Free Ten Thousand Lies by Kelli Jean

mission in the Middle East. My parents didn’t know I was in Amsterdam, not that they would care. My mother thought I was just hanging out in Oxford, like I did every summer, with my childhood best friend. David always bought my tickets, so Mom never had a reason to say no. I’d spent every summer away from my family since I was five. It wasn’t like I was missed.
    This would be my last trip to see them for some time, as Xanthe would be going off to university after this final year of high school, and Rex would begin training with the Locals here in Amsterdam. As it was, he was with them now, a pretraining sort of deal. I had no idea what that entailed, and I probably wouldn’t ever. Xanthe wasn’t completely up to speed on the situation either, and Ellen refused to talk to us about it.
    Rex was with Ronen and Ricki, the duo I’d heard so much about but had yet to meet. It didn’t look like I would be meeting them anytime soon, but from what Xanthe had told me about them, it already felt like they were my good friends.
    “Yeah, she’s right here,” said Xanthe, pulling my attention away from the TV once more. Looking over at me, she stretched out her arm and handed me the phone.
    “Hello?” I said into the phone.
    “Hey,” came Rex’s deep voice. “How’re you holding up?”
    “Peachy keen, my friend. How about you?”
    “I’m good. It’s a lot to take in.” He sounded tired. “I can’t believe this sort of shit exists, but I’m so excited to start. It sucks I have to wait another year.”
    “I know what you mean,” I replied.
    Rex would be waiting only one year. I had no idea how long it would be before I’d be able to join them, and I was trying really hard not to be bitter about it.
    Aunt Ellen’s house line rang, and I watched her get up and walk to the kitchen to answer it.
    “So, the guys are treating you well?” I asked Rex.
    “Yeah, man. It’s good to be with them again. It…it helps.”
    I knew the hell Rex had endured at the hands of the Mafia thugs Ricki and Ronen had saved him from. I also knew he’d been seeing Xanthe’s psychiatrist, Dr. McKenna, since it had happened. I had a feeling Dr. McKenna was somehow involved with the Locals as well.
    From the time I was thirteen, I had known about David’s and Aunt Ellen’s secret work. David had told the Locals that Rex and I were just as much his kids as Xanthe was, and as his family, we needed to know he did dangerous work in case anything ever happened to him. If something everdid happen, the Locals were to take care of us.
    The Locals had gone one step further and had made sure we would be willing to join the cause from an early age. I supposed it wasn’t so different from what gangs did, except that we really did need to be of legal age before we could be fully inducted into the organization. With the work Rex was going to be doing, they were conducting all sorts of psych evaluations and crap now while he was here.
    “…really want to meet you,” Rex was saying.
    “What?” I asked him.
    Ellen had hung up the phone and was standing between the kitchen and the living room, waiting for my and Xanthe’s full attention.
    “Hold on, Rex,” I said.
    “I’m heading out,” said Ellen, her face grim. “I’m not sure how long I’ll be, but I won’t be coming back alone.”
    Xanthe straightened up on the couch. “What’s going on?”
    “You two are about to get firsthand experience of what it is you’ll be doing. I’ve got a new unfortunate.”
    My heart sped up, adrenaline kicking in.
    Grabbing a light jacket, Ellen stomped down the stairs.
    “Jaime?” asked Rex.
    “Yeah?” I said.
    Xanthe settled back into the couch.
    “Is everything all right?” Rex asked.
    “Yeah. Ellen’s just stepped out,” I replied. “An…an unfortunate,” I said quietly.
    “Yeah, there was a bust. Ricki and Ronen got back about an hour ago. They want to say hi to you.”
    “Ricki and Ronen?”
    “Uh-huh. You want