Chapter 393 - Who Says I'm Dying Tonight?

The wind blew on Christina's face. "It's good to see you, Checks. It has been a while."

Checks smiled in the dark. "It hasn't been that a while. I see you more frequently than you see me."

"Still being my stalker?" Christina scoffed. "We're not kids anymore, Checks. The world is different now. I am different now."

"Of course you are. You're a mother of three. A very faithful and loyal wife. Right? I mean, you really left The Order and got the life that you wanted."

Christina took a deep breath. "You knew I was never going to stay in this road for long."

Checks nodded. "Point. Jaws and I talked about you at length. Especially how you pose the best chance of leaving before death."

Christina looked at the dark sky. There were no stars tonight. It was tinged with a thin shade of red. It looked like it was going to rain. "I think… I was dreaming too little when we were in school. It was all I knew. Killing people. That was the measurement of my happiness. The bounty. But… when I got out… I just realized there was more to life than just trying to end someone else's."

Checks laughed. Christina was not surprised that she had anticipated it. "Motherhood makes you sappy."

"No, I think it's happiness that makes you appreciate life better." Christina smiled. "Okay, I know I'm making you uncomfortable because you lead such a lonely, money-driven life. Let's just get right down to business."

Checks leaned with his elbows against the top of the barrier wall of the rooftop. "You want to die immediately?"

"Who says I'm dying tonight?"

**

Checks laughed out loud. For once, something actually made him crack a laugh. It had been a while since he had heard something funny. "You meant I'm going to die tonight?"

"No… yes… maybe…" Christina said as she walked around like she was surveying the place. "We never know. Maybe neither of us is going to die tonight."

Checks shook his head. "One of us has to die tonight, Christina. We both know that. So that we could end this game of cat and mouse."

She shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe we should call a truce."

Checks sighed sadly. "You know I'm not letting you leave this place alive."

"Alright then," she said, taking on the challenge. "Should you begin trying to kill me now?"

Checks looked at his feet, as he surveyed Christina in the dark. It did not look like she was carrying any weapons. But who knew? Maybe she has some weapons under that coat. Surely, she would have something.

"You make me sad, Christina," he said. "Would it be this easy? Is this really it? Is this how it's going to end?"

"What do you mean this is it? We've been trying to catch each other for the past decade. It's about time we stop. It's getting tiring. Let's finish this tonight so one of us could move on with life."

Checks knew that he was going to reach this point. He knew that he was going to say the exact words that were trying to come out of his lips. He knew it was wrong, but still he said it. "Neither of us has to die tonight. You should just come with me."

Christina also laughed. "And why would I come with you? We are nothing, Checks. We cut off each other years ago. There was no way that we would be able to rebuild after everything that we have done to each other."

"You might want to reconsider it. You're going to die tonight."

"I'd rather die than come with you, Checks. That's just it."

Checks sucked on his cheeks. He also knew that she was going to say that. But at least he offered. He gave her a way out and she refused.

"Say," Christina said and pulled something from her pocket. It glistened in the light. He didn't have to look too hard to know that it was a knife. "Are you in love with me?"

Checks chuckled. "Isn't that the biggest mystery of our lives? Are we somehow in love with each other after all the years that we have spent so close to each other?"

"I know my answer."

"You will never know mine."

"Or perhaps you're just obsessed with me? Maybe you're just a cowards who wants what I have today. You can still have that, you know? It's not too late for you. You could still quit everything and start somewhere new."

Checks shook his head. "There's nothing else for me here, Christina. It's all I have." He removed himself from the wall. "You make me bleed, friend."

"What do you mean?"

With showed her his palms. It should be visible enough, the scars on his palms that he got when he tried to save her from the very roof that they were standing upon. "You don't know how much I had to give up, how much pain I got to save your ass."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"It's one of the mysteries that you will never know."

"Well, you could end it tonight."

In the darkness, Checks saw that Christina smiled. Her teeth white and her lips sparked an excitement within him. It was adrenaline. He got the same feeling at the prospect of killing someone, like all of his cells drank a bottle of energy and pumping him.

"Yes, I guess it end tonight," he said, pulling out a knife from his waistband. "I'd hate to say good bye but…

…good bye, Christina."

**

No one could leave the house and not know. 

"Where do you think she's going?" Qing Chen asked his father.

"Your mother was going to settle some business," Qing Zihao replied.

"Why didn't she take anybody with her?"

"She's going to be fine. She's your mom."

Qing Chen was not entirely convinced and frowned at his father. "I'm going to come after her."