Read with BonusRead with Bonus

Chapter 4

Austin couldn't contain his rising irritation, his eyes barely focused on the road ahead. Why did it have to be her? The one woman that made it difficult for him to be anything but indifferent. How was he to trick the people around him into thinking they were a love match? He pressed his feet down lower, urging the car faster and faster. Somehow he felt as if his brother was mocking him. He eased his feet off the accelerator; he had more pressing matters to conclude. This was merely an arrangement; one that still required Skylar Taavon’s consent. And he’d get it. One way or another.

He dialled up Thomas as he came to halt beside a traffic light. Two rings and the call went through to its intended target.

"Family crisis over so soon?" Thomas’ tone was mocking; a slight quiver of humour causing his otherwise steady timbre to divert of-course. In truth, Thomas had heard no real explanation or enlightenment of said family crisis when Austin called to delay his meeting earlier today. The ambiguity had left Thomas with a bad taste in his mouth and a desire to know what Austin Cyner had to hide. This man was an open book, he usually spoke frankly and without cause to apologise.

"Not quite,” Austin cocked his head to the side, turning off as the traffic light switched to green. “And I need a distraction to divert my thoughts on the subject." Austin smirked, his voice smooth and coaxing. He knew just the type of act that would provide potent distraction.

"Lucky for you an assassin's work is never done." Thomas' voice echoed over the sound of his fingers tapping across his keyboard. That seemed to be Thomas' motto for the past years since Avril left, but Austin knew it was just an excuse for him to keep her out of his mind.

"I have just the thing for you. Simple and quick." Thomas had considered sending the file off to one of their juniors and if Austin had called two minutes later, the job would have been unavailable.

"Perfect. Text me the info." his smile dripped venom, focus coming back into his gaze, his brain roaring back into consciousness.

“When do I get to hear about the family crisis in detail?” Thomas ignored the obvious conversation ender. Austin chewed on the inside of his cheek considering whether it was time to divulge information. He could always disconnect the call and pretend he hadn’t heard the enquiry…

“I’ll be getting married soon.” Austin replied abruptly, his mind otherwise occupied with overtaking the car in front of him.

“I wasn’t aware you were seeing someone seriously.” Thomas replied after a considerable silence. He knew Austin had been as much of a loner as Thomas himself, apart from the usual one night distractions. Austin married? He’d believe it when his own two eyes recorded Austin slipping a ring on a woman’s finger in the presence of a Priest and his family.

“I am not. Colin got a woman pregnant and I have decided to marry her in his stead,” Austin paused, swallowing the rising bile as he thought of marrying a woman who believed it was a good idea to be intimate with his brother. “You know to save the family honour and all that nonsense.” He supplemented. Thomas was no longer happy he had asked, sometimes forgetting how much of traditionalist’s Austin’s family were. A family Thomas believed Austin owed nothing to but yet they always seemed to use him to fix the messes of their ingrate off-spring. He really should have Colin killed. Thomas leaned back in his chair, running his thumb finger along his bottom lip.

“I don’t know if I should congratulate you or admonish you.” Thomas replied as he felt. There were no mincing words with each other. Marriage was a frighteningly real step. And she was pregnant? Did he really expect to have a lasting union solely on the foundation of mutual responsibility alone? Was the goal to co-parent? If so, marriage was not necessary.

“Probably both.” Austin shrugged. Colin had single-handedly forced Austin to do the one thing he vowed never to do; considering the possibility of getting married. He knew Thomas was mulling over the practicality of an actual wedding, but Austin felt that if a child was to brought into the world it was best to give him or her both parents. He’d grown up with no real fatherly figure in his formative years, he couldn’t subject another child to that. Not when he could do something.

A child shouldn’t have to suffer the state of disagreeing parents when he or she didn’t choose to grace the earth.

“When do I get to meet the two newest additions to the family, then?” Thomas enquired. Curiosity and something else filled his veins. How could they trust a woman who’d allowed herself to be impregnated by Colin Meyers? Her taste alone was questionable.

