Sky Ghosts: Initiation (Sky Ghosts #1)

Chapter 4

Chad watched Pain move around the room, unsure what to make of her. He saw Dave ogling her and kicked him in the shin, earning an annoyed look.

"What?" Dave mouthed with a grimace, and switched to staring at his phone.

Chad smirked, darting another quick look at Pain. Her slim body with just the right amount of muscle couldn't be spoiled even by her countless scars.

One of them, long and jagged, ran diagonally across her back, its ends visible from under her top. As she pulled her wet hair forward on one shoulder, Chad couldn't help but peer at the scar, wondering how someone could survive such an injury. Then again, her wound from an hour ago was nothing but a thin red line now. He remembered the blood coating her shoulder, her gear sliced open.

Pain didn't seem to notice him and Dave, keeping herself busy with the sheets for her sister's and her own bed. Dave jumped to his feet the second Jane appeared from the bathroom door. Chad smiled and waved him forward, sitting back down. He looked at his blood-splattered sweater and clicked his tongue.

"I'll go find some clothes for you two," Jane said, as if reading his thoughts.

"I'd be very grateful," he said, realizing that it would leave him alone with Pain, and he didn't know how he felt about it.

As Jane left the room, Pain took out a hairdryer and stood before the mirror, seeming to have forgotten about him. So he tore his eyes off her and stood, flexing his numb legs as he looked around.

Compared to his studio in Bushwick, this place seemed homey. There were pictures on the wall and other small details that showed that someone actually lived in this room, instead of just crashing there at night only to leave early the next morning. He studied the photos and whistled as he saw the sisters with their cutthroat friends.

The hairdryer went silent, and Pain said, "You like the photos? Don't worry, you'll meet them all tomorrow." Her sharp smile flashed in the mirror, but Chad ignored it.

"How long have you two been living here?"

All her snark evaporated in a blink of an eye. Personal questions were not her forte. Chad shelved this information for later.

"Nine years," she answered, having restored her composure. "I was twelve when our parents got killed. Jane was nine."

Twenty-one, he thought. Only two years younger than he.

"You moved here as kids?" he said, not hiding his surprise.

"It was our choice." When he held her gaze, waiting for more, she gave in with a sigh. "Peter wanted to move in with us at the old house. But we didn't want to stay there. That part of our life was over. We had started training already anyway."

"Why Peter?"

"He was our father's partner."

Chad couldn't quite wipe the wide-eyed expression from his face.

She noticed his staring and added, her voice softening, "It's not bad here. One of the best headquarters in the US. We have two training halls, a pool, a gym, and decent cooks in the canteen. And some kids get shipped off to private schools." She shuddered.

Chad smiled, relaxing. "You didn't want that? To be a kid a little while longer?"

A pause. She blinked, shutting down as quickly as she'd opened up. "No. We wanted this." Her tone indicated the end of conversation, and Chad didn't push, just cocked his head to the side, watching her for a minute longer.

Jane returned with a big pile of white and black clothes. She kicked off her sneakers and dropped the clothes on the recliner. "Here. The rest you'll be able to get tomorrow. We have a small shop here on the first floor."

She climbed onto her bunk and crawled under the covers. Her sister already lay on her side, watching the room with suspicious, narrowed eyes.

A few minutes later, Chad was finally alone in the bathroom. He found a new toothbrush in the medicine cabinet and thought about Eugene as he brushed his teeth. What was he going to do now that Chad and Dave were safe inside HQ's walls? What if Peter hadn't been honest about his intentions?

Leaning over the sink, he stared at himself in the mirror. He couldn't find the answers right now. But in the morning, he would do his best to find out everything about this place.

* * *

Eugene leaned on his desk, going through the thick stack of papers his secretary had left for him before going home.

Now that the building was empty of human workers, his mercenaries filled the hallways, reporting news from the streets. Eugene was only interested in one of them, and he stood before his desk now.

"Did you find the boy?" he asked his second-in-command, not raising his eyes as he signed another paper.

"No," the big man rumbled.

Eugene paused and looked up at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

The Beast glanced at him, then turned his expressionless gaze to the wall, clasping his hands in front of him.

"The sisters intercepted our squad. There were two civilians. They're at HQ now."

Eugene gave a slow nod. "The sisters... Make sure you get rid of them when you retrieve the civilians. They might already know something they shouldn't."

He turned his attention to the papers, but the man was still there. Eugene looked up at him, raising a brow.

"We don't have the intel to attack headquarters," the man said. "I don't know where exactly they're staying or the perimeter layout, and if I have better chances at sneaking in a few people or attacking with a big squad."

"You don't know anything, do you?" Eugene leaned back in his chair. He rocked back and forth for a minute, thinking over their options. "I'll get you the intel. You find the men for it. We'll only have one shot. If they fail, Peter will have a hundred men guarding the building the next day. He's not that stupid not to see that something's up."

"Dead or alive?"

"Alive," Eugene snapped. "The boy has something against me. I have to make sure I bury it with him."

He got up from his chair and walked around the desk, making the Beast step back as Eugene's shield spread out before him.

"If you harm the boy in the attack, I'll have your head decorating this wall, like the dumb animal you are," he warned.

The big fighter nodded curtly and turned to the door, crossing the office with three long strides.

Eugene grumbled a curse and called after him, "Abdel!" The man paused by the door. "You didn't ask how long you have."

"How long do I have, boss?"

"One day."

Eugene watched him leave and sighed. Idiot.