A/N: Finally, Diane is getting much better and is ready to kick some ass again. She is now focused on finding /that man/ and completing her revenge. Some cracks also start to appear as she's feeling far more than she expected for the Jackal. It's slowly getting cute. The next chapter would have some well-deserved smut too as well as a return to the flashbacks :p
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Alex pulled the trigger without thinking twice about it. As soon as his target was at the right place, all he had to do was fire his shot. As usual, his meticulous and carefully executed plan worked like a charm. The target went down, killed with a single bullet he perfectly aimed. He didn't care much about the ruckus it caused; the screams and sirens quickly filled the air as they gathered in one place. He was already gone. In the plane that took him back to Budapest, the Jackal took the time to think about the past couple of days since Diane saw Dylan Atwater or /that man/. It made his blood boil at the thought that she was frozen in shock upon seeing the man who was responsible for the destruction of her village.
It wasn't the fact she froze because her reaction was absolutely normal. That man brutalized her in ways that only monsters did. Alex couldn't imagine the pain she went through, the memories that resurfaced and forced her to relive her nightmare. He also could not imagine the impact on her body; it sent him into a rage he couldn't control. Alex curled his fingers into a fist and gritted his teeth. He surprised himself by wanting to go home so he could see her. He /needed/ to see her and hear her voice. He needed to wrap his arms around her frame and keep her close to his heart. He needed to go home... where she was.
*
Diane had started the day quietly. She took advantage of a couple of days spent without Alex. She didn't want him to see her when she was at her lowest point. The first day alone, she cried her eyes out. She sat on the floor and beat her chest with her fist until her chest started to bleed from the cuts she made to her skin. She held fistfuls of her coily hair and scratched the skin of her cheek until it reddened. Once she finished losing her mind, Diane stood up, showered, and dressed for the day. She went to work and spent countless hours researching the whereabouts of the journalist who had a smoking gun on the leader of the far-right party in South Africa. His name was Michael C. Connor, a portly 59-year-old veteran journalist and father of two, who made a career exposing corruption in the government. He had publicly warned that he was going after the Afrikaner Weerstandbeweging and then disappeared from the country. After intense research, she found out that Michael was close to three other journalists famous for exposing murders and exposing mafias and other gangs. The three journalists were found dead within the first year. "Suicides" or "accidental deaths" were ruled as the cause of death, but Diane knew better.
They all died within a week, and none of them were suicidal. One had a girlfriend who was expecting his child, and another cared for her sick mother. She was in the process of buying a house, so why would she end her life? It was /that man/'s work. It was a hit job. Diane assumed that if his friends died one after the other, he might be in danger. He probably fled the country with his family and lay low for a while. She found out that there was no trace of him in South Africa since the year before and decided to keep digging. She saw /that man/ in Budapest, and like she said, he might have had some business there. She decided to look at the most recent deaths that made the news these past couple of months and found out that a Christian Markham, a local reporter, was found dead alongside his wife and two kids. roughly at the same time she crossed paths with him at the market. She saw the name Markham while reading about Michael Connor. Yes! his wife! Her maiden name was Markham, and Christian was his middle name. It was her guy! She was sure of it! The news said that he killed his children and wife and later hanged himself, but it seemed unlikely. Why would he go to such lengths if it was to annihilate his family?
Diane contacted the coroner's office. She needed to have the autopsy reports of the Connor family to confirm her suspicions. One odd detail caught her attention: Michael C. Connor had industrial tape marks on his wrists. Diane put her hand on her mouth upon reading it. That son of a bitch couldn't help himself, now could he? he had to torture his target! Upon reading the autopsy reports of the children, she read that the oldest child, a 6-year-old- girl, had been raped and was shot twice. One gunshot wound was on her shoulder blade, and the other gunshot wound was at the small of the back. Diane forced herself to keep her emotions in check upon reading the reports. Rather than think of the ordeal that little girl went through, she only focused on the evidence of /that man/'s actions. It was him, no doubt about it. He tortured the family in front of his target. He raped the little girl, shot the infant boy in the head and before he could do anything to their mother, she died of a heart attack. She couldn't stand the sight of such horror. Then he took care of the journalist, hung him, and staged the crime scene for a murder-suicide.
