Deadly Match

Chapter 1

Becker

Thank you for your nineteen years’ service in the army, Becker. We will miss you and your impressive skill.

The general’s words echoed in my mind. I would miss him too. The guys in the army too. I would miss the adrenaline while being there. For being able to be a part of them to protect this country. 

I had done enough.

I served my country enough.

It was time for me to move on.

Time for me to go home. Home. My Home. Not with my dad. 

He had called me and if I would be coming home to our house in Wisconsin. I said no. I was thirty-six. I had my own house. I had promised to come home though. One day. 

…Becker…

“Goddamn it,” I tsked. It’d been nineteen years, almost two decades. What a stubborn woman. 

I reached my house, located near the beach. I liked this. Being near the ocean, listening to the water splashing with each other. Sometimes calm and sometimes raging. It calmed me. I’d stayed here for ten years now. For nineteen years I served this country, I only came home to my father five times. The rest I spent my resting time in this house. I felt more like home here rather than with my father. Don’t get me wrong, we were best buddies. Ever since he came to take me with him. 

I used to live with my mother. The mother who had abandoned me. The mother I rarely seen because she was constantly out of the house. Almost like she forgot she had a son back in the house. Or it was just like that. My existence was being forgotten. Even until she died, where I found her lying lifelessly on the floor with foam poured out of her lips and her eyes rolled to the back, she neglected me. Overdose. Drugs were more important to her than her son.

Because I didn’t have a family, I was sent to the social shelter. And my father came to pick me up.

I’m your father, Becker.

I thought I was going to hate him because he was never around when I was born. I was wrong. It took me years to accept it was my mother who took me away from my father. Dad was a great father and I was grateful he came for me. I never questioned whatever my father was doing for my sake, not until he decided to marry Gianna. His wife. My stepmother. Making me felt like an outsider instantly. Dad knew I felt omitted immediately but I always made sure to him that I didn’t feel that way. 

And that’s why I chose to leave.

Unlocking the house with the key card, I entered my small haven. I looked around. Where was—, oh, right. I remembered I had to pick up Zeus from the pet hotel. I looked at my Casio and it was already five in the evening. It was closed already. I forgot to inform Tiffany. I wonder if she would sneak me in. Let’s try. I dialed her number and she picked it up immediately.

“You forgot Zeus, didn’t you?” she attacked me immediately.

“Sorry, Tiff. I was in the fool’s paradise.” And she laughed.

“I’m still in the hotel if you want to pick him up.”

“I’m on my way then. Thanks.” I went back to my Shelby and rode it to the hotel.

When I arrived, I saw Shane’s Santa Fe in front. I parked my car next to it and entered the hotel. Seeing Tiffany with Zeus right next to her and within a second, he was all over my face. Licking and kissing me. “Hey, boy! Missed me?” I greeted him cheerfully. Damn, I missed my boy so much and Zeus managed to push my ass to the wooden floor.

“He missed you terribly, Becks,” Tiffany stated.

“I know. Come on, boy, Knock it off!” No use. His tail kept waggling despite I just scolded him. Oh, well. I always had a soft spot toward dogs, especially Zeus. I met him here, in Tiffany Pet Hotel, she named it with her name. Said the previous owner boarded him here when he was six months old. Tiffany told me they were having a holiday and never came back. That was three years ago and I just got back and was picking up my buddy-Shane here. I immediately asked if I was allowed to take him and Tiffany easily agreed because no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t contact his owner. Basically, he was abandoned. Their loss though for losing this handsome little dude. Zeus was a three-year-old black Pitbull with stunning blue eyes. 

“Sorry for being late,” I said while rubbing his head. He barked once, so ready for me to take him home. I should buy a lot of treats for him while on my way home. Tiffany handed me his leash as Zeus kept barking. “Be patient, boy.” I stood up and pulled out my wallet.

“Oh, no. No, Becker. Don’t you dare.”

“Come on, Tiff. You should keep the money. Zeus overstayed a lot.” She laughed again.

“I accepted him rather than sending him to the shelter or leaving him in your empty house,” she insisted.

I insisted back, “At least let me pay his food.” Quickly handing her two-thousand dollars.

“These are too many, Becker.”

“Shut up and accept the money, woman. I still have a lot in my bank account.”

“Thanks to your retirement,” she commented and I nodded. 

“Hey, Becks!” Shane appeared from the back. “Picking up Zeus?”

“Sure I am. Thank you for taking care of him, man.”

