Chapter 7 : Another job

He finished cleaning and put the gun back together. The clicking sound made me jump. He stood up and put the gun away.

"Come on," he said, his voice softer now. "I will take you home."

He led me out a back door into the cool night. His black motorcycle was waiting. He gave me a helmet.

I took it. My fingers felt numb. "Home?" I asked, confused. I lived in Victor's big house. It was not home.

"The mansion," he said. "Where you stay."

I put the helmet on and got on the bike behind him. This time, I held him tight. I wrapped my arms around his waist and pressed my face against his jacket. I was shaking. I could not forget the man's pleading eye. I could not forget the sound of the gunshot.

The ride was a blur of wind and light. Soon, the big iron gates of the mansion appeared. Jaxon drove in and stopped.

I got off the bike. My legs were weak. I gave him the helmet.

He took it and watched me. "You okay?"

"No," I said honestly. "I do not think I will be."

"Good," he said. This surprised me.

"Good?"

"If you were okay with it," he said, his voice low, "then you would be a monster. Like me. Like Victor. It is good that you are not okay. It means you are still human."

"But you said I had to be strong. You said I had to be a killer."

"I know what I said," he replied. He looked at the big, dark house. "But maybe... maybe being human is a different kind of strength. A harder one."

He started his bike again. "Get some sleep, Scarlett."

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"Back to work," he said. The engine growled. He turned and rode away into the night.

I stood alone in the huge, empty yard. The mansion stood over me, dark and silent. It was not a home. It was a cage. A beautiful, dangerous cage.

I had walked in wanting to be untouchable. But now I felt more open than ever. The man was dead because of my choice. Because I had said no.

I had the power to choose. But my choices had results I never dreamed of.

I looked up at the dark windows. Victor was in there. Thinking. Planning.

The sound of the gunshot was now a part of me. A memory stuck in my bones. I walked into the silent mansion. The heavy door closed behind me with a deep, final sound.

I was inside. There was no going back.

*

*

The heavy door of the mansion clicked shut behind me. The sound was final. Like a tomb sealing. I stood in the giant entrance hall, all alone. The floor was made of shiny black marble. It reflected the dim lights like a dark lake.

My heart was still pounding from the gunshot. BANG. It played over and over in my head.

I could still see Jaxon’s empty eyes. “It is done.”

I hugged my arms around my body. I was cold. So cold.

“You are back early.”

The voice came from the shadows. It was low and smooth. Victor.

He stepped out from a dark corner of the room. He held a glass of dark liquid. He did not look angry. He looked curious.

I said nothing. I just watched him.

“The night is young,” Victor said. He took a slow sip from his glass. “I thought you would be out with Jaxon. Celebrating.”

“Celebrating what?” I asked. My voice was hollow.

“Your first test,” Victor said. He walked closer to me. His shoes made no sound on the marble. “You did not pull the trigger. But you did not run away crying. That is something.”

“Jaxon shot him,” I said. The words felt thick in my throat. “He killed him. Because I said no.”

Victor nodded slowly. “Yes. That is how it works. I give an order. It gets done. By someone. Jaxon understands this. Do you?”

“He had a daughter,” I whispered.

“Many men have daughters,” Victor replied. He was standing right in front of me now. “That does not stop them from being thieves. From being liars. His daughter is better off without a father who is a coward.”

“You don’t know that!”

“I do know that,” Victor said, his voice hardening. “I know everything that happens in my city. That man stole money from me. Money that pays for the food you eat. The clothes you wear. This roof over your head. He was not a good man, Scarlett.”

I looked down at my hands. They were clean. But they felt dirty.

“Why did you give me the gun?” I asked, looking up at him. “If you knew I would not use it?”

Victor smiled a little. It was not a warm smile. “To see what you would do. To see who you are. You are still a mystery to me. A puzzle. I like puzzles.”

He walked over to a large chair and sat down. He pointed to another chair across from him. “Sit.”

I did not want to sit. But my legs felt weak. I sat down.

“You want revenge,” Victor said. It was not a question. “You want to be strong. You want to hurt the people at that school. Kelsey. Ayden. All of them.”

“Yes,” I said. The word was a hiss.

“But you do not want to do the work,” Victor said. “You want the power. But you do not want the blood. That is like wanting to drive a car with no engine. It will not move.”

“What do you want from me?” I asked, my voice tired.

“I want you to choose,” Victor said. He leaned forward. His eyes were dark pits. “Really choose. Not play at being tough. Are you a scared little girl? Or are you a queen? There is no middle ground. Not in my world.”

“I am not a little girl,” I said, my fists clenching.

“Prove it,” Victor said. “Talk is cheap. Action is everything.”

Just then, the front door opened. Jaxon walked in. He saw us sitting together. He stopped.

“Jaxon,” Victor said, without looking back. “Good. Join us.”

Jaxon walked over. He stood near Victor’s chair. He did not look at me.

“Scarlett is upset,” Victor said. “She thinks you are a monster.”

Jaxon’s face did not change. “I am what I need to be.”

“See?” Victor said to me. “Simple. Jaxon does not make things complicated. He sees a problem. He fixes it. He does not cry about it later.”

“I am not crying!” I said, my voice rising.

“Aren’t you?” Victor asked softly. “You are crying on the inside. I can see it. Your soul is crying. It is weak.”

“I am not weak,” I insisted. I felt hot tears behind my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.

“Then show me,” Victor said. He spread his hands. “What is your plan? You live in my house. You eat my food. You use my resources. What do you offer in return? A pretty face? A sharp tongue with school children? That is nothing.”

I was silent. I had no answer.

“I will give you a job,” Victor said. “A small one. A test.”

“What kind of job?” Jaxon asked. He sounded cautious.