Chapter 14 — Ace

One benefit came from the arrests EAGLE had made. The invaded meeting points provided an extensive network of hiding places. The Underground wanted nothing to do with them in case the EAGLE agents stuck around while EAGLE didn’t bother monitoring them because they believed, and rightly so, that the Underground would abandon them.

I moved from one to the next, never staying for more than a night.

On Monday, I came to school as soon as it opened. Mr. Giovanni eyed me with suspicion, but he couldn’t write me up since I was only reading a book.

When the first school bus arrived, so did the men who had been hanging around the building, wearing jackets bulky enough to conceal weapons.

Then came the football players, who I heard long before I saw. They were excited about something, cheering and whooping as they ran through the doors, slapping each other on the back.

“I didn’t think you were the bookworm type.” Josiah checked the cover of my book. “And you’re reading War and Peace at that. What English teacher assigns this novel to freshmen?”

“I’m reading it because I want to,” I said. “It’s pretty good.”

Josiah shook his head. “Only you would enjoy reading that cinder block. I bet you like Shakespeare and Austen too.”

“They‘re good writers.”

I once read a shelf full of literature and classics to get close to a target. It started as a means to an end, but I had found myself enjoying them.

“Snob,” Josiah snorted.

“Says the guy with more money than some third world countries. Is there a point to this conversation?”

“Do you notice anything different about me?”

I looked up. “You got a spray tan to cover up your insecurities.”

Josiah looked offended. “I’m talking about my arm. Since the cast’s off, I’ll be back at football practice. And for the record, the tan is from spending the weekend at my family’s lake cabin.”

“Lovely,” I said. “Why don’t you tell Cheryl? She might care.”

“I figured you would want to know since you were the reason I was out for so long. Plus, students on probation have to check out with their monitor, so you’ll have to stay until I finish practice.”

“But that’s at six o’clock!”

“Not my rules, ghetto boy. If you have a problem with it, take it up with the principal. Speaking of which, Mr. Giovanni extended your probation by two months for skipping school.”

I buried my face in my hands and groaned. Spending extra time at school I could deal with. At least it kept me off the streets and in a secure location. Putting up with Josiah for another two months was asking for an inhuman amount of patience.

“Don’t look so down, buddy.” Josiah patted me on the head. “We’ve got loads of activities for you if you’re ever bored, like getting us towels or cleaning up the locker rooms.”

“I’m not your maid.”

He got a strange glint in his eye. “That gives me an idea for Halloween. Seriously though, it won’t be that bad. The cheerleaders come watch us after their practice ends. You can hang out with them in the bleachers. Many guys would kill for the opportunity.”

“Thanks, but no thanks,” I said. “And what was that about Halloween?”

Josiah laughed and walked away.

In English class that afternoon, Mrs. Hunter handed back the project rubrics.

“I will also give you the history portion of your grade, since Mr. Berger finished grading over the weekend.”

“Who’s Mr. Berger?” Nicole asked.

“I believe he asks you to call him John,” Mrs. Hunter replied, lips pursed in disapproval.

She began moving about the room.

“Oh God,” Alex whispered. “We’re going to fail, aren’t we? I’ll get a bad grade in both English and history which will tank my GPA, then I won’t be able to get into my dream college because—”

“Calm down.” Nicholas clapped him on the back. “We don’t even know we did bad.”

“Our project caught on fire. Fire, Nicholas, fire!”

“We heard you the first time,” Lexi said.

Alex jabbed an accusing finger in her face. “Don’t act like this isn’t your fault. You’re the one who—”

He clammed up as Mrs. Hunter approached our table and deposited two sheets of paper, face down. Alex poked at one like it would bite him.

“You check, Nicholas,” he said. “I’m too scared.”

Lexi rolled her eyes and snatched up the papers. “Drumroll please.”

Nicholas was the only one who obliged her, with Alex busy biting his nails.

“We got...” She paused for dramatic effect. “A ninety-three for the history part and a ninety-five for the English.”

That sounded a little far-fetched.

“No way.” Alex reached for the rubrics. “Show me.”

I looked at them over his shoulder. The first few rows had points counted off and detailed feedback. After that, she had circled the full points column all the way down the page. The flamethrowers had probably gone off in the middle of her grading, and she gave full marks because the flames had consumed the tri-board.

Alex must have reached the same conclusion because he said, “Lexi, I’m sorry for every mean word I’ve ever said about fire.”

Lexi looked smug.

