The Scarlet Assassin

Chapter Six

We reached The Pit at 10:28 as my watch told me. It was a house on the outskirts of town, near the forest's edge. Small and dainty, it looked to be a cottage housing an old woman or a farmer, but looks were deceiving. Sorin looked at the house, mouth open slightly.

"Close your mouth, you insufferable, pitiful excuse for a man," I muttered, walking up to the door. Sorin scowled.

"Will you stop with the insults?" He complained. I scoffed.

"Will you leave?" Sorin glared at me. Ignoring him, I rasped my knuckles against the heavy oak door, but the only thing that greeted me on the other side was silence. Again, I knocked but this time yelled beyond the door, "It's Vera, Ace. Come out!" It took a second, but eventually, there was a shuffling in the house.

The door unlocked and opened. A woman, young and lanky, appeared. She looked to have just woken up, her short hair frizzy and askew, and her loose clothing wrinkled. Rubbing her eyes as if the sun hurt her, Ace asked slightly sarcastic,

"What can I do for my wonderful boss this morning?" She leaned against the doorway, still shielding her eyes from the sun, but behind her hands, I saw her squinted eyes. "I suspect there's a reason for coming down here when I was spending my Tuesday morning sleeping peacefully." I gave her a small, contempt smile and bit down my insult. My lack of food was making me irritable today. I knew I should've eaten that damn food with Carter. 

"Are the things I asked for ready?" Ace took her hands from her face and folded them across her chest. Her eyes were still squinted, but the light didn't seem to bother her anymore.

"I'm an inventor, not a miracle worker." Pulling the wine bottle up from where it sat against my outer thigh, I waved it around.

"I brought you a little motivation." Ace's lips pulled into a crooked half-smile. 

"Come on in." Before she moved out of the entrance, she froze and cocked her head. She had finally looked over my shoulder, seeing Sorin standing behind me. Her eyebrows shot up. "Who's the eye candy?" I stifled an annoyed sigh.

"Compliments of the king. I'm now being watched for any acts of treason. Lovely isn't it?" Ace laughed and shifted so she was looking at Sorin.

"What's your name?" Sorin took a half step forward. I felt his breath on the crease of my neck and fought the urge to shove him back.

"First Class Lieutenant Sorin Ackroyd Stryker." Ace smiled and chuckled.

"Well if we're using irrelevant names, I'm Ainsley Montgomery Pruitt, the Viper's prestigious inventor and chemist. I'm assuming you're coming inside too, so don't mind the mess. Oh, and don't touch anything unless you want to get blown up to shreds." She beckoned us in, disappearing into the darkness of the house. Sorin came up behind me.

"Is she always like this?" 

I shrugged. "Pretty much."

Walking into the house, I was immediately hit with the overwhelming scent of burnt chemicals and alcohol. The ground and furniture were stacked with metal scraps, wires, and other concoctions. Beakers, scales, tubes, funnels, and other science equipment sat on tables along with a lab coat over a chair and goggles. On the other side of the house, the door opened, and a half-dressed girl, only wearing a white shift, stepped out, leaning against the door frame.

"You didn't say we were having guests," she said sweetly though I figured she was probably annoyed with me. This wasn't the first time I'd barged in on them. Ace gave her a 'what do you want me to do' look and vanished to the next room.