by A. K. Koonce
“Thank you.” I already knew the answer, deep down, but I needed to hear it confirmed. The weight on my chest eases just a bit. Just enough to let me draw a full breath into lungs that have been breathing shallow air for hours. One deep reviving breath.
“Do you see the connection?” Scarlet’s lilt fills the room as she sashays herself into the gathering in the kitchen. There’s an extra something in her walk, a swing to her hips that isn’t usually present as she strides up to Vale, stopping less than a foot in front of him. The two inch heel of her black leather boots still doesn’t bring her to eye level with the man.
“There is a golden thread that stretches between them, confirming what was said. It’s weak right now, but it will grow with time,” Vale tells us. The moment Scar enters the room, all of Vale’s energy shifts from Allison to the red headed vixen.
“What’s that mean?” I ask, not understanding the cryptic message.
“Vale has the power to see connections between people and discern truth from lies.” Mason’s chest rumbles behind me as he fills me in.
“Different colors denote different connections.” Vale briefly shifts his attention back to me. “Gold is for family. My best surmise is that you and Allison are half sisters, as Tylin as said.” I glance over my shoulder and draw comfort from the sweet way Mason is looking at me. He moves his hands to my shoulders, squeezing reassuringly. His thumbs rub smooth circles into the tight muscles of my shoulders and neck, and I let the pleasure he’s offering act like a bandaid over all the things I’m feeling.
“Are there other colors?” It’s an absent question. A distraction. But I ask it anyway, giving myself time to process the life changing revelation I’ve just been informed of.
“Yes. Blue for friendship. Green for enemies.” He pauses before continuing, “Red is for relationships.” His eyes slide from me to Mason to Jameson and Rory, and finally Tylin. A hint of a smile plays on his lips.
I’m not a blusher, but I feel my face heat at what he’s implying. And my pulse skitters before increasing it’s rhythmic tempo. Does he see a connection between all of us? Even Tylin? I want to know, but he doesn’t say a word more as his gaze settles back onto Scarlet.
“I’ve missed you.” Her hand reaches for him, skimming lightly down his chest before falling away.
I watch their interaction with keen interest, happy for a distraction that has nothing to do with the shambles of my own life.
Now this I can get behind. Where the hell is the popcorn?
Vale tilts his head just a little, looking down on Scarlet with smoldering focus. His eyes flash green. “Truth.”
Scarlet smirks and then leaves him in her dust, strutting to the fridge to grab a beer and heading back to the comfort of the couch.
I watch the entire exchange with the rise of an eyebrow. Clearly they know each other, and if the heat simmering between them has anything to say about it, their history is far from boring.
It’s time for girl talk, take two. Hopefully it will go better than our first attempt.
Once I get through my own personal drama that is.
Oh joy and happiness.
A sigh leaves my mouth and my whole body literally deflates as I give up on the denial I was clinging to.
When I glance to Allison, I finally admit the familial connection we share. “Why? Why go through all of this when you could have just left it all in the past. You had a whole future ahead of you.”
The power in the room shifts with the sudden onslaught of her anger. “Because they killed my best friend. Because they tortured our mother. And because family is important. You wanted me to pretend that none of that mattered and what? Take a few college courses?”
Rory chuckles from the far side of the kitchen and shakes his head. The look I shoot in his direction could slice a lesser man, but Rory has never been intimidated by me.
“She’s just as stubborn as you. Must be a genetic trait.” One side of his lips tug up.
I roll my eyes at him. “Asshole.”
But he’s right.
“I’m proud of you for standing up for what you believe to be right. But joining the League was a damn stupid and drastic move, just to uncover information.” And it’s exactly what I would have done in her shoes. But I don’t say that. It’s the last scolding thing I say, but it feels good to get the last word in.
Looks like I got this big sister thing down. No problem.
“It was worth it to find you. And all of this.” She motions around the room, and I know she’s talking about the Anti-League.
Aww. Fuck.
My eyes water and I blink to cover up the gleam in my eye. I’ve never had family before. Blood family. And as much as I didn’t want to like Allison after our first interaction, there’s something about her… and I do. I like her.
Blood calls to blood and all that.
I give up on my parental tirade and change tactics.
“So we’re half sisters.” It’s the first time I’ve admitted it outloud.
“We are.” She beams like a kid on christmas morning, and I wonder when she’ll figure out I’m not that great of a present.
I hold onto her excitement though. Too selfish to set her straight.
“So what now?” The heavy question leaves my mouth and settles into the room.
“We find out what happened to our mother.” Pure resolve and strength emanates from Allison.
For one tiny, small, miniscule moment, hope sparks in my chest. My breathing is shallow as I stare after the girl who shares so many familiar features.
“Is she…” I swallow, forcing the words that I need to say up my throat and out of my mouth. “Is she alive?”
Her face crumbles with sadness and sympathy, and I immediately slam my barriers down around my heart, blocking out the painful assault that tries to get in, crawling along the shields as it looks for a way inside. I’ve already hurt enough over losing people in my life. I won’t let the disappointment take me down now. It was one second. One brief moment of hope. Snuffed out.
