My Worst Enemy

Chapter 8.-

Troy's gaze shifted and followed Andryse's finger pressing on the trigger and all his survival instincts came rushing back. In just what seemed a fraction of a second, he grabbed a pillow on the bed and, in a flash, threw it at the young woman's face to blind her, dodging his body at the same movement. The bullet shot through the wall and he sprung on her, taking advantage of her being temporarily disoriented by the pillow, to grab the gun and shifted his body after hers. His arm immediately went around her waist, bringing her back against his chest and he held the gun under her chin, forcing her to raise her head and he smirked when a faint sound indicated to him that she had held her breath.

"I told you, you shouldn't be playing with guns." he whispered near her ear, barely containing his fury.

Andryse snorted, back from her momentary lost of control. She wondered how he could have been so fast but the bullet hole on the wall in front of her, confirmed that she would have actually hit him good. Her confidence came back and she positioned herself for combat, bending her muscles.

"And I told you to never underestimate me." she growled before hitting him right in the stomach with her left elbow, making him groan and bend slightly. Without a second of pause, she grabbed his hand holding the gun and twisted his wrist, trying to make him release the weapon. But his grip was strong and her hand smaller, so she swung his hand on her bended knee, happy to hear him groan out of pain, knowing that he will soon release the weapon to her.

But she yelped when she lost her balance and fell right on her knees when he kicked her from behind, but she managed to keep the pressure on his hand and only let go when the gun fell on the floor. But she had underestimated him herself when she felt his hand wrap her waist again and lifted her from the floor, her feet flying in the air.

"Put me down." she yelled, squirming as much as she could to be free, her feet and arms, wriggling like a puppet on a string but he only threw his other arm around her and held her firmly.

"Not before you listen to me. Stop fighting me." Troy shouted to cover her screams and tried to steady his balance.

"Put me down." she yelled even louder, making sure her mouth was near his ear and felt content with herself when he cursed. But it didn't have the effect wanted. Instead of putting her down, he brought her against the wall, probably trying to cage her there but she didn't wait to find out.

Both her feet securely planted on the wall, she ran on the vertical surface as fast as she could as he was still holding her and quickly found herself high in the air, flying over his head. Disconcerted by her agility, Troy stood back, letting her go and quickly turned around to watch her land gracefully on both her feet. Eyes wide and mouth wide open, greatly impressed by what she had just done, Troy watched her, like in a dream, grab her gun back from where it had fallen.

"Oh, shit!" he yelled when he finally realized what was happening and his foot flew in the air, hitting her hand holding the gun pointed at him. But he felt very bad soon after when he heard her painful cry and held her hand in pain. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to... oh!"

He hadn't finished his apologies when her right foot swung under his and he fell right on his back. Andryse made good on him laying on his back to jump on the bed to grab the gun that had landed there but yelped when Troy got a hold of her foot and started pulling her to him. Holding on to the covers to bring the gun to her, she felt his hand holding her pants at the waist and started lifting her off the bed. She did her best to turn around, trying to hit him with her other foot, but, with no apparent efforts, he received it with his hand and before she completely realized what he had in mind, she was all the way upside down, her knuckles brushing the floor while he secured her feet behind his neck.

"What the hell are you doing?" she shrieked, out of breath.

"Loosing my patience." The sandy haired man replied with anger, his hands holding her feet strongly around his neck. "No, don't even try that." he spun her around the room when she tried to find level on both her hands to crack his neck with both her feet.

"Stop. Put me down." she cried again, her hands shielding her face to help keep her eyes closed. "You're getting me dizzy."

"Good." Troy replied loudly but stopping. "Maybe that way you can stop trying to kill me and listen to me."

"Put me down." Was all he received for an answer as his captive cringed her teeth, squirming as much as she could.

"Not before you promise to listen to me."

"I don't have to promise you anything."

