The Black Knights

by Matilda Reyes

  “I don’t know. Wake up Hernandez and talk to him about this. He’ll know how to treat you. You might just be on an adrenaline high, but after what you told us, I wouldn’t be surprised if they’d slipped something in your drink. This is why we have plans! Dammit, Nicholas! I will strangle you when you get back.”

  “Hey,” he barked. “Chill out. I’ll handle it. What happened to trusting me? I’m sorry for what I’ve done to you, but that still doesn’t give you the right to crap on my shoes.”

  I didn’t trust him, not with this, not now. He could have said anything to those cult members and not remember. And he’d just ruined that apology. Oh, he was so dead. I took a deep breath.

  “Go wake Hernandez. Call me when he knows what’s going on with you. I will not focus until I know you’re okay.” I softened my voice with that sugary sweetness that he adored, the only thing that seemed to get through his thick skull. I could bark orders all I wanted, but he only heard me when I sounded like a dopey girlfriend. I’d have to handle that once I knew he wasn’t dying.

  Nicholas let out a deep breath. “Yeah. The drugs must mess with my system. I’m sorry, sweetheart. I know I keep repeating myself. I mean it.”

  “It’s okay. Call me. I’ll be waiting.”

  As soon as he disconnected the call, I flung my phone across the room. It slammed into the wall and clattered to the floor. I got ready and stormed off to the gym.

  §

  The foul mood swirling around me hadn’t dissipated by the time I reached my office. Not even Mikael’s delivery of the perfect cup of coffee and my favorite breakfast calmed my rage. Much to my disappointment, my phone hadn’t shattered in a million pieces. I craved destruction on a small, petty level and I couldn’t even get that. Nicholas hadn’t called me back, and I was loathed to wake up the team if he hadn’t done it already. He was an adult, and if he wanted to die from drug poisoning, I couldn’t stop him, the jerk.

  Sue me. I was pissed off.

  I snapped and snarled at Voss when he came in to discuss our upcoming staff meeting and inventory levels. I considered throwing my stapler when one of our younger assassins came in to ask if he could replace Candice because he’d heard she’d messed up on the mission in Los Angeles. And I fantasized about ripping Jordan’s head off when he showed his face. Why? Because he showed his face and that always foretold trouble. He ignored my death stare and sat down across from me.

  “Last night. Was that real?” he asked with no preamble.

  “Yes.”

  “So everything you said, that Ashor said, that was all true?”

  “I know it’s hard to stomach, but yeah.”

  He nodded and met my eyes. “A lifetime of five a.m. workouts, huh?”

  I smiled. “We’re not obligated to stay together. You can live your life, or many lifetimes, however you want. I wish I’d told you sooner.”

  “I might not have believed you.” He cleared his throat. “Any word from St. Nick?”

  Scowling, I glanced at my phone. “Earlier this morning. I’m assuming he’s still alive since no one has called.”

  “Explain.”

  So I laid out my reasons for thinking he was drugged. “I think I need to fly out there. If he’s sped things up, if he’s given himself away, we might have to move faster than we’d planned. The team can’t go up against Carlo without me. I won’t let them.”

  “We’ll have to fly commercial again,” he said, the tiniest hint of a smile playing across his lips. “The jet is in Van Nuys.”

  Shit.

  “No problem,” I bluffed. “We should book the full team, including Mikael, get out there. My gut is telling me that things will happen a lot faster than we expect. Pick the members. I’ll make sure that Mikael gets our tickets as soon as possible.”

  Jordan called out for Mikael and Voss, his voice echoing down the hallway. A hush fell over the bullpen outside my office, and I heard someone asking around for them. A chain reaction spread and within moments, the entire floor was seeking them out. Mikael hurried in ahead of Voss with a bag of food in his hand and a scowl on his face.

  “Voss, who’s your second in command? Can they run the show for a few days while you’re out of town?” Jordan demanded.

  “Coraline. She can do this job better than I can. Why?”

  “We’re going to Los Angeles. Boss wants the best people in the field, and it’s about time to shake off those cobwebs. You too, Mikael.”

  “Why now?” asked Voss.

