I feel lost, broken and betrayed as soon as the name leaves my mother's lips.
But being in this line of work has taught me not to dwell on things. So I raise my head and look at my mother.
"What is his relation to Estella Richmoth?" I ask, skeptical of everything unfolding before me.
"I don't know. But I have my men on it." She answers coolly.
"And do I even want to know why you were looking into people around me to begin with?" I raise a brow, asking another question I don't really want the answer to.
"You have been so gone for the past few years. I had figured, you were upto no good.You hid well, I would give you that but not well enough." She says and the color drains from my face because that means she knows everything. She wouldn't be here if she didn't know.
Like, of course she has been spying on me all this time.
I was just too naive to think that she wouldn't.
"What do you want me to do mother?"
"I already told you to get married before you come back home. So I won't be taking you home. But I will take Kal with me." she says and I feel my eyes go wide.
"You can't do that!" I shout.
"I can Erna, I can." She tells me before turning sideways and motioning to someone behind her. Two burly men step out of the shadows and take hold of Kal. I try to hold on to him tightly but my size isn't enough. I am not built for hand to hand combat. So left with no choice, I let him go.
_________
It's been hours since they left. My own mother left me battered on the roadside and that's a hurt I will get over in no time. But the hurt of losing someone I once called a friend, a comrade and a literal partner in crime is a level of hurt, I won't be getting over soon or maybe ever.
The sky has been crying ever since they left and my own tears have blended with water dripping on my face. I don't even know if I am crying anymore, or just that my cheeks are wet.
I don't know how long I have been sitting here when a car pulls up to the curb.
This road has been quiet all this time that I was starting to think I wasn't even real anymore. Footsteps sound somewhere around me but I am too tired to look up at the intruder.
"Hey you, are you okay?" someone asks and I don't reply.
"Sir, there's a girl sitting by the road." the same man calls out to someone.
I hear a car's door open and close before a new pair of footsteps echo in the surroundings.
Since I am looking down while sitting on my ass, I don't see the clean black shoes until they are right in front of me. One habit I have developed is to always look for a person's shoes. They tell you a lot about a person.
And right now they are telling me that the asshole in front me is a stuck up fuck. The shoes are too clean. The trousers are too trimmed. I can see his colored socks even.
"What the fuck do you want?" I ask without looking up.
"Honestly I would happily just have you." He says and I can feel the pride in his voice as if he is sure I would fawn over him.
"Sorry man. Not available." I tell him, not wanting any trouble.
"Come on. I am doing a favor to a slut like you."
"What makes you think I need a favor?"
"The fact that you are on the roadside after dark."
"And what does that prove?"
"That you are homeless and would do anything for a roof over your head and a cxck in your pxssy." The fucking gall of this man. If I wasn't so moody right now, I would have smashed his head on the nearest electric pole.
"Leave me alone man. I am not looking for company."
"I am."
"And I don't fucking owe you a thing." I hiss through gritted teeth.
"You might end up owing me a lot more than your company if you don't get up this second and come with me." he says in a low threatening tone.
"And if you don't leave this instant, you might end up losing a lot." I threaten back even though he just laughs and shrugs it off.
"She's feisty, yeah." he says to the man behind him who I presume is his driver.
"Looks like it, sir."
"A pretty thing like you can do no shit to a man like me." This time it's intended for me. And I am so tempted to take out that knife from my pocket and stab it in his eyes but my muscles are so in pain that I am finding it hard to even crane my neck and take a look at him.
"Just go, man." I sigh.
"I ain't going anywhere without you pretty girl."
"Just fucking go before I carve your pretty face."
"You haven't even looked at this face and you are calling it pretty. I am honored."
"You are so full of yourself that I don't even have to look at you to know."
"I think I have had enough of your smart mouth." As soon as he says that, I feel his hand coming toward me. I sigh before finally gathering some energy to lift my eyes and take a look at him. As expected he is fair skinned, and is dressed in the most feminine suit I have ever seen.
I doubt I can gather the strength to stop his strike let alone to strike back.
*boom*
A gunshot sounds and splashes of blood cover my face.
And the hand that was coming towards me, no longer exists.