Welcome to Alliance, Izz (Part 4)
Author’s Note: So this is more of a scene/snippet, but a continuation for the last Izz and Mason short posted. We get to see a glimpse into Maureen’s life explored in the Assassin’s Alliance, and it’s not a pretty one.
Enjoy!
She was going to die.
The thought didn't scare Izz as much as it should have. Maybe she was in shock, or maybe she'd known from the moment she'd stepped foot on this compound that her days were numbered. Maureen's screams echoed in her ears, even though they'd given her an antidote hours ago. She'd never seen anyone in so much pain--or so terrified. Why would someone do that to themselves? Why would she make Izz do that to her? Maureen must really hate her to seal her fate like that. What a bitch.
"No one has ever broken me that fast," Maureen said from the doorway.
Izz jumped at the sudden intrusion, looking up from the now-cold coffee in her mug, the buzz of anxiety morphing into near panic. Mason had instructed her to wait in the kitchen of the safehouse after interrogating her for every detail Maureen had spilled during the Sin trip. He hadn't said they weren't going to kill her, but she hadn't moved from the spot, afraid any movement on her part would be seen as fleeing.
Maureen stood in the doorway, her hair wet from a fresh shower, the self-inflicted wounds on her wrists now bandaged, and her hazel eyes pinning Izz in place.
"Granted," Maureen continued, moving to the coffee maker, "you had the advantage of multiple blood transfusions and two years of detox, but that was... impressive."
The swarm of bees that had erupted in Izz's stomach began to settle. "Does that mean you're not going to kill me?"
Maureen didn't answer right away. She dumped the hours-old coffee out and refilled the grounds and water before turning to appraise her. "You didn't call Eileen. Why not?"
"My job is to keep you alive and safe. You looked like you were going to kill yourself trying to kill me after I mentioned calling her."
"I would have," Maureen admitted, and leaned against the counter, a smirk lifting her twisted scars. "And now you know why."
Izz kept her mouth shut, questions burning to spill out of her. She'd known Maureen for a total of nine months and hated her for most of them. But these people--Mason and Eileen moved the world for her. She couldn't imagine why, especially with the knowledge that Maureen not only slept with Eileen's husband but also birthed a secret child and gave it away.
"I see what Eileen saw in you, and Mason says you have promise. But your fate lies in whether or not I believe you will keep this secret. There are only five people who know the truth. Two of them believe I'm dead. Two are in the room upstairs. And now you."
"It's a big secret," Izz said, her mouth dry, and she took a gulp of the cold coffee, trying to ease her nerves.
Her lips lifted again, eyes locking on Izz with a look that promised nothing but pain and misery for her enjoyment. Izz didn't know how she knew that, but she felt it to her core. "Would you like to hear the story?"
"Of how you betrayed your best friend?" Izz asked.
"It's a good one," Maureen assured. She downed the rest of her drink and poured another cup. "And not what you think."
"An accidental slip?" Izz asked, sarcasm dripping over the words her self-preservation flying out the window. Fuck it. She was probably going to die tonight anyway, and Eileen deserved better than this shitty ass excuse for a friend. "That woman moves the world for you--"
"And I will burn the world for her," Maureen ground out. "Don't you make a mistake about it."
Izz clamped her mouth shut at the veracity in her voice, the urge to call her a liar dying on the tip of her tongue. She couldn't imagine a situation where keeping a secret like that was right--but for some reason, she and Mason did.
Maureen picked a mug from the dish rack and poured herself a fresh cup of the steaming liquid, the comforting scent filling the room. She took a long sip, a shiver rocking her body, and she let out a long breath. "You would think after 25 years of Sin, I would be used to the bone-deep chill. You never get used to it, though." She took another sip. "I've been unfair to you--cruel, even." Izz's pulse drummed in her throat at the sudden change of topic. "Would you like fresh cup?"
Izz glanced at the cold liquid and nodded. This side of Maureen terrified her more, and Izz wished she would yell, curse, or try to impale her again. Instead, Maureen poured another mug and joined Izz at the table. The heat of the ceramic burned, and Izz sucked in a breath. How the hell was Maureen holding on to the cup so casually?
"What did Eileen tell you about us?"
"You're assassins," Izz supplied. "And you protect people against criminals." That was the one thing that Izz had clung to--the idea she was part of something bigger. "And that you are really important to protecting that cause."
