by Arthurs, Nia
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Is Alistair some kind of murderer?
My date doesn’t even spare me a glance.
“I have to extract the nightlock from his teeth while he’s still unconscious.”
It’s like Alistair’s talking another language. I’m speechless. Really, truly speechless. There is nothing that I can say that will bring any kind of clarity to the craziness unfolding in front of me. Without so much as an explanation, Alistair withdraws the belt securing the man’s robes and ties it around his hands and feet.
The man groans.
He’s beginning to rouse.
“Shoot! I didn’t call the police.” I slap my forehead for my stupidity and pull out my phone.
“That’s great.”
Alistair grabs the phone from me and hefts the guy in the robes in his arms. He strides toward the back of my Trooper and shoves the man roughly into vehicle. I finally understand what’s going on here.
We’re taking a prisoner.
I run toward Alistair.
“Um, what exactly are you doing?”
“Get in,” Alistair completely ignores my question. “There might be more around.”
Okay, even though Alistair is obviously not who he appears to be, I rather trust the devil I know than the one I don’t. Still, I can’t help the doubts. What if Alistair’s some kind of serial killer or crazy maniac?
I’m freaking out. All I wanted to do tonight was get to know a nice man. Maybe get a little smooch at the end of the night, but that was it!
I did not expect to be an accomplice to a kidnapping.
“This is the worst date I have ever been on,” I mumble.
Alistair glances at me. He has the gall to smile. He’s smiling! I can’t believe it.
“This isn’t funny.” I snap.
His amused smirk is still there, but his voice is serious.
“Trust me, I know.”
“How exactly do you know?”
He falls silent. I get the sense that Alistair can be as tightlipped as the guy who stole a cookie from the cookie jar. I’m not going to get anything out of him if I keep nagging, so I’ve got to change strategies.
After a few minutes of driving, Alistair looks my way.
“Where do you live?”
Is he planning to just drop me off after all this craziness? And then what, stow the crazy man in my closet?
“I’m not giving you that information.” I lift my chin stubbornly.
It’s bad enough that he’s driving my car with a human strung up like a pig in the back. I don’t know who Alistair Howard is anymore. I don’t want him anywhere near my house.
“I can just look it up, you know.” He informs me.
“I’m a part of this craziness now. You might as well take me wherever you’re going.”
Alistair slows the car down. “I don’t think so.”
I’m about to answer, but the man in my trunk begins to moan. It’s a real pathetic sound. Guilt flares in my stomach. If he’s in pain, it’s probably from being hit with the force of my two ton Trooper.
“Oooh,” his voice slices through the heavy tension of the cab.
Alistair glares at me as if I’m somehow responsible for the guy returning to consciousness.
“You have to go home. Now.”
This authoritative act is getting real old.
I fold my arms and stare straight forward. “No.”
Alistair sounds less amused when he says, “you know I could just forcefully remove you from this car.”
“But you won’t.” I stare into his eyes. “You’ll respect me and take me along.”
“Or what?”
I take a deep breath. “Or I’m calling the police.”
I don’t know why I’m being so stubborn about this. If Alistair plans to torture or kill this guy, I don’t want to be anywhere around in case I’m implicated. Or worse, in case Alistair turns on me next.
But something about his take-charge, bossy attitude rubs me the wrong way. I hit a guy with my car so basically, I’m already in a load of trouble. If the police asks, I’m not sure they’ll take my explanation with a dash of sympathy. Especially when I admit that I drove without looking.
I’m in this too and I want to know what the heck is going on. I want to know right now.
Chapter 16
Alistair
This is a bad, bad idea. Taking Kendall along will not only prove to be dangerous, since I’ll be too distracted by her presence to focus on Shadow, but it will also involve her in my mess.
Unfortunately, she’s determined and as stubborn as the day is long. I can’t have her calling the police on me. Shadow moves in circles not … appreciated by law enforcement. If Shadow goes down, so do the Brotherhoods who rely on discretion and secrecy. I may have retired from that life, but the values and principles are still ingrained in me.
Discretion is prized above all else.
Kendall is still a problem. I could just knock her out cold. But I’d never hit a woman and especially not one that I care about.
“Fine,” I agree grudgingly, “but don’t say a word.”
“I won’t,” she promises and then promptly peppers me with questions. “Who is that guy? Why does he want to kill us? Where did you learn to fight like that?”
I’m not too keen on answering her questions. Not only is it dangerous for Kendall to know too much, but I’m afraid of what she’ll think of me when the truth comes out. So far, she’s the first woman that I’ve ever let this close.
She’s a beautiful, smart, wholesome person. I don’t think there’s room in her life for an ex-assassin. Especially not one with so many notches on his belt he can barely sleep at night.
“Kendall,” I warn.
She glares at me, but I don’t care. She’s the one that agreed to silence. If Kendall won’t cooperate, I’ll have to find some other method to get her out of the way.
I’m sure I can recall the pressure point between the shoulder blades if I’m pushed. It’s been a while, but since my retraining with the Belizean Assassins, the old instructions are rushing back to me.
