The Executioner: A Love Story (5 page)

“She?” Jordan smiled as he realized he got a piece of something out of her. “Us?” He would keep trying, he decided.

“Please don’t ask,” she said as she laid her head on his shoulder.

“Are we dating?” He said it so poignantly her chest tightened. She didn’t want to encourage him, or discourage him. She just curled up closer to him on the couch and closed her eyes. It was so easy to sleep beside him. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d fallen asleep so easily without crying her eyes out first.

He eventually fell asleep as well. When she woke up her cheek lay against his ribcage. His head rested on a pillow at the arm of the couch, and her arm rested on his thigh.

“We really need to rethink our sleeping arrangements,” she grumbled as she stretched and walked toward his half bath. She turned back to him. He looked about sixteen while he slept. She wanted to peek in his bedroom. She wanted to drag him to his bed and fall back asleep with him.

This caused her to stop short and stare at him. He really was handsome in a boyish sort of way. He seemed so innocent; naïve almost. She guessed he was a virgin. She liked the thought that he was as inexperienced as she was herself. She’d had boyfriends before her sister died. She’d made out with them, but nothing past kissing.

She’d never slept with a guy before. She didn’t have brothers, or a dad. It was her, her mom, and her sister. Even her grandmother had been single most of her adult life. She’d been consumed by the evil things men did for years. She had nothing to balance out those thoughts. Until she met Jordan.

He was caring, sweet, and innocent. He was good looking and smart. He was generous and kind. He made her breakfast. He was perfect. She decided she would happily retire and stay in Virginia, living next door to Jordan Stewart. She could become a phys ed teacher. Yes, she thought as she sat down on the couch beside Jordan, she could finally be normal. She fell asleep with a smile on her lips.

Chapter Five

Her cell phone rang incessantly. She ignored it. She knew who it was and what she wanted. She wasn’t in the mood to think about another mission. She wanted to think about Jordan.

She’d been in her apartment since before 7 am when Jordan left for work. He was shocked that he’d slept until his alarm went off. She couldn’t help but wonder what issues he had with going to sleep. She was sure she would change that in the future. She intended to wear him out physically until he had no choice but to close his eyes and rest.

She couldn’t help but think about having sex with Jordan. He was attractive, but not cocky or arrogant. She’d noticed that most of the men she’d executed had believed they were so attractive women could not resist them. The fact they said no only meant they were playing hard to get. They had no idea that no really meant no; they each believed they were irresistible.

She wanted to explore her sexuality with Jordan. She wanted to touch and be touched. She wanted him because she knew he would care about her afterwards. It would be a lifetime commitment with Jordan, she hoped. Her mind went to wedding dresses and honeymoons, and babies. Less than a week before she assumed she would be alone forever. And then she looked into Jordan’s brown eyes. She thought anything was possible now.

Finally after the phone rang six hundred times she answered it. “You’ve been avoiding me.” The Secretary’s voice was cold, as usual. The woman must have ice in her veins. She believed she had the same fate until she met Jordan. Why couldn’t she quit thinking about Jordan? Even his name made her happy; Jordan.

“I would like to put in my official resignation,” she stated. “I don’t want to do this any more. I’ll train whomever you want me to train. I’m just too old for this now. I don’t look like a teenager anymore.”

“I agree.” The Secretary paused to allow Florian to think about it. The Secretary agreed, and was going to let her go. She was thrilled. “But I have one more name on my list for you. It has to be done by you, then I will send you a trainee. That should be in a few weeks. I already have someone in mind.”

“Okay,” she agreed. Just a few more and she was done. She could be herself, and tell Jordan the truth.

“I’ve already sent the package. You should get it today.” Since she had no experience with computers the Secretary sent all her files via overnight shipping.

“I’ll be looking for it,” she said as she ended the call. Now she had all day to think about Jordan. She wanted to plan dinner for him. After the package was delivered she would head to the store immediately. She showered and dressed quickly, allowing her long dark hair to dry naturally.