Today, detention was in the gym with Coach Klepac, a young woman with blond hair and a pixie smile.

“Children,” she said, as if we were in elementary school. “You have all broken a rule, which is why you are here today. Most teachers would have you sit in a classroom for an hour, but I don’t think that’s the best way to reflect on your mistakes and learn how to improve. Micah, if you could grab the yoga mats in the corner.”

A senior with dreadlocks pulled the cart to the center of the room.

“Yoga is a wonderful way to purify both your body and your mind.” Coach Klepac beamed. “It can help all of you release the negative energy that led you to break the rules.”

Funny. The thought of doing yoga seemed to cause more negative energy to form inside me.

“Everyone, grab a mat. We’ll start with the eagle pose.”

She twisted her arms and legs together and sank into a deep squat. The rest of us did our best to copy her.

By the end of the hour, I was sweaty, sore, and ready to slaughter her. Coach Klepac waved at us as we filed out the door.

“Have a nice evening!” she chirped.

I headed down the athletics hallway toward the exit. The school’s football field was closest to the back door and surrounded by a wire fence. There were cheerleaders lounging in the bleachers, blowing kisses to the football players, some of whom sent kisses right back. Cheryl sat in the middle like a queen surrounded by attendants.

I plopped down at the edge and tried to focus on my book. But between the coach shouting plays to the football players, the football players yelling at each other, and the cheerleaders cheering for them, it was hard to concentrate.

“Heads up!”

A football hurtled toward my face. I didn’t duck fast enough. It grazed my jaw, where the bruise from Ethan’s punch was tender. I cursed and clapped a hand to the side of my face.

One of the football players ran up to me. “Whoops, sorry about that.”

It was Josiah. Just my luck.

He reached over me to grab the ball, dripping sweat onto the pages of War and Peace. “For future reference, ‘heads up’ does not literally mean to look up.”

I put my book away and glared. “You did that on purpose.”

“As much as I would like to take credit, it was Ethan who threw the ball. I think he’s still upset with you.”

“Why is he upset? I’m the one who should be mad because he—”

“Sargon!” the coach bellowed. “Quit flirting with your boyfriend and get back over here!”

“Yes, sir!” Josiah called.

He jogged back onto the field. Since he was the only person I recognized from afar, I watched him for the rest of practice. I understood the basics of the game from watching it with David and, as much as I hated to admit it, Josiah was good. He outran most of the other players and had a knack for avoiding tackles. It often took multiple guys to bring him down.

Cheryl led the cheerleaders in a standing ovation whenever Josiah did something impressive.

At the end of practice, I tapped Josiah on the shoulder. “I’m leaving now. Consider this checking out with you.”

“I’ll walk you off campus,” he said. “God knows what you can mess up around here.”

Cheryl pouted. “You promised you’d go to the new coffee shop with me, sweetie.”

“Yes, Josiah,” I said. “Go to the coffee shop with her.”

He ignored me. “I’ve got a physics test to study for, darling. I’m sure Marianne and Preston would love to go with you, though.”

Cheryl sighed. “Walk me to the car at least?”

He pecked her on the lips. “Sorry, duty calls.”

“Actually,” I interjected. “Duty is telling you to go on a six month vacation. Twice a year.”

Josiah waved goodbye to Cheryl and let me swing my backpack over my shoulder before starting to fiddle with the collar again. It had become a habit of his. I wondered if he made me continue to wear it just so he could play with it.

The burly men around the school stared at us as we walked past. I curled my hand around my pocket knife.

“What do you have there?” Josiah asked.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said.

“In your pocket.”

I held up my hand. “Nothing. See?”

Josiah turned away like he would drop the subject. Then without warning, he tackled me and shoved his hand in my pocket, digging around for the knife.

“Seriously?” he said. “If a teacher had caught you with a weapon, you could be expelled.”

“The school can’t even suspend me, remember? Now give it back.”

I made a grab for it, but Josiah held it high above his head. It was like the pencils from math class again.

“Not a chance,” Josiah said. “What were you planning on doing with a knife?”

“Just give it back.” I held out my hand. “Please?”

“Figures this is what it takes for you to remember manners.”

Josiah threw the knife as hard as he could. I dropped my backpack and bolted after it.

“Stop that,” he called. “I mean it.”

The knife was lying next to the bushes around the corner. I picked it up with a sigh of relief and found myself face to face with one of the strange men. He had close-cropped brown hair and a face of sharp edges and weathered skin. The edges of a tattoo crept up his neck.

