Tears blurred my vision and I quickly dabbed them away.
Rhett took a moment to inhale and carried on. “It won’t be easy for you when you go back. You’re going to get confused again. You won’t know who to trust. Trust your heart. Trust your instincts. And when you’re ready to leave ISAN, don’t hesitate to ask for my help. I will find a way to get you out. There’s a war coming, Ava. I have no evidence to show you, but something is happening, and I don’t want us to be on opposite sides.”
Reyna had told me the same thing. Hearing it from Rhett as well troubled my heart.
“Will we see each other again?” My voice cracked.
He gave me a sideways glance. “I know we will. I’m not letting you go, Ava. You might not remember me, but I know you feel something for me. Two broken hearts will find a way to each other. Even if it takes a lifetime. And you might have noticed, I’m not the type of guy to wait a lifetime. I make things happen.”
The door slid open. He took one step out before I stopped him.
“Wait. I have to see.” Catching the edge of his T-shirt, I raised it up to reveal his tattoo.
His brows pinched in confusion, then he lightened his expression to a playful smirk. “Should I undress for you?”
I ignored him, lifted my shirt, and rose on my tiptoes to bump my hip with his. Lining up perfectly, his tattoo and my faded scar became a single snowflake. In the center read the letters, W.I.T. The words slipped from my tongue before I could decipher what they meant.
“Whatever it takes,” I mumbled.
My heart stilled. The room became dead silent as seconds passed between us. An image of snowflakes drifting around Rhett and me entered my mind, but just for a split second. I didn’t know where we were, but ...
His eyes glistened with hope. “You remember?”
Wordlessly, I shook my head.
He took a moment to pause and gently pried my hand off his shirt. With his chin at his chest, he dragged his feet out in silence.
Rhett and his group met briefly in a private room to discuss their plan. When they didn’t include me, it stung, though it shouldn’t have. Whatever they had planned, I hoped they would outsmart ISAN for the sake of their safety.
The next day, a small team left in the gliders and the rest stayed to protect their home. Luckily for them, the hideout had stored old military equipment—bombs, tanks, rifles, and sleeping gas, to name a few, but would it be enough?
I arrived at Leviathan Hotel. People bustled about their daily lives. I wished I could blend in with the crowd and never look back. Rhett had activated my ISAN chip and instructed me to position myself in front of the hotel. When he gave me one last kiss, my heart shattered in ways I had not expected, especially when his beautiful amber eyes paled. As I stood there waiting for ISAN, I stole a few glances at Rhett, worried for his team, and worried for me.
What did ISAN know of the kidnapping? Had I been captured on camera when I had gone to the city? What if ISAN decided they didn’t need me anymore? So many unanswered questions and doubts plagued my mind. Rhett seemed confident ISAN needed me, and they would not terminate their prized possession.
Rhett stood calm and collected. Sporting a black uniform, a black hat, and dark sunglasses, he looked the part of a true leader, or perhaps a legendary assassin. But I still worried for him. An organization like ISAN was a formidable network not to be messed with. As I rubbed my arms in the cold, momentarily distracted by the undulating waves, someone grabbed my arm and pulled me into a brisk walk.
“Ava.” Mitch tightened his grip and tugged me like a hunter dragging its squirmy prey.
A hunter. Mitch was one in every sense of that word, a deadly one at that. I’d seen the way he killed, the way his feature showed no emotion, and the way his cruel eyes held its prey with deadly intent.
Hello monster. I know your true face.
“It’s nice to see you, too, Mitch.” I became repulsed from the lie that left my mouth.”
I stole a glance behind me. Rhett and his team had disappeared in the crowd. My heart jolted. The hole had deepened and I became lost, unsure of who I was and where I belonged. My days with him had been a dream, and now I had awoken.
“It’s good to see you, Ava. You’re looking well.”
I wasn’t sure if Mitch was being sarcastic. His tone was hard to detect behind his cold expression.
