His Twisted Queen

Chapter 5

Alaina.

...............

"I thought you cut ties with that asshole. Why did Pope kidnap Tao?" I ask, already having a hunch that they messed up big time.

Messing up came like a second nature to Zack and Cyrus, and then Kira and I had to be the cleaning ladies .

"So, a few nights ago, Cyrus and me broke into Pope's house, stole the good stuff."

I crumble inside. We broke into Pope's house not once, but numerous times and we always got massive valuables out of it. But come on, you can't push your luck too far.

"Okay, and...?"

"Without your smartass brain, we couldn't pull off disconnecting the cameras. We got--"

"You got caught." I sigh, rubbing my forehead. Feeling slightly disappointed. We were a great team, cleaned up our tracks pretty good, never ever left anything behind for the cops to trace back to us. But that clearly changed.

"Why didn't Pope call the cops?" I ask.

"You know how it is: avoid the cops, avoid unnecessary questions. And with Pope's reputation, he can't have the Fed's snooping around." Cyrus informed.

Yeah I know the cops can be quite scary especially when you break the law too often. "Do continue...please."

"Cyrus took this big gold-toned vase, real damn gold. The Pope wants it back."

I look at Cyrus. "And let me guess, you already sold it?"

"Yeah, I did but we got it back. It's in the van." He gives me a pinch of good news.

"Okay, okay. Pope will offer Tao back in return for the vase. Do the exchange and no one gets hurt." I say, hopeful.

"Yeah but there's a slight...problem," Zack clears his throat. "The vase contained Pope's dead wife's ashes and Cyrus tossed the ash in the East River."

"What the f**k?!" I yell, jumping up. "Did you guys lose that last brain cell I left you with? You seriously threw Pope's wife in the River?"

"For the record, the lady was already dead. We just--"

I give Cyrus a calculating look, and he shuts his mouth. I knew having them on my doorstep spelled trouble.

"You came with the hopes that I help you clean up the mess, knowing very well I put that life behind me. I don't do these kinds of things anymore."

I always knew I'd see them again but not under this circumstances.

After doing a year for another armed robbery, I wanted out. I simply couldn't stand the idea of being confined in the walls of a prison again...to lose my freedom again. Being locked up reminded me of all the battles I had to fight to break free from my father's iron hand. And all for what? To pop in and out of jail?

Zack gets up, coming over to me. Still tall and slanky as ever, but he looks older, matured and maybe even hotter.

"We know you walked and don't want to reel you back in," He gently touch my arm. "But, we really need you. We need those sharp shooting skills of yours."

My eyes enlarge. "Shoot? You want me to kill--"

"Nah, nah we don't want you killing somebody," He wipes out the scary thought.

Yeah sure, I have hurt people. One soothing is, they weren't good people and if I didn't take the first shot on most occasions, I wouldn't have been alive to live this nightmare.

But that doesn't mean, I still want to kill...hurt people.

"See, we already agreed for the exchange. But as soon as Pope misses the ash, things will go south real fast. And Tao will be caught in the middle." Zack says, his voice dripping with worry.

I shallow hard. When the devil comes knocking, either you open up or run but either way...bad s**t still gonna happen. So I might as well open up and deal with it.

"What do you need me to do?"

Zack and Cyrus look at each other, smiling. " We just need you to play with your red dot on Pope's chest to warn him that he's a target." Cyrus remark.

I nod. "Okay, but we know Pope. He's like a dog with a bone, he doesn't let go. What if he decides to take you guys out, first?"

I highlight a factor cause none of this will be easy.

"He won't."Zack states.

I frown, crossing my arms. "Why won't he?

Zack throws his arm around my neck and pull me to him. His signature woody scent tickle my nostrils.

"Cause you always take the first shots, sunshine." His laughing face centimetres from mine. "You still have that badass rifle?"

I push him away, seeking for my own space. "Yeah, but I haven't agreed to do it yet."

Cyrus clicks his tongue. "What do we have to do to convince you? We need you, woman."

I smile, pretending to think it over. "How about thirty percent from the cash?"

The two look at each other, hoping they share each other's thoughts.

"Fifteen." Cyrus decide and Zack immediately agrees. Gosh, they've gotten stingy.

"I'll take it," I accept, stepping closer to them. "So, when is the exchange?"

"Tomorrow night."

..........