The Assassin
What. The. Fuck.
I could only stare as the agents scurried out of the dark corners of the garden like rats. Bulletproof vests hugged their torsos, and each one of their cocked guns were pointed at my head.
“Put your hands up,” the voice behind the megaphone shouted. “Step away from the girl.”
My eyes darted to Simone. “Did you set me up?” I hissed, unable to keep the thought inside.
Simone’s eyes darted from the army of agents to me. She coiled backward from the rage burning in my gaze. “Mateo, I-“
The plethora of footsteps against the grass cut her off. The swarm of agents closed their circle around us, confining us now to the bench.
One standing closest to Simone grabbed her arm and hoisted her up out of her seat. “Hey!” She yelled, wriggling in this grasp.
Behind me, agents grabbed my arms and shoved me down. I gritted my teeth as my face slammed against the cold stone.
“Wait!” Simone exclaimed. “Don’t hurt him!”
I cocked my head back to see her wriggling in the agent’s grasp.
“Come on, Simone,” he told her as he started tugging her away. “You’ve done enough.”
Sharp metal wrapped around my wrists, digging into my skin as it locked in place. “You are under arrest for the conspiracy and murder of-“
Not this shit again. If they were going to charge me for something, then they should at least charge me for something good. If it weren’t for Simone, the mob rat would’ve been a waste of time - just like all my other targets.
I couldn’t understand why the FBI cared so bad about this shit. But even more, I didn’t understand how Simone could have them ambush me like this.
I thought our game was between the two of us. Not once has she ever brought anyone else into the mix. So, why would she do it now?
Unless this has been her plan all along. Make me think she was playing alone, so the reveal of backup took me by surprise. I bet they’ve been three steps behind her this entire time, listening to our conversations and waiting for her signal.
I replayed our last conversation in my mind, trying to pinpoint which word or gesture was the one that beckoned for them. She must be a hell of an actress to make bullshit sound so vulnerable and raw.
I almost admired her efforts. She’s proven herself over and over as more than helpless prey, but the intrigue came from the belief she was doing it alone. The fact that she had an entire team helping behind the scenes wasn’t as impressive.
But, I gave her props where it was due: she reeled me in pretty good.
From the start, she’d intrigued me, made me give a shit about her and the woes of the life she was leading.
Hell, she even convinced me to come back when I wasn’t supposed to.
No one knew where the fuck I was right now. Not Ares. Not Maria. No one.
After my conversation with Ares, I took some time to prepare myself to carry out his order. I put on all my armor and braced myself for the punch that’d follow Simone’s death.
One look at her tonight and all my doubts rushed to the forefront. How could I bring myself to hurt her when she was draped in the finest of satins, floating around like a lonely princess? When she felt so snug in my arms as we danced? Or when she caressed my scars and called them beautiful?
Underneath her fingertips, I was ready to toss all of my defenses away, wave the white flag, and offer her my heart as a prize for her victory.
But that thought disappeared the moment the agents appeared.
Simone hasn’t been playing fair. Now, neither was I.
I remained silent and complied with the agent's orders as they pushed me through the garden towards the main road. Their vehicles parked in one of the small pockets hidden by trees on the opposite side of the estate, away from the party going on inside.
They carelessly shoved me into one of the SUVs, chuckling as I almost hit my head against the back of the seats. Unprofessional at best, it only fueled the quiet storm raging through my bones.
Once the back door shut, I flicked my fingers at the inside of my sleeve. I may not have been armed, but I wasn’t without resources. The sharp ends of the cuffs scratched my wrists as I twirled the fabric, easing out the tiny metal pin hidden inside the seam.
Trying to twist the pin into the proper position was difficult with my hands bound together like this, but not impossible.
After a few more scratches and directions my wrists weren’t supposed to go in, I managed to press the sharp tip into the keyhole.
Slowly, I wiggled it inside, searching for the release latch.
I made sure to keep my shoulders as still as possible throughout all this, so the morons in the front seat wouldn’t notice.
Not that they’d bothered to glance back at me since we started the drive.
They were used to their suspects accepting defeat in their arrest and weren’t expecting any surprises.
I took it as a good thing. It’d make my next moves much easier.
The lock gave a soft click as it came undone. The metal loosened around my wrists, and I easily shook them off. I kept my hands behind my back as I rubbed the raw skin.
I glanced between the two men sitting in the front seats, debating which one I should take out first. The car was going to spiral out of control either way. I just needed to be fast enough to kill them both before it went off the road.
I reached into the waistband of my pants, unhooking the small knife tucked between it.
Without hesitation, I leaned forward and stuck the knife straight into the back of the passenger’s throat. Blood squirted out like water on a splash pad as I shoved through the entirety of his neck.
“What the-” The driver wasn’t able to finish his sentence before I’d grabbed the gun from the other agent’s waist and put a bullet straight through his temple.
His lifeless hands fell from the steering wheel, and the car started to swerve.
The center dash dug into my stomach as I leaned forward to snatch the wheel, fighting to keep us on the road.
With my free hand I pulled the latch on the driver’s door and, using the wind, shoved the corpse out of the seat.
I slipped into the driver’s seat and pulled the car over to the shoulder.
Once parked, I stepped out and dragged the other dead bastard out of the passenger side.
I threw his body over the metal barrier separating the road from the wilderness beside it.
I watched as it rolled down the grassy hill and disappeared into the darkness at the bottom.
Stupid bastards, I thought as I walked a few meters back to grab and toss the other one. They didn’t even see death coming.
I had no doubts the animals would chomp on their faces and limbs, making them damn near unrecognizable. The uniforms would still give part of their identity away, but I wasn’t worried about that. Let those pigs find their bodies. Let them try to find me, so I can add more to the pile.
I climbed back into the car and cut off the patrol radio and the GPS. The last thing I needed was another rude interruption.
This game with the agent has been fun, but like all good things, it must come to an end.