“No problem. He’s a great companion here.” We were working in the same field before – Combat Search and Rescue. We were a team but Shane chose to retire earlier than me. Because he found his missing piece, that’s what he claimed. Now, he was happily married to the sweet Tiffany and I couldn’t be anymore happier for him. 

“I’ll be going now.”

“Oh! Are you free tomorrow night?” he asked.

“I am.”

“I want to celebrate your homecoming at my friend’s bar. Coming?”

“Sure.”

“You can take Zeus to our house again,” Tiffany suggested.

“That’s lovely but thank you. He can be left alone for a few hours.”

“It can be an entire night if you found someone,” Shane joked and I chuckled.

“I won’t bring home a lady into my house, Shane. You know that. Not when Zeus is around.”

“Have you ever brought home a woman before?” Tiffany asked.

“Nope. I can get laid next week. I want to spend more time with Zeus before you officially become my boss, Tiff.”

“You treat him like your own boy,” Shane commented.

“I am.” Well, my four-legged boy. “See you tomorrow, Shane, Tiffany.”

“I’ll pick you up tomorrow.”

I went to my car. Opening the door, Zeus immediately jumped in as I went behind the wheel. Igniting the engine, I asked, “What do you want for dinner?” He barked. “Beef with eggs. Obviously.” I headed to the nearest supermarket. “Behave, okay? I’ll be right back,” I asked him. As usual, Zeus would sit beside the Shelby while I entered the supermarket. Immediately grabbing the ground beef with some eggs. I also grabbed the package Bolognese. I was too lazy to cook something for myself. Also, I grabbed two cans of beer and quickly paid for everything. I went out and saw Zeus was still in his position when I left him. What a great boy and we headed home.

Zeus kept sniffing the plastic bag. “Hey, you can wait until we get home.” He managed to open the bag. “Zeus, stop it!” I scolded and that’s when everything happened.

A person being pushed to the road. “Motherfucker!” Urgently punched the brake. The tires screeching the road. Zeus almost got thrown to the dashboard. “What the f**k?!”

“f**k you, you w***e!” Whoa, what the hell? I looked to the front, seeing a blonde woman with anger on her face shouting at someone she just pushed. Jesus, was she planning on killing someone? “You stole my boyfriend, you slut!” Ah, a typical argument with a lady, I assume. I didn’t manage to see my poor victim, almost.

Zeus barked. “Shh, calm down, boy.”

The woman she pushed stood up. Wow, she was quite tall for a woman. Maybe around five foot eight or nine. Long and wavy dirty blonde hair spread around her back, reaching until the middle. Wearing black t-shirts. And with a low voice, “I didn’t steal your boyfriend,” she stated. “I didn’t even know he has a girlfriend so if you wanted to blame someone, blame your pathetic boyfriend for being unable to keep his d**k away from another woman.” Ouch, that was harsh.

“How dare you!” the blonde woman screamed and was about to slap her

“s**t!” As I pushed myself out of the car but the tall chick captured her wrist easily. 

“Instead of screaming and yelling at me, you should finish your business with your man. And for the record, we didn’t f**k at all. Instead, I almost sent his poor ass to the hospital because he was about to grab my ass.” She let the woman go.

“f**k you!” she cursed and left. Passing me like I was not even there. Oh, well.

The woman grabbed her bag from the sidewalk. Damn, those legs. Wrapped with blue jeans. Long. Perfect. Oh, jeez. What the f**k was I thinking? “Sorry for almost bumping your car,” she said. Hold on. Why she was apologizing? That should be me.

“No, that’s my fault. I should be careful too. But that was…quite harsh. For what she did to you.”

“It was usual for me.” Usual? Meaning…many guys were drowned to her? Many women assaulted her like that? Well, she seemed pretty. 

And I found my answer when she looked at me. f**k. Me. Dark eyes. So dark they were able to pull me to her and made me wanted to be drowned there. Sharp jawline. Sharp cheekbone. But what made me stunned, even more, cemented my foot to the pavement, was the air around her. What the f**k was this? I couldn’t keep my eyes away from this mysterious stunning woman.

And she smirked, snapping me back to reality. “Don’t look at me that way,” she asked. 

“Why?”

“Maybe you will be my next poor target.”

“What?”

“Let’s leave it there. I should go now. Your cute dog is looking at you.” I looked back and saw Zeus had his two feet on the dashboard. When I turned back, the woman had walked away from me. 

I went back behind the wheel. “Hey, sorry about that, Zeus. Let’s go home, okay?” I looked to the front, seeing the woman was nowhere. A ghost? Nah, impossible. I headed home but my mind was still left there on that pavement.

Who is she?