Love, Lethal

She clutched the note to her chest, pacing back and forth in front of the locker.

“China Town East Berlin, Lenny’s Gym, locker 808”

That was the last thing he managed to sputter to her before the life left his eyes. She managed to jot it down before the shock of her husband being gunned down in that quiet German street erased it from her memory.

So many questions swirled in her mind, but one repeated over and over:

How am I supposed to do this without him?

She wiped away her tears and looked around at the disheveled premises, failing to see the camera watching her in the dim lit corner of the room. Taking a deep breath in, she goes for the lock. He hadn’t given her a combination, but she didn’t need it. 8... click, 9… click, 2…. the lock popped open; it was always her birthday in some way or another.

Terrified, she slowly opened the door. To her surprise, she finds a beautiful Dooney & Bourke tote bag in her signature colors; red and black. This time she let the tears flow. Her husband knew how much she loved that color, and D&B was the first designer bag he ever bought her. For a moment it is as if he wasn’t really gone. On the top of the bag was a loaded pistol, so whatever was underneath meant trouble.

Her tears and confusion were abruptly interrupted as the door behind her opened rather violently. Three gentlemen walked in and locked the door behind them.

“Ma’am” the largest of them says delicately, with a thick southern Texas drawl as he tips his hat. “I think you best hand that over before you get your pretty little self hurt”.

He cautiously took a step towards her, trying to figure out her next move.

“Now darlin'”, she said with an exaggerated sweetness, mocking his accent. “I think it's best if you don't come any closer.”

She reached into the tote bag now secured on her arm and pulled the pistol ever so slightly into view; the mysterious man immediately stood still. He signaled for the other two to stand down.

So he did in fact know who she was, or at least of her skills with a firearm. Stella had a reputation in their seedy world for her lethal accuracy. She draws the pistol out into a low and ready position against her sternum as she backed her way towards the side exit of the room.

‘Always know your exit strategy when you enter a room’ was one of the first lessons her husband had taught her. Even through her pain she always stayed focused. He taught her that too.

“You won’t get too far, Stell” one of the man’s companions says like an old friend. She recognizes his voice and paused just long enough to meet his gaze before exiting into the alley.

What the hell is he doing with them?! She thought to herself as she pushed a dumpster in front of the door to prevent them from following. Feelings of hatred and disgust joined the confusion clouding her mind as she climbed into her trusty old ’85 Dodge pickup. She floored it, heading toward the safe house they had built outside of Prague, hoping to find answers to the growing list of questions forming in her head.

By morning she walks up the snow covered steps of the cabin tucked neatly away from civilization. Once inside she turns on the heat and burrows herself deeper into her husband’s jacket. The collar still smells of his staple Burberry cologne. She breathes him in and approaches the bag on the table, still trying to muster up the courage to pull out its contents.

She gives herself a pep talk as she tucks the pistol into the waistband of her jeans at the small of her back.

Get over yourself. You need to figure this out. Just do it.

She pulls out a lilac satin scarf, wrapped neatly around an awkwardly shaped package. She lets the scarf drop to the table as she undoes the paper packaging underneath. She finds a photo album, with a picture of their wedding day on the front, and a small note that reads:

“My love for you will stay lit well beyond the end of time”.

It was her favorite line from his vows. He knew this day was coming; otherwise why would he have set this up so perfectly?

She opens the rather thick photo album, and to her surprise there are no photos, but rather five 100 dollar bills on each page. She flips through about 40 pages or so, and after a little bit of quick math, realizes with excitement that there’s $20,000 in that album. She quickly jerks the bag back open to see what other items she may find.

The large pocket contains a simple black dress and elbow length gloves. A smaller inner pocket conceals a beautiful string of pearls bound around a small rolled up black notebook. He always did his best to keep his famous ‘little black book’ from her prying eyes.

She places the pearls down with the garments and unrolls the book. Inside, she recognizes his handwriting immediately.

“My dearest Stella,

If you are reading this, I was careless. I let my anger get the best of me and now I have left you alone in this world. I am incredibly sorry my love. You deserve to know everything, and you will, eventually.

I can say, with absolute certainty, that I have been betrayed. Do not trust our dearest Russian Comrade. He has made his bed with the enemy, and is most likely the one who has ended my life.

I have taught you everything I know. We always knew this was a risk of my profession, but now it is your turn.

