Nodding, I hesitated to move towards the car. “Good.”
“How did you know where I was?”
My cheeks went beyond pink to a startling red. “I kind of bugged your room, a while ago, then we narrowed down the places they could have taken you.”
I cringed, waiting for his response, but Jack only laughed. “I suppose it’s a good job you did. Thanks for coming to rescue me.”
“I’m just glad we got here in time. Now, come on, we really do have to go. Besides, it’s kind of gross in here.” The dead bodies continued to bleed out. Dale would have probably already called someone to get them disposed of.
Jack’s hand on my wrist prevented me from moving and I glanced back, confused as to why anyone would want to hang around in here.
His lips being pressed to my forehead weren’t what I had expected. They were chapped and dry, but certainly welcome. My breath hitched and my wrist wriggled from his grip to loop our hands together. When he pulled back, I dared myself to reciprocate the gesture, aiming for a quick peck on his lips this time.
Pulling back, I didn’t have the confidence to meet his gaze, instead choosing to pull him towards the exit, our hands still linked. “Come on, we really do have to get out of here.”
“What did you tell my mum?” Getting back to the facts was a good way to avoid any kind of emotions. “Why did you even get in touch with her?”
“She rang me, off your phone, to see if I knew where you were. I had to tell her to get out of your room because they had it bugged and so I kind of implemented myself. She knew you’d been taken. I couldn’t do anything else, I’m sorry. I had to make sure no one knew we were coming.”
“It’s fine. I have no idea what I’m going to say, though.”
“You’ll think of something.” I ran a red light – the streets were deserted so I figured no one would mind.
“Aren’t you an expert at this? Do you have any advice?”
“Give her some kind of half-truth. That always helps. Say you got involved with a gang or something. I have my own story to worry about, you know. I’d rather you didn’t tell her I killed her son, if you don’t mind.”
“Nah, I wouldn’t tell her. Then I’d have to explain why I’m not trying to kill you.”
“Okay, good.”
He shifted in his seat. “What did that guy really say to you back then? It was a lot longer than just I’m going to kill you in specific.”
“He said he was trying to tear the Guild apart, so singling me out like that would put suspicions in the others’ heads.” I supposed I really was good at this making it up stuff. “He did say that stuff as well, but Dale didn’t seem too concerned either way.”
Pulling up in his driveway, there wasn’t enough time for us to run through an excuse. Jack’s mum, who had been standing diligently in the kitchen window, rushed out as soon as the car was parked.
Instead of going straight for Jack, I found her striding towards me.
The slap was so sharp and unexpected that I didn’t respond. Containing a retaliation was difficult, but I grit my teeth and kept my mouth shut.
“Mum! What are you doing?”
An accusatory finger was shoved in my direction. “This girl is nothing but trouble! Ever since she came to our house you’ve been drinking again, not seeing Ellie as much, getting kidnapped. What on Earth is going on?”
“Can we go inside?” I interrupted, eyes gazing warily at the surrounding buildings. It was pitch black other than the streetlights, I didn’t want to risk a snipe if I could help it.
“We certainly aren’t going to do anything you say.”
“Mum, please. Just listen to her. Let’s go inside and then I’ll explain everything. Honestly.”
With a huff, Jack’s mum returned to the building and I followed, hastily shutting the door behind me and making sure all the locks were fastened. I interrupted a tight motherly embrace when I entered the kitchen, complete with tears of relief. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
Jack didn’t give away the pain the hug was causing. “I’m fine, really.”
My entering broke the moment. “Just tell me what’s going on.”
He shifted on his heels. “After Simon died, some people contacted me telling me they knew who had killed him. I obviously went to meet them and did what they said. They were a drugs gang and they got me to run their drugs for them. They were just using me, they didn’t know anything about Simon. I told them I wanted out and then they kidnapped me. I’m sorry, for not saying anything. I didn’t want to worry you.”
“Oh honey,” his mum clasped his hand in hers. “I understand. Of course I’d have done anything to know, too.”
Guild clouded me, but I kept a straight, impartial face. I was the perfect figure of indifference. “So, where do you fit in?”
“I’m an undercover police officer. We’ve been tracking this gang for months now and we’re close to making a break on some evidence that will get them put away. I’m sorry about what happened to your son, but there was nothing we could do to prevent it.” Real authority didn’t come naturally to me, but lying was easy enough.
“I am sorry for slapping you, I just assumed-”
I interrupted, waving a dismissive hand. “I’ve had worse. However, I do have to inform you that Jack can’t continue to stay here. He’d be in danger. He needs to be moved to a safe house.” I’d clearly watched far too many police dramas. “He’ll be perfectly safe there until we have the evidence we need. It shouldn’t be more than a few weeks.”
The nod I was received was reluctant. “Anything to keep him safe.”
