The Order
an excerpt

“I see,” Amy said, yawning. She risked a look at her watch. Eleven-twenty. She was exhausted. So much had happened, and just in a few hours time. It should be later than that. Much later. “So, when should I come tomorrow?”

Vincent and Ethan looked at each other, trying hard not to laugh. Amy picked up on it immediately. “What? Did I say something funny?”

Vincent cleared his throat. “Sorry. Shifts here, especially for assassins, are forty-eight hours on, forty-eight hours off. You’re stuck here until the end of the day tomorrow.”

Amy glared at him. “You’re kidding, right?”

“I never kid about stuff like this,” he said, meeting Amy’s glare and exerting one of his own. Amy, to her credit, didn’t flinch. This continued for a few minutes until Ethan cleared his throat.

“Folks, if you could cut off the glaring contest for a few moments…” Amy and Vincent looked over at him. “Thank you. We do still have work to do, so we may as well get started. There will be plenty of time to finish your petty little contest later.” Amy opened her mouth to protest, but Ethan held up his hand and stopped her. “And it is a petty contest. Now come on, both of you.”

Amy and Vincent grudgingly nodded at Ethan, following him. Ethan smiled to himself as he led them…where? Amy certainly couldn’t discern exactly where he was taking them. All the doors and corridors looked the same to her. The only thing that made the doors a little different from each other was the nameplates, and she was only catching a passing glimpse at those. Amy tried (unsuccessfully) to stifle another yawn.

“I better not catch you napping today, Miss Barker,” Ethan said. “I mean it.” Vincent guffawed once, but was stopped when Amy elbowed him expertly in the side.

“And no assault,” he continued, his back still to them. Strange, Amy thought. It’s almost as if he’s got eyes in the back of his head.

“I don’t, Amy, trust me.”

And he can read minds.

“I can’t, Amy, trust me.”

Amy sighed impatiently. “Than how do you do it?”

Ethan turned to her, winking. “Professional secret.”