“Ah,” said Kaden. She welcomed the strong burn of a double shot. “How about two tequila sodas? One for you, too.”
“I appreciate it, but I’m not leaving soon enough for that kind of riff-raff.” She laughed and turned to make their drinks.
“Are you a regular here?” Benny whispered.
“This is my oasis.”
“Where you drink tequila like water?”
“Don’t be judgy, Benny. You’re judging.” She giggled, loving the first bits of the alcohol leaking into her bloodstream. Sobriety melted away, such a mercy.
“I’m surprised is all.”
“This shouldn’t be what you’re worried about right now,” Kaden snapped. “Thanks, Shelly.”
The two made their way to Kaden’s meeting booth. Now that they were out of the limelight, a tremor formed in Kaden's hands. Benny kept fidgeting, wringing his hands and grimacing.
Kaden said, "You can't sit here like that. Either calm down or we'll go home now."
Benny sat on his hands and gave Kaden puppy eyes. "Shouldn't we anyway?"
Kaden scowled, because there might be unkind visitors intruding in their apartments. Worrying about going home was for later. "Not yet."
He whispered, "I can't stop picturing their faces. How are you so collected?"
Kaden put a hand on his knee and gave it a slight squeeze. "Benny, I've never been collected—not a single day. If you're asking how I appear collected, I've had two decades of practice."
"Oh." He dropped his eyes to his drink. "That's one of the saddest things I've ever heard."
"It's not sad, it's just a fact. I might come off like a soulless monster, but I'll get us through this. I promise. I need the same support you've always given me, though. Okay?"
"Okay."
She said, "Have you realized what this means? We're supposed to be dead." Once before, she'd experienced the surreal sensation, like she'd switched into an alternate universe that felt different but looked the same. Every second had seemed borrowed until she'd killed the man who'd ordered her death. This was worse, though. She and Benny didn't even know the killer's name, and the blast stripped them of all support and intelligence.
His voice squeaked. "It's so horrible."
“Back to just me and you. Do you want to continue the mission or run?” Neither option appealed to her one bit. Both presented a dangerous struggle to break free. The goons that could find VC's hidden headquarters could certainly track them down with enough time.
His eyes snapped up to meet hers. "Not running." The door opened and daylight flared in, grabbing Kaden's attention but not her gaze. Heavy footsteps walked toward the bar, and a low, smooth voice said, "Vodka coke with an orange garnish." Kaden relaxed at the fellow regular's drink order. She redirected her attention to Benny clutching and staring at his drink with furrowed brows, thinking so hard that it seemed like the ice cubes would lift into the air at any moment. He had more to say.
Kaden stayed attuned to the surroundings while she let him think. Keeping track of patrons was simple in early afternoon. Shelly turned on a baseball game. After Kaden had finished half the drink she'd intended to savor, Benny finally said with freshly slurred speech, "Remember how we decided Vigilant Citizens worked in the gray area? Sub Rosa normally does too, just a much darker shade of gray in my opinion. Today, Sub Rosa became a solid black. At least VC takes ending lives seriously.”
He clenched a fist and said, “Rose, my Rose…” he sighed. “She had an internship with NASA, you know. Taught me a thing or two about robotics. Everyone was in the office today, buzzing with a secret. Kaden, I’ve never felt more awake in my life. We're going to take Sub Rosa out.” He grabbed a napkin and wiped his running eyes and nose.
Kaden jerked her head back in surprise. The Benny she knew fielded her rants of vengeance and tried to inject reasoning into her, despite both knowing reasoning was no match against her unfiltered rage. Here, she should have reeled Benny in and said, "No, let's run. Sub Rosa won, they'll leave us alone, so we should take that vacation to Fiji and savor that we're alive."
Except she didn't even consider it. That was someone else, a responsible Kaden that existed in some other quantum realm. For her, vengeance was always the naughty item on the menu, like a steak and lobster surf and turf. And if even her sweet, affable Benny wanted surf and turf, it must be time for some damn indulgence.
She slid her hand across the table for a low-five and said, "They left the wrong pair alive. I can't wait to wipe the smug off his face."
