A/N: Normally, I come up with the plot as I go. So, when shortly before I started writing this chapter, the entire plot for this story jumped up and hit me in the head, I was understandably startled. I started typing out the plot. Before I knew it, the plot had just edged over onto three pages, with no paragraph breaks or anything. It's just a solid block of writing. And let me tell you, it's twisted. :evil grin: Keep an eye on Andreya…

This chapter is a really long one. I suggest you take a pee break before starting to read.

Rated for language and violence.

Disclaimer: I'm not making a profit from this, just having a whole lotta fun.

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Chapter 4

"What happened to her?"

Acacia stood over Andreya, Derrick behind her, regarding her friend as she lay sprawled on the rug in front of the hearth. Kero was in Sariah's room, wrestling with the second bed in an attempt to move it into Acacia's room. There was a thump and an indistinct curse emerged.

"How the hell would I know? She passed out before I could get her side of the story." Another stream of curses, this time in Shin'a'in and gleefully echoed by Graham and Merrick, who were sitting on the floor and watching. "Dammit, Wench! She's your friend. Get your man-friend in here and move this bed."

"Yes, Captain!" Acacia clicked her heels at attention and marched smartly into the other room, followed by a bemused Derrick. A few minutes of cursing later, Andreya was draped over the second bed, now stationed on the other side of the room from Acacia's bed, looking disconcerting against the pink blanket.

"She needs more black," Derrick murmured. "Maybe some thorns in the headboard."

Acacia stifled a snort of laughter as she and Kero began stripping the assassin of her weapons and armor. Room was made in the locked wardrobe in Acacia's room for the weapons, and the armor, high quality black-washed chain mail so fine it looked knit, was put on a spare armor stand and set aside to be oiled by Kero and Acacia. While the metal was high quality, neither mercenary wanted to tempt the assassin by risking a spot of rust.

"The Healer said she is suffering from blood loss and exhaustion." Kero stepped back up beside the bed and cocked her head. "He said she should be up in a day, getting into trouble a day after that."

Kero's words alleviated the concern growing in Acacia. While Andreya was a quiet person to be around, she was constantly alert. Seeing Andreya like this was unnerving. "Good."

"Well, then." Derrick clasped his hands behind his back and looked uncomfortable.

"Oh. Um. Right. I have things I need to be doing." Kero turned on her heel and walked out the door, closing it behind her.

"Wow."

Derrick turned to Acacia, observing her astonished face. "What?"

"I have never seen anyone get Auntie Kero to leave a room like that."

"Your 'Auntie Kero,' as you so charmingly call her, doesn't want to think about what you girls get up to when there are boys around and she isn't looking. In fact, I think she prefers not to look."

"Hold up. Are you saying that she thinks we're…"

Derrick nodded.

Acacia crowed with laughter. "We barely know each other!"

Derrick's eyes glinted with laughter and he raised Acacia's hand to his lips. "And that, my dear mercenary, is something I would like to rectify."

"I bet you think all this charming stuff will work on me and get me to agree to meet you elsewhere."

"Does it?"

"Yep."

"Excellent!" He placed a gentle kiss on her wind-chapped knuckles and rose from his half bow. "There is a troupe of actors that has just arrived in town. What say you we go enjoy a performance and then enjoy a mug of ale and a late dinner after?"

For the first time in her life, Acacia felt as if she were a shy youngster who had never experienced the attentions of the opposite sex before. Smiling, barely repressing a giggle, she nodded. "I would say that sounds like a sound strategy."

"As I am not one to argue with sound strategy, especially when I came up with it, I say we meet at the fountain on Player's Lane at the seventh bell."

"I'll be there."

"Until then." With a gallant bow, including a sweep of an imaginary hat, and a jaunty wave at the unconscious Andreya, Derrick strode from the cottage, whistling a happy tune. Kerowyn, stationed in front of the fire and oiling Andreya's chain shirt, leaned back in her chair to peer into Acacia's room, confusion written on her face. Merrick and Graham, busy "oiling" their wooden weapons with old cloths, paid no heed. Acacia merely smiled a secretive smile and quietly closed the door to her room.