She didn’t want to travel. She didn’t want to leave Jordan, she corrected herself. But it wasn’t only that… it was the job. She didn’t want to kill anyone. She knew she’d done it for years, and hadn’t thought twice about it. And she knew what was different now. She’d only known him a few days and she was already falling hard.

She smiled wistfully to herself as she thought of his eyes. They were dark, yet so full of light. She couldn’t wait to curl up on his couch after dinner, and watch TV with him.

She jumped when she heard a knock at the door; then she remembered she was expecting a package from her employer. She opened the door, and her face became a mask. She became Florian Desjardins.

“Can I help you?” She stared into the face of two government agents. She didn’t know which department, but she was sure they were feds.

“Arianna Becker?” Her lips pursed as the younger of the two men addressed her by her real name. Her face became stone. She didn’t answer and didn’t give any indication of her thoughts or feelings.

“I’m Special Agent Vince Argento and this is Special Agent Frank Wolf. We’re with the FBI.” They each pulled little leather wallets out of their pockets, and opened them. They both had what looked like real credentials. But she knew how easily that stuff was faked. Hers were fake after all.

“May we come in?” She was frozen. She had no idea what to do. She wanted to call the Secretary. But then she wondered if the Secretary had sent them.

She opened the door automatically and offered them a seat on the couch. Agent Wolf had light brown hair and green eyes. He was average looking, average height and weight. He was normal.

Agent Argento, on the other hand, was magnificent. He had wavy dark brown hair parted to the side. His eyes were a darker brown even than Jordan’s, almost black. His skin was a light tan color, almost as dark as her own. His cheekbones were high and rounded near his narrow nose, and his straight teeth were bright white. His lips were full and pink. He looked like an actor, or a model. He was gorgeous yet manly at the same time. He was not quite as tall as Jordan, but he was twice as wide. His shoulders were so big she wondered how his body held them up.

“Ms. Becker, do you know a woman named Alexandra Copeland?” Arianna’s brows furrowed as she thought of the name. She’d had many classmates named Alex in high school and college. She shrugged her response. She really wasn’t sure.

“This might help,” the good-looking agent said as he pulled up a photo on his electronic tablet.

Suddenly she couldn’t hide her emotions. She couldn’t disguise her response. Because in front of her was a picture of Marianne Dumont: dead. She wanted to be sick. She felt fear. And not just for herself either. If it was just her, she wouldn’t really care. She’d disappear somewhere that no one would ever find her. But now she had to worry about Jordan too. Because even if she did disappear the Secretary would know how to find him.

Why did she open herself up? Why did she let herself fall for him? One look into his puppy-dog eyes and she was hopeless. He was a student. He had a job. He probably had parents somewhere. What had she gotten him into?

“So you know Ms. Copeland I take it.” His voice was just as glorious as the rest of him, strong and full of self-confidence.

She didn’t respond. She couldn’t. She would disappear, and hopefully take Jordan with her. She had to. She had no other choice.

“Look, Ms. Becker, we know who you work for. We know what you’ve been doing for the past five years. We know we have no proof. We know we can’t pin anything on anyone. But we do know this is what happens to the Secretary’s female soldiers.” He held the tablet up again so she could see as he flipped through the photos. Marianne’s, or Alexandra’s, head was dismembered, as were her hands and feet. To make her unidentifiable, she knew. But why not just kill her the way all the others were done.

She stared at him empty-eyed for several moments. She wanted to tell him everything, but how did she know that he wasn’t working for the Secretary also. She shivered, unsure of what to do. She wanted to talk to Jordan. He was smart. He could figure all this out.

“If you need me, you can call me any time.” He handed her a card. A number was written in ink on the back. “That’s my cell phone number.” He tried to make it sound personal. If you need me, he’d said. He gave her his cell number. And he gazed into her knowingly, with those sexy dark brown eyes. She nodded and took the card.

“Call me,” he said as the other agent walked outside and they were momentarily alone. “I don’t want you to end up like Alexandra.” They stared at each other for all of ten seconds, then he walked out the door. She was so confused. She just wanted to talk to Jordan.

