More Than A Four Letter Word (27 page)

“
I’ve had enough of your
mouth bitch! I would never kill Julian’s child; he’s Julian’s flesh
and blood he could never get over something like that.”

The thing about mentally unstable people is
they actually believed the nonsense coming out of their mouths.
Karen stepped closer to Clarissa aiming the gun at her head; she
better make a move or she would be the next victim on Karen's list.
“No, you just killed his mother. Clarissa threw the globe and hit
Karen in the head; she is getting rather good at that. She tackled
Karen as the gun went off. They were fighting for what seemed like
an hour when someone lifted her off of Karen. Two police officers
were in her department, and one had his gun pulled.

“
We received a call that
shots were fired at this residence.”

“
I'm Clarissa Marks, and
this is my condo. Her name is Karen Nash, and she tried to kill me
and admitted to killing two other women. The security guard Norman
let her into the building; she dismissed him, saying that she
didn't need him any longer.” Clarissa couldn't stop shaking like a
leaf and finding it impossible to calm down. “I knocked the gun out
of her hand it’s on the floor by the window.”

The other officer didn’t holster his weapon
until his partner finished handcuffing a hysterical Karen. Only
then, did he put his gun away and retrieve Karen's gun. Karen tried
to fight the officers, but she couldn't handle both of them.

Julian came through Clarissa's open front
door. “What in the hell is going on?"

Clarissa ran into his arms. "I'm okay.
Where's Micah?"

"I left him downstairs with the police."

Two more police officers arrived and were in
the process of carting Karen off to jail. Clarissa joined Julian on
the sofa. When Julian wrapped his arms around her, Karen started
fighting the officers again. Her eyes had a wild look about them,
and she screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Julian you're mine! I got rid of Tanya and
Donna for us. I know that you want us to be together."

Julian couldn't contain his disgust. "It will
never be you! I will never want you!"

"They can't hold me in jail! As soon as I'm
released I'll get rid of her, as long as I'm alive she'll never be
safe."

"Gentlemen I suggest you take out the trash
before I forget she's a woman." The police finally removed Karen
from the condo. Julian and Clarissa finished giving their
statements to the police.

"What do you think will happen to Karen?"

"I can predict with 100% certainty that Karen
will get exactly what she deserves. Enough about her, I've reached
the end of my patience. If you were in my house, Karen never would
have breached the front door. You're moving into my house
tomorrow."

Clarissa let him have his say, with her
accident and Karen's attempt at murder he's been through a lot
today. "Whatever you say Julian?"

Not pacified by her meekness, Julian decided
to read her the riot at another time. "Let's go check on our
son."

Clarissa clutched his hand and Julian pulled
her into his arms as if he were afraid she would disappear. "I'm
not going anywhere. You promised me 50-60 years and I plan to
collect."

***

When Karen awakened, she was strapped to an
operating table. What in the hell happened to her? The last thing
she remembered is the police taking her into custody after she
tried to kill that bitch Clarissa. It isn't over; her lawyer would
have the charges dropped. She loved Julian, and she is the only
woman that could make him happy.

"What's going on in that crazy little head of
yours?"

Karen recognized Julian's voice anywhere.
Dressed in scrubs, his eyes were cold, colder than she'd ever seen
them. He observed her the way one would study a bug in a jar. He
has to realize that she's the perfect woman for him. She sees him
for what he truly is, and she didn't care. He removed the facemask
and gave her an evil smile. She looked around the room as medical
personnel entered.

"I can't let you get away with murder Karen.
You have taken two lives, and now you have to pay. I just assumed
you were a stupid, empty headed bitch, but you're much worse.
You're a murdering bitch who try to kill my woman. It seems that
Norman, your confidant and occasional lover cracked under pressure.
After you sent those photos and news clipping to Clarissa, I
convinced him to replace the bullets in your gun for blanks. A
zebra can't change its stripes; you couldn't help your urge to
strike at Clarissa once again. The police officers that took you
into custody are also in my employ."

Karen watched as the people in the room began
to prep her for surgery. She tried to scream, but no sound came out
of her mouth.