Thankfully, it doesn’t come to that. She falls silent. It’s a good thing too. We’ve almost reached our destination. I flip off the headlights and let the car ride the rest of the way in neutral. I half-expect Kendall to ask where we are, but she doesn’t.
I’m grateful for small miracles.
The car comes to rest on a grassy enclosure with a broken hut structure only slightly visible in the thick, tropical foliage. I glance at Kendall’s face. She knows. We’re going in there. She doesn’t seem too pleased.
“You can wait here.” I offer.
“Not a chance, buddy.” She pokes me in the chest and hops out of the car.
I don’t know if it’s bravery or fear of the dark that motivates her. Whatever the case, I’ve seen rookie assassins with less spunk than Kendall Villanueva. The circumstances are far from light, but she puts a smile on my face anyway.
I hop out of the truck and round the back. Shadow is awake. His eyes convey his anger. If he gains even a mustard seed of an opportunity, Kendall and I are as good as dead.
I understand the risks, but know I’ve got the upper hand. I’ve tied Shadow soundly. Though he squirms, I don’t fear him. I’ve already relieved him of all his hidden weapons. If he gets away, I know I can take him in hand-to-hand combat.
I could kill him now, but he has some answers to give first. I can’t let Shadow slip away from me without finding out who sent him and why. Assassins rarely act on their own power. We don’t hold grudges unless a brother has broken his honor.
I left my league with my honor intact. I performed my missions to the satisfaction of my clients. Once a name was delivered, the target was pronounced dead within the very week, month, or year depending on how tight the security and how deep the connections I forged.
Shadow has no reason to pursue me for a personal vendetta. Maybe I ex
terminated someone that he cared about? I plan on getting him to talk. Perhaps it would be best if Kendall didn’t come along. Agents like Shadow won’t be intimidated by a firm voice.
I might have to resort to … bloodier tactics. And I don’t want Kendall to see that.
“Try to keep up.” I instruct as I strike out toward the hut in the distance.
I’m being especially brusque with Kendall in hopes that she’ll give up and stay in the Trooper or return home. She’s safer away from all of this. But like the stubborn woman that she is, Kendall marches along with us.
I know it’s a struggle. Her shoes were not meant to trek through the Caribbean bushes. Instead of complaining or turning back, Kendall walks on with a face of steel. I am more attracted to her right now, than I was when she stepped into the restaurant.
I shake the thoughts from my mind. This is neither the time nor place to be distracted by Kendall Villanueva.
Instead of heading toward the ramshackle front door of the wooden structure, I lead Kendall to the well near the side.
“Climb.”
She sends me a nasty look.
“What’s down there?”
“You can stay up here if you want.” I reposition Shadow in my arms.
He’s been extremely silent for most of the night. His taciturn attitude is puzzling. If this was a personal vendetta, Shadow would have proclaimed his displeasure by now.
Climbing with a full-grown man attached to me is not the easiest of tasks, but I get it done. Kendall soon follows, muttering about how expensive her shoes are. As soon as I get her home safely, I’ll deposit money in her checking account for replacements.
When we drop onto dry ground, I lead her into a small corridor and extract a key from the jumble in my pocket. Kendall’s sticking close to me. I’m surprised by her bravery. We are in the bottom of a dry well, after all.
I fit the key into the door lock and shove the latch. It opens with a musty shriek. I stalk inside, and deposit Shadow unceremoniously on the ground. Walking five paces forward, I lift my arms and pull on a dangling string. Immediately, the room is flooded with light.
Kendall gasps. I ignore her, though I can understand her surprise. This is my training room. No assassin wastes a day to shore strength. Since I have no league to protect me, wherever I go, I find secluded places to train so that I can protect myself. Since I’m always in Belize City, it only made sense to set one up here.
Ramshackle exercise equipment that I rigged on my frequent trips litter the room. A tall structure with a wooden bar between metal slats is where I spend most of my time when I come down here. It’s a room that I know will inspire serious questions from Kendall.
She walks forward and stands beside me. Her eyes are still taking everything in, but I can see the wheels turning in her pretty little head. She’s starting to figure me out and I don’t think she likes what she’s discovering.
A low gravelly laugh fills the quiet space. We both turn our attention to the assassin on the floor. Bound and captured, Shadow’s laugh is one of confidence. As if he knows something that I don’t.
I have a very bad feeling about this.
Chapter 17
Kendall
So, I know guys have weird hobbies. I mean, I’m open to a little bit of adventure. Everyone’s different. But having a secret bat cave at the bottom of a well? Something about that screams… illegal.
I’m more curious than ever to know who Alistair really is. This is all getting just a little too crazy for me. Okay, that’s a lie. It got ‘too crazy’ when the robed guy started shooting knives at us. It crossed the line into crazy town when the prisoner started laughing for no reason.
I’m freaked out. This entire scenario has major horror movie vibes.
I have never watched a horror movie in my life. I can’t stand them! And I sure as heck don’t want to star in my own personal version!
“What’s so funny?” I whisper to Alistair.
He glances at me with a fierce look on his face and places a hand on his lips. There’s a sliver of the Alistair that I’ve come to know lurking in his dark brown eyes, but the man in front of me is a stranger. I’m not sure if I should be more scared of the guy that tried to shoot a knife in my head or of Alistair.
