Define Normal

Chapter Twenty-Five

You guys probably want to strangle me about now for making you wait so long for this and I'm sorry, for making you wait and that you kind of a little bit want to kill me...

Well, tis the season to be jolly and whatnot so why don't you all just forgive me and read the chapter with glee?

Chapter Twenty-Five

“This is good,” Tally said, grinning at the folder he’d set in the middle of the table. Judging from the glow in his eyes, he was pleased with the contents. “We got lucky with this one. I was expecting to do more work than this.” His eyes lifted to meet mine and the pleasure in their depths faded. “However, you disobeyed a direct order, Jade,” Tally said, leaning his hands on the scarred table back at the dilapidated house, bringing his face closer to mine as anger blazed in his eyes. “I told you to kill Bertrand and you hesitated. Do you have any idea what your actions could’ve caused us?”

“She also tried to save his life when I shot him,” Honour pointed out from her spot leaning against the wall with her slim but muscular arms crossed over her chest. I narrowed my eyes at her and she grinned back at me before sticking out her tongue.

“That’s not how things work with us, Jade,” Tally hissed, his eyes blazing with fury as he finally pulled back and glanced at the others sitting around the table.

“You got what you wanted,” I said quietly, my gaze resting on the folder sitting in the middle of the table. “Bertrand didn’t need to die.”

“He knew you, Jade. He knew your mother and he recognized you. If he lives, he’s going to try to find you and he’ll tell Reed that you were there.” Tally ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

“I’ll kill him,” Honour said, pushing off the wall and raising her hand eagerly. “It’ll be easy. He’s probably at the hospital now, if I go and sneak into his room, he’ll be dead in an hour.”

“No,” Tally said, his gaze connecting with mine once again. “If he’s still alive by tomorrow, Jade is going to kill him.”

“No,” Jackson said firmly, standing from the chair beside me and leaning his hands on the table as he glared at Tally. I looked over at Grant in time to see a rare flash of anger in his eyes directed at Tally before he looked over at me and we shared a look of understanding. We’d both enjoyed our time as normal teenagers but I couldn’t put it off much longer. If I stayed with here, I was going to have to kill someone eventually.

“She’s the one who jeopardized our mission, she’s the one who’s going to fix it,” Tally said, glaring right back at Jackson.

Jackson opened his mouth to reply but I put a hand on his arm to stop him. “I’ll do it. If he lives until tomorrow, I’ll finish him off,” I said, my voice flat and cold as I spoke but I wasn’t lying. As much as I hated to admit it, Tally was right. I didn’t want a man like Bertrand knowing who I was and what I was capable of.

“Jade,” Jackson said quietly, taking his seat beside me once more.

“Don’t worry about it,” I said softly, sending him a reassuring smile that I hoped reached my eyes. “You said it yourself, Bertrand deserves to die.” I looked back up at Tally and inclined my head in apology. “I shouldn’t have hesitated.”

Tally nodded and picked up the folder, nodding at Logan who stood from his spot at the table and moved to stand beside Tally. “Get some rest,” Tally said, his eyes resting on each of us before he moved out of the kitchen. “We’re going to be busy in the next little while.” H is tone was light as he tapped the folder with his finger just before he and Logan left the room.