Benny made perfect sense. Any apprehension over stopping Sub Rosa had vaporized alongside her colleagues. Sub Rosa had built an empire on others' suffering and would kill to protect it, making them no different than any other kingpin; in fact, the limitless reach made them more dangerous.
Benny slapped her hand with a smirk and said, “I'll have to start from scratch. Well, not entirely. I have most of my current project at home, but it won’t be of any use yet.” He took out his phone.
They each fell into their own thoughts. His genius needed to churn with someone that understood, and right now, that would be himself. The shock of the loss left their heads somewhat grounded today, but tomorrow, the fog of grief would shackle every attempt at thinking. Especially Benny, who had worked there full time and had made friends, while Kaden kept to herself. She would only miss Omar.
Ice cubes tinkled against each other in Kaden's empty glass. As planned, the alcohol numbed the grim reality that Omar was dead.
Benny looked beyond Kaden as he said, “The more time that goes by, the more likely they realize there were survivors. Dangerous ones.” He stuck the straw in his mouth, still looking beyond her toward the front door.
Kaden was gripping the table surface. She swore, let it go, then sat on her hands that kept betraying her. He continued sipping from the two tiny straws, stopping only to breathe, and seemed surprised when it slurped loudly. The glass smacked down, and he barked, “We need to stop drinking. I need my mind.”
Benny was falling into sorrow's depths. He wore his feelings on his face, and thank goodness the dim corner hid the immensity of his downward cast. His sorrow often amplified hers, and they had too much to do before giving in.
Kaden gave a curt laugh and stood. “Sorry, bud, this is how I keep my mind.” She approached the bar, clutching both empty glasses and savoring the pleasant warmth hugging her. Hopefully her eyes weren’t too glazed, and her smile wasn't crooked as she slid the glasses to Shelly. “Just one shot and one more tequila soda.”
An hour later, Goose crawled up Kaden’s leg. Kaden nudged Benny with her foot and said, “Your earpiece in?”
He put his hand up to his ear and said, “Yes.”
“Go ahead, Goose.”
“I’ve compiled a list of those deceased onsite.”
Benny declared, “No, no, no!” He deflated and closed his eyes. “I’m not ready to hear it, my little friend. Give me just tonight."
Kaden was cool with that. She was eight drinks in and cool with everything, and to show her coolness, she'd been sitting, leaning against the wall for at least half an hour. She pulled out her phone—and blinked. The screen displayed the impossible, a notification that Cori had both called and left a voicemail. She squinted at it, trying to remember if she really hadn't checked her phone since the morning.
The notifications were from an hour ago. Her voice stuck in her throat, and she croaked, "Cori called. Or whoever has Cori's phone called."
Benny's mouth dropped open. He closed it, then opened it again and said, "Did she, he, it leave a voicemail?"
Kaden pushed Play and put the phone on speaker between them. Kaden rested her head on the cool table as the voice of a dead woman pulsed through the device. "Even if you foolishly singled yourself out by running toward a wreckage, I was delighted to hear that you're okay. I hope that's still true. Omar left minutes before the bomb, but everyone else is gone." There was a pause so long, Kaden thought the message was finished
. Cori mumbled, "Let's get together tomorrow. I need to gather myself again."
Benny stared wide-eyed at her, and she stared back, swaying without the support of the wall.
He snapped from shock first. He stood and declared, "That's one way to sober up. Let's buy me a laptop."
"I got drunk." The words slurred, and she belched. Omar! Cori had mentioned Omar.
"No shit."
She could still give anyone a savage beating, though.
Seven
Once Benny purchased a laptop, he used Josie’s account to check the Sub Rosa forums. On the front page, a dealer confirmed a purchase was still on despite its proximity to a major terrorist attack in Boulder. Apparently, the dealer didn't know the difference between private messages and the public forum.
Although that dealer had stayed small compared to his competitors, he remained on Vigilant Citizens's watchlist because he'd been one of the first on the marketplace. The likelihood of the dealers being acquainted with the folks running Sub Rosa, or at least guarding its secrets, was just enough to act. Sticking their heads out was worth the chance of snatching one of Sub Rosa's loose threads. The shaky connection was all they had.
