HiT 149: Anna Brookes First Chapter (14 page)

“Ethan took it for some reason and he must have forgotten to return it. It’s ok, I’ll go get it tomorrow.” I won’t, and even if Ethan does return it I’ll have to ‘drop’ it on the road.

“Well Baby I insist you spend tonight with me so I can keep an eye on you and make sure you don’t go into shock”.

“Ben I’m fine, but how about you cook dinner for me seeing as our lunch date ended in such a disaster.”

“Only if you stay the night,” Ben is very persistent.

“Well I’ll see you tomorrow then Ben.” I start my car and put it into gear to leave.

“WAIT! You are the most difficult person I have ever met. Fine, Stay until we’ve finished dinner,” he shakes his head and that sexy smile crosses his face.

“What are you smiling for Police Chief?” I say,
he is up to something.

He leans in close to my ear and says “Because I didn’t say what time dinner will be served.”

That cheeky man!

We make our way back to Ben’s house and we find ourselves in the centre of his home, the kitchen. He starts pulling things out from the freezer, fridge and the cupboards and talks lightly about things not related to either the events of the day or the fact that he sent me a message telling me he thinks he loves me. He does appear a little nervous and a little on edge though.

“What are you making us for dinner?” I ask as he is mixing flour and eggs together.

“Baby I am making pasta from scratch and I’ll make a garlic chicken white sauce” That sounds delicious and my mouth is watering. “I need to ask you a question Anna and I need you to be honest with me” Oh dear, this doesn’t sound like it’s light conversation.

“Okay, I’ll try to be as honest as possible.”
I did say I would try.

“Has something bad happened to you in your past?”
What the hell??????
“You have not reacted at all to what happened today at Mammas and to tell you the truth I’m terrified of that,” he says not making eye contact with me as he kneads and works the pasta. “I mean you watched two people be killed in front of you, one of which I killed and there has been no emotion from you at all. It’s like you’re totally immune to it. 99% of people in the world would be in shock and a mess by now, but you Baby girl, you’re in that other 1% and I don’t understand it and quite frankly I’m frightened by that”.

I think hard about what to say. Do I tell him who I am? It’s not something that you can bring into conversation. ‘
Hey Ben I’m in love with you and I’m an assassin sent to kill you
’, nope that won’t work. What do I say to this man who has captured my heart and makes me be more than just a cold emotionless killer?

“I don’t know what I can say to you Ben, except that my life has not been rosy. There are a lot of things I simply can’t talk about. But know this Ben,” I stand and come right up in front of Ben. He is covered in pasta dough and his hands are caked with flour but I stand toe to toe with him and look into his beautiful deep blue eyes, my almost black eyes staring up at him and I say the only thing I can, “Trust in me, that there is no place on this planet I would rather be then here with you. But we can’t be together no matter how much we both want this.” I close my eyes and lean my forehead into his cheek.

“Anna I sent you a text this morning telling you I think I love you,” my breath hitches and I actually feel me holding it in. “I don’t think I love you, I know I do”. I step away from Ben and my hands find my hair, running my fingers through it. Ben washes his hands and dries them. I make my way over to the lounge room and sit on the couch. Ben takes his filthy apron off and sits next to me pulling me to his body. “There is nothing that you can say to me that will change my mind about you Baby girl.”
If only that is the truth Ben
. “Because I love you so much and I can’t bear the thought of you not being in my life.”

And that tips me over the edge. I cry uncontrollably, Ben simply holds me and occasionally his lips find my temple as he plants gentle sweet loving kisses to me.

“Today has been tough Baby, I really think you should stay here with me,” his voice is full of concern and love.

“You shouldn’t love me Ben. I’m not crying for today, actually I feel nothing about today. I’m crying because your words have affected me like something I can’t explain. Ben, I’m not who you think I am or who you think you want. I’m nothing like the image you so desperately want to hold on to.”

“Do you love me?” he stops me talking by asking me these four little words.

“It doesn’t matter.” I’m almost whispering whilst my eyes are down cast.

