AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Sucking in breaths of air, it helps to calm my nerves a little.
“Do I get a pass on the death penalty now since I have a sad story?” I ask, only half joking.
Those seafoam green eyes narrow and he shakes his head twice.
I snort and have to use the sleeve of his sweater to wipe the snot from my nose. “It was worth a try, right?”
“If it were up to me, I don’t think I would kill you.”
Okay, I’m definitely suffering some kind of psychotic break because that was kind of sweet. I mean, knowing the little I do know about Gabriel, I don’t think he gets to make many decisions on his own. So, for him to choose to not kill me, means he actually kind of likes me.
“Aren’t we a pair. The killer with mommy issues and the hooker with a possible bipolar disorder.”
For the first time tonight, I get a real laugh from Gabriel. Not the shoulder shaking silent thing I think I witnessed back in his apartment, but a real chuckle with actual sound.
We sit for only a few more minutes, allowing me to catch my breath before we are on the move again. We take another train back down to Queens.
After hopping off, we walk a few blocks before the smell of grilled steak and spicy peppers has my stomach growling. Without a word, Gabriel grabs my hand, and pulls me over to the restaurant. The only option for sitting is a little table situated under the awning near the register and some outdoor dining space.
Stepping up to the counter, the smell intensifies. I actually start to crave something other than a high for the first time tonight.
“How can I help you?” The Hispanic man asks with a genuine smile.
Gabriel looks at me and I don’t hesitate to answer.
“Can I have two of your grilled steak tacos, two chorizo tacos, and two carnitas tacos.” I turn to Gabriel. “You want something?”
He smiles down at me, before turning to the man behind the counter. “Double her order.”
“And two lemonades, please.” I kindly add.
The older man places our orders and Gabriel pays willingly. We step aside allowing the two young men behind us to place their orders as well.
“Where to next?” I ask, sipping my drink through a straw.
I’m starting to come to terms with his job. I don’t want to ever witness it again, but so far the men he has killed all deserved it. Gabriel ran down his victims’ crimes to me on one of our train rides. These were awful people. I’m not a fan of violence and killing, but they needed to die.
Gabriel looks at me briefly before turning back to his job of scanning the streets.
“John Smith.”
I dip my brow and crinkle my nose. “That sounds like a made-up name. What’s his crime?”
“Murder,” he simply says.
So far tonight he’s killed a cult leader that preys on young girls, a man that has orchestrated hundreds of hate crimes in the US, a pharmaceutical mass murderer, a soulless politician, and an organ harvester. This guy seems like a saint compared to them.
“Who did he kill?” It must be someone special for him to be on an assassin’s hit list.
“I don’t know.” This time when Gabriel speaks on the subject he frowns.
Our order is called. Gabriel picks it up and then directs us to the outside eating area. We take a seat separating our food. After taking a bite of the delicious chorizo taco, I close my eyes and moan at how the flavors burst on my tastebuds. When I open my eyes, Gabriel is watching me. I’m too hungry to be bashful.
“What did your research say about this guy?” I ask, picking back up on our conversation.
I’ll never get over the way Gabriel eats. In the time that I have taken two bites of my taco, he’s finished one and is almost done with the second one.
“This is a special case. It was handpicked for me. I don’t have much on him.”
