The Assassin's Weakness

Chapter 6

Paityn's POV:

Christmas has come and gone and it is now New Year's Eve. Just like before, I hadn't seen that man since that day in the subway but I'm thinking that doesn't mean anything. He could probably just show up out of nowhere just like he did on that subway. It's almost like he was there on purpose, giving me the impression that he was there on that sidewalk that day on purpose as well. But how would he have known I was going to walk out of that building at that exact time, let alone, walk right into him?

That's because he didn't! That's just ridiculous! I shook my head trying to get myself back to reality and stop thinking that he is doing what he is doing on purpose. Maybe on the subway, it was but on the sidewalk, it was not. But if it was on purpose on the subway, do I want him to be following me around? Like a stalker? I'm not sure if that's what I want. What if he were to try something more than just a little flirting or frightening me? What if he's just learning my ways so he can kidnap me and murder me, or rape me and then murder me?

My eyes were wide at the thought of him doing something like that to me. I had to make sure he somehow stayed away from me but how? Going to the church and confessing and praying doesn't seem to be working because he still showed up in that subway. Even if I were to try to do things more with Isaiah I can't be around him all of the time.

Isaiah and I did spend Christmas together, which I was thankful for. We traveled home to my mom's and had dinner there and then opened gifts in the evening. My sister, Dee which we call her for short, is Desiree ( Dez-i-ray), came home with her son She's three years older than me and has never been married. Tyron, her son, is seven years old. She lives in Georgia now and is a teller at a bank so she doesn't make a lot but Tyron's father helps out a lot even though they aren't together. He's married now and has more than enough money to help support Tyron.

On our way back, we stopped in New Jersey and visited with Isaiah's family. He grew up here in the New York area which is why we didn't move anywhere else after college. This is where he wanted to stay. He said there were more job opportunities here than anywhere else and I agreed. I've gotten used to living in a town of this size but I do miss the smaller neighborhoods that I grew up in. I wouldn't mind going back but with his job now, I know that won't be possible.

He still has a long way to go yet but he is hoping to get into the upper corporate offices. I think he could do it. He has the education and mind for it. He got into college with an academic scholarship. I, on the other hand, had to pay full price for it. I was average in school and even the courses I took at the college weren't really high in the education level but did take some business and legal courses. Just not anything high enough to be a paralegal or an attorney. I'm what they call a Legal Secretary. At least, that is what I'm supposed to be at the law firm and that's what I was before Catherine took over.

I'm educated in legal technology and legal terminology. I still answer the phone but not the main phone line. I'm the one right before Catherine's office line. You have to go through me first. I'm also the one that will schedule Catherine's appointments. I also take care of any paperwork that needs to go to our clients or new clients along with collecting information from the clients before they speak with Catherine. Although, all she does is chat with them. She's not actually an attorney which irritates me because why does she need to speak with these people before they are set up with one of the attorneys at the firm? Just all boils back down to her being spoiled and Mr. Johns just lets her have whatever she wants. She just wanted to feel important I guess.

Anyway, before Catherine, I got the information for Mr. Johns when he was here and put together the legal files and anything else he would need for an ongoing case. I'm supposed to prepare the spreadsheets, presentations, and prepare legal papers like subpoenas, summonses, motions, and complaints. Unfortunately, Catherine thinks that is what she is supposed to be doing. Instead, they just get sent back to me after she is done because she screwed something up and I have to fix it. Would just be faster if she just let me do the job that I went to school for, instead of running and getting her coffee or making copies of useless papers and setting up her hair and nail appointments.

There's still a lot that I do because Mr. Johns didn't let her have it, like invoicing and transcription. I don't blame him, we really don't need invoices going out to the clients incorrectly and then possibly losing money or getting sued ourselves. That would not look good on the law firm.

I step over to the full-length mirror and take a look at the outfit that I had put on. The temperatures aren't quite as bad as they were over Christmas. We had snow for Christmas but it has since then melted. The temperature today is almost 50 degrees but it's supposed to drop to about 30 degrees come midnight. Makes it hard to decide what to wear when you plan on going down to Times Square to watch the ball drop, drink some champagne, and maybe get a little dancing on the street in. I'm not sure if I will make it till midnight but it is a lot of fun to watch with all of the lights and then the confetti at the end.

