Coldhearted: First Book In The Series

Chapter Eight

We had went to see Captain Marvel. It was really good, and I enjoyed it dearly. We were walking back out to his slick black Mustang, our fingers interlaced. People walked by, and an elderly couple were shoveling to the theater. The old woman with creases in her skin smiled at us. "You too look lovely. Have a goodnight!" We smiled back. "Thank you ma'am. You too." I replied.

We made it to the car, Isaac opening the door for me on the passenger's side. "Such a gentleman." I joked. He grinned. "I was raised right." I got in, Isaac shutting the door behind me. He came in next, then checked out the back of the car. He turned on his flashlight from his phone, sweeping it to test what was there. When he found nothing, he only turned back around. "Wanted to make sure that no one was there to get you. I don't doubt your father would try to kidnap you back." I rolled my eyes. "I can handle myself, ya know." He gave me a pointed look.

"Not drugged you can't. I wouldn't put it past him either."

I bit my lip. Years ago, he was my only refuge. And now...I blocked those thoughts from my head. I flipped the switch to block off those emotions. I turned to Isaac, a plastered on smile across my face. "Where to next?" His gave told me he knew what I just did, but he didn't say anything. He only turned on the car, glancing at me from the corner of his eye. "Olive Garden?" I shook my head. "I've got another place in mind. Something less...crowded." I told him the directions. It was in downtown Atlanta, the more rundown part and less touristy.

He parked outside to a rusted meter, the paint wearing off. "I didn't think you came to this part of town." The brick buildings were old and dusty, the stone picking off. The windows were smeared and some glass was broken. Graffiti was on abounded buildings, but there were stores everywhere you looked. Flowers, books, fruits. Anything you could name, there was. People milled about, laughing, drinking, or eating food. "This is where I came every time I came to Atlanta with my mother." My breath caught. "Both-both of them."

Isaac looked at me. "You were close to Mrs. Maddox weren't you?" I nodded. "She was what kept me from running out of the house at first glance. Even if I loved my brothers, I never planned on loving the family so much. Barbara really did that for me." Shaking it off, I got out. "There's a small bar over here. It serves pretty good chicken fingers too." Isaac got out as well. "Great. Just what I wanted." I smiled at him. "I'm glad." I led him to a small, rusted door with the sign covered in chipped paint. It read: Red Wagon's Bar

"Nice name. Does anything illegal go on in here?" He asked. I looked at him. "Isaac. Everything that goes on around this part is illegal." He nodded slowly. "Makes sense. So, let's just pretend that we're both not FBI agents and let's be friends tonight." I snickered. "Ok. That's what I had planned to do." We walked in. The old decor was country themed with CocaCola photos everywhere. The leather seats of the booth was worn and the cushioning was showing from under the seats. The tables were loosing the furnish, but it was charming anyways.

The bar had high chairs that were as rusty as the door, and creaked whenever people shifted in it. The neon lights added a nice touch, and the music was definitely country. I breathed in the sent of leather and the Earth. "You really do love this place." I looked at Isaac. "Yeah. I really do." We got seated, and soon we were eating. Laughs and yells were coming from both of our mouths. "No way. That is so not what happened." He nodded. "Nope. Not kidding. I literally had to stick the needled on his butt so he'd go to sleep."

I laughed once more. The stories continued, and for once, I felt happy. "So, off topic, I've got your first mission." I blinked. "When?" Isaac took a sip of his Coke. "This morning. I wasn't to tell you until later." I rolled my eyes. "So much for not having a mission." He gave me a coy smile. "It's right up your alley." I cocked my head. "What does that mean?" He stabbed at the last bite of his chicken, popping it into his mouth. He chewed agonizingly slow. It was to bother me. "Do I need to move your jaw for you?" I asked, annoyed.

He swallowed, then smiled. I took a sip of my water. "You get to bring a Mafia associate in." I choked, spurting water from my mouth. "What?!" I screamed. He looked taken aback. "Whoa! You ok?" I shook my head. "Isaac, I used to be a Mafia. They'll know me as soon as I come out of the dark!" He smiled slyly. "That's why you're getting a new design."

~~~~~

I stared at myself in the mirror. "You've got to be kidding me."

My old assassin outfit was a black and red on. The chest was covered with leather, the whole dress like that. Black tights were on my legs with knee high boots that had a circle of red at the top. A black hood with red on the rim covered my hair, a solid black mouth guard blocking everything but my eyes. A leather black and red arrow sack that had black feather tipped arrows and red sharp tips at the end. The outfit I was wearing now is completely different. It wasn't what I was used to, and I was deciding if I liked it or not.

It was all white. It was also leather, a hood draping behind my head. I had gloves on my hands and the chest was securely covered, along with protection. I wore full length pants instead of a dress, white work boats on my feet. I didn't have a bow and arrow, instead a sword strapped tightly to my back, two hand guns on my hips, and a small dagger concealed inside of my boots. A white mask covered my eyes, and white paint covered my cheeks up to the mask on the bridge of my nose. "What do you think?" Isaac asked.

I didn't reply.

"Wow, real mature."

I rolled my eyes at his response to my silence. "I mean, it's...ok." The light blonde hair on my head was complemented nicely by the white face paint. "Darling, it's more than just ok. It's magnificent!" A dark skinned man stood behind me, long extensions coming down to his hips. A black Ouija Board crop top covering his upper half. Black leggings were tightly on his legs, and black converses were on his feet.

"It's ok."

The man rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, darling. You know it's everything." Isaac spurted out a laugh. "Jeremy, you think anything you make is 'everything.'" Isaac made short air quotes in the last statement. Jeremy gave a dismissive wave to him, then continued to goggle at his work. I looked over to Isaac, his eyes catching mine. I noticed the subtle lip bite he had on his bottom lip. His perfect hair fell into his eyes, his teeth grazing his lip even further. This outfit was definitely one of his favorites.

Teasing him, I turned slowly, making sure he saw every inch.

After I was done with that, I looked at Jeremy. "Can I leave now?" I asked. He rolled his eyes. "Fine. I guess." I changed out of it and back into my old clothes. We said goodbye and headed back to my house. When I was on the porch, Isaac glanced at me shyly. "You be careful, ok? I don't want you getting hurt." I nodded. "I'll be fine." He gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, then was off. I walked into the house, sighing. "If only I could be with him without hurting him." I walked into the living room, turning on the Tv to distract me.