Three of Ace

It was finally the last day of their second honeymoon.
Cradaz would finally get his revenge.
She boarded the boat with all of the other women. Her friends.
The day that she escaped, he lost one of his best men.
He could never be replaced. He would never forgive her.
Yet, then again, having a niece with mixed blood replaced him.
As soon as it was a good distance away from the dock, he pressed the detonator.
The Kavonic went up in flames.
He watched him yell.
"Katie!"
Finally, he knew a day like this would come, were a Kavonic would finally know what grieving was like over a lost loved one.
"Katie!"
John kneeled on the ground, broken.
Cradaz smirked.
One down, three more to go.

Meetings Come and Go

This was a birthday like no other. She accompanied her grandmother to the beach.
"Are you ready to beat me L?" her grandmother asked.
It seemed unusual but her grandmother looked fifty. She's 70.
"I won't since its your birthday grandmamma," she said.
"Alright," her grandmother said.
Surfing, how hard can it be she thinks.
"Come on Lucinda, you can paddle harder," she yells behind her.
She paddles with more force, and stands up.
She makes it through her second perfect wave of the day.
"Good job L," her grandmother applauds.
Her grandmother splits the top, tucks the lip and does a three sixty in the air.
"And the judges say…" her grandmother asks.
"perfect," Lucinda answers.
"One day, you'll do everything. You'll be great and you will do good things But remember,  if you get caught.."
She cuts her off. "Don't look back. Let's go in. Mom probably has her famous grilled cheese ready for us. "
They headed in.
It was an ordinary day.
That is, if she knew exactly what was happening around her.
She had been in training her whole life and didn't even know it.
"Cassie where are you headed?" her grandmother asks.
Lucinda stops in her tracks.
" Lucinda, would you join me?" her mother asks.
She shrugs and nods yes.
Lucinda continues on her way to the racks to set her board up and get out of her wet suit.
"Mom, they called. They want Lucinda." Cassie informs her mom.
" Well she never was yours to keep. It's time that she knows what we are up against," her grandmother states.
"That she knows what?"
They both turn around to see Lucinda standing right behind them, in casual clothing and sunglasses.
"Lets get going"
She had a bad feeling that she would not see her grandmother again.
***
Her mother drives up to a gate.
"Name?" the guard asks.
" Cassandra Smalls, A.I.O.S. retiree."
"And you are?" he asks, looking at Lucinda in the passenger seat.
"She's Lucinda Marie," Cassandra says quickly.
He nods and the guard opens the gate.
"Why no last name?" Lucinda asks.
She turns towards the parking garage.
" They know you by Lucinda Marie," she answers.
"They? You mean the American Intelligence Operation Services, like the CIA special operations?" she states.
She looks at her, shocked.
"How…"
"Research, and I also followed you one day because you were nervous and you yelled at me," Lucinda infers.
Yes, she is smart, fit, and looks for danger.
But Lucinda was afraid and nervous. She just never showed it.
"A man named Jack Hunter will meet us. And please, use those manners you were taught," Cassie begs.
As they made their way to the elevator, she sees a guy get out of a jeep.
He's wearing dark jeans, a gray t-shirt, a black leather jacket and sneakers.
He looks up and locks eyes with Lucinda.
From somewhere or some how she feels like she knows him.
She nods her head at him and watches as he takes a big breath of air and nods right back at her.
She feels a sudden pounding headache coming and fast.
She turns the see the guy but he's not there anymore.
They enter the elevator and head up.
"Are you nervous mom?" she asks.
She looks at Lucinda and shakes her head, no.
"Not nervous," she answers.
They exit the elevator and head towards an office.
Cassandra knocks on a door.
"Come in."
They enter and a man is standing by a window that fills up a wall.
"Mr. Hunt, I've done as you've asked." Cassandra says.
Mr. Hunt turns around to face them.
Black suit, gray tie, white shirt, and sunglasses on.
"Welcome Madame Kavonic. Cassie, you may go," Mr. Hunt states.
"Jack you will not use her," Cassie says.
"That was an order agent smalls."
Cassandra stays quiet.
"Lucinda, this is Jack Hunt, my boss," Cassandra introduces.
She nods at him.
"You finally grew up," he states.
"If fifteen is grown- up, then you're out of your mind, sir," Lucinda says.
Definitely smart-witted.
"Cassandra , let us be," he says to her.
She does as he orders.
