Ashes of Merciless

by Odette Michael

  “Daddy, you’re home!”

  He picked me up and kissed my cheek. “I missed you, baby. How are you doing?”

  I smiled at him, their conversation dim in my excited mind because he was home. “Good! Mama took me to the fair yesterday! I rode lots of rides and didn’t get scared at all! And I had cotton candy and played with the bunnies and there was this kid that threw up and it was really gross and then Mama looked like she was gonna throw up and there was a pony—ˮ

  I scarcely realized that Daddy had carried me to my room. He tucked me into bed and lay down beside me. Noodles followed and curled up next to my chest.

  “I’m glad you had fun, sunshine,” Daddy said.

  “Next time, you get to come too, kay?”

  “It’s a promise,” he said, holding out his pinky to me.

  I intertwined my pinky with his and snuggled up against him. “Daddy, what were you and Mama talking about?”

  He stroked my hair and didn’t say anything. Finally, he said, “Just grown-up stuff. Nothing you need to worry about now, all right?”

  “Ok. But you’ll tell me one day?”

  “Yes . . . one day. But right now you need to go back to sleep, ok?”

  I sighed. “Ok. Will you sleep with me tonight, please? I missed you a lot.”

  “Of course. Is it ok if your Mama sleeps with us as well?”

  “Yeah,” I mumbled drowsily.

  And Mama did come in, smiling shakily when she saw us. But after she lay down with us, as I was drifting off to sleep, I thought I heard someone crying.

  Chapter 5 Assignment

  “Ashley?”

  Someone was shaking me. I rolled over from my stomach and peered into the darkness.

  “Daddy?” I mumbled, still halfway asleep.

  There was silence, and then the lamp clicked on. Gage was staring down at me, pity apparent in his dark green eyes.

  “Gage?” I whispered. “How did you get in here?” He wouldn’t know my security code.

  “The door was cracked. I was waiting for you to come train, but you never showed. You must have been really tired if you didn’t even close the door.”

  “What time is it?” I asked, answering my own question as I looked at the alarm clock. “Holy crap! Five in the morning?” I exclaimed.

  Gage shrugged. “I let you sleep. You looked so peaceful, but then you started whimpering.”

  “Stupid freaking PILLS! This is why I didn’t want them!” I said angrily.

  Gage turned to look at the bottle in the corner. He got off the bed and picked up the bottle, opening it and peering inside. He closed it and tossed it to me, and I shoved it inside the drawer of my nightstand.

  “It’s not like you to take anything except for Stomach Steady,” he said quietly.

  “Yeah, well, I’m not taking them again.” I got up and went to the closet, yanking out my training clothes. I threw them onto the bed and put my hands on my hips. “You mind?” I asked, inclining my head at the door.

  “I think you should eat something first.”

  “Why?” I asked. “Honestly, I don’t have much of an appetite anymore.”

  “Your stomach was growling while you slept, and you look skinnier every time I see you.”

  “And you care because . . . ?”

  Gage’s face transformed from normal to angry, surprising me. “The same reason I stayed with you while you slept! Now come on.”

  I opened my mouth to retort, but stopped. Something strange was stirring in my belly. Only my parents had cared enough for me to do something like that, and the act alone showed something words could never say.

  Gage was more than just a fellow Assassin who didn’t want the life we led. He was my friend—my best friend. And I needed that.

  “Ok,” I mumbled as I nodded.

  He turned to walk out the door, and I worked up the courage to do something I’d never done before. I’d never voluntarily touched a human being outside of training, at least not for a very long time. Not even Gage.

  I reached down and lightly touched the back of his hand, my fingertips just grazing his warm skin. When he froze in his tracks, I covered his hand with mine, intertwining our fingers together. I thought I heard a quick intake of air, and my heart pounded painfully in my chest.

  This was one of the scariest things I’d ever done, and I couldn’t even see his face.

  “Thank you,” I whispered. I wasn’t sure what else to say, but I was positive he would understand. He always did.

