Mac (Riders of Apollo #8)

Chapter Twenty-Five: Evangeline White

It's a settled mood for the rest of the morning as they reserve their energy for the kids returning at around two. We've got a little while until then so we all enjoy the peacefulness. I've found my way into Mac's lap again but much more innocently now if you consider earlier.

I was very ready to take him up on his offer despite it being Romeo's office and I likely would've dragged Mac into his own office to make good on it had we not been called by the Queen. Right now though, I'm happily tucked up in his lap with my head on his shoulder as we watch some awful movie that Gears loves.

He chats to Nova all the way through it though which makes no sense to me, you don't talk through films that you really love. Nova is listening attentively even though what he's saying is incredibly boring, she's a sweet girl and has had an upbringing similar to Peyton, though she turned out quite different.

Peyton was a loud, vicious fighter from the day I met her. She refused to talk to people nicely and always went for the throat no matter what happened. It took me months to even convince her to let me give her somewhere to stay, weeks before she would eat anything I gave her. She reminded me of a feral child in a lot of ways as she had never been out in the world so everything was so new, she relied heavily on her instincts and they told her not to trust anybody.

Nova came out naive and a little softer than that, more open for affection and care. Still, I wouldn't trade my time with Peyton for anything. Especially not as she sits in her husband's lap with a small smile on her face, completely relaxed and happy. Riley is the same and I can't help but feel a little sad because they don't need me anymore.

I decide to stop staring creepily at my children and turn back to the awful movie. I let my mind wander off for a little while instead of forcing it to be on all the time and it feels good to have some rest for once in my life.

That is until my phone goes off with a loud notification which means an emergency. I fight the urge to roll my eyes and I yank it free from my purse, seconds later I'm asking Peyton for her car keys and she chucks them to me as I reach the door. Everyone watches with rapt attention as I throw open the door to the car and rag the engine, flying out of the lot and onto the road, speeding straight to Andreas. 

He was a friend a long time ago, when I first started for Mossad and he was running a company out there. Failing to run a company would be a better explanation and he hired me to help him fix it. My missions with Mossad were few and far between so I had enough time to do so, helping him figure out paperwork and hiring and networking. My time with him helped me build a tight knit group of businesses that I could get things from but he couldn't pay me for my services so he's calling in his IOU now. 

I leave my handbag in the car as I have no need for anything in there but I take my gun out from the back of my trousers and palm it, ready to go in fighting. I stalk up the stone steps to the grand building he's currently in. I can see his guards and his cameras but I ignore all of it, kicking open the door and immediately being accosted seconds later. I ram the idiot into the wall and point my gun at his chest, keeping his body flat and his eyes wide.

"You won't shoot me." He tests and I cock the pistol with an agitated look in my eye.

"If you want to test me I am quite willing to prove it right now. Is that something you'd like?" I tense my jaw, keeping his eyes locked on mine as his body starts to shake. I summon the anger that I bury on a daily basis and draw on it just like I used to during missions. You get your point across much quicker when you're sharper and a lot more pissed off.

"You can release him, Evangeline. The rest of you stand down." The rifles fall back to their sides and I turn to Andreas standing opposite me with a shit eating grin on his face. I was hoping to never see this dickhead again after I fixed his company and sent him packing but apparently not.

I never do get what I ask for or in this case pay for.

"I'm glad you came." 

"You said that you're paying your I.O.U, I wasn't about to pass up on the opportunity." My voice is cold and harsh as I bite out my words. It feels good to let out a little bit of my anger, spending so much time with the girls limits me which is good sometimes, other times it's not so much.

He flinches slightly at my tone as his eyes drift over my body and stop on my hands. The people that know me know that when my hands are bruised to not antagonise me, it means I'm already on edge and will end up lashing out given the chance. They may have calmed down from my brutal attack on the boxing bag but they are still stark against my skin.

So, he clears his throat and opens his arms wide to prove that he is no threat to me, not that he was before.

"Still, I have figured out some information that I understand you've been looking for." He skirts around the point like he normally does and I raise my eyebrow, tightening my jaw and sharpening my glare. "I know the person who put out the bounty."

I've been putting out feelers for a long time about the bounty on Bear's head, at first it was just because Riley wanted me to but now I'm invested in it because this person had Mac shot. I take that pretty personally.

"And who was it?" I start to feel my agitation worsen, he's always good at dancing around the point and wasting my time. I already don't have enough of it yet he continues to pile it on with other bullshit that just makes no sense.

"What I should tell you is that even though the bounty on Bear has been dropped, another bounty has been added. One on you." I'm not even surprised, nor worried, at this point it's commonplace for me to have a bounty on my head. No one's managed to call it in yet and I doubt that's going to change any time soon.

"No assassin would go after me anyway, they're not brave enough, so who would be stupid enough to put money on my head?"

"Graham Nicholls. You've been offered out at seventeen million. No one has picked up on it so he keeps adding more and more money. It seems your reputation precedes you."

Graham Nicholls, the little bastard. I'm amazed that he was brave enough to do it, his dad wasn't when I went after him but it looks like the student surpasses the master. 

"Consider your debt cleared, Andreas. Please don't contact me again unless you can pay in full and on time."