ABIGEALWHEN JORDAN and my target entered the house, Melanie and I were sitting in the living area. She was sucking on a juice box with her legs tucked up beneath her. Jordan immediately crossed the room to her and swept his eyes over her body searching for injuries. She smiled at him and he tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ears, looking into her eyes with an unreadable expression. It felt like I was intruding on a private moment, so I looked away.My eyes were drawn to Blaine and I frowned. He looked like he had been through the wringer. His hair was messy like he'd been running his hands through it and his blue eyes weren't as vibrant as usual. He took one look at Jordan and Melanie then sat down on the sofa beside me. I tried not to focus on the warmth of his nearness.“Progress?” Jordan asked, fixing his cold green eyes on me, but Melanie spoke up with a sinister smile. “Oh there's progress alright. Give Abigeal a minute to write it all up.”“Done.” I spoke, passing
BLAINEWHEN ABIGEAL stepped out dressed in all black, form fitting clothes and combat boots, I had to remind myself to look away and focused instead on something at the corner of the room. What was wrong with me? My family had been taken, and the dominant thought in my head was how good a woman looked in leather.I surprise myself sometimes.Guilt ate at me as I watched her sling a bag onto her shoulders, followed by a sudden fear that I might never see her again, along with Aunt Esme and the rest.I made to walk up to her, but Jordan beat me to it. He handed her the address he'd found off the car GPS and whispered something in her ear.Her expression didn't change, but I knew whatever he said couldn't have been pleasant.I walked up to her when he left and smiled. “I'd hug you, but you'd probably punch me in the face.” I said, attempting a light hearted tone.She looked at me, and I thanked my self preservation instincts that I hadn't actually hugged her, even though I still felt li
ABIGEALTHE HALLWAY was dimly lit, which provided a bit of cover as I crept through. I noticed sounds emanating from some rooms- laughter, voices raised in argument, two people fucking- while others were silent and not because they were empty. I concluded that the more important places had been fortified with soundproofing, and an idea came to my head. I found the two men who had dragged the boy out of the room. They were strapping him to a chair in front of a camera mounted on a tripod. The boy was looking with terrified eyes at the table next to him which held lots of sharp instruments and even a saw. I rolled my shoulders and stepped into the doorway. They immediately looked my way, eyes narrowing in suspicion. “Who are you?”“Jacques sent me to help.” I said casually, walking further into the room. They straightened; one of them discreetly reached for his weapon. “He didn't tell us he was sending anybody," one of them said. I shrugged. “I guess he didn't think either of you me
BLAINETHE LAST time I was this anxious was junior school prom. I'd asked out the prettiest girl in my class and she'd said yes, but everyone knew she'd had a crush on Jordan for the longest time so I was afraid she wouldn't show. Jordan had shown zero interest in her or the prom, and I thought she wouldn't come because he wasn't coming. Nervousness, sweaty hands, the whole deal.Tia Gabriela had taken me by the shoulders, looked me in the eye and told me that if the girl didn't show up, she was the one missing out not me and I shouldn't let my happiness depend on someone else. The anxiety faded soon after that. The girl did show up, and we had a blast, and ended up dating till senior year.Now I was wearing a path into the floor with all my pacing, looking out the window or checking my phone at intervals. Melanie was tracking me with worried eyes but I could sense Jordan getting increasingly irritated with every turn I made. I ignored him; it wasn't his family on the line. I was pr
ABIGEAL“I DON'T feel good about this, Abby.” Zeke's brown eyes shone with worry as he fell into step beside me.I smiled. “It's going to be fine. We just need to do what we were told to and we'll be out of here.”He bit his lip and looked around. “It seems awfully quiet.”“Hey.” I pulled his attention back to me. “I'm here, okay? I promise I won't let anything happen to you.”Zeke smiled at me, and I smiled back. This was how it was meant to be, my brother and I having each other's backs. Forever and always.But something wasn't quite right. Zeke's image started to waver, like a reflection on water when it was disturbed. I frowned. “Zeke?”Then the scene changed. I could feel the heat from the flames, from the explosion we'd narrowly escaped. I was running, running, yet I never seemed to get far enough. The smoke was in my lungs, choking me until I couldn't breathe.“Zeke, get out of there!”“I can't!”My eyes flew open and I rolled until I hit the floor on my hands and knees, cough
ABIGEALJORDAN CAME in as Blaine was laughing his ass off. He took one look at my neutral expression and his best friend almost falling off the bed and deadpanned, “I don't even want to know.”My eye twitched. Now Jordan thought I was a party to Blaine's madness, when in truth I'd been staring at him in horrified silence. All I did that set him off was make a comment about peeing. How was he so sure I wasn't serious? I mean, of course I wasn't, but how could he know.The Chief Financial Officer of one of the biggest corporations, laughing at a pee joke.It was a strange world.Melanie came in after Jordan, looking equally unsurprised. “Hi, Abigeal. How are you feeling?” She asked, walking over to place a Tupperware on my bedside table. “Hospital food's crap. I brought you something from the house.”“Thank you.”Blaine had stopped laughing and was wiping his eyes. Jordan closed the door, drew the blinds and walked to the centre of the room. “Now that you're up, let's talk
