by Mary Ting
“I’ll think of something. Something short.”
Zen examined me as if he would find the message on my face. “One more thing. Ozzie mentioned a charity gala in the West. Let’s talk.”
I nodded and gave him my sly, up-to-no-good grin. “I have an idea, but you’re not going to like it.”
He patted my shoulder, his eyes sparkling with calculation and interest. “Try me.”
Ava
Eight Years Ago
Mom caressed my cheek, and then pointed to the test scores on the screen. “You did very well. I’m so proud of you.”
I smiled and tilted my head onto her shoulder. “Thanks, Mom.” I felt hesitant to say what was really on my mind, but I said it anyway. “Do you think Dad is proud of me, too?”
Mom’s head jerked when I asked her about Dad. Perhaps the grief was buried so deeply she still hadn’t healed, even after ten years.
“Of course, he is,” Mom finally answered, but her tone was wrong. Like she’d forced the words.
“I understand why you don’t want any pictures of Dad, but I still don’t understand how it’s possible none exist.”
Pictures were stored in every person’s chip, so they can be preserved a lifetime. Unless Mom went to great lengths to somehow delete them because the memories were too painful.
“I already told you, Ava, and I’m not going to explain it again.” Mom’s face flushed and her tone grew sharp. She sighed. “Please, I already feel guilty for not having any.”
“Okay. Sorry.” I dipped my head. I had pushed too far. “I won’t ask about the pictures again.”
The crease on Mom’s forehead eased.
“I have to get back to my studying.” I tried to sound cheerful, but failed. It broke my heart watching Mom pretend everything was fine. I blinked away my frustration and rubbed the tears forming in my eyes.
I had opened an old wound and for what? For selfish curiosity? I’d never ask Mom questions about Dad again.
Mom tenderly cupped my face. “When life shoves you down, you get right back up. Be strong. Be brave, Ava. Be someone important. Remember my words.”
Present Day
I did remember them, for those words were tattooed in my mind. Back then, I hadn’t understood why she’d said them, but now all was out in the open—my father’s journal and the video. I knew she had forewarned me of hard times to come.
She’d known ISAN would come for me one day. I wished she had given me the truth. She should have told me about my father and what he had done. Even if she didn’t have all the facts, she should have prepared me better.
But what had she truly known? She hadn’t even known her firstborn lived.
Oh, Mom. They took so much from you too. What Dad had done was wrong on many levels. I didn’t care if he thought he was doing right by his children. He had played with our lives, and he would answer to me.
A little girl holding her mom’s hand as they strode out the door of the hotel squeezed my heart.
Not now, Ava. Focus.
They reminded me of what I cherished and missed. My mom was gone. I had been innocent and bubbly like that little girl once, but I wasn’t little anymore. ISAN had turned me into a weapon.
I blamed ISAN for her death, my memory loss, and Rhett. He was the reason for my confused but blissful heart. He’d flipped my world upside down and sideways.
Payback’s a bitch.
“Ava.”
Payton’s harsh whisper reeled me back. It was my first mission without a superior. Ours, who happened to be Mitch, had another assignment with his second team. His job was to pick us up.
Payton gestured at a man wearing a black trench coat and matching fedora—our target—as he entered the restaurant at Grayson hotel. Though I had spotted him several minutes earlier, I gave Payton a thumbs-up to let him believe he had.
I curved out of the snow-white pillar, my arm linked with Payton’s, and strolled in behind the man, keeping enough distance between us to avoid notice. We looked like a normal couple waiting to be seated.
“Good afternoon,” the pretty waitress chirped, her red lips curving a bit too high. “For how many?”
I arched my eyebrows, examining her fluffy skirt and skintight top.
Seriously? Stupid question.
“Table for two.” I brought my face close to hers. “One. Two.” I pointed at Payton and me and held up two fingers. “Him and me. That makes two.”
Payton poked my waist, warning me to behave. I jerked sideways and gave him the evil eye. My brooding mood had me on edge. Everything and everyone pissed me off lately.
