Killing Game

by Felicity Heaton

  She still lingered in his thoughts, but he was in control now. He was in control.

  Moving slowly through the crowd, Cain kept his focus firmly fixed on his target until a slight blonde caught his attention. His eyes darted to her immediately, his heart leaping into his throat as he struggled to understand what he was seeing.

  “Abort. Mission parameters breached,” he said hurriedly into his earpiece.

  “By who?” Came the faint reply over the receiver in his ear.

  “Me.” He moved swiftly towards the girl, and when she turned around, he smiled wide, letting his face echo his disbelief. “Lily?”

  “Hey. Thank God you’re here. I need back up.” Lily couldn’t believe he was standing in front of her. It had been almost two weeks since she’d seen him and suddenly he was here right when she needed him.

  “Some blokes bothering you? I thought you were working in Club Infinity?” Cain didn’t hide his confusion over seeing her working as a waitress in a different club and frowned at the thought of guys hitting on her. She was too young and innocent to be working in this dive.

  “Nothing new there, they’re always hitting on me. Tonight’s a hundred times worse. He’s here.” She pointed into the crowd.

  Cain followed her hand with his eyes and realized she was intimating his mark.

  The bottom of his stomach dropped out as he looked at him, watching him chatting up the waitresses that were hanging all over him.

  “You know him?” He didn’t like the idea of her knowing one of his targets.

  “He’s the guy, the one I told you about.”

  Cain pinched the bridge of his nose. She’d been involved with his mission—Andrew Connor, Chief Executive of Globalcom. He sighed and straightened up, putting on a relaxed air.

  “Want me to take him out for you?” He smirked at her.

  “You guys and your taking guys out.” She slapped his arm playfully, obviously unaware of the seriousness of his expression. She cracked a wide smile and blinked up at him sweetly. “Would you?”

  “In a heartbeat. Do anything for you.” He pushed her hair behind her ear and sighed.

  She looked at him blankly, a distant look in her eyes and a slight smile on her lips. He didn’t know how to react to what he’d said and done either, but if he’d wanted to give her a blindingly clear indication of his feelings, he’d done a damn fine job.

  As he touched his earpiece again, she raised her eyebrows. “What’s that?”

  “This?” Cain gave her an innocent look. “Mobile phone hands free thing... all the rage.”

  A quiet noise in his ear caused him to frown. “Target is leaving. Move to follow.”

  “Bollocks. Got to shoot.”

  “Now? Can’t you stay for a drink?” Lily’s eyes widened. He was running off again and leaving her alone, just when she needed him most. She’d resisted calling him for all this time, but now she needed him to stand by her and give her the confidence to face Andrew.

  “Afraid not. I’ll swing by later. Work calls.” His eyes kept darting away from her and she wondered what had him suddenly so jumpy and wanting to leave. What kind of work did he do?

  “You never told me what you did for a living.” She caught his hand as he went to leave.

  “Some thing’s are best left unsaid, sweetheart. I won’t be long.”

  Lily watched him leave the club and frowned. Whatever he did, it wasn’t a nine to five job, that was for sure. She shut her eyes tightly as the manager shouted at her, and then walked straight to the bar to get the order for the table she was supposed to be waiting on.

  Waiting for the drinks to arrive, she found her fingers subconsciously playing with the diamond heart he’d given her for her birthday. Her eyes un-focused as she toyed with it, feeling the facets of it under her fingertips. He’d come back this time. She knew he would. She’d seen it in his eyes.

  He’d never leave her again.

  * * *

  Grabbing her bag from the locker room, Lily walked straight out into the now emptying bar and smiled at the waitresses that were still working. They weren’t as nice as the ones at Infinity, and part of her wished she would be transferred back there but there was apparently no hope of that. Once you were sent to Eden, you stayed.

  Walking across the room, a true smile crept onto her lips as she saw Cain sitting at the bar. His head was hanging forward, his attention focused on the drink he held in his fingers, and, judging by his body language, something wasn’t good.

  “What’s up?” She smiled and sat down on the free stool next to him, and then noted that all the stools were occupied except the ones around him. It was as though the bartenders and waitresses who were enjoying a drink before home time were intentionally avoiding him.

  “Failure. That’s bloody what.” Cain just continued to stare at the drink he was playing with. He didn’t even want it, but something about staring at it made him feel marginally better. He shouldn’t be here, shouldn’t have come back, but he couldn’t bring himself to break a promise to her.

  He couldn’t leave her in this dive.

  “Failure?” She leaned her forearms against the bar and rested her head on them, turning it to the side so she was facing him. He could see the fatigue written clearly across her face.

  “Fucked up royally at work, that’s all. Nothing to worry about.” Cain smiled reassuringly and then muttered. “Still the best they’ve got.”

  Lily sighed and half closed her eyes, staring at his hands.

  He reached over and cleared the hair from her cheek. She smiled at the sensation of his fingers against her skin. He always seemed to make everything better.

  “So, what’s been happening?” he said.