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The day passed so slowly that Acacia wondered if the gods had caused it happen in some punishment for her sordid life. Kero threatened to string her up a few times if she did not get out of the cottage and go do something, so she spent the afternoon working Hellsbane on the obstacle course. Finally, the sun set and she ran for a bath and a raid on Caia's closet. Andreya had not moved all afternoon, and Kero promised Acacia she was more than capable of handling an unconscious assassin, so Acacia felt no qualms about leaving her sprawled over the bed.

She saddled Hellsbane up and had to refrain from nudging Hellsbane any faster for the ride into town. Haven was crowded tonight. The word had gone out that if the river iced over, there would be an Ice Festival. Elspeth had said that there was another winter storm heading their way that would do the trick, so people had begun flocking into Haven. Acacia and her sisters had never seen an Ice Festival, but they all remembered what Alberich had told them on one winter night. They had all been sick with an illness that had been going around the Palace, Kero had been called out on an emergency and Eldan had been gone on some Heraldic mission. So, Alberich had stepped up. His stories had kept them enthralled until they all fell asleep and for days after they had played at Ice Festival.

Hellsbane snorted at a stallion that had been making overtures while her mind wandered, a clear, So not worth it. Acacia caught the eye of the owner and gave her intermediate intimidating glare. The lordling who owned the stallion eyed Hellsbane and sniffed in disdain before turning his stallion away.

Idiot.

"Acacia? Acacia shena Talesedrine!"

Acacia turned in time to catch the eye of her longtime friend, Lady Adelie Swift. Adelie had been the one Blue that had ever been nice to her or even tried to befriend her. Over the years, they had grown to be good friends. Their friendship had survived the distance caused by Acacia's leaving to become a mercenary. Adelie had even enjoyed a free education in weaponry, logistics, supply, tactics and strategy right along with Acacia when Kero pulled Acacia out of school in her teens to begin teaching her everything she would need to know to survive as a mercenary. Adelie's parents had not objected, withdrawing her from the Collegium at the same time. That type of education from Kero was priceless and was not something they could afford for their son. They had figured if Adelie learned it, Adelie could then teach her younger brother. As it turned out, Adelie did not need to worry about teaching her brother, because Kero had offered to teach him as well. Kero had said it was the least she could do to help them out, since they had treated her family well. Adelie's popularity had not suffered for it either. Her daily workouts had given her a figure to make the boys drool and she still did not suffer from a lack of marriage offers.

"Adie?"

Adelie laughed joyfully and fought the crowd to get to Hellsbane's side. She was as pretty as ever, with her gentle chestnut curls, shining brown eyes and athletic grace. Her face was delicately boned and creased in merriment. Acacia reached a hand down, which Adelie promptly grabbed. She used Acacia's foot as a boost and swung herself astride Hellsbane, despite her full skirts. She wrapped her arms around Acacia and gave her a tight hug.

"Where to?"

"Players Lane. Where have you been? I haven't received a letter from you in ages and I didn't even know if my letters had reached you!"

"The Company was on the move with this last campaign. No letters made it to the company that didn't arrive by special messenger. I think the only letters that made it to me this entire past season were because Auntie Kero was betting Aiko would intersect the Company while running messages on her way back from the Clans. She was right, of course." Aiko had arrived in the middle of the last retreat and had ridden with the Company. By then, the Company was devastated from the losses and Acacia's energy levels had bottomed out. Aiko's arrival had cheered up the entire Company, and the letters she had carried with her, "Just in case," had brought the comfort of home. Aiko's company in her tent that night had been more than welcome and she had slept well for the first time that campaign. The Company had parted ways with Aiko half a day from their winter quarters and Acacia had been sad to see her go. They had met up on the trail a few weeks later, which was now two days ago. "Anyway, I left the winter quarters before the letters chased me back there. I just got home two days ago. Slept the first day, got drunk the second and took care of an injured friend today."

"I understand. What I want to know is, why are you wearing a dress? I didn't know you own one." Adelie's eyes twinkled. "Gossip?"

"Gossip?" Acacia parroted back, looking as innocent as possible. Adelie pinched her. Acacia's dress was probably subdued by Court standards. In concession to the cold, it consisted of a soft cotton chemise with elaborate embroidery starting at the hem of the skirt and working up almost to the waist. Acacia had relented and was wearing a single layer of petticoats. The overdress was of dark red wool that picked up the accent color of the embroidery. The wide neck of the dress allowed more embroidery to peak through, and slashes in the sleeves allowed the bell-like sleeves of the chemise to peek through. Ianthe had shown up and arranged Acacia's hair in a loose confection that managed to look both careless and coiffed at the same time. Acacia had not been willing to part with her cloak, oiled black wool that had kept her warm and dry in some of the most hectic climates.