Rhett hadn’t messaged me in a week. Did he not care anymore? It wasn’t fair to assume anything. I had no idea if his friends had been hit in the explosion.
I only knew he was alive because of his message—Whatever it takes. It had to be him.
The waitress gave me a nervous smile and escorted us to a table near the corner.
“Wait.” I glanced over to our trench-coat guy, and then back to her. “I’d like to sit by the window if you don’t mind. I much prefer the sun.” I offered her a wide smile, flashing my pearly-whites. But to her, my smile might have seemed more like do it or I’ll make your life miserable.
Her eyes widened and she flinched. Then she squared her shoulders and her lips twitched nervously.
“Sure, not a problem.” The waitress guided us to a table for two. “The menu will appear when you are both seated. You can order whenever you like.” Then she dashed to the next customer as if she couldn’t get away from me fast enough.
Good. You should be afraid. I can gut you easily. I sighed. What the hell, Ava? She’s not ISAN. Watch your temper.
I sat, placed my fabric napkin on my lap and observed my surroundings like a good, obedient assassin. A family of four sat to my right. Behind us, two friends clinked wine glasses, celebrating a birthday. To my left sat a single man, reading a newspaper while eating a sandwich. Just a peaceful, ordinary Sunday afternoon if you weren’t the property of ISAN.
In front of my table, the target—a political figure named Roth Palmer—laid his hat on his lap. A long mop of blond hair hung past his shoulders. After speaking quietly into his chip, he clicked it off and sipped his drink.
With Helix, my acute senses homed in on his blue eyes, the heavenly scent of coffee in his mug, and the words only someone like me could hear. “Beep me when you’re ready.”
The target peered up from his chip and locked eyes with me. I turned my head first toward the menu projected from the center of the table and ordered two drinks. When I glanced back to him and our eyes met again, I gave him my most seductive leer.
He did a double take, ogling me from my red wig and my heavy makeup, down to my business-like attire. I slowly curled my lips into a coy smile the way Diana had taught me. She would be proud, even though flirting made my skin crawl.
My mind drifted back to Ozzie. Ozzie had beautiful ocean blue eyes as well. He looked like a bear, but he had a warm heart. I missed his proud smile and the way he spoke with such earnestness and care.
Not now.
“Should we order something else besides drinks?” Payton leaned closer, his expression worried.
The sunlight in his hair reminded me of the time Rhett had offered me oranges. My mouth watered at the memory, how tenderly Rhett had wiped my cheek.
Citrus and an earthy, male scent filled the restaurant, overpowering the aroma of BBQ chicken and braised beef. On that rooftop, Rhett had embraced me like he never wanted to let me go, and I had combusted with intense desire.
The warmth of his strong arms cracked my armor, and like dandelion seeds, I had floated blissfully into the air when he kissed me.
No, I’d kissed him. Amazing. Fireworks. Everything a toe-curling kiss should be. My insides tingled, blazing and overwhelming all at once.
I wanted more than what he had offered that night, and when I thought Rhett had died from the blast, my world had crumbled. But then he’d sent me that message. The
message had given me new hope and turned me into a raging storm, ready to do what I must.
I realized on that rooftop; I’d found love under the night sky, among the stars, in the moonlight, with Rhett.
“Ava?”
Rhett faded away like morning dew.
“Ava.”
Payton’s sharp tone snapped me alert. His amber eyes, like Rhett’s, came into focus. Though Rhett and Payton looked nothing alike, there were similar features I couldn’t ignore. The way Payton’s hair hung low over his forehead, that perpetual smirk and strong jawline, made me think of Rhett all the freakin’ time.
Palmer stood, swiped his chipped hand over the table to pay the bill, and hurried off.
Memories of Rhett had bad timing.
“Pay.” I slammed my chipped arm on the table. After the red laser beams crossed over, I scurried after Palmer, Payton at my side.
Palmer got into the elevator, and Payton and I waited to get on the second.
“Mr. P is on the move.” I repeatedly tapped the front of my flat shoes, anxiety consuming me.