"Then I'm afraid that you will have to hear what I have to say in that position." he said smirking while eying her round bottom so available for him to look at. The view wasn't so bad so he wouldn't mind holding her like that for a longer time. He smiled, feeling amused at the idea. Running his eyes further down, his lopsided smile widened when her black top, that was now loose and covering her head, revealed a lacy pink bra and he couldn't help to wonder if she had matched it with a similar underwear. Maybe a thong. A sudden tug made in his own briefs pulled him out of his thoughts and he scratched his throat, deciding that now, sure wasn't the best moment to get an erection. "It's your choice, Andryse." he added coolly, trying not to let his arousal influence his tone.

Andryse fought for a few more minutes, then out of breath, she calmed down, really understanding that he wouldn't let her go until she stayed quiet. She didn't really have any intention of neither listening to him nor do whatever he was about to ask her but at least, she would be able to stop the blood from running so fast to her head, breath easier and most importantly, be free.

"Fine." she exclaimed out of frustration, relaxing her muscles to show her surrender.

"You promise to stay quiet and not try to kill me?" he asked her, looking for reassurance. She groaned something imperceptible and he patiently asked the question again.

"Yes." Andryse shouted, furious that she had no other choice. "I promise. Now, put me down."

Troy carefully let her go on her hands, keeping both her feet strongly at a safe distance from his neck and head, only letting go when she was completely down on her belly. He stepped back, looking at her stand up and held his fingers up in a peace sign.

"Calm down, all right?" he started quietly, his hands still up. "Let's just talk. You know, exchange ideas?" he laughed a little when her reddened cheeks tightened up, to show him that she was everything but calm.

But he felt his desire waken up again, thinking that she was even more beautiful with her eyes shining with fire and contained fury, some little hair had escaped from her chignon during their fight and her face was glowing with a little bit of sweat that only made the complexion of her skin pop. Her chest was pulling up and down quickly under her efforts to calm her breathing down and he couldn't help his throat to be dry, when he immediately imagined what it would feel like to cup her breasts in his hands.

"I don't think what you want to say is written on my chest."

He snapped out of his reverie and scoffed, running a hand on his forehead to remove his own sweat. "No. Actually, I was trying to imagine how your br..." their eyes met and he decided to stick with the subject at hand. He scratched his throat and the back of his neck. "What I wanted to say was if I..."

"Wait." Andryse raised her finger in the air to stop him. "Before you say anything..."

She walked up to him and albeit he took a step back, not trusting her, he finally stood his ground when she came right up to his face. He opened his mouth to ask what it was all about when a painful growl came out instead when he felt her hard heel of her right boot, pressing very hard on his naked toes.

"Fuck." he shouted very loud while bending down to pick up his foot and skipped on the other foot, a litany of cursing words coming out of his mouth.

"That's for hanging me upside down." Andryse whispered with a satisfied grin before walking away.

Troy held his throbbing toes in his hands and hopped around in the room, wishing with all his heart that he had taken the time to put on his shoes right after he had gotten out of the shower. He looked at what used to be his toes but were now, just red bunions at the end of his foot and he shot her with his eyes.

"I thought we had a truce." he groaned sharply, trying to put his painful toes down.

"I promised to stay quiet and not try to kill you." Andryse smirked. "You didn't say anything about not stepping on your toes."

"All right. From this moment on, no one hurts anyone. No stepping on toes, no punching, no more fights, no more trying to kill me. Just talk."

Andryse shrugged and just raised her chin in a defiant way. "You should have never hung me upside down." she mumbled defiantly and Troy puffed air out of his chest, barely containing himself from strangling her.

He ran a shaky hand on his forehead instead. "As I was saying." he talked through gritted teeth. "If I promise not to kill your father right away, will you let me in on your plan?"

A sarcastic grin deformed Andryse's full lips. "How generous of you! For the last time Colt, no. Go home."

"I still have about a few days left here on my vacation." Troy crossed his arms on his chest, imperturbable. "If he's not down by then, I will kill him."

"Are you insane? I will never be able to do that in less then one week." She arched her eyebrows at him.

"Not if you don't accept my help."

"I don't need your help."

"Yes, you do."

"No, I don't."

"Think about all the people who will die because of you." he said viciously, knowing she will then think twice. "Because let's face it. You are stuck with me and you can't afford to let your father kill whoever you are protecting." he saw her bite her jaw and he smiled, smelling a close victory. "Let me help you."

