I Unintentionally Became Her Kitten

Chapter 59: Commitment

Alisha got home later in the evening and I happily told her I had made salads already. She smiled, patted me on the head, and let me know she needed to make a couple phone calls before we ate.

I accepted this, because she had a few strands of hair out of place she had yet to push back and whenever she started to ignore even minor appearance things, she was exhausted.

Instead I made some tea while she got settled in the dining room and made her first phone call.

Matteo gave Tye and I an acknowledging nod, which Tye returned and somehow they had a conversation in that nod and Matteo left. I got the water boiling in the kettle and fetched one of the last few sachets of peppermint tea, making a mental note that Alisha’s food supply was continuing to dwindle. She needed groceries… but I didn’t want to add to her list of things to do.

I’d make a list, I decided. And either I’d give it to her for her personal shopper to take care of or Tye and I would go to the store tomorrow to do it so she didn’t need to hire an additional person to take care of this. It was the least I could do. Although I didn’t know where to find this particular brand of tea. It wasn’t one of the two big companies I was used to getting. And I should ask for the brand of coffee… I checked the ground supply. There were at least a few more days worth left. It depended a lot on how much coffee Alisha and I consumed between morning and evening as making coffee in the evening as well doubled the consumption… 

“Nico,” I heard Alisha acknowledge in the other room as he finally picked up for her.

Tye was leaning against the kitchen counter and looked up at her voice.

“Have you completed the task I gave you?” she asked.

I poured the hot water into a mug.

A loud bang from the dining room made me flinch and spill a steaming trail across the counter. I glanced through the doorway to see Alisha with her fist on the table, trying to regulate her breathing.

“How dare you,” she managed in that dangerous tone I was coming to know too well.

Whatever was said on the other end did not help her mood.

“You can’t lie to me, Nico,” she said. 

I snapped back into focus to find boiling water starting to drip down the counter and scurried to grab a towel and mop it up, feeling the sting from the heat.

“You have until tomorrow at noon. You don’t want me to address this myself,” Alisha’s voice continued.

I slid into the room next to her and set the mug down tenderly, trying to be both quiet and out of the way.

In that time, I could hear Nico’s voice attempting to placate her with some excuse.

“I made myself clear the first time,” she said. “There won’t be a third conversation on this matter.”

And then she hung up, scowling fiercely.

I wasn’t sure if a day was necessarily a reasonable amount of time to set up someone’s execution… but from what I’d seen on Alisha’s side of things, they tended to happen fast.

I put a hand on her shoulder as she stared at the phone screen. She softened a little and put a hand on mine.

“Sorry, Kitten, I know that was loud,” she said.

“I’m okay,” I told her. “I made you some tea.”

She nodded and pulled the mug closer to her. “Thank you,” she told me and took a small sip before pulling out her other phone and selecting ‘Angela’ from her contacts.

I scurried off again to get the salads together as she made her second call.

“Hello– Mother,” she said when Angela picked up.

There was no way to know what Angela said on the other side but Alisha made plans to meet with her at someplace called ‘the track’ and promised to bring the Mercai.

Her mother agreed to this and the plan was to meet at one o’clock.

I felt a very real fear at this, because it was clear, despite every one of Alisha’s words sounding friendly and in place to make some amends, she was arranging an execution by her own means, if Nico failed to take care of things by then.

It was chilling to hear how she could twist her voice around to sound so loving and placating when there was a knife in her hand, waiting for her victim to come closer. I wondered if this was how she did it with her father, or if he had been a bit more wary of his own family.

“Yes, love you too, bye,” she said quickly and hung up.

Her face slowly lowered and then thudded against the glass of the table and she put her hands to the back of her neck, as if it might help her feel less miserable. I set her salad down in front of her and sat in the next seat over, simply waiting and listening to her even breathing.

When she picked her face back up, the exhaustion was immediately apparent. Not so much from the dark circles under her eyes as much as the blank numbness of her expression.

I put a hand on her shoulder and she leaned against it, silently appreciating it.

Tye came around the corner and leaned against the door frame.

“Am I driving tomorrow?” he asked her.

