A/N: HOPE ALL IS WELL! SO MY FRIEND WAS LIKE "HOW DO YOU THINK OF SOMETHING TO WRITE EVERYDAY & HOW CAN YOU STOP/START THROUGHOUT THE DAY TILL YOUR DONE. I CAN'T WRITE ANYTHING LIKE THAT I'D LOSE FOCUS DOING THAT" I LAUGHED AT HER & TOLD HER YOU GUYS KEEP ME GOING ESPECIALLY WITH THE REVIEWS, THE MORE REVIEWS I GET THE MORE OF A BOOST MY IMAGINATION GETS & IT ALSO HELPS THAT I'VE HAD/HAVE AN INTERESTING LIFE & I'VE ALWAYS BEEN GOOD AT MULTITASKING.
KOGADUCK – I DO IT TO MAKE SURE Y'ALL COMEBACK LOL YA KNOW I'VE NEVER EVEN MADE Y'ALL WAIT 24HRS FOR AN UPDATE *KNOCKS ON WOOD*
GUEST – ROBBIE WILLIAMS, SORRY I READ THAT WRONG LOL I LOVE "ROCK DJ" THOUGH SO GLAD YA LOVE EVERYTHING REALLY MAKES ME SMILE & THANK YOU, YA MADE ME BLUSH…& NOW SINCE YA HAVE A NAME FOR ME, I THINK IT'S ONLY FAIR I HAVE 1 FOR YA, GOT ANY SUGGESTIONS? HMM COPDOC…GUESS WE'LL FIND OUT I MEAN WHY NOT, LAUREN ALREADY MENTIONED DYSON BEING HER EX, IS THERE EVEN A NAME FOR DYSON/LAUREN? I LOVE JEALOUS BO TOO LOL
GUEST – HAPPY TO HEAR! THE WAIT IS OVER!
AKSHIJAN – YOU'RE ABOUT TO FIND OUT
FRENCHI – I'M SO SAD TO HEAR THAT, IF YA WANNA TALK YA KNOW HOW TO GET ME. GLAD THE STORIES HELP YA, STAY STRONG! NEGATIVE STUFF NEVER LASTS & I THINK YOU SAID YOU HOPE YOU HAVE BETTER DAYS, (HOPE I GOT THAT RIGHT, I TELL MY FRIENDS YOUR MY FRENCH TEACHER LOL) I'M SURE YOU'LL HAVE BETTER DAYS SOON, WISHING YOU THE BEST & THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME KNOW, I REPLIED TO NIRVANA19 IN A REVIEW, AWESOME AUTHOR!
PARI PILLU – QUEEN? I LIKE BEING QUEEN, LONG LIVE THE QUEEN! LOL
L LEWIS447 – SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR REVIEWS MAKES ME EXTRA HAPPY, I THINK I FEEL YOUR ENERGY THROUGH YOUR WORDS. YOU CAN NEVER SAY TOO MANY GOOD THINGS, GLAD YOUR GETTING USE TO TWISTS, MIGHT WANT TO BUCKLE UP JUST IN CASE. I LOVE THIS LAUREN & THE KISS TOO & THE THUMBS UP & THAT THE STORY MAKES YOU SMILE
JUNETWEED – I KNOW RIGHT LOL
GUEST – GOOD QUESTION, MAYBE I JUST WANTED TO ADD AN EASTER EGG LOL THAT IS A REASON BUT NOT THE ONLY REASON
JOANNRBB – I AGREE
GUEST – NIRVANA19 IS SO AWESOME, I REALLY APPRECIATED THE SUPPORT & FOR DEFENDING ME THANK YOU FOR THE COMPLIMENT! I WONDER THAT ABOUT TAMSIN TOO, HOPEFULLY WE'LL FIND EVERYTHING OUT EVENTUALLY & I LOVED THAT SHOW, NO THEY NEVER KILLED I BELIEVE. SO GLAD YOU LIKE LAUREN BEING SO OPEN & FORWARD. I HOPE SHE WILL BE TOO BUT WHO KNOWS
ALRIGHT, PICKING UP RIGHT WHERE WE LEFT OFF R/R & ENJOY!
BO'S POV – Battle & Associates P.C.
What the hell is going on? Man, I have been saying that a lot lately. But come on can you blame me, I mean what the hell is going on and why'd Lauren call Tamsin, "Valkyrie"?
"Uh…you two alright?" My voice seemed to break them from their staring contest. Should I be worried cause I kinda am…"I'm sorry Bo, I just haven't seen Valkyrie since after she cheated on me…and I so did not mean to say tha-"
"YOU DID WHAT!?" I slammed Tamsin against the wall in the blink of an eye with my forearm against her throat. "Easy Succubus, it's not as bad as you think. I was just young and stupid and that's not even why we lost contact. If anyone is a threat here it's you. You're the one that treats people as conquests. Why do you think people call you Succubus? Everyone who knows you knows you are a sex demon. I mean come on; you treat your grandpa's bar as your own personal hunting ground. I bet Lauren didn't know that about you; did she? I'm so glad I'm able to save her from being another notch under your belt."
