Dirty Laundry

Landon looked down shamefully. ‘‘It’s who we are'' ''you have a family..What do you mean ‘we’?'' ''I was adopted when I was a baby..Like Kyle. My mother was a heroin addict; I don’t even know who my father was. Then Tammy, my adoptive mother, found me and she took me. I became one of the family. I had someone since I was little. But when I grew I found everything out and it came back to haunt me. My mother found me and she cursed me out. She even fought for custody of me when I was ten. She somehow bullshitted everything and Mrs. Tammy lost custody of me. I lived with my birth mother for five years..Five years of pure hell. I couldn’t take it anymore..I killed her. I shot her up with heroin when she was already knocked out from it and she died of an overdose. Since then I’ve been in and out of the system until Mrs. Tammy finally found me again and took me back. I understand what Smith felt, the only difference was I was adopted and he wasn’t. Not every child gets adopted..The lucky ones do but not all of them'' he sighed looking down at his hands as he shook his head.

I reached across the table and grabbed his hand. ‘‘Do all assassins have problems?'' I laughed bitterly. ‘‘We all have our own demons'' he sighed looking down at my hand. ‘‘You’re like a brother to me already, I’m sorry you feel that way. Do you wake from nightmares too?'' ‘‘We all do'' ''finish your dinner..I’m going to bed'' I let go of his hand and stood up. I washed my glass and put it to dry. Landon ate his food silently. ''I’ll talk to him if you want'' he called before I left the kitchen. I paused and looked over my shoulder. ‘‘No, it’s ok. I’ll talk to him myself..I don’t like going behind people's backs'' I shook my head. He nodded understanding. ‘‘Ok. Goodnight'' ‘‘night’’.

I settled in bed but I couldn’t sleep. I tossed and turned for what seemed forever but when I looked at the clock only minutes passed by. i just stared at the ceiling waiting for sleep to overcome me but I never did. And finally Cerberus stood up and loped out of the door. I knew Smith was home. A few minutes later and he was walking into the room. I heard him toss his jacket to the floor then kick off his boots before he disappeared into the closet only to come out in his night pants. He climbed into bed weary and scooped me up in his arms.

He yawned nestling his head in my chest and closing his eyes. ‘‘What’s wrong?'' he asked. ‘‘Nothing..Just can’t sleep'' I ran my fingers through his short hair. ‘‘Are you still worrying over me?'' ‘‘Talk to Landon did you?'' ‘‘He mentioned it'' ''yes I’m worried'' ''I’ve already told you I’m fine'' ''that’s what you say but you don’t look fine'' ''well I’m telling you I’m fine'' ''I know, it’s just my instinct tells me otherwise'' I shrugged. I felt his cheeks lift in a small smile. ‘‘No one’s ever cared for me why should you?'' ‘‘Don’t ask stupid questions you know why'' ''I do..But I love hearing you say it'' he whispered like a lost puppy. I kissed the top of his head ''because I love you'' I whispered. He lifted his head smiling at me. He laid his forehead on mine ''I love you too'' he kissed me. He hitched my leg on his hip and ran his hand in my nightgown. Now he was being daring. I wasn’t used to someone feeling me up like this but I liked it. I couldn’t help but blush as he pulled my nightgown off me but all too soon it ended with the door opening. He hurried and covered us with the blanket. Landon stood in the door way then looked down ''we have company'' he said embarrassed. ''I’ll be down in a minute'' smith sighed. Landon closed the door and I could hear him chuckling outside. I rolled my eyes and Smith sighed growling under his breath about killing intruders and hanging Landon. I pulled my gown back on and stood up.

''I’ll get Kyle and Lina'' he stood up as well and took the gun from his jacket. He followed me next door. Landon was standing in the hallway by the stairs with a gun making sure no one went up. Smith pushed me into the closet again but this time with Lina. I held Kyle and looked back at him. ‘‘Give me a gun'' ''so you can pull what you did last time? Yeah right'' he snorted. ‘‘Smith'' ''no'' ''please'' I meshed my lips. He sighed reaching over my head and taking a hidden gun from the closet and handing it to me. ''I don’t want you downstairs got it?'' ‘‘Yes'' I looked away. ''Shanell I mean it'' ''ok'' I sighed taking the gun. He grabbed my face in both hands and kissed me quickly. ‘‘Im not done with you so don’t do something stupid'' I whispered before he left. He didn’t say a word but smirked nodding then left. He closed the door at the same moment I heard men yelling and Landon shouting back then gunfire. I held Kyle close and covered his ears. ‘‘What the fuck is going on?'' Lina rubbed her eyes still groggy. ‘‘Shh'' I led her to the back of the closet. There was a crawl space in this one unlike Smith's. ‘‘Come on'' I pushed away a box to reveal the small space. She raised a brow at me and I gave Kyle to her. ‘‘They have some enemies and they're here right now..I need you to protect Kyle..If I’m not back in twenty minutes I need you to call Matt..He’s in the phone..Tell him you’re a friend of Shanell and Smith and that you have Kyle. Tell him that Smith, Shanell, and Landon went down by friends of the enemy..I’m sure he'll understand'' I placed the small phone in her hand ''what’s going on?'' she said fearfully. ‘‘We’re under attack..'' ‘‘Smith said stay her-'' ''you think I’m going to listen to him? If not for me he'd still be pointing a gun at a German mercenary'' I snorted.