Hopefully the drizzle cleared before the deal went down. Ground moisture always added a slip hazard, which could make or break a job. The juice shop surrounding Kaden was quaint but not cozy, while the pizza restaurant next door kept its industrial vibe in line with the history of the neighborhood, adorned with metal décor and bright lights. Both shops allowed a view of the meeting spot, an alley that was easy to miss.
She sipped her strawberry-mint limeade while absorbing the surroundings, stopping only to catch her breath. The limeade balanced sweet and sour seamlessly, yet she hardly noticed through her contemplations. The area used to be dominated by the textile industry, sporting factories, warehouses, and dormitories for workers. For decades after the loss of the businesses, the neighborhood had been a step away from abandoned. With the recent boom in real estate, developers took a risk and converted hulking factory buildings into office buildings, then restaurants to feed the office dwellers. Patches of unused structures still dotted the neighborhood, and this juicery was an island, floating in the middle of the largest patch.
She glanced at the time and back to the motionless alley. The opening on the other side of the block showed cars zipping past. Few windows and trash cans lined the walls. Overall, it was barely dark enough to be ignored.
A green Jeep braked in front of the alley, and Kaden sat up straight on the stool. It backed into the narrow alley, giving enough room for someone to squeeze by. Kaden glimpsed a middle-aged, male driver and that there was no passenger. The SUV reversed until the dimness of the alley swallowed it. The driver stepped out, lifted the hood, and disappeared around the back of the SUV. Now to wait for the second party.
After a minute, he appeared again to place an oil canister near the front, probably to fake car trouble to passersby. Someone behind Kaden dragged a stool across the concrete floor, piercing Kaden's hearing and focus.
In turn, she eavesdropped on each conversation in the juicery; if anyone involved in the deal wanted to casually scope the alley, this was the spot. But the buzz only suggested this was a college student hangout. A loud slurp told Kaden she had finished the limeade, and she peered into the empty cup, disappointed that she hadn’t savored the treat. Too bad a second one would weigh her down. A prize for after, then. Perhaps.
With a sigh, she brought up her phone on the counter and pretended to browse.
Five minutes later, a woman ducked into the alley.
Kaden moved—the handoff could take seconds. Even though she was directly across the street, she still crossed at the corner to monitor the SUV during her indirect approach instead of bashing through the front door. As far as she could tell, each party was alone. The afternoon was dreary and the streets dead.
She reminded herself one last time that these people probably didn’t rig the store's explosion, and to prefer darts over the silenced .22 pistol. No killing if possible.
A hushed conversation wafted from the back of the vehicle. That she was walking into a dangerous, unpredictable situation washed away her calm as she walked around the SUV. Her body felt loose, ready for the retaliatory strike against Sub Rosa, however feeble in comparison. Kaden was miserably sober and ready for answers.
As she emerged into their view, Kaden said, "Car trouble?"
The woman ignored Kaden and slung a tote bag over her shoulder, which she didn't have a minute ago, while the driver grinned and said, "You got trouble. That's fer sure."
Kaden reached for her dart gun, and he charged.
The woman aimed a taser at Kaden's face. Kaden's reflexes overcame her surprise, and she snatched the taser and flipped it to send forty thousand volts into her heart, and in the same sweeping movement, sidestepped the man's charge and shot him with a dart gun.
The back of the Jeep swung open, and suddenly a wall of five men approached her. She strode back and wondered how they’d all fit. They were a range of body types, heights, and complexions, but all with bad intentions on their face. She stepped back more, until weightlessness wrenched at her torso. A gray cloth enveloped her as she fell through a large, rectangular open sewer. Both hands reached to grasp the asphalt’s floor, but her fingers slipped on the street’s wetness. A net broke her fall.
Another trap. She struggled for a few seconds to face the ground level above her. She aimed her .22, because forget not killing these jerks. Her other hand sawed at the rope with her knife, but it was too sturdy, made of plastic. Cutting free would take hours.
A voice said, "Ed was right about her. Bag her and let's move."
Kaden whispered, "Goose."
