Chapter 27

-Jianna-

**2007**

"Figured you'd follow me here," I said casually. "You've been following me for weeks, you know what I can do."

I saw the surprise in his eyes but as the professional he is, his face went back to stone cold.

"Not a talker. I get it." I said as I felt for my gun in the low of my back.

He walked closer and I took my gun out and pointed it at him. But at the same time, I had my gun pointed at him, he had his pointed at me.

"Looks like we got ourselves a standoff soldier." I smiled. He gave a small flinch when I said "soldier" and that confirmed my earlier suspicion that he was previously military. I wasn't so sure at first.

"Ah! Hit a nerve did I?" I was getting amused with his reactions. "I knew you'd been following me since the second day. I thought it was adorable that you thought you were being inconspicuous. Word of advice, baseball caps are not as reliable as disguise as you think." I was enjoying the moment a little too much.

He still wasn't saying anything. What the hell is he thinking in that brain of his? He's just looking at me. Studying me. It's a little unnerving.

"That's not why you're here, is it James?" I can see his finger tense near the trigger. Fucking finally.

"You're not going to shoot me now are you?" I asked.

"I'm not sure yet," he responded in a monotone voice.

"Ah! He speaks!" I knew I could break him.

It's now or never Jianna. Just let him kill you. Stop playing with him.

"We both know there could only be one person that can come out of this alleyway alive." I started to say as we slowly circled each other. He steps. I step. "So the way I see it, you can either let me kill you orrrr..."

I stepped closer to him to see if he was going to fire. Surprisingly, he didn't. As I thought he wouldn't. I stepped closer until I was mere inches from his face.

"What are you doing?" he asked. I heard his breath hitch and then hold.

"I know what you did for me at that rooftop James. Why?" I asked.

"Why what?" he responded. I can hear his heart quicken.

"Why didn't you take the shot, James?" I asked, almost in a whisper. "I made sure you had a clear shot. I want to die. I can't live like this anymore. I want out. And you were my way out if only you'd taken the fucking shot."

His face was the epitome of bewilderment and disbelief. He looked at me with wide eyes, horrified by what I just said. But then his look softened.

I've been trying so hard not to cry but at this point, the dam is just about ready to break.

"Please, James. Just end it here." I pleaded. My eyes are glazed with tears that are about to fall. I can barely see James anymore.

James stood there, staring at me in disbelief. I could see the conflict in his eyes. He was torn between what he was supposed to do and what he wanted to do. I knew that look all too well.

"You were sent to kill me right? Now finish the job, James." I asked again, my voice barely above a whisper. James remained silent, but I could see his resolve weakening.

"I can't," he responded.

"Why the fuck not?" I can hear my voice cracking.

"I don't know," he finally said.

I couldn't believe it. After weeks of following me and trying to take me down, James was now hesitating to pull the trigger.

"You and I are the same, James. You just made more friends along the way than I did but we both kill people for a living. What kind of life is that?" why is he trying to spoil everything?

I pleaded with him to just pull the trigger but he wouldn't. Why is he fucking doing this?

"Just kill me. Please. Please. Please." I begged. I can't take it anymore. I broke down and collapsed on the floor. I tried to keep my gun on him but it was getting harder and harder for me.

He sat down beside me and placed his arm around me. I flinched at the touch but I let him.

"Listen to me," he said, his voice was soft and gentle. "I'm not going to kill you. You don't have to do this. You don't have to die. You can start over. You can change your life"

What is he suggesting? Does he want me to run away with him?

"What...what do you mean?" I asked.

"I mean, we're going to get out of here, away from this life. Start anew," he said, looking into my eyes.

Is he insane? I don't think he understands the gravity of what he's saying.

"But how? We can't just run away," I asked him, already starting to doubt the idea I had been so eagerly pushing for earlier. As much as I wanted this to work, I couldn't help but feel a little foolish for believing in his seemingly outlandish plan.

He tried to comfort me some more and I appreciated that he was showing me his hands to make sure I didn't get suspicious about his intentions.

"First, we need to get out of here. We need to go somewhere safe where we can talk and come up with a plan," he said.

I looked at him with cautious eyes because I was still not sure if I could trust him.

"Can we do this?" I asked.

"We owe it to ourselves to try," he said.

He tried to reassure me before getting up and pulling me up with him. I let him lead me. I was still a little shaken up from everything.

We left that alleyway with the plan of disappearing together. If anyone can do it we both can. I walked beside him, my mind kept wandering back to how close I was to dying and how thankful I was that he had stopped me from doing so.

We had walked several blocks from the alleyway before stopping at a parking garage that was still open. He led me in and walked into a small building with the words "manager's office" painted on the door.

"Hey! You're not supposed to be in here!" I looked back and a man with white hair and a mustache was yelling at us. James paid him no attention, he just continued ignoring the old man and walked into the manager's office. He finally stopped and looked back at the old man who was still yelling at him.

"Hey kid, I'm talking to you! Get out of here! Or I'm calling the cops!" he yelled.

He continued to ignore him and headed straight to the back room and what seemed to be an ignored part of the complex. He took a chair and reached for the vent that looked like it had not been touched for decades. He opened the vent and took a bag from it.

"Planned this have we?" I asked in surprise.

"You're not the only one that wants out," he said without looking at me.

My jaw dropped. "What do you mean?" I blurted out. He looked at me and gave me the same look I gave him in that alley.

"I wanted out too," he responded. I can hear commotion from the other side of the door. "We gotta go." he jumped off the chair and grabbed my hand.