The Dead Man's Bluff
Part Two
As was always the case, Friday night turned into Saturday morning before Remy returned home, almost two thousand dollars richer than he had been only hours earlier. As he fished through his pocket for his keys, Remy no longer looked the suave charmer that had left the house in the evening. His shirt was untucked and his hat was askew over his dishevelled hair. Still, there was a strange air of handsomeness that constantly radiated off the man. Yawning, Remy pulled out his keys and swung open the door of his flat, revealing the meticulously tidy place he called home.
Stepping inside, Remy kicked off his black dress shoes, not caring where they landed for the time being. He shuffled over to the kitchen and switched on the coffee pot, which was always ready to brew. Remy was exhausted – he hadn't slept since Wednesday night – but there were more important things to do. He had to think. As he waited for the coffee, Remy grabbed a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from the kitchen counter. He lit one up over the sink and took a long, thoughtful puff. Tonight had been a very productive night. He had managed to make a fair deal of money, drink to slight intoxication, receive a few provocative kisses from Gabrielle before his departure, and most importantly, he now had Alejandro as a business partner.
Remy was smart, but his latest job was not something he could do on his own. Alejandro had not even been close to the mark when he had asked about precious jewels and priceless works of art. Those were easy jobs; jobs that wouldn't get you killed. And while this new job was going to pay much better than anything Remy had ever done before, in something much better than money, he was putting his neck much closer to the line than he ever had before.
New Orleans was riddled with crime and conflict, Remy knew that much. He also knew that majority of this crime was committed by the two guilds that ran the underworld of his beautiful city. There was the Assassin's Guild and the Thieves' Guild – one to which Remy belonged. His adoptive father, Jean-Luc was the leader of the thieves and was currently in failing health. Remy was positive that Jean-Luc wanted him to carry on the legacy of the guild; all that was needed was proof that he could. This is where Remy's latest mission originated from.
Lately, the guild wars had been particularly gruesome. The assassins had been becoming bolder, knowing that Jean-Luc was ailing. Remy was to steal, or rather kidnap, the daughter of the leader of the Assassin's Guild. This was exactly why he hadn't slept for over thirty-six hours. Not only was she constantly surrounded by men toting large guns, but Remy knew Bella Donna Bordeaux personally; they had met once when he was eight. She was fiery and temperamental, definitely not one to go down without a fight. Even if he were successful in staying alive long enough to kidnap her, she would not stand for such a thing to happen and would probably end up clawing him to death herself.
Remy butted out his cigarette in the sink and stared wistfully at the coffee. The black liquid was no replacement for sleep. Unhappily, he grabbed the pot and dumped it down the sink. He was less than twenty-four hours away from pulling off what could probably be considered the greatest kidnapping in American history. At least, that's what Alejandro had told him.
The Spanish man was a technology wizard. There was nothing he couldn't do with a computer. He was able to be anywhere at anytime and that was something that would be invaluable to Remy's survival. Alejandro, who had almost choked on his Corona when he heard what Remy was planning, had agreed to be his second pair of eyes and ears, insisting that he would probably need a third as well. Remy didn't think so. He had worked with Alejandro before and the two were a very good team.
Remy opened up a cabinet above the stove and fumbled around the numerous bottles. He had probably drunk a little too much to consume sleeping pills, but at the moment, he could care less. Without their help, Remy knew he wouldn't fall asleep yet again. He found his targeted bottle and snapped it open, spilling two white pills into his palm and swallowing them dry. With that, he stumbled off to bed, hoping that he would wake up the next morning.
--*
It was just after four in the morning when Gabrielle Allaire finally reached her apartment on the fifth floor of a complex just two blocks away from Bourbon Street. She didn't usually mind walking home so late, but tonight something had seemed odd. She had been unable to shake the feeling that someone had been watching her, though she convinced herself it was plainly imagination.
Still, when she reached her front door her apartment, Gabrielle hurried inside and locked the door behind her. She kicked off her boots and hung up her coat before heading straight into the bedroom. She was exhausted. Noticing the curtains were open, Gabrielle felt an uneasy feeling creep up from her stomach into her throat. She frowned, swallowing the feeling, and closed the curtains tightly.
Crawling into bed, Gabrielle gave a slight chuckle. Her paranoia was ridiculous, caused by nothing other than the fact that her emotions were running wild. She and Remy had kissed before, but nothing like tonight. Usually, he seemed so detached, but tonight was different. She could practically feel the electricity as their lips touched. It had to be this that was putting her so much on edge. Yes, that was the only explanation.
With a small smile on her face and the wailing of sirens in the background, Gabrielle fell asleep, wondering what sort of angel Remy LeBeau was.
--*
"Bossman," in an alleyway suddenly vacant of drunks and prostitutes, a fair-skinned, well-toned man spoke into a cellular phone, "I found her. She's kinda cute. Mind if I claim some vacation time and spend it here?"
"Shut –up Wade," came a muffled response from the phone, "If you can't do this job, I'll send Victor." The opposite end of the line went dead as Wade Wilson stared at the phone. "Killjoy," he muttered.
Wade felt like a beer. He wondered if anyplace was still open. Whistling to himself he stepped out of the shadows of the alley, looking back once more to make sure he had done himself justice.
"Yepp," he grinned, "Wade you sure are great." He continued walking, leaving three very bloody and once-drunk bodies in his wake. "Thank you, Wade. Thank you very much."
Author's Note:
Thank you to those who reviewed the last chapter. I do hope you will continue to read this and review. Also, thanks to anyone new who has begun to read this. I do hope you are enjoying it so far. Please let me know your comments and feedback. As always, constructive criticism is welcome. Thanks so much – Viviene.