Page 4 of Relapse

Knowing I couldn’t go home to shower the blood off before showing up at the Hansens’ place ticked me off. Admittedly, part of me was thrilled to be seeing Noah after he declined my offer before. I guess what he didn’t expect was for me to be a part of this “family thing” he said would be taking up the majority of his time. I was in mid thought of what I wanted to do to Noah when I arrived, when I opened the box Jace had handed to me outside of the car.

Masks. Two of them. Drastically different from one another, by the looks of it. One was dark, in the shape of a dragon, scaled and textured, prominent. The second mask, white like crystal, was much larger than the first. It was in the shape of a skull, grooves and indentions running down the sides to shadow in cheek bones and hollow out shapes for where the “eyes” would be.

“Wear the black one upon arrival,” Jace stated bluntly, adjusting his overcoat and slicking back the sides of his hair neatly against his head. Out of his side pocket he pulled out an all red mask, plain, simple with no designs. He fastened it behind his ears and brought it down over his eyes.

“Why do I have two of these?” I asked finally, intrigued at the prospect of a masquerade. I knew that Jace’s intentions probably weren’t to mingle.

“We have a target,” he said quietly.

My adrenaline from the first kill hadn’t even fully subsided and I was already being told that we’d be taking another life. “When?”

“At this masquerade. Why else do you think we are going? It’s a big target too—a Hansen. Are you able to handle yourself?”

My throat tightened. Jace meant to kill a Hansen tonight. The thought of this alone made me dizzy, not because I thought I couldn’t kill someone, but because if Jace brought up Noah’s name, I’d have to kill him instead. There was no way I’d harm Noah. But I couldn’t think of very many Hansen’s that Jace would have his eyes out for. Or feel threatened by.

“Who is the target?”

“Damian Hansen. The eldest,” Jace said his name with a hint of disgust in the back of his throat. “You already know we’ve been working with David for a while. He’s an idiot and a drunkard, and he’s on his last leg as Chief. Damian intends to replace him. He’s next in line. And somehow, even with David as his mentor, he’s become a thousand times more problematic when it comes to our ventures and prospects. He’s smarter, more keen on reality. We can’t have him here long enough to meddle with and uncover our operations. He is already snooping around.”

I stared at the box. Considering what my next move would be.

“That shouldn’t be a problem for you, correct?”

Then it all clicked. The two masks.

“You want me to kill him,” I said slowly. It wasn’t a question, because I already knew the answer.

“Is that a problem?” Jace questioned, but I knew he wasn’t curious; this was another test to see if I had the necessary willpower.

The problem with this was: if I hurt Damian, I was hurting Noah. I couldn’t bring myself to hurt Noah, and as much as Damian Hansen pissed me off, I knew Noah loved him. He loved him more than he loved himself. Damian was probably the only real member of Noah’s family that gave an actual shit about him.

And I’d be taking him out? Leaving Noah even more alone with that psychopath that resided in their house?

No. It wasn’t even a possibility that I could consider. I had to have a plan B.

What was worse: I couldn’t tell Noah about this at all. Couldn’t warn him. If I did, that would jeopardize his safety. And I couldn’t decline the request from Jace either.

“I can handle it,” I responded.

Jace scoffed. “Took you a bit. What are you worried about?”

My turn for sarcasm. “I don’t know—how about getting caught? How does it make sense to kill a cop in the middle of other cops? How do you intend for me to pull this off? Seems a bit risky for someone you intend to inherit everything.” I took the dark mask out of the box and placed it over my face. “Almost feels like a set up, if you ask me.”

Jace chuckled. “Spoken like a true moneymaker and businessman! Always on the lookout to protect your own skin. Don’t worry—I’ll cause a distraction for you. We will strike early, before partygoers even have time to realize that it’s happened. And before you make the move, you change masks. You wear the skull for the kill.”

I watch the fire ignite behind Jace’s gaze. In some ways, it was very similar to my own.

“I want his last view of life to be that of the undertaker,” he said, his voice low, threatening.

I observed him, wondering for a brief moment if there was something else about this situation that I was missing. This seemed…personal almost.

Jace studied his nails. “I’d do it myself but I’m expected to make appearances. I’ll be everywhere, gaining us an alibi. You mingle. Enjoy the party. Hell, maybe you will even have time for a dance or two.” Jace turned to me abruptly. “You know I have your back, son. You really proved yourself today, your loyalty, your dedication. Even if you were caught, I’d never let you take the fall. Trust me, we have a plan for that. But you won’t need it. You will be swift, sudden. The lights will be low. You leave, and no one knows until it’s too late.”

I sighed, angling back against the headrest. I had to keep appearances up. I couldn’t let Jace know that I was refusing to go through with his plan, but I also need to figure out what I would do instead.

“How do I do it?” I asked, realizing that I only had one type of weapon with me, and I doubted Jace wanted us to open fire in the middle of a crowded building.

Jace’s arm glided behind his back, pulling out and handing me a knife. It was a switch blade style but modified to be much longer. At least 6 inches of blade. “The key isn’t to stab straight in front of you. You take the blade and enter it low, beneath the ribs. Point upwards. Deep.” Jace demonstrated with his hands. “Then, you twist it before removal.”