Read Online Out of the Shadows (Tangled Ivy #3) by Tiffany Snow - Free Book Online
Authors: Tiffany Snow
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wrist.
“You take care now. Watch for bears. They’re thick as bugs on a bumper, searching for this woman named Ivy.”
I swallowed hard. “Copy that, Slackjaw.” I let the button up with a sigh of relief.
Devon drove fast, and took the next exit, handing me the folded-up map.
“Going off the motorway will cost us time, but will be worth it to avoid the police,” he said. “Look and see the secondary route I’ve marked. See if it looks right to you.”
I was no stranger to two-lane country roads, the winding curves and trees flashing by reminding me of where I’d grown up. Beyond the trees loomed impenetrable darkness that only thickened as the hours passed. It made my imagination work overtime, probably from watching too many episodes of the X-Files growing up. If I wandered past the initial barrier into the inky blackness, would I find evidence of the unexplained? Aliens and mothmen and Bigfoot?
Doubtful. More likely mosquitoes, snakes, and feral possums.
“What are you thinking that’s making you smile like that?” Devon asked.
I glanced over at him, realizing I was indeed grinning a little at my fanciful imaginary forest expedition.
“Just thinking about what’s out there,” I said with a shrug, nodding my head toward the trees. “When I was little, I was always fascinated by the idea of monsters. Mythical creatures out there, evading detection and leaving only clues as to their existence. They could hide forever, it seemed.”
“Monsters are real,” he said grimly, “and they do hide amongst us. Disguised as normal people you love and trust.”
The darkness in his voice had me studying his profile. “You’re talking about Vega, aren’t you,” I said. He didn’t answer, but he didn’t have to. “You told me once before that she’s the one who helped you when your parents were killed.” This time I waited, hoping he’d open up to me. It took several long moments, but eventually my patience paid off.
“The murder of my parents had a profound effect on me,” he said. “I retreated into myself, turning into a sullen, angry, silent boy. A couple of years passed and I started getting into fights, trying to find an outlet for the anger, I think. I . . . beat one child so badly, he ended up in the hospital. He was all right, but I was to be removed from the orphanage and placed in a YOI, young offenders institute, which is much like your juvenile detention centers.
“That’s when Vega appeared,” he continued. “I was fifteen and friendless. Smart, but unmotivated. If I’d been removed to the YOI, I am quite sure I’d have run away and become a full-blown criminal on the streets of London. She placed me in another location that I later was to learn belonged to the Shadow. I lived there, was trained there, for the next four years.”
I did the math. “You were nineteen. So . . . then what did you do?”
“I killed someone.”
He said it matter-of-factly, but I could detect a hint of something else. Regret, maybe? Disillusion?
“They’d trained me to be a ruthless killer, but also had taught me spycraft, and above all, unwavering and unquestioning loyalty to the Shadow. For the first few years, I did a lot of recce. After that first kill, it was easier, but assassinations didn’t come until later. I left a bloody trail in my wake and became Vega’s top operator.”
I wasn’t sure how to respond. Congratulations wasn’t really what he was going for, I thought. His hand lay on the console between us, so I folded my palm over his. I stayed quiet, letting him say things I knew almost for certain he’d never told another living soul.
“I did my job faithfully for six years. Excellently. Then I met Kira. It didn’t occur to me that I wouldn’t be able to be with her. We were in love.” There was no mistaking the bitterness in his voice. “I was a fool.”
Devon’s grip tightened on my hand.
“Vega told me . . . she was the one who’d had Kira murdered.”
I
“You take care now. Watch for bears. They’re thick as bugs on a bumper, searching for this woman named Ivy.”
I swallowed hard. “Copy that, Slackjaw.” I let the button up with a sigh of relief.
Devon drove fast, and took the next exit, handing me the folded-up map.
“Going off the motorway will cost us time, but will be worth it to avoid the police,” he said. “Look and see the secondary route I’ve marked. See if it looks right to you.”
I was no stranger to two-lane country roads, the winding curves and trees flashing by reminding me of where I’d grown up. Beyond the trees loomed impenetrable darkness that only thickened as the hours passed. It made my imagination work overtime, probably from watching too many episodes of the X-Files growing up. If I wandered past the initial barrier into the inky blackness, would I find evidence of the unexplained? Aliens and mothmen and Bigfoot?
Doubtful. More likely mosquitoes, snakes, and feral possums.
“What are you thinking that’s making you smile like that?” Devon asked.
I glanced over at him, realizing I was indeed grinning a little at my fanciful imaginary forest expedition.
“Just thinking about what’s out there,” I said with a shrug, nodding my head toward the trees. “When I was little, I was always fascinated by the idea of monsters. Mythical creatures out there, evading detection and leaving only clues as to their existence. They could hide forever, it seemed.”
“Monsters are real,” he said grimly, “and they do hide amongst us. Disguised as normal people you love and trust.”
The darkness in his voice had me studying his profile. “You’re talking about Vega, aren’t you,” I said. He didn’t answer, but he didn’t have to. “You told me once before that she’s the one who helped you when your parents were killed.” This time I waited, hoping he’d open up to me. It took several long moments, but eventually my patience paid off.
“The murder of my parents had a profound effect on me,” he said. “I retreated into myself, turning into a sullen, angry, silent boy. A couple of years passed and I started getting into fights, trying to find an outlet for the anger, I think. I . . . beat one child so badly, he ended up in the hospital. He was all right, but I was to be removed from the orphanage and placed in a YOI, young offenders institute, which is much like your juvenile detention centers.
“That’s when Vega appeared,” he continued. “I was fifteen and friendless. Smart, but unmotivated. If I’d been removed to the YOI, I am quite sure I’d have run away and become a full-blown criminal on the streets of London. She placed me in another location that I later was to learn belonged to the Shadow. I lived there, was trained there, for the next four years.”
I did the math. “You were nineteen. So . . . then what did you do?”
“I killed someone.”
He said it matter-of-factly, but I could detect a hint of something else. Regret, maybe? Disillusion?
“They’d trained me to be a ruthless killer, but also had taught me spycraft, and above all, unwavering and unquestioning loyalty to the Shadow. For the first few years, I did a lot of recce. After that first kill, it was easier, but assassinations didn’t come until later. I left a bloody trail in my wake and became Vega’s top operator.”
I wasn’t sure how to respond. Congratulations wasn’t really what he was going for, I thought. His hand lay on the console between us, so I folded my palm over his. I stayed quiet, letting him say things I knew almost for certain he’d never told another living soul.
“I did my job faithfully for six years. Excellently. Then I met Kira. It didn’t occur to me that I wouldn’t be able to be with her. We were in love.” There was no mistaking the bitterness in his voice. “I was a fool.”
Devon’s grip tightened on my hand.
“Vega told me . . . she was the one who’d had Kira murdered.”
I
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