Unleashed (End of an Assassin Book 3) Read online

  "Pray for me, Goose," she murmured to herself.

  "You can reach it, Kaden."

  Coming from a mathematical critter, the words comforted her. She squatted and stared down the gold and red banister before her. Then she unfurled, breaking into another sprint. Her legs screamed, and she pushed harder in return. The banister closed in and she leapt, then stepped on the rail just right. Without breaking momentum, her dominant right leg pushed off the railing for one more boost. Twenty-five feet to the roof.

  The decorative window burst like a popped bubble. Twenty feet. Her lungs hungered for oxygen. Soaring through the air was effortless; only freedom on all sides, until she realized she wouldn’t clear the roof.

  She pulled up her legs at the last moment, making a smooth drop-roll impossible. She landed hard and rolled out the momentum on her side, smacking herself awkwardly in the process. Pain blazed across her entire front, and her hands took most of the hit for her face. She scrambled onto the surface and lay in a daze, having forgotten every detail of her life.

  The gunshots reminded her. The cops had discovered the crime scene. She ran across the helipad, toward the hospital entrance.

  She flew down the concrete stairs, flight after flight, and ran into the hallway three floors below. Even though she had enough adrenaline coursing through her to take on an army, she forced herself to slow and blend in. Her body hated her for today's abuse: running, smashing, more running. She walked into the bustling hallway, chest heaving. Her skinned hands started to drip blood, and she found the fire alarm. Only a few people stared at Kaden wearing a nude ski mask. A nurse approached, looking at Kaden like she was a feral cat. Kaden’s hands were bloody, and it was never smart to leave blood.

  She came within inches of the nurse, and poked her dart gun into her ribs. "Pull that fire alarm. Don't think, just do it." The woman gasped and closed her eyes but obliged. The building squealed, but few people panicked. Darn, the staff was trained for those things. Regardless, she needed to improvise. The police had seen her disappear into this building, and its fire alarm had just gone off. No doubt they'd throw all their resources into searching the hospital, meaning Kaden needed to escape via a third building. Kaden hurried back to the roof.

  The office building that she had started on had a fire escape, accessible by the north side of the hospital roof. She hopped on the grated platform and pattered down the stairs until she found an open window with closed blinds.

  Perfect opportunity to become ordinary. She whispered, "Goose, go find someone that looks like a squealer and run onto their desk. Um, kidding about looking like a squealer, but make sure attention is away from the path from this window to the elevator." Her pocket twitched, then the blinds. She rustled in her backpack, then switched the ski mask for the baseball hat and slipped on the flannel.

  A husky voice yelled, "Oh God, a mouse! Kill it!"

  Kaden pushed aside the blinds. She chuckled as people surrounded the frantic man, and everyone else stood to watch. This would be the highlight of their day. The office stank like someone had microwaved fish doused in vinegar. She slipped around the side of the room, ready with her excuse of locking herself out if needed. Her face was probably wrecked from that landing. She made it to the elevator with no one stopping her, and didn't dare look around as she pressed the lobby button.

  She didn't have her phone, so she awkwardly stared straight ahead as others joined her on the elevator, damaged side of her face toward the wall.

  A woman said to her companion, "What building's fire alarm is going off?"

  "I hear it's the hospital," he replied.

  "Oh yeah? Should we be worried?"

  "I didn't see any smoke. Makes life a little more interesting. Might as well call it a day."

  "I just hope everyone's alright."

  The elevator slowed. This was the only opportunity to get caught. Kaden held her breath, ready to jump up into the elevator shaft but totally without ideas for after.

  The elevator door sang as it opened. Kaden released her breath at the inactive lobby. Outside, police and irate hospital workers in their scrubs clogged the street and sidewalk. At the entrance to the hospital, police patted down the bags of everyone filing from the building. More cop cars arrived by the second.

  Her backpack, fitted to her small back, suddenly felt heavy. Hands in her pockets, she strolled in the other direction to the waiting car, trying not to vomit with relief—she hadn't even known that was a thing.

  Kaden had halted her terror at Moe's "go" to complete her task, but it rushed back like a tsunami once in the getaway car. She clutched her chest with clammy, bloody hands, trying to convince her body that the abuse was over.

