"You should always be
careful of someone who
has managed the art of lying."
CROUCHING BEHIND THE BUSHES WITH her siblings, Astrid muttered profanities. They had been stuck in the same damn place for one and a half an hour, observing when the patrols changed. And so far they had no luck. They needed a distraction.
The trick of distraction was to attract attention to wrong places and devise the brain into such a way that it forgot what the initial purpose was. And if Astrid were being completely honest, she had a hundred different ploy and decoys she could think of to create a distraction. Even being half-drunk and half-sober.
"This is useless," Astrid whispered to her older brother. Her legs had gone numb and she wasn't sure how long she could stay in the same position, "We need to create a distraction."
"You got any ideas, smart ass?" Luc whispered back. He knew she was right. She always was, but what could they even use to create a distraction.
"Many," She answered. She could a throw a twig in another way, light one of the cars on fire, knock them out, seduce them and if none of those work she always has bullets.
"We aren't killing, seducing or knocking them out," Luc whispered again. Killing and knocking them meant dragging the bodies to a safe place and that would take time. Enough time for one of the other guards to find the body and alert their father. And seducing? He wasn't about to let his half-drunk sister do something like that. Never would.
Sneaking into his own home like a thief, such great actions.
"I could always blow something," Astrid hissed.
"Attracts too much attention," Luc answered. They needed to hurry her twin was almost passed out and she wasn't sure she could carry him all the way to her room.
"Do you really not know when the guards change their shifts?" Astrid whispered.
"They change almost every three days. Sue me if I'm not checking in every three days."
For fuck sake.
"We can't be caught on the camera," Luc said more to himself than to Astrid. Astrid blinked, she couldn't let all the alcohol get to her. Not right now.
"What the hell are you doing?" Luc almost yelled at his sister. They would be in knee deep shit right now if they were caught and Astrid just took put her phone.
"We can't be caught if there are no cameras," Astrid remarked, furiously typing on her phone, "And it's always nice to know more about the people around you."
Astrid continued typing and though she wasn't great at all this electronic bullshit, Austin had taught her how to break in between the codes, decode them and even a bit of satellite cryptals.
She moved her numb legs, pausing to shoo away the mosquitoes that were gathering around her.
"The bald one," Astrid jerked her chin towards the lean, stoic man standing one the left side of entrance, "Messiah Algarotti. Twenty-eight, unmarried and an orphan. Also works for the local company as a manager. Has a showroom for electronic devices too."
"This is his side business," Luc said.
"Not really, no," Astrid said, "He's well known amongst the guards and friends with almost everyone. Whenever any of the men have any electronic problems they go to him."
"A way of attracting customers," Ash nodded. Working and socializing with a huge group of people so you could increase customers, "What do we do?"
Electronics...
"Your phone," She rasped. She was never going to drink again.
Luc was reluctant to give it to her. Trusting an assassin not to find anything in a phone might've been stupid, but she was an assassin and his sister.
She fished out her brass knuckles from her right hip pocket.
"Don't you dare—" Luc face palmed himself as Astrid punched his phone, hard enough that there were ragged cracks on the rectangular surface, "Remind me to never listen to you."
Astrid flicked him off.
Throwing the cracked phone onto a different direction, she took her own phone out. She called her brother's phone.
A distant ring of Luc's phone was heard by Messiah. He crooned his neck, away from the entrance. An electronic device discarded on the ground. It piqued his interest. His diverted attention was the window Astrid needed before she grabbed her twin's shoe from his leg and threw it away in another bush, diverting the other guard's attention.
It wouldn't matter if they went for a moment or two, would it?
When they left for a moment, Astrid grabbed Luc's hand, tugging at it. Luc threw his younger brother onto his shoulder and ran.
Astrid took the back, making sure she stayed in the shadows and her brothers reached without being seen. She was sure she was completely sober by now.
She moved, smooth as water poured into a bowl. Her movements fluid and in the shadows. If she weren't wearing grey sweatpants, she was sure almost no one could see her.
She loosed a breathe as soon as she entered her home. Soon, the sight of Luc with Aurora came to the view. Astrid hid behind the wall, still keeping into the shadows of the light.
"It's too late, Luc," Her mother yawned, "Why are you roaming around like a thief?"
Astrid wanted to snort. Thief is an insult for someone as skilled as Luc. He was good sniper.
"I couldn't sleep." He kept the answer brief and near the truth. He was roaming around because he was sleepless and found his younger siblings.
"And you chose to walk around the mansion?" Any theory Rora came up with failed to fit in the stories her son could be wandering around. Javier, his cousin tried not to laugh.
"Have seen the god damn thing?" He grumbled, "it's fucking huge."
"Language, Luc!" Rora scolded, "You're lucky neither Austin nor Astrid heard you."
"Austin knows more colorful words than me," He scoffed, "And Ash was probably the one to teach him all of that."
Rora folded her arms across her chest, raising an eyebrow.
"What?" Luc asked. He wasn't exactly wrong.
"Austin would've raised hell if he heard that," Rora sighed. The way her sons exaggerate were almost concerning and funny.
"All your sons have crawled from hell, scrapping their knees," Javier scoffed, "And your daughter was probably the one to drag them out."
Aurora rolled her eyes. So did Astrid.
"Can I go now?" Luc grumbled, he was tired from all the music, carrying his heavy sack of a brother— who needs to have a proper diet— and searching for lies and words to not damn himself and his siblings into another grounding.