  “A strong gut feeling,” I said. “I think Nicholas was drugged last night and I think that whatever is going to happen, this confrontation with the cult and maybe Carlo, will happen sooner than we expect.”

  Mikael nodded and jotted down a few notes. “Commercial flights leaving today and tomorrow. Renting another house nearby to fit everyone. More vehicles. Weapons?”

  “I’ll take care of that,” said Jordan. “I know a guy.”

  Snorting, I rolled my eyes. I know a guy? What a line. On the flip side, I could have done to have a few guys of my own. “Fine. Try to get us on the latest flight out of here so we can get work done. Pack for a week. Hopefully, we’ll be home before then.”

  “Is Nicholas okay?” asked Mikael.

  “Hell if I know. I’m assuming that he’s fine. Hernandez would have called to tell me otherwise.”

  “St. Nick will be fine. He’s under the patronage of who knows what deity that has kept him alive for this long,” said Jordan. “And I feel obligated to keep him alive.”

  Oh. That’s who he had been talking to Ashor about. I made a note to thank Ashor for solving one of my relationship issues. Jordan wouldn’t ever kill Nicholas. That was something.

  “Fantastic,” I drawled. “Let’s go.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  MY SEAT BETWEEN JORAN AND Mikael was only slightly better than the one on my last flight. At least when I fell asleep, it was Mikael’s shoulder that offered me comfort. But it was Jordan who crowded my space, taking up the armrest even though he tried to share. Mikael stared out of the window and said nothing, claiming to have a vision-induced headache. I would induce a headache for Jordan if he didn’t back off.

  My team comprised good guys. Yeah, we killed for a living, but mostly, they were well-mannered people. They held doors and carried my bags, not only because I was a woman, but because I was the boss. Jordan, swearing that he led by example, carried my stuff and kept a solicitous hand on my back the entire way. By the time we made our way to the house, I’d given up on fighting his overprotective routine. It was too exhausting. The new house, a mere ten minutes from where the initial team was staying, better suited our needs. This time, I had my own tiny bedroom. It must have been a closet at one point because it fit a twin-sized bed and a dresser. Either way, it was all mine. There were four bedrooms plus my small space. Each room held two men and their gear. The living area comprised a sitting room, dining room, kitchen, living room, and a small game room attached to the garage.

  At my request, we hadn’t told the initial team we were coming into town, at least not in this capacity. The flight landed at one in the morning, Pacific time, and I was wiped. I said goodnight before passing out in bed.

  When morning came, I showered and dressed before anyone stirred and found Jordan waiting for me, ready for a run or a workout. We ran around the neighborhood and traced a path between the two safe houses before heading to that same park we’d visited.

  “Hernandez knows,” said Jordan as we stopped for a break. “Voss told him not to say anything. I trust his word.”

  “I want to be there for their morning meeting, although I don’t think all nine of us should show up.”

  “Agreed. Mikael volunteered to stay behind and run the show from the house. I guess that he doesn’t feel confident yet.”

  “Great. That’s one less argument. I think you should also stay behind.”

  “No. Not happening.”

  “I don’t need a bulldog to enforce ever
ything I say. Voss will be fine.”

  “Let me guess. You don’t want to upset St. Nick.”

  I dipped my head in acknowledgment. “There is that, but back off or at least take back the job. You can’t have it both ways.”

  Jordan walked over to a nearby bench to stretch out a cramp in his leg. He frowned and said nothing for a long moment. “I back you up. Period. If someone has a problem with it, they can deal with me.”

  “That’s the point! They should fear me, not you.”

  “You don’t get it, do you? I protect you from doing something you’ll regret. If someone has a problem with something you do, I don’t want you to lose your temper. You could kill us all and would have to live, assuming you did, with regret. And yeah, I’ll protect you from the stupidity of others. Serve by your side, remember? Deal with it.”

  “I hear you, and I appreciate it,” I said, “but relax. If you had it your way, you’d stop me from breaking a nail.”

  He curled the corner of his lips into a wry smile. “Exaggeration. Maybe you’re right, and I’m overprotective. And maybe I can be a bully.”