I frowned. “Do I know you?”

“We’ve met.” He grinned, revealing silver teeth. “Don’t you remember me, Spades?”

My blood ran cold as the men fanned out in a semicircle, trapping me against the wall.

“You need eight people to take down a fifteen-year-old?” I said. “What’s wrong? Scared to face me one on one?”

“You can’t goad me into a fight. We know what you’re capable of.”

At a hand signal from Silver Teeth, the men trained their guns on me. My hand tightened around my knife.

“What’s it going to be, Spades?” he asked. “The boss might prefer you alive, but I’m sure he would have no qualms if we threw your corpse at his feet.”

I flicked the blade open and held the knife out in front of me. My legs tensed, ready to leap aside if bullets started flying. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Josiah walking toward us.

“What is going on here?” he said.

Silver Teeth scowled. “Nothing that concerns you, boy. This is a private matter.”

“You’ve brought firearms onto school grounds, and you’re using them to threaten a student.” He held up his phone. “I could have you behind bars before the hour is out.”

“No!” I shook my head. “Don’t bring the police into this.”

“Smart choice, Spades,” Silver Teeth said.

“I was doing it for my benefit, not yours.”

I plunged the blade into his chest, holding on tight as he struggled against me, catching me across the jaw with his elbow.

When the other men started firing, I swung Silver Teeth’s body in a circle to block the bullets and yanked out the knife. Warm blood gushed over my hand. One man down and I was already out of breath.

“Grab the gun!” Josiah shouted.

He had disarmed the man with a shark tattoo, keeping him at bay with a long tree branch. I dove for the weapon.

Jeff noticed what I was doing and sprinted toward me. I whipped him over the head before he could raise his own gun, and he dropped like a stone.

As for the rest of them, they were goners when I opened fire. Josiah jerked back as the guy he was fighting dropped dead. Blood splattered over his jersey.

I pointed the gun at Jeff and curled my finger around the trigger. It was best not to leave any loose ends.

Josiah grabbed my arm. “You don’t have to kill him. He’s already out cold.”

“It would be a mercy,” I said. “People hit over the head need medical attention or serious brain damage could occur.”

“Then call an ambulance. Don’t shoot him in the head.”

“Aww, Josiah, I didn’t know you cared so much about a stranger who tried to kill you.”

“Actually, he was trying to kill you, and thereby doing me a favor,” he said, almost out of habit. “Besides, if these men are from the Underground, wouldn’t it be better to leave one alive? As an apology of sorts.”

“I’m far past reconciliation with the Underground.” I pulled the trigger.

Jeff’s body jerked then fell still.

Josiah gaped at the scene. “You’re crazy.”

I grabbed a stick and dipped it in Silver Teeth’s wound, using the blood to paint a spade in the grass. It would serve as a warning.

Josiah’s eyes widened. “You’re an assassin.”

I waited for him to continue.

He shook his head. “Not only that, you’re Spades. How is it even possible?”

I fiddled with the gun. “You won’t tell anyone, right?”

He looked me up and down. “Who would believe me if I did? Spades is the assassin everyone uses for revenge jobs. He’s a sadist.”

“No, the people who hire me are. I do what they’re too afraid to do themselves.”

“What about the property developer who died from a barbed whip after hanging from a meat hook?”

“That was a messy job from an interesting client. I don’t prefer to kill that way.”

“Oh, my apologies.” Josiah rolled his eyes. “Pray tell, what is your preferred method of ending a life?”

I pocketed my knife and turned away. The school could deal with clean up.

“Where do you think you’re headed?” he demanded.

I kept walking. My shoes scuffed against the stone path.

“You don’t have anywhere to run. The Underground wants you dead, remember?”

I stopped. “I’m aware of that, Josiah. Where do you suggest I go?”

“My house,” he replied without missing a beat. “I doubt anyone would expect to find a street urchin staying in Castle Hills.”

Only Josiah would manage to offer help and pay an insult in the same sentence.

“Your parents would notice a stranger in the house.”

“They’re used to me bringing people home.”

I was at a loss for words.

About a mile away from the school, Josiah pulled up at a gas station. The neon signs glowed like fireflies, if fireflies were into advertising fuel that was ten percent off per gallon.

“Why did you stop here?” I asked.

He nodded at the blood on my hands.

“If we arrive at my house looking like this, the servants will talk,” he said. “And if one of them goes to the police...”

