Keith stood a little straighter at the mention of his job. He was a hired gun by trade, and he took pride in his work. He specialized in “retrieval” services, which mostly involved the theft of a previously stolen good, and often included a large count of bodily harm to any in his way. On rare occasion, he was asked to participate in other forms of mercenary work. Currently ranked number two in the business, he lagged behind just one person: his boss.
Kayleen giggled. “Awww, Keith, are you worried?” Keith could see her face now, the smug bitch…oh how he wished to surpass her, to be the number one mercenary on the market. People would bow to him as they passed, tributes would be paid on site, and nubile women would throw themselves at his feet!
But no. He would not have that. Not now. Now when his lively hood was dependent on the whim of his boss. Who also happened to be his lover.
The growl that rasped out of his throat was indistinguishable from that of a mountain bear. “Give. Me. My. Fscking. JOB,” he ground out, each word harsher than the last.
Kayleen tittered and cooed soothingly at Keith, her tone soft and gentle. “Baby, please, don’t worry. Leenie has it all here for you, ok? Just come home safe and whole this time,” now her voice was slightly worried. Keith brushed it off.
It wasn’t his fault he came home with a hole punched thru his shoulder a month ago. Besides, the other guy’s head was now on his trophy wall, the grotesque mutation of a snake’s skull tacked up after being stripped of the flesh. Freaking Lance-Deferes, always combing their damnable death magyks with martial arts. Nothing cured a Lance-Defere like decapitation though. Shame they never new before they were dead.
“I hadn’t planned on it,” he began in his normal tone, “But now, I think I’ll let whatever fell beastie awaits me to slice me to ribbons.” He grinned to himself, satisfied in his assholery. He wasn’t prepared for the choked sob that came back through the phone.
“Ho-ho-ho-how c-c-could you say that?!” Kayleen was beyond upset. “How co-could you joke about something like that?”
The lump in Keith’s throat was uncharacteristic, to say the least. His utter confusion at Kayleen’s worry shone through with his next sentence. “Leenie…I…I was just kidding,” he couldn’t believe his ears when she bawled openly into the phone at that. Now he knew something was definitely wrong. Kayleen was not a girly girl. Hell, most times she was hardly a girl. As far as he knew, he was her first lover.
“Leenie, what’s wrong,” came the hushed question.
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