ABIGEALAS SOON as the car stopped in Blaine's driveway, I spotted the little heads peeking from the window and started to reconsider this whole thing. Blaine noticed my tension and chuckled. “Relax. They don't bite. Talk you to death, maybe, but they don't bite.”“Either way I'm dead.”He considered. “Yes, but you agreed to this. Too late to back out.” He said cheerfully and excited the vehicle, coming around to open the door for me. I put the crutches down and leaned on them to get out of the car. I'd vehemently refused to be confined to a wheelchair. At least this way, I still got to walk. Kind of.I'd hardly gotten to the door before it opened and the women came out. Esme smiled at me but I watched as her eyes swept over me in sorrow. “Welcome.” She said softly, taking my bag from Blaine and carrying it into the house. I stepped in, wincing at the splashes of colour everywhere.He waved his hand, gesturing to the whole place. “Well, mi casa su casa and all that.” He said with a
ABIGEAL“YOU'RE DONE.” Jacques smiled at me in triumph. “Didn't I tell you I wasn't going to let you go?” He said, tugging the boy he held in a vice grip closer to himself and pressing the gun tighter against his temple. The boy didn't look frightened though. He stared at me in accusation. “You promised you would protect us. Why do you make promises you can't keep?I kept my gun aimed at Jacques even as my arms trembled from exhaustion and sweat poured down my forehead. “I kept my promise to you.” This is a dream. This is a dream. This is a dream.“What about your promise to me, Abby?” The voice was different, no longer that of a small boy. I looked at him and my heart gave a painful thud. “Zeke," I breathed.But this Zeke looked different. He glared at me, his face twisted with anger and hate. “You said you'd never let anything happen to me. Why did you lie? Why did you let me die?”“Zeke, no. I never meant for this to happen. I would trade my life for yours in a heartbeat, you
ABIGEALI HAD to admit, leaving the country wasn't such a bad idea. It had been an impulsive decision, sure, but as I sipped a cocktail on a balcony while gazing at the stars, I couldn't bring myself to regret it.I couldn't remember the last time I hadn't been weighted down by one obligation or another. Whether it was finding justice for my brother, or trying to assassinate Blaine without him catching a clue.No. We're not thinking about him. Not today, not ever.The one thing I regretted though, was letting Anna have her way when she insisted on helping me pack because I didn't have the energy to argue. She'd taken out all my usual everyday clothes and put in their place flirty sundresses and cocktail gowns and bikinis that left little to the imagination, with a little note that said ‘Now you're ready for the other kind of smashing’ with a little winky face.I shook my head as I recalled. Not that the new wardrobe had done me much good. Every man that had approached me so far either
BLAINEEACH DAY, I wondered why I bothered coming into this office when all I did was drink and stare into space. I had a pounding headache and a hazy memory of the night before. Where had I gone?I remembered heading into a bar. I remembered talking to a blonde who looked vaguely like the girl I was trying to forget. It got hazy from there.Did I take her home? She wasn't there when I woke up and the disapproving glances from my aunts weren't more intense than usual, so no. I chugged Advil down with whiskey and almost laughed at the irony.I leaned back in my chair trying to piece my night together but I'd barely started when a voice interrupted me. “It’s a bit early for happy hour.”I tensed and tightened my grip on the glass. “It's happy hour somewhere,” I said casually.Footsteps walked further into the room. “I hear you've been terrorizing our employees in my absence," Jordan said.“If terrorizing means making sure they do their jobs and do it well, then yes, I've been terrorizin
ABIGEALTHERE WAS a knock on my bedroom door, but I didn't move an inch from where I was and just hoped the noise would go away. But it didn't. Instead, the handle turned and the door opened. I still gave no reaction, as from the voices I knew it was Anna and Melanie standing in the doorway. Melanie took one look at my ramrod straight figure sitting in a chair close to the window and turned to Anna. “How long has she been like this?”“I don't know. Sometimes she'd be up and about and talking, then she'd be back here. I'm not sure what to do,” Anna whispered.“You realize I can hear every word, right?” I said without looking back.“You were meant to.” Melanie walked further into my room and stopped beside me. “What do you think you're doing?” She snapped.I looked up at her and smiled vaguely. “Hi. When did you get back? You look great.” She and Jordan had taken a vacation to a country I didn't remember, since things were still tense with Blaine.As soon as his name came up in my th