  She opened her eyes again and looked at him with a smile in them.

  “I started work over at Infinity almost two weeks ago, like you know. Jack was great like you said he would be, but the big man came down one night. He said I had ‘potential’ and wanted to transfer me here. So here I am.” She smiled, trying to look as though she wasn’t bothered by being moved from a club she felt safe at to one where she seemed to spend every night getting harassed by perverts.

  Cain didn’t like the sound of that. He knew the guy who owned these clubs and knew that his version of ‘potential’ usually meant the girl was suitable for whoring.

  “I shouldn’t have got you a job there. The bloke who moved you here is a complete bastard. I’ll speak to my man, have him move you back or I’ll get you a better job.” He said, placing his drink down on the bar top and looking over at her.

  “You don’t have to. Really. You’ve been so kind to me already, and you can’t keep having to find me a job every time some perve tries it on.”

  “What?” Cain’s voice echoed across the emptying room.

  “Shh... you’ll get me fired.” Lily hissed, her eyes wide with fear as she looked at him.

  “I think that would be a bloody good idea.” Cain leaned in closer to her and frowned, his eyes narrowing with it. “Tell me who the fuck they were and they’re as good as dead.”

  “Cain... no need. I can handle some drunken idiots. It’s nothing to worry about, and the money is better here. Please, don’t make a scene.” Her brows furrowed into a pleading look and there was a hint of fear in her eyes. Was she scared of him? Was it because of what he’d said?

  He leaned back on his stool again and picked up his drink, covering the fact that he was mentally berating himself for believing that everything would be peachy and nothing bad would happen to her if he were out of the picture. Just by letting her into his life that night, he’d ruined all chances of her having a normal, safe one.

  Maybe she would have been better off taking her chances with the police. She could have told them she’d seen some guy and could have got Andrew to testify for her.

  God, he was so stupid, thinking that dragging her back to his place and helping her set up a new life was going to keep her free of the city’s underground. Well, it w
ould have done, but he’d gone and wrecked her chances by getting her a job in his world, knowing full well who owned the clubs.

  “You okay in there?” Lily frowned as she looked up at his face and saw the pensive expression not shifting.

  He shook his head and gave her a smile that looked forced. “Long day.”

  She smiled. “Tell me about it.”

  “Place like this gets busy, you must get tired working here,” he said, sipping his drink.

  “Not really. I mean, I sleep all day and by the time I’ve made it home, I’m usually wide awake. I can’t get to sleep for hours. I don’t usually go to bed until six am, and then I sleep until almost two in the afternoon. It’s the only way of making sure I feel okay when I come to work. Tried and tested.” Lily took the drink off him and sniffed it before sipping it and pulling a face.

  Cain finally smiled for real. “You sound like me.”

  The smile fell off his face when he heard his words. She was nothing like him. She was purity and light. He was sin and blackness.

  “So, what do you do to pass the time?” Lily fell into easy conversation with him, trying to draw out answers and add to the picture she held in her head. She knew he wouldn’t tell her what he did for a living, and she already knew better than to push that subject. Something told her there was a reason he wouldn’t tell her, and she was better off not knowing.

  “I run,” he said flatly.

  She looked confused.

  “I mean I burn energy.” He explained. She still didn’t quite understand. “I can’t sleep if I don’t work out. It clears my head at the same time as wearing me out. There’s this gym I go to, not far from your place, somewhere in between it and mine.”

  “A gym? At almost one a.m.?” She gave him an incredulous look when he nodded.

  “It’s open twenty-four-seven. Usually gets quiet at this time so it gives me space to think and keeps me on form.” He arched a brow when she smiled.

  “Can we go?”

  * * *

  From the back of the bar, Russ nursed his drink and watched Cain. He wanted to be him, wanted to be as good as him. It had been his cock up that had almost got them spotted tonight and Cain had covered for him again. He was beginning to wonder if he would ever be good enough to work alone.

  He watched as Cain talked to the little blonde girl, his face brightening as she said something to him and they stood to leave.

  A movement out the corner of his eye drew his attention away from his co-worker and he frowned as he saw a flash of red hair and black leather. It told him everything he needed to know.

  This contract was no longer restricted to one party.

  This wasn’t good.

  * * *

  Chapter 7

  Cain tried to convince himself that this was a bad idea as he held the door to the gym open for Lily. His feelings for her and the accompanying emotions she released in him were coming back full force, and he knew he was going to pay dearly for letting them come out to play, but he had to do this, couldn’t stop himself.

  He wanted to be with her, wanted to steal this time with her and, if all went well, maybe he could show her how to defend herself a little.

  Following her into the building, he smiled at the bloke sitting behind the counter and handed over his membership card, ensuring Lily didn’t see it. The last thing he needed was questions about why his name was different on the card. It wasn’t even his real name.

  Never leave a paper trail.

  Cain smirked. He had so many different identities in this city and so many different addresses that it was getting hard to keep track of them.

