“I feel like I’m choking to death here. It’s soooooo tedious. I go to work and do the same thing. I want to gut myself.” She’d said.
Imani had also committed her first murder while she was in the navy. It was an epiphanic moment. She’d discovered her passion, her aptitude. She’d been so jazzed about it, yet fearful she’d be caught, that she’d blurted the whole episode to Nobu.
“I was coming back from Karaoke, and the streets had been pretty empty.” She’d said.
“Okayyyy…” Nobu said, his dark brows raising in question. They were sitting across from each other at the chow hall.
Imani looked around the chow hall, she didn’t want to be overheard. Most people had gone back to work, so they were alone. She’d wanted to spill her guts before she lost her nerve.
“So, I was going along the side street and I heard someone crying. I turned down the alley and heard the crying more clearly. I followed it, and then I turned and saw some asshole trying to rape a schoolgirl.”
“Holy shit!” Nobu hissed lowly, looking around, hunching his shoulders forward, drawing closer, his eyes large behind his glasses.
“Yeah, it was some dickhead, not sure who he was, but he was American. I think the girl was about fourteen, but it was hard to tell. She was in her school uniform and Christ only knows why she was out as late as she was, but this asshole was trying to rape her.”
“Friggen bastard!” Nobu growled.
“I walked up behind him and gave him a snap punch into his mid spinal column. He dropped like a stone and the girl was nearly catatonic with fear and panic. I had to shake her.”
“Did she see your face?” Worry was heavy in Nobu’s voice and she heard it clearly.
“I don’t think so, I was wearing a hoodie. I told her to go home and tell no one. I made my voice deep. Her clothes were wrecked, but I don’t think he penetrated her. Her panties were down around her thighs, not her ankles.”
“Fuck, fuck. That poor kid.” Nobu moaned.
“Yeah, she finally snapped out of it and then ran off. It was quiet and I didn’t hear or see anything or anyone. I rolled the bastard over, he was still alive. I looked around the ground and found one of those wooden chopsticks, you know that you get at restaurants.”
Nobu was nearly across the table, his tray shoved to the side. “What the hell did you do Ima?” He breathed, his eyes now the size of saucers.
“I shoved it in his eye and up into his brain. Then I swished it around, scrambling his brain. His body jerked around. Then he stopped. I don’t know if he was dead at that point, but he sure as shit wouldn’t rape any little girls anymore.”
“Fuck me.” Nobu breathed out in a low gust. Then his head had jerked back, “did you leave finger prints or DNA?”
“No, I used a piece of plastic trash to pick the chopstick up. I kept the plastic with me and threw it away once I got back to base. There wasn’t much blood if any, just aqueous humor, you know the liquid in the eyeball.”
“Ewww and good, so nothing to lead back to you. Have you heard anything? I’ve not seen or heard anything on tv or at work.” Nobu said, making a face.
“No, someone should have discovered the body by this morning. It might take a bit of time, before we hear about it. I’m sure the local police will have jurisdiction.”
“Damn, girl, how do you feel about it?” Nobu asked, and she’d seen the worry in his eyes.
“Actually, I feel pretty damn good about it. He deserved it. I hate to say it, but I think I might have found my calling.” She didn’t smile, she was sure that would have been inappropriate, but she felt like it at the time.
She’d seen the wonder in his eyes, and then the light. He had nodded. He’d kept her secret. He had been a true friend to her.
She took another drink of her wine. The sirens up the street had finally quieted. She sighed happily, taking a bite of her pizza. It was so friggen good. She did wish Nobu was here. It would have been nice to share this with someone. Sometimes it got lonely on a job. But she needed Nobu at home.
Nobu had programed her phones to emit false positioning, so that the signal would bounce off hubs and satellites and dead-end. If someone were hunting her, she could stand right beside them and they’d never track her down. The assassin’s game was a competitive one. If you wanted the big bucks, you had to produce. She’d built herself a name over the years. It had taken patience and luck. One didn’t fall into this job, it was a job you went after, with full intent, desire and skill.
Imani finished her pizza, it was quite wonderful and she left the pizzeria and walked back out onto the street. She’d go first to the bank, to drop off her weapon, thankfully the banks remained open until early evening. Unlike U.S. banks that closed at five. Then she’d head to her modest hotel room to pack up and leave. She wanted to get home, to Chicago. It was a place she could relax and blend in and disappear into anonymity.
Ϫ
Nobu sat back from his laptops, rubbing his face. Ima was on her way home. He was glad. He always worried about her.
