🔫 as-sas-sIN’S
LOVEđź’•
CHAPTER 10
That night, Montse had a nightmare and woke up p@n-ting. After I called her down, she told me that Helena had come back to the house looking for me.
That was when those men had come to kidnap her. Helena had tried to st©p them. That was why they killed her.
*-*-*-*
“I’m sorry, Helena.” I whispered, spre-ading the last bit of sand on the grave I’d just covered in my backyard.
As much as I wanted to give her a proper burial and all, I knew I couldn’t do that without the police getting involved. Even though I wasn’t her murderer, I could still be arrested as a suspect because she died in my house.
It would only get worse if investigations were carried out because the police could find out that I’d killed the people who murdered her.
The last thing I wanted was to spend time away from Montse. It was only good for me that Helena had no family and I wouldn’t have to lie to anyone.
I went back into the house to clean up the mess and the blood. I couldn’t help the reality that Helena had died to protect Montse.
Damn it, if I could bring those bastards back from the dead, I would, then kill them all over again.
After I was done cleaning up the house and taking a shower, I gathered some of Montse’s clothes and mine and drove into town to buy the groceries I’d told her I was going to buy. Then I drove back to the chalet.
When I entered the house,Montserrat was nowhere to be found. Not in the living room, her be-droom or her bathroom and not even in the kitchen.
I was just panicking when I heard the sound of water splashing coming from outside.
Using the kitchen’s backdoor, I couldn’t have gotten there fas-ter.
Montse was swimming in the lake, looking like she was having the time of her life. Relief slammed throu-gh me.
For a moment I’d thought there were still as-sociates of the guys who’d kidnapped her that were still out to make my life hell.
I watched her as she swam back and forth over a short distance, then rolled to swim on her back.
Coupled with the glow from the moon that let the water surface shimmer like a jeweled silk, she looked so gorgeous all we-t with her hair flowing around her.
And God help me, she was only in br@ and p@n-ties. At least they weren’t lacy but damn they ba-rely left anything for the imagination.
I knew she’d s-en-sed my presÂŁnce when her eyes snapped open. A smile fitted on herl-ips so naturally. She rolled onto her front and swam towards me. I met her at the metal rail.
“Why didn’t you tell me there was a lake out here?” She glared at me pla-yfully. “God, this is so amazing. I’m so glad I decided to explore the house.”
I just smiled, grateful she was happy, even if it was a lake that did the trick.
“Hey, come join me.” She said, looking at me expectantly.
“I’m good.”
“Oh, come on. Don’t tell me you can’t swim.”
“I can swim.”
“Then why won’t you come in.” She didn’t give me a chance to answer.
gr-abbing my leg, she pu-ll-ed me right into the lake. She didn’t even care that I was fully clothed in a T-shi-t and trou-sers. I g@sped as I sank un-der the cold water, then bounced to the surface.
Montse was laughing her as-s off like this was the funniest thing ever.
“You think this is funny?” I said, unable to fight my own smile. “Wait till I get to you!”
Realizing my intent, she skrie-ked, attempting to swim away. I leapt for her, but in the process r!ppÂŁdthe stitches on my th!gh. The pain made me let go of her as I gro-an ed.
“Mikhail!” She fretted, swimming closer to me. “Are you okay?”
“It’s okay, just the wound.”
Her hand flew to her mouth. “Oh my God, I’m so inconsiderate. I totatlly forgot about you being sh0t. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay.” I said as-suringly.
“Are you sure you don’t want to go to the hospital?”
“I just put some strain on it, nothing serious.” I smiled, hoping she would drop it.
She did, thankfully. “Can you even blame me for forgetting? You don’t even limp! How are you so strong?”
I chuckled at how fascinated she looked and realized how close we were. I st©pped chuckling when she was still looking keenly at me after some seconds.
“What?” I asked, suddenly unnerved. My heart began pounding furiously. I didn’t even know why.
