Secrets Leave Scars [EDITING]

7 - Truth or Truth

"Agent Diaz, don't do it," he pleads with me. His eyes fill with fear as he begs one last time, "Isobel...no...."

"I have to Link, just trust me..."

The gun shots jolt me awake. I gasp for air, electricity shooting through my body. I feel sweat drip down my face as I realize it was just another nightmare.

Ever since my failed mission, I've had them. I wake up screaming, with what feels like weights being held on my chest.

I rub my eyes and grab the glass of water beside my bed. The cold water flows down my throat, soothing it, after Dimitri almost had it shattered only hours before. The bureau had found a small apartment right across from Skull Bar, where I would be staying for the duration of my mission. I came here to change into something more me, Kol's sweatpants weren't cutting it, but I must've fallen asleep.

I get out of the covers and my feet are greeted with the cool hardwood floor. I look at the empty room around me. My mind keeps wandering back to what Trinity had said. "I know liars, and trust me you are one." Her words had me drowning in worry.

"I can't blow this mission. What does she know?" I wonder. "Forget this. She doesn't know anything." I dust myself off and change into a more appropriate outfit. I pick out dark black leggings and a matching sports bra. I slip on a pair of plain, nike sneakers and grab a jacket, before heading back to Skull Bar.

***

I see the other recruits gathered around a table in the back of the bar. I walk over and pull out a chair. The group gets quiet as I approach. "Don't mind me," I say, motioning to the bartender for a drink.

Ivy clears her throat and continues, "I think he's an ass," she snickers, sipping her drink. The others laugh with her as I order.

"He's a challenge," Omar cuts in. "That doesn't make him an ass."

"Ok kiss up," Axel laughs, stretching his arms in the air. "What do you think Isobel?"

"Depends on who we're talking about," I reply.

"Dimitri," Ivy answers. "Like I said, he's an ass."

I laugh, nodding in agreement, when Trinity speaks up. "I'm more interested in getting to know each other." She gulps the last bit of her beer and places the bottle on it's side. "Let's play a game of truth or truth," she chuckles.

"I wouldn't expect a mafia royal to play high school games, but sure," I say, smirking. Trinity rolls her eyes as she spins the bottle. It lands on Ivy, "Hmm, tell us why you left your family's mafia."

Ivy stirs her drink before looking up at Trinity. She grins slyly as she answers, "The Crimson mafia, is full of liars. My family hides everything from me as an attempt to keep me safe."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Axel butts in.

"I never asked for protection," she spits back. "I want to be apart of a mafia who actually wants me." The table grows silent for a while. "Right then, I guess it's my turn to spin." The bottle lands on Omar. Ivy takes a moment to think of a question, while stirring her drink. "Why'd you start your training late?" she finally asks.

"Because no one thought I was good enough," he replies, plainly. "It took me years to convince them to give me a shot." His face showed nothing, but his eyes showed hurt. He swiftly spins the bottle and it lands on Axel.

"Goody," Axel says, shifting in his seat.

Omar rests his elbows on the table and leans in. "Why didn't you join when you turned 18?"

"I'm 19 now, it's only a year off," Axel replies, "what's the big deal?"

"That wasn't exactly an answer," Trinity states, raising her eyebrows for him to continue.

He clears his throat, "I never wanted to be apart of this life," he says. "My mom allowed me to live a normal life, but she died on my 19th birthday. Without her, there was no one to stand up against my father. He's forcing me to be here." The table gets quiet again when Axel finishes his story. "And with that, I need a shot," he laughs, motioning to the bartender.

We spin the bottle a few more times, until finally, it lands on me. "Where did you learn to fight, if you weren't raised in the mafia?"

My throat gets tight as I rummage my brain for an answer. "I taught myself," I finally spit out. "There's not much to do in foster homes. One of the houses I ended up in had a gym and my foster parents knew some moves too. Some I learned from them and others I've picked up here and there." I look around the table to determine if they buy my story. They do.

"Well feel free to give us some tips," Axel nudges my shoulder. "You put up a fight against Steele." I smile back at him.

"You must've missed the part where I got knocked out, cold."

"Even still," Ivy chimes in, "you had the balls to try. I think everyone there can appreciate that."

We're interrupted by an alert on our phones. It's a text from Kol:

Something came up, Steele says to rest for tomorrow.

"Boring," Omar complains, after reading the text. "I want to see some action man, why do we have to go rest."

"Can't say I'm torn up about it," Axel chimes in, pleased with the news.

"I heard the others are going out," Ivy says, as everyone looks back at her. "It's just gonna be at this nearby club, no one would notice if we went." The others laugh, excitedly.

"Trinity never got her turn for truth or truth," I speak up. We all look at Trinity, who's sitting back in her chair, drinking from Ivy's cup.

"Fine then," she clears her throat. "What'd you wanna ask me?" I take a sip of my drink before leaning in.

"What happened to your brother?"

The noise from the others stops abruptly, their full attention on us. Trinity gets stiff, clearly feeling uncomfortable by my question.

She stutters, "He's d-dead. That's it."

"How?" I push for more information.

She stands up and gulps down the rest of Ivy's drink, before pushing past me, angrily. I turn to face the other recruits, "Now that's finished, who wants to go to this club?"