Vincent stares at him coldly, but a gradual smile spreads across his reddened face. “Now that’s what I like to hear.”
*
It’s strange being in the barn without Hunter. The buzzing of the electrical wires is Penny’s only companion. The sound invades her head, along with the constant click, click, click, as she searches through the trove of files on the flash drive. In a way, it’s a relief to be on her own. She can do without Hunter’s nervous energy riling up her own nervousness. But the amount of work in front of her is overwhelming. There’s just so much to go through. And while there is a search function, it requires knowing the ten digit code of letters and numbers that correspond with the document you’re looking for. Penny’s tried to make sense of the coding, but it seems random. Usually when she has a problem like this, she consults with Hunter, and they figure it out together.
Penny wonders if Hunter ever found Amelia. Maybe he’s relaxing on a beach somewhere, a cold beer in his hand, and his beautiful internet girlfriend at his side. Penny has to laugh at the thought. She’s never known Hunter to relax, not ever.
Though she’s annoyed that Hunter bailed ship, she won’t allow herself to be angry at him. She understands his motives. He didn’t want to get caught, the consequences of which would be dire. And he knew Penny would never give up. Ben is her brother, after all. This is her responsibility.
She clicks through the documents quickly, briefly scanning them for the information she needs before moving on. Maybe she can contact Em Dash, and ask the hacker to extend the terms of their contract. If Penny ever needed Em Dash’s wide network of hackers, it’s now. But Em Dash had warned her that he couldn’t help her past decoding the files. He’s probably already going through his carefully planned exit strategy. Penny is in danger, but she has no idea what Em Dash is embroiled in.
She comes across a trove of documents that catch her eye. It’s a compilation of police reports and court documents. While reading through, Penny gathers that they’re for employees of VC Solutions. The documents indicate that the police records have been wiped from the system. And these aren’t traffic offenses, these are real crimes. One high level employee was accused of raping civilians while he served overseas. VC Solutions had that unsavory episode expunged from his record.
She shouldn’t waste time on something that doesn’t have to do with Ben. She doesn’t have a all day. She’s supposed to have dinner with Zane and his mother tonight. But Penny’s compelled to read further. She comes across a case that sounds familiar. The name of the employee has been retracted by a thick black bar. Years ago, he was a person of interest in the drowning of a young girl.
Penny is puzzling over this when she hears the barn door creak open. Fear constricts her veins as she slowly turns around. When she sees Hunter, she wants to fall to her knees and kiss his feet. Instead of showing how grateful she is to see him, she chooses sarcasm.
“Look who grew a pair,” Penny says, idly, turning back to the computer.
Hunter walks towards her, his hands nervously fidgeting in his pockets.
Chapter Twelve
Zane unwraps the butcher paper and pulls out the de-feathered chicken carcass. Nora always insists that the butcher leave the head on, and this one is no exception. The heavy beak causes the broken neck to droop over Zane’s wrist as he moves it to the cutting board. The eyes are open. Zane stares into them as he cuts through the neck with a boning knife.
We experience death everyday, Zane thinks. It’s in the food we eat.
Zane thinks this in an attempt to make himself feel better, but it doesn’t work. He can’t stop thinking about the duty ahead of him. Being tasked to take someone’s life is a momentous burden. Zane didn’t realize that as a young man. When Zane and his team were assigned to assassinate Iman Hussan, Zane could hardly wait. Nights, he’d stay up, watching propaganda videos featuring Hussan. The small, bearded Arab man didn’t look like much of a threat, and Zane couldn’t understand what he was saying without subtitles. But the sheer, passionate vitriol in Hussan’s eyes set something off in Zane. He’d think about the thousands that died in Hussan’s attacks, the devastated families searching through the rubble for their loved ones’ remains. He assumed that once he put a bullet in Hussan’s head, his thirst for blood would be quenched.
That cloudless night, when Zane, and fifteen other honorable men and women, stormed Hussan’s hideout, Zane found out the gruesome reality of playing grim reaper. Despite all the suffering Hussan had caused, Zane felt the thump as the ragged body hit the floor reverberate through his soul, tarnishing him. With his wives shrieking around him, Zane no longer saw an evil villain. He saw a dead man, and Zane was holding the smoking gun.