“What took you so long? Having a full meal on the job?” Justine’s sardonic voice passed through the transmitter behind my ear.
If I had, what are you going to do about it?
I ignored her. No time for a petty argument as Payton and I rode the elevator. Besides, Justine hated when I ignored her. The thought of her face scrunched up with narrowed, peeved eyes made me gloat.
“Shut up, Justine. That’s something you would do, not Ava.”
Brooke’s voice, however, sharp or not, made me smile.
And ... I had my own personal guard. I could always count on Brooke to speak in my defense. Sometimes I wished she wouldn’t, but I wasn’t going to stop her ... not today at least. I had more important matters at hand.
Justine had no retort, but the sharp hiss through my transmitter told me plenty.
As the elevator ascended, I took a moment to admire the beautiful view of the city. Beyond it, the remnants of the collapsed destruction waited to be cleared.
“What room?” Carefully, I brushed my dark gray pearl necklace, one of Kendrick’s inventions.
“Palmer’s room is 5026,” Brooke said. “We’re set and ready.”
Brooke’s voice tamed my anxiety for a second, but my heart thudded faster the closer we rose to the fiftieth floor.
“Kendrick’s new contact lenses show too many bodies on the other side of the wall.” Tamara released a heavy sigh. “Maybe we should abort.”
“No. We’ll be fine.”
The contact lenses picked up body heat, even through walls. Yet I didn’t need them, as my ability had strengthened, and I now saw hologram figures on my mental map.
Instead of praising Kendrick, I secretly resented the gadget. I wanted to be special, the only one with that unique skill. At least I was still the only one with a map.
Even after a week of mental training for this mission, Tamara still had a difficult time suppressing her fear. Russ had told me once, he believed Tamara also had a special gift besides heightened senses, though no one seemed to know what that was. But I knew—Tamara had the ability to sense a situation before it happened—almost like a clairvoyant. I had realized it the second she’d told me she felt too hot when we’d been on the trail maze, running from Mitch.
Sure enough, when we’d rounded the bend, fire blasted. I’d never told anyone about it. Tamara might not be aware of it herself. Some secrets were mine alone.
Justine, Brooke, and Tamara had checked into the suite next to Palmer’s while Payton and I tailed him, ensuring we didn’t lose him before he went to the hotel room and finished his transaction.
Palmer had a list of Remnant Council representatives that was not disclosed to the public, and he planned to sell it to the highest bidder. How much of this was true, I had no idea. All I knew was ISAN had been instructed to capture Palmer for treason. Considering ISAN’s habit of lying about our missions, the man could be innocent. But I had to play ISAN’s game until I found my family.
The elevator pinged. I looped my arm through Payton’s and we moseyed down the hall, several yards behind Palmer. When Palmer glanced at us over his shoulder, Payton backed me into the wall and we pretended to make out.
For a moment I let him rub his cheek against mine, let his hands roam my body. Except it wasn’t Payton or his hands. I’d escaped again to the rooftop. Rhett’s warm breath brushed the tip of my ear and I moaned.
I imagined Rhett kissing me that night under the stars, but then the image shifted. It wasn’t recent or made up. My mind zoomed through a tunnel of white in a flash, and then as if a lingering fog had vanished, it presented a clear scene.
An old memory trickled out of my slumbering mind, like a flashlight winking on and off. Rhett gently pressed me against the wall, like Payton had, and everything seemed right with the world when our lips locked.
Rhett’s kiss—deep and passionate. I wanted more as his fingers crawled under my shirt and idly circled my back. Then I was shirtless and so was he. Our hands explored every curve and angle of each other. The electrifying heat between us charged, crackled, and ignited. We could have set my room on fire.
His musky cologne surrounded me. Musky? No. Wrong. So wrong. Rhett smelled like citrus and earthy things.
Not Rhett’s smell.
Not Rhett’s.
Not Rhett.
As fast as the memory came, it threw me out.
I pushed Payton off me, harder than I meant to. “Don’t touch me like that again.”
Payton flew, back curving, and slammed against the opposite wall before he crashed to the carpet.