I’m used to it by now. That’s how the League operates. They take away everything that ever mattered to you until you’re left with nothing but yourself for company. And then they leave you with a lifetime full of sour regrets.
I nod continuously, wrung out and done. The chair scraps loudly against the scarred hardwood floor as I scoot my seat back into Mason and stand.
I can’t stop the nodding as I pull away from Mason’s hold, and cross the assassin filled kitchen.
“Ok.” It’s the only word that passes through my emotionally clogged throat.
I just need a minute.
Or five.
Or as fucking long as it takes to get myself back under control. I’ve never felt like my life was spinning out of control like this before. I’m usually not a crier, and now it’s like I can’t stop.
No one follows me as I escape to the only room that offers any privacy.
As the door clicks shut behind me with it’s typical annoying whine, I strip out of all my clothing and turn the shower on as hot as I can stand it.
Stepping into the powerful stream, I let the pounding water numb my soul.
And hide the frustrating tears that escape to fall down my cheeks.
Twenty-Seven
An Opportunity
The silence of the evening makes me realize how exhausted we all are. It’s nearly one a.m. and all we’ve done today is wait. And cried. I’ve cried entirely too much. But my hair is dry now from my time in the shower and so are my tears.
I had my moment and nothing good will come of me dwelling on it.
Tylin, Allison, Scarlett, and Vale are huddled around the kitchen table discussing how they could recruit other assassins for the Anti-League. Vale is apparently still very much an assassin for Derek.
And yet he’s here.
Very interesting…
Rory, Jameson, and Mason all sit on the couch, staring blankly at the television. The moment I wal
k by to sit on the edge of the couch, Rory snatches my hand, yanking me down before I can even brace myself for a fall. I jostle into his lap and peer over my shoulder at him. His deep eyes search mine as his hands slip around my hips.
My emotions still feel tight in my chest but his effort at cheering me up makes some of that tension slip away. A smirk presses to my lips and a beat passes while I just stare at him with a surprised look on my face.
“Hey,” he whispers in explanation.
“I never knew you were so charming, Rory.” Jameson bites back his smile as he side eyes his friend.
“He’s not.” My fingers cover over his big hands. It’s sounds terrible but I love how big he is. How small I feel in his arms, how small the whole damn world feels when I’m in his arms.
Not that I can use that as a selling point right now for Jameson.
“He’s… sweet.”
An alarming choking sound that I think is supposed to be laughter shakes out of Jameson. Rory jars his elbow into Jameson’s ribs but it doesn’t suppress his amusement.
Finally Mason comes to my rescue. “Just because he’s a dick to you doesn’t mean he is to her.”
All three of them seem to be a little on edge, careful with me from my reaction to the news earlier.
Rory ignores both of them as he tilts his head closer to mine, his lips graze the side of my neck, just beneath my ear, making me shiver on contact. But he never seals his lips to my skin. Instead he whispers quietly to me.
“It’s okay to think I’m an asshole.” His words breathe over my neck, his fingers tense against my skin, and I almost shove my neck into his skimming lips like a desperate attention whoring cat.
But I refrain.
Barely.
“I never said you weren’t.” A smile curves my lips and a humming sound reverberates through his chest and against my back.
A chaste kiss presses against my shoulder. His temple slowly rests along the back of my neck just as Jameson laces my fingers with his, his thumb brushing back and forth along my knuckles in a slow and lazy pace. I settle in there. It’s strangely intimate. We’re all tired. It’s just nice to be held. To feel that connection. To feel wanted.
It sounds needy. I know it does. But it sounds needy because I do need it. I never realized how much I isolated myself until I met these men. I never really bothered with human contact. Sex was important to me. Probably more than the average woman. I’ll admit I may or may not have used it to fill a void. It’s possible. But sex was just sex to me then and now… it’s much more.
Simply being with them feels like more.
My heart pounds hard as I look to Rory’s hand beneath mine, to Jameson’s, to his bright eyes that are locked on the television screen, to Mason, who I think might already be asleep if the way his head is tilted up toward the ceiling is any indication.
I’ve felt so many different powers in my life, but I never realized how strong love was. It pushes out every single terrible thing in your life until all that’s left is the reckless way your heart pounds just from looking at someone.
Footstep slowly sound through the room. I look up as Vale opens the front door. His gaze lingers on Scarlett for a long moment. A look of contemplation is on his face and he stands there as he seems to consider something.
“You know how dangerous it is for me to be here.” His words don’t appear to be directed at anyone in particular but the way Scarlett avoids his stare makes it clear he’s talking to her. Even as he turns his gaze to Tylin. “I—I wouldn’t have come normally.”
“Why did you?” Tylin stands and in a few short paces he’s in front of the man, giving him his full attention.
Vale looks around the room at the ex assassins before him. He’s an idiot to be here without picking sides.
“I came tonight because it was safe.” My back straightens as I fully listen to his curious words. “I wanted to help you. What I’m about to tell you may harm you more than it helps.”
