My Assassin

Chapter 12

Ryder takes me to the kitchen so we can get something to eat.

Since dinner didn't pan out earlier, he decides to make it up to me by making me a club sandwich.

I sit and watch him cut the tomatoes and lettuce, while the bacon is on the stove frying. My mouth begins to water.

I decide to make small talk to take my mind off of the hunger. "Who was your first kill?"

He smiles as he pours us some wine. I feel awkward just coming out and asking him something so personal but what else can I ask him? His favorite color?

"My first kill was the man who murdered my parents."

What?! I didn't expect that answer at all.

And wasn't he still in middle school when it happened?

"How?! Weren't you still a child? How did you know where to look?"

Ryder hands me a glass and sits next to me, in front of the island.

"It was my uncle." He takes a sip from his glass and puts it on the counter. "My father's brother Alex. He loathed my father for who he was and all he had. Four failed marriages, twins who hated him, was an alcoholic, and was penniless. My dad firing him from Boeing was the straw that broke the camel's back."

Ryder gets up and goes to flip the bacon over. I don't know how to react. His uncle killed his parents?! I am so deep in thought, that I don't notice I have swallowed the entire glass of wine.

Ryder turns and looks at me. He then notices the empty glass and grins.

"My mom was the assassin," Ryder begins, again, as he refills my glass. "She actually helped salvage Boeing for my grandparents, paternal side. They didn't have the money to keep it going, so she put every nickel she had earned into the company and it took off. Grandfather eventually stepped down and wanted my parents to take control of it. Mom promised she would hang up her guns and help dad and she did. They were able to expand Boeing and acquire other businesses."

"One stormy night, Uncle Alex came to the house. He was drunk, yelling how Sarah, my mom, should've been his wife, that I was his son, how the entire family made him feel like shit. Just obscenities. I was in the study with my parents when everything happened. They told me to stay put while they checked on my uncle."

"Dad left the study first. Then Mom left me when she heard my dad yelling. I still remember her walking away from me. It's as if it happened yesterday. Mom looked back at me, smiled, and winked at me. She had beautiful, long, blonde hair and always wore red lipstick. Her skin was whiter than snow. She was gorgeous."

He exhales deeply and then continues. "Mom was the center of my universe." Ryder is suddenly deep in thought. A look of longing and hurt spreads throughout his face.

He then clears his throat. I can tell he's becoming emotional, reminiscing about that night.

"Anyways, she turned and closed the double doors behind her. After about a minute, I ran towards the door to peek through the keyhole. That's when I heard the first gunshot and Mom screamed."

"I remember putting my hands over my ears to stop from hearing her screams. She kept yelling for Uncle Alex to put the gun down. He told her if she moved, he'd put a bullet through her head, like he did my father. I hadn't realized but Dad was dead."

"I looked through the keyhole and saw her turn and run towards the study, towards me, and he shot her. The bullet went out her right eye and through the study door."

"I was so scared my uncle would kill me next, so I hid in a cabinet behind the double doors. He came in, looked around but never found me. He didn't know I saw the whole thing. I was sent to live with my grandparents that very night."