37. Thalia #2
He throws the first punch, and I dodge, only for him to uppercut me so hard that my vision whites out and I nearly lose my footing as I stumble back. I lift a hand to my busted lip, a trail of blood left behind on my fingertips.
“Oh, you’re the real deal,” I smirk.
He lifts his fists into a fighting stance, waiting for me to make the next move. I lock in, everything going deathly still around me as I mimic his pose and we dance in the trees.
He’s easily an entire head taller than me, with massive arms and wide shoulders. He could rival Atlas in height and weight alone, but that’s never stopped me from kicking my brother’s ass before.
He must grow tired of waiting, because his feet slide forward over the leaves, rustling them as he closes in so fast I would miss it if I blinked. I duck to the right as his left hand swings forward, and quickly circle back when he tries to pull the same shady shit as before with a sneak hook.
“Didn’t you ever learn not to do the same move twice in a row?” I scoff.
He smirks before dropping to a knee and sliding right up on me as he wraps his arms around my waist, pushes his head into my abdomen, and knocks me to the ground.
The air rushes from my lungs as I hit, and his weight crushes me.
He shoves between my thighs, and I let him before shifting my hips and using my legs to toss him under me, switching our positions.
He tries to fight, lifting his hands to choke me as I slide a forearm across his throat and press down with all my weight.
His hands make it to my neck, and he secures a grip, but he’s already turning red in the face from lack of oxygen.
It’s a battle of will and so far, he isn’t doing too well as I strangle the life from him and his hands loosen by the second.
“Just die already,” I gasp.
A vein pops out of his forehead as his color changes from red to a deep purple. He tries to squeeze harder, but it’s no use. I’ve already won.
The moment life leaves him is like a reprieve—his whole body sinks into the Earth, his hands fall away, and his head rests on the soil beneath him. I stand over him, spitting on his corpse.
“You were one big fucker,” I rasp before stepping over him and catching my breath.
My break is short-lived when something snaps in the brush to my right. I whirl around, my hands raised as my eyes scan over everything.
“You know, all this could have been prevented.” Brooks’ voice echoes from close by.
I pivot in the direction of it, only to hear him a few yards behind me.
“You just had to help Bailey out,” he tuts, like he’s disappointed. “She was better off outside of this organization.”
I scoff, pinpointing exactly where his location is through the brush. “And you’re better off dead. I’m going to hunt you for sport for what you’ve done, Brooks. Throwing civilians in front of you is a new low.”
He laughs, unaware that I’m practically on top of him as I shift behind a tree. “Forgive me for the dramatics, but Burton supplied me with bodies. He didn’t know what I needed them for…”
I’m so close. Almost a hair’s breadth away when another sound stops us both. Someone is moving in, and Brooks takes the opening to retreat before I can grab him.
Logan calls in a moment later, and he must not be far from my location. “Just caught sight of Brooks. He’s heading toward the highway. I don’t know what his plan is, but he’s a fucking coward for avoiding the fight.”
I press a finger to my earpiece, a deadly calm washing over me. “His blood is mine.”
“Does anyone have a visual on Vincent?” Rowan asks with urgency. “He’s been out of sight for too long. We may have to regroup.”
My jaw shifts as my teeth grind. “Not happening.”
“Thalia,” Atlas warns. “Our leader is giving us a direct order.”
“I will pull you from this fight,” Rowan bites.
“Listen to your brother,” Alana begs. “Please.”
I straighten my spine, closing my eyes as my fingers linger on the earpiece. “And I can’t let either of them get away. If Brooks is retreating because he’s losing, then someone has to stop him.”
“Thalia—”
I cut off Rowan’s sentence as I pull the earpiece out and drop it to the ground. I know they’ll still be able to track my last known location, and I’m hoping they find me, but until then, I have to find Brooks. He can’t escape this fight. This ends here.
I won’t have him hunting down Reed. I swore to protect him and this is me keeping that promise.
I continue through the forest, the sounds of the fight quieting behind me as I keep pushing closer and closer to the highway. It’s outside the fighting grounds, but if Brooks can ignore the rules and receive no repercussions, then so can I.
My feet thud over another downed, rotting tree, and I crouch low as something snaps to my left.
My head whips around, only for me to be met with utter silence.
