The Hitman and His Consort

VIII – Involvements

First Person P.O.V – VALENTIN HACKSAW

It’s 10:00 AM. I already arrived at Rodrigo’s clinic/office with a frappe I bought with Diana earlier. She likes her frappes and I like that I don't have to pick what I drink for the morning because she chooses for me. One of the few things I could say we 'bond' about.

“On time as always,” he greeted as I settled on my spot on the ‘therapy couch’.

“Yeah, what episode are we on?” I asked, referring to that T.V series that we were watching. It’s about a bunch of kids with animal features. It was entertaining. We're not about to waste each other's time trying to 'help' me, are we?

“Yeah, about that Valya, your mom asked me how you’re progressing with the therapy,” he began, neatly stacking folders and papers on his desk before leaning back in his chair.

I tilted my head as I raised a brow, “what did she ask?”

He sighed, “She asked if your spontaneously violent approach to situations lessened,” he replied.

I took a sip from my drink, “… did you say yes?” I asked, no, hoped.

He shook his head, “If I said yes, you would have trouble trying to fill in her expectation of your ‘improved’ behavior, I just told her that we’re working harder on it and I’m seen minor changes, for both our sakes,” he explained.

‘He’s really smart, I guess that’s one of his gifts…that and immortality because this man seemed to stop aging in his thirties,’

“That’s smart, doc, so what are we going to do about it?” I asked, I think mom is starting to see that I’m just wasting my money by spending $270 for roughly an hour and a half just to watch a series.

He smirked before pulling out a clipboard and a pen, “I guess we have to do sessions for real,” he said.

I sighed after realizing what he meant. I had no issues with Rod as a person and as my therapist, I understand that he knows how to manage and deal with me, or I hope he does, and I know that he won’t judge me, that’s what he told me, but it’s bothersome to have to remember and relive situations and scenarios and then figure out what I was doing wrong or right or have him explain that to me in a way that I’ll figure it out myself.

“Fine, but I’m going to complain the whole time,” I replied, taking another sip from my drink.

“I know,” he replied.

…

An hour and a half have passed, “We’re done for today, Valya,” Rod said, filing his clipboard away.

“F*cking finally… that was agonizing, I’m off,” I mumbled, before standing up and dusting myself off anything from this place. I grabbed my empty drink and headed for the door. He nodded at me as I left. I forgot how exhausted I felt after every session, but after going through it again I remembered why I and Rod reached a decision to stop.

I have no pending business today and it’s still not legal to hunt pedophiles even at this age. I had nothing to do.

So I called Art.

‘I’m bored as hell,’

“Hello, you’ve reached Arthur Delavigne,” she greeted like a call center agent speaking to her first customer for the day.

“It’s Valya,” I replied as I walked around the busy streets looking for a place to grab lunch,

“Oh! Hi there, are you available right now?” she asked, and I heard a couple of gunshots in the background. Sounds like a busy day.

“Yeah, I was just grabbing lunch,” I answered,

“Let’s have lunch together, just give me a minute,” she replied. She must’ve pocketed her phone because, despite the gunshots being louder, they were muffled. I heard some yelling and a couple more gunshots before silence took over.

“Are you still there, Valya?” she asked again, a bit breathy now.

‘Her voice is really more on the lower register, huh...’

“Still here, I’m getting in a burger and fries food chain called ‘Meaty Street’, it’s close to the St.Therese Medical Facility,” I recited,

“Right, I’ll see you there then, bye!” she said, ending the call.

I entered the food chain and ordered a hefty meal as I wasted for her, and just as my order was done, walking to a vacant table, I saw her walk in.

I noticed this yesterday, but it's ought to be pointed out. She dresses suspiciously. First, the fingerless gloves, she's also wearing a black skin-tight turtleneck sleeveless shirt, dark green tactical pants with an abundance of pockets tucked in a pair of black combat boots, and an unstrapped hiking chest harness. She threw a smile and a wave to me before heading to the counter, putting in her order too.

I waited for her to arrive before I start digging in. I feel like my mother would appear out of thin air and slap my hand the moment I take my first bite. It didn’t take too long before she started walking to the table, having a big portion on her tray as well.

