My six kills were completed, which was my deal in order to find the men responsible for Jasmine’s death. The sorry son-of-a-bitch, Enrique, suffered. The memory of his screams were the only thing that brought me satisfaction. In hindsight, I would have made the pain last longer.
“I appreciate the offer, but it’s time.”
Sarge knowingly nodded. He’d been there through all of this. “I’ll never forget all the help you and Hampton gave me in finding Enrique Consuelo.”
I clenched my fists. Jasmine’s death had been about revenge … for things I’d done. Eye for an eye. Except they took my entire reason for living, not my fucking eye. Enrique Consuelo was a Columbian drug lord. I’d killed his father, Rodrigo Consuelo—kill number sixty-two for me. Rodrigo liked to capture American girls and sell them on the black market for large amounts. The kill only made the world a better place.
Sarge slapped my back. “Anytime. I’m sorry for what you had to go through. I wish I’d known about Eric. Sorry son of a bitch. You’re welcome back anytime.”
Eric fucking Thornhill, an operative within Black Division, was the insider help to Enrique Consuelo in exchange for a hefty sum. The trail of deceit ended with Eric—I was sure of it. I’d tortured Enrique for days and he stayed consistent that Eric was the only one involved. After how I nearly brought Enrique to the brink of death time and time again … anyone would have broken if there had been more information.
I took a deep breath to calm myself and cracked my neck to the side. After going through all of Enrique’s files while he was unconscious from all the pain, I’d found out Enrique had been keeping tabs on me through my last year of service at the Black Division. Pictures of Jasmine and me. The information regarding the house I’d bought. Miscellaneous identities I’d had. A picture of us declaring our love in our special spot. All of Jasmine’s information. The intel he had astonished me. Enrique even had a copy of Jasmine’s doctor reports. Fucking bastard knew she was pregnant.
“That motherfucker deserved what he got. I need to catch my plane to Atlanta. Thanks, Sarge.”
Truth was I needed to escape before I lost it and fell to the craving to wreak more destruction on something … anything.
“We’re here anytime you need us.”
“Thanks, man.”
I grabbed my bag and headed to my car, knowing I’d never forgive myself for what I’d done—leading him straight to Jasmine and Faith without knowing he was even looking for me. Straight to my family. I deserved to have this nonexistent life after causing their deaths. Still, looking back, I knew I’d been careful. But I’d missed something somewhere. I’d retraced my steps and memories numerous times and there was nothing out of place.
What had I missed?
The guilt would never leave me. Never. I had been wrong about deserving any happiness. The sins of my past were too great. As my mother mentioned time and time again, I am a bastard that didn’t deserve anything. For two days I’d been completely happy and that was more than I deserved.
I pumped my legs harder as I increased the speed on the belt and I pushed myself to the limits in a punishing manner.
After Enrique and Eric were disposed of, I eliminated everyone related to the crime—no stone was left unturned, including the man who sold the sniper the gun.
True to my word, I left as soon as the six missions were done, which was almost a year exactly after Jasmine died. Oh, the Black Division tried to keep me—unsuccessfully. They threw all sorts of money my way, but I wanted nothing more to do with them. Death’s door sometimes seemed like the better option. But I couldn’t bring myself to end my life, and somehow I managed to always pull through. Not killing myself was the only piece of humanity I had left inside.
Sweat poured down my face as I worked on trying to calm myself from the dream.
The treadmill beeped as I upped the speed even more.
I’d kept my name, Bane Bradley. If there were any other motherfuckers left that wanted a fight, I wanted them to be able to find me. There was nothing left to lose in this world. The itch to let the animal inside me out was strong. I welcomed any bastard who wanted to rumble.
I hit the off button, jolting the belt to a stop.
“Fuck.” My body was exhausted.
Making my way to the kitchen, I grabbed a bottle of water and chugged it. I lived in a scarcely decorated apartment in an upscale building for privacy reasons. Went in line with my motto—have nothing you couldn’t walk away from in your life at any time.
