“Just because I asked doesn’t mean you have to tell me,” she said.
I could tell she was choosing her words carefully, not wanting to scare me away even though she herself was frightened. Sinking into the chair, I smiled at her hoping to put her at ease.
“I’m playing with you, my dear but you are right to be concerned. A hired assassin doesn’t live as long as I have without knowing how to manipulate people.”
“Is that what you’ve done to Will? Manipulated him his whole life?” She asked, her voice rising with anger.
“No. Will has always been different. He was the closest thing I ever had as family and his father was like a father to me. I would risk my life for the King family. And I have.”
Sitting quietly for a moment I wondered how much I should tell her. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust her. I learned long ago that trust wasn’t as important than fear and I knew she wouldn’t speak out of fear of what I could do to her.
“You have to understand that I have never told anyone my story before, not even Bill King. Although I’m sure he knew. You see, it all started around thirty years ago, when I was eighteen. I became an assassin because of a woman.”
Thirty Years Ago
Jeanne DeMarco was the prettiest girl in the neighborhood. With her long, thick black hair and sparkling blue eyes, she could command the attention of anyone in town with just a smile. Somehow I lucked out and she only had eyes for me.
I never knew my father and when I was younger a raid on the brothel my mother and I lived in took her away from me for the rest of my life. Placed in a halfway house for kids, I learned to take care of myself. I was rude, tough, and would do anything for the love of my life, Jeanne.
“I’m graduating high school next month and then I’m gone,” Jeanne said, laying in my arms as she pushed my shaggy blond hair out of my eyes.
Every night I slipped into her bedroom and stayed over. Her parents never knew and the halfway house didn’t care what I did as long as I didn’t end up in jail.
“Then we can go together. Wherever you want to go.”
“No, Stewie. You don’t understand. I need a better life than this shit hole.”
“Please don’t call me that. We can make a better life together. I’ll do anything for you, Jeanne.”
She sighed and rolled over, turning her back towards me. I closed the distance, pressing my body against hers and listening while her breathing slowed into the rhythmic pattern of sleep. I have to show her I can give her a better life or I’ll lose her forever, I thought.
While Jeanne was in school the next day, I filled out job applications in the few neighborhood shops that were left. Every one of them turned me down. I was too young, too inexperienced, whatever excuses they could come up with. I knew the truth. I knew none of them wanted to hire some punk-ass kid from the halfway house. No one gave me a chance.
As I made my way to the high school to pick up Jeanne from school, I walked past Hargrove’s. They were a small department store then, not the large fine department store chain Will inherited. That didn’t happen until the flagship store was built where the old tenements once stood. One of those buildings was the halfway house I was supposed to call home.
Walking past a small window display I noticed the jewelry department in the center of the store. It was staffed by a rickety old man with coke bottle glasses and a hump on his back. He looked like almost too easy of a mark, but when I spotted a thin gold chain with a heart dangling from it, I knew I needed to get it for my girl.
Swiping it was easy, almost the easiest grab I ever did. I felt a rush as I left the store, rubbing the gold heart in my pocket between my fingers. But as I got closer to the high school, a tall slender man with dark brown hair began walking beside me.
“For money or for your girl?” he asked as he walked beside me.
“What are you talking about old man?”
“Don’t play dumb with me, Stewart. I’ve been watching you for months.”
“Then fuck off you perv. You think I don’t know about men like you who watch little boys?”
“Cut the act. I know you swiped that necklace for your girl. And I know she wants a better life than what’s left here. I can help you with that.”
“And why the hell would you do that? What do you want?”
“Because you remind me of myself when I was your age. Come with me and I’ll show you what your life can be like.”
School was letting out and in the distance I easily spotted Jeanne walking down the brick steps of the school with her friends.
“She deserves better than this dump,” I said quietly. “Let’s go. But if you try any funny business I swear I’ll cut your balls off.”