by Shana Vernon
“Sounds like a plan, now let’s go get some disguises and head out. I’ll take the first round and pay attention to the cameras and the front desk.” I turned to Brielle. “You take the second watch, and check out for the guards and when they switch shifts.” I peered into Axel’s onyx eyes. “You take the third watch and look out for their online and in person security measures aside from cameras.”
They nodded and we headed off to the disguise room.
The members had turned me into a brown-haired business woman. I was in a blue pastel pant-suit, a wig with a full set of bangs, and nude lipstick.
So not me. I was most comfortable in training clothes, since that had dominated my life from birth. Occasionally, Papa had me dress up to fight him, since you could never be sure when you would need to defend yourself. Despite that, I found myself wishing I had more opportunities to dress up.
Since meeting Sofia and Ekon, and surprisingly now, Ryder, I found myself realizing how lonely my life had been before arriving at the Guild.
Guilt churned in my chest with that thought. Papa gave up his whole life to protect me, so I didn’t want to feel ungrateful, but my life was lacking without friends.
Yes, I did have Maximus, at times even as a lover, but this felt different.
I checked out Axel’s outfit and nearly choked. He looked like a billionaire CEO in his expensive, skin-tight suit and briefcase.
“The clientele at the bank is of the highest caliber. They expect most of their clients to look a certain way, so you would blend in the most with over-priced outfits,” said the Guild member.
Brielle was similarly dressed, acting as an it girl in her long-blonde wig, blue contacts, and dazzling dress. She smiled. “Can we keep these outfits?”
The Guild member nodded. “If you aren't outed in these disguises, you can use them for your permanent aliases. Though, they won’t fit in in all social situations.”
We thanked her and left the compound.
“Let’s meet at the park down the street from the bank in three hours? That’ll give us each time to conduct our surveillance and report back,” Axel said once we exited through the doors.
I left the chill of the November air, passing through the electronic doors into the atrium and almost halted in my tracks. It was the most luxurious bank I had ever seen. There were plush armchairs and couches lined up around the large area, and soft music playing in the background. My body instantly warmed from the comfortable temperature of the room. There was a woman with a fierce bob situated behind the reception desk, speaking into a headset in a hushed tone.
To the side of the reception desk, I spotted a table with glass bottles of water and an ice chest. I stepped up to it and busied myself with the drinks, while discreetly checking out how many cameras were placed about the area.
After counting them, and observing that the reception lady noticed nothing outside of her phone calls, I exited the building and went to wait for Axel and Brielle.
I had about two hours to kill while I waited for them to finish their parts of our mission. I passed by a shop and glanced at the reflective glass, noticing my disguise.
Oh right!
I ran forward and hailed a cab, pulling out some of the cash the Guild had provided us with for the day, and hopped inside.
I told the driver the address of the casino and hoped Maximus would be there, though it was daylight, so that was unlikely.
The driver didn’t bother with small talk and for that I was grateful.
A few moments later, we pulled up to the curb outside of the casino and I walked to the door, using the typical five bang password to gain entrance. But this time I stood there in silence.
I guess nobody’s home.
I circled around to the back and when I was sure I was alone, I whistled for Joe. He fluttered down to my arm, recognizing me despite my disguise, and chirped.
“Hey buddy, where’s Max?”
Joe sent me flashes of Maximus’s empty office.
Right.
I hastily wrote a note for Maximus to come meet me.
Joe accepted it and flew off into the distance.
I needed to get his home address; I couldn’t continue showing up at the casino.
I heard him before he appeared in my line of sight.
“Solnyshka.”
He was dressed in a t-shirt and slacks, and I stood there gaping for a moment since it was the most laid back I had ever seen him. His blonde hair was slightly mussed and his cerulean eyes looked tired.
Joe must have woken him up.
A sudden slew of memories burst to life in my mind. One in particular from when I was eighteen pushed its way to the front.
I sat on the couch, a bowl of popcorn in my lap as I waited for Papa to come home from a mission, when there was a knock on the door.
I froze. Nobody knew about our home, so who could that be?
I tiptoed to the door and peered through the hole to see a beautiful specimen of a man standing on our doormat. His shoulder-length sandy-hair tied back and his cerulean gaze gleaming. There was something preternatural about him. Vampire.
My breath hitched and my pulse quickened.
I didn’t have anything against vampires specifically, but to have anyone on my doorstep was worrisome. We didn't even receive mail to this address.
I pulled an iron stake from the closet next to the door, and after gathering my wits, I opened the door.
The beautiful man smiled at me. “Hello, Solnyshka.”
“Who are you?” I asked, the stake tight in my grip behind my back.
He didn't give me a second to blink before he zoomed forward and wrapped his hands around my head, staring into my soul.
A moment later, a rush of memories hit me and my knees buckled, Maximus easily catching me. Right. Maximus. That was his name. The beautiful man in front of me was Maximus Chernov, Papa’s best friend.
I smiled and pounced forward, pulling him into a tight embrace. “Hey, you.”