“You already know one.” Austin came to a stop at a quaint café. They had the best pastries according to his taste buds. His stomach was growling in anticipation.

“Does the name Skylar Taavon ring any bells?” He didn’t wait for Thomas to respond to his previously obscure comment. Nor did he have the patience for a guessing game. They both barely knew any women worth mentioning.

If it weren’t for the subtle humming of the air-conditioning in Thomas’ office peeking through his side of the call, Austin would have assumed the call dropped.

“You knew Katerina was just an alias, didn’t you?” Austin’s suspicions were confirmed. Thomas cleared his throat but didn’t directly reply. Skylar had entrusted him with her secret when she was just sixteen years old. Following that, her father died and her mother yanked her out of the agency. He’d been determined to find her at that time, certain she’d need friends to tide her over but his father had suggested against it.

They had wanted a fresh start, away from the reminder of what they lost. Thomas had to accept that.

“Is it really her?” Thomas’ voice had grown barely audible and Austin wondered if the rumours were true. Was Katerina…eh, Skylar really Thomas’ first love? That had been the talk among the trainees in their time, not to mention Skylar had used Thomas’ name and the word crush in the same sentence when Danny Monk made a move on her. He’d been around seventeen at the time and needed no more convincing to leave her alone.

“Grown up and more ferocious than I remember but it’s her.” Austin assured him remotely.

“Where is she?” Thomas had skated back on his rotating chair. He was on his feet, grabbing hold of his jacket, his car keys jingling before they settled in the palm of his hands.

“Don’t worry,” Austin wished he hadn’t heard the ruckus. “I’ll take you to see her, in fact I need your help convincing her to accept my proposal.” Perhaps she would be more inclined to listen to him in Thomas’ presence.

“She said no?” Thomas chuckled. Strong willed as ever, he thought. But how on earth had Skylar gotten mixed up with Colin?

“Are you surprised?” Actually, Austin was surprising himself. Why was he not taking the way out she’d charitably provided him? After all, if she didn’t want to get married there wasn’t much he could do to please his parents.

Then why was he stressing over this?


The tie at his neck had been compromising his access to oxygen for the past hour. Austin wrenched it, loosening it to facilitate air flow; his fingers moving to caress his glass tentatively.

“You look as though you could use some company.”

Austin smirked at his glass as if he’d seen a joke printed there, leisurely turning his attention to the red haired vixen who’d interjected herself within his face.

"Was it the obvious sulking that gave me away?" he tossed the glass aside after he’d brought it up to his lips and downed its contents; his eyes never breaking contact with her. He’d almost gagged, that was some pretty shitty whisky but then again what did he expect in the run down ensemble. The speakers barely radiated clean sounds, somehow convincing Austin that the music he heard through them were naturally laced with static. Chairs and tables had out of order signs stuck onto them and the patrons of this bar were mostly old men who couldn’t eat, breathe or slept without being drunk.

She smiled, sliding into a seat beside him. “Well, now we can sulk together.” Crossing her legs and inching as close to him as possible, her supple breast peeking out of low cut top and his mind conjured up images of another pair of breasts. Skylar’s weren’t as full as his new companion…

Austin shook his head, refusing to complete the thought. He had no right or desire to be remembering Skylar’s breasts.

"I hope we can do more than that," Austin spoke against her neck, enjoying the way her body roared to life. “If you are willing, of course.”

He noticed his target rush through to the washroom area and Austin smiled. The poison he’d slipped into the man’s drink was slow working, not lethal, but enough to scare him into compliance. Just as Thomas had wanted. Austin’s mood to celebrate all the more heightened as his task was complete.

"Shall we?" He extended his arm towards her, not for a second unsure if she would take it. Tonight, the name didn't matter and neither did the face. Although, she had a face he wouldn’t mind looking at for tonight, he quite preferred her topaz eyes- contacts he was sure- over the escaping image of honey stained orbs.

He just needed some comfort, the kind that could only be gained by the meshing of warm bodies in a sweaty, heady act of satisfaction. Tomorrow he would deal with his bride to be.

Previous Chapter
Next Chapter