Secrets

Chapter Two

My most profiled kill was when I stabbed the president, but you know what? That wasn’t the hardest. No, the most difficult kill for me was a guy named Jack Knight. It was unusual for a target to be difficult to kill, even with security. Even President Lock wasn’t exactly hard. Just pose as one of the members of security, and you can get close enough to stab him easily. However, Mr. Knight was not guarded. He was simply... aware. That is enough. His ability to observe his surroundings made him unusual. He noticed when I first started to follow him, although thankfully he never saw my face. He ducked when the first dagger flew at him. That was when I first became truly interested in his story.

Mr. Knight grew up in the back streets of London. With his mother dead and his father unknown, he quickly learned how to fight to survive. After all, if you don’t protect yourself, who will protect you? When he grew up, he fought for a living. The darker side of London holds... a few places where it’s possible to fight for money, and he was good. So good that one day, I got a folder in my mail. A competitor wanted him dead before he had to fight him. I got the job done, but not without a fight. It was one of the few times where I was nearly overpowered. He managed to give me a broken hand and rib before I managed to slit his throat, but he’s dead now. The problem? The Shadows have given me a new target: Jack Knight’s little brother, Luke. Just as good a fighter, but from what I’ve heard, even smarter. Less hits to the head over the years. Every single time they send me on one of these missions, they get harder, the pay remains the same, and they expect me to do it in less time. They want him gone in a week.

"Honey! Have you given Tali her bath yet?" Tom’s voice shocked me out of my analysis of the folder, and I quickly shoved it back into the safe. "Not yet! I’m going now!" I called back as I walked into my daughter’s room, scooping her up quickly. I settled into my normal routine, and soon enough, Natalie was happily splashing around, getting me completely soaked in the process. I looked up when I heard Tom chuckle at my soaked clothes from the doorway, and mock glared at him just as a rubber duck was thrown at my head. "OW! Tali! No throwing!" I scolded softly as my husband started outright laughing. My mouth twitched, and I couldn’t help but join in, especially after he fell off the doorway. It was times like these that I could just forget about my night job and enjoy the domesticity of my family. The thought reminded me of the folder waiting for me upstairs, and the smile fell off my face.

"Hey, what’s wrong?" He said, coming in to gently brush my sodden hair away from my face. "Nothing." I said. "I just found out I’m being called away for a week tomorrow. The bakery wants me to see if I can find a new chocolate supplier in Brazil." I explained... well, lied. He frowned softly. "They overwork you there. Are you sure you have to go? You went away just last month." I nodded, and leaned up to give him a kiss. "I’m sorry, but I really do. Can you look after Natalie for me?" He grinned slightly. "Nah, I’ll leave her outside with the dogs." He joked. "Now get up and get ready. I’ll finish her bath. You’d better be ready before I come up, though. I don’t want any last minute rushes in the morning like last time. Or the time before." I laughed, and gladly passed Natalie over so that he could finish her bath. Once upstairs, I made sure my daggers, sharpeners and folders were all packed and concealed first before packing my clothes. After all, I didn’t exactly want Thomas to see those, and the clothes I would need were exactly what I would need if I were going on a business trip. The best way to blend in is to look like everyone else.

I was finished quickly, although I knew I would still inevitably have to hurry in the morning. Sighing, I walked over to where Tom was reading to Tali. I smiled, watching as she fell asleep, a smile on her face, and dreaming of whatever it was that she dreamed of at night. Tom tucked her in softly, and made his way over to me. He pulled me gently away from the doorway, knowing that I would probably stay there all night if I could, just watching her sleep. "Come on, darling. You need to get some sleep if you’re going away." I shut her door gently, and together we went through the house, making sure everything was locked up, bantering and laughing easily.

All too soon, it was time to actually go to sleep, a time I always dreaded before I had to go away. It meant that I would have to leave my home, and too often I wished that I could just stay in those perfect moments where it was just the three of us, but time moves, as time invariably does, and soon, I was cuddled in my husbands arms, waiting for the time when I would have to wake up and board a plane back to London. I shivered involuntarily at the thought of seeing Luke Knight again, of feeling the guilt of knowing that I had taken his brother. Tom pulled his head back and looked at me. "Hey, what’s wrong? Are you nervous?" I nodded guiltily, knowing that he was talking about my ‘bakery’ trip. "Don’t be. You’ve done this a thousand times." Knowing he was right, even if he was talking about a completely different job, didn’t really make me feel much better. Yet, I still pasted a smile on my face. "You’re right. I’ll be fine." I whispered, cuddling in closer. I felt like a child again, safe in his arms, and completely unwilling to go to sleep. He kissed my head, and I was lulled to sleep by the steady sound of his heartbeat, wishing the next morning would never arrive.