Andryse raised her head and wiped the sweat getting in her eyes with her arm. She huffed angrily, feeling like a caged animal.

"And who says I won't kill you the first chance I get?" she dared him, while wishfully thinking that he would change his mind.

Troy smugly winked at her and talked with a smooth voice. "You already got your chance, sweetheart. Twice."

"The third might be the charm." she straightened up, not wanting to let him gain any more ground than he already did.

He took his time to run his hungry eyes all over her tight body, trying to control his impulses and smirked. "Then I'll be dead." he simply whispered.

If he had given her any other smart ass answer, Andryse would have immediately jumped at his throat by finding a reply as mordant as he would give her but now, feeling his stare on her and hearing the sweet octave his voice had taken, she found herself literally speechless. Even her anger seemed to have melted away and she bit her bottom lip, wondering how he could manage to make her shift from such opposite emotions within mere seconds.

She walked pass him, picking up her gun from the bed and put it against his back again like she did in the shower. She admired his muscles flexing under his skin but he didn't move, slowly breathing in. She was dying to touch him, to know how hard and strong his muscles really were. If the line running down his back, really went deep inside his pants like they let her believe it did or if his skin would feel soft under her fingers.

She was digging her mind so badly to come up with one wise or at least, menacing thing to say to him, but she just found herself holding her breath when he turned around and his hand held the barrel of the gun still pointed at him. Their eyes connected again and he swung her hand on the side, removing the gun on him and took a step closer.

"Not it." his low-pitched voice made her swallow her breath and her mouth opened, desperately trying to grasp some air.

"One condition." she however managed to say with a hollow voice. He quirked a curious brow. "I'm the boss." she continued. "What I say goes. Mostly about not killing my father."

He snickered and placed his hand behind her back to bring her even closer to him. "We'll see about that."

"No." she insisted strongly, putting the gun flat on his chest. "I'm the boss."

A real smile lifted the corners of his mouth and he leaned down, unable to resist the call of her lips any longer and slowly pressed them with his, fire shooting all over his body when the contact was finally made. He felt her body stiffen so he put more pressure, removing the gun in between then to let it fall at their feet. Completely at his mercy now, he captured her lower lip with his before running a lazy tongue on the curves, happy to feel her body loosening up. But his breath got cut short when a hard slap landed on his cheek, making his head turn.

"Who said you were allowed to kiss me?" she asked him harshly but slightly breathless.

Troy touched the corner of his mouth with the tip of his tongue, awaiting for the familiar taste of his own blood but was surprised not to taste anything. He turned to look at her and smiled when he saw the twinkle in her eyes. He ran his tongue on his lower lip, seeing her eyes following his movement and decided to play her game. His hand behind her back, brought her brutally against him and he leaned down on the side of her neck, biting her skin while his other hand grabbed her ass.

"Does it turn you on to hit me?" he growled against her skin, feeling her nails digging his shoulders. "Do you like wild sex? Hum? Do you get wet when I hold you so strongly?"

"Fuck off Colt." Andryse tried to push him away but he got the best of her when he found that little spot right behind her earlobe that made her heart go wild and butterfly filled up her chest, making it impossible for her to breath but she resisted her sudden weakness that made her want to let go against him.

She swallowed her emotions and closed her eyes, surprising herself when she realized that she hadn't felt like this for a man in a very long time. She knew it was wrong and she knew that it was dangerous, to let him get so close but she couldn't resist to hold his head with both hands and raised it up to taste his lips once again. Their lips fitted together effortlessly and it was from a common accord that they parted, eliciting throaty moans from the both of them when their tongues avidly, hungrily danced around each other's.

Andryse felt her knees buckle when he commended her, his lips hard and strong, clearly letting her know that he was to be the one in control. And she let him. She closed her eyes and moaned desperately when he filled her mouth completely, caressing her tongue with his or just pull back to suck her in his own mouth, all the while, his hands groping her, pressing hard on her back and ass cheek. Her trembling hands unconsciously shifted from his face to his damped hair and she pulled hard when he slightly tilted his head on the side, getting in even deeper in the warm, yet wet, crevices of her mouth. But no matter how fast he made her heart beat and her head spin, she knew she had to pull away. She had to... she had to...