“I thought you might want some company with Alexei gone on his mission.”
I moved to the side so he could enter the house. “Yeah, I was getting a bit antsy being cooped up here alone.” I led him into the living room and plopped back down onto the couch. “You want some?” I asked, holding out the bowl.
He sunk into the couch beside me and stuck his hand into the bowl, pulling out the buttery snack. “What are we watching?”
I pressed play and he groaned. “This nonsense again?”
“Mean Girls is a classic, Max.”
“I don’t understand the appeal,” he replied, pulling a blanket to cover us.
“You don’t need to, you just need to sit next to me and eat popcorn while I watch it,” I said, throwing him a grin.
I saw as his eyes settled on my lips as they lifted. I had noticed a shift in our dynamic over the last few months. We had become more touchy-feely, and more aware of each other. I looked into his eyes then down to his bow-lipped mouth and thought about how badly I wanted to feel his lips against my own.
I couldn't wait another moment and leaned forward, pressing my lips against him.
He reacted immediately, gently brushing my hair out of my face, his hand going under the covers to pull my waist against his hard body.
I shifted my legs around him, sitting on his lap, my fingers tangling in his hair as I pulled out his hair tie.
His heated gaze met mine and he gave me a naughty smile and breathed, “Solnyshka.”
As I returned back to reality, the memory felt like a different life. It was like watching a different Lenna. I was sure at that moment, my feelings for Maximus had returned to the feeling of family I had for him from the beginning.
“Hey Max,” I said, moving forward to give him a tight hug.
I got no sense of his expectations, and he drew back, smiling. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“How do you always recognize me right away in my disguises?” I asked.
“You c
an change your appearance as much as you want, but you will always smell like Lenna.”
I wrinkled my nose and he laughed.
I followed him around to the front, where he unlocked the door and led me back to his office.
“How is it that you are out in the middle of the day?” Maximus inquired.
I took the proffered seat and crossed my legs. “I’m on a reconnaissance mission right now. I don’t have a lot of time before I need to meet my group.”
I smiled when I accepted the glass of water he handed me, then continued, “I wanted to know if you’d heard any news since your note.”
His shoulders slumped a bit and he sighed. “I wish I had something good to tell you, but the only thing I have to report is more evidence of other women who have gone missing in recent years.” He took the seat next to me. “I discovered something slightly jarring. I wanted to know if the abductions were only happening to pregnant vampires, or if humans were being taken as well.”
“And?” I probed.
“There were instances where pregnant human women were abducted, women who had been known to have relationships with vampires. I think hybrids are real and someone has been covering it up for years.”
My stomach dropped. Oh. My. God.
“Who would be covering that up? Who cares if there are hybrids?” I asked.
“Think about who stands to gain the most with the separation between our races,” Maximus said.
The heaviness in my stomach deepened. “The humans. But we don’t know anything about the hybrids. It’s possible their young don’t survive the full pregnancy. Have you found any cases of these women going missing after they have given birth?” I asked.
Maximus didn’t respond as eyes were open wide and he stared at me hands, watching as little wisps of light drifted upward. “Solnyshka, what is that?”
I grinned, “My new ability. Wanna see something cool?”
“Always,” he said.
I closed my eyes and pulled on the heavy feeling in my stomach, using it to create the image I’d conjured in my mind. I opened them to find a hawk made entirely out of light, resting in the palm of my hand. “Cool, right?”
He leaned closer, inspecting my design. “You grow more impressive day by day, Solnyshka,” he said, a warm smile touching his lips. “Does it do anything?”
“The hawk? Nothing. I can create swords which work even better than regular ones, but they dissipate after I release it.” I put the figurine of the hawk down on the table and watched as it vanished.
“I hadn’t thought about looking for women who had already given birth, so I will add that to our searches.”
“Alright, let me know what you find,” I said as I got out of my chair.
“Of course.” He pulled me into a tight hug and pressed his lips to my hair. “I’m glad we don’t need to worry about being seen together anymore.”
I leaned up and kissed his cheek. “Thank you for returning my memories. It’s nice to have family again.”
I could have sworn I saw a flash of disappointment pass over his expression, but it was gone before I could be sure. “Of course, Solnyshka. I hope to see you soon.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
“The woman behind the reception desk was a total space cadet. If we do this during her shift, I doubt she’ll notice us.” I said, sitting across from Brielle and Axel on the grass. “The only issues were the security cameras. They had them in every corner and behind the front desk, facing the clientele.”
I focused on Axel. “From what I gathered, if you can hack into the cameras and loop the feed, we can get in and out without a hitch.”
“I can certainly manage that. Most of their firewall is one huge facade. I can hack into it and control whatever’s needed,” he said confidently.
“What did you find, Brielle?” I asked.
“The guards change shifts every three hours, and the next shift change is in thirty minutes. Those new guards won’t have seen our disguises, so we should be able to get past them without too much difficulty.” She slipped off her heels and rubbed her feet. “I’m sure they assume most people wouldn't have the audacity to try to rob the biggest bank in the state.”
