He could never abandon something once it had started. It was for this very reason that he found himself sitting on a sidewalk bench in downtown Manhattan, blending in with the grey coats of the general public as they rushed about, not letting the mid-winter weather slow them down. Two long years had passed while he hid after killing his persona, Christian Wolff. All the while he kept tabs on the one thing he had left behind; his inability to focus on a new task meant that he kept circling back, until he eventually couldn't ignore the feeling any longer.
Over the top of the newspaper he was pretending to read, a figure caught his attention, wearing the same green jacket she wore every day. Dana Cummings darted through the crowd, reached the edge of the side walk where her bus would pull in at exactly eight forty-five, and waited patiently, trying to ignore the bustle of city people behind her. He watched her until her bus arrived and departed.
She was the reason he couldn't focus on a new mission or task assigned to him, taking up every inch of space in his mind for the past two years. His decision to travel to Manhattan was abrupt, in the middle of the night he packed a single bag before driving from South Dakoda, the image of Dana in his mind clear. He was at a loss as to the reasoning behind his obsession over her, or what exactly his feelings meant. All he knew, from weeks of following her, learning her routine, was that he needed to protect her. Multiple organizations, mafia's and gangs, and very influential, powerful people want him eliminated. Dana was the perfect way of getting to him, so for now he would watch her closely, hyper fixated on her every day life.
Four more weeks passed without incident, her pattern never changing, which was comforting. She never showed signs of suspicion, so he knew he was blending in enough to stay off of her radar. He stayed in a hotel within three blocks of her city apartment, using the cover of night to security check her building, unable to shake the feeling that someone else was watching her, too. His mind was constantly running through every variable, every outcome, if someone did intend to cause Dana harm. He would be ready for them - ready to protect her.
During another routine security check of her apartment building, he caught a shadow move across one of the alleyway walls, too quick to be a resident of the building out on a stroll. He quietly stepped down the alleyway, drawing out the pistol he kept hidden under his coat and fastening a silencer over the end before aiming it straight ahead as his eyes scanned the darkness. A movement in his peripheral, a quick change in direction, a light squeeze of the trigger, and a body thumped against the concrete. He kicked the body over with his foot to look down at the man, noticing the military grade bullet proof vest and unmarked weapon. There was a clean hole in the side of his head.
His fears were confirmed; someone was after Dana. In a heartbeat, he ran to the side of the building, using the dumpsters there as leverage so he could pull himself up and over the railing of the fire escape. Dana was on the fourth level, her kitchen window leading out onto the warped iron fire escape, a perfect entry point. He scaled the stairs two at a time, footfalls nearly soundless, keeping the firearm low as he went. The window was slightly ajar when he reached it, but no sign of forceful entry, meaning no-one else had thought to use this entry point. Not that it mattered to him. They could still be inside the building somehow, utilizing any one of the apartment complexes entries - the roof, the basement, any windows leading into other apartments.
Dana's apartment was dark, save for a slither of yellow light from the bedroom door, sitting slightly open as its occupant moved about inside the room, oblivious to the dangers surrounding her. He moved silently to the front door and checked it's locks, thankful that nothing was out of place. No-one had managed to break in, so perhaps the guy he shot in the alleyway was working alone. He needed to get back down there and check the dead guys pockets for any sort of information as to who he was, or who he worked for. A figure distorted the street light from the kitchen window before they smashed through the glass, gained their balance, and made a shot.
Ducking behind the couch, he waited until there was an opening - all eight rounds emptied from the intruders weapon - before jumping up and killing the intruder with a single head-shot. The body crashed onto the coffee table in the middle of the small room at the same time a scream rang through his ears. Dana leaned against the far wall, the door to her room fully open, shedding light on the dead body in the middle of her apartment. Her eyes flickered to the one other person standing, and recognition dawned on her face.
"Christian?" Her voice wavered in fear and confusion.
Keeping his weapon low, he moved to stand in front of her, though keeping distance between them in case she got scared. He was unsure of how to address an overly emotional person, so he thought it best to not crowd her. He counted to one hundred in his head, which would give her heart time to settle while she calmed her breathing. If two men had already shown up, then there was no doubt more were on the way. His mind ran through every possibility as they stood there, trying to come up with the best way to protect her while minimalizing the amount of trauma.
Once he'd finished counting, and without looking at her directly, he calmly stated, "We should leave."
Dana's eyed widened further. "Leave? Christian it's been two years! Can you expl-."
"No. We need to leave. Now." His tone was even, unemotional, and each word was clipped. He didn't wait for her to respond, walking to the front door and unlocking it. When she didn't move from the wall, he walked back to where she was, briefly meeting her eyes before glancing over at the dead body. "More will come for you. I don't know who or why."
"That's all I get after two years? Really?" She scoffed, anger creeping into her tone.