I grimaced. “I got the idea.”

A bell above the door jangled as we walked in. I tucked my arms close to my side and made a beeline for the restroom.

The rusty faucet took a few turns before it creaked open and clean water poured out. I held my hands over the sink and watched the blood swirl down the drain. My jaw throbbed. Silver Teeth hit the exact place Ethan had punched me.

A few minutes later, Josiah and I were back on the road. The houses we drove past wouldn’t have looked out of place on a brochure advertising palace tours.

But they were hovels compared to the manor. Stone steps led up to a front door that resembled a castle drawbridge, framed by giant torches on each side. Wooden beams inlaid with gold curved to form an arch overhead. The manor itself sprawled out over the lawn like an elegant cat, light pouring from its windows.

Josiah chuckled. “Never seen anything like this in the ghetto, have you?”

I schooled my face into a scowl.

To my disappointment, the front door did not open like a drawbridge, despite its appearance. A butler let us in. Josiah tossed his keys to another servant who drove the car to a garage. I couldn’t believe he had an actual valet.

“Sir, your mother requests your presence in the parlor,” the butler told Josiah. “She’s entertaining a few guests.”

“Tell her I have homework I need to get done before tomorrow,” Josiah said. “She’ll understand.”

The butler looked doubtful. “And shall I tell her about the guest you invited over?”

“If you like. Come on, ghetto boy, I’ll give you the grand tour.” The moment we were out of earshot, he leaned down. “I have a ton of questions, and you better answer them truthfully.”

I crossed my arms. “I never agreed to that.”

“It’s not like you’d be betraying the Underground. They already want you dead. If you had half a brain cell, you would go to the police with your story. The Underground doesn’t mess around.”

I laughed. “Yeah, I would know. But if I went to the police, they would put me behind bars too.”

“And that’s the situation you would be in if I hadn’t brought you here. Be grateful I’m not asking for more.”

My hands clenched into fists. Was it too much to ask for Josiah to act out of the good of his heart?

“Let’s go up to my room,” he said. “There won’t be people who try to eavesdrop.”

The two maids we passed blinked at him with false innocence before turning to whisper to each other. Now I knew why Jackal always complained about the walls having ears.

Josiah started to speak, “I’ve been thinking—”

“There’s a shocker.”

“I’ve been thinking,” he repeated testily, “and it can’t be possible for you to be Spades.”

“Why is that?”

“Spades has been active for nine years. You would have been four when he first started killing.”

“I’m fifteen. Do the math, Josiah.”

“Alright, you were six. Not much of a difference.”

“I was old enough to hold a knife and small enough to slip through a window,” I said. “My youth was an advantage.”

Josiah shook his head. “You’re delusional.”

I shrugged. He could believe what he wanted.

Josiah opened the door at the top of a flight of stairs. “Well, this is it.”

“You have an entire floor to yourself?” I said.

“Perks of being an only child since my brother—anyway, back to what I was saying. There’s no way you could have gotten away with murder when you were only six.”

“Doesn’t change the fact that I did.”

Josiah ran a hand through his hair. “This is crazy. You’re crazy. And you shouldn’t have killed those men.”

I frowned. “Why not?”

“Because it’s wrong to take another person’s life.”

“If I hadn’t killed them, they would have killed me.” I touched the tender spot on my jaw.

It didn’t feel like it was broken, but my fingers sent pain shooting through my skull.

Josiah’s eyes narrowed. “You were injured, and you didn’t tell me?”

“Never had the chance. You seemed more keen on interrogating me about the Underground.”

He walked closer. “Do you have to be so insufferable? Let me see where he hit you.”

“It’s fine.” I tilted my head up. “All I need is an ice pack.”

“Then go make one from the snow cone machine. The longer you wait, the less effective it’ll be.”

There was a knock at the door.

“Sir,” a girl said. “Miss Cheryl arrived to surprise you. Should I send her upstairs?”

“No need to ask,” Cheryl interrupted. “Josiah’s always happy to see me. Aren’t you, sweetie?”

“Of course. Just give me one second.” Josiah shoved me away. “Hide!”

I looked around the room. “Where?”

“I don’t know. Go in the closet or something.”

There were several doors that could lead to a closet.

Josiah rolled his eyes. “It’s the one on your left. Now hurry!”

He emphasized his point by whacking me over the head. I glared at him but wrenched open the door and dove inside like it was a bomb shelter. Josiah slammed it shut behind me and called for Cheryl to come in.