  Even hours later, at a meeting asinine in comparison, her pulse still raced. For the first hour, she was the center of attention, recounting every detail of the assassination. Sure, she understood the meeting’s purpose: accurate information gathering was the core of Vigilant Citizens, and the organization had operated for three years without leaving breadcrumbs, but had done nothing near the magnitude of assassinating a politician. Cori, Moe, and Benny talked about next steps for half an hour, and she was bored, anxious, and half listening.

  The years of practice were child's play compared to what Vigilant Citizens faced now.

  Cori said, "Benny, please go into government records and change Kaden's DNA report. We don't need them getting DNA from shards of glass."

  He grinned and said, "I did that years ago."

  Cori nodded. "Of course you did. That wraps up this meeting, then. Kaden, once again, thank you for your work today. Truly phenomenal."

  Benny said, “Anyone seen Kill Bill? As soon as you pulled out that sword, I knew you must’ve looked just like Uma.”

  Moe said, “You closed your eyes.”

  “Yeah, as soon as I saw the sword in her hands!”

  Kaden wiped her bandaged palms on her pants and said, “I look nothing like Uma Thurman.”

  Benny said, “That doesn’t matter.”

  Cori said, "Kaden, regarding your previous mission, everyone in the van received assistance from Invisible Millions. As I suspected, there was a sizable amount of cocaine smuggled in the van, adding up to half a million dollars. So excellent job."

  Kaden pursed her lips. "You didn't tell me about the coke. I only work on human trafficking cases."

  "Unfortunately, human and drug trafficking go hand in hand. It's like catching a dolphin when fishing for tuna, except you want the dolphin too."

  "I guess so."

  "There's a backlog of drug-related cases if—"

  "No. I'll only take cases with tuna. I've got nothing against dolphins. Druggies make their own choices. The wrong ones, but that's not my business. Make it yours if you want."

  Cori dropped her pen and folded her hands in front of her. "I founded Vigilant Citizens because morals played an ineffective role in the maze of bureaucracy, politics, and people with power. I wanted the weak and vulnerable to be supported by someone powerful, with no other motives. Do you have a problem with that ideal?"

  Equal parts honest and suspicious, Kaden replied, "No problem."

  "Every market's purpose is to make a trade more efficient. Sub Rosa vendors don't need to hide, and they have a direct, low-effort, and scalable connection to their victims. In short, being a predator is easier and more profitable. Most damning, the entire market operates with no moral structure. It's ripe for larger and larger exploitations as it matures."

  Moe piped in, "There is no stopping one section of Sub Rosa. The website is a disease."

  They were stepping on Kaden's boundary. Her remaining anxiety swirled and bubbled into anger, and her breaths shortened—better leave while she was still ahead. Kaden leaned forward and said, "Can I go?"

  Cori said, "Yes."

  Kaden stormed toward the exit.

  Moe said, "Benny, how the heck do you knock sense into that girl?"

  "She doesn't need your sense," he quipped back.
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br />   Kaden twirled in the doorway and spat, "Sense? You want to talk about sense? If you've got a problem with the lines I draw, best of luck finding someone else to jump off high-rises and behead congressmen who rape minors."

  She slammed the door. What a jerk.

  Kaden took the next few days off to recuperate. When she went in next, the shallow wounds had become scabs ready to fall off and she already had an easy assignment waiting for her: supervise Omar on his first field job, scheduled for tomorrow. Benny would drive.

  She barged into Benny's office to plan logistics. He sat in his rolling chair as usual, but a woman sat on him—fully clothed, thank goodness. Their faces were attached. The thin, light brown ponytail on the top of her head bobbed.

  Benny started as Kaden shouted in surprise, and she yelled, "Sorry!" as she raced from the room and slammed the door behind her. She jogged down the corridor toward her "office," fixating on escape with a face as red as a cherry.

  That scene was more surprising than if a bird had perched on his head, or he was destroying his laptop with an axe.

