Goodbyes

Leonard

I looked at the woman before me; I was never the one to fall in love fast, but this woman, she was not a mere woman. She was a goddess, her full pouty lips, her thick lashes. I wanted this woman; I had to have her. Her long legs covered by the black jogging pants she wore, I knew I was staring, staring at a complete stranger, I knew it wasn't right to stare, was it I didn't care. I swallowed hard, blinking myself back into reality. I cleared my throat, "What is the meaning of this, Leonard?" Melanie's father looked at us, his arms crossed across his chest.

"A little misunderstanding, Frank. The lady has been drinking, she claims, of being chased. This was the first house she saw with lights, I was in the neighborhood and I had approached her after you had come to the door, I apologize for this." I fight my rapid breath, trying to maintain composure, but I felt that lie was as open like a book, and the looks on Frank's face confirmed my worries.

But the older man unfolded his arms with a laugh, "Leonard my boy, you got to control that temper. If not, you'll be that old man that yells at children to get off their lawn. Loosen up. It's obvious that she fears something. Why not take her to the coffee shop down the road?"

"I'll do that, Frank."

The older man smiled, "I wish my wife looked at me the way you were eying this girl a second ago. Clean the drool from your face before going to the cafe. Just a suggestion." Frank laughed as he walked inside, closing the door.

I used my shirt sleeve to wipe the evidence from my lip; I looked at the woman who wrapped her arms around herself, blocking the cool January air. She fascinates me this young woman. I knew she was one of Jarrod's employees, but the larger part of me didn't care; I wanted to protect her. I wanted to wrap my arms around her to give her warmth and protection, I sighed, "Come with me, you need to get warmed up, it's flu season out and that hoody doesn't look warm." I took off my suit jacket walking over to her wrapping it around her. She looked at me, holding the jacket. I led her to the car, opening the car door as she got in and I closed it, soon getting in starting the car, and turned on the heater, "Explain to me why you are here and an employee of Jarrod's, what were you going to do with my sister?" She looked at me, making me feel light-headed, "Who are you?"

"My name is Alice, J. M Enterprises is after me. I watched as they shot a girl in the head, she was unconscious. The man had said something to the girl about her being naughty, before calling her, Audra. I saw it and he saw me then guys started chasing after me, I lost them a few miles back. I came home from the bar and I heard some commotion in the alleyway, when I looked to see what was going on I saw a girl, she was naked, I don't want to imagine what they had done to her before they took her life.." She shuddered.

I felt my heart sink, "So he killed her, I'm so sorry, Annette." I bit my lip, gripping the steering wheel. "He'll pay for this."

"You knew this girl?" I heard Alice say beside me, I looked at her.

"Yeah, I know her. She's an ex-girlfriend. We broke up a few months ago."

"Oh, I see." She sighed, "Figures, you weren't single."

I looked at her, "I didn't break up with her for another relationship, or the fact of cheating going on. We both had a lot to think about and when we thought about the events going on in our lives, we just decided that going our separate ways was a better choice."

She looked at me, "Jarrod broke you two up, didn't he?"

"More or less, her fear for my safety broke us up. She thought that if she was away from me, I would be safe. But her fears got her killed instead, I could have protected her. I had done it once before."

"So the explosion a few months ago, that everyone assumed killed Jarrod, was a homicide?"

"It was my jet, he had come and was going to kill Annette then, but I had stepped in, it was his bomb, he had planted it to blow me up and Annette, but he was the one who got blown up instead."

"He planted that bomb, trying to kill you? Why would he want to kill you, and Annette?"

"Jarrod is hiding things from his employee's, from scandalous love affairs, to name a few things. He's after me because he considers me a threat, as he should think that. He killed my mother, he hired someone to kill my brother. Even going as far as murdering his wife, the man is a killer, and I plan to expose him and his lies."

Alice was silent, "He's a murderer." with a sigh, she rubbed a hand through her hair, "Oh my God, what have I gotten myself into." She swallowed hard, looking at the floorboard, "I'm going to be next, aren't I? I just know it."

"Maybe not."

She looked at me, "I'm a dead person, you can say it. My mom told me my lifestyle was going to be the end of me, but I didn't listen."

I sighed, "How long have you been working for him?"

"I never started, I was supposed to show up tomorrow morning."

"Then, don't show up. Jarrod is a murderer, but the man is unorganized. He wouldn't notice that you didn't show up. Or," I looked at her, "If you really want out of this, I have a plan and Jarrod knows I would do it. But you would have to disappear."

She looked at me, "You're actually going to help me?"

"Is it that hard to believe?"

She looked at the floor, "No, not really, do you think your idea will work?"

"I have confidence that it will work, but first, you'll need a name change, you must cut ties with everyone you know, including family, you'll be a new person." I looked at her, "That's the only way I see you getting out of this."

She looked at me, "How am I going to afford all this stuff, I'm a bartender, I hardly have enough for this change."

"That's where I come in, how good are you at cooking, and cleaning?"

She looked at me, "I can cook, my cooking people say is delicious, and my cleaning is just as good. I can turn a tornado mess into a lily field."

"Nice, one more question, before I consider hiring you, how good of a kisser are you?"

She looked at me with a laugh, "I've been told I'm a pretty decent kisser, a good girlfriend too."

"You're hired. Now, we have a busy night and limited time to do what we need to do, I have to come back here at eight to pick up Riley." I looked at the clock, "We have three hours." I started the car, leaving the neighborhood.

"So, what do you do to make a living? Did you work for Jarrod once?"

"No, I am a business owner. I never got my money working for J. M Enterprises. Truth is, Jarrod is broke. Living on a name and dirty secrets."

"So, I would have been working and not getting paid, if I worked for him."

"You would start out poor and just as poor in the next week, but with me, I don't work my employee's and not pay them, I don't work like that. With you just being a personal chef and house cleaner, your payment will be equal to other employees but with extra money on the side."

"Just how rich are you?"

I smiled, "Last year I earned 72 million dollars, adding that to 82.1 billion dollars. You have nothing to worry about, working for me."

I could feel her look at me in shock, "Am I an investment, to you?"

I looked at her, "More of a beneficial asset if you would care to go that far."

"You mean, a girlfriend?"

"Exactly." I looked back at the road, "So, what do you say?"

I could feel as she looked at me.

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