I followed her as she stepped up to a black helicopter I can’t really describe except it sort of reminded me of an angry bird of prey. It was sleek and all black except for the front of the cockpit where it was painted to look like some kind of falcon. If it had been far away I wouldn’t have been able to tell since it was all done in dark colors, but close up, well, it was hard not to notice the paint job.
Flash slid inside the machine like she stole helicopters all the time and gestured for me to follow. I did, but I felt a little bad about it. I wasn’t sure why, exactly. I mean these people had shot at us, and it wasn’t like I hadn’t stolen a helicopter before. I’d done it, twice. But that had been from the agency, not for the agency. I wasn’t sure why, but something about helping the agency was a little irksome. I knew deep down, I was doing this to save my father, Roberto, but still. Still.
Maybe I was making the wrong choice?
The cockpit slammed down around us with a pop that made me jump. Flash smirked, tossing a sidelong glance at me as the rotors overhead started to whip through the air. “Don’t worry, Abby. This is not, how do you say? My first rodeo?”
“That’s not what I’m afraid of,” I replied.
“Oh?” she asked, quirking one bleached blonde eyebrow at me. “What makes you afraid?”
“I’m afraid I’m going to be you when I grow up.” The words tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them. Once they were out there, a heavy silence settled over us as Flash examined me like I was a strange bug.
She turned back toward the controls, her hands flying across the controls. We were in the air when she finally spoke, turning to look at me as we zoomed through the sky even though she probably should have been watching the, uh, road?
“Abby,” she said very softly, and I’d have wondered if she’d spoken at all if I hadn’t seen her lips move. “You are already like me.”
It was silent after that even though I wished it wasn’t. I tried to think of something to say to that, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t even deny it because, whatever Flash was, I was worried she was right. There was a smoking compound in the distance that could attest to one simple fact. I was an agent of the agency and a damn good one at that. The realization made me want to throw up.
21
“Wake up, Abby,” Flash said, shaking me gently. My eyes fluttered open to see her leaning toward me, a friendly smile plastered across her face.
“Hi,” I replied, blinking the sleep from my eyes. I wasn’t quite sure how long I’d been asleep, but it was night outside. I could tell because there was a moon in the distance. “How long was I out?”
“A few hours,” she replied, not taking her chocolate eyes off me. “You looked so comfortable, I almost joined you, but someone had to pilot.” My cheeks must have flushed because she laughed and hit me lightly on the shoulder. “I kid.”
With that, she stood up and climbed out of the cockpit. I took another moment to orient myself to the situation before sighing. I was lucky she hadn’t gutted me in my sleep. It was sort of a sad thought in retrospect because all I’d done was doze off. I guess I lived in that kind of world now. You know, the one where your allies might gut you because you fell asleep around them.
I shook off the feeling as best I could and climbed out of the cockpit and hopped down to the ground. The grass was spongy beneath my feet, and as I looked out at the surroundings, I realized we were at the top of a high mountain staring down at a town that looked like it’d actually been carved from the rock itself.
“The director is here?” I asked, walking over to Flash who had her head inclined toward what looked like a billion olive trees.
“No,” Flash replied, still staring at the olive trees. “We’re in Delphi. You know, where Apollo’s oracle used to be.”
“Any particular reason?” I asked, resisting the urge to throttle her for taking me on some kind of wild goose chase. Surely, she had a good reason to bring me here. I just hoped it wasn’t so I could stare at thousand-year-old marble statues of long dead Olympians. “Are we getting our fortune told?”
“There is a man in that large house.” She pointed past me toward a squat structure with a ginormous red roof near the center of town. “You need to convince him to come with us.”
“Um, why would I do that?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest and giving her my best ‘you’re out of your damn mind’ look.
“He is valuable asset. They may trade the director for him,” Flash replied like that settled everything. “It is best plan. Bang agrees.”
“So I am supposed to go in there and convince some guy to let us trade him to the Israelis for the director? No one will go for that,” I snapped. Was she crazy?
