Young Love Murder (39 page)

“Weapons specialist,” I tell him.

“Nerdy player,” Jackson adds.

“Mad genius,” Brent supplies, then adds, “Computer geek extraordinaire.”

Gabriel smiles at our description of Porky. “Like him already. Besides, anyone would be an improvement over you two douches.”

Jackson makes a playful move, pretending he’s going to kick Gabriel, but Gabriel lets go of his grip around my waist and dodges him, laughing provokingly. I get this warm feeling inside, seeing my brother and my boyfriend interacting like this. 

I can’t believe how happy I am. This euphoric feeling is so amazing. There’s a little skip in my step, but I glance at Jackson and see that he’s looking at me funny, so I moderate my steps and play it cool. Going into the next kill acting love-drunk would probably be worse than all the jobs this year that I’ve gone into being alcohol-drunk.

We all pile into the small green rental car. Jackson insists on driving since he knows the way to the city Porky is holed up in. I pull the girl-card and get to sit passenger, making Gabriel and Brent squeeze into the back. After we drive out of the hotel parking garage, I can’t resist turning around to point and laugh at them. The backseat is so small that they’re practically on top of each other.  

“Brat,” Gabriel grumbles, trying to hide a reluctant smile. 

Brent just grins. “I think she’s cute.”

At the gagging sound coming from the right of me, I turn my head to glare at Jackson. “I
am
cute.” He ignores me and pretends to concentrate on the road. I feel an arm sneak around my seat to cross over my chest from behind. I tilt my head down to kiss Gabriel’s forearm. 

Jackson makes another disgusted sound and momentarily squeezes his eyes shut. “Please stop touching my sister in front of me. That lovey dovey crap makes me want to vomit.”

“Your driving makes me want to vomit,” Brent complains in the backseat. 

I nip at Gabriel’s arm with my teeth. “Behave, Gabriel. We’re in the car with two weak-stomached assassins.”

Jackson scoffs at my insult, countering with, “Oh yeah, remember the time when we were on the Autobahn in Germany and you puked all over the backseat?”

“I was nine,” I defend myself through clenched teeth.

Jackson starts cracking up. “Simon was pissed. He threatened to send you off to boarding school if you couldn’t hang.”

“Simon sounds like an ass,” Gabriel mutters from behind me, squeezing my shoulder gently before releasing his grip and sitting back in his seat.  

“Simon
is
an ass,” Brent agrees, “A
badass
.”

“Who exactly is Simon?” Gabriel’s question makes us all tense up. 

I clear my throat and change the subject, “So, what hole is Porky hiding in?”

“I take it you’re not going to elaborate?” Gabriel complains from the backseat.

Jackson picks up on my deliberate change of subject and answers my question, “According to, um, our sources, Porky is staying at a closed-down steelworks plant on the outskirts of Newcastle, a couple hours out of Sydney.”

“That boy has always been weird,” Brent remarks. “When he was in Syria, he was renting out the basement of an incense factory. It smelled pretty funky down there.”

For the next hour, we discuss the particulars of the assignment and best course in taking out the multiple targets. This assignment isn’t exactly hard, but it’ll require the handiwork of at least two assassins, which is why Simon brought Brent into this job with me. Jackson’s tagging along is just a bonus.

Brent’s never told Jackson or me how he came to work for Simon and we’ve never asked. If he wanted us to know, then he would’ve told us long ago. In our world, you mind your own business when it comes to both personal and past lives. 

I’m wondering why Simon didn’t just ask Jackson to assist in these kills, since he’s on babysitting duty anyway. I roll my eyes to myself. He probably thought Jackson would have his hands full just keeping an eye on me and Gabriel. I turn around in my seat to look at my cute boyfriend. He’s staring out at the scenery we’re passing by, mostly ocean views. “Have you ever been to Australia before?”

He glances at me, shaking his head. “Nope.”

I grin at him in my excitement. “Maybe after the job’s completed, we can do a little sightseeing together.”

He gazes at me affectionately. “I love you,” his full lips lift at one corner as he murmurs the words to me. 

“Love you too.” I reach back to touch his cheek. See, Jackson and Simon are worrying for nothing, Gabriel wouldn’t hurt me. We love each other. I know it’s cliché, but the saying “love overcomes all” pops into my head. 

“Love you, Gabey,” Jackson says in a high-pitched, girly voice, making fun of me. I twist back around in my seat and punch him in the arm. 

Big mouth Brent can’t resist getting in on the teasing. In his own girly voice he says, “Oh Gabey! Let’s take a picture together in front of the Sydney Opera House!”

“So romantic!” Jackson mimics in a voice that
so
doesn’t sound like me. And I would know. I’ve heard myself on tape enough times. “We could feed each other with our hands and watch the sun set over the water!”

I turn around in my seat to show Gabriel my exasperated face. Expecting to see him angry, or in the very least annoyed, I’m pissed that he’s struggling to hold back laughter. Reaching back, I slap his jean clad thigh. “Hey! You’re not supposed to think this is funny!”

He gives up all pretenses and lets his chuckles loose. “I’m sorry, babe. But, you have to admit that the sexual tension between Jackson and Brent is hilarious.”