A head with glasses peeked from the daylight. She put a bullet in it.
A chorus of yells rose as she whispered, "Goose, your laser eyes please. Get into my hand so I can control the lasers." He obliged by crawling from her hoodie pocket, into her palm and going limp. She guided Goose to cut a hole, prioritizing her own stability. The rope sizzled, and the stench of plastic burning stung her nose.
"I don't think we can outgun her even if she's stuck."
Another man said, "Let's close the sewer and leave her. She's stuck anyway. How does that sound? You know how long it takes someone to die of thirst?"
Like she hadn't heard that one before. She concentrated on her escape.
A different voice. "Toss her the gas bomb. It's in the passenger seat. Throw it in there and give it a minute."
A portion of the net fell away, creating a hole toward the top for her to gracelessly crawl from. She climbed out. A spraying, hissing thing flew into the sewer. She snatched it midair and, holding her breath, tossed it further down the sewer, where it wouldn't bother her.
Her fingers clutched the street, and she pulled herself up. The driver grunted and maneuvered the unconscious woman Kaden had tasered into the back of the Jeep. Thankfully, the rainy day and the vehicle hid the pandemonium. Kaden's footsteps were like raindrops, pattering behind the cursing man, then she jumped, wrapped her arms around his head, and twisted. An ugly pop snapped through the alley, and both bodies dropped in a heap. She ducked and peered through the windows to spot the remaining three hustle along the other side of the Jeep, toward the open sewer.
One said, "We should’ve knocked her out immediately. That’s what we get for underestimating her."
She stalked them, waiting. As soon as they were in front of the hole, one said, "Where—"
She pounced. The question puffed from his lungs as he flew into the net. She rammed into another before he could understand the turn of events.
As he fell, the third man lunged for Kaden, but she ducked and kicked his legs out, sending him sprawling toward the hole. Snarling, he grabbed her thigh with both hands. He was almost double her weight, so her feet slipped along the pavement, threatening to pull her in too. She yanked a dart from her belt and stuck him. He stilled and slipped
into the sewer.
The men talked in raised voices, but she paid no attention to their words. Instead, she eyeballed the sewer grate, peeking out from behind a dumpster. She could lock them in.
Kaden said, "Any emergency calls to the police originating in this area?"
Benny replied via the earpiece, "No."
"Let me know if that changes. Goose, cut down the net in the sewer. One last challenge to their day."
She hopped into the open cargo area of the Jeep and crawled toward the seats. Passersby were living their day, hustling through the drizzle with hoods up and heads down.
The cab stank of stale cigarette smoke and BO. Empty coffee cups, various clothing items, white pills, and cigarettes littered the floor. In the back seat, she found an unopened yellow package. It was addressed to Bernard Gold and a PO box. The parcel was international, with Asian characters that she couldn't pinpoint to a language.
She kept it in her hand as she scooted her way to the front of the van. She tried the glove compartment to find a revolver and an orange bottle of pills, labeled “Alprazolam," the generic for Xanax. She pocketed the bottle and ruffled through the small stack of papers. She stuffed the registration into her pocket, along with an unused plane ticket. At least this wasn't a total failure.
She fled to the empty getaway car at the end of the alley, slipping on a patch of oil and water along the way. Now wasn't the time to agonize that they'd fallen for a trap, although it hammered at the back of her mind. She had to drive. Ugh.
When Kaden arrived at Benny's, she squealed in surprise to see Cori sitting at his dining room table, looking like a different person. She wore a Broncos jersey over jeans, and her sleek hair was loose, falling below her shoulders. And amazingly, she grinned back at Kaden.
Kaden ran over and they hugged. It was the first time she had touched Cori.
"I'm sorry about the trap," said Cori.
Kaden withdrew from the embrace and snapped, "Jerks got the better of us, again." Her chest tightened. She was a dumb brute. That usually wasn’t much of a deterrent for her line of work, but Sub Rosa seemed to know how to overpower their scrappy team. Sub Rosa might be the ones to give Kaden her dues. Her legs weakened, and she sat and managed a straight face.
Unleashed (End of an Assassin Book 3) Page 9