Brains over Brawn [ A Cisco Ramon Romance Novel ]

01

01|Bite The Bullet

" Don't be a fucking hero, Reyna. "

It was quarter past two in the morning, and she'd decided to head to the corner store from around the block of her new apartment. Only when she got into the store, she realized she wasn't alone. Central City was a big place, so people shopping at this hour wasn't anything new, but the only other occupant in the store, besides the clerk, was a young man with a black hoodie on and a scarf over their mouth.

Not suspicious at all.

While Reyna knew exactly what she wanted, the other customer took their time rummaging through the various isles, taking quick glances at the twenty-four year old ex. ARGUS Agent, and trying to look busy.

She'd been in ARGUS for four long years, the agency had scooped her up when she had just graduated high school, and since then, she'd been trying to find a way out. Four long, frightful years of training before she had managed to escape.

A fresh start in a new city, at least that was the idea, and this asshole was going to ruin it. Her few sentimental months of peace and quiet in this new city were about to be over. Being in ARGUS had allowed her to get a sixth sense of sketchy situations, like the one she was in now. She had an itch under her skin that wouldn't go away.

" Don't fucking do it.. "

Reyna whispered underneath her breath as she grabbed the small carton of juice and ice cream. She cleared the floor of the convenience store and briefly glanced at the hooded man before setting her items onto the counter of the register.

" Let's see.. "

The clerk added up her purchase and fought off a yawn while flashing her a brief smile.

Reyna's wavy, kinked hair had become unmanageable in the heat of the late summer's humidity, and was up into a messy ponytail, while her face looked on at the store attendant with a pained expression and mumbled to herself, hoping she was wrong.

Reyna pulled a small wad of crumpled bills from her pocket and sorted through them. The familiar sound of a quiet metal click caught her ears, and with a soft sigh, she bowed her head.

The man in the hood had pulled out his weapon and cocked the hammer of the gun, preparing to kill both of them. The attendant's hands flew up, unsure of what was going to happen, while Reyna made a fake whining sound. She was so unbelievably done with this kind of bullshit.

" How much? "

Reyna spat at the attendant while any look of light began to leave her face. She glanced over her shoulder at the attacker, and then looked back to the attendant.

" What?! "

The man was confused and frightened, not sure of what was going on or what to do. Reyna reiterated what she had just said, and the man began to stutter.

" N-nine-f-fifty. "

Reyna pulled a ten out of the few bills she had and stuffed the rest into her pocket. She put the wrinkled bill onto the counter and scooped up the items before turning to leave.

" WHERE THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING!? "

The gun that the man was holding began to shake as he screamed, and Reyna had to contain herself from unloading on this guy. He shifted the gun from the register and to her head, all while trying to keep up on his empty threat.

" GIVE ME EVERYTHING YOU GOT, NO FUCKING GAMES I MEAN IT! "

' Don't be a hero, give this douchebag the cash you have.'

She thought quietly to herself, as the assailant shifted his gun multiple times between both her and the register attendant.

" I MEAN IT, I'LL FUCKING KILL BOTH OF YOU! " Reyna's lips pushed together as she held in a sigh. Her bright green eyes widened as she dropped the items in her arms and put up her hands. Snack time would have to wait. She hadn't noticed that the man behind the register had pulled out a gun, and while she lunged forwards to grab the gun from the attacker, she got shot in the back.

The simultaneous gunshots from her back and from the hands of the thug in front of her, caused all of her senses to go haywire. She hadn't noticed that she'd taken a buckshot to the back. The clerk had been a bad shot, and the hole that the attendant had left was going to leave her dead in minutes.

The cold sensation of her body bleeding out onto the floor was the first thing she began to feel, as the temporary adrenaline rush had subsided. The attacker in front of her was covered in blood, but it wasn't his own. The armed robber dropped the gun, and ran from the corner store, just in time for the clerk to jump from behind his counter and scream that he was going to get help. The only problem was that she couldn't get help. If anyone found her she'd be dead. Reyna had deflected from ARGUS, and was considered dead. If they found out she was alive, Amanda Waller would pull her back into the agency and she'd likely be tried for treason.

Reyna stumbled from the store and managed to clumsily make her way down the ally and around another corner. She fell against a brick wall, and her body lost balance, and her vision began to slip, and without notice, she'd fallen and rolled into the road.

__________

Reyna had been a nickname growing up. She was made fun of quite often, as Mila sounded strange to many of the children she went to school with. Reyna was a cut-off of her last name, which was Reynolds, and after a while, it grew on her. After starting a new life, she had finally done all of the things she had wanted to do. She moved to the city, and got a boring customer service job, and was finally accepting of the idea of trying to find someone. But, then again, would there be anyone who would be willing to be accepting of her.

There was a part of her that was vigilant to remind her of her past. An unforgiving, and quiet voice, one that whispered against the back of her neck and scratched at her consciousness. Normally it was when she was sleeping or just starting to forget. It would remind her that she could never be happy, and that good things only happen to good people. It hadn't even been six months when she decided to stick her nose where it didn't belong.

It was almost three in the morning when she finally crumbled onto a quiet street, in an unknown neighborhood. She didn't have the strength to call for help, and even if she did, what would she say? Her cover would be blown and she'd get pulled back into the thick of it. This way, the quiet way, would be best. At least in death, she knew she might finally find some peace.