Unleashed (End of an Assassin Book 3) Read online

  “Doctors found my wife's cancer too late to save her, they claimed, but I refused to give up. I took her and my daughter to Mexico, and took the maximum leave from work. Eventually I left them with family friends and came home. I couldn't pay for the treatment otherwise, and I saw that it was helping.”

  His green eyes behind black-rimmed glasses betrayed his casual tone. Kaden could’ve guessed the story didn’t end well even if he hadn’t spoiled the ending.

  He continued, “She got better. Time to come home, right? Wrong. She promised the decision tore her apart, but she stayed with her boyfriend in Mexico. She’s paying me back for the treatment, but I don't want her money.”

  Not the ending Kaden expected. “Like a twisted ‘Dear John’ letter.”

  He smiled. “I never thought of it that way, but yes. Now, what do I blame? Who tore my little family apart?”

  “Your wife.”

  “The United States and the FDA, powered by corporate interests. Doctors here told us she would die because they can't access treatments that work.”

  Although she couldn't articulate why, the conversation suddenly held Kaden's full attention. His expression stayed flat, except for his eyes, which lost their faraway look and bore into Kaden with frightening intensity.

  “Our system is broken. The elite hold back science until they can control it and profit from it. Shouldn’t we all have access to human achievements? Can’t we share the fruits of our fellow human's labor, as long as we can pay?" When she didn't reply, he said, "Do you get what I’m saying?”

  Kaden noted her one-inch knife pressed onto the curve in her back. Although tiny, she could ravage several people with it. She pursed her lips and said, “I understand. You want a free market." She paused before drawing out the next words, "Just how free do you want the market?”

  He smiled. “Three snipers are aimed at you. Don't bother attacking."

  Another roller coaster car barreled by. The amusement park was full of unpredictability in architecture and people. The chaos was a sniper's paradise, and to make matters worse, she sat in open space. She tore open a small packet of gummi bears and popped one into her mouth. This guy worked for Sub Rosa, and she was there to gather information, so the mission was still on track. She'd play nice, like she had a choice.

  His gaze was heavy to bear, but he also had a submissive awkwardness about him. He said, “It took me a minute to remember where I’d seen you. I bet against you.”

  “In the Minnie tournament!” Kaden shouted and clenched her fist. He must be high within Sub Rosa to know of the tournament pitting clueless assassins against each other—the bets had only been among leadership.

  He scoffed. “A tie is the worst outcome of a tournament in my book. You know, Mr. Ng's creativity and wisdom are the only reason I’ve made it this far. He was an influential man. I was so disappointed to lose that bet and him on the same damn day. Any idea what happened?"

  She whispered, “To Mr. Ng?"

  He nodded.

  What a perfect opportunity to both brag and threaten, but bragging never benefitted the bragger. She shrugged. "Do rotten things, get rotten things back. Hey, we’ve been trying to find you, and now you’re pissing me off. What’s stopping me from killing you right now?”

  “Primarily, because pieces of your brain would land on some kid's ice cream cone. I don't approach assassins if I have something to lose. The website doesn’t need me to function anymore. It's grown up and left the nest.”

  He stopped and sighed. “To be honest, the very thought that you’re against my market angers me. All I’m doing is connecting people to their desires. We facilitate freedom of choice, and you want to stomp on it. Lawmakers are not on the side of the average American, but the website is.”

  This guy sure loved talking, but onward with the information gathering.

  He leaned close. “Just now, you tried to stop a half-million dollar shipment of pure MDMA, a substance that’s being studied as a treatment for PTSD and studied as an aid in marriage counseling. Are you proud of yourself?” He waved a hand. “I say tried because you found sugar pills. This was to expose the mole within the forums.”

  A screech from a passing toddler interrupted him. He put a finger in the ear facing the girl as she passed in a stroller, while Kaden caught up to the abrupt turn of the day and gathered herself. Honestly, her confidence was shot—this wasn’t the kind of assault she was accustomed to. If he had come at her with a crowbar, even a gun, she could neutralize him. Regardless, this guy had a serious God complex. Making his own laws, not caring who bought his drugs. Allowing people to sell people.