Her mind finally worked for a few seconds and, her palms against his chest, she pushed him away, taking two wobbly steps back herself. "I said fuck off Colt."

Her voice was shaky enough, so she turned her back to him, trying to hide her turmoil and fought very hard to control her uneven breathing.

"Whatever you say... boss."

And she made the mistake to look at him, hearing his breathless whisper. Thinking that she was really going to be combusted with refrained desire, she didn't think twice when she clearly saw his darken eyes, mirror all the tumult that was going on inside of her. She ran the small space between them and jumped on him, her arms wrapping his neck and her calves secured around his waist.

Troy didn't lose one second to hug her tightly against him, feeling his breath cut short when he heard her deep moans as they got back to their burning tongues teasing each other. He felt his guts burn of impatience and kissed her even more savagely, turning them around before putting her up against the wall, pouring all the passion and raw lust he felt into the kiss as if it would be their last. He felt himself growing bigger when she bucked her hips at him, making his already aching crotch rub her in such an intimate way. His left hand, holding her up against the wall, he finally knew exactly what it felt like to touch her breast with his right and he grunted when the smooth skin popped out from under the bra.

Used to handling guns and diverse weapons for so long, his hands were hard and calloused, almost rugged. So Andryse had no idea how they felt so soft and endearing on her skin causing her to turn away from his mouth to be able to take in a sharp breath, not to collapse right then and there. He was skillfully caressing her small breast, sending strong ardent sensations all throughout her body and she furiously bit on her lip, not to scream his name when at the same time, his mouth found out that sucking on that particular place behind her ear, automatically made her rock her hips against him.

And everything went at fast speed from there, both impatient to explore that incomprehensible desire they've always felt for each other and finally put it to rest. He found his way to her mouth again, feeling himself being ravished when he felt his self control slipping away, liking how responsive her swollen nipple was under his burning fingers.

But they both parted at the same time, when they simultaneously heard heavy and hurried steps at the stairs and hushed voices whisper something they couldn't understand. One brief look at each other and Andryse put her feet down as he released her and promptly fixed herself up while she saw him rush to her gun on the floor before throwing it at her. She caught it in one single movement and ran to the bathroom, standing against the wall, her gun pointed at the door. She distractingly watched him pull an automatic with a silencer from the dresser and he grabbed the other one on top of the fridge, before making his way to the door.

The steps stopped right in front of the door and she held her breath, seeing the handle shake under the hand trying to turn it open. Nodding to each other in a silent consent, he turned the lock on and quickly stood behind the door being opened, hiding him from view. The hesitant pointer of a gun came into view and Troy felt his muscles bending, the assassin wakening up inside of him. A black man dressed in a military khaki, slowly entered the room, his head turning everywhere, probably looking for him and he waited a few seconds, knowing that he heard two distinct voices earlier. Just one step behind, another man with the same attire walked in, two guns in his hands.

Troy raised both his hands up after closed the door in a loud bang with his foot. The two men, startled and volt-faced him, surprise written on their faces.

"Hello boys." Troy let out with a cold voice, his guns pointed at both of them. "Open house is scheduled for next Sunday. Put your guns down and raise your hands."

The two men quickly looked at each other with frowns on their faces and Troy heard Andryse's voice snap an order in a foreign language, stepping out of the bathroom, her gun pointed in the two men's direction. They looked at each other again, this time looking like they were scared and they slowly leaned down to place the guns on the floor. Andryse spoke again and the first one who entered, sneered something back and she scoffed with sarcasm all over her tone.

"Some of your father's faithful goons?" Troy couldn't help to ask and she glanced at him.

"My father goons fire first, talk after." she answered coldly and he believed her, remembering when he was trapped in front of the church, how they immediately started to fire at him, even though a door was separating them.

He frowned, wondering what this was all about when Andryse snapped an other order at the men who kneed down, both hands behind their heads. She took a step forward, making her way behind them and she froze when she heard the sinister sound of a bullet being engaged.