She shook her head. “I'll take Matteo.  I need you to stay with Kit.”

“Oh, I can… come,” I told her.

She gave me a look I had only seen her give Sergei.

“I don't have to be there there,” I said carefully. “But we can meet up after… or before… or both.”

“Kit,” she sighed. “You don't need to do this to yourself.”

“No. I don't. But you don't need to do this to yourself either. Not alone,” I explained.

“This is not a fun excursion,” she grumbled. “Do you even understand what you're saying you're willing to witness, the number of prison years you will get if they find out you knew about these things?”

“I– I don't know about prison. But I know it's going to be a graphic process and I also know it's going to be an emotional one. Which is why I should be there. For you. Or would you rather continue your life exactly as it is right now?”

She stared icily. I knew people didn't usually question her like this, much less about her emotional state.

“I'll be in the other room,” Tye said awkwardly and shuffled off.

Alisha sighed and stared at the salad in front of her and then reached over and put her hand on my shoulder, making me flinch at her touch. But she simply pulled me closer, against her.

I felt a little bad. The last thing she needed right now was turbulence, but at the same time this was a conversation we needed to have. Tomorrow was going to be difficult. No matter what happened: if her mom showed up at the place called the track or if she didn't.

“You said you wanted to be partners,” I told her softly. “I want to be your partner… but if you want me to be able to carry my weight in this relationship, you have to let me.”

I hoped I didn't have to explain how relationships ended when one partner couldn't carry their weight.

She took a deep breath. “There have to be some rules,” she said finally.

I nodded. “Understandably.”

“If I tell you to do something, you need to do it, do you understand?”

I nodded. 

“Tye is going to set you up with a sidearm and you need to carry it with you whenever we're off doing business things.”

I nodded again. I didn't like that thought but it was a compromise I was willing to make.

“You understand that by making this step, you don’t get to go back, right? This life will forever be a part of you from here on.”

I nodded. “Does that mean I’m no longer unassociated?” I asked.

She nodded. “If you’re consciously and willingly walking into this, you don’t get to walk back out. That bridge will burn behind you and you'll have to learn the rules of this world.”

I swallowed. Giving up what it meant to be unassociated… was a lot. It was part of my humanness and my innocence simply gone. But I nodded in agreement.

Alisha needed me, whether she was ready to admit it or not. No human could go through these things on their own and come out sane on the other side. I owed her my life and my happiness, so I’d do what I could to repay her for that.

She watched my facial expression very carefully.

“Kitten,” she said softly.

I looked into her eyes, finding them not quite so harsh as before.

“I don’t want you to change,” she said. “Not because of this.”

I shook my head. “I will always be your Kitten,” I told her. “For better or worse.”

She pulled me tighter. “There may come a time you will kill somebody.”

I nodded. “I know the possibility is there. And I know I can be killed, too. Or you.” I reached up to hold her hand on my shoulder. “But that’s why I should be there. Someone needs to watch your back; metaphorically and literally.”

She nodded. “But do you want this to be a career, Kitten? Or will you only be there for me.”

“Only for you,” I told her. “I don’t want to make money this way. I’ll get a normal job and make some cash to cover— oh, I forgot to tell you,” I remembered suddenly. The entire reason Alisha knew why Angela was still around. “I bought Sophia a phone today.”

She nodded. “I heard. That’s okay, I told you I’d pay for it anyway.”

“Yes but… I mean it’s weird for her to lose her phone. Especially the day before yesterday.”

Alisha had a knowing look then. “The day you left your parents,” she followed.

“Yes, exactly,” I agreed. 

She stroked my hair a little and finally released me.

“With Angela out of the way, they won't have that contact anymore so we can focus on making sure Sophia is safe when it comes to your parents.”

“Thank you,” I told her. 

She stood and went to discuss with Tye, probably the need for me to get a firearm of some kind and I heard his voice asking a rather concerned question.

I stared down at the salad. I was hungry, but my stomach queased uneasily here and there.

Alisha came back, I heard Tye leave, and we ate salad.

I also learned Alisha did like brownies, but mine were the first for her to try.