Chapter 13
He stripped down. Naked. His clothes went in the trash. Followed seconds later by his boots. There was blood on them. The skip's..............Tank's. God, add in four days of nervous sweat. No wonder he smelled. His wardrobe wouldn't miss the outfit, it could be replaced. After this last mission there was enough cash to clothe half the population of the Third World.
At what price?
He stepped into the shower. The spray came down hot and hard. Shards of water sliced across his neck and shoulders. They cut sharply into his chest and ass. He stood there a long time until his body numbed to sensation. Here no one could see him and underneath this wall of water if there were tears he could hide them even from himself.
With sudsy hands he washed himself -- both hard planes and soft vulnerable flesh. The fragrant air betrayed him; it reminded him of her. His body, the temple, had always been a potent weapon in war -- in love. The temple remained comely on the outside, fit and sleek, but the inside, he thought bitterly, the inside was decaying.
More money would be coming. But he'd made a devil's bargain.
More gold than Midas they promised. And just as cursed he thought.
The thing that sealed it. The clincher. Your service will be complete.
He made the deal but broke his cardinal rule for jobs like this one -- that he work alone. That only he be responsible for what happened or did not. He'd know then when the work was finished. Finished to his satisfaction. No lost details and no loose ends.
Instead, the job was nothing but loose ends that depended on others to tie them up. He didn't know when or if it would be completed. His assignment had been the opening salvo. Information gathering. Your connections and your heritage make you useful in this position they told him. Very true, but it also made him the most visible, the one they'd know betrayed them when the shit began to hit the fan. The one they would come after if the clean up detail wasn't thorough in its job. If they came, it wouldn't be for him alone; they would delight in slaughtering anyone he held most precious.
He had waited a long time for her to choose him. When she came to see him, he could see the promise in her eyes. He had twelve hours before deployment, but he had to turn his back. Before he left he wanted nothing more than to take her love and wrap it around himself -- a protective mantle. He had never made an error in his work. Proof was -- he was still alive. But a warning voice in his head said. What if you make a mistake you can't undo?
He wouldn't be the only one to die.
To protect her he was cruel, pretending her presence meant nothing to him instead of being the reason that he breathed.
His face was blank, his voice denied regret. He told her she was an amusement, nothing more. One that bored him now. His tone offhand he said. Sorry Babe, this just isn't working for me anymore. It's getting old.
Her face went white, the promise fleeing, but she was strong his Babe. She lifted her chin and never shed a tear. She told him to be safe and then she left.
From that moment he turned into a monster. Yes there would be more money when the job was done. But the price was dear considering what he'd lost -- his men's respect, nearly his best friend's life, his sense of self, his Babe -- his love. Once rot took hold it was hard to stop its progress.
He couldn't fix it with her, in spite of everyone's advice. He was still waiting to see if it was safe. It could be a long time; it was out of his control. He had to keep his distance. By the time he gained his freedom, it would be too late.
When the water turned cold, he turned it off and wrapped a towel around his waist. He hadn't shaved. The man in the mirror sported a dark beard, a sinister appearance, his features hard and sharp. The visage fit his soul.
He knew he shouldn't have come back until it all was over, but he hadn't been able to stay away. That was a mistake he could undo once Tank was sufficiently recovered.
In the meantime he had business to attend to -- a loose end named Javier Velasquez -- a cancer currently residing in the bowels of his building. Here was a situation where he retained control.
TBC