Now, Ive actually posted two chapters today – this is Chapter seven, and chapter 6 is the one previously. It was annoying me that the number of chapters it said I had posted wasn't the same as the number I actually had, so decided to change it and shift everything back to its proper place. Yay! So go rad the chapter previous to this, and then read this, and then REVIEW! YAY!
DISCLAIMER: All belongs to the magnificent Anthony Horowitz.
***
He was halfway through explaining when Yassen walked in, scowling.
"Why," he began, "is there a jeep full of soldiers parked outside?" he asked.
Alex sighed and started over, not really registering that Amethyst had gone out to greet them.
In fact he was too busy making sure that Yassen didn't decide that the risk to his family was too great to allow them to leave to notice until she had shepherded them into the kitchen and quietly slipped away.
He looked up sharply at Wolf's startled oath to see the soldier reaching for his gun and, ignoring his instinct to pin Wolf to the ground, acted upon the first plan that came to him.
"Attention!" he barked, imitating the Sergeant from Brecon Beacons as best he could. Amazingly, it worked and Wolf immediately snapped to attention. Some things were rooted in the bone, apparently.
Then he blinked, confused and turned to glare at Alex, who looked back at him calmly. "You don't want to draw your gun, Wolf," said the teen, calmly.
Wolf's eyes flickered to Gregorovitch then back to Alex.
"He's an assassin," said Wolf, coldly.
"He's retired," said Alex. "And I didn't go to all the trouble of breaking him out of MI6 only for you to shoot him."
Yassen was staring at Wolf intently and Wolf slowly met his gaze. The temperature in the room seemed to be dropping by the second.
There was a faint creak as the door opened and David entered. Oblivious to the tension in the room, he crossed to Yassen's side and tugged on his trouser leg.
"Daddy," he mumbled, sleepily. "Will you come and read to me? I've been good like you said, I promise."
Yassen smiled gently and reached down a hand to ruffle the kid's hair. "I'll be along in a minute, son," he said tenderly. "Go and brush your teeth now. I'll see you in your room."
David grinned and made to scamper off, before he caught sight of Alex and the others.
"Uncle Alex!" he said, his grin widening before he turned to the others. "Who are they?" he asked, shyly.
"These are the people I work with," said Alex, calmly.
"Are they soldiers too?" asked David, excitedly, barely waiting for Alex's solemn nod before he burst out, "Cool!" and ran off doing gun imitations with his hands, his sound effects fading as he charged upstairs.
Yassen looked at him sourly. "Thanks," he said. "Now I'll never get him to bed."
Alex grinned unrepentantly.
Wolf, however, looked completely blindsided. Alex could understand where he was coming from. The first time he had heard Yassen speak to David, he had nearly passed out with shock. That the calm, controlled, emotionless assassin could speak like that was completely unexpected.
"Who was that?" asked the soldier eventually.
"David," said Alex, calmly. "You remember me telling you about him, don't you?"
"You never said his father was Yassen Gregorovitch," muttered Wolf, sullenly.
"So, why are you here?" asked Yassen. "I assume you didn't just pop in to say hello on your way through?"
Alex shook his head. "I was after the stash," he admitted.
Yassen sighed. "I guess we had better get kitted out then," he said.
"We?" asked Alex, surprised.
"You didn't think I was going to let you go on your own and get yourself killed, did you?" asked Yassen, raising an eyebrow.
"This isn't your job," said Alex stubbornly. "Amethyst and David need you."
"They've coped fine without me before," said Yassen. "They can handle a few weeks."
"Amethyst'll back me up here," said Alex. "You shouldn't go."
"Why are you fighting so hard, Alex?" asked Yassen, amusedly. "You know I'll win."
Alex huffed. "Fine then," he said, irritably. "You do down here and I'll sweep upstairs?" he said.
Yassen shook his head. "I've got to go and see David or Thys will kill me."
Alex grinned. "You are so whipped."
"And who was it who told her in a note that he was joining the army?" retorted Yassen.
Alex flushed slightly and turned to the others.
"Feel free to help yourself to drinks, or anything, ok? I'll be back soon."
It took him about an hour to find all the weapons he and Yassen had secreted throughout the house. Many were in perfectly normal hiding places, such as under the bed in Alex's room while others – such as inside the boiler – were less obvious and not a little strange.
By the time he was finished, there was a sizeable pile on the kitchen table and Yassen had returned, claiming David was finally asleep.
"Tom, could you run and get the box in the boot of the car?" asked Alex, as he and Yassen began checking the guns to make sure they were in order.
"You get them all?" asked Yassen.
"Unless there are some you didn't tell me about," said Alex, shortly.
"Right," said Yassen. "So how many of these people actually know how to use a gun?" he asked.
Alex frowned at him. "Wolf is almost up to your standard, from what I remember, the other three know one end from the other and normally hit their target. As long as you don't ask them to do assassinations they'll be fine."
The door was pushed open by Tom, closely followed by Amethyst. Both Alex and Yassen flinched as her eyes swept over the weapons lying on the table and narrowed dangerously.
"Where, exactly, did all of those come from?" she asked and Alex was forcibly reminded of the 'calm before the storm'.
"Oh... well..." began Alex, "They were given to me by Smithers. For the mission, you know?"
"So," said Amethyst, picking up a gun from the corner. "This isn't the gun you had strapped to your hip when you turned up on my doorstep? And those"- she indicated a knife and a gun lying together at the far end – "aren't the weapons you bought to break Yassen out of the Royal and General?"
Alex winced.
"Well, you see, Thys," he began, thinking desperately.
"You lied to me, Alex!" she exclaimed. "And you!" she said, rounding on Yassen. "You told me you had given up for good! You told me you weren't going back into the business no matter what! And now at the first opportunity you go rushing back!"
Alex winced in sympathy.
"Would you rather I let Alex go alone?" the former assassin asked.
"I don't want either of you to go," she ranted.
"I don't have a choice, Thys, sorry," Alex said, trying to ignore the slight shudder that ran through her shoulders at his words.
"You shouldn't have to go," she said, her voice becoming quieter. Yassen stepped forward and pulled her into a tight hug as tears began to spill down her cheeks.
"It's ok," he murmured soothingly. "We'll come back, I promise."
"When's it going to end, Yassen? Do you think that, after this, they're just going to leave you alone? That they're just going to forget whatever hold they have on Alex?"
"I don't know, Thys, but for now... we just have to hope. Things will work out eventually."
"When are you leaving?" she asked.
Yassen looked to Alex, who looked in turn to Wolf, though only momentarily.
"Tomorrow," replied the teen. "We can stay one night at least. Wolf, could you call the pilot? Tell him something came up."
Wolf nodded.
"I'll make you all some dinner then. I assume you haven't eaten?"
***
Ten minutes later, Alex and the others were in the living room with Amethyst and Yassen in the kitchen.
"He's not like I would have imagined," said Wolf, eventually.
"I know," said Alex. "He wasn't like this when I first met him, either. She changes him."
"I don't know... He just seems too... human, to be an assassin," said Wolf, thoughtfully.
Alex scowled. "And do I seem too human too, Wolf?" he asked acidly. "What about you? I know for a fact you've been sent to kill people."
"That was for my country," said Wolf, stiffly.
"Really?" sneered Alex. "Mine wasn't. Mine was so my guardian didn't get thrown in prison for saving my life."
Everyone looked taken aback by the disdain in his tone and Alex ran a hand through his hair.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I just thought I was out of this, you know? I didn't think they'd be able to do this to me anymore. Guess I really will never get out," he finished morosely.
"You'll find a way, Cub," said Wolf, quietly. "I know you will."
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