BBY Ch.9

Chapter 9: My Target is HER

            By the time I made sure the female who interrupted Demeter wouldn't want to come back I had a message from Duval. I deleted it without bothering to read whatever he wanted to say. He tried to contact me off and on and I was hoping that eventually he'd get the hint that I didn't want anything to do with him. Not unless it was on my terms or for money.

            When I got back to the gang house Demeter was long gone, but Sam, Lucian, and Flint were all there. Flint and Lucian were sparring and Sam was working on something. Sam looked up as I walked past into my room. I shut the door behind me and picked up the picture that was on my bed. The picture of the target I was to do nothing to outside of psychological torture. I knew her.

            I crumpled the picture in my hand and let out a scream as I threw a vase from my desk against the wall. Flint was the first to rush in, ready to fight if need be. "Who's there?! What's going on?!" He called out as Lucian followed him into the room. When Flint saw that I'd shattered the vase again he sighed and sat on my desk. "What the hell, Devil?"

            "You all still have my cell phone number, right?"

            "Yes. We all have each other's numbers. It's so we can easily contact each other. Demeter laid down that rule on day one for all of us. We are to always have each other's numbers in our phones and only as our names. Never with anything that might even HINT we're in a gang together."

            "Good. Wordy, but good, Lucian."

            "You're not leaving us too, are you?" Sam asked, half scared and half hopeful it seemed.

            "No, but I have a mission to do and to do it right I'm going to have to do something that I'm going to hate. I may or may not pop in now and then to catch up or for a workout. Everything from this point on depends on whatever variables come up. If someone needs something let me know. If there's an emergency that pops up give me a call. Otherwise the best way to reach me is by text. I don't know how much privacy I'll have during this mission so it's safer to text. Demeter made it very clear that the most important thing while he is away is keeping us all safe."

            Sam and Lucian nodded right away, but Flint took a minute, reluctant to be left alone with the other two. "You owe me sparring matches, Devil." He grumbled.

            "I know I owe you sparring matches, Flint. And you'll get your sparring matches. That can be part of working out." That seemed to satisfy him. "All of you, I don't know what's going to happen while I'm on this mission, but I will try to be back here at least once a day. Maybe not in my room, but at least out in the open. I will do my best to check up on everyone because that’s what Demeter would want me to do."

            Flint laughed. "You're actually starting to sound like a leader. Don't let Demeter find out or he might not leave you in charge next time he runs off on a mission of his own." I laughed at Flint.

            "Just don't burn the place down and I won't have to kill you. I'll see you when I see you." With that I waved the others out of my room and took another look at the picture in my hand. I packed a bag and headed out the door to make a phone call to someone I hadn't spoken with in a long time. I had to call Duval.