The outfit I chose is a black dress with white specks all over it that shimmer. The dress has long sleeves but only goes to mid-thigh and hugs my body tight. It's a little low and shows some cleavage but I plan on wearing a coat so it won't matter if part of my breasts is visible I plan on wearing black stockings to help with the evening chill and then I have calf-high black boots that I will wear. They have a two-inch heel and I'm sure I'm going to regret this choice because my feet are probably going to kill me afterward but I love the way they look with this outfit.

I smiled at my reflection and walked into the bathroom to finish up. I grabbed a thick white lacey ribbon and pulled it around my head like a headband and tied it off to the side. I left a section of my curls out so they could lay across my forehead. I grabbed some eyeliner and did a winged look and then added some nude color lipstick. I sprayed myself with Isaiah's favorite perfume and added a pair of loop earrings.

Once I was done I walked out to see if Isaiah was done and ready to go. I get to the living space and see that he is talking on his cell phone. He sounds a little irritated so I just go to the kitchen and grab a glass and pour a little bit of tea in it. I don't want to start drinking quite yet. It's only a little before eight in the evening and I don't want to be that drunk before we get there. I want to enjoy the night some and have some champagne. I looked over at Isaiah when I heard what he told them on the phone.

"Yeah, I will be there in a few." He said and hung up.

"What happened?" I asked him.

"I need to go to the office." He said and walked over and grabbed his jacket and apartment keys and started to walk towards the door.

"Are you going to make it to the party?" I asked him and he walked over to me.

"Of course. I will only be a few minutes after you." He said with a smile and I smiled back.

He leaned down and gave me a quick kiss and then headed towards the door.

"I will call you when I'm out there looking for you." He said with a smile and I nodded as he shut the door.

I was a little disappointed that he wasn't going to go with me but at least he seems to be trying again. At least for the holiday season anyway. I decided to grab the coat I was going to wear with my outfit and put it on. It's also black and really fuzzy. It's very warm and I'm hoping that it will be enough tonight and I will be fine. I left it open for now since the weather isn't too bad out yet and grabbed my purse and phone and headed out the door.

I step out into the chilled night air and walk over to the road and waved a taxi. I get in and let him know where I was going and he headed that way. Isaiah and I actually live on the other side of Central Park which is why the rent is cheaper. People want to live near the park of course but the closer you get to Times Square the more it costs. Isaiah didn't really want to live that close but I convinced him. I mostly wanted to be as close to the park as we could afford and this just happens to be where we ended up.

It took almost an hour to get there which is unusual but the traffic is unusual right now though too. He actually had to drop me off a few blocks away because the roads were getting shut down and were full of people along with cars all over. I paid him and started my walk towards Times Square, where the ball would be dropped from.

The closer I got, the louder the music was getting for the outside party. There's also a lot of music and live concerts so I'm sure I will have a good time even if I am by myself. The first place I went was to buy a hot chocolate and then I made my way over to one of the singers. The street wasn't supper packed yet, but as the night goes on, it will get worse.

After several songs and a new singer, I glanced down at my watch to see what time it was. It was almost ten and I still didn't have a call from Isaiah. I chose to walk around and find some champagne now that it's getting a little closer to time. I called Isaiah as I walked around, looking at everyone's costumes, outfits, and decorations.

I wasn't really paying much attention to the call until I heard it go to his voicemail so I chose to leave him a message.

"Hey babe, it's been a couple of hours, and was just wondering if you were almost done with what you needed to get done at the office. Um, call me okay?" I said into the phone and ended the call.

I slid it back into my purse and sighed. We've always spent New Year together. This would be the first time since we started dating in college that we didn't spend this night together.

---

About 30 minutes before midnight, I was a little tipsy after my several glasses of champagne. I found a spot on the street with several others dancing to the music that was getting played. Isaiah never showed, never called me back after the message I left him or to let me know he was on his way.

