Status: This is my NaNoWriMo 2015 attempt. Let the horror begin!
To Kill a Ghost
Chapter Six
Kirkland cursed the glass door Dedra slammed behind her. That girl had no idea what she was talking about. She definitely had the wrong thought process over the whole situation, but he let her think what she wanted to think to keep her safe. Letting her think for herself obviously wasn’t working anymore considering she was walking into open range full of anger.
“You cannot afford to be reckless, Sweetheart,” he said to the empty office.
Kirkland wiped his hand over his face once and grabbed the glass from the table next to the row of chairs he slept on. He needed to shave and find decent clothes to put on before his lunch meeting. A thought suddenly crossed his mind. Do I really want to go do this? What do I owe this woman, and how the hell can she circle around to bite me in the ass?
Visions of the dark haired woman swirled through his thoughts as he walked to his private office. He pictured her in a 50s styled dress with her hair fixed just so. The dried glass moved from his hand to its coaster on his cherry wood desk. If Dedra saw his client rather than the man she was after, her misguided trust issues would blow up in his face. He shouldn’t take this case. Not because his suspicions grew by the second, but because his only family saw something unworthy in this case. Dedra was right. Something was off, but he couldn’t stop it this time.
“We’ve got to move.” Kirkland growled his order at the thirteen year old. She had been in training for three and a half years now, but she was still just as stubborn as the day they started.
“No, we don’t.” She crossed her arms over her chest and glanced toward the window. “If we go out that door they will shoot!”
He shouldn’t have brought her. She wasn’t ready for this. “They are supposed to shoot, Dedra. Do you understand that they are trying to kill us before I kill them?”
She rolled her eyes. “No! I thought they were trying to give me a love tap with a bullet.”
He gritted his teeth as he spoke, “You don’t want to go out that door? Fine, stay here. Don’t cry when you have another bullet wound scar.”
She moved toward the door in the room. He slowly opened it and moved through it, looking around the ground level. Dedra hesitated in the threshold, almost as if she sensed it.
“I told you, everything is…” Kirkland trailed off as the first bullet struck his thigh. He dove toward Dedra. She pulled him through the doorway and slammed the door.
“Didn’t I say it was too soon?” She smirked.
“You don’t know everything, Little Girl,” Kirkland retorted before ripping a piece of his shirt and tying it around his leg, cutting off the blood flow.
“I’m not a little girl anymore,” she hissed as she glanced out the window. “They’ll come closer, one at a time, and that is how we will get out of this.”
Dedra Callahan was the reason Kirkland quit working as a mercenary. He stopped assassinating people as soon as she proved she could think herself out of things the way he could shoot himself out of trouble. His little girl grew up in that moment, and the realization that he could lose her hit him hard. What would Kirkland Reeves do without Dedra?
He grabbed his coat off the hook behind his door. Kirk needed to put these awful memories and scars behind him. There was work to be done, and he needed to focus. His fingertips rubbed the hidden scar on his thigh as he walked to Linox’s computer room.
“You cannot afford to be reckless, Sweetheart,” he said to the empty office.
Kirkland wiped his hand over his face once and grabbed the glass from the table next to the row of chairs he slept on. He needed to shave and find decent clothes to put on before his lunch meeting. A thought suddenly crossed his mind. Do I really want to go do this? What do I owe this woman, and how the hell can she circle around to bite me in the ass?
Visions of the dark haired woman swirled through his thoughts as he walked to his private office. He pictured her in a 50s styled dress with her hair fixed just so. The dried glass moved from his hand to its coaster on his cherry wood desk. If Dedra saw his client rather than the man she was after, her misguided trust issues would blow up in his face. He shouldn’t take this case. Not because his suspicions grew by the second, but because his only family saw something unworthy in this case. Dedra was right. Something was off, but he couldn’t stop it this time.
“We’ve got to move.” Kirkland growled his order at the thirteen year old. She had been in training for three and a half years now, but she was still just as stubborn as the day they started.
“No, we don’t.” She crossed her arms over her chest and glanced toward the window. “If we go out that door they will shoot!”
He shouldn’t have brought her. She wasn’t ready for this. “They are supposed to shoot, Dedra. Do you understand that they are trying to kill us before I kill them?”
She rolled her eyes. “No! I thought they were trying to give me a love tap with a bullet.”
He gritted his teeth as he spoke, “You don’t want to go out that door? Fine, stay here. Don’t cry when you have another bullet wound scar.”
She moved toward the door in the room. He slowly opened it and moved through it, looking around the ground level. Dedra hesitated in the threshold, almost as if she sensed it.
“I told you, everything is…” Kirkland trailed off as the first bullet struck his thigh. He dove toward Dedra. She pulled him through the doorway and slammed the door.
“Didn’t I say it was too soon?” She smirked.
