A Murder, Inc.

16: Assembly

Chapter 16

Assembly

08:13 am

Seattle, on the way to airport

About quarter of an hour passes before Aramis wakes up, now properly clothed and alleviated. He is immediately introduced with the moving trees and road. He stares at the driver, before glancing at the person sitting beside him.

“What day is this?” he asks, his throat sore. Ileong gives him a bottle of water, which he gulps down in one take.

“Saturday,” she answers, causing him to widen his eyes in surprise.

“What the hell? That’s almost a week!”

“Excuse me, but you weren’t making things easy with your barely left clues. Perhaps a simple call next time, before you get yourself kidnapped?” The harshness in her tone causes both of the boys to flinch.

“What’s with you?” Surprise turns to anger, Aramis hisses at her.

Having enough, she hits the break out of a sudden, causing her passengers to jerk for the second time today. Pursuers be damned! She is not having him b***h at her for something he let slipped.

Vira kicks open the door, climb out, not caring if she leaves spots on her car. Copying her movement, Aramis exits the car as well. She circles her way to the front of the car and he meets her halfway.

“What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with you? You got yourself kidnapped! Since when are you this weak?”

“I was ambushed!” Aramis tries to defend himself. “They were carrying machine guns, which you would have noticed if you had check my car.”

“A car, which is nowhere to be seen, as were you,” she retorts back. “Do you have any idea how aggravated I felt when I found you nowhere in sight? Not even a single clue of where you were? If Ileong didn’t help me, I would be sure as hell still tracking you.”

“Then why didn’t you contact him in the first place? Surely, with his skills, finding me won’t be that hard?”

“I didn’t think of it at first t. Not until I found all clues covered and led me astray.”

“Well, f**k!” he curses harshly. That is when she slaps him across the face. “Hey—!” Before he can say anything though, Vira wraps her arms around his, bring her face into his chest. Slightly winching from the still-sore injuries, Aramis eases into the warmth of her embrace and hugs her back.

“I’m sorry,” they say at the same time. Tears slip from her cheeks as she tightens her hold, and Aramis can feel his eyes begin to water, too.

It has always been like this with them. They fight hard and they make up even harder. They would be move weapons involved, if he were not injured.

“I’m just so worried,” she cries after a while. “What if I couldn’t find you? What if I were too late?”

“I know. I’m sorry for not being careful enough, too. But there was something important you have to know.”

“What?” she snaps, upset with the sudden change of subject.

“Your brother’s here. In St. Magoc.” That stops her cries. She looks up at him, her facial expression replaced with a frown instead.

“What the hell is he thinking? Going to a school owned by Xenos?”

“Precisely my reaction.That's part of the reason why I sticked around.”

“Are you telling me that you could have escaped on your own?”

“The change was rather low that my first day, but yeah.”

“And to think that I almost gave it up for you!” Now she is angry again.

“Gave what up?”

“Her virginity,” it is Ileong who answers when she does not say anything. He sucks his head out of the window so that they can hear him loud and clear. “She let herself fell into Xenos’ hands just so that she could pinpoint your location.”

“Like you’re better than me, Mister I-seduced-a-man-out-of-dungeon,” she snaps at him.

“At least I didn’t have to touch him!” he yells back.

“What?” Aramis exclaims in surprise. Then he grabs Vira by the shoulders, shaking her frantically. “What did you do?”

“It was nothing that I wouldn’t do to save you. He gave an opening and I baited him.”

“She almost made him c*m,” the Korean interrupts again, causing her to yell his name. “Ileong!” Yet he still dares to continue. “And trust me, for a guy as hard-headed as Xenos, she must’ve done something really mind-blowing. But don’t worry. She kicked him right in the nuts right after she was done with him.”

“Could’ve done much worse,” Aramis comments.

“Does this mean we’re driving back?” Ileong asks.

The boy smirks. “Like you need to ask.”

The two climb back into the car, though this time Aramis occupies the passenger seat. Vira starts driving in a speed limit, occasionally pulling up the loose sleeves of her shirt. He notices her action and looks down at what she is wearing. These are certainly a man’s clothes.

Dark thoughts begin to float in his mind. Did Xenos give these to her? Did he see her naked? How far did he touch her?

“When we get to you jet, let’s burn those clothes,” he says to her.