"Fess up! Why the dress?"

"Well, you guess right, the dress is not mine. It's Caia's."

"Ah, that would explain why the dress you're wearing is actually tasteful."

Acacia shot her a mock glare over her shoulder. "I can choose clothes."

"You follow the fashion set by your Aunt; nothing without armor. Look at this, you're still wearing your sword."

"I feel naked without it."

"In the right circumstances…" Adelie trailed off with a leering grin.

"In those circumstances, I really will be naked."

Adelie hooted with laughter. "So…gossip?"

"Right there." Acacia angled her head toward the fountain on Player's Lane, where Derrick lounged with Ilayna. He had exchanged his worn Whites for a crisp black linen shirt, black leather jerkin, black breeches and black boots. His hair had been pulled back and tied with a leather thong while it was still wet leaving his face silhouetted against the early winter darkness. Ilayna was a luminous presence beside him, a stark contrast. His stormy eyes had fixated on her, and she felt warmth flush up her body.

"Wow. Herald Derrick. Now, he is a catch. The Court beauties have been after him for a long time."

"We're seeing a play tonight, then having dinner after."

"What play?"

"I don't know. Some new troupe."

"Oh, the Rethwellen Players and Troubadours, they call themselves. They're fantastic. There's my brother." Adelie waved, and indeed, Robert was standing next to Derrick. He waved back. "Have fun and report back every detail."

"Yes, ma'am."

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"I thought there wasn't room for petticoats in the Companies," Derrick murmured into her ear as they took their seats for the play. He had acknowledged her dress with a heated look that made her appreciate her sisters' efforts while she had inwardly sighed over his dark looks.

"Are you complaining?" She smiled, enjoying the flow of their flirting.

"Not in the slightest." He raised her hand and nibbled on her knuckles, his eyes laughing. "I especially like the sword."

"Really?"

"Indeed. It makes me feel manly."

"You are a strange person, Herald Derrick."

"No more than you, Mercenary Acacia shena Talesedrine of the wild Shin'a'in."

"I still fail to see how my sword makes you feel manly."

"It's quite simple really. You see, many people see courting as a dominance dance, if you will. It is obvious to those people, since I am wooing you quite successfully, that I am winning. Yet, I am not the one wearing the sword. Or the dress for that matter."

"What if they think I have control of you and that you are bowing to my every whim?"

"Putting aside the fact that I would bow to your every whim anyway, I am very secure in my masculinity."

"You would bow to my every whim."

"Yes."

"Every whim?"

He leaned close. "Your every wish."

"This bears more investigating…"

He laughed as the Rethwellen Players and Troubadours emerged onstage.

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At intermission, Derrick rose and scooted past her.

"If you'll excuse me, I believe I will go purchase us some refreshment."

"By all means, gallant sir."

Derrick grinned and tipped his favored imaginary hat before turning to leave. Acacia now imagined that hat to be black with a scarlet plume. If it were real, it would be the envy of all the Court dandies. Realizing she had the urge to chew on roasted nuts, she rose to follow Derrick. The patrons of the playhouse pressed in around her, and her hand automatically settled on her sword hilt, coincidentally placing her wrist over her belt-purse. Glancing around she caught sight of Derrick headed back stage. As the vendors were out front, she frowned in confusion. She did not hesitate to follow him, pausing to blend in with a group of people when he glanced behind him to see if he was being followed.

Acacia followed him further backstage. The area was a maze of catwalks and preparation areas, everything made from raw wood. Illumination was provided by lanterns hanging on every support beam. She was less than surprised to see him meet with one of the troubadours, a young lad with dark hair. The boy handed him a folded and sealed bit of parchment. Derrick quickly slipped the parchment into his boot and handed the boy a small purse of coins, which was just as quickly hidden away. Acacia did not try to hide herself when he turned to head back out. Instead, she leaned against a rough wooden support beam and crossed her arms, eyes level. Realizing he had been caught in action, he closed his eyes, inhaled, and let the breath out on a curse.

"We need to talk."

He nodded.

