But soon the evil light withers as a fountain of blood pours from her gashed temple. She falls to her knees head and neck cocked into an awkward angle as she slumps over the coffee table. The man leaps to his feet the silver Glock shaking in his white knuckling grip towards the opened front door. No one is there except the flashes of porch lights that flicker on one by one down the street. The gunshot has echoed through the minds of the sleeping inhabitants of the beach. I pick my feet upwards hugging my knees as a torrent of blood consumes the carpet.
"Don't move," commands the man but the hot white flash of fear behind his eyes betrays his weakly spat words. He moves swiftly towards the front door resting his right hand on the knob then leans forward glancing to the right then BOOM! Shards of flesh and retribution explode into a mass of crimson lava flow. The former cranium collapses into one big heap on the carpet, the head of a coward. The torso along with the rest of the body seems to stand on its own as if by magic before a booted foot dives through the entrance connecting with the abdomen letting it topple over the splattered brains. The thighs and upper arms twitch twice before dying.
I vomit air and saliva faintly remembering when my last meal was. "Samantha," He calls stepping over the decapitated corpse but I can't look at him as I notice the blood from the woman beginning to dry.
"Sam," He says more softly touching my left shoulder. I shrug away curling against the back of the couch. "We need to go," He says hauling me into his arms. I kick and claw letting animal sounds depart from my dried, cracked lips but he doesn't even blink as we exit the pink house disappearing inside the back of a car. I'm still on his lap breathing in his scent just like in the basement yet somehow completely different. It is the smell of a killer, a betrayer, and most importantly a lover.
"To the airport, Tony and step on it," the accent curves in and out between the letters close together like a perfect set of stitches yet something in the words tells me that there has been some scarring possibly a bruise. "And Sam," He says staring at me carefully, "go to sleep".
"I, you…" I sputter climbing off of him sliding into the black leather seat.
"It's not what you think," He says reaching for me. I slap his hands away noticing the stung expression on his face. A poisoned arrow seems to dart towards my heart and as I try to dodge it completely, I fail and it hurts all over again.
"You're one of them. You're with Nukpana. I trusted you… I l-," Broken glass shatters the L word and I'm entombed in sparkling diamonds it as if a chandelier decided that gravity had won after all.
"Get down," Riley says clapping his hand over the back of my neck. I bend resting my nose to my kneecaps as I hear him fire off a couple of bullets through the broken rear window. "Tony take a left! Left!" The car swerves cutting into a sharp angle. I can feel the right side of the car levitate then rock back on its wheels as we squeal down the street. The street lights paint the car in fast moving stripes like a strobe light as I bite my bottom lip. "We lost them," Riley says as his boots crunch into the broken glass while he shifts positions facing forward. He releases my neck. I snap up hugging my arms.
"What the hell is going on?"
"Later Sam," Riley says coughing into his hands as he comes to an abrupt halt. Tony rolls down the window halfway flashing the toll guard a pass hanging by a chain around his neck. The guard nods as we roll slowly over the speed bump past fences outlining the dead grassy fields. 100 yards away is a small office building with a tower hitched to the side. Four jets stand like giant foreign statues under the crude outdoor lights. Tony pulls the BMW into the parking lot of the office. "Let's go," Riley says fingers curled around the door handle.
"Not until you tell me what's happening," I counter throwing my weight against the door. Riley sighs pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Look it's complicated".
"Were you hired to fuck up me and Austin's relationship?" I ask exasperated.
"Yes. No. Not originally," He says quickly studying my reaction, "It was the money. I just thought it'd be a normal situation. I didn't know who you were before I said yes. I was assigned to protect you, Sam" He continues grabbing my hand gingerly, "not to fall in love with you". His lips swallow mine before I can pull away but after a few Mississippi's I decide that I don't want to stop. I just want to sit here and…
"Mr. Mosely, I'm sorry to interrupt but the air craft is ready for take off", Tony announces turning around from the driver's seat. We break apart. Riley climbs out first holding open the door. We run hand in hand under the roaming thunder. A drizzling rain soaks us to the skin as we climb the steps to the awaiting glistening jet plane. We pause before entering. Riley takes me by the shoulders and stares deeply into my eyes. "This has been one hell of a ride," and lets go hurrying inside the plane. I step into the warm entryway feeling a little delirious from the intenseness of his eyes and warmth of his sweet breath too intoxicated to take heed of his odd choice of words.
Austin is sitting in the back left corner studying the yellow rose he's twirling in his fingers. Our eyes meet as he looks up. I don't feel a thing.