“Then take him by force.” She shrugged at me.
“What if that doesn’t work?” I asked, wondering why I had to be the one to go get the asset.
“Then shoot him in face, and we do plan B.” She grinned at me and patted her sidearm. “You will like plan B. Lots of bang. Your style.”
I rubbed my face with my hands as I thought about what she said. Sadly, I was pretty sure I had to try it this way because I was pretty sure plan B was going to have me charging inside and shooting people. I wasn’t quite sure how many people I had to kill before I was officially a horrible person, but I was sure it wasn’t very many.
“Fine,” I grumbled and began walking down the hill toward the house. “Anything I should know?” I asked over my shoulder as I weaved through the olive trees.
“Try not to shoot him,” Flash said, coming up beside me. “The other target we can try is very far away.”
“I’ll do my best,” I muttered as we came to the street leading toward the house.
“Good,” she said, shoving a silenced pistol into my hands. “Try not to make big bang. It will be easier.”
“And while I’m in there shooting people with this.” I held up the weapon. “You will be doing what?”
“Waiting for your return.” She smiled at me and without warning, leaned forward and kissed me on the top of the head. “Good luck.”
She turned away and melted into the shadows as I stood there staring at her. That was certainly weird. It made me wonder if perhaps Flash had younger sisters or something. I had been raised as an only child because, well, I had no siblings. Maybe that was how older sisters acted? It didn’t matter, I guess.
I walked up to the house, and as I approached, the porch light came on, illuminating me. Thankfully my suit had already melded into a yellow summer dress so I didn’t look like a crazy commando, which was a plus. Without thinking, I knocked on the door. There was a rustle inside and the door cracked open, only I didn’t see anyone.
“Hello?” a mousey voice asked, and I looked down to see a blonde girl no more than five years old staring at me with piercing, strangely familiar blue eyes. She was wearing a Mickey Mouse t-shirt so long it fell to below her knees. My throat closed up. Oh no. Was I going to kidnap this kid’s dad? What kind of person did that make me?
“Julie? What are you doing?” called a woman from inside before I heard footsteps rushing toward the door. A moment later, the girl was replaced by an older woman who, judging by their similar hair color and blue eyes, was the girl’s mother. “You know you don’t answer the door for strangers,” the woman admonished, not even looking at me as my heart fell into my toes.
“Hi, I must be here to see your husband,” I said when she turned back to me. A friend of mine gave me his name.” I replied, annoyed I didn’t know his name. That sure would have made things easier. Then again, for all I knew I was supposed to kidnap the mom. I was just assuming it was a he because Flash had said he… God, I hoped it wasn’t this woman.
“And what do you want to see my husband about?” she asked, one golden eyebrow arching up her face as her lips tightened into a half-annoyed grimace.
“I’m a reporter for the college newspaper. My professor said your husband could give me an interview.” I blushed and looked at
my toes as I twisted my hands in front of myself. “Sorry, this is kind of embarrassing… I just really need the extra credit.”
She stared at me for a long time, and I got the distinct impression she didn’t believe me, which was fair since I was lying through my damned teeth. I had gotten pretty good at it, though. Why? The agency actually had classes on the subject. The key was to just go for it, evidently.
“If you’re busy, I guess I can come back…” I added when the woman huffed at me. “But then I’ll lose a whole letter grade…”
“Fine, you can come in, but lock the door behind you,” she said, throwing her hands up and gesturing for me to come inside. Toys were scattered across the brown carpet of their living room, seeming to overflow out of the corner where one of those red plastic toy boxes stood.
The girl rushed over to me as I stepped into the room. She held up what looked like a frayed blue Care Bear. “This is bear,” she said, thrusting the toy at me. “He’s my favorite.”
“Dear, she doesn’t want to see your Care Bear. Why don’t you sit on the couch and watch cartoons,” the woman said, throwing an annoyed glance at me.
“Cartoons!” the girl squealed, zipping away from me like a bat out of hell and throwing herself on the plush brown couch, practically sinking into it up to her eyeballs.