“Let’s dig in, I’m starved,” she gushed as she took a big bite of her burger. I did the same, just less messy. Like a civilized human being.

We enjoyed a couple of minutes of eating in silence, and just when we were almost finished she gulped down her soda, wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, and smiled at me, “So where should I start?” she asked,

“What did you settle with Ice?” I asked, nibbling on a fry.

“Ah, that… that’s a more recent scene, first, do you know about the Mariella Labs incident?” she asked, and I shook my head to answer her question.

She sighed, “You’re a piece of work Valya, but I’ll give you a walkthrough,” she began, leaning her elbows on the table and taking three small pieces of French fries and placing them on a spread-out table napkin. Probably characters for the walkthrough she’s talking about.

“So this fry is the biggest scum on the earth I’ve known thus far, Jacob Montreal, he owns the Mariella Labs, funding more on the drug manufacturing, you know medicines and the like,” she started setting that piece of fry on the side of the napkin.

‘She’s pretty expressive,’

“This, this is general Linaye Jones-McGyle, she’s a representative for the government because Montreal was pulling ten-digit-incomes from his ‘projects’, she keeps him in check by talking over some fine dining and wine, discussing the rules and regulations involved with his business and they just you know... ignore it, they’re basically protecting this man from the law they uphold,” she spat with a bitter smile, as she placed this fry on the top of the napkin.

“Now this, this is Dr. August Navarro a known molecular biologist, a top-notch graduate from a top-notch school who specializes in genetic genealogy, she and her buddy Pierre Lovanné, a pharmacist or pharmaceutical researcher, as he calls himself, are working together to create contraband drugs, they’re just prototypes of the real thing they’re stimulants and they distribute it on the streets to test it out,” she explained as she placed the last fry on the other side of the napkin.

‘… this is mad f*****g interesting,’

I took a sip from my drink, “And Ice is one of the distributors,” I added. She snapped his fingers and smiled.

“Bingo,”

“Is that why you killed him?”

“Part of that, but no, I was trying to get some leads,” she answered,

I frowned, tilting my head, why would she need leads? She already has a load of information on the case,

“Leads for what?” I asked,

“For my brother, five months ago my brother started working on the case… He still hasn’t come back and the longest he’s been gone is two weeks, they killed my brother, Valya, and I’m still finding the person responsible for it,” she replied, her chirpy tone replaced with a solemn and menacing grumble.

‘Sh* t, I love revenge missions,’

I chewed on a fry before talking again, “So…what do you want me to do?” I asked, leaning back on my chair.

"Oh, you want to do something?"

"Then why did I even-"

"I'm kidding, I was actually gonna ask if you'd have some spare time to help me," she began with a joke before asking me.

I shrugged as I ate the last fry on my place, "Yeah, I'm in, what's next?" I answered, and a beaming smile cracked on her face as she threw punches in the air.

"Great, well now the next thing on my revenge itinerary is ...right, infiltrating the Mariella Labs, I'm gonna look for Pierre or August and ask who in that facility killed my brother," she said, cracking her knuckles against the table as she did.

I raised a brow, despite her tone making it sound simple and quick, this situation seemed risky. I leaned closer, my elbows resting on the table, "how do you suppose we could do that?" I asked. Seems like she's charging into this too rashly, I know I'm not one to talk. I'm not a planner myself but I nit-pick at things, Denis’ influence.

She snapped her fingers, "I'm glad you asked, we can go get a blueprint of the building now," she answered and I tilted my head with minor pleasant surprise.

"You got a blueprint of the whole building?"

"What? No, we're gonna have someone steal it for us,"

"And you planned all of this beforehand?"

She scoffed, waving me off, "Yeah, we just meet the guard, tell him to grab us some blueprints and we have blueprints!"

I pinched the bridge of my nose as I tried to process what part of her optimistic approach to the scene feels remotely like a desire for vengeance and vindication, but all I can see is a kid excited to steal her first lollypop like a bully.