I set my last finished glass down and pushed my way through the crowd to the sidewalk. This close to time, he may not be able to make it here in time for the ball but maybe he is already on his way. Once I was on the sidewalk, I pulled my phone out of my purse and scrolled through my contacts till I got to his name and dialed. It rang and rang but nothing, just his voicemail so I called again.

This time it rang one time and it quickly went to his voicemail. I pulled my phone away from my ear and looked at my phone as if it was supposed to tell me what was going on. I could feel the heat of my tears because the only thing I was thinking was the fact that he wasn't at the office but instead with some woman f*****g her.

Ever since that first time the thought of him being unfaithful crept up into my mind, I can't seem to shake the feeling that he is. I called his number again and this time he picked up.

"Paityn! What is it you want?" He said and he sounded winded.

The first tear fell from my eye and my lip trembled at the sound of his voice.

"You were supposed to meet me at Times Square, remember?" I asked him, holding my voice as strong as I could to keep it from shaking.

"Well, I got busy. I'm not going to make it." He said back in a rushed tone.

"Isaiah, what is going on? What is happening between us?" I asked him and I had to pull the phone away from my ear and look up to try to cool my eyes down.

"Paityn, not now." He snapped back loud enough that I could still hear him even though my phone was pulled away slightly.

"When is a good time then? Do you need to get out a planner so you can write down when a good time is for you to talk to your wife?" I said and was no longer able to control the sound of my voice as it trembled just a little.

"Don't be like that." He said a little more softly into the phone and just then it was ripped out of my hand and I was practically pushed into an alley and up against the brick wall of a building.

---

Anthony's POV:

I watched outside of her building until she finally walked out. She looked amazing and dressed for a party. I wouldn't be surprised if she was going downtown to watch the ball drop. She got into a cab and I hopped onto my bike and followed her. The traffic was going to be awful tonight and I didn't want to get stuck behind so I dressed for it and took a rented bike again this time so I could weave in and out of the cars as they sat waiting to move.

The entire night, I followed her around. She looked extremely beautiful tonight. I wanted her legs wrapped around me so bad right now from just seeing her in that short party dress and boots. Her legs looked so long and sexy that I just wanted my hands all over them. She's going to be a tough cookie to crack because she is married and a good girl but I'm up for the challenge.

I kept my distance the entire time so she wouldn't know that I was there. I saw her pick up her phone a few times and make a call. I was too far away to know what she was calling about but I got the feeling it was to her husband. I was actually quite surprised that he didn't walk out with her and spend the evening with her. I know I wouldn't be anywhere right now but with her, if she was my woman. The way he seems to treat her just makes me want to mutilate his face around.

She drank four glasses of champagne and I could see that she was getting a little tipsy and drunk. It's a good thing she didn't drive here or I would have to somehow make sure she got home safely. I finished my glass the moment I saw her pushing her way through the crowd. I looked at the time and saw that it was a half-hour till midnight. Why does it look like she is leaving?

I followed her and she stumbled just a little as she got onto the sidewalk and pulled her phone back out. She wasn't paying any attention to anything, as usual, other than trying to call the person on the other end. She called more than a few times before they finally picked up.

She stopped walking when the call finally went through and I had to look at her face to get an idea of what she was talking about, which means I needed to get closer. I pushed through the crowd again and came out in front of her. She looked up and the lights around sparkled on the tears that were falling from her eyes. Seeing her cry was pissing me off. I could kill whoever it was on the other side making this beautiful creature cry and that's when I heard it.

"When is a good time then? Do you need to get out a planner so you can write down when a good time is for you to talk to your wife?" She said in a pained voice.

That deadbeat of a husband is the one who is making her cry! I couldn't control myself anymore and I took long fast strides over to her and grabbed that phone from her hand and moved her into the nearby alley and up against the wall.

"What the f**k!" She shouted when I pinned her and I put the phone to my ear.

"Paityn!" I heard the male voice on the other side.

So that's what this beautiful young woman's name is.

"Paityn! What's going on!" He said sounding a little worried but then I heard another voice in the distance, a female voice, and that just angered me even more that I could have crushed this phone in my hand.

"You lost the right to talk to her the moment you made her cry," I growled into the phone.

I heard him cussing on the other side and I dropped the phone and I took my foot and I crushed it.