by Sam Crescent
“Shit,” said Shadow. “That would be a problem for me.”
“Just worry about your contract. I’ll keep him busy.”
Shadow adjusted his harness, and checked the clip in his Glock. “If he gets in my way, I will kill him.”
“Fair enough.”
He moved in closer, slipping in and out of the paths between containers, unseen as he neared the location. His mark from the restaurant stood in between his men, adjusting the collar of his jacket. That smug prick thought he was invincible, but he never expected Killer of Kings.
Never expected Shadow.
He pulled out the sniper rifle he had strapped to his back, bent down on one knee and adjusted his sights, taking his time. This was what he lived for, what he was trained to do. He took out his target with one clean shot. A rush ran though his body, making his cock hard, when the mark collapsed to the ground. Shadow dropped the rifle and stood up, shooting the scrambling men one by one until only the caw of seagulls and waves slashing the dock filled the air.
He took a deep breath of the salty air, and noticed El Diablo packing up from his distant position on the metal container.
His intuition nagged him to check up on Riley. That asshole and his entourage had seen her last night. Shadow hated entangling Riley into his world, but all he could do now was work hard to keep her safe. He pulled out his cell phone and logged into the security system he set up in the bakery. There were a few customers in the store, settling his nerves slightly. He zoomed in when he saw a man looking through a cake book with Riley, his hand on her shoulder. That’s when he saw it.
The tattoo.
The infinity symbol Maurice had shown him.
Thanks to Riley’s lip reading, he knew his mark was on to him, so all the doubles probably had the tattoo by now. Shadow felt lightheaded, his heart hammering in his chest. That same feeling of helplessness he’d known too well as a child, infused into his blood. It was a twenty-minute drive back to the plaza. The mark was dead, but he must have already sent a hit out on Riley. One of his fucking body doubles was at the bakery.
He called Riley as he rushed back to his car. She didn’t answer. Shit!
Shadow sped down the side streets to get to the highway. His only mission was getting to his woman. Everything else could wait. As he drove, his cell rang. He used his hands-free system as he wove in and out of traffic.
“I see your intel panned out,” said Boss. “Good work.”
“Not now. There’s a hitman at the bakery. Why the fuck didn’t you have Chains bury these fuckers weeks ago?”
“Killer of Kings runs like a choreographed dance. It’s a thing of beauty,” said Boss, his voice carrying the usual calming timbre. “And for God’s sake, Shadow, we’re not primitive. Everyone working for me has a unique skillset, far beyond these so-called hitmen for hire. Sometimes I like to challenge my men, sometimes I teach them lessons.”
“Look, I get it, but this isn’t a fucking game! Riley’s life is in danger.” He remembered how Boss had taught Killian a lesson about killing women. Shadow wasn’t some new recruit. He’d been killing all his life, and besides a few hiccups, he did his job well.
“How far will you go to save her, Shadow?”
Chapter Eight
This guy didn’t want to book or arrange a cake. Riley played along though. She didn’t exactly have much choice. When the guy put his hand on her shoulder, she wanted to vomit, but again, like every other time she was faced with a hard decision, she kept her cool.
Tucking her hair behind her ear, she saw several girls enter the shop.
“You keep looking while I serve.” She smiled up at him, and went behind the counter to serve the young girls. She didn’t alert them to the fact there was a monster in their midst. They didn’t need to know that kind of shit.
The man in question was staring at her, and she didn’t really have time to get Shadow on the phone. This was one of the men from the restaurant. She didn’t like this one bit. Why would this guy suddenly want anything to do with her? It was a set-up. Growing up on the streets, in between foster homes, she’d come to realize at a young age when danger lurked.
Releasing a breath, she looked around, and saw that no one was around.
“So, have you picked a design yet?” she asked, moving toward him.
“I was wondering if you could show me some of the cake sizes. I’m sorry, I really don’t get the whole size and look ratio thing. All of these cakes look really small, and I won’t do small.”