"Did I ever tell you about my grandfather? He
was a cleaner for the mafia back in Palermo. He met the love of his
life and decided that he didn't want that life anymore. Fortunately
for him the woman he fell in love with was the niece of the local
mob boss. He gave my grandfather permission to leave, but only
after he disposed of his enemies.

You seem shocked Karen. When I hooked up with
Tanya, I was just beginning my life in the business. I was fond
Tanya, but our relationship wouldn't have lasted. When I married
Donna and Micah was born I had to step up my game, so I became an
enforcer for a security firm out of Kansas. When Donna was
murdered, I thought it was retaliation. You gave yourself away when
you tried to hit Clarissa with your car.

I had you watched until I was ready to set up
the little scene that will take you out of my life forever. One of
my employees retrieved a donor card from your purse. I came up with
an excellent solution for your punishment. Dr. Morrow here is going
to harvest your body parts, from what he tells me, you're an
excellent donor. Think of all the lives you'll save, the best part,
you'll feel every nip and cut until he removes your heart. I would
like to stay, but I have a wedding to plan. Like my grandfather
before me, I'm ready to settle down with the woman I love."

***

Epilogue

Two years later...

Today's her wedding anniversary. Clarissa sat
in her office flipping through her wedding photo album and watching
the video of her wedding. Her father walked her down the aisle just
as she had always envisioned. She wore a white, tea length, lace
wedding dress. Julian stood at the altar, and Micah was his best
man. Ali her matron of honor and Roberta her maid of honor wore
cerulean blue spaghetti strap taffeta gowns.

Her mother and Aunt Helen couldn't stop
beaming. Her grandparents sat in the second row full of pride. Aunt
Reva, Uncle Charles, Ivan, Harland, and a few officers from Rosscom
sat on the groom's side. The wedding was small and intimate,
everything she wanted. That night, Julian presented her with her
wedding gift. She was officially the sole owner of Lariat
Games.

She has since created two new games and is
currently working on another game called the Master Challenger. Of
course, Julian is her muse as with all her previous games. Clarissa
still works as an investigator for Harland, but she has her pick of
assignments.

"Mom!"

Clarissa is pulled out of musings as Micah
bounded into her office with his endless energy. He's taller than
she is now. He looked quite grown up with his curly black hair
closely cropped to his head. He's in junior high, quarterback for
his football team, and his new love is drawing. She is so proud of
all of his accomplishments, and she has a feeling he would become
an extremely talented cartoonist one day. "Hey sweetheart, where's
the fire?"

Micah loved his mom so much; she is
everything he has always wanted in a mother. "Dad said it's time
for dinner and that you need to stop getting googly-eyed over the
wedding video." He helps her out of the chair, and he walks hand in
hand with her back to the living area.

Julian is sitting at the piano. Aunt Reva and
Uncle Charles were waiting patiently for her to waddle into the
room. "Aunt Reva, Uncle Charles, I'm so glad you guys came to
celebrate our anniversary." After hugging them and makes her way to
the piano. Occasionally, Julian would play for her listening
pleasure, and she is always suitably grateful.

Clarissa already knew that she's expecting
twins. Yesterday she received the news that the twins are girls.
She speaks with her parents almost every day, and they were the
only ones who knew about the twin baby girls she's carrying. "Happy
anniversary baby!" She hands him the small box and watches his face
closely

Julian kisses her stomach before ripping the
paper from the elaborately wrapped box. Inside is a pink bib that
said 'Daddy's Girls'. "Girls! We're having girls." Julian is
oblivious to the congratulations from his aunt and uncle. He would
have been happy if their twins were boys, but he's ecstatic that
they're girls. He rubbed Clarissa's stomach and kissed her before
he picked her up and carried her to their bedroom. Suddenly he has
the urge to make love to his wife.

Micah took it all in stride his parents
behaved like this all the time. "Come on Nonna and Grandpa, Ethel
said that dinner is ready."

"What about your parents?"

"He gave his grandmother a saucy grin, "if we
wait for them to return we'll starve."

Reva winked at Micah, "I bet this sort of
thing happens a lot."

Micah grinned at his grandmother, "All the
time, isn't it cool."

"Yes dear, seeing two people so much in love
is indeed very cool." They went into the dining room, ate their
dinner, and didn't blink when Julian and Clarissa arrived just in
time for dessert.

The End.