When Tom pulled up outside a terraced house in the city centre, I was forced to brave the cold. Wrapping my arms around myself, I realised why so many people got taxis to just outside the night club. If I ever did this again, it would definitely be my preferred method of transport – being an assassin paid well enough to afford to get a taxi now and then.
Tom looped an arm through mine to guide me to the nightclub and I let him, focusing my attentions on the people, the music and the stench of alcohol rather than where I was going. Tonight was going to be fun, I could already tell.
I loved the atmosphere more than I was expecting. No one was paying attention to me, but I got to listen to their excessively loud conversations and simply be an observer of other people’s lives. In another life I probably would have loved being a bartender.
Fishing around in my purse, I showed my ID to the bouncer on the door and he let us in. “This place is pretty grimy,” Tom admitted, his voice having risen to a shout to be heard over the pounding music, “but the drinks are cheap and there are always people in here. It’s a good place to start the evening.”
It was already nearly eleven, but Tom assured me we were early by all accounts and that it started to really get busy at midnight.
We were stood at the bar for a few minutes before Tom shoved me in front of him. “That guy is far more likely to serve you, seriously. I’ll just step in when he comes and pays attention to you.”
“No problem,” I chuckled, leaning over the bar and attempting to make eye-contact with the bearded man serving drinks. I had to admit I wouldn’t have minded a bit of attention from him – it was a good job I hadn’t had much to drink yet. Judging by what I’d done when I was with Jack, I was likely to repeat something equally as stupid tonight.
Tom took over, much to the bartender’s annoyance, when he asked me what I was drinking. “Here,” Tom handed me a green shot and a vodka and coke. “This will definitely get you started.”
We downed the shots together and laughed at each other’s faces, before starting sipping on the coke. “So what do you normally do on a night out?” I was forced to stand close to Tom just so we could hear each other, but it wasn’t the pleasant experience I got from being up close and personal with Jack. This didn’t get any reaction from me.
“Well, we chat and dance and drink, mainly. Hook up, of course,” he winked, gaze scanning the dancefloor. “Though I’ll really resist doing that tonight so I don’t leave you alone.”
I chuckled, my gaze also taking in the heaving mass of people who moved their bodies to the horrible music. I’d never been a fan of club music – it was bearable, most of the time, but the song currently playing was particularly bad. “I wouldn’t want to stop you getting laid, I’m sure I can handle myself if you find yourself predisposed.”
My eyebrows shot up when I noticed a couple approaching us. Jack in a proper shirt that clung to every muscle – especially his arms – and Ellie in a skin-tight dress that definitely showed off all her own assets. They were a gorgeous couple. “Happy birthday, again,” Jack teased, him and Ellie stepping into mine and Tom’s circle so they could be heard. “I thought you and Jenny were planning on watching movies all night.”
I shrugged, “Jenny and Tom conspired to get me to come out on my birthday, so here I am.”
“I see.”
We went through the introductions for Tom and Ellie’s sake, before other people that Tom and Jack and Ellie knew respectively started appearing. I was in a huddle of nearly fifteen people in no time and had managed to receive just as many happy birthdays.
At some point, I found myself next to Jack, much to my delight. He handed me a drink. “Here, you’ve been drinking vodka, right?”
I took it from him with a nod, glad to have been saved from the small talk with people I didn’t know. “Yeah, thanks.”
“What do you think of your first night out so far?”
I shrugged, “it’s been better since you guys turned up,” I tried not to flush at the implication. “Tom’s cool, but I wouldn’t have wanted to just be with him all night.”
“I don’t think he would have minded,” Jack’s eyes strayed to where Tom was flirting with another girl. “I think it’s also been better since we ran into you.”
It was impossible not to grin as I took a large gulp of the drink Jack had just bought me. “Hey, I really love this song, you want to go and dance?” I lied with a tap of my foot.
I was pushing my luck and we both knew it, but Jack just shrugged and downed his drink. “I can’t refuse the birthday girl.”
He didn’t take my hand as he led me onto the dancefloor, but I dared to rest my hand on his back so that I didn’t get lost in the throngs of people. There was no need for us to go this far into the crowd, but my heart beat faster the further we got from our friends and my fingers tightened against the hard muscles of his back.
Once we were completely lost in the crowd, with people practically pushing us together from every side, Jack turned to face me. He didn’t touch me, but he began to dance with subtle movements that I found incredibly sexy. I tried to copy him, before laughing. “I don’t even know how to dance to this music.”
“Do you even like this song?” Jack raised an eyebrow and my cheeks burned a bright red.
“I can’t think of any reason why I’d have asked you to dance if I didn’t.”
Jack smirked himself, knowing it was best to just roll with it rather than to actually have a conversation. He either needed to excuse himself or dance with me like we obviously both wanted.