“Cute kid,” I said, and the woman glared at me.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” she rumbled, and I wasn’t quite sure why she was so openly hostile toward me. It was weird, no? She didn’t know what I was here to do after all. Still, the kid was making me feel guilty. “Of all the people…”
“Um, did I do something?” I asked, but instead of replying, she stepped into the hallway and rapped on a closed door with her knuckles.
“Stephen. There’s an agent here to see you. She looks mean.” With that, she turned and walked away. My heart pounded so hard in my chest, it physically hurt as I stared at the closed door, barely even registering when the woman shouldered by me and stepped into the living room. Surely it couldn’t be the same Stephen. I’d seen him take a bullet to the head after all. He was dead.
Besides, even if somehow he wasn’t, surely he would have contacted me, right? No. No. It was just a coincidence. It had to be.
The door opened a crack, but I didn’t see anyone. “Come in,” a horribly familiar voice said. My blood went colder than ice as I stared at the door, not sure what to do. My resolve turned to jelly, and I took a step backward, nearly screaming as my shoulders touched the wall. No. No, it couldn’t be him. Not him.
The door opened wider, and Stephen stared back at me clad a pair of tightfitting blue jeans and a thin white tank top. He had one hand behind his back, no doubt holding a weapon of some kind. His eyes met mine and his whole body tensed. Recognition flashed through his eyes, so many thoughts flitting through them it was enough to make my head spin.
My world, on the other hand, ended. I struggled to keep standing, to orient myself to what was going on as betrayal welled up inside me like a fountain.
“How?” we both said at the same time. I pulled my gun out because I couldn’t think of what else to do. Everything inside me went cold and sort of empty feeling as I shoved the barrel into his chest hard enough to make him gasp and pushed him back through the threshold of his own doorway.
“You’re supposed to be dead,” I squeaked, my voice choking off so much I could barely speak. Everything I’d ever felt about him came rushing back into me. I’d thought I’d loved him. Wanted him… wanted him to be my first. I’d killed to avenge him, to save him. I’d taken on the agency for him, and what had he done? Betrayed me. Tried to kill me. Tried to use my best friend against me. Made me fall in love with him…
This would have been so much easier if he had been alone and miserable. If he’d been lamenting how the agency had forced him to leave me, to do the things he’d done… but no, here he was. Sitting in a house with his family. His family. And he was perfectly fine with that.
“Abby,” he whispered, not even looking down at my weapon. “Abby, why are you here?”
“Why am I here?” I screamed, my voice shrill and harsh. “Why are you here? You’re supposed to be dead.”
“Do you want me to explain?” he asked, perfect blue eyes never leaving my own. “I can if you want. I could tell you whatever you want to hear.”
“It will all be lies, won’t it?” I asked, wanting to shoot him with every ounce of my being. I wasn’t sure if it would make me feel better exactly, but the urge to hurt him like how he’d hurt me was so strong, I almost couldn’t see past it. “Everything is just lies.”
He nodded once and reached out toward me very slowly. His shapely fingers came to a rest on my hand, and very gradually, he pushed on my hand. I let him. My gun fell to my side as I stood there staring at him, tears rushing to my eyes. Why couldn’t he have had the decency to stay dead? Then I could have kept lying to myself about his betrayal…
“It would be better if you were dead and couldn’t explain. I could say it was an agency thing. They brainwashed you.” I gestured at the room as he stood there staring at me, lips slightly parted. “But here you are in perfect health with your family and Jesus Christ you have a daughter… a daughter.”
“Abby—”
“I wanted to have sex with you. Wanted you to be my first. And you have a fucking daughter.” I shook so violently, it nearly made me stumble. It was all I could do not to hit him. I didn’t because if I did, I wouldn’t stop. I’d keep hitting him until he was a bloody splotch on the ground. Well, I wasn’t going to be the one to make his daughter an orphan. I was at least good enough to not do that. At least, I hoped I was.
