Young Love Murder (12 page)

I have to fight the urge to elbow Jackson in the stomach. “He doesn’t speak English, Gabriel.”

“What did he just say?” Gabriel asks. His green eyes are now narrowed. 

“Basically, that he doesn’t speak English and he asked you if you speak Russian.”

Gabriel scowls again. “But you were just yelling at him in English.”

I sigh patiently, attempting to placate him, “Gabriel, I’m a girl. I can yell at a guy in any language and he probably still won’t understand or admit to what he did wrong.”

“You swear that you two are just friends?” He’s starting to believe me, I can tell by the tension leaving his face.

“I swear that there’s no way in hell that I would ever have a romantic relationship with him.” Technically, I’m not lying. I just answered his question creatively. Gabriel asked if Jackson and I were just friends. We’re more than friends, we’re siblings. Of course I don’t want a romantic relationship with my brother. Gross! I try to lie to Gabriel as little as possible because sometimes it makes me feel kind of guilty. Not wanting a romantic relationship with my brother is me telling the truth. Stupid, but it makes me feel better, every little truth I can give him. 

“Okay, I believe you,” he says with a relieved smile.

I walk up to him and give him a peck on the cheek, shaking off the urge to wince. “Thank you for trusting me.”

“How about we go to my house and spend a little alone time together?” Gabriel suggests, while running the tips of his fingers along the thin bit of skin revealed on my stomach, between my tank top and jeans. I hear a strangled choking sound behind me from Jackson. We better get out of here before Gabriel says anything else in front of my brother, who supposedly only understands Russian.

“I just need to take a shower first,” I tell him, then to Jackson in Russian, “Pretend that you’re leaving and come back to the room in thirty minutes.”

Jackson gets in one last, “I won,” in Russian before sauntering around the corner and out of sight. 

He just couldn’t let it go. I’ll get him back somehow. As we walk into the suite, Gabriel asks, “So, did you live in Russia for a while with your family?”

“Um, yes, I’ve spent some time there,” I reply vaguely. Not a lie. 

“You have something on your shirt,” Gabriel says, looking puzzled while pointing at my chest. 

Looking down to see a splatter of blood, I rush to come up with some lie. “Oh crap! I ate French fries earlier. I must have gotten ketchup on myself. I’ll just go shower and change.” I’m in and out of the shower in five minutes because we need to be out of here before Jackson comes back. I’m all sweaty from fighting and I’m sure Jackson is dying get back into the room to shower too. I change into shorts and a fitted t-shirt, choosing to dress similarly to Gabriel’s t-shirt and jeans. Pulling on ankle socks and a pair of Sketchers, I discreetly hurry Gabriel out of the suite.

Ten minutes later, on the way to Gabriel’s house I turn in my seat to look at him. “So, what do you want to do?”

He squeezes my hand. “Make out while pretending to watch a movie.”

“Oh yeah? Which movie?” I ask, liking the idea of kissing and cuddling in the dark.

“I was thinking
Kill Bill
,” he suggests.

“Sounds good.” Although, I’ve never heard of that movie, I try not to let him know how little I know about pop culture. The only times I ever watch movies is with Jackson and that doesn’t happen much anymore. I wonder what the movie is about. The title is catchy. I think I killed someone named Bill once.

Chapter 8

Gabriel

We sit on the couch in my room, watching the movie and munching on popcorn. Anna is so cute, laughing hysterically at the fight scenes and commenting throughout the entire movie. She criticizes the mistakes that the assassins make while fighting and laughs at the ridiculous ways the people die. She even has an opinion on how she would have done this or that in the movie. She gets really quiet at the part where Uma Thurman’s character gives up being an assassin because she’s pregnant. Even though it’s late, as soon as it’s over, she insists that we watch
Kill Bill: Vol. 2
. 

When the movies are over, I do a fake pout. “You’ve ignored me all night.”

She looks worried for a minute until she realizes that I’m just kidding and rolls her eyes. “Poor baby! Next time we’ll watch porn so you can get a turn ignoring me.”

Pushing her down onto her back on the couch, I say, “If we watched porn, the last thing I’d do is ignore you.”

She yawns theatrically. “I’m kind of tired. Will you take me home?”

I shake my head, grinning down at her. “Nope. You owe me some attention. Plus, you should just stay the night. My mom won’t care and since your parents never even check up on you, I don’t think they’ll care either.”

She looks uncertain. “I don’t know, Gabriel.”

I attempt to reassure her, “We don’t have to have sex. I can just hold you.”

It works, she smiles wickedly. “Or we can do something in between.”

That’s all I need to hear. Lowering my mouth to hers, I lick her soft lips before kissing her hungrily. Running my hands through her long wavy hair, I love feeling its silky texture. “You’re so beautiful, Anna.”

She strokes my cheek, saying quietly, “So are you.”

I laugh and run playful kisses down her neck to her collarbone. At the same time, I inch the bottom of her shirt up to stroke the stomach that’s been peeking out at me all night. My Anna oozes sex appeal, but that doesn’t mean that she’s easy, so I’m being patient when it comes to sex. I’d ask how many guys she’s been with, but I think I’m better off not knowing. Even hearing about one guy would upset me.

“Can I take off your shirt, Anna?” Wrapping my hands around her waist, I’m feeling tortured.

