Chapter 10 -Date
1906 Words
Cassius
Cassius arrived ten minutes before eight thirty, checked in his reservation and was seated by a window. He waited until eight thirty-five before he took out his phone, wondering if she was going to even arrive. Technically, she never said she would. Part of him was okay with that.
As he was pulling out his wallet, he heard footsteps approaching his table. He looked up and saw Nikita standing by him. She was just as beautiful as she was that morning. Still adorning the black leather jacket, but had a green dress that went to her mid thighs and black heels.
He quickly stood, causing his chair to fall back and to the floor. Cassius cringed at the bang of the chair. He quickly picked it up, then walked around pulling out her chair. She sat down as he slid it in. He then sat in his own chair.
“I didn’t think you would show up.”
She looked away and tucked her hair behind her ear as she said. “I almost didn’t. Your friend, Killian, escorted me here.”
Apparently, it was a good thing they had asked for help from Killian. Within hours, he found her in the underworld and brought her.
“What does he do anyways?”
“Who?”
“Killian.”
Cassius debated how much he should tell her. Him being an ex-member of DN.9 was a family secret.
“Killian is a lawyer. Made a partner at Gullman and Johnson just last year.”
She leaned forward, crossing her arms on the table. “What would a lawyer be doing in a gambling room?”
Cassius wasn’t sure exactly what Killian would be doing. They were close, but he didn’t exactly share every detail of his life with him.
“Maybe for a case. Killian works rather closely with the police department.”
He wasn’t sure why he said that. She was mafia, they hated the police. Did Cassius just sign Killian’s death warrant?
“So he is familiar with legal stuff and the underworld?”
Cassius took a drink of his water, not wanting to seal a dooming fate on his brother.
Nikita leaned back with a soft smile. “Relax. Nothing bad will happen to Killian.”
Killian was afraid that if they knew about them, and that they were his adopted family, it would bring them harm.
Nikita looked around. “Have you ordered yet?”
He shook his head.
She grabbed the menu, looking through the options. Her brown curls fell across her shoulders, some of the longest tips brushed the top of the table.
Cassius looked down at his menu.
“I always enjoy their lo mein special and sushi.”
Nikita glanced up at him and looked back at the menu. “Let’s do that then.”
Cassius waved the waiter over, who looked relieved to finally be taking their order. After scribbling it down, he left.
Cassius looked down and straightened the silverware.
“What… were you doing in a gambling room?” He felt silly, but it was the only point of conversation he could think of and an awkward silent dinner didn't sound pleasant either.
“Doing what needs to be done. I was collecting information.”
“On what?”
She looked him in the eyes. “I don’t think you need to know that.”
There was no trust between them. Better keep to light topics.
“Did you go to the Scelus State University?" He remembered her shirt.
She held his gaze. “I didn’t go to the university or public school. But my mother was adamant I at least finish high school. So I got my diploma online.”
So she was essentially home schooled, probably in a lot of different areas if his left cheek was any indication.
“Why couldn’t you go to public school?”
Her face turned to one of patience, as if she was about to explain something to a child. “I was too much of a target. Gangs would try to use me as bargaining chips, hold me for ransom. It wasn’t safe.”
“But that sounds lonely.”
She turned her gaze away from him. “It was.”
“Have you tried college? Campuses are quite large, and if you leave this city then no one could possibly…” he stopped talking when she looked back up at him with a pained expression. As if he was presenting her a world just out of her reach.
He said, “Oh you can’t do that, can you? Not even the local college?”
Her face quickly shifted and she gave him a look of indifference as if they were suddenly talking about the weather. He knew what she was doing, it was what Killian would do when they were younger. She was protecting her emotions, protecting her vulnerability. Cassius didn’t know much about the mafia world, but he understood that vulnerability was seen as a weakness to exploit and use.
He prodded further. “Why can’t you go to the local college, if that is something you want to do. I know college isn’t for everyone.”
“I can’t, my father sees it as a waste of time for someone like me. What he needs me for doesn’t require a college degree.”
Even though she talked as if it was a simple thing and one not worth the time discussing, he could see in her eyes that she wanted it.
“Let’s just say you got to go. What would you study?”
Her eyes snapped and he saw the little bit of herself she presented get closed off.
“Not important.”
