The Puppet Assassin [TTR sequel]

The Puppet Assassin - Ch 24 [hit 'em up -|- Dizelde]

“What are you doing?” he answered my question.

I stared at the muted television show. What was I doing? Could witches hear lies through the telephone?

“I’m sitting on my bed,” I answered in the safest way possible.

“Good.” He didn’t seem to notice my tentativeness. “Comfy?”

“Yeah…” Where was he going with all this?

“What kind of food do you like?” he asked lightly. “Wait, do you mind if I ask you a few questions?”

Ah, yes. But out loud I said, “Nope. I like most seafood dishes, except oysters and pumpkin is my favourite flavour.”

“And dessert?”

Wasn’t there some other topic that we could talk about besides me? “Ice-cream… Chocolate!” I added, guessing he’d probably ask what flavour in his next question anyway.

“Your favourite colour?”

“Blue… and green.” How much longer?

“Your favourite person in the whole world?”

I opened my mouth and then registered what he’d asked. “Larkin…” I rumbled warningly.

“Oh, me? Really?” He laughed. My stomach clenched at the sound. “Well, I could’ve guessed but-”

“Larkin!” I said exasperatedly.

“Yes, I heard you the first time.”

“Oh, come on. Stop teasing me for once!”

He chuckled shortly. “Not so shy on the phone, are you? Want to ask me some questions?”

Did I ever! “What’s the important thing you have to discuss with your family?” And next, I’d ask him what the Alpha rules were. And after that… how he felt about me. I mean, was I just some kind of entertainment for him?  The girl in closest reach?

“Question time up! My apologies!” I could imagine him grinning broadly.

“Dammit Larkin! I’m done! Goodbye!” I reached up to unhook the wire but his voice stopped me.

“Do you miss me? I miss you.”

I shut my eyes tight. Not fair, it didn’t make sense. He wasn’t supposed to feel anything, I wasn’t supposed to feel anything. I didn’t know much about him to feel anything. So why did it feel like something was holding tightly onto my heart?

“I thought question time was over,” I said slowly.

It was silent on the line for a moment.

“Alright, fine then. I’ll just talk then. I keep thinking about that goodbye kiss, you know? It was your first kiss, right? Oh, you don’t have to answer that. I know. I could tell by the way you reacted to my tongue.” He chuckled lowly, almost like a growl. I felt like I couldn’t breathe. “But anyway, what I really liked was the way your hands slipped around my neck. I really like you touching me, Dizelde.”

I coughed out of the way of the microphone as I choked on nothing. Heat was pulsing down from my chest to my thighs.

“I also like the way you taste, sort of sweet and salty at the same time.” His voice got huskier.

I hadn’t been focused on what he tasted like. Did he have a taste? Maybe I would have to find out… next time? Would there be a next time? It sounded like he wanted there to be one…

There was a scuffling sound through the speaker for a moment and then Larkin made a soft growling noise.

“I’ll be less than a minute,” he called out to someone nearby sounding extremely irritated. “Dizelde?”

“Mm-hmm?” I wiped my sweaty palms onto my sweats.

“I have to go.”

“Okay…” I was a little disappointed.

“Talk to you tomorrow,” he said, sinking plenty of innuendo into those few words. I listened to the sound of him hang up and then the monotone requesting sounded, asking if I wanted to make another call. I unhooked the wire. Ah, hmm…

“Dizelde!” Garth’s voice came from the lounge room. “Are you hungry?!”

Not really, especially not after that stomach-flipping conversation, but I needed to consume some energy for tonight. It was quite a trek to Tork St.

** **

It was a little strange, waiting up for Garth to fall asleep. I was lying still on my bed, thinking that if I moved he’d be suspicious. I cringed. What if I didn’t even make it outside my window? I guess I could make up an excuse like ‘I needed some fresh air’. That wouldn’t even be a lie because right now it felt too hot and stuffy in this room.

I checked the time. Two am. It had been two hours since Garth had gone upstairs, surely that was long enough. I got up silently and walked to the window. A cool breeze washed over me. I’d opened the window earlier today to avoid making noise at this time. I picked up the pack I’d placed below the window and made my exit. I padded softly towards the trees at the back of the house. I knew that Liam had set up a surveillance team out the front on the street so I couldn’t go out the easy way, through the front gate. My plan was to climb the trees to the thick wall that ran up both sides of the yard. I knew that if I went over the one on the left I would land in the alley I had passed all that time ago when I had first walked here with Garth.

I swiftly clambered up the branches, making my way up to where one branch leant slightly on the wall. I balanced my way over to it and looked down at the four metre drop. I looked up and down the wall for some kind of hold on the outer side of the wall that would make it easy for me to climb down. I could use my ladder sticks, small metal bars with strong adhesive on one side that I could stick to a flat surface and use to climb, but I needed to save the few I had for the warehouse.

Instead I straddled the wall and then shifted my other leg over. I slowly lowered myself until my hands gripped the wall, my arms straining to hold me hanging there. I looked down, scowled at the distance I still had to travel. I released the wall, pushing off it slightly, and landed in a crouch. The shock of landing on a hard surface jarred up through the bottom of my heels all the way to my knees. I made my way through the alley, wobbling slightly for the first few steps as I attempted to shake the pain out of my legs.

Once I was out of the alley I began a slow jog. There was no time like the present to work on my fitness.

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I'm not entirely sure whose point of view the next chapter will be in... I know I said I'd continue with Diz's POV only but I had the next chapter planned as Luke. We'll see. I won't be  writing for a few days as New Years takes up a lot of time, I mean, brain cells, I mean, sleep, I mean, time.

Catch ya in 2011!

Have a good one!

Stay safe! Stay sober! Go to bed at 11:30!

Pfft.

Happy New Year.