I sighed before looking at her unchanging chirpy expression, "Let me get this straight, you're going to ask a guard at that place for the blueprint and hope he will?" I clarified, since that's how it sounded to me.

"Man, you really think I'm dumb despite me handing your ass to you yesterday, huh?" she droned, squinting with a knowing smile, leaning back to her chair and crossing her arms. For the record, I could have blown her brains out but here she is.

Serving me a full course of attitude.

'If I actually wanted to end you I could,'

"This and that are different things," I replied, matching her tone, making her giggle as she beckoned me to come close. After I did she pulled something from her pocket and gestured for me to take a peek at what she was holding.

Pictures of a little girl, a middle-aged woman, and a house, a rather plain-looking one too. It took me a second before I understood what she meant.

"Blackmail, clever," I praised, finding mild comfort that we're not charging in blindly after all.

She shrugged before shoving them back into her pockets, "Thanks, I don't really have them hostage or anything but I've been tailing that man since yesterday, he's the jittery type, he probably knows he has a touchy job," she added.

I scoffed as I sipped the last ounce of my drink and checked the time, it's not my thing to do business in broad daylight but it's not like this is my business, more like a temporary hobby.

Arthur also finished her food and waved at me to signal our leave, and I followed her out of the store.

I didn't expect her to bring a fancy car, in any case, I pictured her as someone who'll drive jeeps or monster trucks everywhere—Bottom-line; I was at least expecting a car, so the disappointment I felt when I saw a big bike was unexpected and burdening at the same time. She noticed this and laughed, shamelessly celebrating my pains before throwing a spare helmet, similar to hers which is black and sleek, at me.

"Are you scared of bikes, Frankenstein?" she jeered as she put on her helmet and revved the engine of what seemed like a crossbreed between a dirt bike and a big bike, in conclusion, she expects me to ride something that looks like it came straight out of the wildest dreams of a kid who saw motorcycle races on the T.V once.

'She should be thankful she's born a woman, I'd already thought of multiple insults to make if it was a man riding this,'

I put on the helmet and sat there, hoping this would end the moment my ass touched the leather seat.

"Hold on~" she warned,

"Nice tr-agh!" I felt my soul getting left behind as she accelerated in a way I didn't know a motorcycle could. She raced through roads like traffic and other cars didn't exist, swerving past cars one after the other. I made a self-preservative decision to hold on to her. I'm sick of the disappointments that come with living, but I'm not necessarily eager to end my suffering.

She seems favored by the roads too, not once did we stop by red lights but it's no coincidence. I saw the light turn red and then back to green the second we were in the vicinity.

Are these benefits of being a business-oriented mercenary or is this a criminal product of self-indulgence? Either way, I'll ask her to tell me how she did it because I want this too. It didn't take long before I saw the looming figure of a large establishment, the words 'MARIELLA LABS' made with gleaming silver. We then turned a good few kilometers from the establishment and turned to a dark corner where a van was parked.

She shut the engine and without removing her helmet; she headed to the van and knocked. The doors then opened and a large-statured black woman appeared looking at me with a stern expression.

‘Where did Art find a literal sss?'

I thought, she might be around 192cm, she's almost as tall as I am. "Inka, this is Valya, Valya this is Inka, we work together," she introduced.

"Where did you find him?" Inka asked like I wasn't present to answer for myself, yet I couldn't say anything since that's similar to what I thought earlier.

"He's Mama Vanessa's son!" Art replied, and Inka's face turned to a look of disbelief.

"This white boy? Mama's son?" she argued, gesturing at me from head to toe.

'Firstly, they must've known mom's gang to call her by ‘Mama Vanessa’, the Madre Maria which is unsurprising in their case, secondly...'

"I'm adopted," I answered, Art nodded in agreement and Inka seemed to accept that too.

"Alright, welcome aboard, Valya," she said as she nodded her head to the van before heading in. Arthur leaned close to me with one of those stupid smiles,

"We're gonna kick some scientific asses, Valya are you excited?" she said nudging at my shoulder.

'Talking to you is exhausting' I thought, not responding to her as I followed Inka's lead and went inside the van, which is in reality, a technical support office.