You’re a fucking liar.
If he got her to go to the back of the bakery, he was going to try to kill her. Avoiding the bakery would arouse his suspicions and right now, she just wanted to live through the next few minutes.
If I live through this I swear I’m going to stop stressing about the little things, and enjoy life. I’ll have sex more. I’ll do more of everything and less of the boring stuff. I’ll live my life to the fullest and never allow a dull moment to interrupt my awesomeness.
She thought about Shadow and how he’d made her feel in the few times they’d been together. Last night had been magical, and the thought of never seeing him again, filled her with pain.
“Sure. Two seconds. Let me just lock the door so no one comes in and tries to steal the stuff that I’ve got on offer.” Her heart raced as she flicked the lock into place. I can do this.
Smiling at the man, she walked into the back of her bakery.
He was close behind her, and within seconds he had a gun pressed against her skull. Reaching into her pocket, she felt the only thing that she knew how to use. Breathing in and out, she closed her eyes.
“You really shouldn’t have fallen into my lap so easily.” He spun her around, and she forced herself to look at him. To stare at the man who intended to kill her. “It’s a shame. You’re pretty for a fat girl. I’d have loved to fuck you, but I don’t have time. I’ve got to meet my boss. I can’t keep him waiting.” His gaze ran down her body, but she didn’t think. She stomped on his foot, and jarred her elbow into his stomach.
The shock of her attack put him in a vulnerable position, and after he’d pressed a gun to her temple, she wasn’t in a forgiving mood. She was pissed off. Without another thought to what she was doing, she plunged the blade into the bastard’s eye, pulling it out, and stabbing him in the throat. She acted on pure adrenaline, her only thought to survive, and she took the guy by surprise.
She gasped, and stepped away, holding the knife in her hand like it was a lifeline. The man gargled, screamed, and then fell to the floor, blood dripping from his eye and his neck. She had just killed a man, and she stared down at the floor where he’d collapsed into a heap, frozen in place.
“Well, I have to say I’m surprised.”
Riley spun around and saw Boss standing in the entryway. “But I locked the door.”
“Being the owner of Killer of Kings, you learn a few things. Like getting spare keys to the places of the women in your workers’ lives. Shadow has been interested in you for some time. I thought he’d have actually taken you by now, but he was always a bit of a dramatic bastard, and self-serving as well. The martyr.”
She pointed at the man on the floor. “He was going to kill me.”
“Yes. I don’t think he anticipated the knife, do you?” He laughed. “The name’s Boss, by the way.” He held his hand out for her, and she merely stared at it.
“Are you high?” Her hand was covered in blood, and she’d killed a man. All of the evidence was in her bakery, and she had nothing to tell the cops, and her life had just gone to shit. Everything was collapsing on her.
Suddenly Boss caught her arms, holding her up. “Don’t freak out on me.”
“I’m really kind of losing it right now. I don’t need to be dealing with this.”
“Take a deep breath.”
“Get your hands off her,” Shadow said, appearing behind Boss. “How the hell did you get here before me?”
Two other big men entered
the bakery soon after Shadow. She still held the knife in her hand and she stared at Shadow, needing him more than anything, but Boss didn’t let her go.
“Apparently, she had it all under control.” Boss finally released her, and she began to shake. Boss leaned down, and checked the tattoo. He whistled. “Another body double. Shit, there’ll be a lot of these fuckers out of work now.”
“What the fuck is the meaning of this?” A guy with an accent spoke up, and she frowned. “That was supposed to be my mark.”
“You didn’t get the hit, El Diablo, Shadow did. I never doubted him.” Boss grabbed the knife from her hand, closing it up, and pocketing it. That was the knife that had gotten her through many scrapes and there was no way in hell that anyone was going to take that away from her.
“Give me back my knife.” Whatever shock or trance she’d been in faded at him stealing her knife.
