Three Weeks Later:

Evelyn

I stared at the glass of water in my hand and the rain outside the window. Surprisingly, my relationship with Jake lasted for a longer time than I would've thought. I was sitting in McKenzie's. The usual hangout since the start the year used mainly by the guys in the team but Maria and I too came here often during the weekend.

We were sitting at two joint booths in the corner of the café. Jake's arm was around me while I sat near the end. Maria was sitting opposite me with Sophie, one of my other close friends.

At the next joint, a few of Jake's friends were sitting and laughing over something. I turned so I was facing Jake and saw him too with a small grin on his face. Missing out on the joke, I frowned and looked at my phone which had seemed to vibrate signaling a missed call. I checked the caller id and saw an unknown number so I ignored it.

I felt Jake's arm lift and shift to around my waist. I smiled and felt his eyes on the side of my head."God! Guys get a room!" I turned again to see Maria with a playful smile on her face. "And just for that…." I pecked Jake on the check.

"Aw! I don't get another one?" I grinned harder."Maybe, when we go home."

I glanced at Maria's face again and saw her covering her eyes but leaving enough space to peek through. Everybody started to laugh and have a jolly good time when my life turned upside down.

The door opened with a rush making the small bells above it ring softly .

I looked up to see my neighbor, Ms. Emilio rush in frantically, her eyes wide and searching for someone. At the sight of me she rushed and grabbed me by my hoodie and started to mumble something in Spanish while dragging me to the door."Ze horror! Papa muerto! Tu el padre ser muerto! Venir Casa!"

I had no clue what she was talking about but when I looked at her face closely I could see that her eyes were clouded with tears.

I stood up straight with the help of a chair as if I knew what fate had planned for me."Muerto? As in …dead?"

She nodded her head with such force that I feared that her head would break and fall off.

"Who is dead?" I tried to make use of the stupid Spanish class that I had taken last semester."El Padre…my father?"

She didn't say anything but burst into tears and I knew the answer already.

I stood there and looked over at Jake. He had stood up and taken his car keys out and took my hand in his and went out. I didn't cry, or mourn. The news hadn't actually broken to me as yet.

We parked outside the apartment. I could see men carrying boxes and things wrapped in plastic, coming out and going in again after placing them in a moving truck.

I sighed in relief. My dad wasn't dead, but just moving out. Perhaps, for one of his 'projects'. But then I saw my dressing table coming out the door and I opened the door and ran upstairs.

The first thing that I saw was the door open and when I entered I saw three men talking in the corner of the living room. Which didn't look like a living room as all the furniture was gone. All the paintings and awards, medals and showpieces kept on the mantle were gone which wasn't surprising as the mantle itself was gone. But the one thing that made the living room the opposite was the body in the center, with a knife in his back. With blood all over. With a chalk outline and yellow border tape saying 'Do Not Cross'.

I fell. Luckily Jake was behind me while I burst into tears as I tried to go to see who it was, even if I knew who it was.

I wanted to know.

I sat outside on a bench an hour later, my head buried in Jake's shoulder, my sobs being muffled. Jake pulled away and cupped his hands around my face and kissed me on my head. Saying no words but meaning that he was there for me.

I felt somebody tap my shoulder. I turned to see a man in a suit holding out a coffee. I gratefully took it, still sniffing. A moment later I felt Jake leave and them man take his place instead. I shifted a little away from him and stared at nothing. Thinking about….well, nothing.

"I knew your father."

I turned to see the man wearing sunglasses in the rain. His mouth had formed a taut line and his jaw was clenched.

"He worked as my partner"

I laughed bitterly. Here I was, mourning about my father's death and this man had the nerve to come and tell me what my father never thought about telling.

"Oh gee, in what? Your partner in crime?" I asked sarcastically.

"Yeah"

I sighed and took a sip if the coffee." You do realize that the question was a rhetorical one right?"

"Yeah"

I just stared at him. If he was willing to give answers then fine, my quiz was just about to start.

"Perhaps we should discuss these matters someplace else" It sounded more of an order than a question. He left and started to walk.

He led me up to a small house in the corner, a few minutes away from the apartment. He stood on the porch and turned towards me." You really want to know what he worked as?"

"I don't think my day can grow any worse. Just tell me."

"He was an assassin ."