You do not have to. I do not want you to. But it is your choice. You are prepared and I know you are ready. We have trained for this. You are named in my file at Sector 8 as my successor candidate in the event of my demise….

The money should be enough to get you to the islands. Call Jay; he will help you get there safely.

- or -

Take the money and head to the Gala happening at the end of the month. The dress has a bulletproof lining for your safety, and the gloves will protect you from the poison you will encounter while killing the ambassador. Ivan will be there I am sure. Do not let him trick you with his sympathy. He may have played the role of my friend but I am sure his gun fired my fatal bullet.

$20,000 was the first half of payment for my recon and services. The remaining $20k will be wired to our Croatian account once the ambassador is confirmed dead.

I know you Stell. I know you will not rest until I am avenged. So, I have ensured that there is enough poison in the flask for 3 doses. Either do well my love, or enjoy the islands. The warm breeze will mimic my touch, and the ocean will call your name as I did. The life of recon and assignments is never ending. If you choose to continue my work, please remember that death is the only way to retire. That is the way of Sector 8.

I love you sweetheart. You are my everything, always.

All my love,

Russ

Her tears splotched the page. Now she knew why Ivan was at the gym with those goons. Russell was too good at his craft; betrayal makes sense. No one had ever come close to beating him, and Ivan had been one of their best friends for nearly 28 years. Russell wouldn’t have suspected his best man to kill him.

A small zipper inside the bag revealed a flask, engraved with the words “I got your six” on the front. She always wanted them to get matching tattoos of that phrase on their trigger fingers, but no identifying marks allowed when you work for Sector 8...

All the perfect little details made her heart ache for him. She let out a cry and finally broke down. When there weren’t possibly any tears left, her eyes got heavy and she slept for the first time in 3 weeks since his death.

_ _ _

Stella admired herself in the mirror of her room at the Ritz. The dress subtly hugged every curve of her body; just the way Russ liked her to dress. She wasn’t surprised as he always had impeccable taste. The pearls were the perfect length to just barely draw a man’s eyes to her distracting assets. She had to get the ambassador to admire her and invite her to his suite; seduction was a woman’s best tool in getting a man to do what she wants.

Ivan would be her only problem. She needed to find him before he found her.

She made her way into the ballroom, notating all the exits and the ambassador’s security team strategically placed throughout the room. As she descended down the staircase, all eyes seemed to look to her, some lingering just a little too long for comfort. She smiled as she was swiftly met by a familiar body at the bottom the stairs.

Ivan.

That was quick. Too bad he made the mistake of underestimating her.

“You were so foolish to come here” he whispers as he ushers her towards the bar with his hand gripped tightly around her wrist. She turns to look at him and he sees the death in her eyes; But it is too late for him to react.

She leans in, as if to kiss him, bringing her gloved hand up to brush his cheek. The generous dose of paralyzing poison from her bracelet he had been holding has started to take effect.

“How could you betray Russell like that, Ivan? Now you will know exactly how he felt”. She hisses at him through clenched teeth.

“Stella. Please….” He begs. She plasters a giant smile on her face and motions for two glasses of whiskey from the bartender. Lifting the hem of her dress, she pulls the flask from her garter holster.

“You should have known better.” She says confidently, emptying the contents of the flask into the two glasses produced by the bartender.

“Goodbye, Ivan.” she says sweetly, with a hint of sadness in her voice. She looks at him with a sense of calmness and clarity in her eyes before sauntering away from the bar, two glasses in hand.

Unable to move, Ivan has a sudden realization. Panicking, he tries to call after her, but no sound comes out. The poison has taken over.

Two glasses.

She has already stopped him...

That must mean the second glass is for……

The last thing Ivan sees is Stella and the ambassador, clinking their glasses together in celebration and laughter. Darkness follows.

_ _ _

The next morning the ambassador is found dead in his suite after Ivan is located by the bar.

Stella lay peacefully on the steps of the local orphanage, holding that little black book and a letter addressed to the headmistress of the orphanage.

Most of the pages had been ripped out of the book, but the instructions on how to access the Croatian account with now $40,000 were intact.

She couldn’t live without him, and he knew that. Three doses of poison meant he knew what she would do. He made it gentle and she was not afraid of death. Their final act would have a lasting impact on the world. The ambassador about to start a nuclear war was dead, and the orphanage that gave Stella a home now had the funds to remain open.

“They say that the world was built for two

Only worth living if somebody is loving you". – Lana Del Ray