“Those men. . . that kidnapped me, they told me all sort of horrible lies about to you. They tried to make me think you were a horrible person.”
Every fibre in my b©dy froze. Montse probably s-en-sed it because she hastened to continue.
“But of course, I knew they were all just lies. I mean this is you. You work for a secret agency that works with the police to catch criminals and save people. You saved my life twice.”
“You wouldn’t have been in danger in the first place if not for me.” I muttered un-der my breath.
“Yes, they told me they kidnapped me to use me as a means to kill you because you’d. . . killed one of them. I was so afraid they would hurt you.”
“That man they were talking about was a criminal. He dealt in all sort of trafficking; women, drugs, children. When we went after him, he killed some of my collegues. I had to kill him to protect myself and the others.”
My gut twisted. I didn’t want to lie, but lord knew I couldn’t tell her the truth. This was the best approach so that her image of me didn’t get ruined.
She nodded with a small smile on her face. “You had to do what you had to.”
“I’m so sorry for being the reason why your life was in danger all this while.”
Her eyes flew wi-de open. “Wait! Did I just hear Mikhail Berlusconi say sorry? Oh my God, wonders will never end.”
“You clown.” I said, unable to resist a small laugh.
She caught me completely off guard with a k!sson thel-ips. My unresponsive state lasted for two seconds before I was k!ss!ngher back, matching her rhythm.
de-sire burned inside my veins. There was nothing I wanted more than to make love to her, but I knew she wasn’t planning on going that far.
It took every ounce of control in me to break the k!ssbefore I scared her off with any intensity.
“That was for being my guardian angel.” She told me, and then she turned and swam towards the railing.
After climbing, she gr@bbÂŁd a white towel from the lounger. “We’d better go prepare dinner. I’m starving.”
She flashed me an abashed smile before hurrying inside. A smile curved up myl-ips as the k!ssrepla-yed in my head.
My happiness faded almost immediately. Montse saw me as an angel, someone who only helped people. I knew she wouldn’t be saying that if she knew the kind of man I truly was.
The kind of man I had been.
Yes, had been because I was so done with this life of vigilantism. I just wanted to be with her and be the kind of man she would want to spend her life with.
So what if it meant I would have to give up my ultimate mission; killing the man who’d ordered for my parents death?
I would do anything for Montse. I was going to be okay as long as I had her.
At least I hoped so.
*****
The next morning, I woke up with a strong fever. Montse wanted to call the ambulance but I refused and gave her a doctor’s number instead.
The doctor c@mÂŁ to check me and told me my gunsh0t wound was infected. He gave me some pills but said I nee-ded a lot of rest.
It took me three days to finally get well. Montse stayed by my side throu-gh it all as if she was a nurse. I was so grateful to have her.
*****
I was having a nightmare. In the dream, my father was being stabbe-d repeatedly in the stomach, but this time, he wasn’t screaming.
He wasn’t howling in pain. Instead, he was looking at me pointedly with anger and disappointment in his eyes.
I was curled up in the kitchen cabinet, but this time, the door was fully opened and I was my 25 years old self, big enough to hold back my tears. But here I was crying like my ten years old self had done, tears pouring down my face.
“Traitor! You don’t deserve to be called my son.” My father growled.
“But I killed these four men who killed you.”
“You’ve not done anything to the man who sÂŁnt them. You’ve decided not to avenge your mother and I because of a woman.”
“But I love her.” I said, desperately trying to justify myself.
“Obviously more than you do your own parents. Traitor.”
Beside him on the ground, my mother’s throat was being slit over and over again. Every now and then she would look at me.
She didn’t say anything, but she would shake her head sadly. The disappointment in it every time made me cry ha-rder.
“You are a traitor. TRAITOR! TRAITOR!” My father’s voice bec@mÂŁ louder and louder and louder.
I startled away from my nightmare, breathing heavily.
I hadn’t had a nightmare in a long time. Why now?
TBC……
I’ll drop another one tonight. Just make sure to like and comment oo.