The brush settles, the wind evaporating, until it’s just my breathing that surrounds me.
My nape prickles, and I know I’m not alone. No matter how much it seems like I am.
“I know you’re there,” I call out as I stand. “Show yourself.”
My grandfather rounds a tree to my right, only a few feet away from me as he fixes the sleeve of his tactical shirt. “You know, Thalia, is it? I never cared for your mother. It’s not that she wasn’t a good assassin. She just wasn’t…dedicated. Not like you.”
“Real flattering,” I croon, my eyes narrowing as I give him a sickly sweet smile.
He clears his throat, shoving his hands into his pockets as he puffs out his chest. “We could end this now? Join me. You would make an excellent addition to the Western branch.”
Silence.
Then I burst out laughing as I slap my thigh and double over. “What?! Oh, wait, this is good!” My mirth bounces off the trees as heat creeps up my face. “You partner with Brooks and expect me to join you? How much more pathetic can you get?”
He lowers his head with a bitter sneer. “I never should have accepted his offer. He’s a coward. A liar.”
I brush away a tear before it can fall. “I could have told you that.”
Vincent straightens, piecing himself back together.
His gaze settles on me, and a strange pride flickers in his eyes.
“You are stronger than your mother ever was.” His voice softens.
“Everything in this world comes down to respect and loyalty, and she understood neither. She was a disappointment. The moment she met your father, she threw away everything that mattered. Her duty. Her future. Her family.” He studies me carefully.
“But you...” A smile tugs at the corner of his mouth.
“You’re everything she should have been. ”
My hands curl into fists at my sides. Rage coils through me, hot and familiar. For a moment, I let myself feel it. Then I bury it.
“You’re wrong.” I whisper. “I’m nothing like my mother.” My voice is calm enough to be frightening. “She spent years trying to force her morals on me. Trying to teach me shame and conformity.”
I take a step closer. “She thought those things made the perfect assassin—a machine rather than a person.”
Vincent’s eyes narrow.
I hold his gaze and feel something cold unfold inside my chest. “But they never took.”
Silence stretches between us.
“My mother was weak because she still believed there were lines that shouldn’t be crossed.” A hollow smile touches my lips. “I learned there aren’t any.”
His expression shifts—not fear, but something close.
“So no,” I say softly. “I’m not what she could have been.” My smile stretches. “I’m what she always feared.”
He eases back, pride reflecting in his gaze. “So much more than I ever could have imagined. To die by your hands would be an honor, Thalia Kingsley. Unfortunately, I don’t plan on giving up my position so soon. I’m still in my prime.”
I scoff as my feet shift into a fighting stance. “I’m going to dissolve your branch and burn everything to the ground once this is over.”
“I would expect nothing less.”
We advance on each other, and I’m surprised by how quick he is in his old age. His practiced moves and ducks show me how much Mom learned from him, as he anticipates every hit and shift. He evades me again, sidestepping before hooking an arm around my neck.
I turn into him, crouching low as I back away and dodge his choke.
My victory is short-lived when he charges fast, pressing his forearm into my throat and pinning me to the nearest tree.
My hands fly up to his wrist as my nails dig in, and I bite down onto the fatty part of his hand until I break skin.
He throws his head back on a loud, guttural shout as I bring my knee up and shove my boot into his stomach, pushing him back. Warmth trickles down my chin, and I swipe his blood away before smiling, flashing my red-soaked teeth at him.
He holds his wounded hand, his jaw grinding. “Far better than she ever was.”
I spit his essence onto the forest floor, regaining my footing as I square off with him. “Far better, far stronger, and far more likely to put you six fucking feet under, old man.”
He rushes forward at the same time I release my sheathed knife, sliding it into my palm.
As I dodge his swing, I slice the blade across his face, creating a wicked, gushing wound.
He pinpoints the knife, attempting to relinquish it from my grasp before I deliver another slice to his shoulder.
This continues, each wound deeper and more jagged than the last. He slows with the loss of blood as it seeps down his face and neck.
Dark spots spread across his shirt, creating a canvas all on its own.
He sucks in raggedly, his shoulders hunching forward as he lifts his hands again. “I’m extending my offer one last time. Join me.”
I tilt my head as if contemplating his request. “I think I would rather end your legacy instead.”
“Thalia!” Rowan shouts from nearby.