‘‘Oh my god he really is a-'' ''yes..Why would I lie in the first place now stay hidden'' ''no stay with me'' ''don’t worry I know what I’m doing'' I placed the box in front of her as she knelt in the crawl space. She looked at me with big bambi eyes as I left. On the way down the hall I stopped in the room beside his office and grabbed one more gun. I slowly went downstairs and peeked around the corner to the living room. Landon was talking to one of three mercenaries. One lay dead in the kitchen archway. Smith had guns on two mercenaries and Landon was squaring off with what seemed to be the leader. This time they didn’t speak in German. I was horrified to hear that they were talking in Spanish. Landon was horrible at it but he did pretty good for a gringo. Smith glared furiously as he spotted me but kept his glare to the other two. This time I didn’t intervene. I was just a bystander listening to the man speaking in Spanish.
The way he spoke confirmed he was from Spain. From what I could hear the gist of their conversation was about nothing but following orders. The mercenaries didn’t seem to know why they were after Smith all they knew was that they were being paid big bucks to kill him. A gun was shot and someone fell. I looked to find that the man who was speaking to Landon was dead.

Two more stood there. Two against two was a fair fight so I just turned and went back upstairs. I went back to Lina and Kyle and two shots rang in the air then all was silent.

‘‘It’s over'' I moved the box to find her comforting Kyle as he fussed. ‘‘This is ludicrous'' ''I know..it happens'' I led her back to the main room where Smith glared at me in the door way. ‘‘Just stay and don’t go downstairs'' I said as I went to him and grabbed his hand dragging him away since I knew he was going to yell at me or something for not listening to him.
I closed Lina's door and sighed. ''I didn’t barge in this time'' I smiled innocently. ''I told you to stay up he-'' ''I know..I was curious'' ''you could have gotten yourself killed'' ''I’m sorry'' I uncrossed his arms and laced my hands with his. ‘‘Im sorry'' I tiptoed pecking his lips. ‘‘I’m still mad at you'' ''yeah well twenty minutes ago you were stripping me'' ''this isn’t funny Shanell there were more men this time. If they would have seen you they would have shot at you'' ''I said I was sorry'' ''sorry doesn’t cut it if you’re dead on the ground with a bullet in your head''
‘‘You’re angry over nothing..I was just watching'' ''I’m not stupid Shanell..They spoke Spanish. What did you hear?'' ‘‘They didn’t know anything. They were just paid to come after you'' ''who hired them?'' ‘‘They didn’t know. It was an anonymous person with big bucks'' ''come on lets go to bed'' ''can you make Kyle a bottle?'' ‘‘Yes..But stay up here. I think you've seen enough dead bodies for a life time'' ''ok I’ll be in here with Lina'' I motioned to Lina's room. I turned walking into the room. Lina was sitting on the bed trying to rock Kyle to sleep. ‘‘He won’t sleep, he's hungry. Smith went to go make him a bottle'' I held my arms out for him. ‘‘Ok'' she nodded handing Kyle to me. I smiled at him and rocked and cooed at him.

‘‘So what’s going on downstairs?'' she asked. ‘‘They are cleaning up the bodies'' ''bodies? As in more than one?'' ‘‘At least four'' I sighed. ‘‘Wow'' ''I know..Don’t worry you won’t be exposed to anything gruesome'' ''and you?'' ''I’ve been exposed already..It doesn’t matter much to me but you have no concept of this kind of thing what so ever'' ''what does that mean?'' ''you’re a civilian..it’s natural that you've been shielded since birth'' ''and you? You’re a civilian'' ''yes but you know my father'' ''oh yeah. Lunatic'' ''hey...that’s Mr. Lunatic to you'' I giggled. Smith came up ''can I feed him?'' he asked. I nodded holding Kyle out to him. ‘‘Goodnight'' I turned to Lina as Smith walked out. ‘‘Night'' ''are you sure you don’t want me to take the crib?'' ''I’m sure. I don’t mind the munchkin'' ''ok'' I nodded as I walked out.

I laid on my side as I watched Smith feed Kyle. Kyle finished eating and Smith burped him then rocked him back to sleep before taking him to his room. He came back and climbed into bed. ''I’m drained'' he said weary as he scooped me up in his arms again and laid his head on my chest as he did before. I ran my hand up and down his arm. ‘‘Sing me a lullaby'' he yawned. ‘‘What?'' ‘‘The lullaby you sing to Kyle..Sing it for me?'' ‘‘Ok'' I smiled lightly. I sang the lullaby my mom used to sing to me, the one I now sang to Kyle. He fell asleep in my arms but still I couldn’t get to sleep. I just stared at the ceiling until I finally drifted off to a light sleep.