They exited the playhouse to the cobbled courtyard. It was surprisingly empty. The surrounding playhouses were all in session, so everyone was inside enjoying an evening's entertainment. Hellsbane and Ilayna were at a stable down the street, so they turned and started down Players Lane in tense silence. Derrick finally broke it.

"Why did you follow me?" His voice was soft.

"I had a craving for roasted nuts."

He laughed softly. "Done in by nuts. There's a bad joke in there somewhere…"

"I'm not laughing."

"No." The silence dragged on. "Acacia…"

"This needs to wait until we're somewhere secure, Derrick."

"You're right." Mentally, Derrick was kicking himself. He was truly intrigued by Acacia. She was the first woman he had ever met like her, other than the intimidating Herald-Captain. When he had received the notice that he needed to make contact with one of the troubadours, he had taken the chance to mix a little pleasure with business, confident he would be able to slip the whole affair past Acacia. Now he realized that was simply arrogant. Surely, if anyone would be able to recognize a contact, it would be the adopted daughter of the spymistress. Now he had just quite possibly ruined a very promising relationship and he could not regret it more.

Acacia was just plain confused. Had he asked her to come with him tonight merely as cover, or did he really want to be with her? Adelie herself had said most of the Court beauties had tried for him and failed. Surely if women like them could not catch him, how would a mere mercenary fare? Acacia gave herself a mental slap upside the head, a la Kero. Of course he was interested in her. Not many spies would have the gall to take the adopted daughter of the spymistress with them to make contact with another spy just as cover. Especially when the spymistress was Kero. Toying with Acacia was rather like poking a two headed snake; if one head did not get a bite in, the other one would. Just like that, Acacia was knocked to the ground.

Derrick gave a shout and she rolled over, stunned that she had been so lost in her thoughts that she had not seen the attack coming. She looked over to see Derrick pinned to the ground, in a contest of brute strength, trying to force the dagger of the assailant away from his throat. Acacia rose to her feet and quickly drew her sword. The sound of metal clearing its sheath drew the assassin from Derrick. He was only armed with knives, but he was obviously willing to take on Acacia and her lightsword. The assassin darted in and she just barely managed to block his attack with the blade of her sword. Realizing that her sword would be more impediment here than help, she quickly tossed the blade to Derrick and took the assassin on bare handed. The assassin did not hesitate, turning to keep them both in sight and accurately predicting that Acacia was the more dangerous of the two. He rushed her, clearly intending to take her out first, but she flew to the side and put a fist into his kidney. It did not slow him much, but it turned him in the right direction. She wanted to get his back to Derrick The assassin darted in again, and this time Acacia managed to lock his wrist and appropriate one of his daggers. She dodged the slashing of his other dagger to jab him in the side. That was all it took. Derrick stepped in smoothly and slid Acacia's blade in through his back and out through his ribs. The assassin's breath rattled in his lungs as he died.

"This," Acacia said sharply, pointing the bloody dagger, which had a very nice balance she noted absently, at Derrick, "is why you don't mix business and pleasure."

"Freeze in the name of City Guards!"

Acacia turned. "Oh, now you show up!" She gamely tossed down the dagger, pulled out her Guild tags and tossed those next to the dagger, and laced her fingers on top of her head in a practiced motion. Two Guardsmen came panting up as Derrick gently laid her sword on the cobbles, much to her appreciation, and held his hands up. He turned his head to Acacia.

"You're very good at this whole submitting to the Guards thing. Do you have much practice?"

"I'm a mercenary. What do you think?"

"Silence!" The largest Guard knelt and picked up her tags. "Acacia shena Talesedrine?"

"That would be me."

He turned to Derrick. "And you are?"

"Herald Derrick Renwicke."

The Guard looked at him suspiciously. "Where's your Companion?"

"Right there." Ilayna butted the Guard in the back with her nose. Hellsbane trotted up behind Ilayna, then came around and stood protectively in front of Acacia.

"Easy, beautiful," she murmured in Shin'a'in. "Stand down." Hellsbane stepped aside, but still watched the Guardsmen carefully.

"What happened here?"

"We were attacked and forced to defend ourselves," Derrick said calmly.

"Did you have to kill him?" The second Guard asked from where he was kneeling by the body.

"He certainly had no interest in keeping us alive."

The first Guard nodded. "Very well. We'll need a written report for our Captain."

"You'll have it by your next shift."