Crap. Get it together.
Payton had pretended to kiss me to throw off Palmer, not to mess with me. He had never flirted or given any signs of interest. In fact, he’d been nothing but kind and supportive.
“What the hell, Ava?” Payton sprang up. Raking his hair back, he craned his head down the hall after Palmer, who had already entered his room.
“Payton. I’m sorry.”
I had no time to explain and no explanation to give. My mind wasn’t on the mission. Some leader.
“Ava, I see movement. They’re coming down the opposite hall.” Tamara’s panicked voice startled me.
I corroborated through the transmitter that I saw the same thing. Payton and I crouched low as bullets whizzed by us. We had been found by Palmer’s bodyguards.
I activated my ISAN suit. My baggy black pants tightened around my legs to a snug fit, and my dressy blue blouse did the same.
Kendrick had designed a perfect outfit, clothes we could wear in public for surveillance and not have to change if the situation required an assassin. For guys, it was the same. With a quick command, the fabric became a perfect bulletproof suit.
“What’s going on?” Brooke asked in my ear. “Do you need our help?”
I ignored her, aimed the small Taser I pulled out of my pants pocket and fired. Pellets rained. Payton did the same. Every hotel had a security system, but Kendrick and I had gotten through because the metal used to construct the Taser wasn’t detected.
Fools. They should run. They’re no match for me and my team.
When they closed in, I yanked off my pearl necklace and tossed it at them. The pearls, designed to follow body heat, detached from each other and began to roll. They attached to the bodyguards’ feet and detonated in clouds of smoke, causing chaos and confusion.
I had my special gift, but Payton wore Kendrick’s contact lens, and he too could see the hologram bodies through the veil.
Thump. Thump. Several guards fell to our Tasers.
I approached and punched one in the face, spun and high kicked another square in the chest. Then I swiped my leg along the ground and dropped bodyguards flat on their backs.
My hits were powerful, precise. It only took one strike to bring down any guy that came against me.
Payton tugged the buttons off his jacket and hurled them at the sec
ond round of guards. They too found targets, but instead of smoke, electricity zapped through them and knocked them out cold. Still, as they fell, several men reflexively twitched their trigger fingers, and bullets rained down the hall.
Damn it to hell. Too many.
A bulletproof suit could only handle so much.
Using my surroundings as a tool, I hiked up the wall and flipped over the stream of bullets.
The door banged open and my team jetted out, firing their undetectable Tasers. With our Helix-boosted precision, the rest of Palmer’s men dropped.
Justine kicked open the door to Palmer’s hotel room.
I had expected his bodyguards to attack, but there was no one there ... except a man tied up and gagged, sitting on a chair. And on the sofa, Palmer’s trench coat and hat were neatly laid out.
The man tilted his head toward a closed door.
I whirled and rammed the door with my shoulder, my team behind me, pointing the captured guns. No Palmer. No guards. No signs of a struggle. Only the wind howling through a precisely cut oval in the glass, big enough for a body.
My team and I exchanged glances and ran to the window. Sure enough, Palmer and a handful of his guards skydived toward the adjacent hotel’s roof.
“Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God.” Tamara paced, a fist in her mouth.
Running short on patience, I almost slapped her.
“It’s going to be fine.” I locked eyes with Tamara and squeezed her shoulders. “I’m the one who’s afraid of heights, remember? If I can do it, so can you. I’ll go first, then you jump. The rest will follow after you. I’ll need you to watch my back, okay?”
I dropped my voice to calm Tamara’s nerves. Giving her a specific responsibility usually helped.
Tamara nodded, apprehension in her eyes.
Without a second to waste, I positioned my chipped arm to activate my flyer suit. Thanks to Kendrick again for the newly designed outfit. Fabric sprang out like wings, and I leaped through the window, a hawk after its prey.
I’m coming for you, little mouse.
An icy gust slapped my face, pushing back my hair. My wig was lost to the relentless wind that almost flipped me over. The tight fabric whooshed, and I dove like a missile.
