The Killer’s Vow by Aria R. Blue
Simon
“Who keeps calling you, Simon?” Ivy asks, swirling her vodka before taking a tiny sip.
I grimace inwardly.
She says that she doesn’t like me, but it goes both ways.
Who sips vodka?
I glance at my phone.
It’s Vlad. For the seventh time.
“Do you have things to hide from Vera?” Ivy asks again, not even waiting for me to reply.
After asking Vera all sorts of uncomfortable questions, the girl directed her attention to me.
I’m the object of her fascination now, and she’s not hiding the fact that she hates my guts.
“I’ve answered every question she’s had,” I say. “I have nothing to hide from her.”
“Then why don’t you tell us who keeps calling you?” Ivy says.
“Because it wasn’t Vera who asked,” I say, keeping my eyes on my wild princess as I answer.
She’s still lost in thought.
“Ivy,” Luna says. “Let it go. Vera trusts him.”
“Does she, though?” Ivy asks. “Or is she just in shock?”
“No, he’s…” Vera says, breaking out of her daze but avoiding eye contact with me. “He’s been good to me.”
“He’s a stranger, Vera,” Ivy says, dismissing her. “You barely know him.”
“Ivy.“ Her husband sighs.
“What?” she snaps. “Am I seriously the only person here who’s in their right mind? He’s a stranger. For all we know, he could be a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
Everybody else is uncomfortable by Ivy’s distrust of me, but I see it for what it is.
She’s an intense person.
Everything she does is with an intensity, and that includes the love she gives.
Every other person in this room knows each other intimately. They’ve been through things together, and that sort of stuff builds a bond.
And I’m the outsider.
It makes sense that she doesn’t trust me.
“How about this?” Vera says, exasperated. “I would be some nutcase’s wife if it wasn’t for Simon.”
I close my eyes for a moment.
I wasn’t ready to disclose that to everybody.
Vera is oblivious to the grenade she just dropped. “I wouldn’t even be sitting here right now if it weren’t for Simon.”
“Wait, back up,” Ivy says, her observant eyes narrowing. “Your marriage two weeks ago…were you marrying that man unwillingly?”
Damian’s agitation is a living breathing dragon as he waits for Vera to answer.
Nico is sprawled out in his chair like he’s watching reality TV.
“I was going to meet him at the altar,” Vera confesses.
This is something nobody else knows about her—Vera is a private person.
She doesn’t like to air her personal problems out for the whole world.
Sometimes, she takes that too far by trying to deal with everything herself.
“You didn’t even get to meet the man?” Luna hisses, her voice barely audible.
For once, Ivy is at a loss for words.
“I told you, Papa’s ways are a little extreme sometimes, but it’s what we were taught to expect.”
I wait for Ivy to ask her question. And she does. “You were the one who killed the groom?”
My phone rings again.
Vladimir.
I press decline.
“Yes, I killed that man,” I say.
“Why would you kill someone you barely knew?” Ivy asks.
Vlad calls again.
I glance at Vera. “Tell them. It’s okay.”
As Vera starts talking, I step outside. It’s nearly midnight.
Moonlight bathes the swimming pool to the side of the house. The tall cacti stand proud, even at nighttime.
I call Vladimir through a second phone—one he won’t be able to trace, even if his life depended on it.
He picks up on the first ring. “Simon.”
“Vlad.”
“Why are you so difficult?”
“I’m not. You just expect too much from me.”
“The bosses aren’t going to be happy.”
“Why did you call me, Vlad?”
“To ask you. One last time.”
“You know the magic word.”
“You want me to say please? Is that what this is all about?”
“I’m not going to kill Vera, no matter what you say. But I will kill anyone else who tries to come after her.”
“What do you even see in her? Last I remember, she’s not that easy on the eyes.”
Her beauty is jaw-dropping, inside and out.
She’s clever in the way she portrays exactly the version of herself that she wants other people to see.
But she keeps her true nature to herself.
It’s locked inside her own heart.
But she teases me with little peeks sometimes. There’s magic and exuberance inside her that she keeps locked away.
“I’m hanging up, Vlad.”
“Wait... ” he grumbles.
“Make it quick.”
“I tried to convince them otherwise, but they’ve already sent another after her.”
“Who did they send?”
I know nearly everyone in the industry.
The reason I’m so cocky is because I know that I outperform them all. And that’s the reason the Bureau lets my fuckups slide.
They know I can deliver.
But only when I want to.
“You know I can’t tell you that,” Vlad says.
“What will it take?” I ask.
He pretends to think about it. And then he says, “One more assignment.”
“Vlad, we’ve been through this. I’m not hurting the girl.”
“No, this is somebody else.”
“Send me their profile,” I say. “I’ll think about it.”
“Promise me you’ll do it right this time.”
“I’m not making any promises, but fine,” I say. “I’ll do it as long as the person deserves it.”
I’m not God. I don’t get to decide who gets to live and who doesn’t.
But I do have the power to clean some of the scum from this planet. And sadly, that includes some human beings.
