Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 81358 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 407(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81358 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 407(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
He didn’t have many rules, which was probably for the best. There was no room in his life to be constantly worrying about whether he was breaking one of them. He stayed away from contracts that put kids in danger, and he never, ever got involved with someone.
Remaining alone meant he had the freedom to move quickly from one job to the next. It meant he didn’t have a weakness that someone else could exploit. It meant he was safe, and that poor other person was safe from him and his ugly life.
Richard Carter, on the other hand, did very little to cover his tracks. He obviously didn’t care who he hurt so long as he was able to have fun.
As eager as Kai was to have this job done, he wasn’t going to rush it. He hadn’t attained his reputation by being sloppy and careless. He was at the top of his field, commanding significant money when he agreed to a contract. And he always got his target.
Well, except once.
But he should never have taken that contract in the first place. Dev…
Kai slammed the door shut on that line of thought. He needed to forget about Devlin Relic and his son, Jake, completely. Devlin represented a string of broken rules and pain. Possibly even death.
No, Devlin wasn’t an option. It was safer for himself and the Relics if he stayed as far from Washington as possible.
He needed to concentrate on the job right in front of him.
Kai’s watch vibrated twice, indicating he’d received a text. Not the most common occurrence since only his handler and a select group of people had his private cell phone number. Worried that there had been a change in the contract, Kai placed his glass on the bar where he was standing and brushed back the sleeve of his suit jacket to check the face of his watch.
Justin: IMAGE
He held in a groan and lowered his arm again, turning his attention to his target. Justin Mallory was an annoying idiot. The “reformed” assassin had clearly sent him yet another goofy meme, but Kai wasn’t going to look at it yet. He could wait until he finished with this fact-gathering trip and was in his own hotel room.
Okay, maybe Justin wasn’t a complete idiot. Kai was pretty sure most of it was an act. He was a damn good assassin with a solid reputation in their small and secretive community. The man was a known do-gooder, which was a rare thing, and had certainly pissed off a few people.
But then, Justin had also managed to land the Reaper as a husband. Gabriel Prescott was lethal, ruthless, and absolutely in love with Justin. God help the stupid soul who ever decided to target Justin, because all the demons of hell would soon be on their heels.
As annoying as Justin could be, Kai had to reluctantly admit that he enjoyed some of Justin’s stupid memes. They helped him forget about the blood and the screams for a short period of time. He forgot about life around him, and everything felt very normal for a while. They were an escape…like Devlin.
His watch vibrated again, and Kai looked down.
Justin: Come on! That was funny!
Justin: Where u at?
Justin: Washington? Maybe Seattle? Or the Redmond area?
This time a growl might have slipped out. Why would Justin wonder if he was in Washington? The only person they both had in common in the Redmond area was Devlin Relic. Did Justin think that Kai was stalking Devlin? He had been…a little.
But he’d finally broken himself of it. He hadn’t been anywhere near Jake and Devlin in over four months. He’d been focused heavily on work, trying to forget the man with the sweet, tentative smile and wounded eyes.
His watch vibrated, and Kai clenched his teeth. If this was Justin, he would have to text that he was in the middle of a job. He couldn’t afford these distractions right now. He glanced at his watch and his heart skipped a beat.
Gabriel: Need to talk. It’s about Devlin Relic.
Kai didn’t even spare a glance back at Richard Carter. His target could wait. He was booked in his hotel for another two nights. Plenty of opportunities to take care of the job.
Marching out of the bar, Kai pulled his phone from his pocket and quickly thumbed through the texts Justin had sent. Just another silly meme and the questions about where he was. Nothing tied to Devlin.
He waited until he was outside the building and on a quiet spot on the sidewalk to call Gabriel. Unfortunately, Justin’s voice was the first he heard when the call connected.
“You ignore me but call the second G Love mentions Devlin?” Justin demanded in a voice filled with hurt and indignation.
“Your husband is less of a jackass,” Kai grumbled.
“Thank you,” Gabriel replied, proving that the happy couple had placed him on speaker.