GRAY

seven

Roman

I sneak out of the bed.

Swiftly, I slide into my shirt and shorts.

I grab a bottle of champagne from the kitchenette and tiptoe to the door.

Juliette is lying still in bed, pretending to be asleep. I'm standing behind the door, probably invisible in the dark.

The intruder silently opens the door, a gun in his hand. He's a giant, wearing a black mask and a black suit.

Fury flashes through me when he points the gun at Juliette. I knock his head so hard with the bottle of champagne. He falls on the floor, the gun slipping out of his hand. The floor is a mess of spilled liquor and shattered glass. He cries out in pain after cutting the palm of his hands with glass.

I toss Juliette the white robe which she quickly puts on.

I grab the gun from the floor and switch on the lights. The giant is still crying in pain, his hands are bleeding.

Juliette stands next to me as she crosses her hands against her chest, observing him.

I point the gun at him.

"Take off your mask." I demand. "Take off your mask or I shoot your knee. The choice is yours, love."

He hesitates for a moment before he finally takes the black mask off. He drops his head. Juliette gasps in shock as confusion crosses her face.

"Jude!" She exclaims.

"You know him?"

"He's my bloody bodyguard!" She cries.

Juliette starts pacing around the room in complete terror and disbelief. I'm staring at the bodyguard, wondering why he wants to kill his boss.

"Why?" Juliette stops and stares at him. "Why the fùck would you fly all the way to another country just to kill me? How did you even know I was here? Is this something you've been planning? God! You are the killer! You were at the wedding! You killed my husband!"

"I didn't!" Jude snaps. "Someone sent me!"

"Someone sent you to kill my husband?"

"No!" He huffs. "Someone sent me here to kill you"

"Who?" She demands.

There's a stretch of silence before he heaves a sigh, still not looking up.

"If I tell you, will you spare my life?"

"Ofcourse!" She's quick to say.

"Hellen Harvey." He admits.

"My mother-in-law?" She barks in disbelief.

"Yes."

"Why would she try to kill me?"

"I don't know." He shrugs. "She just told me to get the job done. The money was good. I couldn't turn it down. That's what happened. Can I go now?"

"Yes." I smile. "You can go now."

Jude tries to stand up when I shoot his knee.

That sends him rolling on the floor as he screams in pain. Juliette looks at me in shock and disbelief. She's crazy if she thought I would let this arrogant monster walk away just like that. He was supposed to protect her. Not break into her room and try to kill her. If it was up to me, I'd finish him off right this minute. Shooting his knee is merciful. He doesn't deserve mercy.

"How did you manage to break in?" I ask. "Where did you get the key?"

He doesn't respond. He's busy crying from his bleeding hands and bleeding knee.

"Jude." I smirk. "If you value the other knee, you better speak up now. I'm not a patient man."

"It's the housekeeper!" He blurts out. "She gave me the key! I gave her some cash! That's all!"

I grab his phone from his pockets. He gives me the passcode. I dial the number.

"What are you doing?" He asks in fright.

"Calling the police." I wink. "I want to report a crime."

That makes Juliette smile.

**

A couple of hours later, the police drive away with Jude and the housekeeper after taking our statements.

Juliette is still in shock from everything that just happened. She gets on a call with her assistant and shares the crazy details about the crazy night. She also asks her assistant to book a flight. She's leaving tomorrow morning.

A wave of sadness washes through me. Our little wild night is almost coming to an end. I don't want it to end.

We are back in bed again. It's dark again and we are trying to go back to sleep. Ofcourse I can't sleep. Not after someone just tried to break in and kill her.

"Can't sleep!" She sits up in bed. "You're also wide awake! I have a few hours left in this beautiful island. I don't want to waste them in bed."

Juliette is the complete opposite of me. She's fun. Infact, she's the most fun person I've ever met. And I'm the most boring person I know. I travel a lot but spend the whole time rotting in bed.

"Plus, you have a few more hours to be my husband." She smiles. "Let's not waste them in bed."

"It's three in the morning." I groan.

"Perfect time to go to the beach!" She jumps out of bed. "It's not crowded now. And we can sit there and eat fast food and wait for the sunrise. Heard the sunrises here are surreal. You don't want to miss out!"

She drags me out of bed.

Then she drags me out of the room.

Lastly, she drags me to the restaurant where we get a bunch of French fries, chicken, burgers and two cokes.

**

The sky slowly lights up.

The sun is about to make a dramatic entrance.

We've been sitting silently for two hours on the beach. Eating the food. Watching the crashing waves. Listening to the calm wind.

Not a lot of people would find fun in this silence and calmness. But I do. And I think she does too...

But I wouldn't know that. I know nothing about Juliette except the fact that she's a supermodel who's great in bed. I must say, she's hard to c***k. An enigma.

Her husband died in her wedding. That didn't stop her from going on their honeymoon. She met a stranger in the elevator and fùcked him in every corner of her hotel room. She breaks down in a bath tub, the first time she shows any real emotion. Her bodyguard breaks into her room with a gun, trying to kill her. Then she finds out that her mother-in-law is the mastermind. She's obviously shaken but too calm about it all. Too calm that it's concerning...

Juliette turns to look at me and breaks the silence.

"What you did to Jude back there was badass." She says. "Please be my bodyguard."

That catches me off guard. It's funny how she blurts out serious things like that.

"Sorry but I... I have a job."

"I'll pay double."

"I'll think about your offer and get back to you as soon as possible."

That's a formal lie.

Ofcourse I'm going to turn down the offer. I'm a trained assassin. My recent mission was killing her husband. Working for her would be too dangerous. Even sitting here with her is too dangerous. If they find out that I have any relations in connection with an assignment, they'll kill me. And worse, they'll kill her.

After tonight, I'll never see her again. After tonight, I'll completely cut contact. After tonight, it's goodbye forever. That breaks my heart a little.

The sun pops out of the horizon, spreading orange streaks of light all over the sky. The reflection of the sun bounces on the surface of the ocean. It's probably the most magical thing I've ever witnessed.

"God!" She gushes. "Isn't that beautiful?"

Not nearly as beautiful as her.

****