His hand slipped onto my hip as he guided my movements. “It’s easy. You’re drunk enough to pull it off well,” he chuckled, not giving away anything when my hand rested on his chest.
I was being selfish and I knew it. Jack was here with his girlfriend, drunk because of what I’d done to his brother, and I was practically begging for him to kiss me.
I’d hate myself in the morning, but for now I revelled in the feeling of our bodies getting closer together. In my heels our height difference wasn’t as extreme and I was practically level with his face, with his lips.
His fingers bit into my hips almost painfully tight and the war in his face was obvious. That was what made me back away, even when every inch of my body was begging me to just go for it.
If I’d have kissed him, he would have kissed me back.
“Come on, we should go back,” I shouted over the music I hated, dropping my hold on Jack completely and saving him the guilt that would come if I pushed him to kiss me now. “They’ll be wondering where we’ve gotten to.”
“Let’s make a detour via the bar,” Jack replied, linking his fingers through mine to drag me out of the crowd without falling over, but dropping it as soon as we were out. “I think I still have plenty of capacity left for alcohol.”
And we made a conscious effort not to let ourselves slip into an awkward silence before we re-joined the group. “So, what else did you get?”
“The dress from Jenny,” I beckoned to my tightly clad body automatically, before solely regretting it. “And the shoes from her parents, and some wine and some chocolates.”
Jack opened his mouth, but closed it again promptly. “Cool.”
When we got back to the group, Jack whisked Ellie away to the dancefloor immediately and I really tried not to regret having been the bitch that put him in a bad position. We were both drunk and it would be forgotten in the morning. There was no need to hate myself on my birthday.
Tom wrapped an arm around my shoulder and brought me into the fray the moment I returned, slurring about something or other and I found myself laughing along, only looking over my shoulder to see if I could spot Jack every now and then.
I still ended up having a great night.
And in the end, Tom went on a mission to find Jack and Ellie to see if they wanted to share a taxi after I’d confirmed Jack lived near to us. Part of me had wanted to say I didn’t know where he lived and just pay for i
t myself… and the other part desperately wanted to see Jack one more time before the night was over.
I listened to the devil on my shoulder, like normal.
Ellie ended up sitting in the front, since she was the most sober of all of us and I was in the middle, sandwiched between the two guys in the far too cramped space. Jack’s leg was pressed against mine and his heat seeped into me; I wondered if he felt it, too.
My house was closest, so it had been stupid that I sat in the middle really, but Jack undid his seatbelt the moment we got close to my apartment, hopping out to let me exit the car. I handed him some money, hating the way my fingers brushed against his hand.
We didn’t say anything until the very last minute, when Jack’s fingers brushed against my backside and he whispered “you look really gorgeous,” in my ear before slipping back into the car.
I walked back into my apartment with a blazing face and the widest smile I’d had all night.
Chapter Thirteen
Trying not to fall asleep was almost an impossible task this chemistry lesson. I should have learnt by now that starting a new book in the evening was a bad idea, but I’d done it anyway, and I was paying the price. The soothing music from my well-disguised headphone wasn’t really helping either, but it was proving a good distraction from Mr. Bradley’s patronising tone.
“You’re drifting again,” Jenny’s voice forced me to drag my eyes back to the whiteboard.
“Thanks.”
My text alert cut through the best part of my favourite song. Something interesting must have happened for Tom to be texting me in lessons. Maybe someone had mentioned another party coming up.
Derek’s dead. I’m outside in the car.
All colour drained from my face and my hands shook as they held the phone under the desk. Derek was dead. Derek, the veteran, living on the top floor for the past twenty years, was dead.
This wasn’t a job gone wrong clearly, the fact Dale was outside himself told me that much.
A deep breath did nothing to soothe my nerves as I raised a tremoring hand. “Yes, Ilona? This had better be important.”
“There’s been a family emergency, I need to leave.”
My tone was apparently enough to convince him. “Okay, make sure to sign out on your way out.”
I gave a swift nod before scampering from the classroom, more than aware of Jenny and Jack’s eyes trailing my every move. I’d think of something later. Right now I just needed to get out of here and find out what was going on.
But when I reached the front entrance, my feet ground to a halt. There was someone out there waiting for us, and I was a free target the moment I left the school.
Dale rolled down a blackened window and gave me what was almost an encouraging gesture. It wasn’t like I could stay in the school building forever, anyway.
“What happened?” I demanded, slamming the door unreasonably hard behind me. “What’s going on? Derek’s really dead?” I was ashamed to say I’d spoken to him less than a dozen times since joining the Sheffield branch. I didn’t know anything about him.