“You don’t know everything, Little Girl,” Kirkland retorted before ripping a piece of his shirt and tying it around his leg, cutting off the blood flow.
“I’m not a little girl anymore,” she hissed as she glanced out the window. “They’ll come closer, one at a time, and that is how we will get out of this.”
Dedra Callahan was the reason Kirkland quit working as a mercenary. He stopped assassinating people as soon as she proved she could think herself out of things the way he could shoot himself out of trouble. His little girl grew up in that moment, and the realization that he could lose her hit him hard. What would Kirkland Reeves do without Dedra?
He grabbed his coat off the hook behind his door. Kirk needed to put these awful memories and scars behind him. There was work to be done, and he needed to focus. His fingertips rubbed the hidden scar on his thigh as he walked to Linox’s computer room.
Fingers flew over keys, pressing letters and numbers. His eyes scanned just as fast as the buttons were pushed. It took him all of an hour to rescan the places he knew Sam wouldn’t be, so he thought about the scene of the crime. If the guy was stupid enough to be at the bar, maybe he stayed there. Or worse, Sam Jennings probably went back to his room with his lady friend.
The Marquis Grand Hotel Bar was closed for the morning hours, but the hallway to room 1504 had a fuzzy camera view. The door to the room was left ajar. Linox had been right about this guy’s stupidity. Sam was probably in there passed out with the woman hanging on him last night without a care in the world.
He couldn’t hold back his sleepy grin as he turned to find Dedra, but instead he found Kirkland standing in his doorway. The older man stared at him with those piercing blue eyes for a long moment. “Sir…” Linox started.
“You found him in his hotel room?” Kirkland asked. His voice mirrored the confusion furrowed on his brow. He was just as dumbfounded as Linox had been.
“I found him in the bar first.” Linox corrected.
“Keep eyes on him.” Kirkland turned to leave.
“Should I call…”
“No! Don’t call her just yet. I have a meeting around lunch time, and I’m guessing Jennings will stay there for a while.” His fingers tapped a spot on his right thigh. Linox ignored the familiar action and nodded.
“I think she would want a call,” he argued as he scratched his chin.
“When did I start paying you to think, Linox?” His eyes turned hard and demanding. “Does Dedra pay you?”
“No…” Dedra wasn’t even nice to him.
“Does she keep you out of jail?”
“Well, no…” One time, in two years, Kirkland bailed him out for a small fight over an ex-girlfriend, and the man still wouldn’t drop it.
“And who’s paying for your mother’s hospital stay?”
You don’t get to cross that line, Kirk! His fingers curled into his palms while they shook with their anger. “I get it,” Linox scoffed. “Okay, fine, I won’t call her.”
“Good! Now, keep eyes on Jennings while I go home and then to my meeting. If he leave the hotel property, call me.” Kirkland finished with a nod.
“Yes, Sir,” Linox retorted. As the older man turned away from him, Linox gave a fake salute with a twisted scowl before he turned back to his computers. “What crawled up his ass and died?”
The Marquis Grand Hotel Bar was closed for the morning hours, but the hallway to room 1504 had a fuzzy camera view. The door to the room was left ajar. Linox had been right about this guy’s stupidity. Sam was probably in there passed out with the woman hanging on him last night without a care in the world.
He couldn’t hold back his sleepy grin as he turned to find Dedra, but instead he found Kirkland standing in his doorway. The older man stared at him with those piercing blue eyes for a long moment. “Sir…” Linox started.
“You found him in his hotel room?” Kirkland asked. His voice mirrored the confusion furrowed on his brow. He was just as dumbfounded as Linox had been.
“I found him in the bar first.” Linox corrected.
“Keep eyes on him.” Kirkland turned to leave.
“Should I call…”
“No! Don’t call her just yet. I have a meeting around lunch time, and I’m guessing Jennings will stay there for a while.” His fingers tapped a spot on his right thigh. Linox ignored the familiar action and nodded.
“I think she would want a call,” he argued as he scratched his chin.
“When did I start paying you to think, Linox?” His eyes turned hard and demanding. “Does Dedra pay you?”
“No…” Dedra wasn’t even nice to him.
“Does she keep you out of jail?”
“Well, no…” One time, in two years, Kirkland bailed him out for a small fight over an ex-girlfriend, and the man still wouldn’t drop it.
“And who’s paying for your mother’s hospital stay?”
You don’t get to cross that line, Kirk! His fingers curled into his palms while they shook with their anger. “I get it,” Linox scoffed. “Okay, fine, I won’t call her.”
“Good! Now, keep eyes on Jennings while I go home and then to my meeting. If he leave the hotel property, call me.” Kirkland finished with a nod.
“Yes, Sir,” Linox retorted. As the older man turned away from him, Linox gave a fake salute with a twisted scowl before he turned back to his computers. “What crawled up his ass and died?”
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