Intellectually, Zane knows he was only doing his duty by killing the enemy of a country he swore to protect. Hussan was an evil monster, and doesn’t deserve any pity. The same goes for VC Solution’s terrorist. This time, instead of avenging the lives of dead Americans, Zane can stop an attack from happening. He can’t just walk away.
Zane slits the pliable skin on the chicken’s breast. He uses his hands to gently pull the chest apart. The body cavity is already cleaned of any guts. There’s a little plastic bag tucked inside, holding the liver, heart, and giblets.
Nora enters the kitchen at that moment. She glances over Zane’s shoulder and scoffs. “Why do they like their meat so clean in this country? Can no one scoop out their own chicken guts?”
“Maybe they don’t like their kitchens smelling like chicken shit,” Zane says. “I have to side with the Americans on that one.”
Nora pinches Zane’s ear so hard, he yelps.
“My kitchen never smelled like chicken shit,” she says, pointing at him. Nora walks to the stove to inspect a large pot. She lifts the lid, and the scent of oregano, lemongrass, and thyme perfume the air. “Get our chicken friend in here as soon as it’s cleaned,” Nora instructs.
Zane nods, and begins to remove the feet. He can feel Nora behind him, watching him work. He waits for his mother to start chiding him for cutting off the feet, which she claims holds most of the flavor. But Zane’s not sure about Penny’s feelings on chicken feet.
Nora doesn’t say anything. Zane glances back at her, and sees her gazing into the distance. There’s a dreamy look on her face, and a slight smile tugging the corners of her lips. Nora has been in a good mood all morning. She’s looking forward to meeting Penny, but not just that. She’s already seeing into the future; a wedding, and grandchildren. Nora doesn’t show it much, but she must still grieve for the daughter and husband she lost. Zane certainly does. The prospect of a new family must be profoundly needed for Nora.
Zane slides the disembodied feet under a dish towel. If he tells Penny the truth, that he’s an assassin, she’ll understand. He has to tell her before he kills the terrorist. If he waits until after the fact, Penny will feel deceived. He would, if he was in her position. And maybe, if he reveals his secret, Penny will be encouraged to the do the same.
He decides he’ll tell her tonight. After Nora charms Penny at dinner, as Nora often does with people, he’ll find a quiet moment with Penny where he can explain everything. But where to start?
Penny, I’m an assassin.
No.
Penny, there are some bad people in this world, really bad.
Too melodramatic.
Penny, promise me, that no matter what I say, you’ll never leave me.
Zane closes his eyes, wishing he could rub his face, but they’re covered in chicken juice. Behind him, Nora snaps out of her dreamlike trance, and starts barking at him to get the chicken into the broth.
*
Penny doesn’t have much time. Factoring in the time it takes to ride the bus back to the city, she’ll have to leave in the next twenty minutes if she doesn’t want to be late for dinner. But she can’t tear herself away from the files. With every click, there’s the possibility that she’ll find the report she’s looking for. It could be the next page, or the next
page. She’s knows it’s impossible, but if she got the evidence she needs, she could come clean to Zane tonight.
Hunter has barely spoken a word since his return. He stands behind her, watching her click through the files.
“Did you ever find Amelia?” Penny asks, trying to get a reaction out of him.
Hunter just shrugs. “No.”
Penny scans over the document on her screen. “Look at this. VC Solutions has mining and oil operations in the middle east. It looks like they get contracted by the government to patrol an area, then start pillaging its resources.”
“That’s fucked up,” Hunter says, gruffly.
Penny turns to look at him. “Yeah, it is. You know, I could get through this much faster if you helped me. I have to go for a few hours. Can you take over? Text me if you find anything.”
“Yeah, yeah, sure,” Hunter says, shuffling on his feet. “Look, Penny, I’m not back in this one hundred percent. I still have some questions.”
Penny glances at the clock and grimaces. “Okay. What do you want to know?”