Now that could explain why she had crossed paths with him a couple of days ago. /That man/ killed his target and decided to lay low for a while. With some luck, he would remain in Budapest for a couple more months, which could allow Alex to kill him. She pinched the bridge of her nose and leaned against her chair. She closed her laptop and ran her hand through her face. There, she had a lead and knew what she had to do. She stood up and went to the kitchen to fetch a tall glass of water. Just as she was about to drink it, she heard the front door noise. Alex was home! She turned around and grabbed a knife she hid behind her back. He cleared his throat and called her name.
" Diane! I'm back."
"Alex! I'm in the kitchen!" -She tilted her head to the side and ran her hand through her coily hair. It wasn't an enemy, so she could relax and put her knife back to where it was- "Come when you're ready!"
He made an affirmative noise, allowing the woman to turn around and finish her glass of water. Alex was home, and Diane felt warm in her heart. She could handle being alone and had spent most of her life on her own. It just felt different to have a companion, one she eagerly wanted to spend time with, one... She fell in love with. The thought made her blush and she bit at her bottom lip. In love? Was she in love? Her heart skipped a beat, and she fanned herself. How could it be? Diane trusted Alex more than she could ever admit. She trusted him with her life, with her revenge. The hitwoman wanted him. She wanted to wake up every morning with him...Yes, Diane! You were in love with Alex and before she could even take a break from her thoughts, she felt a pair of hands hold onto her waist and spin her around so she could face him.
"You're really back home!" -She put both hands on his cheeks and gave him a sheepish smile- "I have missed you." -She admitted.-
"I've missed you too." -He grinned and pecked her lips.- "On my way home, I couldn't stop thinking about your case. It bothers me greatly that he's in the same city as you. I want to find him and put a bullet in him asap."
"I know, baby. I know." -She didn't think twice about calling him baby. Usually, it was Alex when she was in a good mood and Charles when she was upset. "Baby" was new, and it was welcomed. She realized she called him Baby and pinched her lips together. He tilted his head to the side and narrowed his gaze as if it would help him see her better.-
"Can you repeat it?"
"What? That I know?" -She curbed a brow, and he smiled at her-
"No... the other thing. Call me that again." -He couldn't stop smiling-
"Baby? You like that?" -He nodded- "Then, I will call you baby again." -She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and he grabbed her ass to help her wrap around his waist- "I said.. I know, baby, I know. I also found the answers to your questions."
"I knew you would." -He admitted while carrying her to the living room- "Care to share with the class?"
"Mmhh mmhhh...." -She kissed his lips and leaned her forehead against his- "You were right, /that man/ was here for a job. He killed the journalist who had a smoking gun on the leader of the far-right party. I studied the autopsy reports, and I found out that he couldn't help himself. He had to torture the family. That journalist escaped South Africa and sought refuge in Budapest. He lived there for a year, took the name of his wife, and used his middle name. I don't know how his cover blew up, but it did. /That man/ found him and killed him a couple of months ago. I don't know how long he's going to stay here, but if he's anything like the man I remember, he's laying low for a while."
"Are you saying that there is a chance I can get to him here?" -She nodded and stroked his cheek with her thumb.- "Then we need to figure out how to get to him. Where exactly did you cross paths with him?" -He sat them on the couch, and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders-
"The market. He wouldn't go there if he wasn't living nearby. I think we could try and see in a couple of days if he shows up at the market? If he does, we'll follow him and see where he lives."
"We can do that. I'll wear a disguise just to make sure he won't recognize me. Do you want me to follow him to his home and kill him there?" -She shook her head- "Why not? I can take him."
"He is far stronger than you think. Besides, I want to make sure there would be no one with him. I think we could first make sure he actually lives here and plan his takedown."
"Are you afraid, Di?" -She bit her bottom lip and took a deep breath- "Alright. I won't follow him to his house but I will take notes. We'll figure out what to do once we know more about it. For the time being... What about we spend the day together?" -He kissed her lips again-
"There is a job I want to take. The deadline is tomorrow and if I take it, I'll be one late party, but I need to do this. I need to go back to work."
"How about we talk about it after you and I actually spend time together." -He grinned and started to move her hips so she would roll her hips against him. It elicited a moan from her, and she bit her bottom lip-
"Ohhhhhh... Does that mean you want me?"
"I want you, Diane."
"Come again."
"I want you, Diane... unf... I want... I can't wait."
"Fine, baby.... We'll get to it-
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-TBC-
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