She remembered they had not exchanged phone numbers. She also remembered the bug was still planted in her apartment. The Secretary had heard every word that had transpired between her and the FBI agents.

She paced around her apartment briefly. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard the second knock. Was it maybe Jordan? Was she so preoccupied she didn’t hear him come up the steps?

Hesitantly she opened the door, and saw a man in a delivery company uniform. And then she remembered the Secretary’s package. She took it and signed the little electronic pad, then slammed the door quickly.

She sat down on her couch where Agent Argento had sat only a few minutes ago and stared at the envelope. She didn’t want to open it. She wanted to throw it in the trash. She really had no idea what to do. She sat with her head in her hands for several minutes, until she finally gave up and opened the package.

It was her day to be shocked. Inside the envelope was a thin manila file folder. And when she opened it, the picture staring back at her was Jordan Stewart.

Chapter Six

She read through the file several times, in utter disbelief. Jordan Stewart, her sweet, adorable neighbor had been arrested and charged with statutory rape, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, forcible sodomy, and indecent assault. He was charged with five fraternity brothers who had given alcohol to a minor at a frat party and gang raped her. The group had been released after it was found there was not enough evidence to prosecute them. The girl was inebriated and could not point out who had raped her, and there was no DNA found on the girl.

The only evidence anything had happened were several nude pictures and a video taken of the girl with two or three different men who were unidentifiable in the pictures. They were all taken with Jordan’s phone.

She found it hard to believe that her Jordan was capable of anything like that. There had to be an explanation. There had to be a reason.

She heard his footsteps on the stairs and panicked. The FBI, the Secretary, the package. It was all too much for her. What did she do?

She heard his keys in his door, and then a pause. He expected her to come to her door and greet him. He would be disappointed if she didn’t. She didn’t want to disappoint him.

“Hi,” he said with a smile as he took a step back onto the porch.

“Hi.” Her voice broke with emotion, and suddenly she was crying. He did what he always did; he comforted her. He reached for her and brought her into his arms. For a split second she wanted to pull away.

“Have a bad day?” His voice was all honey and molasses as he spoke. His voice was so warm, so soothing. She wanted to wrap herself around him and never let go.

She pulled back quickly, and when she looked at him his expression changed. He reverted instantly. He was the Jordan she first met: shy and reserved.

“You know,” he said as he exhaled and turned away from her. He took two steps into his apartment, and moved to shut the door but she slid inside.

“You have no idea the day I’ve had,” she whispered.

He moved away from her. He walked toward his kitchen and dropped his brief case on the table. He took a soda out of the fridge. He opened it and took a sip. And the entire time he ignored her as if she wasn’t even there.

She didn’t sneak quietly behind him. She knew he heard her walk into the kitchen. Why didn’t he turn to her and console her? Then it hit her; maybe he needed to be consoled. She put her hand on his shoulder, and he pulled away. But she wasn’t deterred. She stood right behind him, wrapped her arms around his waist, and pulled him against her. She rested her cheek on his shoulder blades and listened to his heart.

She felt his flat stomach contract, then his back, and she realized he was crying soundless tears. Of course this delicate, fragile man didn’t do the things they said he did.

“I was there, when it happened,” he murmured. “My friend, James, was invited to join the fraternity. He and I were in the room when the older guys brought the girl in. I had the new smart phone, and my friend knew it. I’d worked so hard for that phone, I’d just bought it, and he took it and filmed what they did to her.”

He braced his hands on the edge of his sink, and leaned forward. “I told them to stop, but one of them punched me in the nose and shoved me. I’d been punched before, of course.” He said it as if it was expected. “I was used to being shoved around by the popular guys. I just walked out the door.”

He stopped crying. He took another sip of his soda, and continued. “I waited almost half an hour before I called campus security. I told them which room she was in and described what she wore, everything. But when they got there the girl was passed out and the guys were gone. James had my phone and sent the images to several of his friends.” He took a deep breath, trying to calm down. She felt his ribcage expand. It felt very good to hold him. It felt even better to hear he didn’t rape anyone.