4. Ivy

4

IVY

Disbelief floods my system as I stare at the screen, my stomach churning. "You can't be serious. They want me to go after Walcott Ashford? Torin Ashford's father?"

Ramsey nods grimly. "Apparently, the head of the Ainsley Coven has been making waves. The Syndicate wants you to find him and take him out."

"Find him?"

"He may have gone into hiding."

"This is insane," I mutter. "Going after a high-ranking vampire is one thing, but needing to find him first, oh and not to mention, the leader of one of the most powerful covens? That's suicide."

"Maybe," Ramsey says. "But you know the Syndicate doesn't take no for an answer. They clearly think you're up for the challenge."

I snort. "More like they want to see if I'll get myself killed in the process. "

"Look, I don't like it either," Ramsey says. "But we don't have much choice here. You know what happens to people who refuse jobs."

A chill runs down my spine. I've heard the stories of assassins who tried to walk away. It never ends well.

"This isn't a job, it's a death sentence," I snap.

"There's more." He points to the small print.

I squint at it, and things get a whole lot worse. "They want me to infiltrate the Ainsley Coven? As what, a fucking blood bag?"

"As whatever gets you in so that you can find Ashford," Ramsey says carefully. "Look, I know it's risky?—"

"Risky? That coven is crawling with ancient vampires. One wrong move, and I'm drained dry."

"You've handled vampires before," he points out.

"Yeah, one at a time. Not a whole fucking coven full of them." I run a hand through my damp hair, getting up and pacing the small room naked.

"Start with what you know…" He gives me a pointed look.

"Oh, you mean the sub-boss arsehole and his two merry fucking dickheads?"

"They go here. It's easier than starting from scratch. Look, the bosses have given you more time to get this done."

"How much more time?" I'm suspicious. Time is never given. It's do or die .

"They've given you a month," Ramsey says cautiously.

I stop pacing and stare at him. "A month? That's... unusually generous."

"Unheard of, I know," he finishes. "But this isn't a typical job. They want you to infiltrate, gather intel, find Walcott, and take him out. It's going to take time to do it right."

I sink back onto the bed, my mind racing. "This is insane. Even with a month, the risks are astronomical. And Torin... fuck."

The memory of his hands on me, his cock pounding into me just hours ago, makes me shudder. How the hell am I supposed to get close to him, Tate, and Bram without giving the game away? I can't just stroll up to them and pretend like everything is normal. Unless…

"You'll figure it out," Ramsey says confidently, interrupting my train of thought. "You always do."

I glare at him. "Your faith in me is touching, but this is way beyond anything I've done before."

He shrugs. "Maybe. But you're the best they've got. That's why they picked you."

"Or they want me dead," I mutter.

"If they wanted you dead, they'd just kill you," he points out pragmatically. "This is an opportunity, Ivy. Think about it - if you pull this off, you'll be untouchable."

I consider his words. He's not wrong. Successfully infiltrating and taking down the head of a major vampire coven would cement my reputation as the top assassin in the supernatural world. But the risks...

"Fuck," I mutter, flopping back on the bed. "I don't have a choice, do I?"

"Not really," Ramsey says sympathetically. "But look at it this way - you've got a month to figure out how to do this, and Torin and his crew won't be that hard to get in with. They literally live over the road."

I snort. "Yeah, really easy to just stroll up to them and say, ‘hey, where's your dad, Torin, so that I can kill him?'"

"Okay, maybe that approach isn't the best one."

Shooting him a look that could wither a houseplant, I growl, "You don't say?"

He holds his hands up. "I am your Handler. I will be here every step of the way in a professional capacity, but as your bestie, I'm advising caution. Think before you do something crazy."

"Think. Got it."

"Get some rest, Ives. Start thinking tomorrow." He leaves my room, closing the door quietly behind him.

"Easy for you to say," I mumble as I climb into bed and pull the covers over my head, my tea forgotten. This night sucks. But there is no getting away from this assignment. I have no choice, so I have to figure out a way to approach this that won't get me killed.

Easy peasey.