"Tsk, tsk. I wouldn't do that if I were you."

She turned to look at Troy, thinking that he was talking to her but immediately saw the man in the back remove his hand from his big right black boot and she understood that the thug was probably looking for another weapon. She continued her way and, standing behind him, she used her gun to hit him in the back of the head and he hadn't even reached the ground when she saw the other man collapse after Troy hit him on the side of the head.

"So, who are they working for?" he didn't spend any time before asking, looking at her searching the pockets of the two motionless men on the floor.

Frowns on her face, Andryse did not reply and not finding anything perculiar in the men's pockets, she pulled up the long sleeve, revealing a big tattoo on the left arm.

"That's what I thought." she finally murmured, revealing a similar tattoo on the other man's arm. "They are 'angels'."

"What?" Troy asked perplexed and squatted down to take a good look at the tattoo. It was made of a star-crossed shape with an angel with long wings, draw right in the middle, holding a sword with his right hand and a bible in the other.

"They are mercenaries employed by a society called 'Anges de justice'." Andryse explained, taking a step back. "Literally means 'angels of justice.' They do the exact same job you do except them, they believe that they do it for a greater good."

"God?" he asked, looking at the bible the angel on the tattoo was holding.

Andryse snorted, putting her gun against her back. "The people, the poor, the less fortunate. The little ones who can't defend themselves. They are like the Robin Hood of this country. Kill who ever they think oppressed the little ones and bring them revenge."

"What do they want with me?" Troy ran his eyes on the two men unconscious on the floor, trying to figure out what it all meant. But he raised his eyes, hearing Andryse's soft laugh.

"Well, looks like I'm not your only frenemy in town." she said, her hands crossed on her chest. "Why don't you ask their boss?" Troy stood up, looking at her with an incomprehensible look. "Max." she let out coldly and he frowned, taking a step forward.

"You're lying." he snapped. "Why would he want to kill me?"

"Beats me." Andryse shrugged with a laugh. "He was the one who hired you, wasn't he? Go ask him."

"Max was just an informer." he answered pensively. "He wasn't the one who hired me."

"Maybe you should fire your secretary or assistant." Andryse laughed again, finding herself really enjoying the turn of events. "Or maybe next time, make sure they tell you who really signs your check."

Troy sent her a side look. He couldn't tell her who really hired him. At least not yet. But he couldn't help either, for a grain of doubt to creep in his mind. If what she was saying was true, his office had some very good explaining to do. And he would make sure he gets his answers as soon as possible.

"He must think that you have become unreliable and a tangible target since you still haven't killed my father." Andryse continued, oblivious of his train of thoughts.

"If he's conducting a whole society like you're saying." Troy asked, his guns still ready to fire at any sign. "Why would he hire me to kill your father for him? Why haven't his men do the job?"

"Cause they're a bunch of idiots who can barely shoot straight." Andryse snickered. "Did you hear how much noise they made coming up here and see how easily we put them down? They have no proper training whatsoever. They are just given a gun and are told to shoot. My father has killed so many of them but it seems like they grow like some sort of fungus or something. What? It's true." she protested at Troy's look of disapproval. "Well, you'll see. You kill one and three will hang on your ass. That's why I don't waste my time killing them. They're like kids playing with big guns."

"This all must be a mistake." Troy shook his head.

"Let's hope so. Otherwise, our previous little agreement is over." she said without a hint of regret and Troy looked at her with a hard eye. "I will not have you get involved with me while you have them following your every move. I can't risk them discover that I too, am trying to stop my father. It could backfire."

Troy opened his mouth to answer when a buzz echoed in the room and he watched Andryse pull out a cell phone from her back pocket. Her eyebrows shaded her face as she read the message and a scowl deformed her traits as she cursed loudly, picking up her gun.

"Play dead." she whistled at him but he shook his head, not understanding what she was asking him. "I'm really sorry about this Troy."

He didn't even have time to see the gun press against his left side but felt the unbearable stinging of the bullet tear up his body and a dull pain on his temple, knocked him out cold right before his body heavily fell on the floor.