He towered over her and could easily carry her if she resisted, but he didn't want to risk making her more agitated than she already seemed. The logical thing to do would be to help her understand the level of threat she was under. Forcing her to leave would alert neighbors, and make it difficult to get her into his hotel room undetected, unless he knocked her out. Then she wouldn't make a single noise. It wasn't an option he would willingly use, though.
"My name isn't Christian," he announced after a long minute of silence, knowing it wasn't what she was asking. It would be difficult to explain why he was here without adding to her fear, so he thought it best to try to get her to trust him. They could cooperate if she trusted him.
Dana blinked a few times, having to tilt her head back in order to look at his face. "What?"
"Christian Wolff was an alias."
"So what..." She shook her head in frustration, drawing in a deep breath and expelling it before continuing. "What is your real name?"
"Call me Chris," he decided quickly. It wasn't his real name, of course. No-one could ever know that information. But his new cover name also needed to be protected on the off chance the people who wanted Dana dead found out, to secure the safe house he had already set up in South Dakota. "I can tell you more - explain more - but you need to come with me."
"Where?"
There was uncertainty in her voice, and he knew it was justified. "To safety."
Another man came bursting through the front door that had been left open, a pistol aimed directly at Dana. Chris was quick to shove her aside, the bullet piercing the dry wall. He made another clean head-shot seconds later, and heard the small scream from the girl he had pushed to the floor. He bent down and, with only a slight hesitation, hauled her over his shoulder, knowing that there was no time to waste. Dana started to complain and struggle until another man jumped through the broken kitchen window, taking four steps before Chris took him out.
He felt Dana hold on tight as he made his way back down the fire escape, not wanting to risk trapping them in the narrow stairs inside the building. Her weight wasn't unmanageable; in fact, her warmth made him feel secure. After watching her for weeks, having Dana know that he was there, protecting her, created a well of emotions he didn't understand. These unrecognizable feelings are what pulled him back into her life, the reason he hasn't been able to think about anything else since he left two years ago. Chris pushed everything aside easily, focusing on the task at hand. One step at a time, and then Dana would be safe.
"Chris!" Dana shouted once his boots hit the concrete of the alleyway, her posture over his shoulder meaning she had clean vision of the people standing in the darkness.
A single shot to the leg caused Chris's body to buckle, and he quickly pulled Dana against his chest as he rolled behind the dumpster, making sure her head didn't hit anything. He shoved her down to the ground and, hoping she got the message to stay there, crept back to peek around the edge. Three men, all carrying similar hand guns, only two of which had silencers attached. If the one without the silencer decided to shoot, it would alert everyone within a couple city blocks, who in which would contact the authorities. Knowing this, he fired a shot that landed directly between this mans eyes. That left two, who scattered to find cover in the tight alleyway.
Chris ventured out slowly, keeping low and silent, using the dark pockets of shadows caused by the spread apart lights illuminating the side of the brick building. Something shifted to his right and he didn't even look towards the noise when he made the shot. The sound of the body hitting the ground was confirmation that his bullet had found its mark. Pain rippled up his leg with each movement, warm blood trickling from the gunshot wound. A light, constant dripping sound from a nearby drain pipe is how he centered himself, counting each drop in the back of his mind, only moving forward step by step, along with the rhythm. Twenty-six.
Weight shifted behind him and he turned in time to catch a right hook to the cheek, knocking him off balance. Chris spun low to the ground, swiping the gunman's feet out from under him. Eight-eight. Once he was down, it was easy for Chris to jump back up and shoot, this time adding an extra bullet in the mans chest. One hundred. All three men were dead. The drain pipe continued to drip with the same steady rhythm, and he continued as he reached the dumpster Dana was hiding behind. She was curled up, knees pressed to her chest, hands covering her ears. One hundred and sixteen.
"Dana," he said. Crouching down to her level, Chris gained her attention with a light touch to her leg, waiting for her to look up before moving back a few steps. One hundred and twenty-eight. "We should go."
"Are they...dead?" Once again her tone was filled with fear, an emotion he had heard from the many voices of people begging for their lives before he killed them.
"Yes." One hundred and forty-one.
She slowly rose on shaking legs, nodding to herself and pushing messy hair away from her face. "Okay. Alright. Um, yes, then... If you think they're going to send more people. But why? Who is trying to kill me after two years?"
Chris focused his gaze on the spot just beyond her shoulder, noticing the black marks along the brick wall. One hundred and fifty-three. "That's what I need to find out. You will be safe with me until then, Dana."
"I know," she said softly. He forced himself to meet her eyes for a brief second, saw the gentle smile on her lips, before he glanced away again.
"Let's go," was all he responded with, taking off down the alleyway, knowing she was following from her heavy footsteps.
One hundred and seventy.
Okie dokie, ya'll. I decided to write this after watching the movie for the first time last night (even though it came out four years ago, but I'm late to these things) because I low-key loved it. I feel as if I could take this story somewhere, so let me know what you think about this beginning. Not really hitting the mark? I hope you've enjoyed it. xoxo