  “Maybe?” I scoffed.

  “Maybe,” he allowed. “I can’t promise I’ll change overnight, but I’ll work on it.”

  I eyed him. “There’s no getting around you, is there?”

  “Nope. I won’t ever hold you back when it’s necessary, but I’ll fight all your other battles,” he said, wincing as he lifted his other foot onto the bench and pulled on his toes, “Voss would make less of a statement. You’re right to bring him.”

  “Good. I don’t want to start my day arguing with you. Gods know that I’m walking into a whole load of heated conversations.”

  “Don’t let him get to you.”

  “He tried to apologize for making me look bad,” I said, not looking at him as we jogged again. “But then he ruined it by being a jackass. Never mind, I shouldn’t talk to you about this.”

  “Why not? Are we not friends?”

  “Sometimes,” I allowed.

  “Since I’ve come back?”

  I smiled. “Yeah, I guess we are now. I’m sorry I cried all over you. Friend or not, it’s embarrassing.”

  “You’re carrying a lot, and he’s making it worse.”

  “He doesn’t know. I never told him anything because he would have just used it as another reason for me to quit.”

  Jordan scoffed. “What an idiot. St. Nick strikes me as the guy who wants to be the big man of the house, coming home to the little happy homemaker. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but it’s not you. Or is it?”

  I shuddered. “Definitely not me. I don’t think I’ll ever have a normal life. I can’t, not with the whole immortality thing. I haven’t told him, not that it matters anymore. Why would you even ask?”

  “I’m not sure your soft touch with him is an act. If Voss, Mikael, and I weren’t sitting in on those conversations, my gut tells me that you would have taken his crap instead of putting him in his place. You seem confused about what you want, and I think it’s clouding your judgment.”

  “We broke up,” I said, crossing my arms. “I can’t just turn off my feelings, as much as I want to do it. We were together a year. He makes me second guess myself. Sometimes I wonder if I’m the one who’s in the wrong.”

  “This is what I’m talking about,” he fumed. “He twists you around, and you keep taking it. Can’t you see that this dynamic is unhealthy? He’s poisoning you and, through you, he’s poisoning the assassins and the work we’re trying to do.”

  “How do I find a balance?” I asked. “I’m torn in so many directions. Nicholas needs all the support he can get and only responds well when I say what he wants to hear. I care about him and worry for his safety, but I’m his boss. I don’t know what to do.”

  Jordan growled low in his throat. “I abhor him. He disgusts me with the way he speaks to you and the way he makes you feel. You do not understand how happy I am that you broke up with him. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to hurt him in ways that would leave him crippled. He doesn’t deserve you. But,” he sighed as I opened my mouth to protest, “he’s one of the good guys for now. We need him, and he needs you. That means you need to be in a good place, no matter what I think or feel. I don’t mean you should forgive or date him again. You shouldn’t put up with his bullshit, but let him think that you care.”

  I said nothing as we ran again. My mind was full of Nicholas and his failed attempts to win me back. Of Jordan and the way he made me feel. Of that almost-kiss. I didn’t know how to process my feelings and the mission logistics in the same breath, so my body reacted by tripping over my own feet. The ground came up fast, but I landed on a cushion of air. Jordan’s hands grabbed my arms from behind and kept me from kissing asphalt by mere inches.

  “Thanks,” I gasped as he hauled me to my feet.

  He looked me over for any injuries. “Next time I decide to be honest, I’ll make sure you’re sitting on something soft where you can’t hurt yourself. Or maybe I’ll just keep those thoughts to myself. We should go back if you’re going to make it in time.”

  §

  Voss stepped out of our procured vehicle, his hands still shaking. It wasn’t my fault that he’d been traumatized. I warned him that I’d only had my license for a year before moving to the Order. He still let me drive. Totally his fault.

  “Dude, breathe,” I said. “We made it in one piece. It’s all good.”

  “I’m driving on the way back,” he threatened. He snatched the keys I handed to him with a scowl. “How could you be so talented yet such a bad driver?”

  I shrugged. “When this is over, you can teach me to how to drive. I’ll even pay you.”

  “Not for all the overtime in the world.”