“Okay, so here’s what we’ll do. Axel, you get to hacking while I go in and plant the surveillance devices. Brielle will wait in the reception area to create a diversion if necessary. Sound good?” I said.
“If I’m going to be doing hacking, we need to make a quick stop on the way,” Axel said.
“You want to get that supercomputer?” Brielle asked.
He shook his head. “I already put in an order for one before I came to meet you, but I still need to connect to the internet in order to hack.” He got to his feet and began walking.
Brielle clambered up, put on her shoes, and we hurried to catch up. She shot me a confused look and I shrugged.
Axel hailed a cab and opened the door for us to enter.
“Where are we going, Ax?” I asked, buckling my seat belt.
“Ax? Hmm, I like that,” he ruminated, then finished, “we're going to my family’s house.”
A short drive later, the taxi pulled up to a perfectly manicured lawn with picturesque landscaping full of exotic flowers and multi-colored plants. The driver let us out and we paused. Tall metal gates loomed over us, and Axel reached out a hand to press a button on the intercom.
“State your name and business.”
“Hello Remington, it’s Axel. I’m here to use our servers to hack into the international bank of Boston.”
What in the world?
Brielle choked beside me.
“Naturally,” said Remington without missing a beat. There was a loud buzz and the gates began to open. “I’ll let your father know you are here.”
That was weird!
We passed through the gates and proceeded up the winding stone walkway to a brick mansion. I don’t think mansion was even the right term to explain just how monolithic it was, since I had to lean my neck all the way back just to see the top.
Before we reached the front door, it swung open and a breathtaking woman stepped out with a large smile planted on her face. “Axel!”
She ran forward, her long, auburn hair flying in the air as she moved. “Darling, I’m so happy to see you,” she said as she pulled him into a tight hug.
Brielle and I shared another confused look at the scene in front of us, and I was about to interrupt when Axel’s mother backed out of the embrace and looked at us with startlingly, bright green eyes.
“Axel dear, you’ve brought guests. Are they assassins as well?”
My heart skipped a beat and my muscles went rigid at the same time Brielle’s mouth dropped open.
What is going on?!
Axel glanced back at us. “Don’t worry, my family knows all about the Guild and what I do there.” He faced his mother again. “Not everyone is as open as we are, Mother. I’ve come to understand that many people, especially assassins, consider privacy very important.”
She giggled. “Oh, oops. Sorry, darling.” She pulled an imaginary zipper across her lips. “I won’t breath another word.” Then seeing the glowing tendrils floating out of my fingertips, she squealed and clapped her hands. “So exciting!”
“How is it okay for your family to know about the Guild, Axel?” asked Brielle, exasperated.
Axel sighed, “You should probably come in so I can explain.”
Brielle planted her feet firmly onto the stone step. “Actually, I think I’ll wait here until I understand what the hell is going on.”
I and my racing pulse had to agree.
“I’ll be right in, Mother.”
“Don’t be too long, darling,” she said, kissing his cheek. “I’ll prepare some tea!”
Axel shuffled his feet. “My family is aware of the Guild’s existence because my maternal grandfather was a member. He was already married and had my mother by the time he joined, so they didn’t have a problem with it.” He paused and ran
a hand through his hair.
“My mother wasn’t involved in the Guild at all, she was a runway model, which was how she met my father. He was sent over from Japan as a spy, but after meeting her, decided to stay and settle down here. He creates and sells cybersecurity for anyone from crime syndicates to government officials. They are used to dealing with all sorts of people and have never developed any sort of filter.”
“I don’t understand the connection between a Japanese spy and a runway show,” I said.
“He was there to spy on one of the main benefactors of the show. They met at the after-party and the rest is history.”
I looked at Brielle. “What do you think?”
She scrunched her nose. “I don’t know. It’s still a little wack, but I guess it fits.” She pulled up a sphere of water. “And if they try anything, I can always blast them.”
I chuckled and walked to the open door, my light under control. “Come on.”
We sat in front of five monitors and watched as Axel did his thing, snacking on the sandwiches his mother brought in.
“What is it about cucumbers that make rich people want to put them into mini sandwiches?” I asked Brielle.
She shrugged. “I wouldn’t know. I used to live in a small, four bedroom house with seven brothers and sisters.”
I let out a gasp. “You have seven siblings?”
She bobbed her head. ‘Yup, and I’m smack dab in the middle.”
“What made you want to become an assassin?” I inquired.
“I’m a military brat, just like Ryder. They recruited me right out of basic training. I hadn’t even started my first tour.”
“Not to be offensive, but when you came to the Guild, it didn’t seem like you were trained in combat,” I said.
“That’s because I wasn’t. I trained to be a field medic, so I had light combat training, but my main focus was medical.” She must have seen my confused expression, because she continued. “A few months into it, my father was killed on a tour overseas. I put in a request to change my status to combat, but I was rejected. They called it a conflict of interests.”