02

« He’s nice, okay ? it just wasn’t working out ! »

« Because he’s in the Mafia ? » I offered.

« No ! And stop holding that against him ! » She yelled.

« Sorry, minor character flaw, right ? » I asked sarcastically.

« Look, he won’t let anything happen to me, » she insisted.

« He kills people. »

« Do you think he kills without reason ? » She demanded.

« He still kills people. That’s morally wrong. »

« And when did you develop a moral compass ? » She asked.

« Took several smacks on the head and some vodka, » I said casually. « Point is, he’s dangerous. »

« He won’t let anything happen to me, Kes. Chill out, » she said.

« Ari, he… wait. Did he ask you to go ?! »

Arianna fell silent at that.

« That’s why you’re going, aren’t you ? » I asked softly.

« It’s an important opportunity, » she said stiffly.

« To sleep with your boss ? » I enquired.

« Kestrel ! » She said, a warning. Not that I cared.

« Don’t’Kestrel’ me ! » I shot back.

She fell silent.

« Nothing illegal is going on. Right ? » I asked softly.

« No, Kes. He wouldn’t endanger me like that, » she replied.

But because I wasn’t as stupid as I acted, I knew the lines between legal and illegal were blurred, especially when it involved Dean Cavilleri.

« Kes, I promise I’ll be back, » she said.

« I know, it’s just that…it’s dangerous. I know that he will never hurt you, but he’s still Mafia. People will hurt him and I don’t want you caught in the crossfire. »

« If people would take the trouble to fly all the way to the middle of nowhere to kill him, he’d be dead already, » she said.

« Fair point. »

« Relax, kiddo. I know you hate Dean with all your heart, but he isn’t a bad person. »

« If you say so, » I replied. I wasn’t entirely convinced.

« Plus it’s the Himalayas ! How lucky am I ? » She asked with a goofy grin on her face. It was tough not to smile back. It was really rare when the ice princess broke her composure.

« Okay, » I said. Mostly because I knew there was no point arguing with her. It was a Seran family curse. I fought with her on multiple occasions to quit Cavilleri Enterprises but it never yielded any result.

In a rare display of affection, Arianna hugged me tight. Her lavender perfume wafted in the air.

« Thanks kiddo, » she said.

« Okay, let go now, » I choked out.

She let go and stepped away. « It’s late. I’ll be out for some time. My flight leaves at five in the morning, you might want to say goodbye now because I know you’re not going to wake up. »

« Have a safe trip, » I said.

« I will, » she said.

« Oh and if assassins come after Dean ? » I asked.

« Uh huh, » she said and raised an eyebrow.

« Help them kill him. »

She shook her head, amused. As if she truly didn’t understand why I had a problem with Dean Cavilleri.

« Goodnight, Kes, there’s some leftover lasagna in the fridge if you want, » she said before picking up her jacket and heading out of the door.

« Night, » I said. I had a really bad feeling about the entire thing but I decided not to dwell on it, I had a tendency to overthink the simplest shit.

So I heated up some lasagna and sat down with my calculus homework. I liked calculus a lot really, almost more than science.

Despite all that, I was fast asleep and drooling on my books before I got to the second page.

The last good sleep I would ever get before finding out my sister was missing and I had a price on my head.

I was only ten when my parents were killed in a car crash. Day by day, every memory I had of them faded slowly into oblivion. I liked to think it happened so I could make more memories with Arianna but the harsh reality was that I was forgetting them. I couldn’t remember my dad’s laugh. I forgot my mom’s smile.

From then on, I had only Arianna. My big sister, my best friend and sometimes third parent. Despite her bad taste in men, she was my idol. She already had a steady job, having graduated from an Ivy League university, but raising a rebellious kid such as yours truly was no easy task.

There was a gap of fifteen years between Arianna and I, it was only natural that she would act more like a parent and less like a sister.

Arianna called me the family accident because I was the unplanned kid.

I thought I was mom’s second attempt at a decent daughter after the first one turned out to be a colossal fail.

Either way, Ari and I were inseperable.

True to her word, she was already gone by the time I woke up. My back hurt badly as I stretched my limbs. I had fallen asleep on my homework and the chair was cutting into my back. I was a heavy sleeper that way.

I yawned and looked around my room. Sunlight streamed in through the lacy white curtains, tinting them gold. The sea of papers scrawled over with my hieroglyphic handwriting were bathed in a soft yellow light. Birds were chirping outside and the light made the condensation on the window sparkle like diamonds. I smiled faintly, I loved the feeling of the warm morning light on my skin.

What a beautiful day to make some legally ambiguous decisions !

I flinched in pain as I stood up and stretched. Okay, looks like my back was really unhappy with me. A warm shower would sort that out. I checked my phone. Arianna had messaged me to let me know she was on the plane. I sent her a thumbs up emoji and promised not to burn the house down or summon the devil in the living room.

I had the house all to myself, though Ari will be back soon.

When I was getting dressed, someone knocked on my door.

What. The. Fuck ?!

Someone knocked again.

I quickly pulled on my clothes and dialled 911. I hesitated on the call button. Was this the right move ? Ari was involved in the Mafia. Questions would be raised. Maybe…

I spied with my little eye…the window. I’ll see who it was before calling.

The knock came again.

I opened the window and swung my body onto the ledge as quietly as I could. Arianna bought an apartment on the first floor, so I was an expert of sneaking out. The fire ladder hung about five feet from the window. I stood up on the narrow ledge, I hated this part. I reached out for the ladder while keeping my grip on the window.