"You don't have a girl waiting for you in the bedroom, do you?" Astrid heard Javier push her brother.
"Unlike you, I don't repel women," Luc winked at his cousin.
"Zia, you remember Elise, right?" Javier didn't wait for her answer as he grinned, "She broke up with because of—"
"Don't you dare!" The truth was Elise ended their time together because Javier's name was... well 'un-moanable'. And Luc, as petty as he is, brings it up every time he wants his cousin to shut up.
"Just," Astrid heard her mother leave an audible sigh, "Go to your beds and don't wander around. You'll be looking like ghosts is you don't have your sleep."
Jokes on her, Astrid would always look like a ghost even if she did have a good night's sleep.
Astrid didn't wait for them, instead she rushed towards her room, quiet as a cat and in the shadows.
To be honest, Astrid had gone down to make sure her brother didn't sell both her and her twin out. Pleased to see, she was glad he didn't.
A wave of piercing pain hit her head. Hungover and tired and in desperate need of sleep.
"I'm never drinking again," Astrid whispered to herself as she dropped on to her bed.
I had been awake for a few minutes now and to be honest, I was regretting going to drink. The hangover's not worth it.
Pulling a crisp, fresh tank top on to myself, my gaze fell on the bottle of water and a pill of advil.
'Your welcome'
Someone had bothered to write. It wasn't Austin's hand writing, he is probably struggling to even get up. The amount of beer and tequila he had yesterday was almost made me think he actually had more than just one stomach.
Not bothering to check left the pill, I downed it.
Descending down the stairs, I wasn't surprised to see the usual banter between Javier and Luc.
Rolling my eyes, I tapped on Luc's shoulder, "What are you ladies bitchin' about now?"
"Oh, you see," Javier smirked, "Our little Luc had a girlfriend—"
"Someone was willing to put with your bullshit?" I interrupted. He must've been talking about Elise.
Javier snorted loudly, "Very fucking funny." Luc glared at me.
I rolled my eyes.
"Anyways," Javier dragged the word in a dramatic and unnecessary manner, "She dumped him because—"
"I dare you to tell her."
"His name was—"
"Fucking don't, Jav."
"Un-moanable."
"I'm going to kill you,"
Javier burst out laughing, so hard that he actually held his stomach in a dramatic way. I grinned. A few moments of laughing and he finally stopped.
Luc closed his eyes and took a deep breathe. His mouth started lip syncing— One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven.
He stopped at seven, instead of counting till ten he punched Javier square in the face.
"I deserved that," Javier grumbled, holding his jaw. I was sure the punch wasn't that hard, but it seemed my cousin liked dramatics.
"Next time you will have the hospitality of my knives," Luc muttered and left.
[A/N— if you get this reference I love you.]
I extended my arm to help him, and he seemed glad for it.
"You should stop pissing him off," I offered, knowing Luc has the ability of literally blowing up when someone angers him—
"Oh, stop walking on egg shells, Ash," He slapped my shoulder, "Just because he had anger issues doesn't mean he can't control them."
I didn't answer. I didn't quite know what to say, such casual words holding so much meaning. Calculated risks.
"How's your hangover?" He grinned.
"It was you," I said and he winked at me. He left the advil on my nightstand, "Next time don't creep into my room."
"It was more of a library."
"I never asked for your opinion, princess." I hissed at him.
He raised his hands in mock surrender, "Beat a guy up for helping, will ya'?"
I rolled my eyes, "You might find something you don't like."
"Such as?"
"Your ex-girlfriend." He laughed at my words.
"I'll help you with hiding her body if it ever came to that." He said before leaving.
The breakfast was quiet, and as unusual as it felt, my father had left earlier than he usually does, claiming he had some Mafia affairs to attend.
"How did you meet him?" I asked as soon as I realized that we were the only one in the kitchen.
My mother sighed as she moved to wash the dishes. She stood straight, looking at nothing before she answered, "A church."
Oh?
"You... met in a church?"
"Yes. I was praying and your father burst open the doors and," She paused, looking at the wine glasses, "He knocked into an old man. I helped the man up and threatened to sue Leo if he didn't get out."
"You're lying," I said.
"What?"
"I don't think I stuttered," I said, that unnerving confident in my tone, "You lied about the way you two met."
When my mother gave me a sad glance, I pieced it altogether, almost. "You two met at a club."
She didn't react. But as trained as I was, I noticed her biting down on thin air, "And you both were young. You lied because entering a club at that young age was illegal and you didn't want me to learn that from you."
She didn't say anything.
"And the way you keep glancing at the wine glasses," I jerked my chin to the corner of the kitchen where wine glasses were encased in delicate glass, "Means it had something to do with them—"
"I broke the wine glass on your father's head," She smiled at the nostalgic memory, "He was flirting with me but I was pissed off and him flirting with me wasn't helping my mood."
"How did you get in the club if you were underage?"
"A magician never reveals his secrets," She smiled to herself, "Take a guess."
"A fake ID," I said, "and red painted lips."
She hummed in response, "Not bad." She remarked, "But lipsticks aren't the way I work."
"Pray tell, O quick-witted lady." I exasperated.
She rolled her eyes, "I had a friend who worked there. She was older than me."
"You met him there." I completed and she nodded.
"How did you know I was lying?" She said after a few seconds of silence. Very awkward silence.
"A magician never reveals his secrets," I winked at her.
The reference was from
'The Queen of Nothing' :)
—E D I T E D—