Dark Assassin [COMPLETED]

Chapter 12

Celeste

Life can be such a bitch. Just when you think things are finally going the way you want them to, fate punches you right in the face. Maybe it was my fault. Maybe I had become complacent. After all, we have been running for four days whilst trying to keep my best friend ( who was now under our witness protection by default) from being killed by her boyfriend. It should have been enough to keep us all on edge but NOOO.

It had been my idea to take it easy that day. Forget all the bad stuff. Well, not completely forget. Marsh and I had come up with a plan. I had told him about everything that Ivy had thought of. He didn't like it, obviously, but he had agreed that at this point in time it was our only shot.

He had a contact at MIT. One who could help us with the plan. It was a far cry from Kansas and the guy we had planned at meeting there but I was glad because it meant we could get away from HIM. After all, he knew we were going to Kansas so Kansas was the last place I wanted to be right now.

We had discussed the details. Marsh and I had decided we weren't going to share the details with Ivy.

It had nothing to do with the fact that we didn't trust her to be rational these days, as Marsh had insinuated when she'd tried to pry the information out of him. We simply wanted to keep her stress levels low.

I was worried about her. She had been exposed to so much stress these past four days and seeing Don had probably made things worse. None of it was good for the baby.

So we had acted the happy trio. Nothing to worry about. There truly had been nothing to worry about as Marsh and I had shoved our groceries on the counter.

"You didn't forget the Oreos, did you?" Marsh had asked with a teasing smile.

"Do I look like an idiot?" I asked with a sheepish grin. "Ivy would eat me alive."

"Speak of the devil." He'd said.

At that moment, she had come rushing into the store with her hand over her mouth. Poor thing. The morning sickness had her good. Marsh paid for our stuff.

"Let's go wait for her in the car." He had said.

Grabbing the paper bags, we had headed out of the convenience store towards our car. Ivy had managed to get in a full tank before she had had to rush to the bathroom. We had carefully put everything into the car. For once I had felt that cloud of melancholy that had settled over us lift. Marsh and I had shared a private joke. One I can't even remember.

Then I'd looked up. I just had to look up an ruin that beautiful moment. Time had slowed. Those 10 metres between our car and the store had had become miles. I remember seeing her through the shop window as she collapsed into HIS arms. I'd dropped whatever I had been holding as I had rushed to the store.

"Ivy, no!!!!" A voice had screamed out.

I think it had been mine though I can't be sure anymore. It had all been fruitless, however. I never managed to reach him on time. He was gone by the time I made it to the store and he'd taken her with him.

I had died a thousand deaths. Marsh was saying something. I could see his lips moving but I couldn't hear a damn thing. Was this what going into shock looked like? I had failed my best friend. In a moment of weakness, I had failed to kill Don and now I was paying the price.

Marsh is still talking and I still don't hear a thing. Something wasn't right. Something hasn't been right from the very beginning. He kidnapped her. Why the hell had he kidnapped her? The entire time he had come at us in terminator mode. He had never for once intended to snatch her. He had meant to kill her every single time. Except...

"He missed." I say aloud.

"What are you talking about?" Marsh asks in confusion.

"Don. That first day. He missed." I say more loudly than before. "When has he ever missed?"

"Baby, I love where your head is at but that means nothing." He says as he gives my shoulders a squeeze. "I think it was just a coincidence."

"Look, I'm not crazy!" I say as I shrug his hands away. "I'm not here because I managed to outwit him, Marsh. He hesitated and I seized the opportunity. I don't know where he's taken her or why but I don't think he meant to kill her. I don't think he ever meant to kill her."

"That's all well and great but we have no way to prove your theory." He says matter of factly. "Until then, we have to find them and fast."

I hated it but he was right. Taking a deep breath, I reached for my emergency communication device. It was a small Android phone. It didn't look like much but thanks to the supercomputer it was linked up to, a supercomputer that was home to an artificial intelligence that had been created by the agency to help us on our missions, E.L.I, all calls between agents remained untraceable and cryptic.

"Celeste, I was starting to think you didn't like me." My suave partner says in that smooth tone of his.

"Lionel, I'm not in the mood." I tell him.

"Yikes! Who's got your panties in a twist?" He says.

"Listen to me, you pervert! I need you to track someone for me. I know you guys back at HQ can use E.L.I. to its full potential." I snap at him.

"Now, now, Celeste. I know you didn't just ask me to track someone for you." He says.

"And what if I did?" I challenge him.

"Well, A) you could probably do it yourself quite easily and B) you'd owe me a favor." He replies.

"If I could do it myself, Lionel, I wouldn't be asking you now would I?" I ask him.

"Fair point. Who do you want to find?" He asks.

"Fox." I say.

"What? Do you have a death wish?" He asks. "Now don't get me wrong, babe. You're a badass agent but you're obviously not experienced enough. Plus you'd be going in short handed. My advise, sit this one out love."

"Well thank you for the insult, jerk. Now will you do what I asked or do I have to ask someone else?" I ask.

"If it bothers you that much, babe, I'll do it." He says.

God I hated the guy. How on earth had we even ended up as partners? Top management was obviously making fun of us.

" Great. Call me when you have something useful for me." I tell him.

"Two words. Thank you. They wouldn't kill a butterfly." He says. "Come on. Say them with me."

"Fuck you." I tell him before I hang up.