Rubbing my face, I slowly sit up in my Bulgari bed. The Egyptian cotton linen slides down my bare abs. Damn, overslept. Now Burt is in my ear, telling me that this was only going to end one way.
With the Whitsons’ death.
Doctor Whitson because of the new assassin assigned to his case. Lux is collateral damage for fucking with me.
“Hire someone to watch Luxury around the clock, we have an important event coming up back home, Vic,” Burt tries to interest me or deter me with the fact that I need to go home soon. His eyes are shrunken in as are mine since we’ve taken to watching Luxury in cycles around the clock.
“No,” I shake my head, and begin into the bathroom to brush my teeth and shower.
“Duke of Arlington! Why are we taking on a security stance? Tell me?” He tries to get in my face, but I have a one-track mind. The fatherly tone won’t work today.
Spitting out the foam, I wash my mouth out. “Burt, your orders are to watch Luxury until you could be relieved of duty. You don’t look relieved to me!”
“She’s at Urban Gardens virtually no customers today. That’s beside the point. Victor Wesley D’ Ross, when you accept a mission, you go in for the kill. It’s therapy to you. Allowing you to strategize the death of someone you know not, and care not of. There’s no connection involved.”
“I need to get to Luxury’s shop.” I decide to quickly wash my face and dress in Burberry Exchange jeans and a shirt.
Burt stands at my door; it’s all in his stance that I’m going above the call of duty for Lux.
“You want to know why this isn’t just a closed case?” I ask, while hastily putting on loafers.
“You decided to make the mark’s daughter yours!”
I put a hand up in consideration. Burt is past the point of no return with regard to arguing his position. Since he’s always had this paternal stance with me, I decide not to get angry. He follows me to the living room, where I grab a stack of files off the coffee table. “This is why I’m not on top of my game.” I shove the papers in his hands. While Burt was out watching Lux from midnight to noon, I’ve been reviewing the files that Monica sent.
Burt opens the manila envelope slowly. He gasps, ruffling through 8 by 7 photos of a female’s mutilated body. “Ghastly! Who is this and what has it got to do with us?”
“Gina Whitson, Luxury’s mother.”
He continues to search each angle intensely, livid at the thought of someone accosting Luxury’s mother. As a royal butler, his sole duty is my well-being and livelihood. He’s done well for my entire thirty-five years of life, but the little minx pulls at Burt’s heartstrings. Burt wants to help.
“Who did this?” Burt asks, his voice holding a slight tremor.
“The same man who put a hit out on the good doctor’s life,” I reply backing away. “Got to get to Luxury, she and Aliyah can’t defend themselves.”
“Lux was alone today, that’s why I returned, arguing about you not being ready,” Burt replies as the door closes.
I press the elevator button and start to tug into my leather jacket; it conceals the 9-millimeter. Elevator music does nothing to placate me; Lux being alone at the moment has me pissed. Traveling down the elevator, a call comes in from Monica, “Vic…it’s…in town…”
“What?” I push the Bluetooth deeper into my ear, as if that will help. Fucking universal phone is useless.
“Nowitsky…sighted…New York?”
Nowitsky!
Fuck.
Nowitsky is ex-militia, has been a major player in the biggest terrorist organization in Europe, along with an intense joy of being an X-Member assassin. Normally he chooses political missions, but I’ve been known to bid on a few of his scores…
Fuck. This is about the last political campaign. I stole his mark.
Sidestepping sightseers in the lobby, I move past a bellhop with a roller full of Gucci luggage thinking about any previous X-Member assignments that might pique Nowitsky’s interest. None.
I run hard and long, since the traffic is at a standstill. If Nowitsky has been here for a while, then he's seen Luxury with me and will use her as bait.
As I dial her phone again, I sprint through the middle of the intersection and weaving through the traffic that decided to sit in the pedestrian lane. At the street right before Urban Gardens, I make a quick turn and into the alley, going around back, just to scope the place out before making a fool of myself, if Nowitsky is not around.
Worry tangles the muscles in my abdomen. My selfishness won’t allow me to stop seeing Luxury. Now she’s the key to getting to me. Monica provided a report on Doctor Charles Everhart the brainiac who had hired my services. Monica had even provided the fact that he was the leading suspect in Gina’s death.
I’ve never been off my game in the past. Too stubborn to acknowledge Burt was right in the first place, I see Lux off in the distance with his arm wrapped around her.
Fire rushes through my veins at how fucking pissed I am that Nowitsky has placed a hand on what belongs to me. Lux’s legs are kicking out in the air.
They’re attention is on something in the store, and my gun silencer comes out. Even though Nowitsky keeps moving around as she flails in his arms. No hesitation, I take the shot. Luxury twists and turns, and it takes ages for the bullet to meet its intended.
Nowitsky goes timbering backwards, with Luxury in his arms.
“Ahhhh…” she continues to scream, lifting up from his dead weight at the speed of light and running back into the building. I brace myself for the scenario playing out before me. What the fuck is Luxury doing?
Sirens begin to ring out loud as I make my way to the building, back against the wall. Then I hear talking, as a man tells Luxury it will be okay and that he got the man. The guy is taking credit for my score. I notice a bullet that broke through the glass window of an abandoned shop on the opposite side of the alley. Yeah, he was a crack shot alright. Cracking windows right open.
Sirens blare out and more voices and footsteps are already at the shop, as if spectators are waiting to get an eyeful of activity.
Instead of saying anything, I take back down the alley and to the main street, and then cross over to the Taco shop across from Urban Gardens. Luxury is safe for the moment, and my identity won’t be compromised.