As Cold As Ice

Graveyard

"We've made no progress Ace!" I slammed my hand on the table in his office.
"He knows we're fucking looking, obviously it's going to be harder to find him than before Alex!" Ace stated, standing up from his chair. He approached me, getting in my face.
"Don't think you can ever speak to me like that either. I'll drop this whole case in a second because all of this is for you" He yelled, throwing his phone across the room.

He was furious but so was I.

"We've had opportunities but you've been too busy with this arranged marriage" I shouted back, I wasn't backing down this time. We had slowed down; we were 10 steps behind.

Ace turned 18 a few weeks ago. He was preparing for his marriage but it was interrupting our business. I knew this would happen but I would of never expected how angry I'd be. I was murdering innocent people to reach Leonardo. I was murdering people who knew information, even if it wasn't by choice. I couldn't leave a trace.

"I don't have a fucking choice Ice, you're making this seem like it was my whole idea. Do you think I want this marriage?" He yelled, pointing to himself.

"I don't give a fuck" I shouted back before Ace's fist collided with my face. To be fair, I probably deserved that one. I stumbled to the ground, blinking a couple of times. It caught me off guard, but he did warn me. I stood up and wiped the blood from my lip before throwing a punch. He caught my arm and tucked it behind my back. I groaned in pain as he pushed me against the wall.

"Fucking stop. I'll kill you Ice" He hissed, almost as a warning.
"You'd be doing me a fucking favour" I grumbled, shoving him off of me and waking out of the office. I know I was in the wrong. I barged into his office, and demanded he do something about my situation but I didn't know what else to do.

I walked down the street to a little cafe. I had my hood up and face mostly covered since Ace had busted my lip. I didn't go to this cafe very often, it was my first time being here in months. It was quite busy most of the time it was open, however today was quiet.

There was two girls working the front counter, although I didn't look. I just sat at one of the tables and scrolled through my phone, swallowed by my thoughts.

I had become controlled by grief and anger and I knew it was all because I missed Avery. My eyes welled with tears. I missed my little brother. Yet everytime I think about him, it makes me even more furious that someone took him from me. He died thinking I hated him.

"Hi sir, would you like to order a-".
I glanced up at the worker to see Deja. The girl I had tried to avoid.
"Jesus, Alex?" She gasped, pulling down my hood. I smiled weakly, standing and instantly wrapping my arms around her. It was so nice having someone I knew.

"Alex, what the fuck?" She whispered, stroking my cheek where the bruise was. Her finger ran along my busted lip gently.
"Wait here, my shift finishes in 5 minutes" She said, running off to the back.

When she came out again, she had disinfectant and a little cotton ball. I couldn't tell her I didn't need help because most of the time I did.

She sat next to me and dabbed some of the soaked cotton ball onto my little cuts. I had quite a few from the previous mission we had went on, I guess I looked like a mess.

"Alex what happened to you, why didn't you call me, I couldn't reach you for the longest time so I moved down here to try and find you" She rambled but I wasn't listening.
"How have you and Avery been?" She asked, yet I immediately froze at the question. The tension that was building in my chest didn't allow me to say a word. I tried so hard to speak, but I just couldn't. She's the last person I knew, that thought Avery was alive.

"He's good" I managed to choke out.

"Come back to my place Alex, we can talk there" she insisted. I think it was because we were getting odd looks from the customers. I could murder them all for looking at me.

"I don't know Deja, I have to go" I said with hesitation. I wanted to go with her, but being with her only brought up memories from the past; She was in the past until now.
"Alex just for 5 minutes please" she begged and I knew I couldn't say no.
"Alright" I sighed, standing to my feet.

We left the little cafe and ended up around the corner at a small apartment block.
"It's not much but it works" She nodded with a smile as I followed her up.

The building was old with cracks running along the walls. The pain was chipped off in most places and it had an eerie silence.

She began to unlock her door; number 26.

Deja closed the door behind me and forced me to sit on her couch.

"Explain now" she stated, standing with her arms crossed.
I sighed defeated, I knew she wasn't going to allow me to leave without an explanation.
"I'm sorry Deja" I said, shaking my head before running my hands through my hair.

My anxiety had always been bad, but all of a sudden I could feel it bubbling in my chest as I tried to speak.

"It's Avery...and it's me. The decisions I've made. I'm not a good person anymore Deja" I spoke with a certain desperation in my tone. I didn't want her to be anywhere near me, I knew i'd just get her killed; she was the only person I still cared about from my previous life.
"Alex" she smiled softly, her eyes wrinkling with happiness. "You'll always be a good person to me".

I shook my head in response. No.

"You don't know me anymore Deja, nobody thinks I'm a good person" I spat harshly. It might've been too harsh because I saw the smile that I adored so much, fade from her face.

"I know you, Avery-". "Avery's dead" I mumbled, staring at the floor. I glanced up and I wish I hadn't. Her face had a look of shock, then suddenly turned into a smile.
"I know you like to joke with me Alex, but that's not funny" She grinned, rolling her eyes.

I had just blurted out that my brother died and she thought I was joking. I really must've gone cold.

"Deja" I hissed loudly, startling her. She froze for a minute, before sitting on the couch.
"You're not being serious Alex, he's not dead" She stated with a crease between her eyebrows.
"He's dead, he never got clean from drugs. He just hid it from us. He died because he owed money. They ran him over Deja, they killed him. Now I'm going to get revenge" I rambled bluntly. I needed to put this as clearly as possible for her, I couldn't have her asking questions.

"What?" She uttered with tears forming in her eyes.
"His grave is placed at the closest graveyard, if you want to visit him" I finally muttered to her, seemingly ending the conversation between as she sat in shock, with tears rolling down her cheeks.
"Avery..." she sobbed, covering her mouth with her hand.

I swallowed back the lump that was forming in my throat.
"Not little Avery" She wept.