  She zoomed into the weapons closet and leaned against the door, closing her eyes and reclaiming her control. After a minute, the panic had faded into simple embarrassment, and she opened her eyes. The room was spacious, considering the undersized offices. Without the extensive shelves hoisting weapons, she could walk six steps across. She grabbed a foldup chair, near the shelf of machine gun ammo, opened it in the middle of the back aisle, and plopped into the metal seat.

  Fingernails scraping her scalp, she leaned her head into her hands. Benny had never mentioned her. They never talked about their romantic lives, so in her mind, Benny hadn't had a girlfriend since they’d known each other. Even if he had, his office at an underground organization wasn't the best place for… private things. Benny's sexuality wasn't something she'd ever thought about. Even the phrase “Benny's sexuality” felt unnatural.

  She pulled a new stainless steel flask from her cargo pants and took a swig. It was ten a.m., and she'd be hungover by early evening, but ironically, alcohol was her only choice if she wanted to function. The numbness was a mercy, quieting the doubt that she could help humanity by ending lives.

  Plus, she deserved relaxation after that humiliation. The warm tequila burned, but at least it went down quick.

  This closet served as her oasis away from everywhere else. People rarely needed weapons now that Kaden was around to do the messy work. One long fluorescent light lit the concrete room, and the weapons surrounding her cast harsh shadows. Besides the massive amount of machine gun ammo, no doubt for the trap that had nearly killed her and Joy, the wire shelves held an array of weaponry, suitable for every sticky situation she could conceive. Vigilant Citizens had even purchased a rocket launcher as a welcome gift. She had no idea how to use it, but she halfway hoped she would need to. Her favorite item, though, was a wicker basket of grenades, waiting to be snatched up like chocolates.

  “Goose, let’s play fetch with grenades.”

  “No.”

  Kaden barked a laugh. “I was kidding, promise.”

  The door squeaked open. Cartons of bulletproof vests blocked the view, but she could guess the intruder. Benny said, "Kaden?"

  "Back here." His name stopped in her throat, because the tequila hadn't washed away her unease yet. It felt too personal to say his name.

  Benny's face peered around the shelf. His hair was flattened on one side. "Sorry about that. She attacked me the minute before you walked in."

  "Attacked? Yeah okay, nice job defending yourself. She's new, right?"

  He cleared his throat and nodded. "She's new, the assistant I needed." Benny wasn't meeting her eyes but had a shy smile anyway.

  Kaden grinned and said, "An assistant, I see. What kind of assistant?"

  "Stop that. She's from home, from my last job. She lost her brother to opioids, bought off Sub Rosa, so I didn't ignore the coincidence. Plus I bribed her. If I knew she was interested in me, I wouldn't have bribed so hard."

  "I see. Is she your girlfriend?"

  "Not yet. I do like her, though." His face broke into his wide and contagious signature smile. He popped around the corner.

  Now that the shock had worn off, a warmth set in. She was happy for him—or maybe the tequila was hitting. She said, "Good for you."

  "Thanks." The two finally made eye contact, and she was first to look away.

  He said, "Well, do you want to meet her officially? She’s got a name and everything. Then we need to chat about things."

  Kaden's nose crinkled. "Is she freaked out?"

  "No, but she wants a lock now."

  "Ew. That's what your apartment is for."

  "That's what I told her." Benny stretched. He stood exactly in the middle of the aisle, to not get too close to any weapons. "It's hard for her to fathom how dangerous this job is, since she's been in robotics for years without seeing real effects. That disconnect happens a lot with us techies. I feel bad about bringing her in. Reminds me of my naivety when I started working for Company." He held out a hand to her.

  His hand warmed her clammy one. She said, "I hope she doesn't find out how dangerous this can be."

  “Me too,” he replied.

  They headed back to his office. Benny swung open the door and said, "Kaden's not the best hider."

  Kaden laughed. "More like, I hide among artillery. Hi." A second computer, a desktop, had been set up at Benny's desk. The petite woman sat in a second rolling chair, back of her head to Kaden.

  The woman swiveled and jumped from the chair without getting much higher—she was tiny. She said, "Hey! It's so nice to meet you, Kaden. Apologies about earlier. I'm Rose." She had blue eyes, with big teeth and lips. Definitely cute in her own way. Rose’s thin hair was the opposite of Kaden's thick, wavy mane.

