Dandelion

Dandelion
“I hope you have the ride waiting,” she checked her watch. It’s only been five minutes and thirty-six seconds.
“You were too quick to finish. The ride is still on its way.” Vince chuckled. He saw how each man held their neck one by one as he watched Scarlett walk towards them earlier. He could tell that the cigarette she took out from her pocket hadn’t really smoked. The funny thing is they did not drop loudly, or else the leader upfront would have noticed. They seemed to be paralyzed as they slowly folded down on their knees with their mouths secreting bubbles. He could tell they were poisoned!
How can a petite woman with very feminine beauty and aura defeat such ferocious-looking men? The confidence seen in her was so enchanting from a viewer’s perspective, like Vince's earlier. As for the gangsters, her confidence was offensive and demeaning. They just realized they were wrong to provoke her when they were slowly and agonizingly meeting their unexpected end. They weren’t even able to throw a jab at her.
But too sad, regrets always come after every wrong decision. In their case, it was very late because they didn’t get the chance to correct that grave mistake.

Vince’s POV

I did not expect the rumors about her to be true. She is not someone to mess with. But I can also feel a soft part of her. Or should I say she is not as I anticipated, as to how she would have reacted after what happened to her with the five men in the alley earlier today? She was supposed to rejoice knowing she had handled and defeated the five gangsters, but she looked so depressed at the bar. She was looking weak, and maybe that was one of the reasons the thugs dared to provoke her on our way out of the bar. She was the woman, and as much as possible, I wanted to shield her from harm because I wanted her for myself.

I am a hitman hired to bring Dandelion down. I had to create a way to approach her, so I pretended I needed her help. I know it won’t be easy to do the task in a flash, so I have to dig my way deeper into her life.

I plan to ask her, as my pretend fiancée, to be presented to my father. Make it convincing and hit two birds with one stone. Because the part about introducing her to my father is genuine, my old man has been bugging me to get married and attend to our family business, but after what happened to my mom and my sister, I could not satisfy his wishes. They were murdered brutally, and the authorities seemed to have forgotten the case without delivering justice. I chose to do things on my own. I will not rest until my mom and sister are avenged. They need to enjoy their eternal peace after everything they have suffered at the hands of those unforgivable rascals. Justice must be served, one way or another!

They were abused in many ways until their bodies gave up and died. It was and still is a harrowing nightmare for me and my dad, but my old man believes we should leave it to the authorities. I agreed with him at first, but after a year and nothing seemed ever to happen, no updates about how the case was being dealt with, I lost faith in the system, and my passion for bringing my family to justice prevailed. I have been serving the Marines. I know how the system can be awfully unfair at times. I have a grave fear. We are one of those unfortunate families who never get to be served with justice. I tried to ask for assistance from my superiors, but they also advised me to leave it to the authorities.

I was pissed beyond hell!

I am serving my country and fellow men.

I am a patriot, but I cannot even bring my own family the justice they deserve. I couldn’t bring myself to justify such circumstances. I can do it myself. I will do it myself! Even if it costs me my life! 

If the government is too lazy to do it, saying it’s difficult and takes time, I will prove them wrong. I am well aware it was not easy, with not much evidence and no witnesses, yet no matter what, even if it takes me to turn the world upside down, I will do everything I can to deal with it. I know the system has a lot on its plate, and maybe, just maybe, that is one reason to consider. I don’t want to accept it. They deal with the others. I will deal with the matter concerning my family. I am doing them a big favor, taking a load off their shoulders, if they are sincere in saying that there was no way they could have served justice for my family. If it’s too complicated and troublesome for them, I will do it myself!

And so I retired from the service. I lay low for a while. Lay down in the eyes of everyone, but I was making my own investigations about the case. I traced the men involved, actually and allegedly. I asked some of my college buddies who could hack the files about my case. I checked on their activities and connected the dots. It was indeed like looking for a needle in a vast haystack, but nothing will ever change my will and determination. I am prepared to face any hardship. I am ready to face death itself and personally tell my mom and sister that I tried to bring them justice. Although I may fail, or by then, I have already failed, I will be proud enough to look them in the eye and express my utmost sincere apology. I have to keep afloat by taking bounty-hunting jobs for anyone on the dark web. I also found a group of ex-military individuals who take bodyguard jobs for celebrities at significant events. I am on call, patching in for any empty spots because I cannot take a full-time job. Such gigs supported my finances. And as clients like my work, I am constantly called.