I spun on my heel, intending to walk out, when his hands touched my shoulders, halting me. For some reason, I let him stop me.
“Abby…” He swallowed. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m going to walk out of here. I was supposed to kidnap you. To take you with me and trade you for the director. But now? Now I think I’m just here because Flash has a sick sense of humor.” His grip tightened on me for a second before he let go.
“Give me a second. I’ll come,” he replied and his words unnerved me.
“I don’t want you to come,” I screamed, whirling on him with my fists clenched. “You need to leave my sight before I kill you.”
“You seem to think you could do it. But the Abby I knew—”
“The Abby you knew is gone.” He took a step back, hands raised in supplication as I said the words. I gritted my teeth as he stood there looking at me, face unreadable.
“What do you want me to do?” he asked, voice strangely calm. “Whatever it is, I’ll try. I owe you that much.”
What did I want? That was a good question. I wasn’t quite sure I had an answer because just by standing there, he made me realize one thing. He was a snake. How angry could I really get at a snake for being what it was? Pretty goddamn angry.
22
“You got the asset,” Flash said just before I decked her across the face. She fell backward to the road clutching her mouth, her flashlight and gun skittering across the asphalt as I wrung out my hand.
“Yeah,” I said, jerking my thumb at Stephen. He was wearing a pair of black jeans and a fitted black t-shirt that showed off his muscles. It irked me because it reminded me of when I’d seen him after he had rescued me from Gabriella. Only that Stephen was a lie. This one could be too for all I know. Hell, those people might not really be his wife and daughter. Maybe everything was a lie. “Let’s go.”
I stepped past them and stomped toward the helicopter. Behind me, I heard Stephen helping Flash to her feet. “So why did you call me in?” he asked, voice quiet enough that I knew he didn’t want me to hear.
“The director has been taken by the Israelis,” Flash replied.
Stephen was quiet for a moment, and I heard them shuffling toward me. I slowed just a touch so I could hear a little better, matching my pace with theirs so our footsteps would
fall at the same time.
“Graham?” he asked, emotion clouding his voice. It was weird because he sounded sad. It made me sort of happy until I remembered the vampire could fake virtually any emotion. Then I just felt cold and angry.
“Yes,” Flash said. Graham? Who the hell was Graham and what did he have to do with anything? Why would he want Stephen enough to trade him for the director?
“Damn,” Stephen replied. “This isn’t going to be good.”
“Yeah…” Flash sighed. “I got that feeling.”
“You mean, you didn’t know?” he asked. “About Abby and I?”
“No…”
“Oh, we’re so screwed…” Stephen said. I wasn’t sure if they said more after that because I reached the end of the road and stepped out into the brush to head toward the olive trees hiding our helicopter. I supposed I could have waited, but I didn’t want to do that. I was pissed at myself about Stephen. I should have just shot the lying jerk in the face the moment I saw him. He’d betrayed me in every way possible, and here he was… How dare he be alive. The bastard.
In the end, I’d let him come with me. It pissed me off. My hands clenched back into fists as I moved. Why was I so pathetic? Why was I even doing this? For Roberto the supervillain? Maybe he was lying too. Maybe he wasn’t even my real father. If he wasn’t, I was going to shoot him. He better not die before then.
I swallowed as another thought struck me. Flash had said there might be a second asset we could use as a trade. Who could that be? Was it someone else I knew? Someone who was supposed to be dead? No… surely not.
If it was, would I want to see whoever it was? I wasn’t sure. Seeing Stephen had broken everything inside me, and while I wasn’t sure who it could be, I was sure I didn’t want to know. Did that make me a coward? Maybe.
But watching Stephen kiss his wife goodbye and hug his daughter for what could have been the last time ever nearly broke me. If it happened again, I was pretty sure even all the king’s men and all the king’s horses wouldn’t be able to put me back together again. This time, I was taking the blue pill. If that made me a coward, so be it.
Magic for Hire: An Urban Fantasy Novel (Found Magic Book 3) Page 13