  We walked up to the door of the safe house and paused. “Ready for this?”

  “I’m not the one about to piss off my ex-boyfriend. Are you ready?”

  “For all intents and purposes, I’m his boss, nothing more.”

  Voss snorted and rang the bell. Behind the door came the sounds of feet shuffling and slides of weapons being racked and made ready. Hernandez hollered from the back of the house to stand down. The locks clicked open one by one, and a harried Nicholas opened the door. He was fresh from a shower, his wet hair standing up at odd angles and his shirt hanging from his lean frame. He was barefoot and scowling.

  “Jas? What the hell?”

  “What a welcome,” I drawled. “How are you feeling?”

  “Stunned.” He nodded at Voss. “Hey. Come in. Why are you here?”

  “I’m well, thanks for asking. The flight was smooth. I’d love coffee if you have any,” I replied, struggling to keep the snark out of my voice. Nicholas narrowed his eyes, and I swore that he was close to retorting. Instead, he led us into the living room. He took my jacket and gestured for me to sit. Voss joined me and lowered himself onto the couch. He looked every bit as uncomfortable as I’d have ventured Nicholas felt. “We belong here,” I whispered.

  “I know. The tension is thick.”

  Nicholas called to the others and announced our arrival. Hernandez greeted us with the usual warmth as did Jones. Smith nodded to us in that aloof way of his. Candice and Marin were more reserved with solemn nods of their heads.

  “Don’t mind us. We’re here for your morning meeting. You’ve had a wild couple of days. Where’s Brett?” I asked.

  Nicholas disappeared into a back bedroom and retrieved our prisoner. He and Brett shared a whispered joke and laughed. Watching them, I ground my teeth. He apparently didn’t get the message I’d all but shouted at him the day before. Prisoner equaled bad. We did not play with them, no matter how amusing we found them.

  Brett, to his credit, recoiled in fear when he saw me sitting on the couch. He clutched his wrist, still raw from my warning burn and walked backward. Nicholas took his arm and led him forward to a seat far away from me and sat next to him. If I hadn’t known better, I would
have thought that Brett was a threatened witness in a high-profile case and Nick was his handler. Ugh. This was wrong. Next to me, Voss arched a brow that spoke volumes. He’d seen the same and thought as little as I did.

  “Gather up,” called Hernandez. The team gathered in the living room and looked to Voss and me expectantly.

  I blinked. “Pretend we’re not here. I’m just observing for now.”

  Hernandez nodded and turned to the rest of the group. “We spoke about this yesterday, but it bears repeating. What happened two days ago cannot happen again. Nicholas, you cannot leave without telling us where you’re going. We need to scout out the area and prepare for potential threats before you set foot outside. This is for your safety and the integrity of the mission.”

  Nicholas stared at his hands and said nothing.

  “Candice, it took over an hour before you noticed that they were missing. That is a dereliction of duty that will be handled. It’s clear that we need to back each other up better. Like we started yesterday, we’ll watch Brett in pairs. The only place we won’t follow you is in the bathroom. Too much freedom doesn’t work.”

  Nicholas raised his head and pinned Hernandez with a look. “I need to be more involved. If there’s a scouting mission, I need to be there. Everywhere. I need to know what everyone else knows.”

  “Not everything,” said Jones. “If you’re captured and tortured, you will give us all up. You can’t tell what you don’t know.”

  “Who says I’ll break?”

  Smith snorted. “We all have a breaking point. It’s only a matter of time and motivation. Just ask Brett. He and his friends broke.”

  Our prisoner gulped and hung his head. He mumbled, a garbled mess about wanting to save his life.

  “I shouldn’t be kept here as a prisoner. I’m a part of this team,” said Nicholas.

  Hernandez acknowledged him with a half-smile. “Trust is earned. If I allow you to go with them, you will be supervised. If you go off-script, you’ll spend your time here and in the backyard. There is no room for negotiation.”

  “But—”

  “No buts. You jeopardized the mission. It won’t happen again. Candice, you’re with Smith. Marin, with Jones. Nicholas, you’re with me.” Hernandez turned. “Boss? Anything else you want to add?”