Only a few people, all within Black Division, knew what happened to me in regards to Jasmine. I didn’t want the pity stares from anyone else. Life dealt me a shitty hand … that was a fucking fact. As far as everyone was concerned, except my superiors, I’d missed the life when I came back to join.
My phone rang. It was Hampton. “Bane.”
After the Black Division, I did odd intel jobs for him. He now owned Security Branch, but had been part of the covert operation.
“Hey, man. I figured you’d be up.” The gruff voice from my old mentor brought back memories. He was the only one from the Black Division I’d stayed in touch with who knew about Jasmine. The only other two who knew were Sarge and Alex, Sarge’s superior.
It was five in the morning now after my hour run. “Yeah, I’m up. Why are you up so early?”
“Client shit. Came into the office early. I wanted to talk to you about a case. You free today?”
I dragged a hand down my face. “Yeah, I’m free.”
“How about the office? Does ten work?”
“I’ll be there.”
“Thanks, man.”
I ended the phone call and finished chugging my water. Hampton hooked me up with one of my longest jobs with sports team owner billionaire, Damien Wales. The love of his life, Allison, was being threatened at the time I came on. Yeah, there was no way I would turn down helping a guy keep the woman he loved. He was a good man. I enjoyed working for him. The problem was I got too attached. Started caring. So, I quit a couple of years ago.
While I’d worked for the Wales, they’d welcomed me into their family. When they had their second child, a boy, I knew it was time to part ways when Allison let me hold him in the hospital. The last thing they deserved was to be hurt because of me. Everyone I cared about died. I would never bring my curse to someone else. Therefore, I refused to care about … anything.
If Damien ever needed something, I would be there. From time to time I’d see them, but nothing that would draw attention that they meant anything to me.
After I showered, I’d read today’s current events before meeting Hampton in his downtown Atlanta office.
Parking the black Land Cruiser, I checked my surroundings. Nothing seemed out of place, but nothing did anymore. Why would it? Anyone who’d known my identity outside of the Black Division had been killed. I walked into the building. Hampton, like me, was one of the few who beat the survival odds at Black Division. Maybe that was a reason we kept in touch. Almost all the men I’d fought beside at one time or another were dead.
After Hampton left the Black Division, he’d become a private investigator and opened Security Branch. Since then, Security Branch expanded to include everything from security to protecting to investigating.
The pristine front office had a reception desk. Karen, an older lady who kept Hampton in line, greeted me. “Morning, Bane. It’s been awhile. I would have made cookies if Hampton told me yesterday.”
Karen was a sweet woman.
Tipping my head to her, I stopped for a second. “Hampton called early this morning. I may have to drop by this Thursday, say around nine, to get some double chocolate chip ones though.”
I gave her a wink and she returned the gesture. Lowly, she whispered, “You got it. Don’t tell Hampton. His wife has him on a strict diet.”
The deep rumbles of my laugh echoed through the room. When I got the cookies, I was going to march in there and eat them in front of him on Thursday without saying an
ything. Teach that bastard a lesson for trying to set me up with someone a few months ago on a blind date. Just because I neared my mid-thirties did not mean I wanted anything to do with a family. That ship sailed six years ago.
“I won’t say a word.” Karen didn’t need to know my alternate plan.
Hampton appeared in the hallway. Walking up to me, he patted me on my back. “Thanks for coming.”
Running my hand on my smooth scalp, I responded, “Anytime. Where you want to do this?”
“Back in my office.”
I followed Hampton who was athletic in build. Sitting behind the large, dark wood desk, the chair creaked as Hampton got comfortable. Following suit, I took a seat on a black leather chair. I studied Hampton as I brought my ankle up to my knee. He looked tired with his unruly white hair. From the way his desk looked, he’d been up for a while with the fifteen coffee cups sitting on his desk.