  "You as well," Kaden replied. This person had been attached to Benny's face minutes ago. Thank goodness for the magic of alcohol, because she could smile back without awkwardness.

  Something rustled near Kaden's head. Her hand shot to her knife as Benny yelled, "It's fine!"

  Rose reached into a cardboard box on a high shelf and said, "Oh, I'm sorry to scare you."

  Benny said, "Rose wanted to see how Sub Rosa worked, so she ordered something she's been wanting for a while."

  Kaden looked at the hedgehog Rose cradled. Its nose wiggled in the air.

  Kaden said, "Sub Rosa sells animals?"

  Benny said, "Have you actually poked around Sub Rosa, Kaden?"

  "Not past the homepage."

  "Take a look then." He gestured to his chair.

  Kaden sat at his desk and peered at the monitor. The background was black, the text a light gray. The website looked archaic, but similar to a standard marketplace. She clicked on a dropdown menu, then on Browse. Options appeared, and she picked Personal Chemistry. The heck was that?

  She laughed. “Personal Chemistry” referred to drugs. Cute, and probably the most tempting section for Kaden, who didn't know any dealers and didn't have any experience with narcotics. Didn’t mean she wasn’t interested. She smiled and scrolled through pictures of colorful pills, powder, and plants. One listing read, "100% PURE MOLLY!!! DON'T PASS THIS UP!!" She rolled back, wondering if she could access this site without Benny's help. Doubtful.

  She said, "I can get MDMA without leaving my couch? Seems too good to be true."

  "It's the power of the internet. Anyway, I have something more important to talk to you about."

  More important than VC's nemesis? Kaden twirled the roller chair.

  "Last week, Cori had me drop everything to hack into the CDC so Moe could fudge some numbers to slow down the development of a product. Apparently, it would be used for chemical warfare if it hit the black market."

  Yikes. "Sounds reasonable."

  "I agreed, and decided to monitor the email of the employee I'd hacked. I wanted to interpret the case files, but they were obviously hard science gibberish. After a few days, the dev
elopment team figured out they needed to delay the product.” Benny leaned against the desk and hunched, bending forward to study the tiled floor. “Yay for VC, except the product was a cure for an autoimmune disease."

  "What the hell?" They'd been fooled. Again. VC did have its secrets, buried deeper than Benny could uncover until they'd already hurt others—in this case, those with an autoimmune disorder. Kaden closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead with a fist. "What did Cori think of your discovery?"

  "I confronted Cori, and she explained it was studied as a cure to an autoimmune disorder. But, it was controversial in the pharmaceutical community, because the same mechanisms for the cure could be altered to make the lymphatic system go insane on a healthy person, probably killing them. Worse, it can be transferred into a scentless, invisible gas."

  Kaden's mood fell so fast, her head felt weightless for a moment. She grabbed the sides of the chair and said, "Damn everything, that also sounds reasonable. Do you think she was telling the truth?"

  "Sub Rosa forums were talking about it." He kicked a table leg and said, "Kaden, what have I done? I've tried to improve since Company's reality check, but it seems hopeless."

  The flask pressed against her leg. She could offer some, but that wasn't his style, not yet. He had further to fall. She said, "Don't beat yourself up too much. We worm in the general direction of decency every day. You have the brains and heart to do fantastic things, Benny."

  "Cori can't destroy a cure. Researchers will work around it, maybe even figure out they were hacked. There's no stopping science and technology advancing. It never works."

  She said, "They can make it less controversial this time?"

  Benny shrugged.

  She rubbed her neck. "What did we get ourselves into, Benny? We tried to make a solid set of rules to help people against jerks who also make their own rules. Can we kill villains without hurting innocents?"

  "Anyone doing this work basically bathes in blood, and it's despicable. What was our mission statement we made before we started here?"

  They'd been hammered when they made it, inside Benny's new apartment in Boulder and surrounded by cardboard boxes. The words had bubbled from Kaden without thought, like they'd been waiting for her. Benny swayed as he wrote on the side of a cardboard box, refining it as he went. A fun night. They'd eaten Chinese takeout from their laps at four a.m. and regretted nothing. They hadn’t had any fun since.