My phone was lying on the dining table while I watched James and Justin make up.
” YOU GOT YOUR KIDS BACK. ”
“9 pm, you will get my job done.”
“Don’t mess this up, Isabelle.”
“I took your children once, I won’t hesitate to take them again. ”
“This time far away from you. Trust me”
Dean’s messages rolled in.
I was so occupied with whatever was going on in my living that the Beeping of my phone all fell on deaf ears.
Justin invited James in to have a seat while he called the children.
Amelia and Aiden came out and gave him a big warm hug.
It all felt right but it wasn’t. Justin and James all under the same roof made me feel uncomfortable. It was what I had wanted all this while. To move on from the past, with My present in full knowledge and understanding of my situation. It happened. What I wanted happened.
Justin my past and James my present were both aware of everything and now and not just that, they were on good terms.
Why was I so scared? Why did the fear of falling all over again for Justin creep in? Why?
Justin, James, Amelia, and Aiden were having a great time in the living room. The house was filled with laughter and happiness.
I got pizza and we all sat down to play a Game of Monopoly.
I was seated on the floor, in between Justin and James while the kids sat in front of us. We all formed a circle on the floor.
It was my turn to play now. I leaned closer to the puzzle and my hair fell to my face. James saw it and decided to help me out. He pulled a few strands of my falling hair away from my face and tucked it behind my ear.
“You look better with your hair up .”
He told me after adjusting my hair. I tried to not keep eye contact with him. Justin was staring.
He once told me he loved it when my hair fell to my face.
“You are beautiful in all shades but your beauty just appears better when your hair struggles to find balance on your face” His words still echoed in my ears.
“Th… thank you. ” I said to him and tucked the rest behind my ears.
I was playing my game when my phone rang from the dining table. Finally, something to distract us all from the building-up tension in the room.
“A few minutes ”
“Carry on kids.”
I excused myself, went to the table that was only 5 feet away, and picked up my phone to see who it was.
Maybe it was from work. I called in on a family emergency the previous Morning maybe it was my boss calling to check-in.
“Dean….” My screen turned on with his name on it.
I couldn’t answer the call there. Not in front of everyone. I was close to picking up when he ended the call.
Glancing at the kids and Justin, I saw they were all engrossed in their games. I went to my room and called him again.
” You have such a Daring nerve. ”
“You got Amelia and Aiden back and you thought to ignore me?”
“Don’t make that mistake. ”
“I wasn’t ignoring. ”
“I was occupied. I’m sorry ”
“You were occupied? Not too occupied when your children were in my custody were you ?”
“Why didn’t you return my messages?”
“What messages? ” I asked. For all I was aware of, I didn’t get any message from him and even if I did while the Phone was lying on the table, I would have seen it when I picked it up.
“Look for it.”
“Don’t ange, r me, Isabelle. ”
” I am a ruthless man, you know that already. ”
He ended the call abruptly and left me wondering what he was talking about. He couldn’t have been lying by sending me a text message.
No one noticed my disappearance yet. So I had enough time to brood over my situation. I took one last look at my notification bar. Still nothing.
After a while, I chose to check my mailbox. He was right. Dean was right. He did send me a message. I didn’t read it. I knew that then how did it disappear from my unread messages? Amelia and Aiden didn’t touch my phone for any reason. They were too busy running around the house. Which left me with two options. It was Either James or Justin.
I couldn’t decide and I also didn’t know if my assumptions were right. I didn’t see any of them go near my phone. Was I overthinking or just absent-minded?
I feared for what was to come. I feared what was going to happen if eventually my assumption turned out to be correct and Justin/ James got to find out about my whole plan. The thought of it makes me shudder.
I read through the message all over again and realized I was going to Eliminate Justin’s sister. The poor girl did nothing to me but I had to kill her in place of my children’s safety.
********
I managed to get through the whole day with the constant thought of James and Justin asking about the message I had thought they read but I got nothing.
It was evening time, Justin left to attend to the pending issue at work, James had to leave and the kids were fast asleep.
