Chapter 9 - You Could Be Happy
"I took care of it."
His words felt foreign to her. Kyna turned from the night city. She didn't register how it has become so chilly outside.
"He...will not be a problem for you anymore."
The young woman new that moment that something went wrong...different. Her carefully thought-out plan must have evolved on it's own if Aj, dirty with ripped dress-shirt and blood dripping from his bottom lip leaving red spots on the white fabric on his chest, was telling her what she did not expect to hear.
"What?" Her voice was a whisper, eyes reflecting concern and confusion.
She was not used to the situation. Kyna's used to know everything. The slightest divination from the rule makes her uneasy and she's not sure how to react.
Aj stepped closer, putting the gun she didn't see him holding on one of the old tables that were stacked on the roof. Her hair that was secured in a ponytail was being played with by the wind. He caught a loose strand of it between his fingers to let it go after a split second.
Kyna felt herself rooting to the spot.
"AJ?..." She didn't know why her voice refused to raise above a whisper.
He didn't answer. Just stumbled even closer with that distant but determined look in his eyes, took hold of her hands that clasped in answer around his stronger ones. Then planted a kiss on her lips, guiding her neck with one of his hands. It wasn't a kiss that was suppose to mean anything, Kyna understood. It was barely a kiss. A quasi-kiss. Sloppy with no meaning.
What has he done?
Her hands dropped completely.
Aj left the roof leaving Kyna alone with the steel taste on her lips that were painted with his blood and what was probably her miss-count...her mistake. The way she envisioned the heist no-one was supposed to get seriously hurt. She was the one to make the measures: she was never wrong when it came to planning and counting and calculating. There was no way in her mind she's missed something.
Kyna heard footsteps in the direction of the stairs but stayed unmoving...breathing was hard enough at the moment.
What has he done?
"Sending over all the files to you, K." She heard Jake's confidant words as she stared hard at the monitor in front of her.
It was hard to believe that it was working. They were doing. They and her were really doing it. They were stealing millions of dollars from the mob boss and then bump him head to head with the Ukrainians.
It was plain dangerous. But Kyna knew that was her only chance. They were her only chance.
She felt selfish truly for manipulating them into doing what they were doing. But to her excuse: they got their money robbing banks. At least this time they were potentially ridding the city from more the just one crime boss.
"Got them, working on it."
"You sure you have enough time and information to forward the money flow to us?" G's voice on the line.
"Positive." Kyna kept typing rather chaotically, one would say. "You do your part, I'll do mine."
"As you say."
The plan wasn't to let Sol walk away. His fate was supposed to be left up to the Ukrainians. Kyna could though imagine only one resolution of the situation.
"After Jake send you the password, he was downloading the files and he fished a file on you on Mazzoni's laptop. The background and stuff."
G's words held a barely palpable sadness. He didn't pull out a cigar like he always did. Just stood there with his hands in the pockets of his suit pants looking out into the night.
"And then Aj lost it. John tried to stop him but there was no time…"
"No one was supposed to die from your hands." Kyna was whispering on the intake that was slowly creating a hyperventilation. "That's not how I wanted…"
"It's not your fault." Kyna could feel that Gordon really believed in what he was saying but it didn't bring her any kind of consolation.
"What did he do?"
The man in front of her paused.
"Gordon…" The young woman stiffly took a gulp of air trying to keep what was left of he compose as she once again felt the unnerving metallic taste left from Aj's kiss.
Her companion nodded solemnly before answering:
"He shot him in both legs and closed in his own safe."
Kyna's breath hitched. A death truly fit for merciless Sol Mazzoni. But how could Aj, the man that she knew previously to be romantic, light-headed and so immature possess such cruelty and brutality. Mazzoni never scared her, Kyna was more afraid to live in the cage for the rest of her life. What Aj frightened more than anything Sol could think of.
Her eyes searched out Gordon's. He didn't say anything else just sighed deeply.
He turned to leave when her voice stopped him half-way:
"Everyone else ok?"
"Yeah."
John was at the door leading to the roof when he almost bumped into his friend. They didn't stop for any pleasantries, G only gave him a firm pet on the back and was out of his line of sight.
Kyna still didn't move from her spot. Too many thoughts per second. Too messy…
And then he was standing there on the roof with her. And he wasn't saying anything because both of them ended up in this strange place where they were inches from each other but after what happened they might as well be miles apart.
John knew it as well as she did, Kyna could sense it.
The truth is: if Kyna had to be completely honest with herself, she got really attached to both for those four month, John and Aj. But...it was always easier with John. They didn't have to use words. Kyna was never a fan of words in general. And Aj was a master of them: he could wheasle his way anywhere using the right words. John, on the other hand, would just pour her a drink and they would sit somewhere...she would be reading an old book and he hitting it off on his tablet. There skin would barely be touching and there would not be any use for words.
And then Aj killed Sol Mazzoni. Well...left him to die. Same thing really.
And Kyna did not have any choice anymore. Aj took the choice (if there ever was one) out of her hands.
He killed for her. And in her mind it meant only one thing: she could no longer not be with him.
Somehow she did not feel satisfied or happy or excited. Her nails sinked into the drying skin of her hand. She felt only pain that reminded her to unclench her fist.
"Go inside, Kyna." John finally said quietly.
She closed her eyes for a moment, she enjoyed the tone of his voice even when he was tired and his voice sounded less intent, not soft but just less intent. it was just something about the way his vocal chords worked that mesmerised her.
When she opened her eyes he was still there as if making sure that she would go inside, won't stay out in the cold.
When she walked pass him he didn't reach out for her, just watched carefully as she entered the VIP lounge of their club.
Too messy…