BLAINE“WHAT IS wrong with you? What's wrong with all of you?” I snapped, flinging the pieces of paper that my employee just handed me in the air so they scattered and fluttered around. “All the fucking numbers are wrong. I do not pay you huge amounts of money to be met with such incompetence?”“But sir, we worked with the data you got from your office.” One of the workers squeaked, trying to hide behind the files she was holding. “I'm sorry sir, she's new to this department.” The one who was still trying to pick up the papers said. “We'll fix it, sir.”“Better do, if not you and Goldilocks over there are fired. In fact, all of you.” The whole department looked at me in shock before averting their eyes. None of them wanted to be the focus of my attention.I swiveled around and stalked away, my admin Chris walking behind me. “Did you get the analysis done for the Wexler acquisition?” I asked.“No sir, I-”“Damn it, Chris. When did everyone become so lazy? What kind of business are we
ABIGEALTHIS PART was one of the hardest. Kat and Melanie had done most of the cleanup while Anna rested against a wall. I walked up to them and surveyed the space.“Is this everyone?” I asked.“Everyone who resisted. Under those cloaks, some of them were children, some barely old enough to drink. And one of them came at me with a knife.” Kat rubbed her eyes like doing so would erase the image.I looked at the bodies scattered around the floor. “Did you…?”“Of course not. Jesus, do I look like a monster?” Kat looked offended.I held up my hands, then let out a sigh. The plan was to wipe everyone out, but I couldn't do that with a clear conscience. The girl I'd seen was about Juan's age.Perhaps if they became problems a few years later, I could deal with them then. “Got the gasoline?” I asked.Melanie held up the two kegs. I took one and helped her spread it around while Kat supported Anna's weight and helped her outside. When we'd exhausted the kegs, we went out the back exit throug
ABIGEALI WAS stripped of my weapons and pushed into the main hall. The red cloaked people formed a circle with me, Anna, Morgan and his father in the middle. I refused to call him my father, as he'd never been one to me.I knelt beside Anna and took out a strip of clothing, using it to bind her leg. “How did this go so wrong?” I whispered.Her face was pale from the blood loss. “They were on me so fast, I didn't see them coming?” She groaned as I tightened the bind. “The others are safe though.”“Then we might still have a chance," I said lowly. A gunshot made me flinch.“Any more whispering and I'll put the poor girl out of her misery," Soliz said. I glanced back to glare at him. “Stop threatening her. I already gave you what you wanted. I surrendered.”I squeezed her arm lightly and rose. “What exactly do you want from me?” I asked him.“I want you to join us.”I shook my head. “Not happening. Next.”“You are a Soliz, whether you like it or not. I am not leaving my organization in
ABIGEALSOMETHING ABOUT the man standing in the doorway made me unsettled. Maybe it was the way the hooded people bowed out of the way reverently or the way Morgan's body language changed and he cast his eyes to the ground.Or maybe it was the pleasant smile on his face despite the situation.A thought niggled at the back of my head but I couldn't place it. I walked around until I was behind Morgan and held the knife to his throat. “Who are you?” I asked.His eyes slid to me. “Ah, Abigeal. It's always a pleasure.”The voice tickled my memory box. A sense of trepidation washed over me and I couldn't figure out why. “Have we met?”The man laughed easily. “You could say that. Although we met more recently, but I'm not surprised you don't remember.”It came to me suddenly. The only reason why I hadn't placed him immediately was because I'd only gotten a partial look at his face that day when Anna, Michael and I had bumped into Morgan at the restaurant.“I can see you remember. Now may I a
ABIGEALEVERYTHING WAS set in place by the time the sun started to set. The ammunition we needed was delivered to the apartment. I was prepping all my knives while keeping an eye on the time. I had to be back at Blaine's house for dinner with the family, otherwise he'd start to ask questions. I'd already had to lie that Anna had called me over to help her with her application. I slid the bags under my bed when I was done and checked in with Anna before I left.When I got home, Blaine was standing in the living room with a smile on his face watching Juan practice a presentation for school. I stood just behind him and watched. When Juan was done, Blaine applauded. “Good job, but you'll have to work on not stuttering as much. And you don't have to look anyone in the eye, glance above their heads.”Juan nodded. “We'll practice again?”“Sure, buddy, but you need to go wash up for dinner now. And make sure the others do the same.” He replied. Juan waved at me before leaving the room.Blaine
ABIGEALTHE NEXT morning, I went to see Anna. If I was going to take on a mission of this size, I was going to need help. And she was the only person I trusted enough to take my side on this, and not turn me away because of what I did.She opened the door before I knocked and looked surprised to see me. “Abigeal? Hey. I was just going to have a fight with the landlord. He has cut down the hot water supply and it ran out halfway through my shower. Thank God there weren't hot showers in the military so I'm not spoiled.” She raved, stepping out with me and closing the door.“Of course you can't relate. I bet the water runs hot twenty four hours a day in Blaine's Palace," she said without heat.I pretended to consider it. “I think it does, actually. It's one of those things you don't really notice, you know, because it's right there.”She glared at me but could only hold it for a couple of seconds before we started to laugh. “You know what, I can go fight him later. It's not like he's goi