“What the fuck, Isaac!” she yells, and although I want to laugh, especially when I see King and Darwin grinning, Arlo’s lips definitely twitch, I manage to remain stoic.
“You need to seem younger, innocent, delicate… virgin like. I can’t help the fucked-up people who are out there or the fact that we have been saddled with this assignment. Roll with it, Shel,” I order. I can see her jaw working, but she just nods and storms out.
My eyes move from the door when I hear her leave the house and rest intently on Arlo, then King. “You two will protect her. Never let her out of your sight, starting now.” I point to the floor. “You don’t let them touch her. Nothing else matters to you except keeping Shelly safe and alive.” They move out, and we all know how dangerous this will be for Shelly. They have probably been given the most important job, and they’ll die for her if they have to.
“So what about us?” Darwin asks.
I’m looking at the floor, but I tilt my head so our eyes meet. “Are you a praying man, Darwin?” He chuckles, and I shake my head with a smile. I hope after all is said and done, we can still smile. I also wonder how the fuck I’m supposed to move forward with Via while this shit is swirling around me.
“What are you thinking about?” he asks, coming to sit at the dining table opposite me.
I glance up at him before grabbing the bottle of vodka on the table and pouring a shot. Slamming it down the back of my throat, Darwin wisely doesn’t comment even after I throw a second shot down.
I hiss as the alcohol burns through my chest. “I don’t know if I can keep her safe.”
“Shelly? She’s a fully trained killing machine—”
I cut him off. “No, Olivia.”
There’s a sudden silence, the intensity of the moment is thick as we’re swallowed by our thoughts. Darwin lost his sister. The cause of her death was indirectly linked to the life we lead. This life burns us or the ones we love at some point. Darwin was considering joining Black Ops, but his sister’s safety was holding him back. He was all she had. His connection to his first handler, Jenson, meant he was being watched. Nobody told him to be vigilant, even when it was just an option and not a firm decision. She was killed the day he signed his life away—run down at a zebra crossing by a drunk driver. However, we knew better. We always know better.
The look in his eyes as our stares collide tells me all I need to know. I shouldn’t have ever started up again with Via, but now I have, I don’t know if I can let her go again.
“I’m fucked,” I complain.
“Yep,” is all he offers in return.
LIV
“He’s disappeared.”
“What do you mean, disappeared?”
“Not in the literal sense,” I answer, glaring at myself in the mirror.
Dragging my fingers through my hair and following the movement with my eyes, I draw my bottom lip between my teeth and bite down harder than my nerves can stand. As the tears spring free, I stare at my reflection, knowing the only dipshit I’m trying to kid is myself. The emotion is a direct result of my pain, but not the pain currently caused by the trickle of blood that’s blossomed from my broken skin.
“I don’t understand. I thought you reconnected? I thought he admitted his feelings? That you both did.”
My finger hovers over the round red button on my iPhone. I tremble, fighting the need to cut Helena off. I don’t want to talk about this… I need to talk about it… but I don’t want to.
“Liv?” Her voice booms out of the loudspeaker and bounces around the silent room. “Liv, don’t you dare cut me off!”
My body hangs limply from the chair as I lean back, and the tension slowly discharges from my limbs. Permitting a small grin, I’m relieved my friend knows me well enough to call me on my bullshit and pull me out of my own head even if it is from miles away.
“Liv?” She’s on the verge of a meltdown now.
“I’m here.” The steady strength my voice usually exudes is sorely lacking as verbal sawdust trickles out instead.
“You may be there, but you’re not okay, are you?”
I sigh. “No. I’m not okay, but I will be… I swear.”
“Liv, remember who you’re talking to. I know how you feel about him. Tell me he hasn’t broken you?”
I swipe the small line of blood that has travelled down my chin. Hissing when my thumb makes contact with my torn lip.
“Hel, I appreciate your concern. Honestly. The truth is, I don’t know where he is, all I got was a quick phone call. Apparently, he had to go away for a while.” I shrug at myself in the mirror, not sure who I’m explaining Isaac’s actions to. “He said it was for work and he didn’t know how long he’d be gone.”
“What about the two of you?” she demands without hesitation.
“I don’t know.”
“Olivia.” Helena’s voice is low and serious. “You must have asked how long? Where
