Page 152 of Lust & Lies
Wow. Feelings hurt.
“You gave in to your sister because that was how they raised you. But when she married Aiden, which you must’ve remembered by now. That broke the already fragile sisterly bond you all had. So stop whining and being upset about a man and about Ellie. I’ll explain the past to you more when you get here. But you have to get here. Now, stop feeling sorry for yourself, and remember who you are. Embrace who you are.”
“Who am I?” I whispered, knowing I was still whining, but damn it, I didn’t feel like I could handle this.
“You’re Mist. The eldest daughter of Elani and Noel Cartwright. The honorary niece of Samuel and Gertrude Hatfield. You’ve been training and mastering how to fight and kill all your life.”
“Being a murderer isn’t really something I should be proud of.”
“Everyone is a murderer. Hunters hunt innocent animals. Regular people kill spiders and bugs every day to keep from being hurt by them. You kill people who are a threat.”
“A threat to the Parks? Isn’t that just revenge? Why should others die just so the Parks can be safe and happy?”
“You don’t remember what the Watchdogs stand for or what we do. That’s why you’re feeling this way. When you get here, I’ll explain it. Just know this, you have never killed anyone who didn’t deserve to die. And you better not be crying for them right now, Mist.”
I blinked back tears.
“Get your ass in gear. Survive now. Cry later.”
“If I’m a Watchdog, why are they after me?”
“They’ve been ordered to return you to Mr. Park's side. Aiden faked your death, but Mr. Park doesn’t believe you’re dead.”
Mr. Park.Aiden’s grandfather. He’d been in the dream I’d had about my twin. I remember the authority he’d had over me. One order from him made me freeze. I didn’t want to go back to that, back to letting someone be in control of me.
“However,” Gertrude continued. “There’s a small group of Watchdogs who have gone rogue and are pretending to search for you for Mr. Park. But they have other intentions. The problem is, you don’t remember who your enemies are. You were in the process of investigating Watchdogs who’d gone rogue before Aiden...” Gertrude paused.
“Kidnapped me?” I finished for her.
“Rescued you is what he’d call it.”
“Don’t side with him.”
“I’m not. I know what he did was wrong. But it’s true that you were in danger, sweetie. There have been two attempts on your life. Listen, the longer we talk over the intercom, the more time you give them to reach you. Do you want to keep talking, or do you want to weapon up and head this way? Pick one now!”
“Head that way,” I quickly answered. I didn’t want to be alone right now.
“Open the weapons room by holding the light switch up for ten seconds,” she told me, talking fast. “Get you a duffle, fill it with weapons, and come to the orchard. We’re waiting at the gate for you. If anyone passes here who isn’t you, we’ll fire a warning shot. We’ll know you. Your camouflage four-wheeler has a tracker on it for us. When you leave the estate, turn right and keep straight. You can’t miss us. We’ll be on your right. It should take you seven minutes to reach us. Go now, Mist.”
My brain kicked into overdrive. I pressed the green button on the left, then rushed away from the screen. I stopped at the computer to exit out of her recording. Then I raced across the room to the light switch.
I pushed it up and held it for ten seconds, then stepped back, waiting to see if it would really work.It did.There was this grinding noise at first that made me nervous. Then the wall moved, opening to reveal a room full of weapons.
My mouth dropped open, eyes widening. That same feeling that had come over me the first time Aiden mentioned gardening came over me now. Excitement rushed through my veins. Were all these babies mine?
Babies?Did I really think of these weapons as my children?Sasha!I rushed over to a pair of noon chucks. I remembered her. My gaze drifted to a Glock 9 mm.Boris!I traced my fingers over him.OMG!I raced over to the other wall. Hello,Roxy, my grenade launcher.
I remembered most of their names. I had to be insane to name my weapons. No, that wasn’t the insane part. The fact that I owned these types of weapons proved I was insane. The fact that I was excited to see them proved I was unhinged as hell. I walked around the room, admiring its contents. This room was amazing.
And even though I was still getting used to the thought of being a killer, I had to admit, I loved the look of these weapons.The shelves were lined with guns, knives, and tactical gear. I froze when a sweet voice filled the space.
Welcome home, Mist. Please provide your target's height and weight, along with your planned method of attack, and describe the location where you’ll initiate contact. Then, I’ll recommend the best weapons to help you neutralize the target the fastest.
I spun around, looking for the person speaking to me. There was no one there. Only me. Then I saw the intercom on the far wall.
“Um... who are you?” I said aloud, feeling silly. “And where are you?”
I’m in the Dungeon,the sweet voice answered. And I’m your artificial assistant. Are you ready to plan your next kill, Mist?