With determined steps, Alistair moves toward the murderous weirdo in the robes.
“Speak,” he says in such a harsh tone that even I wince.
The guy on the ground just keeps on laughing.
Maybe he has some kind of mental illness. That would explain a lot. I’m about to step forward and suggest taking him to an asylum when the robed guy talks. He has a heavy foreign accent.
“You tell me to speak? You will kill me anyway. I have nothing to say.”
The man begins to laugh again.
“Sir, we are not criminals,” I stalk forward. “No one’s killing anyone.”
Alistair extends his hands to keep me from drawing closer.
The robed man turns his cold eyes on me. I shiver. There’s so much hate in those eyes. I wish I hadn’t brought attention to myself.
“Tsk,tsk, tsk,” the robed man glances at Alistair, “you got yourself a wench, Thanathus?”
I’m not a ‘wench’. And who the heck is Thanathus?
What an unfortunate-sounding name.
Alistair steps in front of me.
“How do you know my name?”
My eyes widen. Did Alistair lie to me? Is that Thana-thing his real name? I hate being in the dark right now.
The man on the ground meets Alistair’s question with silence.
My date grabs him by the shoulder. “Who sent you?”
I’m starting to suspect that Alistair is a part of a mob or something. It would explain his insane fighting skills, his association with this nut job, and the secret room in the bottom of a well. If he is some kind of hardened criminal, I doubt I’ll be making it out of here alive.
Shoot!
Why do I always pick the jerks?
Alistair glances at me. His jaw is working as if all his facial muscles are having some kind of rave. I get the sense that he’s struggling. In that moment, I feel… I don’t know… connected somehow.
I’m not naïve enough to think that Alistair is some innocent bystander in all of this, but I don’t think he’s going to hurt me. I might be reading things entirely wrong, but if he wanted to kill me, he would have done it by now.
That look, the emotions in his eyes, he is almost begging me to keep him from crossing a line. I don’t know how I know that. I just do. I touch his shoulder reassuringly. Whoever Alistair used to be or whatever he’s done, I believe that he can be better. Every day that we have breath is a chance to start over.
He gets my message and nods. Turning away, he breaks our connection and focuses on the prisoner. Alistair walks forward with slow, determined steps. He stoops to his knees and speaks low and soft to the guy.
I draw closer, but they’re talking so quietly that I can’t catch anything. When Alistair moves back and rises to his feet, I hold my breath.
The air is tense with … something, but I can’t put my finger on it.
“Alright,” the crazy guy in black dips his head. “Alright, I will speak. You have three questions.”
I’m more disappointed than ever that I didn’t catch Alistair’s words. They must have been quite persuasive.
“Who sent you?” Alistair’s voice is quiet, sad even.
I’m confused. Isn’t this guy the enemy?
“You won’t like the answer.”
“We had a deal, Maveth!”
Maveth?
Hm, I tilt my head. I guess he does kind of look like a Maveth.
“His name is Martin Howard.”
At Maveth’s words, Alistair goes pale.
“Your father.”
He must be lying. Maveth must be making this up. What father would send some lunatic to kill their own son?
Alistair’s voice is firm. “My father is dead.”
“Is that your second question?” Maveth shifts.
Alistair takes a deep breath. “Why?”
“I don’t know.”
Alistair lunges forward and grabs Maveth by the neck. “Why?”
“Is that… your third question?” Maveth chokes.
I rush to Alistair’s side.
“Hey,”
I don’t know what else to say. Alistair’s shoulders loosen a bit at my voice. He drops Maveth to the ground. The guy doesn’t make a grunt.
Alistair steps back. “Am I marked?”
The man’s eyes are dark and serious when he says, “yes.”
I think something big just happened. Alistair is marked for death… by his father. My mind has been supremely blown.
“Now, hold up your end of the deal.” Maveth adds.
Alistair glances at me. “You need to leave.”
I open my mouth to argue, but Maveth barks out a laugh.
“She needs to see this.” He glances at me. “You look like a nice enough person. Think twice before you get too close,” his eyes shift to Alistair, “his fate won’t be as peaceful as mine.”
“Shut up,” Alistair pulls a small object from his pocket and shoves it in Maveth’s mouth.
“Vivete gladio,” Maveth swallows.
I’m wondering if the entire world has gone crazy when Alistair steps slowly forward and loosens Maveth’s hands and feet.
“What are you doing?” I hiss.
Alistair doesn’t answer, but he doesn’t need to. In the next few minutes, I see the film of death cover Maveth’s eyes. His mouth falls slack. His hood slips back, revealing a face gone pale and stiff. It’s a grueling sight.
I cover my mouth and gasp. He’s dead.
“You killed him!”
I fly at Alistair with both fists raised and pummel his back. This has been a crazy night, filled with ups and downs. Yeah, Maveth tried to kill us, but he didn’t deserve to die.
“You killed him!”
Alistair whirls around and captures my wrist.
“Kendall! Kendall, stop! He wanted to die.”
His words pierce my fury and fear.
“What?
“In exchange for information,” Alistair swings his gaze away from mine, “he asked for the nightlock capsule.”