NOVEL NEXT Chapter 599: One Less
Months ago, Katherine did it for the money. Okay, maybe also because of the thrill or that she needed to get away, to forget Damien even if she didn't really want to. But mostly, because of the money. She earned hundreds of thousands doing what she did and because she was good at it. Back then, she was lost and confused.
However, she wasn't lost now—not really. And while she had to get away before, now, she wanted to stay. The strong pull that she had been feeling towards Esmea was there. She didn't want to leave this place. This was her home. Damien was home.
And while she used to do it for money, now, she didn't even care about it anymore. Katherine had millions in her name—so much more than she thought she'd ever had. So, no, this wasn't about money.
Justice, then? Maybe. She scoffed as she removed the helmet off her head after parking her motorcycle near the dumpster in an alley next to an old bar. Was it really that simple? She didn't think she'd ever do bounty hunting again. Because, again, this wasn't about money. She'd decline the money if she hadn't thought of better ways to use it, but in the end, she accepted it and put it where it belonged.
Katherine's therapy sessions did help a little at first. But it wasn't until she began to have the nightmares that she thought she was going crazy. She told her therapist about it, but she was assured that Parker was still and will be locked up for as long as he lived. She'd stay calm for a while, brush off the nagging feeling and try—really try to move on.
But damn. It wasn't easy. For years, she had known Shadow's existence, she had seen how bleak the world was, she had killed people with her own two hands, she knew what's lurking in the shadows—pun intended—where ordinary people couldn't see. Everyone had seemed to move on. Chris and Gus were gone, Parker was still locked up, and Shadow was gone—and yet here she was: stuck.
She couldn't unsee what she saw. Couldn't unfeel what she felt. And couldn't unhear her demons. It's always there. Bad—evil people were always there.
Katherine wasn't trying to be a hero. It would probably take thousands, if not millions, of good deeds to ever feel like she would qualify that title. She just needed this. She badly needed to do something to rid the world of one more criminal. It wouldn't magically remove the unknown shard that's pricking her insides, but it made her feel better.
Her phone buzzed, and she read the message.
[ Skip's drinking at the bar. I'm heading out. Til next. ]
[ Katherine: I'll wire it in an hour. ]
She threw a black ball cap on her head, zipped her jacket up to her neck, and crossed the road. The place was nearly empty when she entered. Why do Skips almost always end up in bars or clubs?
"There you are," she muttered under her breath when she saw her target, alone, drinking his guilt away. "You don't get to lament, Donald."
Name: Donald Web
Age: 39 years old.
Crime: Aggravated Assault — He beat his wife until she suffered a concussion that put her in a coma for a few days.
Walking towards the bar, Katherine kept her head low as she sat a few seats away from the Skip. She ordered a bottle of Guinness, though she only took a sip just for show. Pretending to play with her phone, she kept her periphery on him. He didn't seem to be in a hurry to go anywhere, but he would occasionally glance here and there as if watching out for cops.
Unlike before, Katherine didn't personally do the tracking. She hired someone to do it for her, and fortunately, her contact was fast. She had only given the information yesterday, and he already found the criminal earlier today. Her Skips were also limited to the areas within or near Harbor City. She didn't take anything that would require her to go far away.
She made a quick once over of the man. She was probably taller than him, or they could be about the same height and he wasn't heavily built too. But this criminal almost killed his wife, beating her up while he was drunk. Katherine gritted her teeth, her jaw popping. She could take him down right now, but she didn't want to risk losing him.
Just then, Donald got up from his seat, slightly swaying as he strode towards the restrooms. She cracked her fingers and rotated her neck from side to side. Tossing a twenty on the bar, she nodded at the bartender and walked down the hall, stopping right outside the door to the men's room. She put on her leather gloves and waited.
Five minutes later when Donald came out, Katherine kicked him hard in the stomach, and he fell backward onto the first stall. The door broke. His face was red, and his eyes livid at the sudden attack. He tried to get up, but he winced, clutching his back. She stepped on his ankle, making him cry out. Curses flew out of his mouth, but he was probably too drunk to have control of his body.
"Doesn't feel too good when you're the one being beaten up, huh Donald?" She bit out while taking out a heavy-duty zip tie and bound his ankles.
He grabbed the sleeve of her leather jacket, but she managed to twist his arm, causing him another painful cry. In a matter of seconds, she rolled him on his stomach and tied his hands behind his back.
"You, bi—"
*Thud* The rest of his curse was huffed when she punched his face and knocked him out.
The bartender came with a shocked look on his face. She panted as she reached for her pocket and handed him a hundred dollar bill. "For the door."
…
Half an hour later, she got a confirmation text from the agent regarding the completion of her assignment.
One less bad person.
She touched her chest and patted it. The shard is still there, but she felt better.
Katherine drove for twenty minutes, stopping in front of a small, shabby house. She strode towards the door, released a deep breath, and knocked. Her heart raced.
The door opened and a frail young girl, probably in her pre-teen years, looked up at her. "Who are you?"
"Um… Hi. I'm Katherine. What's your name?"
"Daisy."
"You're pretty." She smiled. "Is your mom here?"
"She's resting."
Daisy's brows furrowed, her neck straining as she looked up to Katherine's height. The latter bent down, took out a sealed brown envelope, and gave it to the girl.
'Money,' she thought but didn't say out loud.
When Daisy hesitated, Katherine gently placed it in her hand, pressed the hand towards her chest, and then placed Daisy's other hand over it so that she was hugging the envelope. "When your mom wakes up later, give this to her. Okay?"
Daisy nodded.
"I'll go now. Make sure to lock the door when I leave." Katherine waved her hand and turned around, leaving the little girl by the door.
Daisy clutched the envelope and then read the message that was handwritten on it.
[ Mrs. Web,
I know it's tough and painful. But you have to let go of the past. You need to move on. This isn't much, but it will help you start a new chapter of your life. If you want to move, do it.
But you need to get over this hurdle for yourself and for the people you love.
-K ]
Katherine sped off, the message she wrote on the envelope lingering in her mind. The message that wasn't only intended for the wife of that criminal—but also for herself.