“They sent her,” Vlad says.
The hair on the back of my neck rises.
“Who?” I ask, even though I know exactly who he’s talking about.
“Rebekah,” he says.
“I thought Rebekah was dead?”
“That’s what the records say, but they faked it,” Vlad says.
“For what?”
“I don’t know, Simon. But you better watch out. She always gets the job done.”
“Vlad?”
“Yeah?”
“Why are you telling me all this?”
He sighs. “I don’t know, kid. I guess I grew a soft spot for you somehow. Stay safe.”
With that, he hangs up.
I breathe in the cold night air. There’s utter stillness inside and outside me.
To become who I am today, I had to make stillness a part of my soul.
It took patience to become the best in my field.
It took gratitude to survive.
And right now, I need to cultivate enough patience and gratitude not just for myself but also for Vera.
The girl is out of her element.
And I’ll need to hold her hand until she’s ready to take on the world by herself.
“Who was that?” a quiet voice asks.
I still before I turn around. Vera is leaning against the door, watching me.
Sometimes, I forget that there’s more to her than she shows. She has killed and clawed her way out of miserable situations.
“My handler,” I say. “He’s the one who gives me the names and portfolios.”
“Did he give you my portfolio too?”
“Vera—”
“No, it’s okay. Don’t make me regret this decision, but I trust you. For now.”
I nod.
I can see it shining in her eyes.
She looks out at the pool. “Please don’t make me regret this. Nearly everyone in my life has tried to play me. Don’t do the same.”
“I won’t.” I can’t.
Not when I’ve been through the same. Not when I know the pain.
“Who’s Rebekah?” she asks.
“You could say she’s a colleague,” I say.
“Why did you think she was dead?”
“Because I saw her die,” I say. “It was an operation gone wrong. Five years ago. I haven’t heard her name since.”
Vera takes a step closer until she’s standing right in front of me.
“Why does it seem to me like you’re scared of that girl, Simon?”
I swallow.
I’m not the only one who’s good at observing.
Vera has an uncanny ability to do the same even though I’m the spy. I’ve been trained to monitor my emotions and deceive other people, but Vera sees right through me.
“Because I am,” I say. “If anyone is capable of finding us, it’s Rebekah.”
“What’s so special about Rebekah?”
I glance behind her at the coffee table.
The Italians and the Americans are sitting around it. They seem more relaxed now that I’m not among them.
“Rebekah is like a Lamborghini with no brakes. Once she sets her eyes on a mark, there’s no stopping her.”
Vera splays her hand on my chest.
Invisible strings wrap around my heart. She may as well be holding it in her palm.
With her hand on my heart, she gazes up at me.
My God.
She’s exquisite.
“I thought you were the best at what you do, Simon,” she whispers in a throaty voice.
All thoughts evacuate my head.
All I can think about are these same hypnotizing eyes staring up at me as she takes my cock into her mouth.
I move closer.
The space between us can be measured with a microscope. Tension crackles off our bodies, creating friction and heat.
Desire and fear swim in her translucent eyes.
“Did anybody ever tell you that you have an expressive face?” I ask.
Her bee-stung lips part. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. I can read every thought in that pretty little head of yours.”
“Is that right? Then tell me what I’m thinking about right now.”
“I don’t want to embarrass you.”
“I want to hear it, though.”
I lean down and whisper it in her ear. “You’re wondering what I’ll do to you the next time we’re alone. And you’re wondering if I’ll finally take this time. If I’ll be more demanding and bossy. You and I want the same things, tigritsa moya.”
Her head snaps away.
But the desire is more intense in her eyes now.
I continue. “But at the same time, you feel guilty about wanting this. You’ve been taking care of your little sister all your life, and you can’t stomach the fact that you can’t do the same now.”
She blinks up at me.
Vera is a complex person.
Oceans and wildfires exist inside her.
She’s the first colors in a sunrise. She’s the metamorphosis of a caterpillar. She’s the wings of a butterfly.
Pain, fear, strength, and passion all exist in her at once.
And she’s learning that she can wield them however she wishes.
“Rebekah isn’t someone we should be scared of. But we should definitely be cautious. Her repertoire is as good as mine. She’s highly intelligent and insanely resourceful.”
“What are her weaknesses?” Vera asks, tilting her head.
I can’t help but smile. “She doesn’t blend in.”
“How so?”
“For one, she dresses like she’s going to her sugar daddy’s funeral.”
Vera raises her eyebrows.
“I’m not kidding,” I say. “You’ll see for yourself when you meet her.”
“Meet her?” Vera screeches.
“She’ll eventually find us, Vera.”
“And what? Are we going to try to negotiate with her or something?”
“If she’s smart about it and decides to listen, yes.”
“Has she ever declined to kill someone before?” Vera asks.
“No, but neither have I before I met you.”
Vera crosses her arms in front of her chest and cocks an eyebrow at me.
“Normally, we have a choice,” I say. “But Rebekah and I both work for the Bureau. We don’t get to pick and choose.”