  We stood like that for a moment, and I could feel my palms getting sweaty from my fear. Was I doing something wrong? Was that why he hadn't said anything?

  Finally, he squeezed my hand, and I gently pulled away. My face was uncomfortably hot.

  We walked in silence to the kitchen.

  The kitchen consisted of two large refrigerators, two stoves, and a burgundy counter that curved almost the entire room. Three microwaves sat side by side on the counter near the pantry along with a coffee and espresso maker. A large dining table stood near the entrance.

  Scott and Shane were there. Shane was an Observer, and Scott was a fellow Assassin. Shane was nice, but I steered clear of Scott whenever possible. He was bloodthirsty and notorious for taking too much pleasure in his job. More than once, he’d gone too far in training.

  One time, Scott and Gage had engaged in a fight without weapons, a preparation exercise in case an Assignment happened to disarm us. Scott had pinned Gage to the ground, his hands around his throat.

  And that was supposed to of been it. Scott had won, and in reality, Gage would have been dead. But Scott had actually tightened his grasp, and he’d begun to squeeze. It’d taken two people to get Scott off of Gage. He’d been escorted in restraints to the Master’s office, and then to the Evaluator’s.

  Apparently, whatever outcome they’d decided hadn’t really mattered, as Scott was still here.

  “Shane. Scott,” Gage said as he sauntered over to one of the refrigerators.

  “Hey, Gage,” Shane said, and he went back to reading the newspaper beside his bowl of oatmeal.

  Scott smirked. “Gage.”

  I didn’t say anything as usual. I walked over to stand by Gage as he pulled a pan of lasagna out of the refrigerator.

  “Isn’t it breakfast time?” I said lightly as he cut two squares and put them in the microwave.

  Gage shrugged. “Technically, it’s almost your bedtime, but you slept most of your time away, remember?” He looked at me out of the corner of his eye, giving me a big smile. “Now you’re gonna be all messed up.”

  I stared at his smile, calculating it. It was a different smile than the one he usually gave me; it was much more confident.

  My stomach flipped. Maybe touching his hand like that had been a mistake.

  Yeah, I’d messed up all right.

  I moved closer to him, not wanting the others to hear. Gage’s eyes dilated when I accidently brushed against him.

  “Listen, about what happened in my bedroom—”

  “Should we give you two some privacy?” Scott asked.

  We both turned to see Scott a couple feet away, an empty coffee cup in his hand. Gage and I were blocking the coffee maker.

  “Come on, Ashley. Tell your buddy Scott here what went down in the bedroom,” he said, his eyes glazed with mischief.

  I stared at the big man with distaste. He was around twenty years old, and he had a crew cut and bulging muscles he liked to show off with sleeveless shirts.

  “Leave her alone, Scott,” Gage said. Gage was tall, but Scott had a few inches on him.

  “Come on, Gage. You know members can’t screw each other. It messes up the system. Bad feelings all around when the arranged marriages go down,” Scott sneered.

  Shane’s eyes were wide, his spoon halfway to his mouth.

  Anger sizzled inside me, awakening Ash. Her fingers twitched involuntarily toward the dagger that was absent from her waist.

  “Leave, Scott. Now,�
�� Gage said through clenched teeth. His fists were balled at his sides, and I could tell by the tremors running through him that it was taking all of his strength to hold his temper in.

  “Yeah, it might be best if you left and went aboveground. It’s a good thing the cows don’t count as Merciless members; I passed one on my way here, and it was mooing for some more from you, so you should go and take care of that,” Ash said, grinning.

  “Little whore!” Scott exploded as he shoved Ash against the counter.

  Her head banged against one of the cabinets, snapping me back.

  Gage had already bloodied Scott’s lip by the time I came to, but Scott retaliated with a vicious blow to Gage’s stomach, clearly knocking the breath out of him. Gage fell to his knees, his eyes wide as Scott’s fist reared back again.

  I shook the black dots out of my vision and used the counter to catapult myself onto Scott before his fist could connect with Gage’s face. We tumbled, and I managed to punch Scott’s eye before he used his bulk advantage to pin me to the ground. He pushed down against my side with his knee, and I felt something crack.