“Yes please,” she says eagerly, making me laugh. I help her out of it and her weight falls back down onto the couch. Pulling back, I take in the image of her wearing just her black lace bra and shorts. I lean back down to wrap her arms and legs around me, then carry her to my bed. Placing her down gently, I begin kissing her again. Leaving one hand on her cheek, I reach down to run the other hand up her thigh, no weapons strapped this time. I caress up over her hip and stomach to rest my hand over one of her breasts.

She lightly moans and I rub her nipple through her bra. Fascinated by her response, I ask, “You like?”

“Very much,” she answers, gasping. Her hands creep under my shirt and rub up my back. I unclasp the front of her bra. Unexpectedly, I hear the song “Assassin” by Muse playing.

“What’s that?” Instantly, I regret bringing it to her attention.

“Hmm. What? Oh crap! That’s my phone.” She skillfully flips me onto my back and jumps off the bed. What the heck? Fastening the clasp on her bra as she leaves me, disappointing me in the process, she grabs her phone from her bag. The phone has already stopped ringing, but she looks down at it. She pushes a button, I’m assuming to call the person back.

She glances at me, then away. “What’s up?” Silence. “You called for that? Shouldn’t you be asleep?” Silence. “No. Shut up.” Pause, Anna blushes. “I’m coming back to the hotel now.” She listens to the person on the other end. “Okay, bye.”

She hangs up and walks back to the bed. I’m curious enough to ask, “Who was that?”

She looks up at me, face devoid of expression. “That was my father.”

“Whoa, you talk to your dad that way?” Girl’s got guts.

She looks confused. “Yeah. Why?”

“No way. My dad would slap me if I told him to shut up.”

She looks thoughtful for a moment before answering, “Well, I think that’s wrong.”

“My dad’s a good person. He’s just a no nonsense type of guy.”

There’s an uncomfortable silence, until she speaks, “I should get back to the hotel. It’s late, I’ll call a cab.” 

She pulls out her phone again, but I grab it from her. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’ll take you home.”
      “Okay.” Putting her shirt back on, she grabs her messenger bag and walks out of the room. Her playful demeanor from a few minutes ago is gone. Did I miss something? Everything was fine before she got a call from her dad. I follow her down the stairs and out of the house. In the car she’s silent on the ride back to her hotel. 

When I park in front of the doors that lead to the main lobby, she finally looks over at me and smiles. “Thanks for the ride.” 

She’s opening the car door, but I grab her by the arm, not liking the vibes she’s putting out. “Don’t I get a kiss goodnight?”

“Of course you do.” She leans over and pecks me on the cheek. 

“What the hell was that?” I grab the back of her head and give her a real kiss. Looking into her in the eyes, I can see that she’s amused, no longer preoccupied with whatever’s bothering her. “Now you can go.” She laughs and steps out of the car. I watch her walk through the lobby, rub a hand over her forehead and get into an elevator. Every time she tries to distance herself from me, I’ll stop her. Eventually, she’ll learn to trust me completely. 

Annabelle

Jackson is sitting on the couch again, in a pair of cut-off sweats and tank top, watching television, when I enter the suite.
Jesus, it’s the middle of the night, was he waiting up for me?
As soon as he sees me, he smiles smugly. “You know I won earlier. Why don’t you just admit it, Annie?” I don’t say anything, just grab the ice bucket with melted ice water in it and dump it on his head. “What the fuck, Annabelle?” He jumps off the couch and peels off his shirt. 

“That’s for cheating and for calling me while I was with Gabriel. You know better than that,” I reprimand him, knowing that I’m also frustrated with myself. 

“Well jeez, I was just wondering when you were coming home. Can’t a big brother worry about his little sister?” He is so full of crap.

“Oh, please! I can take care of myself. You were just calling because you had nothing better to do than annoy me.” Walking into my bedroom, I toss my bag on the bed and go back into the living room to have it out with my brother. 

He’s grabbed a new shirt and is pulling it over his head. “What do you expect? This job is taking forever. When are you going to make the hit?” His question is one that I don’t want to think about. 

“Xavier Sanchez is supposed to be home for Halloween. That’s when I’ll do it.” I’m dreading the end of this assignment. That’s never happened before. Of course, I know the reason why. After Gabriel’s father is dead, I’ll leave town and never see him again.

I’ll give him my condolences over his father’s death and tell him that my parents changed their mind about settling in Miami or that my father’s business interests are taking us elsewhere. Whether he wants to keep in touch or not, and I’m guessing that he will, I’ll be forced to sever all ties. For his good and mine, even though the thought causes an unfamiliar ache in my chest. 

Gabriel

Halloween

I’m getting into my Halloween costume, waiting for Anna to call and tell me that she’s ready. When I’m done, I go to my mom’s room to see if she needs any help with the party. She tells me that the party planner has everything under control. As I thought, but brownie points never hurt in the parent department.

I call Anna, wondering what’s taking her so long. She answers on the second ring, “Hello?”
“Hey, are you ready for me to come get you?” Tonight will be awesome.

“Um . . . actually, I’m already in my car driving to your place.” She doesn’t sound like herself.
Detached
, is the word that comes to mind. Maybe she’s just preoccupied with driving.