  She snapped, "I'm not interested in stopping your marketplace. My entire problem is that you actively harm people."

  "What do you mean? I haven't needed to harm anyone to protect my website. Not yet." He winked and kept his straight face.

  She ignored the lame threat. "Trafficking people, turning them into slaves. Seems harmful to me."

  He wrinkled his nose in disgust. "No, I give traffickers a platform to do business. Sub Rosa is a free market, meaning anyone can come and sell anything. It's driven by supply and demand, and allows any average Joe to enter the market and succeed. Capitalism, on the other hand, is about the creation and ownership of wealth by a small minority. Every police force protects that minority. That includes yours."

  "Excuse me? We protect innocents wherever we can."

  "Oh? You recently stopped distribution of a vaccine, and just tried intercepting literal happiness in a pill. Who benefits when you remove these things from the free market, where anyone can access it?"

  She also saved a van of victims, and thank goodness he hadn't connected Kaden to the politician, not to her face anyway. The vaccine claim made no sense though, because Benny had only delayed the production when he’d hacked the CDC. "Like I said, I don't care about the marketplace. You sell humans to other people that sure aren't pampering them."

  "I'll admit to being surprised at how well humans sold, but Sub Rosa’s only principle is supply and demand. Period."

  "How can you act so superior?"

  "Where would I draw the line, then? The sole purpose of weapons is destruction. Today, we got our first organ listing. Those save lives."

  "Still don't care.” Her face twisted in disgust. “Stop selling people—and their parts, jeez! What's the likelihood of people selling their own organs?"

  His eyes hardened. "The site restricts nothing to keep its founding principles intact. Stop obstructing my operations today, and I'll let you walk away. I considered recruiting you from Mr. Ng when gathering my field team, but I didn't like your character. I hired someone else, with the perfect amount of contempt. Your attitude doesn’t help."

  "I missed out on the opportunity of a lifetime, there."

  "Correct. I have an unbeatable team, ready to stop you if you continue. They're not as nice as I am. Remember you’re exposed, Kaden Rivera.”

  She cringed at him using her full name, not when she didn't know his.

  He leaned in close. “Tell your boss: if this continues, you will regret it. You’ll hurt more than you’ve ever hurt before. I don't want to take action, and that's why I made the effort to show up and explain the necessity of the website in this economy. I want peace, but I’ll never fear doing the right thing. It’s for everyone's good.” He stood and hovered for a moment, as if wanting to say more, but Kaden continued watching the carefree children go by.

  He stepped off the lawn and disappeared into the crowd.

  She mumbled, “Goose, was he telling the truth?”

  “The entire time.”

  She shuddered and hugged her backpack into her lap. Her whole body rooted to the spot, and in her gut, she knew that every valid point was her fault, and that she only brought destruction and resentment to her favorite people, and of course, total strangers. Most of all, she knew that she was worthless, didn’t even deserve the air she breathed.

  The line of thought made little se
nse as it spiraled down into her personal hell, and she felt so small, stripped of power, akin to being a child. And for Kaden Rivera, only danger lay in vulnerability.

  "Kaden?" said Benny. She emerged from the quicksand just enough to grab onto Benny's branch.

  Her stubbornness helped her overcome vulnerability, every time, from when she was a starving kid climbing her way into cabinets. What did the adult version look like, with so many lives on the line?

  Kaden finally replied, "Hi, Benny. You've been quiet. How much did you hear?"

  "That was riveting, no sarcasm. Get out of there now."

  "No, I'm not in any danger."

  A pause. "Fine, you know best. Are you okay?"

  "That guy swooped in and drove the conversation to shine a light on every doubt I have about this job. I told Cori I was all in days ago, but damn, it's hard to get on him just because he sidesteps the law, isn't it?"

  "Hell no it isn’t. Our reasoning still stands. Every transaction isn't evil, but the website as a whole sure is. I'm not swayed one bit."

  "He truly believes he's doing the right thing. That floors me."

  "Most people do. The guy's a loon."

