Vesper dropped her hand and started up the driveway. Bellamy stood in the shadows while Vesper slunk into the unlocked guardhouse. They’d agreed for Bel to wait there for at least one minute before trekking up to the main house to give Vesper enough time to distract and hopefully kill the guard before they saw Bel.
The door creaked as Vesper pushed it open. She cursed silently, but the house was dark. No one rushed up to greet her. Everything was still, frozen in place, quiet enough that Vesper could hear her own breathing. Had they been tipped off about this? Was the guard up at the main house already? Vesper’s heart raced as she imagined Bellamy being met with prepared residents and the guard without Vesper.
Fuck, what if their intel was wrong? They couldn’t fail their first assignment. And she couldn’t leave Bel alone.
Breathe, Vesper reminded herself, taking a deep breath. They wouldn’t be set up for failure. Not after everything they’d been through. The Embunuh Organization didn’t screw over their own.
Vesper strained to see against the darkness, but the closer shelooked, the more…offeverything seemed. Stuffed animals and books and painting supplies were strewn about. It looked like a child’s house. Unease crept up her spine the more she looked around. Hesitation in her movements made her stumble slightly before she steadied herself and focused. Itcouldn’tbe a child’s house. This was a ploy by the guard. It had to be.
Tiptoeing carefully over a stuffed cat, Vesper moved quickly through the living room, past the empty kitchen, and into the darkened hallway. She peered into each room as she went, but no one was there.
Vesper checked her watch. She’d wasted two minutes. Bellamy would be heading up to the main house by now. She had to work faster—either confirm this place was empty or find the guard before Bellamy went into the main house. Vesper hoped she could get up there for backup before it was too late.
Finally, she reached the end of the hallway. The door was closed, and she held her breath, turning the knob slowly. It was, as she’d thought, a bedroom. Lights were off, but there was a glowing nightlight on the dresser by the door, just bright enough to illuminate a silhouette on the bed. The steady rise and fall of the figure told Vesper they were fast asleep. What kind of shit guard was asleep before 10 p.m.?
She scoffed internally, her concern immediately vanished. They hadn’t gotten bad intel.
Vesper slipped the poison from her pocket. She fucking hated poison. So tactless. But the client insisted on it. Even provided a different poison vial for the guard, one they’d claimed was fast acting, so there wouldn't be a fight. Or, much of a fight, at least.
Vesper froze when she got closer to the bed.
It was not a shit guard. She realized they’d never actually been told that it was a guard. Vesper had just assumed that based on the housing. This was akid. Their mouth was parted, and soft snores filled the air. The kid couldn’t have been more than twelve.
This was why they’d said the kill would be harder in this house. It wasn’t a trained guard, it was a fuckingchild.
Vesper was reeling. The Embunuh might be a place for assassins to thrive, but even they had rules. Number one: no killing kids.
She dropped the poison bottle, the glass thunking on the hardwood floor. The kid startled awake. Vesper covered her mouth before she could scream.
“Shh,” she warned, “don’t do that.” No one would be able to hear them anyway, but Vesper didn’t want the shrill noise to pierce her eardrums.
“Who are you?” The child whimpered against her hand, eyes wide.
Shit. “Umm.” What the fuck was she supposed to say to that? Vesper slowly removed her hand, watching the kid like she was a wild animal and tried to reboot her frozen brain. She could not do this.
“Are you here to kill me?”
Vesper’s jaw dropped, just a fraction. “I’m here to save you.”
What the fuck was she doing?! Vesper checked the time again. She had fifteen minutes to get the kid the fuck out of here, preferably to a safe place, and then back to Bellamy.Shit. What was she gonna tell Bel?
“You have one minute. Change your clothes, pack anything you need. We’re leaving. You’re going to disappear.”
“Did Sissy send you?” the kid asked, staring past Vesper’s shoulder at a blank spot on the wall.
Vesper didn’t have time to think about this kid's family. She leaned back against the bedroom wall. Someone with powerful ties in the Embunuh had put out a hit on her. Someone wanted this kid dead, and they had the means to break the Embunuh’s number one rule to do it.
“Just get your stuff. Quickly!”
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. She couldn’t tell Bellamy. She couldn’t. Whoever wanted the kid dead clearly had very powerful connections. If Bel knew about this, they’d kill her. They’d kill Vesper too, but better her than Bel. Vesper would have to lie. Sayshe hadn’t found anyone. And she’d have to do it fucking well. Bel had to stay safe.
Bellamy wouldn’t have gone into the main house yet. They had time. Barely. She could do this—get the kid hidden and get back. No problem. They’d known Vesper and Bellamy would split up for the job, they’d planned as much in the room at the hotel. So, they’d only come after Vesper for this. She had to keep Bellamy safe, had to keep her in the dark, no matter how much it killed Vesper to lie to Bel.
It would be fine. Vesper would keep them safe. All three of them. It would be fine.
The kid still hadn’t moved while Vesper tried to sort out her thoughts and tamp down her rising panic. She spied a stuffed animal on the nightstand next to the kid and grabbed it, shoving it in the kid’s arms in a weak attempt at comfort.
Bel would understand. Vesper could fix it, and once she did, once she got the hit off this kid’s head, she’d tell Bellamy everything. Fuck, she’d beg for forgiveness, but right now, she couldn’t think about that.
