The Assassin
Hot coffee damn near spilled all over me as I turned on my heel and almost slammed straight into Maria.
I’ve been pacing around the living room all night, watching the door, waiting for Simone to waltz through it.
Not knowing her location or what she was doing was nerve-wracking.
While I suspected she probably went to uphold her end of my ultimatum, I wished she’d said something before she left.
She may have been a federal agent once, but she couldn’t take another one on by herself.
My brain kept jumping to all the worst case scenarios.
Simone getting hurt or locked up - or killed.
I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if our last words were ones from an argument. There were so many others she still needed to hear.
Maria raised her brows, stepping back to prevent the mug from spilling.
“Sorry,” I muttered, turning on my heel to walk the other way.
She grabbed my arm and spun me back around. She shoved the warm mug into my hands. Drink, she signed.
“I’m fine,” I said, offering the cup back to her.
Maria shot me a stern look. Drink or I’ll make you sit your ass down somewhere. It’s a miracle you haven’t passed out already.
Sighing, I brought the cup to my lips and took a long sip. “There. Happy now?”
She shook her head. Probably won’t be until she gets back. She glanced at the door. I’m worried about her too.
“Do you think she’s alright? I mean it’s been twelve hours since she left. Shouldn’t she be back by now?”
She probably took a rest somewhere. If we make it to twenty-four with no word, then we’ll start searching.
“What if it’s too late by then?”
What if we’re too early and fuck up whatever plan she’s carrying out? She nudged me. You’ve gotta have more faith in her. Simone’s a strong, intelligent woman. She’ll find her way back - safe and sound.
Her words must’ve fallen directly on the ears of the universe. Not even a moment after she spoke, the locks of the doors clicked.
All the weight on my chest lifted as Simone walked through the door, looking like a fallen angel with the huge white shirt swallowing her torso and her tousled short curls. I’d never seen anything so beautiful - and so infuriating - in my life.
As much as I wanted to hold her and kiss her, I also wanted to wrap my hands around her neck and ask her what the fuck she was thinking. She couldn’t disappear, scare me half to death, and then strut back in as if nothing happened.
Her full lips fell into a deeper frown as our eyes locked, likely noticing the war of emotions on my face. “I can explain,” she started.
A body moved in behind her, stealing my attention away. Looking past her, I met the eyes of the man she was supposed to kill.
Instinctually, my hands went to the gun still hooked on my hip and whipped it out.
Beside me, Maria did the same, stepping closer to guard me.
“Oh shit,” Gabriel said, his hands flying upward.
Simone poised herself in front of him, holding up her own hands. “Hey, hey, relax. He’s not armed, and he’s on our side,” she said.
“Bullshit,” I snapped. I jutted my chin at Maria. “Check him and tie him.”
“That’s not necessary,” Simone insisted.
Maria ignored her and stepped forward. “Move,” she demanded when Simone wouldn’t move out of the way.
“Maria, I swear he’s not-”
She pushed back the security latch, the click a warning in itself.
Sighing, Simone reluctantly stepped to the side. “Don’t hurt him,” she said as Maria yanked Gabriel through the doorway and slammed his face against the closing door.
Maria shot Simone an icy look over her shoulder before she started patting Gabriel down.
“I’m clean,” he said. “I swear. I’m here to- Ow!”
Maria had grabbed one of his wrists and twisted it at an unnatural angle.
“Stop talking,” I spoke for her. “You,” I nodded at Simone. “Bedroom. Now.”
Simone crossed her arms against her chest as she followed me into our room.
“What the hell were you thinking?” I asked after slamming the door behind us. “First you disappear and then you bring his ass here! What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“You’re the wrong one to be asking that question,” she said, looking me up and down. “I went to Gabriel because I realized he could be of use to us. Turns out my instincts were right, and he is willing to help us.”
“Help us? You told him about our plan?”
She nodded. “And he’s down with it. He’s going to be our mole on the inside and make sure we’re able to take out Logan without any surprises.”
“And you believed that shit?” I scoffed. “Simone, don’t tell me you’re really that na?ve.”
“You don’t know him, Mateo. He would never put me in a dangerous situation nor would he ever betray me.”
“Didn’t we just have this conversation about you thinking the same thing about your no good godfather? Do we really need to have it again?”
“Gabriel is my partner - not just in the FBI, but in life. He’s had my back since the day we met, inside and outside of the field. Not once have I ever called and he hasn’t shown up for me. Our bond, his loyalty, runs deep. Almost as deep as the one you and Maria have.”
“You can’t compare that to-”
“Yes, I can. Because the same way she just put a gun in my face for you, he’d do the exact same for me - no questions asked.”
I shook my head. I still wasn’t sold on the idea of bringing him in on this. I didn’t know him or his tolerance for murder. For all I knew, he could lead us in the right direction and sell us out at the last minute. At this point in Simone’s plan, we couldn’t risk that.
Simone stepped closer. She lay her hands on my clenched fists and wriggled her fingers between them. “I’m not asking you to trust him,” she said. “I’m asking you to trust me. Can you do that?”
I stared into her brown eyes, shimmering like pools of melted caramel underneath the sun shining through the windows. “Of course I can. I do,” I said. “But last night…you leaving…that…that scared the shit out of me, Simone.”
She frowned. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”
“You can’t do shit like that, alright? I…I can’t lose you.”
“You won’t.” Her voice softened as she looped her arms around me and buried her face in the crook of my neck. “I’m right here,” she spoke into my skin. “And I promise I’ll never leave you behind again.”
Her words made my chest ache in a way I never knew it could.
The pain of being vulnerable mixed with the joy of having her back in my arms was a strange feeling.
But, it felt nice. I think I liked it. Maybe when all of this is over, I could dip my feet into it more often. Someday, I might even swim in it.
For now, though, I had business to take care of.
Simone gasped as we walked back into the living room and saw Gabriel sitting on the couch with hands tied behind his back and duct tape plastered over his mouth. “Oh my God, Maria,” she said, rushing to her friend’s side. “You didn’t have to gag him.”
He wouldn’t stop talking, Maria said with a shrug.
Gabriel hissed as Simone yanked the tape from over his mouth. “Your new friends are crazy,” he muttered.
“That’s why I love them,” she replied. She undid the rope around his hands. “Gabe, this is Maria. Maria, this is my best friend, Gabriel.”
“I think we’re all well acquainted at this point,” Gabriel said, rubbing his red wrists. “What number is this on the tally board of unfortunate run-ins?”
Simone shook her head. She returned to my side, wrapping her arm around mine. “This is Mateo,” she still formally introduced me.
“Ah, the infamous secret admirer.” He rose from his seat and approached me. To my surprise, he offered his hand instead of throwing a punch. “It’s nice to see the face behind the mask.”
I shook his hand. “Don’t get too used to it.”
Simone smiled at our locked hands.
“Alright,” I said, the mushy feeling in my chest becoming too much for one day. “Now that the pleasantries are over, what’s the plan?”