Beg Harder by Artemis Dianne (new reading .TXT) 📗

27

CARLY

 

A nice cool snapping crisp sound echoed through the whole room as my boxing gloves met the long hanging punch bag. This sound calms my nerves as another sleepless night knocks on me. I haven't worked out in a long time, and I can't recall the last time I did while I was attempting to concentrate on my breathing. As I prepare for the greatest battle of my life, I attempt to harness all of my rage and punch it out.

 

I beat the bag with all of my strength, and every blow is equivalent to the amount of craziness I'm building up inside of my head. I despise how my mind ignores and pushes it all the way back into my brain, the thought that one day, all of the new-found pleasure I'm experiencing, which includes happiness, satisfaction, and fulfillment all rolled into one, will be taken away by some unseen force. As guilt crept in, I began kicking the bag, and my very own blood was sacrificed in order to achieve it.

 

Happiness.

 

The last two and a half years have been nothing short of ecstasy. I married the love of my life and gave birth to a daughter for him. Believe it or not, I am the only happy person in the whole world who is content with a mundane regular existence.

 

I switched from my previous fast-paced existence of folding pledges to folding diapers for my kid. From cleaning up the messes of underworld organizations to cleaning up my daughter's poop. I simply didn't expect it to be taken away so soon.

 

I caught my breath for a minute as I suddenly the same pinch in my heart, tears starts to blur my vision as I am being pulled into that memory.

I looked at my sleeping daughter after putting her to bed and wished that tonight could last a little longer.She exudes innocence and peacefulness. I want her to be able to live in a free world that is full of opportunities. Before leaving her room, I kissed her one last time on the lips. 

 

I sigh at the idea that there is nothing in this world that I would not go to great lengths to provide for her. My husband is getting a quick bite to eat as I make my way downstairs. He's still working on the new project he's taken on, and I can hear him as I walk down the stairs.Due to our inability to keep a regular citizen's job, he and I decided to start a small furniture company, which isn't very profitable at the moment but will suffice until we can come up with something better in the future as a disguise.

Our original plan to have a gym business is still on hold, we're doing it when we move on our permanent location next year. I can't wait for my sister to meet my daughter, I know she would cry seeing that she has a niece. 

I come closer to my husband Dave, he's as handsome as ever. "Is it another late night honey? I say, I lay a kiss on him, taking in his scent. 

"Yeah the client is very demanding," Dave says kissing me back while he holds me. "We have more than enough money in the world. I warned you not to accept jobs if you don't like the customer. Now, promise me this is the last one," I said.

He grins, and I feel his hands moving over my body as if he knows precisely what he wants. I had to stop him before we did another round of filthy deeds, leaving me too lazy to do any housework.

"Honey, I forgot to do the laundry; give me 30 minutes." Before he could say anything, I kissed him and kissed him goodbye. I rushed into the bedroom to collect the dirty laundry and went to the basement to hurriedly load everything when the lights went on before I could flip the switch.

 

I immediately noticed Astor. I almost didn't recognize him because he looked haggard, and the bags under his eyes said a lot.I dropped everything I was holding and ran to hug him. "OMG You scared me asshole, I could've shot you. What are you doing here? How did you find me? Where's my Aunt Madonna?" I bombarded him with questions.

 

I knew something was wrong when Astor let out a breath, instead of answering."What is it? Where is she?" I further questioned him.

 

"Carly, your aunt is dead. She was killed". Astor says. My hands quickly went numb, tears starts to fall down my face. I knew she was sick but to hear she was murdered is on a different level. 

 

As Astor begins to give me more information about what occurred, I feel anger, followed by regret, since I was the one who persisted in making the pledge despite our Aunt Madonna's warning to remain put. Why did I have to be so greedy and succumb to the lure of money? My Aunt Madonna is no longer alive, and my only sister is being abducted someplace by that scumbag, Charles.

Astor reveals that the whole agency that recruited Baby and me to steal from the lab, as well as their families, have been wiped out, leaving just me. 

 

It makes sense that I'm the last one standing for I was extremely cautious with my tracks, and with Dave's assistance, we were able to sneak into the system using a borrowed identity and travel from town to town without being discovered.

"Because I was hacking the new team, I discovered you and your family. Charles sent assassins to eliminate everyone connected to your aunt. We have to go tonight. I know a secure location." As he proceeds to describe how he and his crew had a run-in last week and were able to overpower one of them in order to hack into Charles' advanced equipment, Astor adds.

As he descends the stairs, we hear Dave's heavy footsteps interrupting Astor, "Honey, what are you talking about for so long?" Dave exclaims cheerfully with only his boxers on.

 

When Dave saw Astor and my distressed condition, his whole demeanor changed, and rushed beside me. "What are you doing here, Astor?" His tone of speech was obviously worried.

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