Izzy closed the door and put the chain back up as well as locking it before heading into the kitchen.
"Buttercup will you explain to your mother and I before we have a heart attack?" Roger Moran demanded.
Izzy snorted. "Buttercup? Since when did I become buttercup again? I thought I was this strange, ungrateful kid who you never wanted to see ever again! Good one."
"Can we not argue?" Roger sighed. "I'm tired of it and I miss my daughter."
Izzy chewed her lip and sighed. "Okay papa." She stepped out from behind the counter and hugged them both tightly. "Thank you for coming to see my place."
"Tell me what happened to your face!" Annie ordered softly.
"Pistol whipped by some Russain shitswizzler," Izzy shrugged. "I took photos of them abducting some girls off the street."
Roger sighed. "Buttercup, you have got to be more careful."
Izzy opened her mouth but stopped when there was another knock on the door. "Hold that thought," she sighed. She walked over to the door and looked through the peephole to see Matt standing there. "Well crap," she muttered. She opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. "What do you want?" she asked.
"Foggy convinced me to come and speak with you," Matt replied.
"I'm kinda busy," Izzy frowned.
"Isabelle, let him in," Annie called out. "Let me meet the boyfriend you moved to New York for."
"Ewww!" Izzy shouted, stepping back to let Matt in. "Seriously?"
Annie laughed but stopped when she noticed that he was blind. "Oh, I'm sorry about that." She walked over to him, " Annie Moran, Isabelle's mother. Her father is here as well, his name is Roger Moran."
"Matthew Murdoch," he replied. He held his hand up and Annie shook it. "Apparently Isabelle is my sister."
"Which is why that statement is gross," Izzy gagged. "Anybody want coffee?" she asked.
"No, thank you," Matt answered. "I won't be staying. I'm due in court in a few hours for opening statements. I was wondering if you would join me this afternoon for some coffee so we can talk? Around three? I might have been a little brash to reject the claim that you're my sister. It was a long time ago and I don't remember much."
"Thanks Matt," Izzy smiled. "It mean's a lot. I'll walk you out."
"I'll do it," Roger gruffed. "You're in your underwear."
Indeed she was.
Izzy chuckled and slipped into her room to put some clothes on. She came out to find her mother making some coffee. "So what brings you to New York?"
"Your father got a job offer," Annie confessed. "He's looking at taking it. Is there a problem?"
She shook her head. "No, not at all."
"He seems like a nice young man," Annie changed the subject. "How did you find him?"
Izzy shrugged. "Accident really. I met a guy getting coffee the other morning, turns out Foggy is best friends with Matt. They have this cute little law firm a few blocks away."
"Foggy?" Annie groaned. "My grandkids will have a father who is named Foggy?"
"Mum!" Izzy grumbled. "There is no way in hell that I'm having kids any time soon. That's Amelia's job." She sat on the counter next to where her mum was making coffee. "Look, mum. I didn't do anything to hurt you or dad. I just figured I had a right to my family."
Annie sighed. She put the sugar bowl down on the counter. "I know. Your father and I spoke at great length with a councillor who helped us see the error of our ways. The job offer actually came hand-in-hand with this trip to come and see you. I want to see you settle in here but...oh baby, look at your face!"
Izzy shrugged. "It's okay mum, honest. I know it looks bad but everything is fine. I promise."
"What about that masked lunatic running around?"
"That masked lunatic saved my life," Izzy answered. "Twice."
Annie sighed. "Where on earth is your father?"
"Calm ya farm, woman," Roger replied, coming in, shutting the door behind him. "Nice young man," he nodded at Izzy. "You don't mind your mother staying here with you whilst I have the job interview?"
Izzy shook her head. "Nope. Not a problem. Not doing much today." It was true that she wasn't apart from looking into the Russian's.
Annie raised an eyebrow. "I may not have given birth to you but I happen to know when you're up to something, Isabelle."
"Scouts honour," Izzy lied. "I was gonna do some picture stuff, maybe take a look around but that was about it."
Annie looked sideways at her husband. "If Izzy has stuff to do, I won't get in her way. Aunty Maree wanted me to come and see her anyway. It's as good a time as any to go and see her. You can't just dump me on our daughter, Roger."
"Well can't blame a man for trying," he shrugged. The whole Moran clan knew that Roger and Aunty Maree didn't get along simply because the old woman didn't like her favourite niece's husband. "I'll call you when I'm done and we can all do lunch."
-XXX-
Only thing was...lunch never happened.
Izzy was on her way home from the park when she was found by the Russians...it was enough to make her realise that they had to have been actively looking for her now.
The young woman managed to lose one of them but the other one found her, chasing her all the way up to the top of her neighbours building...Izzy didn't quite seem to have made it home.
There was no way that the guy in the mask was going to save her from this one...
"I make you cry like whore," the Russian sneered. "Have some sexy time before I give you to the bosses." He lunged at her, catching her off guard and knocking her to the ground. Izzy screamed, she tried to shove him off her, in the process ripping the dress strap and her bra at the same time.
The Russian laughed at her. "American women."
"Get off me!" Izzy screamed.
He pinned her hands above her head and used his weight against her whilst using his free hand to move down her body. "Struggle more." He roughly kissed her, slipping his tongue in her mouth…
...Izzy growled and suddenly bit down hard. Blood filled her mouth and he screamed but she held on tightly, refusing to give in…
His frenzied scream turned into a scream of sheer terror as Izzy bit completely through his tongue. He got off her, blood spurting from his mouth.
Izzy got up and spat the tongue out on the ground, followed by the blood in her mouth. She instinctively picked up piece of brick up off the ground and hit him in the face.
The Russian stumbled backwards and hit the roof ledge...he screamed the whole way down until the sidewalk stopped him.
She ran over to the edge of the building and gasped when she saw his body splayed out on the ground below at an odd angle, a puddle of blood expanding outwards...
Izzy backed away from the roof, her whole body trembling in fear as she did. Eventually she just collapsed on the ground and started crying, her whole body heaved as huge sobs tore their way through her. A week...Izzy had been in the Kitchen for less than a week and she'd already murdered someone…
Suddenly it started raining, thick heavy drops that shot through her skin with every touch...Izzy got to her feet and in a daze she walked back towards the rooftop exit. She made her way to the stairs and walked down one by one until she was in the street. Looking around, Izzy had no idea where she was…
In a daze, she walked into a telephone booth and started looking for Matt's address in the phone book…
-XXX-
Matthew Murdoch had just stepped out of the lift on his floor when a new smell of caramel and pomegranate flooded his senses. "Isabelle?" he called out, remembering the smell from that morning when he was in her apartment. "Isabelle?"
He walked to the front door of his apartment and twisted the handle-
The door opened with no problem. Instinctively he raised his cane but stopped when he heard the sound of light breathing in his lounge room.
"Matt you forgot you-"
"Shhh!" Matt frowned.
Foggy stopped beside Matt when he noticed Izzy asleep on Matt's couch. "Your sister's asleep on your couch! Did she break into your apartment?"
"Something's wrong," Matt declared.
"The Russians," the two of them concluded.
"Ask her when she wakes up," Foggy suggested. "I'll come back with some food."
Matt went into the lounge room and sat down on the couch across from the sleeping form of his estranged sister...what was she doing here?