"I started the cause," Maureen said with a bitter laugh. "The Alliance. Because my daughter was stolen from me, ripped from my womb—literally—and used as a bargaining chip to get me to fall in line--to make me make my team fall in line. This is bigger than you can fathom. That's not your fault; it's designed that way. We worked for the Legacy--a shadow organization built to protect people. It was the perfect job." The chair creaked as she sat back in it, a heavy sigh leaving her. "Then, thirteen years ago, Seamus and I went on a mission. A lot went south. He shouldn't have even been with me, but we ended up drugged. When we woke up in bed together, we couldn't remember a single thing--twelve hours gone. You can't imagine how devastated we were. Guilt-ridden about what we might have done. We were both madly in love with our partners. We couldn't even be sure we did anything, and if news got back, it would have destroyed the Legacy teams. So we agreed to bury it."
Maureen stared down at her coffee, brow furrowing with the memory. "Before we could make it home, we found ourselves in possession of information that would ruin the Legacy. The Senior Assassin's son was trying to dismantle the Legacy from the inside. When they realized what we knew, I was held as leverage to keep Seamus quiet. It was then I found out I was pregnant. My confinement went from a few months to a year. So I could give birth. Elijah promised me we could give her away."
"Elijah?" Izz asked, pulling Maureen from the memory, a hauntedness in her eye as she looked up.
"The Senior Assassin's son. We had a complicated relationship. It would seem cut and dry that if he kidnapped and tortured me, I would hate him--that I wouldn't trust him. But this life--it's not so black and white. His plan wasn’t terrible, and we had enough history that I believed if I supported his desire to break away from the Legacy, he would send my child away." She pursed her lips. "I should have aborted. He offered to have it aborted. But I was young, and I didn't know whose child I carried--Andrew's, my now husband, or Seamus'. I loved them both and couldn't imagine killing something that was a part of them. But in my moment of weakness, I handed Elijah the perfect leverage. My child. What turned out to be Seamus' child."
Izz's stomach dropped at the revelation, although she'd already known, and a sense of respect blossomed in Izz's chest.
"How was I supposed to come home after a year of torture and tell Seamus I had his child? That I gave her away to protect us all. How could I break my best friend's heart over a night we couldn't recall? My family would have been destroyed. And as long as Elijah had Katherine, I knew that my sacrifice would keep them safe. And it did, for a while. I thought having Katherine was enough for him. But as the team got married and had children, Elijah threatened them, too. Even his own grandchildren. And soon it was no longer just about saving my kid--it became about saving all of them."
"Why not just kill him?"
Maureen huffed a laugh. "Elijah built himself several safety nets. Killing him would start a domino effect--Katherine being the first casualty. I will eat my own pistol before I put her back in the crosshairs." She took several long gulps of her coffee, the steam billowing around her face. "So I built a network--the Alliance. We had an exit plan for the kids, starting with mine. I don't know how, but he found out. He killed me, and then he killed Seamus, who was making the documents needed for their escape."
Izz kept her gaze locked on her.
"They weren't able to save Seamus. The damage irreparable." She tipped the mug back, downing the rest of the liquid as the steam engulfed her face. "Elijah believed the Alliance died with me--with Seamus. And honestly, I’ve been ready to let it die, too."
"What changed your mind?"
"You." Izz started at Maureen's sudden, intense look. "When you've been in this life as long as we have--you forget the innocence of people."
"I'm not innocent," Izz said automatically, the list of shit she'd gotten up to filing through her head. But she'd never killed a man before, or traded lives for safety, or even ever been in trouble with the law.
Her cheeks heated at the condescending twitch of Maureen's lips. "Well, if you stick around, you certainly won't be."
"If?" Izz asked. Was she giving her a choice?
"Yes. If you agree there is nothing good that comes of Eileen learning the truth. It can't change what happened, and there are six other children still in Elijah's sights, and he's just looking for an excuse to execute them."
Izz didn't have a best friend, but she could understand wanting to keep that kind of pain from someone you loved. Would she have done the same for Jordan? It doesn't matter now--he's dead. "How do you know I'm not lying when I say I'll keep this secret?" Izz asked, guilt settling into her chest as she realized she would keep this secret. If it meant protecting Eileen, she would take it to the grave.
"Because, pledging your loyalty comes with your very own Sin trip.”