Boss ignored her and faced the other men. He began to talk, but she wasn’t listening to him. Her mind buzzed, and she felt faint, but she was still determined to get what belonged to her.
“Give me back my damn knife.” Her temper began to increase, and she really, really needed her knife back. Her sanity slowly slipped away. When he didn’t give it to her, she took matters into her own hands, and shoved her hand in his pocket.
Boss caught her hand, holding her wrist, and applying a great deal of pressure. Before she realized what was happening, guns were pointed at all of them.
“I just want my knife back,” she whispered, her fire dwindling.
“It’s covered with blood,” Boss said. “You were clearly having a hard time dealing with it.”
“It’s not the first time it’s been covered with blood.” She stared at Boss. “Give it back. Please.”
He sighed, pulling the blade out of his pocket, placing it in her hands. She wrapped her fingers around it, ignoring the men as she went to her sink. All of the food she had was going to have to be tossed out. Everything. She couldn’t afford this kind of loss, not right now.
“Are you okay?” Shadow asked, coming toward her.
She glanced up at him, seeing the concern on his face.
“I’m fine.” Right now, she didn’t want to talk.
“We’ll take care of everything. A cleaning crew will be here and you won’t have to see any of it.”
Riley snorted. “I’ll be seeing this stuff in my nightmares tonight.” She cleaned the blade and winced as she cut herself. Her hands were shaking, and no matter what she did, she couldn’t get them to stop. Gritting her teeth, she dropped the blade into the sink, and Shadow took over. He grabbed her wrists, and tutted. He pulled her into the small bathroom, closing the door, hiding them away.
He cupped her face, tilting her head back. “I had no idea that asshole was coming here.”
“You were going to hit him, right?”
“I was going to do more than hit him, I was going to fucking kill him.”
“I saved you a job.”
“Yeah, and Boss is thinking of paying you.”
She tilted her head to the side. “What kind of money are we talking about here?”
“The kind of money that will stop you worrying for a while. You’d be able to invest in a new kitchen with all the latest gadgets.”
Riley smiled. “That would be nice. To not have to worry about money. Does Boss have a job opening?”
Shadow shook his head. “No, this life is not for you, and I won’t let you try this shit either. It’s dangerous, scary, and you don’t need to deal. You’re a baker. Not a killer.”
“I’m starting to think I should pick another profession.” She stared down at her hands, which were soaked with blood. Hers and that of the man that was going to kill her. Biting her lip, she felt tears spring to her eyes, and she moaned. “I killed someone today.”
“I know, baby.”
“He had a gun pressed against my head, and I realized I didn’t want to die.”
“You did the right thing. That man didn’t deserve to live, and he sure as hell didn’t deserve to take you from me.” He pressed a kiss against her lip. “You didn’t do a bad thing.”
“I killed a man. In no way is that normal. That is crazy and insane, and that makes me a monster.”
She began to hyperventilate.
This was all just too much. Between discovering that Shadow was a hitman, and that a murderer had tried to kill her, she couldn’t think.
“Baby, look at me.”
She hugged her chest, and she was trying to focus. The door to the bathroom slammed open. Boss and the two other men were there. She was starting to see spots, and everything was spinning.
“You’re going to have to shoot her up,” Boss said. “She’s going to hurt herself.”
There was screaming, and Riley was surprised to hear that it was her. She was losing her mind.
“Baby!” Shadow grabbed her, but it was no use. She couldn’t stop it. All of the occasions of her past, and everything else, it was just too much. Every single memory, every single pain, it was all there, blooming within her chest, and she couldn’t make it stop.
“I’m sorry,” Shadow said.
Something pinched her arm, and it wasn’t long before the world went blank.
****
Shadow caught Riley in his arms before she completely passed out. He wouldn’t let her fall, and he’d never seen a woman lose it so quickly. This wasn’t just about the man she’d just killed. He’d seen the horror in her eyes, and in that one action, all of the pain from her past had come through, trapping her. Lifting her up in his arms, he looked at Boss.
