Poison

                                    

                                          
Missions like this always make me feel sick or powerless. 
It is slightly ironic that our company kills and saves people - Lotus has loose morals, we do whatever our clients want but one hard-set rule is that we do not ever touch children.
 Iris feels extra strongly about this so every couple of months we always get informed of something bad happening with children. 
And she sends her best to make sure nothing happens, apparently, I appear to still be her best. I know I had gotten into Marissa's good graces when I presented her with the necklace I got back from Nikolai. 
Nikolai. 
Even thinking about him makes my skin heat up, and never in a good way.  I remember what he said to me the other week. I have no idea how he knew about Thomas but it was a reminder I needed to put my guard up even higher. 
"An auction on children, god I feel fucking sick," Violet says as our car parks. I nod in agreement with her. 
Tonight there was an auction held in the Atterson's house, if you could call it that  - if you said you wanted a million-dollar necklace what you meant is you wanted seven-year-old Cara. 
We had to go in disguise to blend it and Lotus made sure we didn't blow this mission so of course we were decked in diamonds and emeralds that would make any normal girl's head spin. 
"Ivy I want you to get the girls to safety alright? And the rest of us will be making sure no one notices you. Then of course Violet will be finding the man responsible for this shit show," Elena mutters to us. 
All of us nod and climb out of the car, the mansion looms over us. It's covered in fairy lights and men in suits stand on the stairs leading into it with younger and pretty girls hanging on their arms, a glass of champagne in all of their hands. 
We all walk forward and I straighten my back as a few men and women glance at all of us walking in. We climb up the stairs quickly and enter the house. Classical music is blaring obnoxiously loud, there's a huge table filled with food and a separate one full of drinks. 
I turn around and walk into a separate room, that is where I see a massive stage and a large seating area all around it.
I attempt to hide my grimace and grab a glass of bubbly golden liquid from a tray and down it in two gulps, my eyes trained on the stage as my stomach clenches and churns. 
I actually feel sick. 
"I love a woman who knows how to drink," I hear a voice say behind me, I turn around quickly to see a fairly attractive man staring at me. I don't recognize him. 
"Relax sir, I've had one drink" I reply, forcing my voice to stay sugary, and even, he smiles at me in response. 
After a beat of silence, he holds out his hand and I shake it delicately. "Do I get a name?" he asks, smiling.
"Natasha," I reply still smiling at him.
"Last name?" He asks me grinning.
"When you earn it," I say, turning away to put the empty glass on the table near me, it's when I do that my eyes meet a pair of blue ones that cause my entire body to freeze. 
Nikolai. 
Why would he be here? Horror curls through my chest as a haunting thought consumes me. 
He is the devil reborn but surely he isn't here because he's interested in purchasing children? 
He sips his drink and cocks his head to the side, grinning at me. I swear I feel my entire body light up in flames. I want to hurt him so badly, he is even more despicable than I ever dared to imagine.