“Sniped down whilst doing some shopping.” Dale was angry – furious, even – and it was terrifying. Any emotion from a man who normally wore a mask of stone was incredibly disconcerting. “They’ve clearly decided it’s time to make a move.”
“Where are Glen and Violet? Safe?”
“They were already at the apartment, they’re fine.”
“What are we going to do now?”
Dale ran the third red light in a row. “We’re going to get the stupid Rafflesia guy in as soon as school gets out. We need information, this game has gone on long enough.”
My face paled. Getting rid of that idea was currently my main objective. “I have a better idea.” The look Dale shot me through the wing-mirror was utter disdain. “Send me round, let me get the information. I’ve been there enough times that it won’t look as suspicious as if you just lift him. I can get the information from Jack, I know him. I know what buttons to press. May as well let me go and see if we can still get some kind of surprise attack on them. We want every advantage we can get, right?”
Dale was loathed to admit that I might have an alright idea. I thanked the gods I did, too. I was no longer concerned about torture, I could convince Jack to tell me everything and I knew it, but if the men he was working for knew and Dale released him he definitely wouldn’t survive.
“Fine, I’ll drop you there the moment he’s home. If you don’t get the info you know what to do.”
I wouldn’t do it. I needed to find some way of getting Jack out of this, even if it was reciprocating his advice and telling him to get as far away from here as he could. “You should let me go alone. It’ll be less suspicious. I really don’t think they’ll kill me.” It was almost true. I got the distinct feeling they wanted to play with Jack a bit more after his reluctance on the phone. I’d be last.
“No. I’m not losing anyone else today.”
“Seriously, just let me do it. I’ll only be out of the car for a couple of seconds before I’ll be in his house.”
“Fine, just be careful.”
***
Jack’s conveniently placed window wasn’t a welcome sight today. Things had been put in motion with Derek’s death and it was guaranteed to end poorly. Still, I’d do as much as I could to protect the few people I cared about and hopefully that would make a difference.
Feeling exposed, I decided confrontation was better than a bullet to the brain. Jack’s room was empty and so I perched on the edge of the bed. My muscles ached and I longed to just curl up and sleep. If Jack’s mother decided to come in I probably wouldn’t have enough cognitive function to come up with an explanation.
I could barely bring myself to peek when the door opened. My eyes widened at the sight I was greeted with, though. A fresh from the shower Jack that was missing a shirt. I took note of every contour of his defined chest before averting my eyes. “Sorry, I didn’t have the motivation to deal with whoever answered your front door. The window was more inviting.”
“It’s no problem.” He slipped into a shirt. “What’s wrong? What was that about in class?”
“You really have no idea, do you?” His blank expression was answer enough. I wasn’t sure whether Jack being out of the loop was good or bad. “Derek’s dead. He was sniped down earlier, Dale came to pick me up from school.”
“Shit, no, I didn’t know. I would have told you.”
“It’s fine, it’s not your fault anyway.”
“Why are you here?”
“You have to tell me everything you know.” It was blunt and the truth. There was no way of getting around extracting his information. Dale would accept nothing less now and truthfully, I didn’t want everyone in the Guild to die. They might be somewhat shitty people, but being taken out like that wasn’t fair for them.
“I can’t do that-”
“You have no choice. It’s either tell me now or tell Dale. This is the best option, trust me.”
Jack took a seat beside me. “Fine. After Simon’s death, I kept getting texts and e-mails saying that I could find out who killed my brother if I went and met them. I ignored them until they attached a file of you shooting him. After that I had to go and see what they knew. I met them in a public place, and the guy who I met was called Brian. I don’t know whether that’s his real name or not. Look, Ilona you have to understand that I’m the lowest of the low here. I don’t know anything at all. I can give you where I trained and the names I was given and heard.”
“As long as it’s really all you know there’s nothing more you can do. Dale will be satisfied with that.”
Jack nodded, retrieving a pen and paper and beginning scribbling a small list of words. “Dimitri, he’s the top guy. Never met him, don’t know what he looks like and I’ve only heard his name a handful of times. But he’s the one running it all, I’m positive.”
I took the list and memorised the information just in case I som
ehow managed to lose it on the way home. “Thanks. I’m really sorry I had to do this.” I stood up. All I could do now was see what Dale had to say. “I’ll text you if I need to.”
Jack stood too, grabbing my arm in an uncomfortably tight grip. “Stay safe.”
My smile was weak. “I’ll do my best.”
Chapter Fourteen
There was nothing more to be done. Dale had ordered lockdown whilst he got in touch with Jasper, the UK assassins’ main man in London. This had gone beyond even Dale’s control at this point - I’d never heard of anything like this happening before. The fact the Fae existed wasn’t known to any humans at all, as far as I was aware.
The Reluctant Assassin Page 10
