35. Tate

35

TATE

I watch Ivy disappear into the darkness, my heart conflicted. Part of me wants to chase after her, to convince her that running away together is our best option. But I know she's right. The Syndicate would never let her go that easily. Not to mention, Torin would hunt me down and strip my skin off inch by inch, if I abandoned him and took Poison with me. He likes to play tough, but he's got that thing. I wouldn't call it a vulnerability, but he needs me.

With a sigh, I start making my way back to the townhouse. My mind races, trying to come up with a plan that doesn't end with Ivy getting hurt or killed. Nothing comes to mind.

As I approach the house, I see a figure lurking in the shadows near the front door. My guard instantly goes up.

"You up for a fight, arsehole?" I call out, magick crackling at my fingertips .

"Relax, it's just me," Bram says, stepping into the light, a rare cigarette dangling from his lips. His eyes narrow as he takes in my dishevelled appearance, drawing deep on the smoke before he chucks it on the floor and crushes it with his heel. "Where have you been?"

I shrug, trying to appear nonchalant. "Just went for a walk. Needed to clear my head after everything that happened today. You smoking for a reason or just because?"

Bram studies me for a long moment, his expression unreadable. "Just because. Torin wants to talk to us. He's in the living room."

My stomach sinks. This can't be good. "What about?"

"He didn't say. Just that it was important."

I nod, following Bram inside. Torin is pacing in front of the fireplace, a tumbler of blood in his hand. I scrutinise it for a moment, trying to remember the last time I saw him drink blood straight from a living creature. It's been a while. Ivy stopped him from drinking from her, but he tried. Before that… I can't remember. I find that incredibly odd, but I don't say anything.

"Problem?" Torin barks at me, seeing my gaze on the glass.

My eyes snap up. "Nope. You?"

Torin's eyes narrow as he studies me. "Sit down. Both of you."

I exchange a wary glance with Bram as we take seats on the couch. Torin remains standing, looming over us with an intensity that sets me on edge.

"I've been doing some thinking," Torin begins, swirling the blood in his glass. "About our little Poison problem."

My heart rate picks up, but I keep my expression neutral. "Oh?"

Torin nods slowly. "I think we've been going about this all wrong. Chasing her, trying to trap her... it's not working. We need a new approach."

"What did you have in mind?" Bram asks, leaning forward with interest.

A cold smile spreads across Torin's face. "We're going to make her come to us."

I force myself to stay calm, even as alarm bells start ringing in my head. "How exactly do you plan to do that?"

Torin's gaze locks onto mine, and I have to fight the urge to look away. "By giving her something she can't resist. A target too tempting to pass up."

"And what target would that be?" I ask, dreading the answer.

Torin's smile widens, revealing his fangs. "Me."

I blink in surprise. "You? How does that work?"

"Simple," Torin says, draining his glass and setting it down with a sharp clink. "You are going to put out a hit on me through The Syndicate. Request Poison specifically."

My blood runs cold at his words. This is bad. Very, very bad .

"Are you out of your fucking mind?" Bram exclaims, voicing my thoughts. "That's insanely risky. Not to mention, last time you requested her, some blue-haired pain in the arse showed up."

Torin shrugs, looking utterly unconcerned. "High risk, high reward. When Poison shows up to take me out, we'll be ready. We'll capture her, and then..." His eyes glint dangerously. "Then we'll have all the time in the world to convince her to help us with our little Syndicate problem."

I force myself to take a deep breath, trying to keep the panic from showing on my face. "And if she doesn't take the bait? Or worse, if she succeeds?"

Torin laughs coldly. "Oh, she'll take it. The Syndicate doesn't let its assassins turn down jobs. As for succeeding..." He trails off, smirking. "Well, that's where you two come in. I trust you'll have my back?"

Bram nods eagerly, but I hesitate for a split second before agreeing. "Obviously."

Torin's eyes narrow at my hesitation, but he doesn't comment on it. "I want you to talk to Vex and see if he knows anything."

Glaring at him, I stand up and shake my head. "No. That arsehole is not helping in this clusterfuck."

"He might know something we don't."

"Like what, exactly?"

"Well, I don't fucking know. But he seems to be the type of warlock to have his ear to the ground. Do it."

I clench my jaw, fighting back the urge to tell Torin exactly where he can shove his order. "Fine. I'll talk to Vex. But I'm not making any promises."

Torin nods, satisfied. "Good. "

Every instinct in me is screaming to protect Ivy again, to warn her again that she is being set up. But I can't risk tipping Torin off that I know more than I'm letting on.

"Any questions?" Torin asks.

I shake my head, not trusting myself to speak. Bram, on the other hand, looks eager.

"When do we start?" he asks, a predatory gleam in his eyes.

Torin grins wickedly. "Now. Tate, you'll put out the hit tonight. Make it urgent - say you want it done within forty-eight hours."

I nod mechanically, but all I'm desperate to do is get out of here and get to Ivy. She said she needed time, and I intend to give that to her. I'm not letting her, Poison, be captured and tortured if she plans on helping in her own way. "How do I even get on The Syndicate's web page?"

"Follow me."

Torin leads us to his bedroom where he opens up the laptop and then throws some runes. Moments later, the screen flickers, and it shows a dark web chat site.

"Won't they know it came from you?" I murmur.

"Just sit and don't worry about that. If they trace it, just say you used my runes because you didn't know how else to do it. "

Okay, well, I can't fault that logic, I suppose. I sit down and start typing, creating a user name for myself: BlackWarlock69.

Bram snickers, and I grin. Then I go back to typing:

URGENT HIT REQUESTED

Target: Torin Ashford

Location: Thornfield Academy

Timeframe: Within 48 hours

Payment: 500k

Special Request: Poison only

I hesitate before hitting send, but with Torin leaning over my shoulder, I have no choice. I click ‘Submit' and watch as the request is processed.

"Excellent," Torin says, a wicked grin spreading across his face.

I'm about to stand up when a message flashes on the screen: Accepted.

I look up at Torin, his face grim, and he nods.

"Now we wait."