“Sexual-” Jackson begins in shock.

“Tension?” Brent finishes for him with a growl. 

Catching on to where Gabriel’s going with this, I give him a conspiratorial glance. “How precious, Gabriel. Look, they’re already finishing each other’s sentences.” I let out a mushy, “Aw,” for full effect.

Jackson’s forehead is all bunched up from his mean scowl. “I screw way too many chicks to be gay.”

“Oh, man!” I shout. “Please, please,
please
never say that within hearing distance of me again!”

“I screw a lot of chicks too.” Brent pipes in, wearing a matching scowl. “And unlike Jackson, I screw
hot
chicks.”

Jackson scoffs at that, “You wish buddy.”

“You remember that chick we shared in Quebec?” Brent questions him, his expression changing to one of levity.

Jackson shifts in his seat, relaxing too. “Yeah, she was so hot.”

“Disgusting,” I gripe under my breath. 

“Well, I’ve had
way
hotter,” Brent boasts. 

Gabriel clears his throat, interrupting them, “So, what the two of you are saying, is that you guys have had sex together.”

“No!” Brent and Jackson yell at the same time. Even louder than their denials is the sound of me and Gabriel laughing. 

I finally calm myself enough to place a hand reassuringly on Jackson’s forearm. “I accept you and love you for who you are big brother.”

“I can’t speak for Brent, but I can assure you that I am
not
gay,” he says through a clenched jaw. “We did
not
have sex together. We merely each had it with the same girl.”

Ew. Who got sloppy seconds? Ew!

“But you were both naked, sweaty and aroused in a room together,” Gabriel points out. 

“Yes and strictly screwing the
girl
,” Brent says in an annoyed tone. 

Ew!

Despite my grossed-out state, I can’t resist badgering them some more. “But, you both-”

Jackson cuts me off, “Drop it.”

I look back at Gabriel again and we bust out laughing. This is the best mini road trip ever. Less than an hour later, we’re driving around an industrial area of Newcastle, searching for the steelworks plant. It’s not hard to find, the main building is monstrous and ugly as hell. Since it’s surrounded by a barbwire fence, we have to stop at the front gate and hit a buzzer on the keypad. After a few minutes of mentally tapping our fingers we finally get a response. An irritated voice comes over the speaker, “What the fuck?”

Jackson pushes the button again to respond, but leaning over him, I beat him to it, “Is that any way to greet the greatest female assassin to ever kill?”

“Diana?” A wary voice responds. 

A light bulb goes off in my head. “Oh shit, Porky! You messed around with Diana?” I exclaim in shock. 

“Annabelle?” He corrects himself and even through the speaker I can hear the relief in his voice.

“Yup.”

“Who’s that with you in the car?” he asks suspiciously. I glance up to check out the cameras he has mounted on poles up high, near the barbed wire.

Jackson pushes the button again. “It’s Jackson.”

“And the backseat?”

Jackson answers, “It’s just Brent and Annie’s boy toy.”

Porky chuckles through the speaker. “All right, I’ll buzz you in.”

My hot boyfriend reaches between the front seats to jab Jackson in the ribs. “Better than being Brent’s boy toy.”

“I said drop it,” Jackson says in aggravation. “I don’t do guys.”

The gates slowly glide open and Jackson pulls the car through. Driving around, we find a spot near what we figure is the front entrance. The rusted up metal doors give the place a real homey feeling. Maybe I should give him a wreath to hang up on the door as a housewarming gift. 

All four of us step out and stretching my legs feels good after being boxed into a compact car. Probably feels even better for Gabriel and Brent. Within seconds of Gabriel stepping out of the backseat, he’s wrapping his arms around my waist, swooping down for a kiss. I could get used to having him around, all this affection is intoxicating.

The creaking of a door alerts us to a side entrance opening. Porky doesn’t step out and I realize he must have it hooked up to some sort of electronic control system. Computer geeks just can’t help showing off. Porky must get all the ladies at technology conventions. I laugh at the thought as we step into the hazardous-looking building. Gabriel gives me a weird look but I just shrug and tell him, “Later.”

In front of us is a hallway that starts to curve just a few yards ahead. Small recessed lighting is set into the floor, showing us the way. After a few minutes of turning corners and making our way deeper into the building, we come across a stairway leading down. 

“What’s up with Porky and basements?” Brent mutters irritably. 

Jackson takes the lead, followed by me then Gabriel with Brent taking the rear. As we climb down the metal stairway into the underground level, Gabriel’s curiosity is stirred. “Who exactly is this Porky guy?”

“I’ve known him for a few years. Young, but not as young as us, he’s maybe twenty-four or twenty-five. Simon recruited him out of MIT as soon as he graduated. We use him and a few others like him as weapons and technology specialists. It’s his job to keep up with changing technology in our field and pass it on to us. He also hacks into databases when we need certain information.”

At the bottom of the stairs, there’s another hallway with light coming from a large opening at the end. We walk the short way there and enter what looks to be a game room. “I have to say,” Gabriel says dryly, “This is a little anticlimactic.” I scan a room that’s crowded with a pool table, massive entertainment center, pinball machines and large arcade-style video game machines.