AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yes, but that’s all he knew,” I reply, as we all listen intently.
Rylie nods, “Okay. Well, I want to explain that just after you left, I was so fucking angry. I was scared when I told you that I couldn’t be involved with you because of where your life was heading, but that fear quickly turned into anger when I watched you walk away and realised I had just voluntarily lost my best friend because of some stupid reason. That’s when I decided that I wasn’t going to escape this life, it’s a part of who I am, and I’m pretty well fucking trained in it even though I kept my training reasonably light since I stopped living with my mother.”
I nod, understanding her reasoning, “And that’s when you spoke to Alaric?”
“Yeah, I think he saw the change in me, and it shocked him. When I explained a bit more, he must have seen that although I’d accepted my fate of being in this world, I wasn’t entirely comfortable with it, not like my mother was. I assume you know who my mother is?”
“Mona Romano, the matriarch of one of the most prominent families in the US,” Atlas replies, unable to sound anything other than impressed.
Rylie chuckles, “Yep, that’s dear old mom.”
I want to point out that no one else would dare to call her old or anything similar, but she carries on explaining before I do.
“Anyway, that was when he explained as much as he safely could about his job and what he does. It seemed like it would fit me a lot better. It utilized my very unique and vast skillset yet kept me on the right side of the law. I was pretty much sold on the idea, but I didn’t want to rush into something, especially something like this. I had just turned eighteen, which seemed to be important, but once I confirmed that Alaric gave me Mr R’s number. I took a few days to think it over properly, and to be honest; my decision was helped when I overheard a conversation between my mom and dad. He was struggling and really missing her; he was also struggling to deal with normal life.”
“I didn’t realise that your dad was that into the life?” Jynx asks curiously.
Rylie smirks, “No one does. They assume he’s a kept man. He’s actually one of the best assassins that Mom has, and because he’s so unassuming, no one knows, he’s her best-kept secret.”
“Wow,” Jensen exclaims, “I was not expecting that.”
“Me neither,” Mal agrees, looking slightly shocked, and it occurs to me that he probably met him, so he has a face to put to the reputation.
“I can see why he struggled. He was a mechanic, right?” Trick asks. Of course, he remembered what Rylie’s dad did in the town.
Rylie nods, “Yeah, he was, but you see why he struggled with it all. You guys weren’t there anymore. I’d begun to recognise Red’s behavior for what it was, and that was controlling, and to top it off, my dad was struggling. He never would have admitted it to me, either. All of that cemented my decision, although I didn’t want to make it quickly since it was such a big one. I had a long conversation with my dad, and he agreed that being more legal would probably suit me better. He also told me not to worry about the family; it’s easy to keep separate, and there would be ways around it, something similar to what D does.”
The rest of the table looks at Jynx for an explanation, although I already know what Rylie is referring to.
“D does some work for the people above Mr R occasionally in exchange for free reign and immunity within reason, and I’m guessing that Mona has done the same.”
Rylie nods, but before she can continue, Rage mutters, “That makes so much more fucking sense.”
“Doesn’t it,” Luc agrees. “I mean, I always wondered how Alaric could be friends with him and Mr R not have a problem with it, and then there was the whole not willing to make D angry when it comes to Jynx being involved, although I still don’t understand that one.”
“I don’t either, if I’m honest, and he’s my uncle,” Jynx admits, “there’s just no point in asking him some things because he won’t answer at all.”
“It’s just another mystery that surrounds D, I guess,” Peter adds, and everyone at the table nods in agreement.
“Anyway, as soon as I contacted Mr Rising, it turned out he knew a lot more than I thought was possible, and he presented me with an offer. He correctly assumed that I wouldn’t want to work in a team, and because of how my mom had done all of my documentation, he said that it would be pretty easy for me to disappear from all government sources. That’s how the Ghost Agent thing came about. I was extensively trained for a really long fucking time, longer than normal agents because I am my whole team; I don’t have anyone else to rely on when I’m on a job, so I have to have as many skills as possible and be fucking good at what I do if I want to survive.”
“Wow,” I mutter.
She chuckles, “Yeah, I fucking love it. Because of the whole ghost agent thing though, I couldn’t contact you, and you were technically on the other side to me for a short amount of time. I knew when Mr R brought you in, but I kept that quiet, it wouldn’t have been safe for you or me, and I honestly thought you’d hate me after everything that I said.” Before I can tell her how wrong she is, she continues, “Then this whole thing with Hunt happened, and I knew from the very beginning that this was a job that I might need help with. I also knew that I only trusted you and the guys to help and that Mr R had come to trust you enough to get you to help if something went wrong, which was reassuring to me.”
“You could have made it a little bit easier,” I tell her honestly because, seriously, she was hard to find.
“I couldn’t have you be bored trying to find me,” Rylie chuckles. “Besides, you found me, didn’t you?”
“Only because Pete and Ace are so fucking good at what they do,” Rip points out.
“Well, thank you, and at some point, you’re going to have to fill me in on how you guys know Quinn, but first, I want to know how you guys know each other?” Rylie asks as our main course is delivered, and we all dig in, falling silent for a moment.
Jynx looks at me, “I’ll start, shall I? Is there anything you don’t want to be shared?”
She means about Shadow, and I honestly don’t know whether Rylie already knows, but either way I don’t mind her knowing. It’s a part of who I am, and knowing it makes the whole story Jynx and I are about to tell make a whole lot more sense.
“Go for it,” I reply, “I’ll fill bits in when I can.”