Once they were mounted and on their way back to the Palace, Acacia sighed wistfully.

"What?"

"It must be nice being a Herald."

"Why do you say that?"

"We just killed an assassin in the middle of the street and didn't get hauled in for questioning. If it had just been me, I would have been held for at least a day until my captain showed up with a Guild advocate. Maybe even longer if my Captain couldn't afford my bail."

Derrick shrugged. "I never considered that a perk before, but now that you mention it…" There was a thoughtful silence. "Are we going to be all right?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'll be honest with you, Acacia. I did not pursue you with the idea of using you for cover. I like you. I want to get to know you more. Will this stop that from happening?"

Acacia pursed her lips. "Never lie to me. Always tell me the truth. Anything else, we can work out."

"Good."

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Acacia threw herself across the bed a yawned hugely. "Fighting assassins always takes it out of me"

Derrick chuckled and sat on his bed, fluffing pillows and making himself comfortable against the headboard before pulling her feet into his lap. A few quick movements of his hands and her feet were bare. His thumbs pressed into the arch of one of her feet and she moaned in contentment.

"I think my eyes just crossed."

"In the interest of full disclosure…"

"I think my eyes just uncrossed…."

"I should probably tell you my story, as it were."

"Does it involve all the tales of your sordid past, including your myriad lovers? If it does, you can skip all of that."

"It does involve my sordid past, but I'm afraid lovers don't figure into this story."

Hearing the seriousness of his voice, she opened her eyes and rolled her head to focus on him. Slowly, she drew her feet out of his hands, the crawled up the bed rest her head on the same pillow as his. Then she laced the fingers of her right hand through his hair, pausing to rub her thumb lightly against his temple.

"I'm all ears."

He started slowly, taking the time to roll his body to face hers and slide a hand across her ribs to spread against her back. When he did begin to speak, his voice was low. "My father was Lord Alan Renwicke. He had a large amount of lands about a day's ride south of Haven. He married our mother for convenience, not love. As a result, when my father had affairs, my mother turned a blind eye. She had given him two sons. Considering her duty done, she turned us over to the nannies and went about her business, which wasn't much as far as I could tell. In spite of that, or maybe because of that, my brother and I loved each other very much. We went everywhere together, did everything together.

"Apparently, affairs ran in the family, because my grandfather had also married for convenience and took several mistresses. One of his mistresses bore him a son, Acario. My grandfather gave him a name, but that was it. He grew up in poverty within sight of the Keep, where my father was growing up in luxury. His mother was very jaded and raised him to hate my brother. She taught him that he should have been the heir, since he was born before my father. Apparently, he took his mother's teachings to heart. He left the village as a teenager, spent time in the freelance companies learning everything he could.

"He returned when I was ten. I remember when he came to the Keep. My father, for all his short-comings, genuinely wanted his brother to be a real brother. When Acario arrived, my father thought he was there so they could try to overcome their differences. He even offered Acario lands of his own and enough money to start him off. Acario, of course, wanted more than that. He wanted what he believed to be rightly his. Everything.

"My parents were the first to die. Carriage accident, supposedly. That did not affect my brother and me too much, at first. Acario, acting the grieving brother, stepped up to be our guardians; promised us he would take care of us and the lands until my brother, the heir, was old enough to take over. We did not believe him. Unlike our father, we knew what he was. My brother died next. Illness. Acario never sent for a Healer. He insisted the illness was not severe enough to warrant the cost of a Healer."

"Poison?" Acacia's question was soft, and her fingers, playing with a lock of his hair, soothed him.

"No. The illness was real enough. Pneumonia. It was very fortunate for Acario. There could be no claim of foul play if my brother died of a very real illness. Fortunately for me, your aunt is a bit more aware of what goes on than most spymasters. She brought the matter to Selenay's attention before Acario could turn his attentions to me. I remember the day the Herald-Captain arrived. Selenay could not take action against Acario, as she had no evidence, but she could keep me safe. The Captain went all out, full formal Whites, gleaming armor; Sayvel almost glowed. The Skybolts were with her, along with Talia. The Bolts were amazing. I learned later she had only taken one battalion with her, but they must have drilled for hours in their garrison before this. They wheeled into the courtyard and the ground shook and all of a sudden they were bristling with weapons, edges gleaming. The Captain rode forward and she gave Acario the iciest glare I have ever seen. He wet his pants, I remember that. Then Talia rode up and said, 'By the power invested in me by Her Royal Highness Queen Selenay and the Heraldic Circle of Valdemar, I hereby order you to relinquish the boy Derrick Renwicke into the custody of Herald-Captain Kerowyn shena Talesdedrine and myself, Queen's Own Herald Talia. Failure to obey this order will be met with deadly force.' I heard arrow strings creaking and I looked up to see horse-archers with arrows cocked taking aim at Acario. I'll never forget that.