  "I wish I could believe that," Kaden murmured to herself, just as a roller coaster zoomed above her and cut her off.

  "What?"

  Kaden suddenly wanted to be alone in her head. "Better get the recording to Cori. I'm sure it’s ripe with nuggets for her."

  "I'll see you tomorrow? At the apartment or office, we're always neighbors."

  "Tomorrow."

  "I'm mostly working from home nowadays, though."

  "Sure." She wouldn’t bother him, because he got busier by the second. His secret project took a toll on him, but he claimed it was necessary.

  Kaden sighed. The children around her were liberated, squealing and eating and hopping. Her attention rested on a toddler. He babbled happily, eyes wide at the surrounding scene with one hand gripping his parent’s, the other stuffing a poof of cotton candy into his face.

  She dug her fingers into the hard dirt. It pressed and tore the skin under her fingernails, but she didn't care. She observed the vibrant scene with a flat gaze, upset growing that she’d never found happiness to be contagious.

  Five

  Kaden's phone was ringing. She snapped awake in her fluffy bed and squinted toward the lit phone about to vibrate off the nightstand. With a glance at the bright sunlight streaming in, she guessed it was far too early to be answering a phone and turned over.

  And cursed—urgent work calls for her sometimes meant life or death, even if she'd gotten home from Ohio a few hours ago.

  "Hello?" she croaked.

  Benny said, "I got around to looking up BCG. This reeks, Kaden."

  She blinked, fully awake. "What is it?"

  "Come over."

  "Tell me."

  "Just come over! You could be beating the information out of me in less than a minute."

  "I take that long to put on my bra."

  Benny hung up. Kaden cackled as she sprang out of bed. She grabbed a jacket tossed onto the back of the couch as she shuffled by and slipped on a pair of flip flops sitting next to the door.

  She patted her jacket pocket to make sure she had keys, then headed down the walkway to Benny's apartment four doors down. They had decided that the apartments were too small to continue living together, so they both rented apartments in the same complex for their time in Boulder.

  Benny opened the door, and he looked dejected. Was it chemical weapons? Clear roofies? Pieces of a nuclear weapon, sure to destroy the world? Her mouth went dry as they went to the living room.

  She sat and rubbed her dry eyes. Her body was three minutes behind, still in bed. Benny sat on the other side of the corner couch and said, "BCG is a vaccine for malaria." A few moments passed.

  Kaden squinted at Benny. "Call me slow because I just woke up, but that makes no sense, right? We stopped a shipment of vaccines? Aren't they legal? Why would Sub Rosa be handling them?"

  "Because they're a tightly regulated pharmaceutical. I looked into the buyer, and he's spent the past year in Africa."

  "Significance?"

  "People only die from malaria in third world countries because BCG is difficult to come by. Not even because it's expensive, because it just doesn’t make it there. There's all kinds of bureaucracy to get that much medicine, so the guy paid Sub Rosa to acquire and ship it, but I don't know where it was headed."

  Kaden rubbed her forehead so hard her skin burned. "Why not make it available? Did you say that already?"

  "There's no money in healing the poor." He spat the words and looked down.

  She sat there, body sinking into the couch’s softness. The competing ideas that Sub Rosa was evil and that Sub Rosa helped save poor children were like oil and water. They were bleach and ammonia—when mixed, they became pure poison. They didn't belong in the same container at all.

  She gripped the cushion and said, "The guys on the train were philanthropists?"

  "Guys for hire. Don't sympathize for Sub Rosa. Their primary moneymaker is human and drug trafficking, which exploits the same people the vaccine is for." He paused for a moment before saying, "Do you need coffee? There's a fresh pot."

  "Did you bring the RC truck that delivers coffee to the ultra-lazy?"

  "I use it every day. Settle down or your nails will rip my couch cushions."

  Kaden huffed and leaned back to let the coziness of the cushions hug her.

  He said, "I know, it's exhausting. Me, you, and like ten Gooses could do a better job.” He paused, then asked, “What do you think of that?"

  She laughed. "A Goose army? The visual alone makes my skin crawl."

