The funeral was a disaster; my life is somewhat the same as well. I quit work and have been stuck on my couch all week after not being able to move. Serena has called and checked in on me a few times, so has my new friend Harlin. I tried to get Cherry to take the brand-new car that’s parked out front and sell it to give Connick his money back, but she wouldn’t do that no matter how much I tried to bribe her. If I decide to drive myself anywhere, I won’t have any other choice but to take that new car because, in the process of buying me a new one, he’s had my old one towed away. Luckily I don’t keep anything valuable in my car or I’d be very pissed off right now.

I’ve been toying with the idea of taking a photography course online, and I think I will just bite the bullet and do it. Photography is something I’ve always been interested in and loved, just not of me, but of everyone else. I don’t understand the whole ‘selfie’ thing. Why do people want to take photos of themselves when there’s so much more interesting things to capture?

I went shopping online and bought a new camera, and it arrived in the mail yesterday.

Serena immediately wanted me to take photos of her and the kids to test my skills with my new camera, and they came out pretty good considering it’s not something I’ve ever done before.

Serena asked me what kind of photography I want to do—take portraits, weddings, landscapes, candid shots—there are so many options. Today I’m visiting a studio to get a feel for it thanks to Von. He’s friends with a very well-known celebrity photographer, and I couldn’t be more excited to view his work, including witnessing how he works with the camera.

Taking some Rolaids to settle my stomach down, I contemplate calling an Uber when my brand-new keys sit dangling in front of me. Checking the time, I realize I’m already late and it's best to go now before I make a bad impression of myself. Walking to the new car is very awkward. I’ve never owned something this expensive before. Yes, Derrick used to lavish me with gifts, but that was purely so he could buy and keep me. His gifts were never this extravagant though and this feels way over the top and too much. I’m not sure what I can even do about it.

Opening the door, the first thing I notice is that it doesn’t creak, and not a sound comes from the car it’s so silent. Starting it, and not hearing the noises of my old car is even weirder as I take off down the road.

* * *

The studio was even better than I expected. All his work was on display, and I even got to stay for one of his photo shoots. He also offered me a job, which I couldn’t resist the request even though I was shocked that he would offer it to me. It would be utterly stupid of me to turn down a position that can help better my life, and that’s what I need to do—better my situation.

Harlin called when I left and asked me to come out with her. I was hesitant at first until she said he wouldn’t be there. Connick’s always on my mind even when he shouldn’t be there, and that’s a major problem. I have never had feelings for a man the way I do for Connick, and I don’t understand them one bit. I don’t think he does either.

Harlin is standing on some steps when I pull up at the front of her house in my new car. She raises her eyebrows and looks it over before she pulls the door open.

“Let me guess, lover boy bought you a new car?”

“Of course.”

“You want to burn it?”

I laugh and shake my head. “That sounds like a great idea, but unfortunately he took my old one, giving me no choice but to use this one.”

“That boy ain’t no fool, girl.”

“Where to?”

I notice she’s dressed in all black. She turns to face me. “I did plan to just have a girl’s night with you, but I had a call about a job.”

“Oh… okay.”

She looks me over before she speaks again. “You can come with. I’m my own boss and all.”

I shrug my shoulders telling her sure, and we start driving with Harlin giving me directions. We arrive at a quieter part of town, but also known to not be friendly. She tells me to stop at an old casino. Harlin swings around and proceeds to pull some items from her bag. Knives, guns, and god only knows what else. She starts adding them to her clothes and tucking them in her boots.

To say I’m shocked would be an understatement. Harlin hands me a knife, my fingers take it, but I don’t move. Instead, I just look at it, frozen in my position on the seat. The knife is large and very sharp. It looks a little like a hunting knife with a black handle and a shiny blade.

“What am I meant to do with this?”

“Protect yourself.”

“Ummm… okay. From who?”

Harlin smirks as she opens the door. She proceeds to walk around to my side and pull the driver’s door open.

“I wouldn’t recommend staying in the car by yourself. Just remember, the pointy end goes in them not you.” She starts walking off with her boots clicking on the pavement in the parking lot. Rushing up so I’m behind her, I follow her into the dark casino. Looking around, there are hardly any customers and those that are there stare at us as we enter. Some look away and back to their game, some look longer than necessary. Harlin walks straight past them and out the back. She only turns once with a smile on her face to make sure I’m following her as she walks. Behind a back door, a cloud of smoke is all I see when we walk in. The door shuts behind me with a thud, and I have to wait for my eyes to adjust.

“Joey,” Harlin’s voice filters through the silence in the room. Turning, I see she’s looking at a man that’s sitting at the head of the table with a cigar hanging from his lips.

“Harlin, baby, come on… not tonight.”

