It’s my turn to look away as I continue to stitch his wound. “There. I’m done. You should probably still get medicine for this. You don’t want it to get infected.”
“I’m sure you’d like that. If I died of an infection, you’d be free of me.”
“I don’t want you to die,” I admit.
He sucks in a breath but otherwise, doesn’t comment. After a beat, he slips his shirt back on and leads me to the bedroom where I’m locked away again. Forever a prisoner.
Chapter Eight
Will
Things have changed between Gianna and I after she told me she didn’t want me to die. I saved her from her asshole fiancé and I keep telling myself that I did it for the job. I did it because Marco is paying me.
And yet, deep down, I know I saved Gianna because I wanted to. Because every time I look at her, I only want to sink into her pretty brown eyes. I want to protect her.
That’s a dangerous feeling to be having.
Which is why I take on another job. Marco still hasn’t contacted me after he went into hiding from Enzo. I need to make money somehow and I need to get Gianna off my mind. The way she looked me over when I was shirtless still runsthrough my head every second of the day. She liked what she saw. I could tell.
It makes me want to know what she looks like under her clothes. But I cannot touch her. Marco would definitely kill me for that since he’s the one paying me to keep her locked away until he can get his hands on her.
Gianna picked the lock last time I left and I’m sure she’ll do it again. I wouldn’t blame her. Which is why I place a chair underneath the doorknob so she can’t get out. A flash of guilt hits me, which is fucking ridiculous. I shouldn’t care about Gianna being locked up. She is just my mission.
Nothing more.
So why do I feel fucking guilty keeping her like a prisoner? It’s a question I’m not ready to answer.
I focus on my new job. A young man contacted me about killing his wife because she stole all of his money after she cheated on him. Not worthy enough to die in my opinion but she’s not exactly innocent either. And the man is paying me two hundred thousand dollars to do the deed and I can’t turn money like that down.
The wife in question is at her newly bought mansion that she used her husband’s money for. I stake out the house. No guards. She’s living her life without any worries.
Jessica Williams. A simple name for a simple woman. One I’m going to kill.
I slip on my ski mask and gloves and then head inside the house. It’s easy breaking in through the back door. No alarm system. This woman really doesn’t have any worries in the world.
I find Jessica in the bathtub, reading a romance novel. Soft music is playing in the background. She’s humming to herself, without a care in the world.
I remain hidden in the hallway as I watch her. A flash of guilt hits me. I’m supposed to kill this woman whose only crime was to cheat on her husband and take his money. Sure, it’s shitty but does she deserve to die for it? She’s nothing compared to the father who raped his daughter. Or the politician who assaulted under aged girls.
She’s not as innocent as Gianna but she’s still an innocent in this world. And I have to kill her.
I’ve always had my moral compass to help guide me in this dark world, telling me who I should kill and shouldn’t. I wouldn’t have hesitated to kill this woman in the past. I wouldn’t have thought twice about it. She’s guilty enough to fit my code.
But after Gianna entered my life…
Fuck. I’m not sure I can do this.
I take one step to leave when my footstep creaks on the floorboard.
Jessica sits up in the bathtub. “Is someone there?” That’s when she looks through the doorway and sees me. Her bloodcurdling screams sends a chill down my spine. “I’m calling the police!”
I could still kill her in time before she could call anyone.
I’m a hardened hitman. This is what I do. So why am I hesitating? If I don’t do this job, then word will get out and no one will hire me. I need the money I earn to survive. But is the money even worth it when all I can think about is Gianna?
“Send help,” Jessica says on the phone. Shit. If I kill her now, it will be even worse after she’s called the police. I won’t be able to send my contact to come clean up the body. I have to get out of here.
Without looking back, I leave Jessica alive. I’ll deal with the fallout later. A man like Oliver, Jessica’s husband, will be easy to deal with. I’ll just give him his money back.