"Aye, go get me another will ya?"She staggers over to the fridge and tosses me a can.
"Thanks kid."
She plops back down on the couch and puts her feet in my lap,
"Mhm."
"Strange, i"ve never seen Kaz so down before. Did her and Ricky get into it?"
"Hey uh, you alright Kaz?"
She looks at me with a blank expression,
"I"m fine. Can you turn this up?"
"Here, i"m not watching anyway."
I hand her the remote.
"Er uh, Ricky head out somewhere?"
She clicks through different channels,
"Don"t know. Don"t care."
"Right, right."
I take a swig of my beer.
"d.a.m.n this awkward silence!"
"So...you two set a date yet?"
"Ya know you don"t have to make small talk Carlos, and no. I don"t know what"s up with him lately,"
She turns away from me,
"I"m not even sure he wants to really marry me."
She messes with the large diamond ring on her finger.
"Hey don"t talk like that. He loves you Kaz, he"s just got some s.h.i.t to sort out."
She lies back down on the couch and continues to look for something to watch,
"Yeah well, he"s not the only one with s.h.i.t to deal with. I just wish he wouldn"t act so selfish."
"Hm, touché."
I"ve never been one to try and comfort others but hearing Kaz say that she has doubts makes me feel somewhat anxious.
"Kaz, can I tell you a secret?"
She raises her brow,
"Sure?"
"You kinda remind me of my sister."
"I didn"t know you have siblings."
"Had."
"Oh, i"m sorry Carlos, I-I didn"t mean any offense."
"Oh no! They"re not dead dead, just dead to me."
"Wait, should I be insulted?"
"Pft, nah. I mean she"s a soulless b.i.t.c.h who"d kill anyone who dare get in her way..."
"But?"
I finish off my can,
"No but. That"s it."
"So, that"s how you see me huh?"
She slumps back down.
"Well yeah, but she"s not as beautiful as you, she"s not as smart as you, she d.a.m.n sure can"t handle herself like you."
She smiles,
"So i"m like your big sister?"
"Nahh, more like little sister."
"Hm, I think that sounds nice."
I pat her head.
"A little sister aye? I guess i"ll have to step my game up to keep her safe."
*Buzz, buzz, buzz*
"Unknown number"
"h.e.l.lo?"
"Hey, it"s me."
"R-"
"Shhh! Don"t say my name. I need you to do me a favor."
"Uh, ok?"
"Is Kaz near you?"
"Uh yeah, she"s right here."
"Leave the room, tell her that you have to use the bathroom or something."
"Hey Kaz, i"ll be back. Gotta go take a p.i.s.s."
"Kay."
She lifts up her feet and I walk down the hall making sure i"m out of earshot.
"Alright, what"s up?"
"I need Kaz to kill someone for me."
"Ok? So why not ask her to?"
"Because,"
He sighs into the phone,
"I really don"t have much time to explain but know this, that night I proposed, Lucy tried to threaten me."
"What?! Why didn"t you tell me then?"
"Carlos, I just need you to listen to me. Get Kaz to this location, tell her that it"s a mission and that she has to kill everyone there. No exceptions."
"So you want me, to tell her that she has to go blindly into this job and kill G.o.d knows how many people?"
"She"s not a child Carlos! She can handle herself!"
"So why not talk to her?! She misses you man and she needs you here! I know she"s not a kid but that doesn"t mean she doesn"t have feelings."
"I don"t have time for this, just tell her what I said."
He hangs up the phone.
"Hey Carlos! Do we have anymore of those cookie things?!"
I walk into the kitchen and see her digging around,
"Hey, we need to talk."
She spins around,
"All the s.h.i.tty conversations start like this, hit me."
"Ricky called,"
"Ah d.a.m.n, she looks p.i.s.sed."
"And?"
"And he wants you to kill someone for him."
"He send a location?"
"Well yeah but-"
"Great, i"ll go get changed,"
She walks towards the stairs,
"I"ll be back in a few."
"Wait!"
She stops dead in her tracks and looks over her shoulder,
"You"re not gonna ask any questions?"
"He"s the boss, my job is to follow orders not ask questions."
She heads up the stairs.
***
"This is the place?"
She scans the outside of the abandoned warehouse.
"Yup, this is it."
"Mhm, alright. I"ll be back in 20 minutes."
"What? But you have no idea who or what"s on there."
"You"re right, 25 minutes then."
She steps out of the car and walks straight into the dingy place.
"This seems risky...should I wait the full 25 minutes?"
My leg starts to shake as I overthink my options.
I let a few minutes pa.s.s then I load up my gun and tuck it into my pants. I carefully leave the car and open the door.
"It"s too d.a.m.n quite."
The place smells of mold and gasoline. I hide behind some stacked boxes and peep my head around the corner.
I see Kaz standing over a woman who"s beat beyond recognition.
"You"ve done it now Negative. She"ll come after you-"
Kaz shoves her sword through the woman"s neck before she can finish her sentence.
"Oh G.o.d, I think i"m gonna be sick."
She looks up,
"Who"s there? Come out now."
"Hey, it"s cool. It"s just me."
I come out with my hands up,
"d.a.m.nit Carlos, I thought you were another one of them."
"Another one of who?"
She waves her hand, showing off the many bodies scattered around the floor,
"Them."
"Oh my G.o.d...you"re dangerous."
"Yeah, can we just go now? I"d like to go clean up."
"Oh uh, yeah. Let"s go home."
We walk out and hop into the car.
"So uh, you really killed all those people?"
I turn on the car and head home,
"I was told too, so yes."
She stares out of the window,
"You uh, you wanna grab a bite to eat before we get home?"
"I have no appet.i.te."
"Right, ok."
The car ride home was uneasy. She didn"t say anything to me but I know what she was thinking, h.e.l.l, I can hear what she"s thinking.
When we got home she went straight upstairs to her room.
*Buzz*
A text from Ricky,
"You two home yet?"
"Yeah, wya?"
"Can"t say. I"ll be back in a few"
"I"m not the one you should be telling"
"Ik man, I just can"t rn"
"Can"t what? Accept the fact that you"re being a complete a.s.shole?"
"C"mon man, you know it"s not like that"
"But it is hombre, it always has been"
I turn my phone off and take a cold beer out of the fridge. I sit in my regular spot on the couch and click the tv on.
"Hey, mind if I join?"
"You don"t gotta ask little sis, c"mon over."
She sits to next me and props her feet up like always.
"You cold?"
I pull the blanket over her legs.
"Thanks."
She lies on the couch and makes herself comfortable.
"My little sister huh? I think i"d really like that."