Page 75 of Targeted By Vengeance

“Yeah, I would’ve actually been dead if it weren’t for him. He saved me…in more ways than I could’ve ever expected.”

Isabelle smiled. “I’m glad. You deserve love and happiness. You always did.”

“Thanks, Izzie.”

Footsteps pattered past the closed door, breaking our smiles.

“I should go,” I murmured. I opened my arms and welcomed Isabelle back in them. “Keep giving your bridesmaids hell. Remember this is your day, so make sure to enjoy it. And live well. Okay?”

Isabelle nodded. “You too.” She squeezed me tighter, more tears falling on my shoulder. “I love you, Simone.”

“I love you too, Izzie.”

Our words made it harder to let go. We lingered in each other’s embrace, neither one of us wanting the hug to end. But eventually, we came apart and smiled between our tears. I took her in bright eyes and wet cheeks one last time, admiring the beautiful woman I had the privilege of calling my sister.

I thought the connection would unravel with every step I took towards the door. Yet, to my surprise, it strengthened instead, tethering us with an invisible rope. It gave me hope that maybe this wasn’t goodbye forever; it was just goodbye for now.

THE ASSASSIN

The loud vibrations of my phone against the nightstand sent my eyes popping open, ripping me right out of my sleep. I grabbed it before the sound could wake Simone up. She was sleeping on my chest, her face relaxed from good dreams for once.

I looked at the screen between narrowed eyes. I didn’t recognize the number, so I reluctantly scooted out of bed and left the room to answer it.

“Hi, is this Mateo Anderson?” A woman’s polite voice rang on the other end. Behind her voice, I could hear the chatter of other voices and the trills of other phones. At this hour there was only one place she could be calling from.

“Yes,” I replied, continuing into the living room.

“This is Dr. Washington from Pittsburgh General Hospital. I treated your father during his time in the emergency room this evening.”

“Is he alright?”

“Unfortunately, Mr. Anderson passed away a few minutes ago.”

I stopped in my tracks. “What? How?”

“When he arrived, he was experiencing a very severe case of cardiac arrest. While we were treating him, his heart stopped. We did everything we could, but unfortunately we couldn’t get his heartbeat back. I am so sorry for your loss.”

Her words faded in and out, sometimes right in my ear and others far away. Focusing on the details was hard, but it was part of the role I needed to play. “It’s alright. Um, thank you for trying to get him back. What, uh…what happens now?”

“You’ll need to contact a funeral home for the collection of the body. We’ll store it here in our morgue for the time being. Would you like me to refer you to some businesses in the area?”

“Yes. Thank you.” I went into the kitchen, grabbed a pen and paper, and jotted down some of the information of the businesses she listed off.

Footsteps padded down the hall as she finished explaining the next steps. I glanced up to see Simone walking into the room with my wrinkled tee thrown over her body. She rubbed her eyes as she approached me.

“Okay. Thank you,” I told the doctor before hanging up the phone. I couldn’t contain my sigh as I tossed it onto the counter.

“What’s wrong?” Simone asked. She wrapped her arms around my torso from behind and lay her head against my back.

“Nothing,” I replied, my voice tight. “You should go back to bed.”

“Hey,” she tried to turn me around. “Talk to me.”

I hesitated, the words clogging up in my throat. “Ares…he…he died.”

“What? How? He seemed fine when we had dinner last month.”

“He’s been sick for some time. Heart disease.”