Page 7 of Poison Ivy
4
IVY
Disbelief floodsmy system as I stare at the screen, my stomach churning. “You can’t be serious. They want me to go after Walcott Ashford? Torin Ashford’s father?”
Ramsey nods grimly. “Apparently, the head of the Ainsley Coven has been making waves. The Syndicate wants you to find him and take him out.”
“Find him?”
“He may have gone into hiding.”
“This is insane,” I mutter. “Going after a high-ranking vampire is one thing, but needing to find him first, oh and not to mention, the leader of one of the most powerful covens? That’s suicide.”
“Maybe,” Ramsey says. “But you know the Syndicate doesn’t take no for an answer. They clearly think you’re up for the challenge.”
I snort. “More like they want to see if I’ll get myself killed in the process.”
“Look, I don’t like it either,” Ramsey says. “But we don’t have much choice here. You know what happens to people who refuse jobs.”
A chill runs down my spine. I’ve heard the stories of assassins who tried to walk away. It never ends well.
“This isn’t a job, it’s a death sentence,” I snap.
“There’s more.” He points to the small print.
I squint at it, and things get a whole lot worse. “They want me to infiltrate the Ainsley Coven? As what, a fucking blood bag?”
“As whatever gets you in so that you can find Ashford,” Ramsey says carefully. “Look, I know it’s risky?—”
“Risky? That coven is crawling with ancient vampires. One wrong move, and I’m drained dry.”
“You’ve handled vampires before,” he points out.
“Yeah, one at a time. Not a whole fucking coven full of them.” I run a hand through my damp hair, getting up and pacing the small room naked.
“Start with what you know…” He gives me a pointed look.
“Oh, you mean the sub-boss arsehole and his two merry fucking dickheads?”
“They go here. It’s easier than starting from scratch. Look, the bosses have given you more time to get this done.”
“How much more time?” I’m suspicious. Time is never given. It’s do or die.
“They’ve given you a month,” Ramsey says cautiously.
I stop pacing and stare at him. “A month? That’s... unusually generous.”
“Unheard of, I know,” he finishes. “But this isn’t a typical job. They want you to infiltrate, gather intel, find Walcott, and take him out. It’s going to take time to do it right.”
I sink back onto the bed, my mind racing. “This is insane. Even with a month, the risks are astronomical. And Torin... fuck.”
The memory of his hands on me, his cock pounding into me just hours ago, makes me shudder. How the hell am I supposed to get close to him, Tate, and Bram without giving the game away? I can’t just stroll up to them and pretend like everything is normal. Unless…
“You’ll figure it out,” Ramsey says confidently, interrupting my train of thought. “You always do.”
I glare at him. “Your faith in me is touching, but this is way beyond anything I’ve done before.”
He shrugs. “Maybe. But you’re the best they’ve got. That’s why they picked you.”