Steel drops through the assassin holding me in his arms. Every muscle in Rory’s body grows rigid at the thought of someone harming us. Gently, I slip from his arms and saunter toward the door to better hear what Vale is about to say.
“The League is empty tonight. At dawn it won’t be but for a few more hours, it’s void of any assassins.”
Tylin’s arms fold across his chest as his eyes narrow on the man I assumed was his friend. At the moment the two of them don’t appear to be allies at all.
“Why would you tell us that, Vale?”
“Because I trust you. I trust you to destroy a system that no longer works and replace it with something better.”
“Where are the assassins?” Jameson leans forward until his forearms rest against his knees. There’s no defense in him. He’s soley curious.
“Derek evacuated the building for renovation.”
“Yeah, if he could have done that a century ago, that would have been appreciated.” My eyes narrow on the man as well now.
It seems very suspicious. I trusted him so much an hour ago.
Now, not so much.
“I’ll be around tonight.” His attention drifts back to the pretty redhead and she finally lifts her attention to him. The tattoo arching around her eye makes her gaze appear larger, more penetrating.
A heavy beat passes.
“Don’t expose yourself,” she whispers so quietly her lips barely move.
“Don’t give me orders you know I won’t follow.” He smirks at her and just like that, he turns to leave.
Reaching for him, I hold out my hand. He looks at it for a moment before his palm clasps. I shake his hand. And then I pull at his energy. Just enough that he won’t notice.
With one last nod, the door closes behind him and I can tell we’re all processing what he just said.
“Do we do it?” Jameson looks up to Tylin.
“It’s a stupid move,” Mason says with a shake of his head.
“It’s an opportunity.” Tylin continues staring at the door as if it’ll tell him what to do.
“Derek did mention new benefits and better living conditions for us all now that he’s fully in charge,” Allison mentions.
My brow rises high. Benefits and better living conditions. What a lying asshole. What are the new benefits? A 401k plan that only kicks in after you’ve been assassinated by your own boss?
“It’s a trap. You know it’s a trap.” I stride across the room until I’m standing in his line of sight. I stare up at him. He’s my boss, but right now he’s acting like an idiot.
“Of course, it’s a trap. He’s a fucking deranged assassin, not a CEO trying to better his company.” His gaze shifts over my features with a quick sweep. The rapid way his eyes dart tells me he’s already walking out the door in his mind. “It’s the only shot we’re going to get, Huntress.”
My lips thin and for a moment I only blink up at him. “Fine. But this time, I want the plan before we arrive on scene for once.”
The smile that creeps over his handsome features is the very definition of a deranged assassin.
What does that make me for following him?
Twenty-Eight
Three Minutes Behind Schedule
The cold winter wind snaps at my hair. The seven of us stand high above, looking down on the world. The cracked concrete of the building’s roof scuffs under my boot and I look to Scarlett as she shrugs out of her big coat. A fitted white tee shirt and tight black jeans hug her body and my eyes narrow on her the moment I see her plain clothes.
Our black boots are similar but that’s where the similarities stop. My fingers clutch around the small black mask Jameson gave me earlier as I glance down at the tight leather top that’s pressing against my boobs. It veers down far too low but it’s long sleeve, insulated and seems durable. It just needs a logo over the left breast to make me feel like it’s a team uniform.
Which is what Jameson told me it was when he handed it to me just before we left.
I look
around at the others as they remove their coats. Regular cotton tee shirts all around. No one else is wearing this shiny leather material that’s practically a second skin. Just me.
“Jameson?” I turn to him. His blond locks lift against the brisk breeze and his gaze lowers to the exposed curve of my breasts immediately.
“Yeah I lied, babe. I just wanted to see you as a sexy Cat Woman before I died a terrible and gruesome death tonight.”
A breath of laughter slips out in a white puff of frosty air as Mason glances down at the black mask in my hand.
Assholes. Every one of them.
A scoff tumbles out of my mouth. My palm presses against Jameson’s chest and he stumbles back against my light shove, but before my fingers slip away, he catches my wrist. With a small tug my body aligns with his, warming me as he holds my hand against his heart. I continue to look up at his smirking lips through narrowed eyes. But the look in his gaze is different. It’s such an intense, attention capturing look that I no longer notice the line of scar tissue dividing his features.
His head tilts low, bringing his temple against mine as our frost kissed breaths mingle.
“Before I die that gruesome death, I wanted to tell you that I lied earlier too, I can't be your friend anymore.”
What the fuck?
“What? Why?” I pull back from him but he follows my outrage, never giving me a chance to put much space between our words as his lips brush against mine.
“Because I love you, Lex.”
A shivering tingle rushes over my skin as I just stare up into the depths of his bright eyes. His big palms push low down the small of my back, melding my body against every hard inch of his.
“I love you too,” I whisper back so quietly my chest aches from the words. It’s like they’ve been weighing me down all this time that I’ve held them in.
The rapid pace of my heart increases as I realize I really just said that to him. That he said it to me.