LAST MISSION

Chapter Two (002)

"Yet again, another murder has been reported. The Secretary For Education, Michael Harvard has been found dead in his apartment. The sad incident was said to have happened at around 2am this morning. The police swung into action immediately, and according to their reports, his sudden death is linked to an attack by a notorious gang known as TRYSIS"

It is a secret gang led by Al Albert - the most wanted criminal in the last three years. No evidential trace was found at the crime scene, except a bullet with a '002' inscription. Investigations are still ongoing about the secretary's death and more details will be revealed soon"

"Now to the concluding segment of the news. President Greg Williams has allocated the sum of 20 billion dollars to the secretary for Housing and Urban Development's office. According to the president, this was done in a quest to foster tourism in the country. The Secretary for Housing and Urban Development - John Marvin disclosed in an interview with the CALLY TIMES MAGAZINE that he'd do everything in his power to carry out the President's wish. He also stated how timely that allocation was and how effective it'll be in making the United States a country attractive to tourists.

This is all we have for you here at STAR TV. I'm your host - Benita Jackson. Good evening"

*****

Dera's lips sulked in a breath, she creased her eyebrows - eyes still fixed on the displaying TV. She snuggled close to the table in the middle of the living room, reaching for the remote. She hit the power button. Her head went back to its initial position - Raymond's lap.

"I was watching that" Raymond's voice echoed into her ears. Dera rolled over to meet him feigning a smirk like he swallowed a chicken wing. The funny look on his face made a giggle evade her lips.

"It was just some boring news....... I get sick of it sometimes" she yawned, breaking eye contact.

"Why?"

"Because...." She hesitated for a moment. The worried look on Raymond's face triggered her to finish the sentence "I don't know.... Maybe......because....."

"I'm behind the murder?" Raymond interrupted. "I'm sure you know that already. That's my job" he grinned, his hand slowly caressing Dera's hair.

Dera rolled over again, and the sheepish smile on Raymond's face made shrills of adrenaline run through her veins. She swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Yeah," she muttered coldly. "I know you killed him"

Dera clicked her tongue as she rose from Raymond's legs, keen to stride upstairs. Raymond grasped her by the arm before she took the second step. Goosebumps appeared on her skin and ecstatic sensations bubbled in her spine. Raymond's touch is like a kryptonite - she's always vulnerable. The adrenaline spurt made her want to crumble into his arms and place an I-didn't-mean-to-do-that kind of kiss on his lips, but the anger in her heart won't budge.

"You don't have to walk away" Raymond pulled her back on the sofa. Dera hesitated for a jiffy, but she gave in when his hands curled around her waist - giving him access to drag her back in - seamlessly.

"I'm sorry" he muttered into her ears as the whiff of her cologne raced into his nostrils.

Dera's heart palpitated. She's vulnerable whenever Raymond whispers sweet nothings into her ears, but at this point, she didn't seem to budge. Not when she's in love with a serial killer.

"Ray, what are you really sorry for?" A ball of fury clenched her throat and she shrugged off Raymond's arms - drifting to the side of the sofa. The wrinkles on her face glistened as the chandelier gleamed throughout the entire room. "You're sorry for being a part of a mafia? Are you sorry for being a serial killer? Are you sorry that you're always in the headlines? Are you sorry that you don't care about how I feel or how scared it feels losing you?" Dera yelled - eyes stung with tears.

Raymond tried to speak, but only his tensed rasps resounded. His fingers dug into his palms as he shifted back, his hair caressing the edges of the sofa.

The awkward stillness lasted for a minute. He raised his head to meet Dera's flitting gaze. He leaned close to her. "Dera, I didn't ask for this life. No one is happy being a murderer. But at the moment, this is how I earn a living... All the luxury and...."

"There you go again" Dera cut him short, stomping her hand on the seat. "You always say that crap. ..... Babe, you're wealthy now! You've saved up enough money. We can elope to another country and start a new life. This thang you call a job makes me scared.......I don't want to lose you, you know...."

"I don't want to lose you too, Dera" Raymond held her face in his hands. "I love you with all of me. What I do has nothing to do with us. I'm not doing it for the pleasure of it. I kill for every kid out there who has been stung by this arachinical society. I'm doing this to get back at these greedy folks who think they can keep extorting the less privileged" he said.

Dera rolled her eyes. "You've done enough of that Ray. You've got too much blood in your hands"

"Not innocent blood"

"That's not enough reason to kill" she responded. She pulled her face off his grasp - drifting away. "If this love you claim to have for me isn't as fake as the smile you have on your face when you kill, you should end all of this s**t. Because I'm sick and tired of waking up to the reality that someday you'd be killed too" she screeched, hemming her hands across her chest as she gazed into nothing.

A sigh flew off Raymond's plom lips. "You don't have to say that babe. You know I love you and I can do anything to prove it....I"

"You?" Dera interrupted, cackling sadly. "Then prove it to us" she muttered, placing a hand on her stomach.

Raymond crinkled his eyebrows - eyeballs widened in outright shock. "What do you mean us?" He asked as if his life depended on the answer to that question.

"You're gonna be a father Ray" Dera announced.

Raymond stepped back, trying to process what he just heard. For a second, he thought it was a dream, but clocks do not tick in dreams, right? Dera's stern look depicted reality.

"You're joking huh?"

"A baby is a lot, Ray. I'm not joking. I'm carrying...."

Raymond sealed her lips with a kiss. Her eyeballs dilated in shock. That wasn't the reaction she expected. But that sudden kiss depicted the joy of a hurt but now-fulfilled man.

"You're pregnant?.......I...I love you so much... Thank you" he pulled her into a tight embrace. The hug lasted for two minutes, until Raymond's phone beeped, a message.

"002. Your attention is needed right now"