The Assassin
I should’ve known something was up when Ares sent the information for our meeting tonight.
The address he’d given was for a high end restaurant in the heart of the city, and he specifically instructed Simone and me to come dressed in our best formal dinner attire.
We never meet in a place that’s popular or crowded.
A part of me feared this whole thing was a setup.
Even though I doubted Ares would kill me after all these years, I wouldn’t put it past him. After all, he’s tried to do it once. Who’s to say he wouldn’t try again?
I lingered in the car for a few moments after we parked in the restaurant’s lot, glancing around for any unexpected movements or persons.
“What’s wrong?” Simone asked, noticing my roaming eyes. She sat in the passenger side, the epitome of elegance in her royal blue satin dress and sleek finger waves. I’d do more than wrap my hands around Ares’s neck if he so much as looked at Simone the wrong way tonight.
She’d been excited and nervous when I told her we were having dinner with him tonight. Like a teenage girl meeting her boyfriend’s parents for the first time, she fussed over her appearance, making sure not a strand of hair was out of place.
I’d taken a few minutes to watch her put the finishing touches on her makeup before we left, the words you’re perfect hanging on my lips.
Simone had caught my gaze through the mirror she’d been staring in and smiled at me as if she’d heard them.
“Nothing,” I replied to her initial question.
I didn’t want her worrying if she didn’t have to.
Although she’s more than capable of taking care of herself, I wanted her to feel safe enough for me to do it for her.
I cut the engine and opened my door. “Don’t touch that handle,” I told her as I climbed out of the car.
I walked around to the passenger side door and opened it for her.
Simone’s brows rose as I extended my hand to her. “Oh, so you do know how to be a gentleman?” She asked.
“Well, you seem to enjoy it more when I’m not.”
Rolling her eyes, she grabbed my hand and let me help her out of the car. Her hand wrapped around my bicep when I offered my arm.
Linked together, we walked towards the entrance of the restaurant.
Inside, the savory scent of char-grilled meats and smoked wood wafted through the air.
Patrons sat around the rectangular tables draped with white and wine colored tablecloths, chatting and clinking their silverware.
Instruments crooned slow jazz beats through the speakers throughout the restaurant.
“Hello,” I greeted the host standing behind the podium. “We’re part of the reservation for Soulis.”
The host tapped his fingers across the tablet attached to the podium. “Alright, I’ve got you right here. The other half of your party has already arrived.” He plucked two more menus off the stand behind him and led us towards the back of the restaurant.
Ares sat in the corner farthest way from the rest of the crowds. Glasses I’ve never seen before sat on his nose, and he wore a simple gray suit. His eyes rose from the menu he was reading as we approached him.
“Ah, there’s the couple of the hour!” He exclaimed, a wide smile spreading across his face as he rose from his seat. He stepped towards me with his arms outstretched.
My brows pinched together at his jubilant tone. He’s never been this happy to see me. What the fuck is going on?
I resisted taking the instinctual step back and let him hug me, tensing in his grasp.
He turned to Simone, his eyes shining underneath the dim candlelit lighting. “And you must be the woman this one’s been going crazy over. Dare I say: you are even more beautiful than Mateo described.”
Simone blushed as he took her hand and kissed it. “Thank you. It’s very nice to meet you, Mr…”
“Ares,” he said. His grasp lingered as his eyes roamed over her, taking every inch of her in. “And the pleasure’s all mine.”
“Ares, like the God of War?”
His smile grew. “Precisely.”
My stomach rolled at the dark glint in his eye. I didn’t know what he was up to, but I already didn’t like it. I snatched Simone’s hand out of his and ushered her towards her seat. I ignored Simone’s arched brow as I held it out for her and pushed it in once she sat down.
“Red alright with you?” Ares asked, taking his seat and motioning to the filled wine glasses adjacent to our place mats. “The waiter recommended this one.”
“Red is perfect.” She reached for the glass. “Thanks.”
I snatched the glass away before she could grab it.
“Mateo,” she scolded quietly, watching as I examined the contents of the glass. “What is your problem?”
Ares chuckled. “It’s alright, dear. Your boyfriend just doesn’t trust me. Which is silly considering all the years we’ve spent together.”
“It’s not considering the act you’re putting on right now,” I countered.
“Not an act,” he insisted. “I’m genuinely happy that you’ve met your match - and that you’ve allowed me to meet her.”
I stared at him for a moment, picking apart the fake ass smile he was giving me. If this was the game he wanted to play, then fine - I’ll bite. But if anything happened to Simone, I was knocking that faux charm right off his face.
