Right, I forgot who I was talking to.
FORTY-SIX
LANA
Ienter the cottage, my knife gripped tightly in my hand at my side. As soon as I climbed out of the car, I had a bad feeling.
I just knew deep down that something was wrong.
And I really wish I wasn’t right about it.
The house is silent as I make my way through it, barring Cole’s footsteps behind me. I learned a long time ago how to walk on silent feet, but it seems he’s never been taught that lesson.
I’ll have to change that.
I also need to give him weapons training.
And he’ll need to work on his fighting more. He’s good, but there’s always room for improvement.
I check each room as I pass, only for them to come up empty, and I’m beginning to think that whoever broke in has already been and gone.
That is, until we make it to Cole’s room, and I see a guy looking through the dresser. I don’t even think about what I’mdoing when I throw my knife, landing it in his neck. It hits his carotid dead on, and he drops to the floor, blood pooling around him.
Rage simmers in my veins from seeing him in Cole’s space, from seeing him somewhere that feels too close. Too comfortable. This was a safe space, and now it’ll always be haunted by his presence.
I glance around the room, waiting for someone else to jump out at me, only nothing happens.
“Stay here,” I murmur to Cole and go to leave the room, but he pulls on my arm, shaking his head.
“You stay here; I’ll check the rest of the house.”
“But—”
“No buts. I can handle myself, and you’re gonna have to start trusting that. You see what you can find out about him,” he mutters, pointing towards the guy on the floor before disappearing from the room.
I sigh and head towards him. He’s lying on his front, but I didn’t get a good look at his face before I threw my blade, so I have no idea what he looks like. I kick him, and he rolls onto his back.
His lifeless eyes stare up at me, and it takes me a moment for everything to click into place.
I know him.
Anyone from the underworld would.
He’s known as The Shadow, one of the best mercenaries that money can buy. He usually works alone and has a reputation of dealing in favors rather than money a lot of the time. This doesn’t make sense, though, because he’d never be stupid enough to get caught, never mind get himself killed.
He was… sloppy.
And from everything I’ve heard about him, he was theopposite of sloppy. He was the best of the best, so for us to find him like we did just doesn’t add up. It’s almost as though hewantedto get caught.
But why on earth would he want that?
So many unanswered questions swarm my mind, but there’s only one thing I know for sure—the Richardson family won’t stop until I’m dead. They’ll just keep sending more guys. They know I’m living here, which means the guys are in danger, too, and I can’t let them get mixed up in my shit.
I won’t.
“There’s no one else here,” Cole says, telling me what I already know.
“I know,” I say and point down to the guy known as The Shadow. “He always works alone.”