“I really have to go and pack now,” Jack explained, cradling his arm automatically. “And I think Ilona needs to fix my arm up, too.”
“Of course, I’ll see what’s in the washing piles that you might need.”
“Do you have a first aid kit?” I checked with Jack as we headed upstairs.
“Sure, it’s just in the bathroom. This way.” I was handed the fully-stocked kit. “I did karate and boxing, so the first-aid kit is normally pretty full.”
Jack sat on the counter and I settled myself between his legs, grasping his arm by the wrist. I winced at the blood which had seeped through my makeshift bandage. Jack winced as I unwrapped it and observed the cut. “It doesn’t actually look too bad. I’m going to need to clean it, though.”
“Yeah, I figured. I’ll brace myself.”
The smile I offered him was particularly weak as I retrieved an anti-bacterial wipe. “This is definitely going to hurt.”
“I’m a fan of the undercover cop roleplaying,” Jack spoke through the intense stinging, but his hand had gripped my hip painfully tight. I welcomed it. His nails digging into my skin kept me grounded. “The whole professional authority figure is pretty hot.”
“Shut up,” I murmured, wiping the last of the blood from his arm. “Okay, you won’t need stitches, so that’s good. I just need to re-bandage it properly.” In my line of work, I’d had extensive first-aid training. I was glad I didn’t have to use too much of it here, though.
Jack’s mum appeared in the doorway as I was finishing up the bandage. Lifting his arm, I admired my handiwork. “Feel okay?”
“Yeah, much better, thanks.”
“Jack, are you going to go and see Millie before you leave? She’ll miss you.”
“Yeah, of course. She’s in her room?”
“Yeah.”
I moved away from Jack and allowed him to hop down from the counter. “I’ll be back in a minute, then we can go pack.”
His mum turned to me when he’d disappeared, unable to meet my eyes. “What should I tell people? Should I stay in the house? If Millie’s in any danger then should we be going to the safe-house too?”
“You’re not in any danger.” I absolutely believed that was true. Dimitri wasn’t really interested in Jack – he’d take him out if it was easy, but wasn’t about to go out of his way. “But you could go and stay with family if it w
ould make you feel more secure. You could say that Jack was staying with Ellie. About the house…” I chewed my lip as I considered possible excuses. “You could say you have pest control in, or something.”
Jack’s mother was taking mental notes. “Okay, thank you. What will Jack do about Ellie?”
I really did have no idea about that. She didn’t seem like someone who would simply accept that he didn’t want to see her, and besides, he no doubt did want to see her. “I’m not really sure. I’ll have to find someone to go on a double-date with them or something.” I couldn’t help but laugh at the awfulness of that idea. No doubt it would be the only short-term solution, though.
“And what about you? When this is all over, what will you do? It’s obvious Jack is… fond of you.”
Nothing could prevent my cheeks heating up. “I’m sure we can remain friends.”
“Can you guys help me pack? I’m not really sure how much I’ll need.”
Jack’s mum did most of the packing, putting perfectly folded clothes into a suitcase. “There’s a washing machine,” I assured her as she fretted over not being enough clothes to last three or more weeks.
My phone beeped with a text from Violet that I should probably get a move on. I sent Jack an apologetic look before hurrying us towards the front door. Jack hugged his mother once more and I received a stern, “you’d better look after him,” before we were gone.
The weight of that burden wasn’t something I wanted to think about right now.
Chapter Sixteen
I flinched as fingers brushed against the distinctive mark just below my ear. “I’ve never seen your mark before.” Jack retook his seat at my computer before I could appreciate the shiver that crept down my spine at his gentle touch.
“I normally wear my hair down so you can’t see it. You’d be amazed at how many people asked me who would tattoo someone underage up in Newcastle.” I shut my eyes and applied my regularly worn eyeliner. “It’s not worth the attention.”
“It’s pretty. Is it just a leaf?”
Shaking my head, I gestured for him to come and look closer. “It’s got all the elements woven in,” my cheeks heated as his breath puffed against my bare skin. “Back when the Warlock and Fae were living together and there were more of us, we used to be able to manipulate all the elements. Supposedly, anyway. That’s what the history books say.” I forced myself to move away and make sure my bag contained everything I needed.
“Cool. So, about this Warlock thing, any news on what’s going to happen next?”
“I do know that this stupid thing shouldn’t be happening.” No one was happy about it, even Jasper had made an attempt to convince people not to go ahead with it, but whilst he was top of the Assassin’s, that still made him nothing compared to the top guys in other fields. “This is going to be a disaster, I can already tell. I know, let’s put all the Fae in the surrounding area into one building for a night whilst there’s a Warlock on the loose, sounds like a great idea,” I mocked, stuffing my pistol into my bag. “Bunch of morons.”
“It does seem ridiculous,” Jack agreed, his look bordering on cautious.