Something was off with Hampton, but I remained outwardly unaffected and relaxed. The dark circles under Hampton’s eyes were more pronounced. I had a feeling this wasn’t simply a business call. There was a brochure on the edge of the desk that was black with provocative red lettering that piqued my interest, but I didn’t grab it. The way it laid, almost showcased, was obvious.
Hampton took a drink of coffee. “Listen, I need to ask a favor from you.”
“Okay.”
We were cutting right to the chase, which was the way I liked it. Until I knew the whole story, I never agreed to anything. It didn’t matter who the person was.
Scrubbing a hand down his face, Hampton was weary and nervous. Strange combination. “Felicia is sick. I need to take her to the doctor. It’s not looking good.”
Felicia was Hampton’s wife. She was a good woman—understanding, kind, and compassionate. I knew what it was like to have a woman like that. No one deserved to lose their soul mate. No one. “Fuck, man. I’m sorry. What do you need?”
Fidgeting, Hampton looked somberly down. At least that explained why he was out of sorts. “A potential account stopped by yesterday. The business is Discrete Encounters. It’s a dating service. They’re needing to make sure that they have the proper security in place.”
Internally, I groaned. Baby-fucking-sitting jobs were the worst.
Hampton watched me for a reaction, but I kept a neutral face. “I know you hate this kind of job, Bane. They could be a huge client. If this works out, they’re going to hire me for the rest of their nationwide chains. It could be big for Security Branch.”
Waiting to see if there was more, I rubbed the back of my neck. He had a team of his own employed … a damn good one. Why did he need me?
“I need to know the best is on it. My other guys are handling everything else. I don’t want to worry about bringing on a new client. With you, I’ll be able to focus completely on Felicia.”
That was all I needed, which I knew made me a shitty friend for not blindly agreeing to it. “I’ll do it.”
Relief and gratitude flashed through his eyes. “Thanks, Bane. I owe you.” Hampton stood and slid the black brochure with the red lettering toward me that had been on the corner of the desk. There was a manila folder underneath it. “Here’s all the info. I’ll be heading out of town tomorrow, but I’ll keep my cell phone on if you need anything.”
I took the folder and thumbed through it. Basic information was scrawled throughout. Before I went to Discrete Encounters, I’d need to do a complete background check on the place. Dating services could be seedy as shit. The last thing I wanted to do was be surprised at what they were doing. Hampton didn’t seem like he was making rational decisions. If there was something else going on, I’d let him know and whether or not he chose to move forward with them was his choice.
“Did they request a date for the initial meeting?”
“Day after tomorrow.”
Shit. That wasn’t much time. Hampton had more important things to worry about. Closing the folder, I responded, “I’ll get on it. Go take care of Felicia. That’s all that matters.”
“Thanks, man. You’re one of a kind.” Hampton looked torn.
Not wanting to get too caught up in all the feelings that were trying to surface about losing a loved one, I left. The fresh air felt good in my lungs as I quickly made it to the car. Winter in Atlanta was good. Not miserable, but tolerable.
It was time to investigate Discrete Encounters.
FOR THE LAST hour, I’d been parked a block away as I watched the dating service, Discrete Encounters. The meeting to go over their expectations was in thirty minutes. The black building had the red rose insignia on it with the classy script underneath.
Behind the dating façade, I confirmed more went on behind the scenes. Who the fuck pays for sex? From experience, I knew there were plenty of women out there that didn’t require a deposit put down to fuck. An average “overnight date” went for around three grand a night there. Some rates were cheaper and some were a hell of a lot more. Unless that pussy was plated in gold, I wasn’t sure why the hell it cost that much.
Mainly men came and went from the building. I’d driven by the employee entrance around back, which had been primarily female. For now, I’d do the initial meeting while Hampton focused on his wife. I hated being put in these types of situations. Fuck.
As I was about to reach for the car door handle to head inside, a guy ushered a girl down the sidewalk. The deep blue scarf wrapped around her face made it hard to make out any features. The man looked like an arrogant asshole. That type always rubbed me the wrong way. They thought they owned women. They were all pricks.