“Where’s Ozzie?”
“Keep your eyes straight ahead.”
I snarled when he didn’t give me an answer, but kept my cool. Being with Rhett, I had softened, especially the last day. Now, it was time to bring Assassin Ava back and find my family.
A group of ISAN girls surrounded us. I spotted Tamara and Brooke. Justine pressed her gun to Ozzie’s side, trying not to make it obvious. Neither of them acknowledged me in passing.
“Did you hurt him?” I asked. I didn’t want to give any sign I cared about Ozzie, but my tone might have betrayed me.
“What kind of network do you think we are?” He gripped me tighter.
“Why are his lips bloody, then?” I twisted at my waist to see Ozzie standing alone where I had stood. I assumed Rhett’s team would wait to get him when we were out of the way. Most likely, they didn’t want to be seen.
Mitch escorted me inside the parked sub-glider without a reply. Once we got in, we took off.
Nobody asked me any questions. Everyone dispersed to their seats without so much as a jovial, “Welcome home. I’m glad you’re safe,” acknowledgement, not even Brooke. She acted like I wasn’t there. Maybe ISAN had told them I had purposely gotten kidnapped, or I had done something wrong. The twenty-minute ride seemed like an hour.
Russ stood by the entrance to the ISAN compound when I got out of the sub-glider. He was the only one who greeted me.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
I stiffened. A part of me felt betrayed, and the other half felt like I had betrayed him.
“I’m fine. Just tired,” I said.
Russ gave me a warm smile, satisfied. “Go wash up, get some rest, and we’ll meet up after dinner.”
I nodded and went down the stark, gray halls to my room. It had only been three days, but an eternity had passed. The room that used to be my safe haven felt wrong when I returned. Rhett had screwed with my mind, my heart, and my life.
Instead of washing up, I powered on my TAB. My heart acted before my mind could tell me what to do. Though I knew it was too soon, I searched for a message from Rhett.
I had a mission of my own. Coming back to the complex made me lonelier than ever before, and I felt like a spy. I cursed under my breath in frustration, changed my clothes, and opened my door.
“Brooke.” My heart slammed into the cavity of my chest and I took a moment to breath. I almost ran into her. “You scared me.”
She crushed her body into mine in a slightly awkward way. One arm draped around my neck lazily and the other around my waist.
“The one and only,” she said. “I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
I’d desperately needed that hug and it confirmed Brooke truly cared for me. For her, physical contact was a big deal, and I appreciated the effort.
“I was so worried about you. I want to punch you right now.” Brooke lightly socked my arm. “I stayed sick to my stomach for three days, wondering if Mitch activated your cyanide capsule. Did the kidnappers hurt you? Like torture you with electric shocks, cut you with a knife, gag, whip, and chain you?” Brooke crossed her arms, waiting for my answer. “Sorry about when I first saw you. I was acting like—”
I yanked her in.
“I didn’t care,” she finished. “Whoa ... whiplash.”
“Sorry to disappoint, but they didn’t do any of those things, thankfully. What happened the day I was kidnapped?”
She leaned in to one side of her hip. “Darn. I would’ve loved to hear interesting stories. I mean, not that I would want you to be tortured.” She twisted her lips, amusement crossing her features. “Russ a
nd I wondered what was taking you so long. Mitch searched for you in the restroom, your dress was on the floor and you were gone. At first, he thought you went down without letting him know, but—”
“How did they know who kidnapped me?”
“I don’t know. You know they don’t disclose information to us. I was just glad they found you.”
“Do you know what they did with Ozzie?”
“I don’t know that either. I only saw him twice, when Mitch brought him in and when we exchanged him for you. Too bad he couldn’t stay. He’s so cute.”
From wall to wall, I combed through for something out of place. Though I’d never wondered if a recording device had been implemented in my room, the thought crept in my mind.
“What are you doing? Did you lose something?” Brooke’s eyes followed mine.