Hunter steps closer to her, clearing his throat. “Are you sure they don’t have your identity?”
Penny sighs. She’s been over this with Hunter. “I’m sure. Em Dash would tell me if they did. And like I told you, I avoided the surveillance cameras when I was there, and I was wearing a disguise. All they have is a physical description from the Helen woman I delivered flowers to.” Penny shakes her head. “They don’t have anything. They’re looking for a needle in a haystack.”
Penny gawks up at Hunter, waiting for him to relax and help her. Hunter just shakes his head. Penny watches the clock tick down as she prepares to answer more questions. Hunter takes a step back. With his eyes on Penny, he reaches into his pocket, and pulls out his phone. Penny watches in confusion as Hunter quickly snaps her picture.
“What are you doing?” she asks.
Penny doesn’t like the sorrowful look in Hunter’s eyes.
“I’m sorry, Penny,” he stammers, before running out of the barn.
Penny is stunned for a moment, then jumps into action. She runs out of the barn, calling Hunter’s name. She spots him several yards away, and darts towards him. With no real plan, she wraps her arms around his torso and tries to drag him down. In the process, she feels a wire beneath his shirt. The realization lands on her dully. He recorded her. He plans to turn her in.
She’s no match for Hunter’s strength. He swings his arms around, knocking her off of him. Penny can’t let him get away with her picture, and her recorded confession. She reaches out, grabbing his ankle. Hunter trips and falls to the ground.
“Don’t do this, Hunter,” Penny pleads. “Don’t betray me. Don’t betray Ben.”
Hunter’s eyes are so full of sorrow, Penny almost feels sorry for him.
“I’m sorry. I have to,” Hunter says. He delivers a swift kick to her shoulder, releasing Penny’s grip from his ankle. While he struggles to stand up, he accidentally kicks her sharply in the eye.
The pain in her shoulder and eye socket is sharp and raw. She’s never been hurt like that. It takes her breath away. She rolls over on her back, nursing her aching shoulder. The vision in her left eye is blurry. In the distance, she sees Hunter running away. She watches helplessly as he gets into a car and drives off.
*
Penny is an hour late. She’s not answering any of her texts.
Where are you? Zane texts.
Zane taps his foot in the living room, waiting for Penny to respond. Nora putters around the house, finding things to dust, or straighten up. She’s unusually quiet, except for a “any word yet?” casually tossed to Zane every once in a while.
Something happened on that bus, Zane is convinced. Someone saw a woman riding alone, and they took advantage of her. Zane tastes a familiar bloodlust at the back of his throat. If anyone hurt Penny, he’d track them down and make them pay.
Or maybe it wasn’t the bus at all. Maybe this has to do with Penny’s secret. Zane curses himself for not making Penny tell him what she’s hiding. If he knew what was going on, he could help her. But he’s left completely in the dark.
It’s been long enough, that Zane starts hatching a plan on how to find her. He’ll go to her apartment first. And if she’s not there, then what? He doesn’t know any of Penny’s friends or work associates. He has no idea where to find her.
Zane stands up abruptly, kicking over a small side table. He hates this helpless feeling. It makes him want to burst out of his skin. He’s on the verge of punching something, when he hears footsteps outside the front window. He pushes the drapes aside and looks out.
It’s Penny. She looks haggard. She’s nursing her shoulder. And maybe it’s just a shadow, but it looks like she has a black eye. Zane sprints to the foyer and opens the front door. When he sees Penny, he’s consumed with rage. He’ll destroy whoever did this to her. But revenge will have to wait. He reaches for her, gently.
“Get inside,” he says.
Penny shakes her head fiercely. “No. Let’s talk out here.”
Zane doesn’t care to argue. He steps onto the front porch, closing the door behind him. He holds her face in his hands, examining the bruised, swollen flesh around her eye. Penny winces, and her hand flies to nurse her hurt shoulder.
“Who did this to you?” Zane growls.
Penny blinks rapidly, clutching at his chest. “We have to get out of here, Zane. We have to leave tonight.”