“Do you love me?” He asks the same question with more desperation and determination for the truth.

“It doesn’t matter.” My response is the same but louder and more assertive.

“DO YOU LOVE ME?” his words more heated, not with rage but with passion.

“IT DOESN’T MATTER. I’M NO GOOD FOR YOU. DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND?” I’m angry at him for so many reasons. For pushing me, for wanting me, for being perfect and most of all for loving me.

“Just answer the question Baby.” At this stage he is standing up about 2 feet away from me and I’m sitting on the couch with my head in my hands. “Just please answer the question. That’s all I want, an answer.”

I don’t lift my head, I don’t make eye contact and my answer is so low the sound barely reaches my ears. “Yes”

Ben is on his knees in front of me in a flash and is tugging my hands away from my face. He carefully lifts his hands and places them on my cheeks to cradle them and lifts my head so our eyes are staring into each other’s. “Tell me Baby girl.” He sighs the words out. “Please, I need to hear you say the words”. His eyes are terrified and desperate. “Please”

“I love you Ben,” I say looking into his eyes. This one sentence terrifies me. This means so much that he can’t possibly begin to understand. “Which is why we can’t be together,” it almost comes out sounding like a whimper. My heart is beating furiously and I’m restraining the flood gate of tears.

“Whatever you think we can’t get past we can,” Ben is almost pleading with me. “I love you so much Baby girl.”

Breathe Anna. Just breathe. In and out. You can do this Anna.

“I’m sorry Ben but this changes nothing between us. I’ve decided that at the end of your vacation time I will be leaving St Cloud going back to Florida. All I can offer you is the next 5 days. After that I will leave. That’s all I can offer. Nothing more.” I stand and make my way to the kitchen to retrieve my bag but before I leave the lounge room I turn and look at Ben. He looks like he has been punched in the chest. “If you want the next 5 days to happen, you need stop me before my hand touches that front door handle. If you don’t want it, then you will never see me again. I’m sorry Ben, that’s all I can offer you.” My façade slips back on and I need to get my work done. I’m in the kitchen and have slung my bag over my shoulder, I get to the front door and Ben is rooted in the same spot as I left him. My hand goes out to grab the door handle, I close my eyes and take a deep breath knowing this is the end.

I put my hand on the door handle and turn it.

Chapter 18

“Like fuck I’m going to spend the next 5 days away from you Baby girl,” Ben slams the front door shut as I’m opening it. He sweeps me up and starts kissing me. Pouring all his emotions and want into that one kiss. “I’ll accept that I only have the next 5 days with you,
for now
.” His voice more of promise that he will do whatever he can to keep me here with him. Immediately he changes his mood and tone to a lighter more carefree one “Come on beautiful, I’m in the middle of cooking you dinner. I’m hungry and I know how you get when you need food. But Baby...” he trails off whilst he is leading us into the kitchen “If I only have 5 days with you, then I need you to tell me every day that you love me. Because I will be saying it to you at every opportunity I get. I love you.” The tone for the rest of the night is light and easy. We talk about all sorts of things including Ben’s concern for my lack of reaction about the shootings earlier. He tries to ask some more about my past but I deflect that line of questioning.

After a very scrumptious meal, Ben and I sit in the lounge room just curling our bodies into one another watching TV when Ben switches the TV off. He turns his body towards me and holds my hands. “Tell me why you are so emotionless about the shootings.” He must have been thinking about re-approaching this subject since he brought it up at before dinner.

“There’s nothing to tell Ben. Well actually, there’s nothing I want to tell”.

“Did something happen to you once you were put in the care of the ward?” I detect concern and love in his voice, not malice or judgement.

“Ben, a lot of things happened to me to make me the person I am today.”

“Have you done something in your life that is bad or illegal?”
You have no idea
. Ben is questioning me not like a Police Officer questions a suspect but more of a man who wants to protect his woman.

“It’s not something I can talk about Ben.”

“Anna, have you seen someone get shot before?” And there is the start of a dangerous subject.

“Yes” my façade is on and I give no emotions.