I stopped, placed my hands on her shoulders, and whispered, “That’s the thing. He used to be one of us. Do you remember him?”
Brooke backed away, arching her eyebrows and scratching her chin. “Are you okay, Ava? Did they drug you?”
I pulled her back to me. “Something big happened before you came into the picture. It happened more than six months ago. Whatever happened, I’m going to find out, and you’re going to help me.”
Brooke lifted her lips to one corner, her eyes radiating mischievously. “Hell yeah I will.”
I released a cathartic breath. For a moment there, I thought she was going to tell me I was crazy. After everything I’d learned, I wasn’t sure I could trust her, but I was glad I’d come back for her. Emboldened by her support, I didn’t feel so alone.
As usual, I sat on my chair and Brooke sat on my bed.
“What have you been up to while I was gone?”
I tried to bring normalcy back into our conversation. If ISAN had ears in my room, I would put on a show.
“Mental and physical training. I have to tell you, though, we’re not successful without you, even with double the dosage of Helix.”
“You just missed me, that’s all.”
“Then Tamara missed you the most, because she was hard to handle, but I’m also not patient like you. I had to step in and be the leader. I don’t know how you put up with us. I wanted to smack Tamara when she freaked out during mental missions. I don’t get it. I know Helix affects us differently, but she can’t control her fear unless you’re with us.”
I laughed, picturing Brooke’s frustrated face. But poor Tamara.
“She just needs a little reassurance that she’s doing fine.”
Brooke leaned back to the wall for support. “I suppose. I don’t have your patience. Anyway, you’re in luck. You’re back just in time. We have another assignment lined up.”
“Already?” Dread knocked away what little happiness I had.
“It’s Mr. San. He’s holding another charity ball in the West. We were informed the Remnant Councils will be there. I don’t know why he would want to hold one there with the chance of an earthquake and take a chance on the possibility of being assassinated soon after the other failed attempt. Since we failed the first time, we’re going back to get him. I wonder what he did.”
I shrugged. “We’ll never know.”
Brooke placed her hands on her lap, fingers flexing. “Oh, did you hear? A team was sent out on a small assignment, but they weren’t successful. Only two came back alive out of eight.”
I gasped silently, leaning back in my seat. When my hands trembled, I placed them behind my back. What the hell was wrong with me? I had never shown such fear before.
“What happened to them?”
“I’m not really sure, but the rumor is, some dropped dead on the scene from too much Helix. The others got tased and you know what happens if you get caught.”
“That’s terrible.” I plopped on the bed next to her.
Brooke scratched her head and squinted. “I know. I thought with Helix we would be badass ninjas, invincible. And you’d think more was better. Guess I was wrong.”
I hadn’t known much before I’d signed the contract. There were still things I didn’t know about the network, but allowing girls to die such gruesome deaths was wrong. I’d expected a short life span with the assassin job but not being experimented on. They were testing our limits. To what extents would they push us? How many of us had to die before they were satisfied?
“Do you like it here, Brooke?” I hadn’t meant to ask. I just threw it at her without thinking how I would react if she answered.
Brooke bit her bottom lip. “I’m not sure, and I don’t have a choice. This is my life. I’m glad I have you to lean on, Ava. I’m lucky I’m good enough to be on your team. Our friendship is the only thing that keeps me from going crazy.”
I embraced Brooke, and she let me as her arms went to my shoulders stiffly. Good enough for me.
“I’m thankful for you, too.” With my arms still draped around her, I whispered, “We’re going to get out. It might take a while, but I’m going to find a way.”
I’m going to take down ISAN and burn it to the ground after I find my family. And everyone standing in my way can go to hell.
“I hope so,” she said softly, hardly audible.
“I need to take care of something. I’ll meet you at dinner.”
Goosebumps crawled up my arms as I walked past the mental training room. I blamed the unwelcome emotions on Rhett. He’d opened my eyes, and questions I’d never asked filled my head. Could I trust Russ? Who had erased my memories? How long had I been there?