"It's not like that and not that it's any of your business but I haven't been or even flirted with anyone since I met Lauren and it will continue to be that way for as long as she'll have me. She's not a conquest so don't you dare think she is!" I know my voice is dripping with anger and danger as if I'm talking to one of my hits before I killed them. But I can't seem to give a fuck about how my voice sounds right now.
How dare she put my business out there especially to Lauren? The last thing I want is her to think she's nothing more than a conquest. She's so much more than that and I intend to make sure she knows that.
"Bo…please let her go, Tamsin and I are on neutral terms; it's just a shock to see her after so long. Bo please don't make me put you in cuffs." Lauren's gentle tone and pleading eyes compel me to automatically obey her request.
"You are not a conquest." She smiles at me as she subtly used her body to put some distance between Tamsin and I. "I know Bo, don't worry."
Lauren turns to face Tamsin and hugs her. "Good to see you again Valkyrie. But, I better get going before I'm late, both of you know I hate being late. You two please play nice."
Lauren gives me a quick kiss on the cheek with a promise to see me later before she made her way out of the building. Without Lauren's presence the air between Tamsin and I quickly became awkward. My eyes are asking her the questions I can't seem to voice.
"Oh for the love of god put the questioning eyes away. Look, cliff notes version; I met Lauren during her first undercover assignment. I was young and helping some so called friends, boost cars. She came in pretending to be a lost girl so we took her in. We started a relationship before everything came to light and I found out she was a detective. I was pissed at first and cheated on her. She broke up with me right after that. Then one day she came back around and told me she wants to help me get my record expunged and helped me turn my life around. Then somehow we became fuck buddies before we slowly drifted apart and before you ask, no I don't want her anymore and from the looks of it she only has eyes for you. Look, Lauren has always been a one woman, woman. She's never been with more than one person at a time, even casually. So don't hurt her or I'll kill you because she's a really good person."
Well, at least now I know she may be okay with my "extracurricular activities" since she was okay with Tamsin's criminal activity. But then again, Tamsin was young and not running around killing people. Okay, so still not sure how she'll react.
I carefully looked Tamsin over for indication of any deception or insincerity before I gave her a nod. "Okay and just so you know I'd never intentionally hurt her. Truthfully and I'm not sure why I'm telling you this but I think I love her."
"You'd be an idiot not to." We shared a look of understanding before she turned to leave. "Tamsin, wait!" She turns back to face me, raising her eyebrows in question.
"Why does she call you Valkyrie?" She chuckles, "She said it's because of my last name and because I have the personality of a Valkyrie, strong and always ready for a fight. I still remember what she said about my last name, she said, "Did you know in Norse Mythology there's a Valkyrie name Hildr which means Battle."
I chuckle, "I love her wide variety of knowledge of anything and everything. I especially love her geek speak. It's so hot and cute especially when you watch her talk with her hands and her whole body just lights up with happiness and excitement."
"Oookayyy, well you two are definitely a match made in heaven. You're the first person to ever feel that way about her geek speak. Everyone else, including me either zones out or becomes utterly confused or both during her geek speak moments."
My face lights up with a huge grin. "Really, you think we're perfect for each other?" Tamsin rolled her eyes before she mumbled. "Why did I have to open my big mouth…"
Clubhouse – 2 Days Later - Evening
"So, you know how you catch bad guys and they go to court. Well I kill the serious offenders that get away with murder or other serious crimes, no pun intended." …No, that isn't right at all.
"So you know how you like comic books? Well I'm kinda like Electra. But I only kill bad guys while she literally kills almost anyone for money. I rarely take money for the kills; I only take it when someone comes to me with a criminal I'm not aware of."
Really, I'm comparing myself to an anti-hero with a tortured past? Yeah sure, that's the way to tell Lauren. I might as well tell her I only came across her because I was hired to kill her under false pretenses.
…Wait, do I have to tell her that? Ugh, why couldn't I just have met someone at a bar that ended by contributing to the national divorce rate like a normal person? What am I going to do and even if she's okay with it, can you imagine telling someone, "I first laid eyes on her when I was hired to kill her." When someone asks you how you met your significant other. Hell, I'd go to prison for that statement alone…What am I going to do…?
I stopped pacing in my living room just to roll my neck in attempt to relieve some of the stress, when I saw something on the couch in the corner of my eye, making me do a double take at the couch. Kenzi and Vex are sitting there sharing a bowl of popcorn watching me like a movie before Vex handed Kenzi twenty bucks. "Uhh…how long have you two been there and what are you doing?"
"Just a few minutes, we tried saying hi but ya were too busy pacing back and forth, talking to yourself like a mad woman. We found it entertaining so we grabbed some popcorn and front row seats for the rest of the show. Then, we decided to bet how long it would take for you to notice us and obviously Vex lost to moi."
"Gee, thanks for finding my predicament so entertaining." I say sarcastically, "No problem luv, you were more entertaining than anything on TV…Ow ow!" Vex fell off the couch as I beat his smartass with a pillow.
"AY! I'm hurting too ya know! I just lost twenty bucks to the hot Russian detective! All you had to do was hold out for two more minut- Owww! Stop hitting me! I never knew a pillow could actually hurt!"