"Talia accompanied me up to my room to gather what belongings I wanted to take. I was terrified of the Captain and Talia figured it out. I didn't know she was an Empath. She took me aside and told me that I had nothing to be afraid of, not anymore. 'The Herald-Captain never eats children before lunch,' she told me. 'She's not quite as young as she used to be and children are rough on her digestion.' It made me laugh. I remember looking around my rooms and realizing the only thing I wanted was my brother's favorite book. Talia made me pack some clothes to hold me until they could have uniforms made for me. They were fully intending to enroll me in the Collegium as a Blue. On the way back down, I started to get nervous again, so Talia told me about these five little girls the Herald-Captain was raising." Now he smiled. "One was about my age and was fantastic with a sword. She told me if I went to the Herald-Captain's cottage and asked nicely, she was sure the Herald-Captain would allow me to play with her daughters.

"I arrived at the Palace and Ilayna was there at the Gates, waiting for me. She Told me, 'It took you long enough, Chosen. Come home, now; I've been waiting for you.' Eight years later, I was in my Whites and the Herald-Captain was recruiting me for her spy network. I accepted immediately, knowing she could teach me more than I could ever learn as a normal Herald. Over the years, I've been using my resources to collect evidence against Acario." His eyes glinted in dark excitement and Acacia felt the hairs on the back of her neck begin to rise. "I'm almost there. Only a few more moons and it will be done."

"What will be done?"

"Revenge, Acacia. I will be able to prove that Acario is a murderer and kill him myself. My brother's soul will rest in peace."

Acacia sat up abruptly. "Whoa! Hold up. Did you just say revenge?"

"Wouldn't you want revenge?"

"Of course I'd want revenge, but I don't go riding around on a white horse that likes to talk to people."

"Heralds are human, Acacia. We have all the same feelings anyone who hasn't been Chosen has." His voice was hard.

"You have, however, committed your life to doing good."

"Ridding this place of Acario will do more good than you could possibly know."

"You know, I've heard this song before, and if I remember correctly, it did not turn out so well for the Herald or his lover. Something about Recanting and a whole lot of magic doing Bad Things."

"You wanted the truth and I gave it to you."

"I wanted the truth, all right, but I did not expect you to tell me I'll be playing Vanyel to your Tylendel, or whatever his name was."

"I've told you everything there is to know about me, Acacia. If you can't handle it, then you need to leave." He turned away and rose from the bed while Acacia dug her hand into her hair and pulled sharply.

Men and their revenge schemes! Why can't they ever just sit back and let the gods handle this stuff? Then, sudden inspiration struck.

"Derrick, wait."

He didn't turn. "What?"

"I think I have a compromise. A way to permanently get rid of Acario and let you be a Herald all at once."

"I'm listening."

"Do you know what Andreya does for a living?"

"She's a mercenary."

"Not exactly."

Derrick quickly turned around. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"She has Mercenary Guild tags, but only because she needs them to be a part of the Company. Andreya is not your average merc." Acacia sucked in a deep breath. "She's an assassin."

"The Captain tried to take him out once, using an assassin she hired with Skybolt funds. He never returned for his pay."

"Then there's a pretty good chance he's dead. Auntie Kero always said, 'Mercenaries don't die, they just regroup in hell.' Well, there's another one she always said: 'Mercenaries don't die, they just stop collecting their pay.' I don't think you have to worry about that with Andreya. She's the assassin that gives other assassins nightmares. I've seen her in action, and you don't want her on your trail."

"If she's that good, I probably can't afford her."

"I know you can't afford her. If a prospective employer wants her services, our Company gets almost double pay. However, if you ask nicely, she'll probably do Acario for free."

Derrick quirked an eyebrow. "And just why would she do that?"

"Aside from the fact that she has a thing for men with dark hair?"

"Aside from that."

"She really hates people who kill children."