SWNOVELS Chapter His Weak Spot
Slade Achilles had lost track of the many times he had been subjected to the repetitive crack about his surname. If it wasn’t, “So, what’s your Achilles’ heel then?”, it was another version of the same clichéd query. His least favorite was when some smart aleck asked, “Is your Achilles’ heel actually your heel?” and laughed uproariously at the lame joke. Those were the times Slade felt he could commit murder in the first degree without any compunction.
The lanky, green-eyed young man grunted slightly as he shifted the burden he was carrying to his left shoulder. He was annoyed at the weight; Harley had led him to believe the job was simplicity itself.
“A baby could do it, Slade!” Harley had said. To which Slade had replied in his usual droll manner, “Then get a baby to do it.”
“Listen, mate. It’s a matter of you go in, you get out. No hassles, no trouble,” Harley had promised in his slick, persuasive voice. Slade hated himself for always falling prey to the man’s manipulations.
“Everything’s been arranged? I simply pick up the package and bring it to you?” Slade had asked, nervous and wary of how good it seemed.
“Yep. And you’ll be $1000 richer. What do you say? You’re in?” Harley had asked, having already known Slade’s answer.
“You know I’m in,” Slade had replied, irritated with himself and Harley.
“Great. I’ll text you the location of the package. Just get it and deliver it to me. Nothing could be simpler,” Harley had promised.
Ten minutes later, Slade had arrived outside Yolandi’s apartment.
“You didn’t accept Harley’s assignment, did you?” the slender woman had asked Slade. She knew him to be reckless when he was desperate.
“I hope you remember the promise you made to me only a month ago,” she had expressed, knowing Slade’s answer beforehand.
“Babe, desperate times and the rest, you know?” Slade had replied, having the decency to avoid eye contact. That’s why he hadn’t seen the ceramic bunny ornament come sailing through the air, thrown with such accuracy that it hit him in the back of his head.
“Ow! That hurt, Yolandi!” Slade had exclaimed.
“It was meant to, you moron!” Yolandi had retorted, storming up to within inches of the tall man. “I swear, Slade, if you get into trouble…” she had threatened.
In answer, Slade had kissed the irresistible woman hard. “Baby, nothing will happen to me. After this job, we’ll be debt-free,” he had promised.
“We’ll see,” Yolandi had scoffed.
Slade glanced irritably at the frayed cuff of his coat, angry that he had agreed because he was on the precipice of destitution. Sighing deeply, Slade dumped the “package” unceremoniously to the ground. Instantly, a teenage girl wriggled out of the burlap sack, tumbling out in her haste to be free.
“Go. I never agreed to a kidnapping,” Slade informed the wide-eyed girl.
Softly, Slade whispered, “My Achilles’ heel has always been my darn inability to look the other way.”