Planning for the long-term was simply not something people in his line of work were inclined to do. It was a depressing and pointless exercise, considering how they risked their lives almost daily. But even if he had indulged in such fantasies, never would he have envisioned the life he now lived.
The more time he spent with her, the more he hungered for her, and it was the kind of hunger that disturbed because it went beyond the physical.
They had been together for about a week now, and the fact that he had yet to claim her fully was something even he could not explain.
It was not that he didn’t want her.
He did.
Extremely.
To the point that he took cold showers several times a day, emerging with his jaw clenched and his body still thrumming with unsatisfied need.
But for some reason, the more he needed her, the more he didn’t want to take her. There was something his body, heart, and soul were all waiting for.
Something he wasn’t yet ready to put into words.
Because she was disturbing him more and more.
The way it was so effortlessly easy for her to make him laugh was disturbing—actual laughter, the kind he hadn’t produced in years, startled out of him by her ridiculous observations and terrible puns and the sheer absurdity of her attempts at cooking.
The way she made him say and do things out of character was disturbing—the incessant craving for her company, when he used to find peace in solitude. The impulse to reach for her hand whenever she was near. The hollow feeling in his chest when she left a room, even temporarily.
But most disturbing of all was how she made him forget that he was weak.
And that was a dangerous thing to happen now of all times, especially with the email landing in his inbox. He had asked his contacts to look into Moates, with Zacharie’s instincts warning him that it was only a matter of time before the other man made another attempt, this time against Mira.
SUBJECT: MOATES, BRAXTON - Priority Threat Assessment
BACKGROUND:
Subject was not merely a client of the Las Vegas trafficking ring—he was an active recruiter. Financial records indicate commission payments dating back eighteen months, corresponding with at least seven confirmed disappearances in the Southern California area.
TRINA DE LOS REYES:
Subject’s relationship with victim began as operational. She was an unwitting asset, used to identify and approach targets. Evidence suggests she became aware of the operation’s true nature approximately three weeks before her death.
CAUSE OF DEATH:
Subject eliminated victim when she began asking questions about the source of the $50,000 payment. Insurance policy ($200,000, subject as sole beneficiary) provided additional financial motivation.
DANE MORRISON:
Victim was conducting independent investigation into subject’s finances following funeral. Digital forensics indicate he accessed records linking subject to the trafficking ring hours before the shooting.
MIRA DE LOS REYES:
Subject has expressed specific intent to eliminate this target. Intercepted communications reference her as “the last witness” and “unfinished business.” Subject appears to hold personal animosity beyond operational necessity.
PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT:
Subject is experiencing rapid decompensation. Behavioral patterns indicate abandonment of prior methodical approach. Three known aliases burned within 72 hours. Financial movements suggest no exit strategy.
Subject is no longer operating with self-preservation as primary motivation.
Maximum protective posture recommended immediately.
A voice inside his head—one he had spent decades trying to silence—started speaking as he read the email for the second time.
