Crowed (Team Zero #2) - Rina Kent Page 0,53

are you doing here?” My fingers tap on her arm.” Aren’t you supposed to be in France protecting Eloise?”

“Don’t worry.” She’s still absorbed by the view in the restaurant. “Eloise is well and healthy and has no desire to die. The Rhodes’ guards are keeping an eye on her. Ghost, too.”

I was relieved when Ghost said that she didn’t have any suicidal tendencies.

Eloise deserves to live.

I hope she found a reason to. Something… or perhaps someone.

No. That’s a lie. Just picturing someone else by her side makes me want to break their fucking neck.

Even if she can live without me, I can’t live without her.

I squint and try to see what Celeste is watching with such interest. Even her lips are parting.

“Are you still watching Dylan like a creep?” I ask.

She removes the binoculars, jerkily, like she’s got caught stealing from a biscuit jar. “What are you talking about? I’m not watching Dylan. I’m watching Aaron. I have a contract on his head in case you’ve become an old man and developed Alzheimer’s.”

I tilt my head to the restaurant where Dylan is sitting with what seems like business associates, discussing with a sense of calmness. The arsehole wasn’t that fucking calm when he threatened to kill me. “I only see Dylan here.”

Celeste can deny it all she wants, but she cares about Dylan ever since they were children in The Pit. Only, well, she pushed him away about ten years ago. Now, she just watches from afar like a fucking stalker.

“That’s because Aaron will show up any second.” Celeste throws her hands in the air as if that makes complete sense. She faces me but not before throwing one last look at Dylan. “Do you want to know something so sodding fun? I was watching Aaron the other week, and guess what he did?”

“Killed in broad daylight because he couldn’t control his sick bloodlust?” Knowing Aaron and how screwed up he is, I wouldn’t be surprised. I would, however, be surprised if Tristan and Dylan didn’t cover his tracks. Image is everything in their snobbish world.

“No. This is much more bizarre.” Celeste leans close to whisper in my ear as if afraid the ghosts in this old abandoned place would hear. “He kidnapped someone. It wasn’t a target or an assassin. It was a mere art student.”

That’s really strange. Aaron doesn’t like kidnapping in the first place. He would rather just kill. Is that why he barged into my hotel the other week? About this art student?

“She was wearing a red dress, though, so maybe he went blind and mistook that for blood.” Celeste laughs.

My phone vibrates. Ghost.

I answer so fast, the device almost clutters to the ground. “How is she?”

“Fine.”

My chest heaves. It’s only one word. One single word. But it’s the only word that keeps me breathing until the next day.

“You’re watching her personally, right?” I ask.

“If not me, then it’s Shadow or Mist.” Aka his most trusted people in Team Zero. They never screw up any mission. “Or Celeste when she’s not running around.”

“She’s currently watching Aaron. Only there’s just Dylan here.” I enunciate.

Celeste’s whole attention is still on the restaurant. Something tells me Aaron won’t even show up to this meeting, but she’ll keep watching anyway.

“We’re returning to England for the mission Hades assigned us.” Ghost’s tone becomes rigid.

“What about Eloise?”

“The Rhodes’ men are here. They will keep an eye on her.”

My spine jerks. I would rather it Ghost or my Team Zero mates, but he doesn’t have a choice. This mafia business is big enough that Hades is ready to stop Team Zero killing usual contracts to take care of it. He’s not suspicious of Ghost, for what I know, he’s keeping the others hostages because he knows we work best under pressure.

However, if Hades doubts Ghost, it will be game fucking over for all of us.

“How are things at your end?” Ghost asks.

“Nothing special. Tristan, however, is either eliminating his fellow second generation assassins or offering them a way out. With Team Zero either locked up or on this mission and the second generation defecting, The Pit won’t have many assassins left.”

“That’s good news for us.” There’s silence before he continues, “I have managed to convince Team Zero to rebel against Hades. At least, the ones who are dispatching for this mission with me.”

My heart expands and air comes into my lungs with a freshness I haven’t felt in months. Hades will go down. I might get a chance to reunite with Eloise.

“I know