Cassie: Part V
Cassie spent weeks brooding all the while trying to think of a plan to introduce herself to and enthrall the object of her affection. She had shadowed him on a few occasions after he left the Dungeon. It seemed to be where he spent most of his time, which was a bad omen for Cassie. Evey still worked there and for all Cassie knew, still suspected her of killing Elijah. Minus the last time, it had been quite some time since she has set foot in the Dungeon and she figured it would be better to revisit the establishment after she was on his arm. She would deal with Evey later if she became a nuisance. First she decided that she would run into him one evening before he reached the Dungeon. She was hoping to convince him to join her for drinks at Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop. She chose her location because it was out of the way of the Dungeon and Aunt Tiki’s. She couldn’t have Aphrodite ruining her plans. For now she had to concentrate on her intriguing stranger. At five on Friday she dressed and went to look for him.
It seemed too easy. The first route she chose was the right one. She had just turned the corner of Toulouse and Bourbon when she saw him walking towards her on Toulouse. She quickly went back behind the corner before he saw her. He was on the same side of the street as she was which meant all she had to do was wait and bump into him as they were turning the corner. She spared a peak around the corner to see how far he was. One block, about thirty seconds. She counted slowly and on the count of twenty eight, she spun around the corner. She ran into him hard enough to almost knock her over.
“Oh! Pardon me!” He said grabbing her arms to steady them so neither would fall. He looked at the face that has just barreled into him.
“I am so sorry!” Cassie tried to sound as sweet and apologetic as possible. She gave a sheepish smile, batted her eyelids and apologized again. She thought the look on his face meant that she had already won, but in reality he was feeling something completely different than what she had intended. As Cassie was filled with an immediate overwhelming need to be loved and accepted by this man and he was feeling the exact opposite, however, he read her like a book and played into her game.
“It is I who should be sorry” he said taking a step back from her. He wanted to make her work that way she wouldn’t notice his distaste. He was dying to kill anyways and something about this was appalled him and this could end up being an easy target for him. He noticed she was very much like him in appearance, but only slightly and he was easily more than a foot taller than she was, “I should pay more attention to where I’m going. Although, it seems being inattentive has brought me a pleasant surprise.” He smiled.
“Totally my fault” Cassie said giggling. “May I ask where you were going?”
“Nowhere in particular.” He wondered how a normal man would have felt with this situation. From one perspective the situation seemed completely innocent, but from his, the wolf in sheep’s clothing was inviting the hunter in.
“Well, would you like to get a drink with me? To apologize for running into you I mean.” Cassie knew she sounded a little over excited but it appeared to her that he hadn’t noticed.
He thought about it for a moment. He didn’t want to seem to enthusiastic but he couldn’t help it. When he looked back at her he saw her eyes flicker. It was then he realized it. This girl wasn’t just some nobody; she was like him, a murderer. It wasn’t obvious to the naked eye, but Viktor had been killing people since he was sixteen. This young woman was a black widow, in training. He could tell she was operating alone, but she had much to learn. The whole situation was a façade. It was too fast, too forced, she ether really wanted him or she was simply a novice, or both.
“Sure.” He said without emotion, “I’m not going anywhere in particular. Did you have somewhere in mind?” even though he knew she was nowhere near his level of treachery and lies, he had a feeling that this girl could be a problem. Cassie couldn’t have been more oblivious.
“Well, I was just wandering around.” A lie that she thought she slipped by him, “How about The Blacksmith Shop down Bourbon? I’m not familiar with the area.” She finished with a sly smile that almost made Viktor laugh. She was a novice and she was playing out of her league and she had no clue, but he decided to play along. She wasn’t anything like the woman he saw the other night. He saw her when she was stumbling to the funeral home. She was everything he could have ever dreamed of but she didn’t even notice him as he followed her.
“I would love to.” Viktor lied. He figured if anything, the opportunity to relieve his tension was a good enough reason to join her. He hadn’t killed once since arriving in New Orleans and sometimes one just couldn’t be picky. The rest of the evening went without any interesting events. Cassie continued to try and lure Viktor when at the same time Viktor was trying to create a situation where he could rid himself of this young woman. She wasn’t too terribly annoying, but for some reason Viktor felt like there was something he needed to learn about this woman before he killed her or let her go. It was just a matter of time.
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