  'So, HQ is a garage?" she asks.
"HQ2 is. HQ is not." he clarifies.
"Hmm. So I'm a Kavonic?" she asks.
He hands her a file.
Her file.
"Can I take this?" she asks.
"We have the right copy, or better, the original copy," he states.
Cassandra walks back in again.
"I'll see you at home Cass," Lucinda says.
"Lucinda, wait…"
Lucinda closes the door , not letting her finish.
"Do you think she'll talk?" Cassandra asks.
Mr. Hunt sits down behind his desk.
  "I doubt it. You have to tell her about her real parents and family. She already figured out that you are not her biological mother," Mr. Hunt states.
"I can't hurt her," Cassandra says.
"She's not a child Cassandra, you should not have gotten close to her as you did." he states.
***
Truth Behind Truth
As Lucinda walks out of the garage, she sees the boy she had seen just before she had entered with Cassandra.
He looked nervous.
"Hi."
Lucinda nods her head in acknowledgement.
So, she is not a Smalls, but a Kavonic.
***
The boy from earlier walked into Mr. Hunts office without any cares in the world.
"I apologize sir, but he refused to wait." Ms. Deneray states.
"That's fine." he says.
"Adrian, what can I help you with?" he asks him.
"What was she doing here? You said you would never need her." he asks.
"But her mother would disagree. And as what I can see. Cassandra does to. Did Ms. Deneray happen to tell you that he's back? He killed her grandmother just a few minutes ago. She sent a distress call to me and a video. Cradaz assassinated her and left her a message, " he states.
"I thought he was…"Adrian begins to ask.
"Dead? No. Unfortunately we lost one of our best guys. You should talk to Lucinda." he states.
"You're Adrian Kavonic?" Cassandra asks, taken by surprised.
"Where is she?" he asks, ignoring the question.
"She walked out. Didn't say where she was going," Mr. Hunt says.
He rushed out of the garage and into his jeep driving around until he came up to a group of men chasing someone down a few street.
He followed them until he came to a dead end with a few  men who were still following her.
"What do you want?" she asked the men.
One of them smirked and spit on the cement.
" Three of Ace wants the end of his bargain complete. You are the end of that bargain." one answered.
"The end of the bargain is what?" she asks, lost.
"You. " the same one answered.
"Dead." another answered.
Adrian hopped out of the jeep and ran towards the men who were starting to close in on Lucinda.
"Hey!" Adrian yelled to the men.
They all turned around and Adrian hit the first one to come up to him. He went down, cold. The other men started to run after him, as he started to knock each and everyone out cold like the first guy, he watched as Lucinda made her way over to the pile the men were staring to make around the boy.
She pulled the first guy back by his collar and punched him hard in the gut, making him drop and roll, holding his abdomen in pain. The rest of the men turned to her and started to run for her, making her back away, slowly.  Adrian ran to his jeep, turned it on and waited for her to watch his next move.
She caught on and ran toward his car, in the process getting slashed by one of the men on her back. She turned, caught his next swipe of the blade, a deadly catch close to her head, and plummeted the knife into the mans shoulder making him cry out as the last guy tries to take the knife out, Lucinda runs to his jeep, hops in and drives away from the scene.
Adrian locks the doors and rolls up his windows, keeping them both in just incase anyone else is lurking out and about, waiting for her.
"You alright?" Lucinda asks the guy.
"Are you? I saw the slash that guy made at you," he asks avoiding her question.
Truth is, he's not. He got caught by the blade just a few times. Some deep wounds not compared to the wound she received.
Lucinda takes off her hoody and places it against the seat and leans back as far as she can.
All that pain.
"Do I know you?" she asks him.
"No. You should. But I'm sure you don’t anymore. I'm Adrian. You're Lucinda Marie," He answers her.
" What do you mean by should?" she asks, shifting in the seat.
" The files, I picked them up as you turned the corner. I saw you back at that place. What where you doing there?" he asks.
Lucinda picks up the files and opens up the first one.
John Kavonic
CLASSIFIED
DOB: August 21, 1982
KIA: August 2001
CLOSED
She shuts the file, wondering why is this man important.
" He was your father," Adrian answers for her.
She opens the file back up and looks at his picture.
"You knew him?" she asks.
"No. My dad did, as well as his brother," he answers.
"Where are we going?" she asks.
" You need to clean up that wound as much as I do myself. And You have questions. Some I can answer. And some I can't at all," he says.