  As a cry escaped me, Gage knocked Scott off of me, and they went at it again just as a gunshot echoed throughout the room.

  Scott stood immediately, the eye I’d punched already swollen shut. Gage crawled to me, still trying to catch his breath. My ears ringing, I uncurled myself and sat up carefully, gasping at the pain in my side.

  I looked up to see the Master standing in the doorway with Shane just behind him. The handgun was aimed at the stone ceiling, and it looked deadly in the Master’s hand.

  The Master’s face was blank. He studied us, a quiet unrest in his black eyes. To me, he appeared ageless. His skin was pale, and he kept his long, gray-streaked black hair in a ponytail. He always wore an immaculate ebony suit.

  I wasn’t sure how long I could take the silence, but I never looked away from those untrustworthy eyes. As I stared at him, Ash was screaming inside of me, loathing that Scott had gotten the better of us.

  The Master did not speak for a long time.

  “Well, what do we have here? I do not expect . . . unrest in my home. So imagine my surprise when Shane came bursting into my office to tell me that my professional Assassins were fighting one another in the kitchen,” he finally said.

  I shivered at the oil slick that was his voice.

  Scott was breathing hard, and he spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground. “These pricks here started it. They are a disgrace to Merciless and to your leadership,” Scott said.

  The Master’s dark eyes looked to Scott. “For some unfathomable reason, I do not believe you, Scott Witkinson. Gage Calvien, what happened?”

  Gage held his finger up, shaking his head. He was barely drawing breath and couldn’t speak.

  “Very well. Ashley Garreth, what happened here?”

  I inclined my head toward Scott. “What do you think? Big and bad over there was just trying to prove to everyone what a piece of absolute trash he really is.”

  Scott made a move toward me, but then he obviously remembered his audience. He spat again, and the glob of blood landed right next to me.

  My neck twitched, Ash fighting once again to take control of me.

  The Master had a pondering look on his face. “Gage and Ashley, get off the floor.”

  “I think he broke one of her ribs, sir,” Gage said, finding his voice as he helped me off the ground.

  I clamped my lips shut as tightly as possible because of the pain in my side. I didn’t want Scott to know he’d really hurt me.

  “I’m fine,” I lied.

  The Master looked angry. Actually, he looked pissed. “If that’s indeed true, then the next five Assignments Scott performs for me will be absolutely free.” He glared at Scott. “Do you understand what I am saying? All the money from the Seals will go into Merciless’s pocket, and you won’t see a single penny of it. I need Ashley for the next Assignment, and this could greatly hinder her.”

  “I’ll take it in her place,” Gage said quickly.

  “No,” the Master said, shaking his head. “I need Ashley for this one.”

  “I’m ready,” Ash said eagerly, temporarily breaking through my defenses. I felt Gage’s eyes on me, curious and wary. My hands curled into fists.

  The Master gestured to the door. “Let the Evaluator examine you, and then proceed immediately to my office.”

  “With all due respect, sir, I don’t believe Ashley is physically able to take on an Assignment right now,” Gage said, and I could hear the underlying anger in his voice.

  The Master crossed his arms over his chest, one eyebrow raised. “And I believe you are in no position to direct who takes an Assignment and who doesn’t. That’s my area of expertise, Mr. Calvien, not yours. You would do well to remember your place.”

  I looked down, embarrassed at Gage’s defense of me.

  “I can handle myself,” I hissed to Gage as I headed for the door.

  It turned out my rib wasn’t completely broken. It was only cracked, but it still hurt with every breath I drew in, and the Evaluator told me I should be grateful it was only one cracked rib.

  I bit my lip to not retort his statement. There was nothing to be grateful for; Scott shouldn’t have started anything in the first place. He was lucky Ash had gotten muddled when I’d banged my head on the cabinet, or he’d probably have more than just a black eye and a fat lip to worry about.

  “Take this for the pain,” the Evaluator said as he held a bottle out to me.

  I snorted and smacked the medicine out of his hands. I jumped down from the table he’d attended to me on and left his office.