“It’s good to see you, darling,” he said. “Sorry I wasn’t able to go with you to that coffee shop.”

“Not a problem,” she replied. “You always put your responsibilities first and I like that, but you deserve to relax. What if I stayed the night?”

“Your parents would let you do that? Your strict, traditional Asian parents?”

“They know not to hinder true love when they see it.”

A hanger poked at my back and I shifted to the side, knocking over a cardboard box. The air filled with dust and the scent of fake lavender as mothballs spilled onto the floor.

I stifled a sneeze.

“Cheryl, I’ve got a physics test tomorrow to study for,” Josiah said. “It’s a huge part of my grade.”

“I can help you,” she offered. “I’m good at science.”

Another sneeze built up. I pinched my nose, cursing the fact that Josiah couldn’t have dusted his closet every once in a while. Or at least ordered a servant to do it.

“You know I can’t concentrate with such a beautiful girl around,” he said.

I didn’t think I could hold it back much longer. The itch was unbearable and my eyes were starting to water.

Cheryl giggled and kissed Josiah.

A sneeze tore from my nose with so much force I thought it would start bleeding.

“What was that?” Cheryl asked.

“I didn’t hear anything,” Josiah said.

“It came from the closet.” Her voice grew louder.

The door knob turned.

“It’s probably the clothes rack,” he insisted.

“You’re hiding something,” Cheryl said. “Is that a girl in there? Are you cheating on me?”

I fumbled for a hiding place.

“Darling, you know I would never.”

My hand collided with a chest in the corner. It held steady when I put my foot on it.

Cheryl huffed and opened the closet. I leaped off the chest and wedged myself near the ceiling, pushing against the two walls to keep myself suspended in the air. Cheryl flipped on the light switch and began her search, tossing aside boxes and hangers.

Josiah tapped his foot as he watched. “Are you done yet? Or is a closet full of old clothes that interesting to look at?”

Cheryl smiled sheepishly. “Sorry. I don’t know what got into me.”

She shut the door. I sighed in relief and lowered myself to the ground. Outside, Cheryl and Josiah were saying their goodbyes.

A few minutes later, there was a tap on the door.

“You can come out now,” Josiah said.

He did not sound happy. Sure enough, the moment I came out of the closet, I received an earful.

“What was that?” he demanded. “Were you trying to sabotage my relationship?”

“I can’t control when I need to sneeze,” I said. “And if you had bothered to dust in there or shoved me into a hiding place with fewer mothballs, we wouldn’t have this problem.”

“What if she had seen you?”

“I would have said that you were making me clean out the closet. It’s not like she could have accused you of cheating.”

“And why not?”

I gaped at him. “Why not? Because, in case you haven’t noticed, I’m a guy, and you’re not gay. She can’t assume you’re something you’re not.”

“You don’t understand how girls work, do you?” Josiah sighed. “Never mind, I don’t know why I bother. Just get your ice pack and go to bed. The bathroom’s the middle door to your right if you need to shower.”

I scanned the room. There was a single bed near the window. Albeit a king-sized bed, but still only one bed.

“Where am I going to sleep?” I asked.

Josiah tossed a pillow on the ground. “There.”

“On the floor?”

“I’m not about to share the bed with you.”

“A house this big and you don’t have a guest room?”

“People I invite over have to stay up here,” Josiah said. “It’s my parents’ rule.”

“Then why don’t you have a sleeping bag?”

“For most of my guests, that isn’t a problem.”

Understanding bloomed in my mind. “Oh.”

Josiah smirked. “No offense, but you’re not exactly my type.”

“I think I’m going to throw up,” I muttered.

“You’ll be glad to sleep on the floor then?”

I crossed my arms. “It’s cold tonight.”

“Aww, is the wittle assassin afwaid of a wittle chill?” Josiah cooed.

I threw the pillow at him, and he caught it with one hand. Stupid football reflexes.

“I’ll give you a blanket if that’ll shut you up,” Josiah said.

I ended up at the foot of his bed, wrapped in a quilt with a fluffy pillow. Josiah shut off the main lights and flicked on the lamp at his desk.

I twisted to look at him. “What are you doing?”

He cracked open a textbook. “Physics. I wasn’t lying about to Cheryl about the test. Don’t think you’ve dodged my questions though. I have a lot saved for tomorrow.”

I groaned and rolled over, the floor digging into my hip.

Despite the uncomfortable position, I drifted into a restless sleep.