Page 19 of White Wings of Desire

When night falls, we light a campfire in the big fireplace in the backyard. The flickering warm orange flame dancing around the wood lights up the night. We are four bottles of wine into the night, our conversations jumping from one topic to another, accompanied by a lot of laughter. While trying to put my melted, sticky, white marshmallow between my crackers, I make a mess, and my hands are now covered in the sugary goo, which draws another round of laughter from my friends.

"Eve," Lily, sitting next to me on the old log, leans in closer and rests her head on my shoulder. "We need to find you a boyfriend." The words leave her somewhat slurry.

"Really, why?" I raise my eyebrows and lean into her.

"Because you're the last single pringle in our group." Lily's face lights up with a cheeky grin.

"Thanks for pointing that out." I sigh and feel a touch of heat rise to my cheeks. I've always been the single friend. Even in high school, I didn't date, and after graduation, I didn't have the time and simply couldn't allow myself to date anyone, even though I had a crush or two. I was too preoccupied with other problems at the time.

"It would also eliminate the threat of another potential stalker. A boyfriend might scare them off." She chuckles. If only it were that easy to scare off a hitman. A lot of girls, myself included, would have been taken if that were the case.

"Leave her alone." Sarah rolls her eyes and playfully shushes Lily.

"Oh, come on, we're all thinking the same thing!" Lily wraps her arms around my middle, narrowing her eyes as she looks at me, "Is there really no one who has caught your attention in the last year or so?"

I sigh. Maybe it's best to play along for now. Otherwise, she won't let it go all night. "Maybe there's someone..."

"I knew it! Tell us everything!" Lily says, and I fall silent for a moment to collect my thoughts. A simple lie that isn’t too far from the truth will have to do.

"You know that wedding I was at a few weeks ago? We met there and had a one-night stand, but there’s nothing more going on."

"What do you mean?"

"We’ve kept in touch, but I believe we both want different things." To be specific, he wants to kill me, and I want to live.

"His loss. He has no idea what he's missing!" Lily says.

"Thanks, Lily, but it's no big deal."

"Why are guys such idiots, huh?" Lily raises her cup of wine. "Forget that asshole, you'll find your Mr. Right, I'm sure. Let's drink. We only need each other." The others cheer, and soon, we empty another bottle of wine.

It’s almost midnight, and the fire has died down to a small pile of embers, pulsating as it gives off the last of its heat. We're in the process of cleaning up outside to head in for the night. I pick up the bottle of wine when I hear a rustling in a nearby bush. Lily screams at the sound and runs up to the porch of the house.

"What was that?" She yells.

"It’s probably just a raccoon." I chuckle and grab some crackers and throw them on the ground. "I guess they smelled our food and got hungry too."

I join Lily and the others on the porch and usher them back into the house. The moment the glass door closes behind us, and the outside falls silent, just as I predicted, a group of small raccoons waddle out of the bushes and dive for the crackers I threw.

Chapter 18

Noah

We want different things. Very interesting. It was definitely a nice stroke of my ego that she thought of me when her friends brought up the idea of finding her a boyfriend. Maybe it was just to get her friends to drop the topic. But was I really the first guy she thought of? I know I was the last man she slept with. There was no one else, and if there had been, he would be dead by now. I'm well aware that it's easier to twist the truth than to come up with a whole new lie. I wonder if she thinks of me as much as I think of her. Does she ever imagine what we could have if I didn't have to kill her?

Once all the lights in the house are out, I step out of the shadows of the tall trees that surround the property and pull up the mask of my turtleneck to cover my face. It’s wiser to hide my identity; even though it’s dark, it’s better to be safe with her friends around. The raccoons are still digging through the crackers she tossed for them, happily picking up every little crumb buried in the soil. Tucked into my jacket pocket is a bag of prepackaged birdseed I always carry with me in case there is a hungry pigeon or dove somewhere. I grab the package and throw the seeds in the direction of the raccoons to keep them occupied for a little while longer.

With the little raccoons out of my way, I take a look around the fireplace myself to see if they've left anything behind, but I have no luck. They cleaned up well. One last look at the raccoons tells me they'll be done soon, and I'm not in the mood to deal with those fluffy gray monsters. I head for the porch that wraps around the house. An annoyed groan rumbles through my chest as the old wooden planks creak under my weight. With careful steps, I approach one of the windows by the back door. The uneven, shiny logs press against my back as I lean against the wall and peek inside. The lights are out, but the moonlight reflects off the glossy kitchen countertops. Across from the back door is another door leading into a dark space, which I assume is the hallway.

I make my way around the house and reach the front porch. Walking down the steps, I look around the driveway, which is surrounded by sweet maple and pine trees. The next house is about a mile away, which means if I force my way in through the front door, I won't have to worry about anyone spotting me. One look at the door lock alone tells me it will be easy for someone with experience to pick. I approach the door and look through one of the windows. As expected, it’s a hallway with three more doors and a set of stairs leading up to the second floor, where I assume the bedrooms are.

I push myself away from the window and make my way back around the house. A warm light flickers to life right beside me, casting a glow on my figure. I fall to the floor, my heart hammering against the inside of my ribcage from the unexpected surprise. Tilting my head up, I wait for the lights to go out, which they do a few minutes later, but I stay down a little while longer. Once I’m sure the person is gone, I push myself up, run my hands down my body to dust off my black clothes, and continue on my way around the house. Back at the other side, I step down from the porch and scan the area to see what I'm up against. There are no fences, and the house is surrounded by the forest. There are many possible escape routes, but no real path, just a small dirt trail that leads into the woods and disappears a few steps into the thicket.

The hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and a cold shiver runs down my spine at a familiar sensation. I’m being watched. A smirk pulls on my lips, hidden by my mask. I turn on my heels and tilt my head back, looking up at a window where a small, soft, warm light illuminates the room, casting a warm glow on her body from behind, highlighting her stunning curves. With her arms folded across her chest, she looks down at me, the shadows covering her face, making it impossible for me to see how she feels about me being here.

I pull down the mask covering my mouth, and the smirk on my lips grows into a wider, mischievous grin. The buttons of my suit jacket slip out of their assigned holes, and I reach for the pistol tucked into my holster. I raise it to my lips and place a quick kiss against the cold barrel while my eyes remain fixed on her. Faster than I need to, I raise the pistol and aim at her. Her reaction is immediate. Her body jerks and pulls away from the window, in an attempt to get away from me.

Amusement runs through every muscle in my body, and a small laugh rises from the depths of my stomach. I lower the pistol and put it back in my holster, waiting for her to come back to me for one last look to fuel my dreams about her for tonight. And there she is, coming back to the window, more cautious than before, as she keeps a small distance.

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