Chapter 1
Hey maybe after this we could go-”
“Quiet.”
“I’m saying a team that hangs-”
“Shut up.”
My feet shuffle closer to the target, silent against the cold tile. My partner’s, on the other hand, were louder, more noticeable. The press of a cold gun barrel to my head tells me just how noticeable his steps were.
“I told you, you were being too loud!”
“Sorry, Five.”
His eyes show regret for his actions but even with the gun to his head, he doesn’t show fear, so I allow him the chance to redeem himself.
The man holding his gun to my head grunts out in a heavy accent "Ruhig!" and presses the gun harder to my skull. His arm is at an unfavorable angle and to clarify, I mean unfavorable to him.
“Listen could you hold on a moment? I’m training here.” My opponent responds with more disgruntled words, very unpleasant to my ears. “Hold on Rookie.”
Grabbing the guard’s elbow, I pull down hard causing him to fire into the ceiling. Then I take his wrist, twisting it so that his gun falls into my outstretched hand, turning it instead, to rest against his temple all in a matter of moments. ”Now that I’ve dealt with you, Rookie did you see what I did there.” Rookie’s guard gulps audibly.
“I know how to fight Five.” Rookie’s arrogant tone strikes me.
This kid actually rolled his eyes at me, “Well then prove it.” Rookie turned to his opponent, executing the same maneuvers I had just performed, but with an added flourish. “Really? this isn’t a show.”
His face lit up with a huge grin, “You love my style. It adds personality.”
I couldn’t do anything but grumble, “You always add extra work for me. Because of the gunshot, our target’s going to be on the move.”
“Your man fired the gun, mine went down quietly.” Rookie emphasized the word quiet.
“You never learn to hush.” Fishing out my keys, I toss them to Rookie. ”Try to catch him, but if I get the target on foot, you’re running back to base.” At that I turn, heading for the now fleeing target.
A few hours later
“I can not believe you made me run all 11 miles here.”
I snorted, “I can’t believe you couldn’t catch the guy in my car.”
“There were speed bumps!”
His response was so ridiculous that I couldn’t help but show my annoyance,“We’re The Syndicate! Speed bumps don’t matter!” Rookie shuffled from one foot to the other, looking down with a guilty expression, he wasn’t used to emotion being evident on my face.“They do when you don’t want to ruin Henry.”
I threw my hands up in exasperation, “Stop that, you’re not naming my car Henry. Now, go see what the boss wants.” Sometimes, I felt as if I was being forced to work with a child rather than a man.
My headache dwindles with each beat of Rookie’s steps leading him away.
I raise my eyes and notice the new man who joined me at the small kitchen island. Slowly, I realize I am staring into the dark emerald eyes of my old partner, Solomon. His face looked tired, worn from whatever assignment he had just completed, and there were still traces of blood staining his olive skin.
“What do you want?” He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, as if he hadn’t a care in the world. It was a lie, a mask he had learned to use from his experience here. But I knew him better than that, I had seen true emotion in those once bright emeralds.
“Oh nothing, nothing.”
“You always want something Solomon.” Once again he only shrugged as he leaned against the counter, resting his chin in his hand.
“Why were you so hard on the new guy?” I huffed and started to play with my nails,“He made me run for a target.” I didn’t see the smile on Solomon’s face, but I could hear it in his voice.
“From what I hear, you made him run home as punishment.” This time it was my turn to shrug, “You know how I am Solomon.”
“That I do, better than most actually. That’s why I’m asking, why punish the Rookie? He didn’t make you kill them.”
At his words I turn frantically, looking around to make sure no one heard Solomon.
“You two have a lot in common.” Striking out, I grab his wrist pressing my thumb into the vein. “Like not knowing when to stay quiet.” Solomon didn’t make a move to stop me he only looked me in the eye and muttered,
“He should know.”
“You more than anyone should know the dead stay dead. Nothing can ever change that no matter what we do, or how hard we wish, Raelin will always be gone.” How I wished it wasn’t true. That I could just take back the bullet but, I knew my loyalty lay with the dragons then, now, and always.
Solomon’s gaze travelled down to my hand, then back to my eyes. Flipping his wrist he grasped my hand, twisting it. “You don’t mention her.” A low animalistic growl emanated from Solomon’s lips.
Using my other hand to break his hold on me, I quickly rose to my feet just out of his reach while I verbally twisted the knife deeper into the old wound testing him, just as he was doing to me. “It’s your fault, You made me do it. You never should have tried to leave!”
Turning to drop this conversation, I hear Solomon’s words both in my head and my heart. “Stop lying! You like doing it, the cold that consumes you when you pull the trigger; it’s what you live for because it’s the only time you ever feel anything.” He didn’t know just how untrue his words were. Nobody could know, but I regretted her death before I ever pulled the trigger.