Quickly getting out of my car, I headed to the front door. The black doors kept the outside world from looking in. Walking inside, the place was posh with all the deep colors and velvet furniture.
The man and woman who I’d seen earlier were in a heated discussion. She seemed defeated. The man’s mouth snapped shut when he caught sight of me. I knew I was an intimidating motherfucker with my bald head and the tat that peeked out of the collar of my shirt. The muscles strained against my shirt as I stared him down. This guy was a class-A prick.
There were two people in front of him being helped by the receptionist. A subtle sweet smell swept over me, taking my focus off the asshole. It was understated but drew me in as I glanced to the woman who must have been in her late twenties beside the man. Our eyes locked and instantly I felt ensnared. The hazel eyes with green and blue flecks were breathtaking, even in their sad state—angelic like. I needed to break whatever spell I was under. Wanting to walk forward, I forced myself to remain in place.
What the fuck?
I tried to pull my eyes away from hers, but couldn’t. Her tongue barely came out and wet her lips. Again, my legs wanted to take a step closer to the intoxicating woman, but I denied myself. An attraction this strong was trouble.
What the hell is wrong with me?
She wasn’t able to look away either. Against my zipper, my dick stiffened as a small smile graced her lips. Hell, there was no denying it … she was beautiful.
“May I help you?” the front desk lady called, effectively breaking the spell as we shifted our attention.
The man, Frankie she’d called him, turned to speak to the receptionist. The mysterious brunette beauty locked eyes with me again and I felt trapped. The atmosphere charged between us becoming awkwardly uncomfortable, but I couldn’t stop, like some sort of junkie.
The intensity increased as her expressive eyes watched me. I felt as if she penetrated my darkened soul. Only one person had ever been able to do that. The more she stared, the more I felt unnerved, but drawn to her. I needed to stop this shit in its tracks.
The bastard of a man she was with pulled her forward, breaking the connection again. Thank fuck. After they finished talking, the brunette beauty looked my way once before disappearing behind the door to the left. My gut instinct told me to run from here and not look back. But, I needed to help Hampton out. I could handle this. After all the shit I’d d
ealt with, this woman was not going to be an issue.
Wipe her from your brain.
If she was here, this woman was a hooker or turning into one. That was a situation I did not need to get involved with.
Do the job and get out.
“May I help you?” The receptionist with flame red hair clicked her fingernails as she waited for me.
I shook my head to clear the images of the woman from earlier. “Bane Bradley. I’m here for a meeting with Jewel Mason.”
She efficiently typed something into the computer before responding, “Yes, you’ll be meeting Jewel in the Onyx Room. It’s down the hall and to the right.”
Following the plush black carpet, I went down the hallway that the brunette had gone down. Damn it, Bane. Stop this shit. She’s a fucking prostitute. Focusing on anything but the female, I stared at the red walls. Honestly, I didn’t care what the wall color was, but if it kept me from seeing her again, I’d admire it.
There were two rooms beside each other with their doors ajar; Diamond and Onyx. Keeping my gaze on the walls, I glanced in the Diamond Room. Fuck me, the beauty from earlier sat at a table in the middle of the room, shoulders slumped, fingers knotted in her lap.
The last thing I needed was for her to look up and then be stuck in some fucking eye trance. Quickly, I entered the Onyx Room, took off my dark wool coat, and laid it on the back of the chair. I suddenly felt caged as I paced back and forth in front of the chrome table. The red walls only heightened my anxiety. She was next door … alone.
Taking one deep breath, I forced myself to stop and calmly take a seat.
“Bane?”
A woman with black hair and red tips walked in wearing a revealing outfit with a seductive gleam in her eyes. The last thing I needed at this point was another woman to deal with. At least this woman didn’t have some sort of weird control over me.
“Yes, Jewel Mason?”
She had a raspy, sexy alluring voice, but it did nothing for me since the other woman was occupying my mind. “That’s me. Thanks for coming. Hampton phoned me to tell me you were one of his best.”
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