There weren’t any bubbles or unusual smells in the wine that I could sense.
I took a sip just to be sure. I’d rather suffer for being too careful than lose Simone for being too lenient.
The wine tasted fine enough, but I was going to hold onto it for the next few minutes just to make sure there wasn’t a slow acting agent in it.
“You’re being paranoid,” Simone said, reaching for the glass again. “Relax.”
I put the drink down on the opposite side of me where she couldn’t reach.
Simone shook her head as she turned her attention back to Ares. “I’m sorry about him.”
“Don’t be,” Ares said with a wave of his hand. “I’m not taking this personally.” He folded his hands on the table and leaned forward. “Tell me about your upbringing. I’m curious how a strong, intelligent woman such as yourself came to be.”
“Well, I’m the byproduct of a lawyer and an FBI agent, so most of it is in my genes. What about you? I assume Ares is a nickname.”
Ares nodded. “Been fighting in wars for most of my life. In a past life, I was a Marine. Then, a mercenary. Battle used to be a constant in my life. Honestly, this business is slow compared to what I’m used to.”
“Perfect for retirement though.”
He smiled. “Exactly.”
Surprisingly, Simone and Ares held conversation throughout the entire dinner. She was intrigued by his war stories, and he was interested in her FBI missions. I wasn’t sure what I expected when the two of them met, but it definitely wasn’t for them to hit it off like this.
After dessert, Simone excused herself to the restroom, leaving Ares and me alone at the table.
“I can admit when I’m wrong,” Ares said once she was out of earshot. “I doubted your judgment, what you saw in her, but she is truly a phenomenal woman.”
“I know.”
“How’s the vendetta going? I didn’t want to ask her and potentially ruin the mood.”
“Great. She’s been plucking them off her list like flies.”
He nodded. “I’ve seen. There’s been lots of news reports about former and active agents turning up dead. The journalists are starting to think there may be a connection between their deaths.”
“And let me guess: you’d like us to wrap it up?”
“Can’t let the fun end when it’s only begun.”
I nodded. “Understood. Anything else you need from us?”
His smile faded as he lowered his eyes and stared at the crumbs on the plate on the table. A cough crept up his throat, and he covered it with a napkin over his mouth. I didn’t doubt there was blood staining it when he crumbled it. “No,” he finally said. “Not at the moment.”
I saw right through the lie. After all these years, I could tell when he was holding back the words he really wanted to say. “You’re dying, aren’t you?” I asked.
Ares gave a slow nod. “Advanced heart disease.” He cracked a small smile. “I spent all those years dodging bullets and grenades, and now my own body is giving out on me.”
“How much time do you have?”
“The doctors said a year. Maybe less.”
An invisible weight lay on my chest as I stared at him.
I knew Ares wasn’t going to live forever.
Death was inevitable for all of us. But I was content in not knowing when that day would come.
Hearing that it was coming so soon made the back of my eyes burn.
He may be an asshole more than half of the time, but he was still my mentor - the closest thing I’ve had to a father.
Losing Roscoe was one thing, but losing Ares? I’m not sure how I was going to be the same after he was gone.
“Fix your face,” Ares scolded. “Don’t waste your tears on me.”
I blinked back the moisture trying to crawl to the forefront of my eyes. “Are you scared?”
“Nah. Been around death so much, I’ve found comfort in it. Shit, with the shit I’ve done in life, I deserve worse than this. Whoever’s running shit up there is being too merciful.”
I almost laughed. “Have you told the others?”
He shook his head. “I’m not close enough to the others to share my business - or for them to care. Believe it or not: they respect you more than me. They won’t even question it once you’re in charge.”
To anyone else, his nonchalance would’ve been unsettling. But I’ve known him long enough to know he truly wasn’t bothered by his diagnosis or impending death. He’d fulfilled all he wanted to do with his life. Now, he was going to pass on without any regrets.
Simone returned to the table. Her eyes bounced between the two of us as she sat back down, noticing the distinct change in mood. “Is everything alright?” she asked.
“Yes, dear,” Ares replied, his happy mask sliding back over his face. “Mateo was just trying to fight me for the check.”
Simone smiled at his joke, and glanced at me for confirmation.
I feigned a small, tight smile to reassure her - probably the worst thing to do.
Her smile dimmed as she saw right through it. Underneath the table, she slipped her hand onto my thigh and laid it open.
Without hesitation, I reached down and squeezed it tight.