Hitwoman

Chapter 18: Truths

(Nolan)

Nolan looked up at the barn in front of him. He could not believe he was here. Back with the rebels. But he couldn't tell Cairo yet. He needed information.

The rebels had told him of the Crystal Blades buying from the island as a show of good faith and now he was here to do the same. To buy trust.

The door creaked open, "Nes owes me 20 bucks. She swore you wouldn't come back." Rav beckoned him in.

"Why are all of your names short?" Nolan asked as he sidestepped Rav and ducked under his arm to step inside the barn. He was only partially paying attention to what he was saying. He cared more for what waited him him in the barn.

Rav cracked a smile, "It's a small part of our real name. Could be three letters from your middle name, could be three randomly picked letters in your name. We don't know each other outside of our rebellion."

The barn was big but mainly shrouded in shadows. A group of five surrounded a table in the center with a lantern illuminating their faces. Nolan wanted nothing more but to grab his weapons were he left them in a bush. All he had now was a knife flashed in his hand. He cleared his throat, "I've come to repay the favor."

"Tell me first," Nes the woman who was first suspicious of him turned. "What did Cairo do with your information?"

Nolan scrunched his eyebrows. He had never cared to pay attention to what Cairo did with the information he gave to him, "I suppose...he got married." He came up to the table without any of them pushing him away. Across it was the map of the city with lines all over it. Nes watched the knife in his hand with careful eyes.

"But I am not going to let go of this knife or share anything until you fully explain the rebels that attacked the shop where a rebel man lived."

A man opened his mouth but it was Rav who stepped forward, "We are factions of rebels just as you are factions of rulers. We don't always agree. That man had planned to sacrifice himself just as they had. They wore the suits to make a statement." It was a lot to wrap his head around. Factions of rebels meant there could be enemies among them. It was sounding very similar to the life he already lead. Was the goal just usurping the past rulers for a new monarchy equally divided?

"Well what do you have for us," Rav put his arm around Nolan and grinned at him.

Nolan looked around at them for a moment, "There is a big threat in the heart of the Bloody Hands. Cairo does not recognize how dangerous his assassin, Eden is." He still needed to learn about them. He hadn't fully given up.

Rav pulled his arm away, "Eden Austrit?"

"I never found her last name.." Nolan tried to meet Rav's face but he turned away.

Before he could push more, Nes took charge. "You are going on a mission with us tonight, Nolan." They were all wearing black with numerous weapons on them.

"Where?" He asked.

Nes shook her head, "Ask the right question, Nolan. Ask who?" She waited.

He sighed, "who?"

"Leilani is meeting with a Theo and an Ivory tonight. An interesting group, don't you think. The dynasties are mixing, but I don't think Cairo was informed of this." Nes reached for the map and rolled it up. "Let's go."

They took the tunnels again. Nolan was uncomfortable with how he had to let them blindly lead him. "Do you want to be a rebel?" A man asked beside him.

Nolan's feet splashed in water. "I don't know."

"We will convince you tonight," he said very confidently before sneaking off into the dark.

They popped up in a little book store. The shop was closed but Nes had a key to it. They filtered out into the street. Keeping to the shadows was easy. They headed down four blocks before appearing before a private garden.

"This belonged to Leilani's mother," Nolan announced as he stared up at the fence. "Evelyn was known-"

Nes grabbed his arm, " Be quiet and follow me." She seemed suddenly agitated. They slipped through the fence and the four of them spread out in the garden. Nolan followed Nes.

There was a small light coming from a lantern on a table. Three figures sat down at it. "How do I know you aren't working for your brother?" Theo asked.

Leilani scoffed, "Which one? The control freak or the the one with his head up in the clouds. They can't lead anything unless it's into the ground." Her voice carried an iciness that she held back when speaking to every one else. She oozed with bitterness.

"And what do we get in it?" Ivory asked. Nolan temporarily looked over to watch Nes. She was intently staring at Leilani. She gave the others no attention. Was she going to kill her?

Leilani waved her hand in the air, "If we take down my brother, we rule. Theo, your father is on his second wife trying to get a better heir. And he won't be dying until he gets one. And Ivory......you've only leached your way to friends with power. Why don't you stop begging and get some dignity."

Even though she was insulting them to their face, they seemed to be receiving it very well. "I want another condition. I want the assassin," Theo said. Ivory glared at him.

Leilani scoffed, "Sure, why not." The only thing was, how could she promise that. Eden was not a bloody hands.

Nes moved. As quietly as possible, Nolan reached for her and grabbed her arm. He whispered in her ear, "Don't kill her." But why wouldn't she? It would be full out war for those two to be found with Leilani's dead body.

She shook her head, "I'd never kill her." There was emotions behind Nes' words: the only problem was that Nolan couldn't define them. They snuck back away and out of the gardens.

"So Leilani wants to take the throne?" Nolan asked as he sat down in a chair at the book shop. The smell of rotting paper and plants filled his nose.

Rav sat down in an old looking chair and a cloud of dust rose. "We could play this to our advantage. Get all three of them killed."

"No-" Nes argued rather quickly. The others looked at her curiously. "If we tear the dynasties down one at a time, one will become too powerful." A nice save.

Nolan stood up, stretching his arms. He threw his head back and glanced at Nes, "What are the Havenash children to you?" She put her hands up defensively, but Nolan had already pulled out his knife.

She was against the wall and the knife was to her throat. The others stood up but froze. Nes had her hand up, keeping them back.  Nolan squinted at her, "Answer the question."

"My children," Nes whispered. N.E.S. Evelyn Nevali Sayiul. Her maiden name. She had picked three letters.

Nolan pulled the knife back, "You died. You tried to run away and your boat never made it to shore."

"I never left, Nolan" she answered. The others watched silently. Clearly they knew. "You want to know the truth? Cyprus was hell. He married me to shove it in my family's face. I had children and then I didn't matter." Nes walked to the middle of the room.

Nolan could see it in her eyes. They were Cairo's. Leilani had her jawline. Nolan had her lips and the slight lopsided ness of them. "I was in the midst of it all and I was practically invisible. I was of no consequence, but I saw it all as it was. Did you know Cyprus killed all of his siblings but that useless brother of his?

Nolan had not. He had always been told Cyprus and his brother were the only family.

"Did you know Cairo had a scar across the back of leg when his father threw him on glass at the age of 7? Did you know I was offered to Joaquin by my own husband? I got out of it by being pregnant with Aramis. Florentine burned down a whole street because a man flirted with his wife. These are the men in power."

"Cairo isn't like his father," Nolan found himself defending his boss.

Nes raised an eyebrow, "Then you know he payed for your parents boat tickets to leave the city?"

Rav stood up, "That was too far, Nes."

She shrugged her shoulders, "He deserves to know."