  “I guess so. Fact is, we made our choice, and I still think it was the right one. I need to get moving." He stood.

  "Where are you going?"

  Benny raised an eyebrow. "Into the office. I'm bringing home some stuff to work on."

  Kaden frowned at him. "You drop this bomb and leave me sitting here?"

  "Please. You'd get rabid at me if I hadn't told you immediately. Just don't do anything rash, because there's no evidence of malicious intent from Cori yet. Feel free to hang out, but I'm late for a meeting. If you want a ride, I'm leaving in ten."

  Like she'd want to leave in ten. Her salvation approached, in the form of an RC truck with a mug of steaming coffee in its bed. An affection for Benny and his endearing genius sprung out of nowhere, lightening Kaden’s morning for just a moment. She grabbed the drink and wrapped both hands around the mug, even though its heat nearly burned her palms. She took a loud sip and glared out the window at the looming clouds. She had no idea what to do or think.

  Kaden had drunk several cups of coffee alone in Benny’s apartment before she was ready to face reality. She went into the office, where she spent the remaining day training Omar, exercising, and pacing in thought.

  It hit somewhere around dinnertime—she was done taking orders. Period. Done being the idiot risking her life to ace other’s dirty work. Nobody deserved the trust that they asked of her. She stormed down the hallway of VC, sure the prints of fruit mocked her with their simple existence.

  She ignored manners and barged into Cori's office. A lamp just lit the room with orange light. Cori sat behind at her desk but faced Moe, who sat rigid in a metal folding chair next to the wall. Moe spun to face Kaden, but Cori didn’t react.

  "What is it?" he barked as Cori finally looked at Kaden. On her desk, a used glass sat next to an open bottle of liquor, and Cori held a cigar with fingernails painted yellow. Her other hand patted an orchid. Moe's hands were curled in his lap. The company leaders looked… defeated. The vulnerability of the scene deflated her. It was easier to be angry at those who glared back. She felt almost as awkward as when she had walked in on Benny.

  But she needed answers, embarrassment be damned. "I assume you've had time to figure out what we stopped from being shipped. I have."

  "I'll get
her out of here," said Moe.

  "You can try that, or, you explain that and the autoimmune cure you had Benny meddle with months ago. I know which is easier on Moe."

  "You know nothing, girl," snapped Moe, so hard the ends of his mustache shook.

  Cori said, "Have a seat." She gestured to the plush chair in front of her desk. Her movements were fluid instead of the usual tight control.

  "You're drunk," said Kaden.

  Cori laughed. "Only a little. Are you going to sit?"

  Kaden obliged, intrigued. Cori always cherry-picked her words, causing a stiffness that Kaden couldn't see past. The booze could do the hard work of loosening her up, just enough to drop answers. Kaden would even take relevant hints.

  Cori said, "We'll continue this conversation tomorrow, Moe. Good night."

  "You're gonna indulge this brat?" Moe stood and wiped his lap.

  Cori chuckled in response.

  "Night," he said. After glaring at Kaden, Moe left.

  Kaden decided to behave, to see what the woman would reveal with a few well-placed nudges.

  "Kaden, my girl, you have so much learning to do. It's beautiful witnessing your efforts and good intentions, but you're rather entitled. You're very hard to work with." Cori's voice didn’t slur when drinking, just lowered.

  Kaden reminded herself not to interrupt.

  "I've been wanting to tell you this story, so you understand my motivations, but it's embarrassing. Really, you caught me in a perfect moment. Do you want to hear it?"

  "Sure," Kaden said. Bonus points if it answered her concerns. Cori placed the cigar, still lit, in a clean ashtray and folded her hands on the desk.

  "I was in law school, studying to become a judge when I fell in love with a classmate. The more I studied, the more I realized that I cannot change the justice system from within. One person makes negligible differences, and I was pushing alone on a two-ton boulder."

  She stopped to take a long drag from the cigar. Smoke streamed from her mouth, and she continued, "My boyfriend agreed completely and used his newfound knowledge for his own gain. He betrayed me. Within a semester of each other, we both dropped out. I’d lost my passion for law.