“Women really don’t know when to shut up,” Boss said.
“This shouldn’t have happened.”
“I know, but who would have known he’d take a hit out on a girl that stole his phone?” Boss shrugged. “Talk to Killian, Viper, even fucking Bain. Women in this industry are going to get hurt. There’s no way you can stop it.”
“I don’t want her hurt.”
“Yeah, well, you’re going to have to protect her now.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” asked Shadow.
“They know her. She’s made herself a target. We’ll get this place cleaned up, but she can’t come back here until we get everyone available in his little circle,” Boss said. He turned to look at El Diablo. “What about you? Are you willing to take a chance with the good guys?”
Shadow rolled his eyes.
“You’re not the good guys. No one is a good guy. Killing a man to save someone, still makes you a murderer,” El Diablo said, spitting on the floor.
“Yeah, I can do without the philosophy debate. Really not interested. I only care if you can kill and do the job quietly.” Boss handed him a card. “There’s a price tag for every kill related to that fucker.” He turned back to Shadow. “Hide her.”
“What do you know?” Shadow asked.
“I know that people like this bastard have a following. She’s going to be on their shit list, so be ready to start a mass kill. We’re going to need to take them all out.” Boss stared at her. “This wasn’t her first kill.”
Shadow didn’t say anything. He’d already figured that out.
“Protect her,” Boss said, stepping away.
He didn’t wait around to question Boss’s sudden protective nature. This was one of those moments where Boss confused him.
Taking her out to the car, he lowered her into the back seat, closing the door. Climbing inside, he took off, knowing there was only one place he could go. The injection he’d given her would have her out cold for a few hours, and he had time to get her settled.
Never had he been more terrified than seeing that fucker in the bakery where she worked. He’d raced to get there, but he’d been too late. He couldn’t bring himself to even think of life without her.
Damn it.
How had his neighbor gotten under his skin so fucking fast? He didn’t want to even think about it. Pulling up outside of the gym, he
picked her up out of the car.
Ronny was outside having a smoke, which he tossed away the moment he saw Shadow.
“I didn’t know you were coming.”
“What have I told you about that shit? It’ll fucking kill you if you keep it up.” He nodded for Ronny to open the door, and he did. It wasn’t long before several of the guys were surrounding him. “Give me some space.”
They stepped back. “That’s the chick from the other night,” one of the boys said.
“I’m taking her back to the office. None of you have used it to fuck, have you?”
“No, sir,” they all said, making his head spin.
“If I find out you have, I’ll punish you all.” He stepped around the young men, and took Riley straight to the office.
There wasn’t anything out of place. He doubted they’d have broken his rules about using his office. Placing Riley on the sofa, he grabbed a blanket to place over her.
“She OD’d or something?” Ronny asked.
Shadow stroked the hair back from her face. The blood on her hands was still there. He had a small bathroom, and he stood shaking his head. “No, she hasn’t. I’ve given her something to help her sleep.”
He filled a small bowl with some soapy water, and a sponge. Picking up the first aid kit on the way out, he sat down beside her, and started to work on the hands, being careful not to damage the cut, which was still bleeding.
Once he had her hands clean, he went about cleaning out the cut. Ronny had left, only to return five minutes later. “I don’t know if you want any clean clothes. These have come back from the laundry. They don’t have blood on them or anything.”
“Thank you,” Shadow said.
Ronny came from a really bad life. His stepfather used him as a punching bag until Shadow showed him how to use his fists. All of the boys at the gym needed help, and Shadow had used his spare time to teach them all how to take care of themselves, the same way his mentor had with him. Of course, they were boys to him, but most were in their early twenties, some older teens.
It was his one good deed out of a lifetime of death. Rubbing at his temple, he closed his eyes, thinking about how he could have found Riley dead on the floor. The image drove him nuts.