Becoming His Assassin

Prologue

Audrey

    I worked extra hard to get all of my tasks done in half the time, so I could go home early.  I was expecting Luke to return that evening, and I wanted to make sure I was looking my best when he walked through the door.

    Luke was my everything.  Just out of college, I met him at a local bar, where he swept me off my feet.  I fell head over heels in love with that man, leading to us getting married six months later.

    I couldn’t wait to see his beautiful, cerulean eyes again and feel his lips on mine.  Too often, my husband had to leave town on business, and I always missed him like crazy whenever he was gone.

    Unfortunately, being married to the billionaire CEO of a multinational corporation was my biggest challenge in life.  He was always so busy, dealing with business stuff, I found myself consumed with loneliness way too often.  When he was around, I spent my time being ignored or getting slapped around for the most ridiculous reasons.

    Being the faithful wife I was, I never ran into the arms of another man when he left me feeling sad, lonely and beat-up.  Despite the shitty treatment I received from my husband, I could never do such a horrible thing to Luke.  I loved him way too much to even consider it.

    We were closing in on our third marriage anniversary, and the sparks that were there at the beginning had long ago faded.  Sometimes, I would go weeks without being intimate with my husband, because he was too busy or too tired.  It was extremely disheartening, but I refused to give up on us.

    That’s a big part of the reason why I wanted to go the extra mile that day.  My goal was to reignite the sparks that were missing and make my husband remember why he married me.

    On the way home, I had my driver stop by the liquor store, where I bought the most expensive bottle of chardonnay.  Luke had always loved a good chardonnay, so I figured it would be a good way to get the night started with him.  From there, I went straight home.

    As soon as I got inside, I set the bottle on the counter, then I headed to my bedroom, so I could hang my jacket in the closet.  After taking one step into the room, I stopped short and threw my right hand over my mouth to stop myself from screaming at the top of my lungs.

    The man who vowed to be faithful to me until the end of time was in bed with another woman, and he wasn’t just having s*x.  He was making love to her the way he used to make love to me, and their loud moans echoing off the walls were equivalent to a slap across my face.

    My chest ached with the shattering of my heart, as I watched his muscular body, which was covered in a sheen of sweat, move slowly and meticulously to give the other woman pleasure.  It had been more than a year since he made love to me like that, and it angered me beyond belief.

    Completely devastated by my husband’s betrayal, I left the bedroom and returned to the kitchen.  By then, rage was taking over the initial devastation, leading to me opening that bottle of chardonnay and dumping it all over the pristine, pearl white counters.

    After that, I scribbled on a napkin, ‘GO TO HELL,’ then I left the mansion that had been my home for three and a half years.  In addition to that, I left the man who won my heart just to turn around and completely wreck me.  

    I left with nothing but the clothes I was wearing, my purse and my car.  I had no use for anything else there or any of his money.  Part of the prenuptials I signed dictated that I had to keep my own separate bank account for my earnings, and I wasn’t entitled to any of his money if I was unfaithful.  

    Sure I wasn’t the one who was unfaithful, but I couldn’t stand the thought of seeing his abusive, cheating face any time in the near future.  After what he did, I felt nothing but hate for my husband, and I vowed to make him pay.

    With big, ugly tears of betrayal streaming down my face, I folded into my dark purple Celica and immediately put on my biggest pair of sunglasses.  As I drove away from the mansion I once called home, I felt my heart turn to ice, as images of his betrayal flashed through my mind.

    I knew there was only one thing that would truly make me feel better.  He had to die, or I would never be able to fully move on and live in peace without worrying he would find me and kill me first.

    Wanting to cover all of my bases, I drove to the other side of town, where one of my old college buddies worked.  When I reached my destination, I used a tissue to dry my eyes and cheeks, then I left my car and walked inside.

    It took a few seconds to spot the red headed tech, Jason, then I quickly maneuvered through the crowded cellphone store to get to him.  Once he was close enough to hear me, I called out his name, gaining my friend’s attention with ease.

    Right away, he beamed a smile my way and hollered, “Audrey!  My good friend from college!  It’s been too long since I set eyes on that beautiful face of yours!  Tell me, doll.  What brings you here today?”

    I waited until I was in front of him to sheepishly admit, “I need your help, but I can’t talk to you about it here.”

    “Is everything okay?” he immediately asked with a worried frown forming on his face.

    After releasing a sigh of frustration, I glumly mumbled, “No, everything is not okay.  What time will you be leaving here?”

    “I can leave right now.  I just need to let my boss know.  Wait right here!  I will be right back!” Jason assured me before running to the back.  Less than a minute later, he returned with his keys in hand and curiously asked, “Do you wanna follow me back to my place?”

    “That’s fine with me,” I responded before heading toward the exit.

    Jason followed me outside, then I watched to see what car he got in.  After he folded into a silver Mustang, I folded into my car and waited for him to pull out on the road.  

    I pulled out right behind Jason, then I followed him through town for about five minutes until he parked in front of a small, yellow house with light gray shutters.