  “It’s an over-the-counter pain reliever! It’s impossible to get high from!” his muffled voice said angrily as I made my way to the end of the hallway.

  I took a deep breath, winced at the fire in my side, and knocked on the door to the Master’s office.

  There was a beep, and then the oily voice spoke.

  “Come in.”

  The Master sat at his mahogany desk, looking down at a file. He glanced up at me and pointed to one of the chairs across from him.

  “Have a seat.”

  I obliged and glanced around the room at the many bookshelves and paintings. The door that led to the Master’s private quarters caught my eye.

  “Nothing interesting in there,” he said as he followed my gaze.

  I shrugged, not caring. “What’s my Assignment?” I asked, ready to get it over with.

  The Master smiled slightly and waved a hand at the file. “A thirty-five-year-old male, Logan Browning. Location is Dowville, Florida, so you’ll be driving, not taking a plane for this one.”

  I grunted and shifted in my seat. That was still a long drive, probably around seven hours. I clamped my lips shut. There was no point in arguing.

  The Master ignored my obvious displeasure and continued. “His crime is his wife and unborn child. Apparently, Mr. Browning has a drinking problem.” His smile widened at me, and I fought the urge to smack it off his face.

  I didn’t exactly understand the Master, but I had learned over the years that he was an egotistical jerk, and that was plenty enough reason for me to dislike him.

  “I don’t think Merciless kills alcoholics, sir,” I said sarcastically. “If that was true, we would be quite busy indeed.”

  The Master’s smile froze, and my stomach flipped slightly. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t afraid of him. He could kill me right now if he felt like it.

  More importantly, he could kill Ruth.

  “No, we do not execute alcoholics, but this particular alcoholic went into a mad rage and pushed his pregnant wife down the stairs, terminating the pregnancy. She hit her head as well, and she went into a coma. She never regained consciousness.”

  Anger boiled inside of me. I didn’t need Ash to feel this fury.

  “Who Sealed?” I asked through clenched teeth.

  “The woman’s mother. She even said dur
ing the Sealing that she’d told her daughter she would regret marrying this man.”

  “I take it the man escaped jail time?” Most of our Assignments did.

  “Obviously. Apparently, Mr. Browning and his lawyer convinced the jury it was all just a terrible accident,” the Master said calmly.

  “Why did you want me for this Assignment, sir?”

  “I need you because you are the only Assassin who can get inside by knocking on the front door. I believe that’s the only way for this one.”

  I looked at him, unhappy. “I can’t just go in through a window? Maybe the back door?”

  The Master shook his head. “The houses are very small and close together in this area. It’s too likely you’d been seen by a neighbor or heard by him. You need to find a way to be invited inside.”

  I sighed. Just because I could do this method didn’t mean I liked it.

  “Very well. The woman’s mother, did she request a specific method?” I asked.

  “Only that Mr. Browning sees his death coming. But as I said, the houses are close together, so you’ll need to keep it silent. That means no guns; we both know that there aren’t really any devices that can truly make a gunshot quiet.”

  I nodded. “Anything else?”

  The Master closed the file and handed it to me. “This all the information you need. You’re no amateur, so I expect you know what to do from here. You leave immediately.”

  ***

  I packed some of the possessions I kept here and headed for the armory.

  Inside the armory, Ash was boiling with excitement, making it hard to concentrate.

  I stood with my back against the stone wall, eyes closed, breathing in and out slowly to try and suppress her. In the end, her ecstatic emotions won, and Ash slid to the floor with a wild grin on her face.

  “Finally! It’s been four months since I’ve had an Assignment,” she whispered gleefully, clapping her hands together like a child would when receiving a Christmas present.

  “You make me sick.”

  “Oh, get off your high horse, Ashley. This is what we do. Just accept it already!”

  “I’ll never accept it. I’ll never accept you.”

  “You still don’t get it, do you? Where do you think you’d be if it wasn’t for me? You think you have the balls to do this? Because you don’t! Remember I am the one who’s carried you this far!”