a noir tale

“Drink’s on the table babe.” A good whiskey.
There were so many times I could have stopped it. Said no. Put an end to it. But she knew I loved the knife. Her skill in the cut and those eyes. I knew I was being manipulated. Deep in my soul. But then I would lose myself in her flesh and drive her crazy.
I knew the cuts would come. We both knew it was wrong. But we used the word love a lot for means of justification. She was in the shower. Her body had more curves than a python, she embraced just as fiercely like it was some kind of kill. She made love with a reckless abandoned and convulsed when the little death was on her. She could have any man she wanted. Curled raven locks feel to the small of her back. Her skin olive. That perfect skin when the races mix. . Her eyes which she often hid were a deep caramel. The kind of serpentine eyes that swallow you whole.
But I was dangerous. A killer. Damaged goods that could take the punishment of her departures. Her husband was rich. Abusive but rich. And the big house seemed to mitigate the pain. He was also cheating on her so he lost any moral credibility he would have had if he were an innocent victim of feminine deception.
I was hired by him to guard her. Protect her. Keep her safe from harm. The mist was rising out of the shower. She was clad only in the towel. She always hid her naked form from me. Shyly , almost coyly. She had her rules. But always wanted me to tell her I love her. She needed it in yells and whispers. The remaining wet clung to her. She wanted me to cut her. She took a long hard pull from the rocks glass.
“When…” She said with insistence.
“ Soon, luv, but you gotta get back to him.”
I inspected her for marks like in a slave auction. No bites. Nothing that can be questioned. She tried to kiss me.
“No..not yet.” I says.
“ When do you kill him?” She asked. The reptilian coldness coming through.
“ When we go to Nawlins. I got a crew down there. Simple. Easy. Just like the town.”
“You sure.”
I smiled my knowing smile. Now the time was right.
I brought her in for a kiss. She lingered. I was greedy. She was mine. But I knew deep inside she cheated on him. She’d cheat on me. Nature of the wildlife. She had never failed to get what she set those eyes on.
“ It’s an hour drive.” I says. “ Best get moving.” The cabin was secluded enough. And she been up here enough times to navigate in the dark. In the widening dark. My little viper went back out into the dark. Shedding her skin she went back to her safe life. She had her fill of danger for the evening.

That’s when it all went to hell.

I heard them. The men she hired. No sense of stealth.

Then men entered my cabin. Three of them. I keep knives always within hands. Reach. But that’s what I do. I’m a knivesman. Small area. And the idiots brought guns to a knife fight. Naked as I was I dove for my barong. Big heavy bladed fillipino knives which my guro mercilessly trained me on.
The twenty one foot rule is my commandment. To put it simply. If a person has a knife and is twenty one feet away from you and you have a gun. You can cover the distance in 1.5 seconds. I closed.
First idiot was easy. A conveininet shield. A quick cut across the back of his gun hand made it useless. Putting his body between me and the other two. Sidestep through and a cut across his femoral artery. He’d bleed out.
Idiot two started firing. Their boy took the brunt. But in the enclosed space of my cabin. Idiot three was frozen. I closed distance. Brought the blade up under his sternum and hand assisted down. The purplish gift of kali spilled on the floor.And in one continuous motion. Spun throwing the knife. Idiot three looked more surprised than hurt. As the blade stuck out of his neck.
I gathered the remains and made sure they’d be unidentifiable. An arduous task. The poison I put in her drink should be settling in. Damn treacherous those mountain roads.
Her husbands money would sooth whatever pain I felt.