The sliding door to Russ’s office was open. He’d known I would come.
“Have a seat, Ava.” Russ swung around in his chair to face me. He didn’t have his usual friendly face. “You’re early, but I figured you would be.”
I sat, watching Russ pull out something from his desk. He handed me an envelope.
“What’s that?”
“I missed your birthday. Happy belated birthday.” He offered a small smile.
“We don’t celebrate birthdays here. Why are you doing this?”
“You’re eighteen. An eighteenth birthday is a big deal. This isn’t from ISAN. It’s from me. Open it.”
Slowly, I opened the envelope, aware of Russ’s eyes on me.
“It’s a free night to wherever I want to go with my team?” I read the paper twice to make sure I had read it correctly.
“Let me know when you want to use that. I would have to go with you, along with the bodyguards. You know the drill.”
Why? What do you have up your sleeve, Russ?
“Thank you,” I said.
I shoved it inside my pocket. For a second, I had forgotten why I’d come in the first place. Handing me a birthday present was a nice distraction.
“I’d like to ask you a question,” I said.
Russ didn’t respond, so I asked anyway.
“Was it always just girls here? Did you ever have male subjects?”
“You’re not a subject.” His tone was sharp and cold as if I had offended him.
“If we’re being probed and tested, I think that makes us subjects,” I said, though I wanted to yell at him.
“You’re all special.”
His calm neutral tone made me angrier.
I leaned in closer to the desk. “You didn’t answer my question.”
Russ furrowed his brow. “Does it matter? What did the kidnappers say to you? Don’t believe everything you hear. There are always two sides of the story.”
“I wouldn’t know. Which is your side of the story, Russ?”
“Ava ...” He pushed back in his seat, releasing a quick sigh. “Don’t ask for stories that aren’t meant to be told.”
“I’m not going to ask you anymore. I’ll make up my own.”
“Ava.” His tone softened. “You only know the surface of ISAN. You don’t want to get involved. Do what you are told and everything will be fine. I’ll tell you this much. We had boys in ISAN, but the serum was defective for them. But now it’s promising.”
>
Promising? What did that mean?
“What happened to them?”
“Some did not survive the serum and some were sent back to juvenile detention.”
I knew he wasn’t telling me the truth, but perhaps he was telling me what he was told. Either he was hiding information from me to keep me safe, or he simply didn’t know. I wanted to ask him who had created the serum and where it was manufactured, but I already knew he wouldn’t tell me. If he even knew.
“Okay,” I said. “Thank you.”
“Okay?” His eyelashes fluttered, most likely shocked I agreed so easily. “Now it’s my turn to ask you questions.” Russ tapped the TAB on his desk and touched the letters. “Can you recall the names of your kidnappers?”
I swallowed and my blood ran cold. ISAN guards will report Ava shot back. If they ask you about it, you lie. Tell them they must have made a mistake. I dug my fingers into the armchair and prepared to defend myself.
“No.” I bored my eyes into his. “They locked me up in a room. They asked me questions, but I didn’t tell them anything.”
A screen popped out. Profile pictures scrolled one by one. “Can you recognize anyone?”
“No, I don’t so far.” When a picture flashed of Rhett, my stomach did a funny tingling flip. “I never saw their faces. They wore masks.”
Russ seemed satisfied with my answer. I was getting good at lying. One day I would lie to myself, and I’d believe every word. I might not even be able to distinguish lies from the truth.
The screen came down.
“It doesn’t matter if you can’t identify them. I have the result of the blood test from the drop of blood he left behind at Shooting Stars. I know who he is.”
My heart took a dive, squashed like it hit the cement. “That’s great. Who is he?”
“His name is Rhett. He used to be one of our operatives, but he went rogue. I was told he didn’t believe in our cause. He formed a group against ISAN. When a group of them escaped, they killed a lot of guards. They will hurt anyone associated with ISAN.”