"Uh Bobo?" I looked Kenzi's way after I hit Vex one more time for good measure. "What?"
"Don't you have dinner with Lolo tonight?" I gave her a "duh" look. "Yeah, we're finally doing our third date. Up till now we've just been talking a lot, about everything and anything through our phones including the Tamsin incident and my sexual appetite which she knows exclusively craves only for her since I first talked to her."
"Isn't she picking you up at your place in twenty minutes?" I looked at her ridiculously for stating the obvious. "Yeah…why…?"
"She doesn't know this address, right?" I feel like she's trying to tell me something. But I'm not sure what. "Of course she doesn't, why?"
"Do you really not seeing where I'm going with this?" I look at her completely confused when realization suddenly hits me, making my eyes widen in panic. "I'm at the wrong location!"
"There we go! Ya know for someone so smart and a badass assassin ya can be so clueless at times. OWW! Now you're punching my arm? Why haven't you hit Kenzi?"
"Duh cause I haven't made any smartass comments…which is surprising…Plus, I'm her lady luuurrrveeee's bestie so she can't hit me unless she wants to lose points with Lolo." I'm so busy trying to get out the door that I'm barely paying those two any mind as I try to find my keys.
"Ya know, he has a point though, you don't have a brooding assassin personality. But then again I'm basing this on movies and stuff. You're the first assassin I've actually met. Hey, what's your story anyway?"
"Forget it luv, she can't hear you when she's running around looking for her keys like a chicken with its head cut off."
"Okay then, do you know her story?"
"Ya, but it's not my place to tell."
"Fair enough, I completely understand trust me. Hey, how does she breathe or move in her assassin attire?"
"I dunno, I asked her that too, many times. She just glares at me before she gives me a head slap. Ya know, now that I think about it, she hits me a lot, she's abusive and bossy. Always telling me to hack this or find this or do that. She's lucky I'm a jack of all trades just like ya are and that she's my best friend. Is the good doctor abusive with you?"
"Nah, she is the best, bakes me goodies all the time. Though, she does lecture me about my diet and booze consumption a lot."
"I think I picked the wrong best friend in this pairing, switch?"
"No way! You keep the Shadow Assassin. You know she's taking forever finding her keys, do you think she even registers us talking? Her personality doesn't fit the assassin thing at all."
"Ay, that's why they call them alter egos. No one would ever believe she's the Shadow Assassin without indisputable evidence. They say when a person has two lives, they have two personalities; one of the personalities is who they have to be to do what's needed while the other is who they truly are. The Shadow Assassin is who she needs to be to deal with the scum of society that escaped justice and still be able to sleep at night. The person before us; looking for her keys to go see the woman I believe she's in love with is her true self. I really hope your partner is okay with it when she finds out. Bo has never taken an interest in anyone before for more than sex since I met her three years ago. I hope the doc can see that Bo is just doing what she feels is right when justice fails. There's no telling how many people the Shadow Assassin has probably saved from death or worse."
I feel my eyes start to water at Vex's words. I don't want them to see me tear up so I'm so glad I found my keys. "Found them! Don't wait up guys, have a goodnight." Luckily, I have a perfectly good reason to run out the door without being questioned.
I hope the same thing about Lauren. I may not know how she'll react but I already know I can't lose her. Please god, I can't lose her. The more I think about losing her, the more I don't want to tell her. But at the same time, keeping this secret is eating me alive more and more everyday especially since she's been so open and honest with me. What am I going to do; keep my secret to keep my girl or tell her my secret and most likely lose her forever?
I can't just quit being the Shadow Assassin, it's not like I do it for the thrill. I can't let it happen again. I won't let it happen again…
Flashback – 3 Years Ago
Why are there cops at my house? I can't help but feel panic frantically spreading within me. I wasted no time sprinting towards my house to see what's going on.
"What's going on; why are you here!?" I asked the cop blocking the entrance to my house. "Ma'am, do you live here with Ryan Lambert?"
I turn to the man talking to me. "Yes, we're engaged to be married next month. What's going on, please tell me." I asked, frantically with growing panic.
"I am Detective Jason Carter. Two months ago as you probably know, Mr. Lambert witnessed a murder and testified against the murderer in court. But even with his testimony the killer was found not guilty. The killer came here tonight and stabbed Mr. Lambert right in the doorway. The neighbor's security cameras caught everything. I'm very sorry for your loss, is there anyone I can call for you…ma'am…ma'am…? I NEED A MEDIC OVER HERE SHE'S GOING INTO SEVERE SHOCK! Ma'am, can you hear me, Ma'am…"
Present
No, I can't just quit. I won't let anyone else feel the loss that I felt if I can prevent it. But being the Shadow Assassin might cause me to lose my second chance at love and I never thought it would be possible but, I feel love again and I know I love her already. Truth is that I love her more than I ever loved Ryan. But, whether I choose to tell her or not...or I decide to choose between the two, there's just too many questions and possibilities in this whole situation. Could I live with keeping a secret from her for the rest of my life? Would Lauren choose the law over me or how do I choose between the Shadow Assassin and Lauren…?