We arrive at a house in a secluded area.
" You live here?" Lucinda asks.
"Sometimes."
They head up to a room on the second floor, near a winding staircase with flowers around the railing.
He leads her to a bathroom.
"You can clean up in here. I'll bring you something to wear. Would you like anything to eat or drink?" he asks.
"No. Thanks."
"Also, if you need, there is some iodine and some cotton swabs under the sink." he says as he shuts the door.
Lucinda strips, and getting into the shower. She ponders on what he told her.
You should. But I'm sure you don't anymore.
He's your father.
Lucinda turns the water off and slides the curtains open, to an awaiting Adrian with clothes and a towel for her. He turns around and waits for her to get out.
She didn't have any time to react.
She takes the towel that he throws at her and wraps it around her body, hissing as it touches the wound.
"I.. Sorry. I was just… If you want I can take a look at it. I know you might not be able to reach it and dress it right," he suggests, trying to apologize.
Lucinda takes the clothes from him. She gets dressed and turns toward the tub.
"Ok." she says.
Adrian turns around and looks at the wound on her back.
Too deep. Still bleeding.
He grabs a few of the cotton balls and the iodine, dabbing at her wound. She hisses every time he dabs at the wound. He puts gauze on her back and tapes it.
"Ok." he says.
She pulls the hoodie he gave her over her head and turns around.
"Joggers, a hoodie and your sneakers. No one would ever know what has happened," he says.
"Anyways, thanks for letting me clean up. I should go before my mom…Cassie begins to get worried," Lucinda says.
" You would have done the same for me. I can drop you off if you want, " he suggests.
"Maybe not so much of a good idea. Cassie would get the wrong idea if a guy dropped me off just after I found out that she's an agent… never mind. Thanks but no thanks." she answers catching her self.
" I am an Agent for the A.I.O.S. Lucinda. You don’t have to hide anything from me. Believe me if it was like the old times, you probably would want to avoid any of this. So please, just avoid anything with the A.I.O.S. They will use you. And I'd rather they wouldn't use you. You are still to young," he states.
" And you must be 16? Isn't that still young enough?" she asks, becoming angry.
"I've been training my whole life Lucinda. You have too but that’s a reason why they… they gave you to Cassandra. To make sure you where away from this life." Adrian says.
" Nice knowing you Adrian. And thanks for the advice but you don't know me." she states, as she walks around him towards the door.
He grabs her arm, stopping her in her tracks.
"That's the thing. I do. I always have. Just cause you can't remember doesn't mean I gave up on you. Also don't forget these files." he says handing them to her.
She turns to look at him and grabs the files.
"Like I said I don't know you. Thank you for helping me back there." she says and leaves.
Couldn't have gone any better could it? Adrian tells himself.
***
Lucinda finally arrived back onto the beach house where she was currently staying, visiting her grandmother with her sisters and Cassandra.
"Lucinda, is that you?"
Lucinda turns the corner towards the stairs and sees her grandmother tied up to a chair, with a guy behind her, pointing a gun at her temple.
"About time you arrived Lucinda." the guy said to her.
"Grandma, would you like to explain?" Lucinda asked.
"Lucinda. I need you to understand that I love you. We did this all for your protection. We knew that someday they would try to find you; They would try to kill you. I'm not your grandmother though. Pia Kavonic was your grandmother. She was killed two weeks after your mother was killed. Find Adrian. He's the only one you can trust." her aunt states.
The guy laughs and hits her behind the head.
"I am Margaret Sinclair. I was your grandmothers sister-in-law," She sobs out.
"Margaret, I'm sorry. I didn't know," Lucinda apologizes. 
"Run L. You need to run."
The guy shots off a round right next to Lucinda's head.
"Don’t. Take. Another. Step," he says pointing the gun at her now.
Lucinda begins to step towards the guy and Margaret.
"I said don't take another step." he yells.
Suddenly, someone comes up behind her and shoots the guy in the head.
"Run sweetheart. Run." the man tells her.
Sweetheart. Only one person ever called her that.
Lucinda runs right out the door with the files still in her hand.
***
Lucinda had been walking for hours, unsure of what to do or where to go.
"Need a lift?"
She turned toward where the voice came from.
"Adrian."
"Hop in. I've been looking for you since that explosion at a beach house." he sates.
"Anyone hurt?" she asks.
"Two bodies where found." he answers.
He looks over at her.
Pale.