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(Like a Broken Mirror)

Anna followed Nina and their guide down the stairs. Coming back down from the quiet corridor and into the brightly lit party was more of a shock than when she first walked into the mansion. The gravity of what Anna had agreed to do was beginning to weigh on her. As she stepped onto the marble floor and saw the people laughing, chatting, dancing, she wondered if the man she was supposed to kill was there, if he was watching her.

The guide turned to Nina. "Will you be joining Mr. and Mrs. Fitzgerald in their celebration?"

Nina shook her head. "No, we'd like to go home."

"Oh." The man seemed taken aback. "Your driver will be outside shortly then."

Anna nodded. "Can we wait outside?"

"Of course." The man gave them a polite smile before leaving.

Anna didn't waste time and walked briskly toward the exit seeking relief from the heat and the noise. Once outside, she climbed down the steps and took in a breath of cold night air. Her ears were pounding, and her face felt hot, she was thankful for the quiet when Nina closed the door behind them.

"Are we in the mob now?" Anna asked when Nina joined her at the bottom of the steps.

"No," Nina ran her hand through her long hair and moved it behind her shoulder. "We're just associates for now."

"For now?"

Nina shrugged. "Until someone takes him out."

Anna stared at her sister, not knowing how to read the expression on her face. Did Nina mean that she would take Quinn out herself? That she knew someone else would? Or was she just guessing? Anna shook her head. That wasn't what she wanted to know. It wasn't what gave her the heavy feeling in her chest.

"I need to know the truth, Nina." Her heart began to beat faster, dreading what Nina might say.

"About what?"

She inhaled deeply. "You and I were close when Mother died, why didn't you tell me that she'd been murdered? Why didn't you tell me that Robbie killed her?"

Nina turned Anna. "I didn't know either. When Father took me on our first field mission, I didn't know that I'd be avenging Mother, or that Robbie had killed her." She scoffed. "And no, I didn't want to do it, but...it had to be done." Something genuine flashed in her eyes before she turned away.

She felt a lump in her throat. Nina had never stood a chance at a normal life with Richard as a father, neither one of them had.

Anna saw the limousine driving slowly toward them. "Did Margaret really reach for the gun?" She asked, taking advantage of their moment of sincerity.

Nina stared silently at her until the limo stopped next to them, and the driver got out to open the door. "If you weren't looking at her...you don't deserve to know."

Anna seethed as she watched Nina climb into the limo. She wasn't going to tell her, she really wasn't going to tell her. Nina was willing to punish her for the rest of her life and take the secret to her grave. It made Anna feel stupid because, in a sense, Nina was right. Anna knew that she should have had her eyes on Margaret. Their father had drilled that into her head from day one, never turn your back on a threat. But all Nina had to say was yes or no. There was no need to torture her.

"Miss Williams?" The driver gestured toward the door.

Anna nodded stiffly and climbed inside, sitting opposite Nina again.

Nina looked out the window; she was the picture of serenity, just as she had been during the drive to the mansion. Anna could barely contain her rage. She wanted to launch herself at Nina; she wanted to feel the satisfying sting on her palm that came from striking flesh. She wanted to pull Nina's long, blonde hair out of her head; she wanted to feel her nails digging into her sister's skin. But Anna sat motionless, letting the anger bubble under her skin, feeling as if something had broken between her and Nina, something that had no hope of ever being repaired.

An eternity later, the limousine stopped in front of their house. The driver helped them out and drove off as Nina entered the code into the panel next to the wrought-iron gate. The gate opened, and Nina walked into the driveway.

"Wait," Anna called as she followed her toward the house. "How can you grieve for him? How can you miss him after what he did to you?" She didn't know why she asked, or what she expected to hear, for a desperate second, she felt the need to search for some humanity in her sister.

Nina stopped and turned toward Anna. "Are you talking about Father?"

"Yes."

The motion-sensing lights came on, in the fluorescent glow, Nina looked different, her eyes harder. "Father never did anything to me."

Anna stared at her sister. Could she really not see it? Was she honestly oblivious to what Richard had done?

"He ruined both of us, Nina. He turned you into a killer when you were fifteen. He changed you, that day you came back different and-"

"He didn't ruin us," Nina spoke slowly, each world deliberate. "You and I both made choices, neither one of us was a child the first time we took a life."

Anna didn't know what to say. Nina was right, they both had made choices with devastating consequences, but if it hadn't been for Richard, they would have been normal. At that very moment, they would have been studying, beginning their careers, and attending parties instead of signing murder contracts.

"I'm going my way from now on," Nina said, "I want nothing to do with you." The words seemed to have come out of nowhere, but Anna knew that her sister had wanted to say them for a long time. She had just been waiting for the right moment.

Anna shrugged and hoped that her tone was casual, that it didn't show how much Nina's words hurt. "Go, I won't miss you. I miss my sister, but she died a long time ago, and I've had plenty of time to grieve. I don't know who you are."

Nina's face recoiled at her words, but she recovered quickly and stared defiantly back at Anna. "Don't worry, you're a stranger to me too. Here's hoping I never see your face again."

Anna felt her anger spark again. She was giving Nina exactly what she wanted; she couldn't let her walk away with a victory. "I'll see you at the reading of the will, Sis. I know you'll be there. You may be an automaton, but you still like to buy expensive lingerie and go on trips to Bora Bora."

Nina clenched her jaw before turning her back on her sister and walking toward the house.

"I'll be your shadow," Anna called after her.

"Shut up," Nina said as she walked.

"I'll follow you wherever you go, I'll shop at the stores you shop," Anna said as she followed Nina, " and I'll go on holiday where you go on holiday," she said as they reached the door. "The only way to get rid of me will be to put a bullet through my heart, just like you did to Margaret."

Nina turned swiftly and grabbed her by the neck, pushing her against the wall, her eyes burning into Anna's.

Anna stared incredulously at her sister. "...You want to." Nina released her and took a step back. Anna began to laugh even though she wanted to cry.

The front door opened, and Christina emerged with her right hand clutching a Rosary. "Oh, my girls." She pulled Nina into a hug. Nina gave her a tight smile before pulling away.

Christina opened both her arms for Anna, and she didn't wait. She hugged her aunt as tightly as she could. "You don't have to worry, Auntie," Anna kissed her on the cheek. "We've taken care of everything, we're all safe."

"Thank you, darlings. Come." She gently pulled away from the embrace and beckoned them inside. "Let's have some tea."

"I'm tired, Auntie," Nina said dejectedly. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Of course, dear."

Nina walked into the house without giving Anna a second glance.

Anna took her aunt's hand. "I'm going to change, and then I'll have tea with you."

Christina nodded. "I'll put it on." She smiled at Anna and kissed her forehead before retreating to the kitchen.

Anna walked up the stairs and went into her bedroom then stood in front of the full-length mirror. With that short hair and in that red, silk dress, she didn't look like herself anymore, but it did suit her.

She had no choice but to change because nothing was ever going to be the same. Christina was putting the house up for sale. In the morning, Anna would begin to decide which things she wanted to keep and which ones she would part with. Then she would plan a man's murder.

She had killed two men already, she was about to kill a third, and she didn't want to. But she wanted to live, and most of all, she wanted Christina to live. She was one of two people that she would do anything to protect.

A/N: One chapter to go! :D