“Look, you don’t have to worry or anything. If anyone’s not going to get hurt at this thing, it’s going to be me and the Guild. We’re prepared, as opposed to these stuck up dicks that are going ahead with the event.”
Jack laughed and I shot him a glare. “It’s funny when you’re annoyed.”
“Okay, well, I guess I’m off. Dale will be waiting.”
“You look good.”
“I wish I didn’t, dressing up for this farce is the worst feeling.” That didn’t stop the smile tugging at the corner of my lips thanks to his compliment, though. “But thanks. I’ll see you later. If you override any of my saves, I’m throwing you to the wolves.”
Jack sent me a wicked smile as he turned back to my computer and browsed my many games. “See you later.”
Instead of just getting into the car with disgruntled faces like normal, Dale gestured for me to join the huddle in the lobby. “I want all of you to stay safe tonight. If anything looks even the slightest bit suspicious, I expect you to tell me straight away. Something’s going to go down, I can feel it, and I don’t want to lose anyone else.”
We all gave quick nods that hid the anxiety I didn’t doubt everyone here was feeling. We just weren’t used to being on the back foot, especially not against a Warlock, of all things. We had no idea what we were doing.
“Didn’t you wear that last time?” Glen queried as we made a quick dash for the car. Snipers were a constant threat at this point.
“Yes. And every other time before that. Don’t want to ruin any of my nice clothes with memories of this rubbish. I feel like it puts people off from talking to me just that little bit more, too.”
“I don’t think they need any more of a reason to.” The Fae meet-ups were a complete waste of time for us. Whilst every other profession was supposed to have settled down and had at least one child by the age of thirty, there were no expectations on us. We were the outcasts, brought in only for security and the off-chance that one of us might have a kid every now and then. At least security might be a valid concern this time.
The twenty-minute drive was painfully silent. We were too on-edge to even make sarcastic remarks about the awfulness of the event like normal. Derek’s absence weighed on us. This was the only time I ever saw him.
“Now, Jasper argued tooth and nail to have this shut down, which just says something about how much danger we’re in tonight. Stay. Alert.” Dale got out of the car without another word, his jaw set in utter contempt. No one would be messing with him tonight.
An observation of my mark and identification card when we entered the hall was the only interaction I planned on having tonight. My vision headed straight for the buffet. Mini sausage rolls would keep me occupied for the few long hours ahead. “I’m off to get some food. See you guys around.”
If it wasn’t for the fact I was required to have my mark visible, and therefore my hair up, I would have snuck my headphones in. Unfortunately, I was forced to listen to the upbeat voices of matchmaking.
People-watching was normally an amusing hobby for me, but here all it did was cause me great frustration. Pushy parents eying up the floor and deciding who would be a good match for their children. Young couples pretending to be happy. It made me ill.
“Hi.”
I blinked, my hand stopping just before it deposited the sausage roll in my mouth. “Hi.”
The guy who’d spoken to me looked almost awkward and had his back turned to the room. He was undoubtedly trying to hide from someone. I supposed talking to an assassin was one way of doing that; we tended to slip into the background. “I’m Leo.” He ran a sheepish hand through his tight blonde curls and adjusted the tie he wore.
“Ilona.”
“So, you’re new in Sheffield? I don’t think I’ve seen you around much before.”
“Yeah, a few months ago.” It was now far too awkward to be stuffing my face, so I ended up holding the sausage roll and looking like an idiot. “So, what’s up?”
“We are supposed to be getting to know people here, you know.”
Flushing, I grinned. “Right, right, of course. So, what are you doing with your life?” May as well get straight on to professions, which would no doubt cut the conversation short, even if part of me welcomed some semblance of a normal conversation.
“I’m a law student. You wouldn’t believe how grateful I am for this whole increased memory gig we’ve got going on. The few human friends I have spend hours upon hours learning this shit every day and I’ve just got it like that.” He clicked his fingers and shot me an amused smile. “So, what about you?”
“I guess you missed my entrance with the assassin’s crew, then. I’m afraid I’m stuck with doing all the dirty work.”
I was genuinely surprised that I didn’t get a look of disdain and a “see you later, then,” from the guy in front of m
e. “Interesting. Is it nice, not having any of the pressure?”
My shrug was meagre. “Killing innocent people isn’t worth anything, really.”
He averted his eyes. “Right, sorry, I suppose you get idiots like me saying stuff like that all the time. I wasn’t meaning to be insensitive. I mean, I don’t even really know how it works.”
“It’s fine, really,” I was surprised to find my reassuring smile was real. “Two of the people I live with chose it for exactly that reason and they love it. It’s just that I didn’t have a choice, so it’s a bit different. Still, I’d certainly recommend staying with law.”
“I will be doing,” he was tactful enough to stay away from my implications that I was an orphan. “Anyway, wait, oh shit, please hide me.”
The Reluctant Assassin Page 12