It was almost time to leave. Time to carry out my last operation. Hopefully, it was going to be the last. I wanted my life back to how it was. It wasn’t perfect. Of course not but at least I didn’t have to assassinate people for money. Importantly, I didn’t have to live in fear of being assassinated.
Dean sent me Jessica’s and Dylan’s locations. They were both in a Resort. They were going to leave the city in the next 24 hours. Dean gathered all the information. Important and useless just to make sure I didn’t miss any step during the mission.
At 8:30 pm, Dylan and Jessica were going on a yacht cruise. Dean was also aware that Dylan was moving drugs and a pound of cash in the boat.
All Dean was instructed to do was to kill Dylan and his Girlfriend and nothing more but his greed blinded his eyes and ruled over his judgment. Alongside the death of the two, he wanted me to bring back the cash and the drugs.
At 8:45, the yacht was to move after which I was already on it.
I dressed up. I wore black leather pants and a leather jacket. Picked up a face cap and a nose mask just to make sure my face was covered thoroughly. If by any chance Jessica recognized me, I was done and my life would be over before it began.
My gun was tucked into my trousers carefully and invisible. I was set to go. I double-checked the kids and saw they were still asleep.
I was doing this only for their safety. Nothing mattered. Carefully, I closed the door. Took a deep breath and went out.
Dean, as always, had already sent a car to pick me up and drop me at the marina where everything and the next plan was waiting for me.
At exactly 8:00. I was at the Mariana. It’s funny how money was able to change people’s orientation.
Dean knew this well. He had already paid off the captain to allow me in even when it was a private yacht booked.
I was on board now. The plan was to kill them both before the trip began, flee to the scene with the money and drugs with the help of the captain like nothing ever happened and I wasn’t even there. Easy right? I thought but I had something installed.
There was no way on earth I was going to kill Jessica. I planned to let her go. I planned to let her escape and in return lie to Dean.
I was taking a huge risk but I didn’t mind. A risk that I knew could cost me my life.
What I was doing or how I was going to do it all remained a mystery to me. An unsolved puzzle that I knew I was going to solve sooner or later.
I waited for the time with built-up tension. I was at the pilot’s house with the captain. Perfectly hidden away so as not to raise suspicion.
At 8:25, Dylan and Jessica came on board. The moment I have been waiting for was anxiously. How was it all going to play out? I had no idea.
Dylan and Jessica were in each other’s arms. Kissing and sucking their lips. The evening was just perfect for Romance. What better way to enjoy each other’s company than on a private yacht in the middle of nowhere?
Jessica was moaning while Dylan took his hands up her thigh. He was about to pull her panties down her flared gown when I pointed a gun at his head.
“You might want to think about that again,” I said with a fierce voice. My face was still covered and my nose mask did a great job in changing my tone.
They immediately stopped kissing. Dylan raised his two hands and surrendered. Jessica jerked herself away from him. Her hands were held up.
“How did you get in here? ” Dylan asked me. His deep baritone voice was intimidating Just like his physique was.
“You should be worried about your life and not my business. ”
“What do you want from us ?” Jessica asked me with her head bent downwards. She tried not to keep eye contact with him.
“Why don’t we ask your Fraudulent boyfriend ”
“Hey, you better watch your mouth “Dylan snapped.
“Mind your tone young man or your girlfriend gets it.”
“Stand up,” I ordered him
He obeyed and stood up with his hands up in the air.
“The money.”
“What money?”
“Don’t you dare act smart with me?”
“Bring the money. ”
“There is no fucking Money ” Dylan yelled out to me.
“Give her the fucking money Dylan ” Jessica yelled at him. The poor girl feared for her life.
“Shut up bitch” he yelled back.
I hit him with the gun on his head forcefully and he immediately retaliated. He slapped me, pushed me back, and grabbed my hand which had a gun in it.
“Just give her the dang money and let it go ” Jessica cried out.
We were both struggling. He was trying to pull the gun out of my hands with all his might while I struggled to keep my feet.
ISABELLE! Justin yelled out.
A fired a shot …..