She cracks her head to either side. “I’m sorry, Joey.” She looks at the rest of the men around the table. “Leave boys, now.” Some stand and listen to what she’s ordered them to do, but two stay seated right next to Joey on either side of him. “I didn’t want to do this the hard way, Joey. I had planned for it to be sweet and merciful. Are you picking the other option?”

He laughs and removes the cigar. “Harlin, you’re leaving me no choice, girl. What did you think would happen?” He nods his head to his men. They both stand at the same time and start walking toward her. I don’t think they even notice me in the room because all eyes are focused firmly on Harlin.

Stepping back, I hit a wall with no escape as I watch on.

What exactly is it that she does?

She said this was her work.

Is it hustling people for money?

It can’t be though, because why is she saying what she’s just said to him. It sounds more like she’s about to kill him.

Both men start walking toward her fast, yet somehow, I see it all in slow motion as I watch her. Harlin’s hand reaches behind her hip and she pulls out a gun faster than they can run. One precise shot goes straight into the first man who’s closest to her, the next scrapes across the head of the second as his body collides with hers. He attempts to hit her face while he’s on the top of her, but she moves her head to the side and his hand slams down to the floor giving her the advantage. Harlin pulls her gun back up, aiming it at the side of his head as he drops right on top of her.

“Don’t move, Joey.”

Looking up to see what she’s talking about, I notice she’s right, Joey’s up and heading straight to me because I’m still standing in the doorway. My body is blocking his escape. His hand touches me in slow motion, and I look down to see Harlin trying to stand as she pushes the man off her. The moment she does, his hands are on me, and her gun is pointing at his head.

“Let her go, Joey.”

His breath stinks as he pulls me to him while his gun is aimed directly at my temple. I should be scared, petrified, right now, yet I have a state of relaxation running through me as this man holds me with a gun to my head.

I’m not afraid. I’ve seen worse in my dreams.

“You took two of my men, Harlin. You were only meant to come for me.”

One hand goes to her hip. “Did you come when I said so? No, you dick. Now remove your hands or I’ll make it painful.”

He clicks his tongue at her, and the moment he does, she fires. My chest grips hard with tension at the sound of the gun firing and aimed in my direction. Clenching my hands, I watch her fire, and then the bullet comes straight toward me. My body freezes, I’m unable to move from the position I’m stuck in. Then a sickening sound as the bullet pierces his head and blows out the back of his skull as it continues through and skims past me. His hands drop from either side of me while his body slouches. My arm is pulled forward as Harlin grips me tightly, then I hear a loud thud as his body hits the floor. She smiles when she looks up at me, her hand comes up wiping the bridge of my nose.

“Blood… sorry about that.” Harlin’s hand stays on mine as I follow her.

The maker of death herself.

“You haven’t spoken,” she says as I sit in my car out front of where she’s just killed three men.

“Do you do that often?”

Her lips pucker before she answers, “Sometimes twice a week. Sometimes once a month. Depends, really.”

“You enjoy it? The killing?”

Her body moves as she turns in her seat to face me. Her face is covered in blood, her clothes would be too but they’re black, and you can’t really see anything other than the shiny surface where the splatters obviously cover her.

“At first… no. Especially when I know the person. But I am good at it, Milanka, and have been for a very long time.” She glances up to the ceiling of the car. “You enjoy it… don’t you? What you’re good at?”

My hands clench on the steering wheel. “I love it. Yes.”

“Exactly. Ours are both sins. One’s just messier than the other.”

Sex and killing. She’s comparing them as if they’re both the same.

“How did you know?” I realize I’ve never told her much about me.

“There’s a file on you. I read it. You really love sex as much as I love my job. There’s not much difference really.”

“A file?” I ask in disbelief.

“Of course a file. How did you think he knew where you lived? Your name? That he could bed you with just one conversation.”

“I… I didn’t know that.”

“Obviously, and you really need to talk to him about that. Because you both are so miserable right now it’s kind of depressing, actually.”

“He’s miserable?” She laughs at my words. “And how do you know this isn’t just me?”

“For one, I’ve seen you. You smile a lot with him. But you never smile now. Two, I know Connick. And he’s a miserable prick right now and aggravated as fuck. I could kill him myself most of the time. We shall call him snappy. It’s a pleasant name, I could think of much worse right now.”

“He keeps things from me.”

She smiles. “We keep things from all those we care about. Do you want to know why?” Her eyes grow serious as they pinch together. “We’re afraid. Afraid if they see us they won’t like us. Because baby, we’re all fucked and twisted. It’s all about the level of fucked and twisted, and that some of us hide it better than others.”

“I need to shower.”

She laughs at my change of subject as I start the car up. “Don’t tell him that I brought you here. I do quite like my head attached to my body.”

“He knows what you do?”

“He was the one who got me into it.” She winks at me.