Deadly Desires

Demons

I was in copious amounts of pain, dehydrated and half-starved to death but all of that faded away to a dull ache as poisonous rage overcame me. So strong and potent that it threatened to spill from my pores and burn everything around me. 

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right here," I said, eyes narrowing as I took a step forward. Nikolai stood behind me cautiously but he knew better than to get involved. 

My grandmother blinked at me, "I just saved your life." 

"After being the reason it's been in danger for years," I said harshly, feeling my anger boil and churn.

She shook her head, "Ivy I didn't know what Lotus was up to or how bad it had gotten until you were harmed. I may own the entire organisation but I don't know the inner workings of the systems, I'm retired." 

A fraction of my anger simmers as I stare at her, "The woman who asked me to join Lotus told me she was Iris, if that's you then...who was she?" 

"Some actor I hired, come on now my sweet I own the entire thing I can't be speaking to agents one-on-one I'm far too old for that. And I never told you because I didn't want to be Iris to you, just your grandmother. I still am."  

"You're a liar is what you are," I fire back. 

"As interesting as this is panning out to be, I suggest we move away from the parking lot surrounding where my father just had us tortured?" Nikolai calls out behind us. I nod and hesitantly move towards the van my grandmother stepped out of. 

I didn't trust her entirely, but I was beginning to understand her point. And we really did need to get away from Nikolai's father before he managed to drag us back to his fucked up torture chamber. 

I climbed inside and one of the masked women handed me a water bottle. I accepted and gulped it down as did Nikolai when he was offered his own. I sat next to him on a bench beside my grandmother, she looked tired and worn. 

"Lying to you wasn't easy Ivy, but you always made it home from your missions and never complained. I thought you were okay, I didn't know how brutal it had gotten or what Marissa was doing to her agents until what had happened to you. And by then you were on the run," My grandmother explains. I sigh and rub my head. 

"How can I believe anything you say?" 

"Did you know who I was the second we met?" Nikolai asks, his eyes trained on Siri or...Iris. 

She paused and then nodded with a half smile, "Yes, only because I do make it my business to know who the top agents are of rival competitors." 

"Why didn't you harm me, or do anything to me when we first met each other? Weren't you worried I'd hurt Ivy?" Nikolai asks. 

My grandmother smiles at him, "Моя внучка — лучший убийца, она безупречный и точный убийца, которому каким-то образом удается сохранять чистое сердце. Я представлял, что кто-то вроде тебя либо полюбит ее за это, либо возненавидит. И если бы это было последнее, она бы убила тебя задолго до того, как ты убил бы ее,"  she says and my jaw drops at the same time Nikolai raises his eyebrows.

"Since when do you speak Russian?" I ask her accusingly. 

"Not many things one can do to entertain herself when she's in retirement."

"Я был близок к убийству Айви. Я даже ударил ее ножом в живот," Nikolai says and I frown as they speak to each other. I can only understand a few words.