“I'm curious. This seems like it might be important to you.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Important to me? You don’t even know me. You don’t understand my world.”
He tried to reach for her hand, but she moved it.
Cassius spoke gently, “I want to understand." They were stuck together. "I want to know you, Nikita.”
Nikita lowered her voice to an icy whisper that chilled Cassius. “People call me Niki. I grew up in a house where I was taught to lie, steal, cheat, and assassinate. I grew up alone, and away from everyone. I was then conditioned to obey every rule, and do everything I’m told with no objection. I’ve killed men and delivered countless others to their deaths. I’ve stolen and lied. I’ve broken the law more times than you can count. You want to know me? That’s who I am. I’m a poisonous spider that will bite at the first opportunity. You can’t trust me.”
Cassius leaned back after hearing her description of herself.
Quietly he asked, “Is this who you believe you are? Or just what you are told to be?”
She paused, and looked at him. She sat up and opened her mouth.
Cassius leaned forward. “I believe you want to be different, that you want to choose who you can become. But you're trapped in a place that controls who you’ve become. I want to know Nikita.”
She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. “What if they are the same?”
Cassius leaned back too. “Then this will be one hell of an adventure.”
Nikita dropped her head, and started laughing. She looked at him with laughter dancing in her green eyes. He smiled in return.
“I’ll be honest with you, Nikita. I’m already getting excited for the holidays. Thanksgiving at my house, and let’s say Christmas at yours? I’m already thinking of what present to get Orsino. Do you think he would like a cat?”
She laughed harder and brought a hand to her cheek.
“Orsino would accidentally kill the cat.”
“So you're saying, I shouldn’t give him a live one then.”
She laughed harder before controlling it.
He leaned in. “I know, a stuffed one.”
She burst out laughing again and he joined in. Their laughter was quickly quieted by the waiter bringing their meal.
After dinner, they walked outside into the still warm air. Traffic buzzed by and the different sounds of engines mingled into a chorus. Cassius looked at the surrounding bright lights of buildings that seemed to try to replace the stairs.
Cassius looked at Nikita, who watched him. He swallowed.
“Where can I take you?”
Nikita walked past him. “This way.”
He caught up. “My car is the other way.”
“We’ll get back to your car.”
She walked across the street before the light was red, allowing her to walk. He ran across, narrowly missing getting hit by a passing vehicle. His heart pounded, wondering what crazy woman she really was. Another block, and she walked into a pharmacy.
“What are we doing here?”
She glanced at him and walked further down the isle. She paused and turned to look through several of their products, until she found a cream and grabbed it.
She turned towards him, opening the box.
“What are you doing?” He glanced around at the other people and workers in the building.
She turned his face. “Hold still.”
He stilled. Nikita opened the cream and put some on her fingers. He flinched when she touched the sore spot on his jaw. Gently, she messaged the cream into his swollen cheek. The cream soothed the aching. Her fingertips' soft touch made his chest constrict and he held perfectly still.
When she spoke, her words were barely above a whisper. “This should help.”
"Thank you."
She dropped her fingers and took a step back. She closed the lid of the cream.
“There, that should help the swelling as well as the bruising.”
“You are going to buy that.”
Cassius turned and looked past Nikita at a worker wearing a red vest.
Nikita said, “Yes. He’s going to buy it.”
The worker nodded and walked away.
“Me? You punched me.”
She rolled her eyes. “You deserved it.”
Nikita turned and walked to the front of the store where he purchased the cream.
Once again outside, Nikita said, “Thanks for dinner. I’ll see you around.”
Cassius said, “Wait. I can’t just let you walk in the dark. Let me drop you off somewhere.”
She hollered back, “I’m a big girl. I’ll be fine.”
He debated about running after her. He was taught to always ensure a girl gets home safe. But before he could run to catch up. She, in her wild craziness, walked across the busy road and disappeared into the night. He walked back down the street looking back every once in a while to see if he could, by some chance, see her. Just as mysteriously as she arrived, she disappeared with no way of contacting her.
Nikita had admitted that he had killed and had broken several laws, but when he talked with her, it felt like it wasn’t her. But then who was the real her? Or was her description of herself a warning? She really was a dangerous spider playing her part in this crazy game waiting to bite her unaware victim.
- Writer