Zane stares into her eyes. “What’s going on with you? Tell me. Now.”
Penny trembles against him. She seems so frail, so broken. “Promise me, we’ll leave. Promise me, Zane.”
Zane, careful not to hurt her shoulder, draws Penny in against his chest. “I’ll take care of you, Penny. I promise.”
Penny collapses against him, sobbing. Zane holds her tightly. He resolves to let her calm down, then he’ll make her tell him everything.
He hears his phone ding. He realizes he’s still clutching it in his hand. He glances at the screen. It’s a picture from Jacob. The caption reads, got the motherfucker.
Zane squints at the picture. When he sees the shoulder length dark hair, and the same shirt that Penny wears right now, his heart falls to his feet.
“What is it?” Penny asks, lifting her head.
Zane is speechless. His glances from the phone, to Penny’s face, over and and over again.
Penny stares at the large, silent man in front of her. She knows this can’t be good. He’s looking at her with a mixture of confusion and suspicion. She feels the blood draining to her feet.
There’s another ding, this time, Penny’s phone. With trembling fingers, she checks it. It’s from Em Dash.
You’ve been identified. GTFO
Penny’s throat closes, and she can barely breathe. She and Zane both stare at each other, wide-eyed, with nothing to say. It feels like they’ve been standing there for a century when Nora opens the front door.
“There she is, the guest of honor,” Nora gushes. “Won’t you please come inside? Dinner is getting cold.”
Zane and Penny exchange numb glances, then, as if guided by an unforeseen force, they both follow Nora into the delicious smelling house.
Chapter Thirteen
Zane barely looks at Penny while they sit at the dining table, waiting for Nora to return from the kitchen. Penny hates being in the cold like this. Zane, normally warm and incredibly generous with her, is behaving as if she’s furniture, and not worthy of a second look. Penny watches him out of the corner of her eye. He sits stoically, his elbows resting on the table, and his hands tented over his nose and mouth. His dark eyes are still, and betray no emotion.
What’s he thinking?
Penny would give anything to know what’s going on behind those eyes. Her own wild speculations are making her palms sweat. Zane didn’t tell her what the text he received said, but his face, and the subsequent text from Em Dash, told her all she needed to know. She’s been outed. Zane
knows the truth. The way he looked at her, his eyes darkened with suspicion, had been like a punch to the gut. And he didn’t exactly scoop her up in his arms and say he’d always protect her.
And yet he still hasn’t shot her between the eyes. Maybe there’s some hope left.
There’s a terrifying tightness in Penny’s chest. She takes slow, deep breaths to keep the rising panic attack at bay. She wipes her sweaty palms on her shirt. She’s desperate for Zane to turn and look at her, to say something, anything. She reaches for him.
“Zane-“ she says through a tight throat.
Zane jerks his head towards her, his expression cold. “Just eat the food.” He picks up his fork and knife, though there’s no plate in front of him yet.
Penny’s hands retreat to her lap. She lowers her gaze, focusing on the table linen. “There’s a lot you don’t know.”
Nora’s voice rings through the room as she exits the kitchen. Zane gives Penny a panicked look.
“We’ll talk later,” he says, gruffly. “For now, just act normal.”
Penny groans inwardly. Normal? There’s nothing normal about this. With her stomach twisted into knots, the last thing she wants to do is suffer through this awkward dinner. But once Zane knows the full truth, his demeanor will change. His frigidness will melt, and the protective man who pledged to always be by her side will return to her. At least, she hopes so.
“Okay, time to eat,” Nora says, triumphantly. She expertly balances three plates on her arms as she glides into the dining room. She serves Penny first. “For our sweet guest,” Nora says through a genuine smile.
Penny’s not very hungry, but the plate piled high with food smells delicious. And Nora seems so delightful. Why, why can’t this scene be as it appears? Why can’t this be a simple dinner with the man of Penny’s dreams and his mother? Penny should be anxious about making a good impression, not whether or not Zane’s carrying a gun.
Nora watches Penny hopefully, so Penny makes herself take a bite. The chicken is as delicious as it smells.
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