Shadowed (Team Zero #4) by Rina Kent

A hoodie covers his features, but a few rebel dark ginger strands escape their confinement. All complete with a short beard.

“I can kill you,” Flame says in his signature detached tone.

“You can try.” I ignore his gun and jump down so I’m eye level with him.

He twirls the weapon on his forefinger, flashing me the ‘beware of fire hazard’ sign tattoo on his wrist. That gun better be clicked on safe before he shoots me by fucking accident.

“If it was someone else.” He tilts his head to the side. “You would be dead.”

“I don’t live by ‘if’.” I lean against the rusty railings and they creak in protest. “You’re late.”

“You’re early.” He sheathes his weapon at the back of his jeans underneath the hoodie. He’s about my height but leaner and fucking meaner. At least I care about Ghost. Flame cares about no-bloody-one.

He reached into his jeans’ pocket and retrieves a pack of cigarettes. “Why are we meeting here instead of Le Salon?”

“You know why.”

He pauses with the cigarette hanging from his mouth. He takes his time lightning it, then makes the slowest show of taking his first drag. Nicotine blows in my face.

Silence falls between us – aside from the background noise of the stray cats’ gladiator fight. He’s remaining silent on purpose. Flame is that little bastard in Team Zero — no one particularly likes him — but he’s a useful bastard. In Ghost’s wrapped up sense of family, Flame is the trouble child who might or might not turn out to be a psycho killer who will murder the entire fucking family.

So far, the psycho killer part is correct.

He’s been dispatched with us by Hades. His mission is the financial department of the mafia business. He’s a genius with numbers and hacking, but I need his other genius. Asking for his help is a risk that I fought for so long not to take.

Flame isn’t trustworthy. Even worse than Mist. I don’t even like that old hag, but she’s loyal. Flame knows no such thing. He’s slippery as fuck.

But after that text, Flame became my last resort. I need to eradicate anyone who knows my secret, and Flame has the connections I lack.

He breathes more nicotine in my face. “I assume Ghost isn’t supposed to know about this?”

I make a show of grinning wide. “If he knows, I’ll wrench your intestines out of your arsehole.”

“Gruesome.” He grins back. “I’ll have to decline for now. We can try it on a target, though.”

“I need your contacts in the second generation of assassins who are still with Hades.”

He cocks his head. “Why not Celeste?”

“She’s Ghost’s disciple.”

He shows no reaction whatsoever. I just admitted that I’m going to great lengths to hide this from Ghost, and I’m sure Flame will use it for his benefit. Whatever he does wouldn’t come close to what Ghost will do once he learns the truth.

“What do you want?” he asks.

“I need Ink to stay as The Pit’s prisoner as long as possible.”

He doesn’t react to the fact that I want one of Team Zero members, one of ours, to continue being locked up and eventually tortured by Hades. That’s what I like about Flame. He isn’t judgy.

He removes the cigarette from his lips. “The second generation have less influence than we do in The Pit. If you think Hades will listen to them, then I don’t know from which planet you came from.”

I slip a hand in my pocket. “I’m sure you taught your disciples a manipulation or two. If Hades will release someone first, I don’t want it to be Ink.”

Silence stakes claim again. Flame takes his sweet arse time smoking. That obscure brain of his must be counting the pros and cons.

The second generation of assassins came after Team Zero. Once thirty-eight of us died, Hades kind of realised that Omega isn’t a long term solution to build his ‘army’ of assassins. He kidnapped more kids, and they were actual kids, from five to ten. He made us train them and shape his second generation of killers. The only difference is that he can’t control them as he does us through Omega and therefore, they have more room to escape than we do.

Flame clutches the cigarette between his thumb and forefinger as he asks the famous question. “What do I get out of this?”

Before I can say anything, he continues. “Here’s what I won’t get. I’ll risk Ghost’s wrath because you’re doing something he doesn’t approve of.”

I lift a shoulder. “If you don’t tell him, he won’t know.”

“Ink is vengeful and will slash me open if he knows I delayed his release from The Pit.”

“Again, he won’t find out.”

“I’ll be losing a favour with one of my contacts.”

“You’ll gain a favour from me.” I clench my fist. Here’s the sorest part of the deal. I’ll owe Flame something and his debts are always paid in double.

I’m willing to take the risk.

“Three favours,” he says in a firm tone.

“Two.” I shoot back. “My final offer.”

He remains silent for long seconds, to crack me up, I’m sure. He’d love gaining favours from me or any of the Zeroes. I’m sure he’ll send me as a lab mouse to hell just so he can get favours from the devils there. No idea why the fuck he’s stacking them.