Hitwoman

Chapter 12: Weight of the Crown

(Cairo)

June burst into the room, causing the man across from Cairo to jump up. Cairo was about to glare at her when he saw the blood across her shirt and the cuts on her arms. "What happened?"

"We took on the ones in the store, but there were more in the streets," she scatterdly began explaining. "And then another woman came-"

Cairo crossed the room and put his hands on her face. He looked in her eyes, "What happened, June?"

"Aramis was shot," she said. Cairo forgot about the man in the room. He grabbed June's wrist and started running through the hall. He lept down the stairs and pushed people aside, until they made it to the infirmary. Cairo threw the door open.

Leilani was standing by the door with the hitwoman. The doctors they always had on hand were already tearing Aramis shirt off and preparing to treat his wound. Cairo turned on the group, "Who is going to tell me what happened?"

"Your streets aren't very safe," Leilani shot at him. "We were attacked in a shop by rebels."

Eden looked up at Cairo in confusion, "They were also in the street and Aramis went down to help your men." Cairo clenched his fist and then unclenched them.

His brother was bleeding out fatally. This wasn't the plan. He'd wanted Aramis to depend on Cairo.

Cairo turned to A man at the door, "Send out more patrols and bring me back more rebels. Clean the streets."

"I think it's note worthy that whoever shot him wasn't a rebel, " Leilani said and then paused. "They were specifically after your little assassin."

Cairo turned to face Eden. She was stone-faced but her eyes were angrily glaring at Leilani. Cairo opened his mouth to say something. "Cairo!" A strangled voice called out. Aramis.

He pushed past the nurse and got to the bed side. Blood was oozing from his stomach. He was pale. "Tell them to stop the blood," he whispered.

Of course they were trying to. Cairo tilted his brother's face away from the blood. "You are going to be fine. Then we are going to get you revenge."

"You must think I'm pretty pathetic, huh?" Aramis whispered. He closed his eyes and his grip loosened. This time, Cairo let the nurse push him away.

At the door, June was trying to keep the man out. Cairo clenched his jaw and moved to help her, "My brother is injured. Please conduct yourself."

The man straightened his suit and tried to look tough, "We are conducting business. Do you want war with the the Feathered Flames?" June looked up in surprise at Cairo but she knew better than to speak.

Cairo led the man away, "Tell Theo that Aramis has been shot. Consider it his revenge." Eden who was definitely listening in on them tripped a few feet away. Cairo resisted shooing her away like a stray dog.

"This does not contribute to keeping the peace. He physically attacked Theo," the man persisted.

Cairo grabbed his shoulder, digging his fingers into his bone, "If Theo has a problem, he can duel it out to me." It was a very unrational and uncharacteristic thing to say, but he was preoccupied. He stared the man down until he left.

Turning on Eden, Cairo pointed at her, "We need to talk."

In his office, Cairo found room to breath. He sat down and flexed his hands. Eden stood there silently and waited. "Who shot Aramis?"

"How am I supposed to know," Eden threw her hands up.

Cairo slammed his fists on the desk, anger coursing through him. She watched him carefully. "No, you do know. And you will tell me."

Her eyes narrowed as she mentally weighed out her options. "They described her to me......and I know her. Her name is Talitha." She paused as of saying the name somehow took the breath out of her.

"And why is she attacking you?" Cairo asked impatiently.

Eden bit her lip, "Venelope. She is trying to kill me so she can have Venelope."

He considered this for a moment. He could make this work. "Do you know what my mother was before she married Cyprus?"

Eden raised an eyebrow, "I know nothing about your mother, except that she ran away."

"She was a princess," Cairo continued. He stood up and moved to the map on the wall. The CITY was once of the biggest landmarks. Nothing but wasteland surrounded it. "She was the princess of this land." He dragged his hand across the map to the northern snowy mountains.

"She was the princess of Galiot?" Eden asked incredulously. So she knew her geography.

He nodded, "Her father cursed the CITY. Promised he'd never affiliate with us scum. They hate us for taking their princess."

Eden stared at the map for a moment before realization hit. "You want to pin the whole blame on her? How, she shot at me!"

"Yes, she shot at the hitwoman she hired who turned against her," Cairo pointed out as if he were reminding her. Emotions flashed across Eden's eyes. She looked fearful.

Cairo stepped toward her, "You don't want to kill her? Who is this Talitha?"

Eden went rigid and the vulnerability melted away, "I kill who I'm hired to. You want Talitha dead? Consider it done." She turned on her heels and left the room. Cairo watched her go in surprise. She continued to surprise him.

The next person to walk through the door was Nolan. He was soaking wet and his shoes were missing along with his weapons. "The Crystal Blade is importing weapons from the Island."