Chapter One
There were two things one could never accuse Tatum of—being nice or taking the time to notice that there was anybody else who existed in the god forsaken place that he called home.
Okay, maybe that wasn’t true, Tatum conceded to himself. He noticed Ackley, but that was only because they were twins, thus making Tatum stuck with him. Then there was Shane, but since the Leopard was his unofficial manager, that also made Tatum stuck with him. He might also notice Scarlett, but since the Ocelot was part of team psycho, that really didn’t count, either.
So why was it that one shifter, a Spider at that, made Tatum get all protective?
Tatum sighed as he tried to keep his gaze down, all the while shooting covert glances across the training room. He was supposed to be helping Ackley instruct a group of new trainees in handto-hand combat. But for all the work he was putting in, Tatum might as well not have even been present.
Baxley was with his small group of do-gooder buddies, and they were trying to teach the Spider how to handle a gun. Tatum let out a snort as he noted how big the Glock looked in Baxley’s small hands. Not only that, but it would be a miracle if the guy would be able to see well enough to shoot. While the back of the Baxley’s raven hair might reach mid-neck length, the front was a whole different story. The bangs always hung in his overly pale face, which really was a shame since they covered the most amazing set of eyes. They were unlike anything Tatum had ever seen before, a strange mix of colors that was almost blue, but also edging toward purple. More than once Tatum found himself captivated by the Spider’s gaze.
A fist came flying in from the left. Tatum tried using his lightning quick reflexes to dodge the blow, but he was too late. Ackley’s punch connected hard, pain exploding in Tatum’s jaw.
“And that is what happens when you don’t pay attention to your surroundings,” Ackley addressed the class.
Tatum let out a low growl as anger burned inside him. The urge to punch his twin back was like a clawing need, but he held back. One, because he really did deserve it for letting his mind wander off. Two, because he’d promised the Hawk leader, Daniel, that there would be no more fighting. While Tatum still might not trust the guy, that didn’t mean that he was going to be too much of an asshole and break the rules. Well…at least not that many. A Hawk still had to have some fun.
So Tatum settled for a mouthed fuck you. He then got his head clear and began to help teach for the remainder of the session. He even made sure not to glance back over at Baxley, although it was hard to resist. Which only served to make Tatum angrier.
Once the class of green recruits left, Ackley cocked a brow at Tatum. “What in the hell has been up with you lately?”
At a loss to explain, Tatum just gaped at his brother, like some kind of carp that’d been dragged from the water and was struggling to breathe. With the same dark hair and brown eyes as Ackley, people often thought they were perfectly identical. It wasn’t until one looked closer that they saw that Ackley was an inch taller and had a foot’s worth more of meanness in him. Which said a lot since Tatum would never be winning any Miss Personality awards in the near future.
Finally, Tatum turned away and grabbed a bottle of water. “I’m tired from last night’s mission. You know how hard it is for me to sleep after things don’t go down like planned.”
Ackley gave him a droll look. “Really? Are you actually trying to use that one on me? We both know the only reason you’re upset is because you didn’t get the kill, and now I’m two ahead of you.”
Tatum gave a weak smile, even as that comment hit him like a punch. If Ackley only knew the truth, the Hawk would probably go into a rant that would never end, or, worse, walk away from Tatum and never come back. Taking a drink to hide the panic flooding him, Tatum worried, not for the first time, what Ackley would think if he found out that Tatum didn’t get a thrill from killing anymore. He didn’t know how it’d happened, or even when, but somewhere along the way, it’d lost its spark, and Tatum was at a lost how to light it again.
Sure, he did it when necessary, but that was only because he’d been programmed to be a killer and it was his job after all. He was considered one of the best assassins around, not counting Shane. Lately, though, Tatum found himself feeling more and more guilty when he drew blood. Even if the targets usually deserved what they had coming to them.
Ackley turned around to pick up his bag, giving Tatum the opportunity to glance over at Baxley. The Spider was laughing at something Riley had said. The smile on Baxley’s face nearly took Tatum’s breath away. Usually Baxley seemed so reserved and sad, but at that moment, he couldn’t be further from either one. His eyes sparkled with mischief as his entire face lit up. The pure innocence of the younger man made Tatum think that maybe…just maybe the whole world wasn’t shit, and there actually was some good out there.