  The man handed back the card and Cain held his hand out to one side, indicating the locker rooms to Lily. She smiled slightly and then headed toward the girl’s one, her kit bag slung over her shoulder.

  Walking into the men’s one, he wondered again if he was making another mistake by doing this, but his heart reasoned that it was only going to help her this time.

  * * *

  Lily limbered up as she waited for Cain to appear. She felt oddly self-conscious as she smiled at the guy who was watching her from behind the counter and then looked around at the other people in the room. There were only a handful of guys and a lone girl working out, but she felt overly aware of them.

  So overly aware of what she was wearing.

  Her clothes weren’t tight, or even revealing, but she couldn’t help feeling that Cain was going to take one look at her and laugh at what she was wearing. The only other girl in the room was wearing skin-tight shorts with a little top that practically left nothing to the imagination, whilst she was wearing baggy grey sweat pants and a white vest top that left everything to the imagination.

  She smiled as Cain appeared from the locker room and walked straight over to her. She continued to stretch her leg muscles to warm them up.

  Maybe her choice of clothing wasn’t so bad after all, since he was smiling at her and he was wearing black jogging bottoms and a black vest.

  Cain’s heart beat painfully hard against his chest as he watched Lily stretching, her body moving beneath the tight top she was wearing as she raised her arms above her head. Swallowing down the tight lump in his throat, he set about warming up himself and focusing on working out.

  * * *

  The man behind the counter leaned back in his chair as he watched the scene playing out in front of him. The gym had been gradually emptying as the night wore on, but the two remaining people didn’t look like leaving anytime soon.

  He shook his head and smiled as he watched the man and the young girl running. He’d been working here for two years, had watched the man come in almost every single night of the week and had never seen him like this.

  He used to be focused, intent on running and determined to keep going. His expression used to be blank as his eyes remained fixed on the far wall and he concentrated on what he was doing.

  Now, he was laughing, chuckling as he turned up the speed on the treadmill next to him and watched the girl struggle to keep running as she reached over and turned up the speed on his, making him run faster.

  He couldn’t believe the transformation.

  He smiled as he caught the look in the man’s eyes, watching him as he smiled warmly at the girl.

  Love was grand.

  * * *

  Cain grinned mischievously as he reached toward the dial on Lily’s treadmill, but she swatted his hand away, stopping him from turning the speed up. It was only fair in his eyes. After all, she had him going at such a pace that he felt as though any second now he was going to miss-step and go flying across the room.

  Lily wondered if she’d pass out if she kept trying to keep up this speed much longer. Turning the dial down, she decided she didn’t want to find out and found an easier pace to run at. She looked over at Cain as he did the same but settled on a speed that was still faster than hers. He smirked at her.

  She knew he was just trying to get her to go faster, to compete with him.

  Smiling demurely, she turned her nose up and closed her eyes, ignoring the way he was watching her and focusing on running. She could still feel him looking at her, knew that he would be waiting for her to tire and that it would be a victory to him.

  She really needed to work out more.

  They’d only been running for just under half an hour but she felt as though she was going to die. Back in Los Angeles, she used to run for longer than this and at a quicker pace, too.

  Back in Los Angeles, someone hadn’t been turning the speed setting up on her machine all the time in an attempt to make her fly off the damn thing.

  She smiled as she opened her eyes and looked over at him, watching him as he focused on his breathing and running. She wondered just how long he could keep going. He’d been running faster than her from the start and he didn’t look like stopping anytime soon.

  Hitting the switch on her treadmill, she slowly slid off it, panting hard to catch her breath as she stumbled tow
ard the benches. Her legs were killing her. Sitting down, she sipped her water and dabbed her towel to her face, not wanting to think about how rough she probably looked right now.

  Cain stopped running and looked over at her.

  He switched his machine off and walked toward her where she was leaning against the wall and breathing heavily. Swiping her towel off her, he grinned as he wiped the sweat off his face with it.

  Lily grumbled as he handed her towel back to her. She couldn’t muster enough energy to properly protest about boy sweat and how disgusting it was, no matter how much the idea of teasing him was making her want to smile. Continuing to struggle to catch her breath, she watched in silent amazement as Cain walked over to a six-foot tall punch bag and started pounding on it. She sipped her water as her eyes followed his every movement and she couldn’t help studying him.

  There was something about him as he hit the bag that made her feel uneasy.

  She couldn’t quite put her finger on it at first but then it hit her—he was so focused.

  It was as though there was no one else in the room, not even her. All his attention was fixed on the punch bag and as she watched him, she couldn’t help frowning slightly.

  He seemed so intent, so absorbed in what he was doing, and each blow seemed so calculated, precise and efficient. They all looked as though they were designed to knock someone out quickly. He wasn’t punching the bag to work out.

  He was training.

  Her eyes couldn’t leave him. They were transfixed on the way the sweat that was building up on his skin was catching the overhead lights. He threw punch after punch at the bag. Her eyes followed the motions of his arms as they twisted and turned to strike it, his muscles bunching and relaxing under his skin.