“How is this supposed to make me feel better?” Vera exclaims, dropping her arms.
“I’m not trying to make you feel better,” I say. “But I know all of Rebekah’s weaknesses. Not only does she wear gothic dresses but she also has a thick Russian accent she doesn’t bother hiding.”
“A lot of people have accents,” Vera says. “How would that be a weakness?”
“If she can’t camouflage herself, she can’t control how other people see her. Not just that, Rebekah has an ego that’s ten feet tall.”
“I know someone of that type,” Vera mumbles. “And besides, how do you know so much about her?”
“She was at the Institute with me,” I say, looking out at the swimming pool.
“The orphanage?” Vera asks.
I nod and intertwine my index and middle finger around each other. “Rebekah and I were this close before Vladimir came along.”
“Vladimir, your handler?” Vera asks.
“Yeah, the man I was just on the phone with. He picked me from the Institute. Before I left, I promised Rebekah that I would come for her one day.”
“And you didn’t?” I say.
“I couldn’t,” I say, still ashamed about something that happened over a decade ago. “I wasn’t as powerful as I thought I would be in five years. The outside world wasn’t that much easier compared to the Institute.”
Vera glances up at the moon. “Were you two ever—”
“No. We were only two kids who helped each other survive.”
“I’m guessing your relationship isn’t the same as it once was?” Vera asks.
“Not even close.”
“Then why the hell would you want to negotiate with her?”
“It’s worth giving it a shot,” I say. “She might be willing to listen.”
“Then they’ll just send someone else, Simon. And besides, why am I a target of the Russian government anyway?”
“Honestly? I don’t know.”
She frowns. “That’s disgusting.”
“Is it, though?”
“Yes. There’s a big difference between killing for necessity and killing for profit.”
“Is there?”
“Of course. You were almost going to kill me. And my only crime was being the daughter of a Russian crime boss. I’m innocent.”
“Are you, though?”
I don’t mean it as an insult.
It’s just that itch coming back again. I like pushing people’s buttons and seeing how they react.
“You and I are the same, princess,” I say.
“No, Simon,” she says vehemently. “You and I are not the same.”
“You kill. I kill.”
“There’s a big fucking difference between what you do and what I do. I wouldn’t expect someone like you to see it.”
She’s offended.
That just means that she’s not proud of what she’s done.
If I were to guess, she erases those moments in time when she had to administer poisons.
Just like she probably also erases the moments that have led to the decision to take someone’s life.
A rush of compassion overtakes me.
I shouldn’t be treating Vera the same way I treat everybody else.
Just because I don’t know how to show love doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t try.
“There’s a greenhouse on the road,” I say slowly. “It might have some things you need. We can go there tomorrow morning to check it out.”
Her eyes grow wide. “Really?”
I nod. “I got in touch with the owner. He’ll be expecting us.”
Plants and poisons for her are what bullets and bullying are for the rest of us.
They’re her strength.
I can’t expect her to be strong when she has nothing to defend herself with.
She needs something of her own to lean on.
“Come on,” I say, walking back toward the house and opening the door for her. “It’s chilly out. Let’s go back inside.”
The group of four looks up at us.
Vera is visibly looking better now. The color is back in her cheeks, and she looks more at ease.
And for that reason alone, Ivy spares me.
But she still shoots me a look that says this isn’t over.
“We need fake IDs,” I say, taking a seat beside Vera. “With multiple names. Passports too.”
“I know someone,” Nico says, nodding. “He doesn’t accept last-minute requests, but I can make it happen.”
We start with the IDs and then talk about the other methods we can use to find Inessa.
The video footage.
Connections between the families.
Who can do what and by when.
We talk about the little things, but nobody dares to explore the bigger issue— the reason the Reznikova sisters had to run away in the first place.
After a good hour of planning, we’re right back where we started.
“The only priority as of now is to remain hidden,” I say.
There’s a murmur of agreement from everybody. Everybody except for Ivy, that is.
Multiple people are after us, and until we figure out how to dodge them all, we shouldn’t even be thinking about anything else.
“And the other priority is to find Inessa,” Vera adds.
“Yes, remaining hidden will help us find Inessa. We can’t do much from the grave.”
“Or worse, from the Russian compound.” She sighs.
“Are you planning on going to Signora Ranallo?” Ivy asks Vera after studying us for a moment.
“She gives me the chills,” Vera says. And then her eyes dart to Nico. “No offense.”
“None taken,” he says.
“I think she can really help you,” Ivy says. “As a member of the Shadows, she has a soft spot for mistreated women.”
Vera’s cheeks turn red again. She really doesn’t like being shown any pity.
“I’ll speak to Signora Ranallo,” Vera confirms.
“I’ll send you her address. She’s in Florida right now,” Nico says. “And remember to pretend you don’t know anything about the videos. Just tell her about your sister and then ask for her help.”
Vera turns to me. “So we’re going to Florida.”
I wink at her. “Disney World it is.”