Something snaps inside me at his allegations, and within seconds my knife is pressing hard on Solomon’s throat. “You have no right!”
“Stop hiding from the truth, Ophelia.” His voice is hard as he easily moves my shaking hand away. It had been years since I last heard my true name and he knew that. Without another word he walked out of the kitchen, leaving me drowning in a fog of blood stained memories.
“Boss wants us to interrogate. Do you want to go together or can I do it?... Hello?... Five!”
Rookie’s voice breaks through the fog I had been captivated in. On reflex, I embed my knife in the wall mere centimeters from his face. “Rookie mistake to wake a sleeping dragon, Rookie.” A playful smile spread across my features, messing with the kid was always fun.
Rookie reaches for the knife pulling it from the wall, and starts to play with it while he is speaking.
“So together, or did you want me to take this one?” Throwing the knife he hits dead center of a portrait on the opposite wall. “I’ve been itching for some fun.” Cracking a smile, he awaits my response, trying to calculate what it will be.
“Children must have supervision. I’ll see you down there. Grab any object, it’s time for a lesson.”
“Oh how I love it when you say that.” As the words leave his mouth, Rookie’s hand shoots out immediately grabbing a fork, but with a shake of my head he realizes his choice is too easy. Choosing to let Rookie surprise me, I head down to the white tile basement.
I made my way down to the interrogation chamber and the minute I turned the corner I couldn’t hide the grin making its presence known on my face.
“Hello stranger long time no see. Miss me?”
His only response was to grunt a sharp “Zicke” in response. Spitting on the floor by my feet to accompany his less than pleasant greeting.
When I said the basement was made of white tile I wasn’t joking. Most of us prefer a clean sterile environment for our “interrogations” and some of us don’t like having to clean up all the blood. The tiles made it easy to just point the hose and spray when we’re finished.
“Well I don’t see any of those animals here, now is that any way to greet a lady?” The sardonic grin on my face is mirrored by Rookie, whose pocket is bulging with his mystery object. I hadn’t noticed the kid entering the room, which meant either I was getting soft, or he was getting better.
The unwilling guest looks between the two of us before his eyes come to rest on my face. “Eine Dame? Ich sehe nichts als ein Stück Müll vor mir.”
“Now now, there’s no need for all that, I happen to be a lady, sir. So, what trash, as our guest so nicely put it, did you bring for me Rookie?”
“Just a small gift.” Reaching into his jacket, his calloused hands pull out a simple cloth napkin and held it out to me. “Thought I would give you a challenge.”
“Oh Rookie, as always you doubt my skills.”
“What could you possibly do to him with a napkin!?”
“This is why you’re the Rookie.” Grabbing the napkin from his clutches I saunter over to the now very unwilling guest. Circling around to the back of his chair, I wrap the cloth around my hand, tucking the end under my thumb. “Now, what am I always telling you?”
Rookie grumbles, obviously not enjoying being chastised in front of our guest. “To be quiet.” I nodded my head, “Don’t you think Mr. Köhler has been running his mouth a little too much?”
His smile grows once more at the mention of our guest.
“I don’t know Five, why don’t you tell him to be quiet?” A slow evil smile starts to form on my face, “Why don’t I make him.” And with that I lace the other side of the cloth through the man’s mouth, looping around his tongue, and tucking the opposite end under my other thumb as I pull back hard. Muted screams dampened by the cloth begin to fill the cold sterile room. Blood stains the once pristine cloth that has now become an instrument of grave torture.
“See Rookie? Anything is possible when you use your imagination.”
“Oh the things I learn from you, they leave me in awe.”
Releasing the pressure from the cloth in Mr. Köhler’s mouth, letting half of it stay attached to my hand as the other side slithers out, and falls limply at my side. I turn to Rookie, “Learn anything new?”
“From you? Always.” “Good, then use it. I’m bored already.”
“With pleasure, M’lady.”
Rookie’s approach to interrogation was similar to mine, but like everything with Rookie, he always had to add a little flourish.
Sauntering over with a little swing in his hips, Rookie plopped himself down straight onto the lap of the very unexpecting Mr. Köhler; his smile matching that of a crazed man. “Pardon my German Mr.Köhler, but I do believe in a level playing field so really I have no choice in the matter. Wo sind sie? ”
Note to self, help Rookie with intimidation tactics, the kid was seriously lacking. His flirtation on the other hand, just might work, if only to terrify the clearly homophobic man as the look on his face gave him away. That, and of course Rookie repeatedly breaking the man’s skin with his knife, carving bloody lines into his flesh.
Eventually, Mr. Köhler’s wide eyes gave him away, he was close to breaking. We would have our answers soon. Those wide eyes meant more to me than either Rookie or Mr. Köhler knew, and they carried the same emotion I saw in Raelin before I killed her. My mind blocked out the sounds of pain as I was transported back to the night I betrayed Solomon. The night I murdered his lover.
