The Puppet Assassin [TTR sequel]

The Puppet Assassin - Ch 28 [imagine that]

He released me and took a step back. He must know that the reason I left was because I felt like I owed him something. I stood there quietly, hating all this, hating the way he looked at me, hating the way he watched me with weary and disappointed eyes.

He took a deep breath in and sighed. “I’ll let you go out when I can trust you again. That is, unless you can tell me honestly, right now, that you will not do something so foolish again.”

The way he was looking at me hurt, it was halfway between pity and anger. I wanted neither. But I couldn’t answer him in the way he wanted me to. So I stayed silent.

** **

I watched the cream coloured wall with disdain. The television screen was on and Larkin and Garth were laughing at random intervals but I hardly heard them, let alone the TV program. I was well aware of Luke watching me occasionally, hopefully regretting his harsh imprisonment of me, but I gave him no acknowledgement. I was grounded. It was even worse than grounding. I couldn’t even leave the goddamn walls of this house. I was tempted, sorely tempted, to leave the house boundaries, just to prove I could. I bet I could even escape some of his security team but if he came after me…

I had yet to see Luke in action. I’d fought Garth and Larkin and knew that we weren’t evenly matched but winning against either of them was not impossible. However, something about Luke told me that I would need more than ‘talent’ to beat him. I’d need to think, to strategize in every moment. And that was not my strength. Scythe, or my supervisor, was the one who thought. I was just a puppet, someone who did as they were told.

I scowled. Would I ever be a free agent?

There was a bright flash on the screen and then suddenly it blanked. But it wasn’t off. I could still hear the faint sound of static coming from the speakers. Had the screen malfunctioned? I doubted that, seeing as Garth seemed to love his television and would probably have this huge screen updated almost constantly.

“You’re all sitting there, aren’t you?”

There was a shocked silence in the room when the deep, menacing voice echoed through the speakers from the roof.

“You can speak, I am able to hear you.” I could hear a sneer in the man’s voice.

“You!” Luke snarled in recognition. “That bastard who called me last week.”

My breath got caught in my throat. This was my pursuer.

“Congratulations, you managed to recognise my voice,” the man drawled. “I want the girl, and you will give her to me.”

“Fat chance,” Garth snorted.

“Twelve hours.”

“Excuse me?” Luke questioned, standing from his seated position.

“You have twelve hours to comply. Let her speak, you pussy.”

“You don’t have the fucking guts to go through with your intimidations, otherwise you’d have already stormed the place.” Luke peered at the screen, as if attempting to find how the man had managed to communicate with us. “You can’t get her out, you coward, you’re simply hiding behind empty threats.”

“I’ll skin you and hang your bloody hide on my dining room wall.”

I shuddered.

“There you go again.” Luke laughed. “Ever going to go through with one of them?”

“You’re dead, you son of a bitch.”

The sound of static filled the room, louder than before, and then the screen flickered and the program began to play again. My hands were trembling so I tucked them beneath my legs. Lark was gazing at me watchfully and I knew he wouldn’t have missed that move. The thing was, I didn’t care that he saw my weakness. At the moment I wanted him to comfort me. I needed to feel more secure. I knew that, when he hugged me, I felt safe.