Chapter 41
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Vesper
Exactly half an hour before they were set to meet the client, Vesper and Bellamy crouched behind the short brick wall surrounding the flat, empty roof.
With dropped jaws, they watched as a shockingly familiar red-head, wrapped in a heavy black travel cloak, strode to the doors of the hotel.
She paused before entering, peering around cautiously. She didn’t look up.
“What the fuck…” Bellamy whispered in disbelief, turning to look at Vesper. “How is she alive?”
Vesper shook her head. “It’s gotta be another illusionist. This wasn’t an Embunuh trap…”
“What do we do?”
Vesper stood up and looked around the roof. It was empty and barren. She didn’t see any signs that an illusionist was up here. Bellamy mirrored her, eyes wide and searching. Vesper let her magic crackle to her hands, sparking in a threatening display.
“We know you’re here,” she called out, her voice cold. “Drop the illusion.”
Vesper and Bellamy stared at the roof surrounding them, primed and ready to fight, but nothing happened. No one appeared, and Cedar didn’t magically pop into view.
“She didn’t see us,” Bellamy hedged, peering back over her shoulder at the hotel door.
After a few minutes of staring stunned at the hotel doors, Cedar re-emerged, looking pissed.
She glared around the street, checked her communications bracelet, then slowly looked up, an evil smile spreading across her face.
“She definitely saw us that time,” Vesper murmured.
“Should we wait?”
“I’m sure as shit not going down there. Make her come to us.
” Vesper laughed at the idea of Cedar climbing up that rickety ladder.
Then, she watched as Cedar marched right up to the front of the building, disappeared inside, and reappeared minutes later from a door that neither Vesper or Bellamy had noticed on the other side of the roof. Well, then.
Cedar was accompanied this time by two large guards, one of whom looked shockingly familiar. Vesper squinted, staring at him as he glared back at her until she placed him. For fuck’s sake, did she kill anyone at that fucking assignment?
“Thought you were dead.” Vesper greeted them casually, taking a step forward to put herself in front of Bellamy. “Guess you lied about me killing the illusionist too.”
“Oh, no,” Cedar waved her off. “You did kill him.” She looked at the man beside her briefly. His glare alone was trying to kill Vesper. Cedar shrugged. “Twins.”
Vesper rolled her eyes. Another illusionist then too, no doubt. Twins almost always shared the same abilities.
“What about you then? Don’t think you’re a twin.”
If looks could kill, Vesper would be dead twice over. Cedar matched the man’s glare, switching from casual to pissed in seconds. She shoved the cloak off her shoulders to reveal an entire missing limb.
“Do you know how fucking hard it is to keep poison from killing you without an antidote?” Cedar snapped, seething.
Vesper could have sworn she’d heard Bellamy laugh behind her. “Should’ve let it kill you,” Bellamy replied. Vesper nodded her agreement.
“If you wanted me dead, you should have sliced my throat. So, tell me, V, why didn’t you kill me?”
“Thought I did,” Vesper mumbled, shrugging. “How was I supposed to know you’d somehow wake up with enough time to cut your whole fucking arm off?”
Cedar sighed. “I didn’t cut it off,” she said, explaining as if she were speaking to a child.
She rolled her eyes. “I just have a much better team who knew something had gone wrong when they spotted you leaving the building with Bellamy instead of me. I woke up, my arm was gone, and half my people were dead.”
“You shouldn’t have tried to fuck with us!” Bellamy yelled, finally stepping up to stand side by side with Vesper. “What do you want from us, Cedar? Vesper rejected your shitty offer, we’re already marked for death from our employers. Why won’t you just leave us the fuck alone!”
Vesper slid her hand around Bellamy’s arm, holding her back just in case she tried anything.
“Because you killed my parents!” Cedar yelled back, finally losing her composure. Vesper stopped short. “First job you ever had. Giant house in back, little one in front, remember that? Where the fuck is my little sister, Vesper?”