Ben’s eyes are searching mine and my face. He’s looking for answers. I decide to tell him what I can, only if he asks the right questions. I won’t tell him everything though.

“Baby girl, when you watched that person be shot were you close to the shooting?”
You could say that Ben. I was close as in distance and he was my father.

“Yes”

“Was it a kill or be killed situation?”

“Not quite.” I can’t give him too much more.

“Baby, have you ever fired a weapon?”

“Yes”
No more questions Ben.

“Was it in a desperate situation?”

“Ben, I did what I had to do. It was me or them. And it ended up being them.”

“But nothing came up on your check. You don’t have a police record at all. You are so clean. Not so much as a speeding ticket. Nothing. Are the records sealed? Was it from when you were in the care of the state?” He is pounding me with questions and not taking a breath between them.

“Don’t piss me off Ben. You are searching for answers I simply cannot and will not give you. If you want to spend the next 5 days just trying to figure me out then you will be sorely disappointed because there is not much I will say to you. This person I am is with you right now, that is all you need to worry about. The person standing in front of you who loves you and who you love is all we have. Don’t go searching Ben. You don’t need to know. You will never find anything.” I need to calm myself down because Ben’s questions are relentless and bringing up memories and situations that I don’t want to think about right now. So I go out to the front porch and I take a few deep breaths and see it is dark. Ben is by my side once he has calmed himself too. “Ben it’s getting late. I’m going to go home and I’ll call you in the morning. I need to go to the station and get my phone on the way through though.”
So I can destroy it in case Ethan has installed a tracker
. I head inside and grab my bag, Ben’s still waiting outside on the porch and this time he doesn’t try to stop me. I stand in front of him and stare up into his eyes. My right hand finds his cheek and he leans in, closes his eyes and lets out a deep breath. I reach up and kiss him lightly on his soft lips. “I love you Ben.” My voice is gentle and informing Ben that we are ok after that exchange of heated words.

“I love you Baby girl” and he wraps his arms around me and lifts me several inches from the ground whilst his kiss becomes much more erotic than just tender. After a few moments he breaks the kiss and puts me down. His face is telling me that we are ok too, but his eyes tell a different story – suspicion.

I get to my car and check my phone for any tampering to my BMW but nothing has come through. I do have 2 calls from my ‘Agent’. I’ll need to call him once I get back to my cabin.

On my drive back to the cabin I watch the traffic around me. I have to say for a sleepy little town there are always cars, trucks and motorcycles out and about.

I get back to my cabin and check my laptop for security breaches but again everything appears fine. There is panic rising in my stomach, there’s a lump in my throat and I have a feeling that problems are going to come at me or even us from all directions.

I make my way inside and grab a bottle of water from the fridge.

My laptop is open as I dial ‘Agents’ number.

“15 we have a problem”

Shit, what now......

Chapter 19

“Ethan Martelli is an alias,” ‘Agent’ starts.

“What the fuck?” my head spins with that small bit of information. I’m dreading to hear the rest.

“Ethan Martelli was created 10 years ago. His name is Tony Mancini JR” WHOA! How the hell did that happen.

“As in current employer Mancini?” My voice is steady but questioning.

“The same” ‘Agent’ information is always 100%; he has never given me information that was incorrect.

“Other information?” I say trying to rack my head around what I was told.

“Hit 149 parents were killed by a drunk driver, but I’ve found they were a target” he goes on.

This is getting worse with every word that leaves his mouth.

“Current Employer ordered that hit too.”

“Any other information?”
Is there more?

“No 15. But I’ll keep searching” our call is now disconnected.

What the hell is going on? Why has Ethan infiltrated St Cloud PD and why was a hit ordered and executed on Ben’s Parents? What am I missing in this picture? Something is staring me right in the face and it’s not coming together for me. What am I not seeing?

I sit in front of the laptop and I’m desperately thinking back to everything from the start of this bizarre journey.
But then again, define bizarre.

Anthony Mancini is father to Tony Mancini JR AKA Ethan Martelli.

Anthony Mancini ordered the hit on Ben’s parents around 6 years ago.