The saying was correct—people shouldn’t hate the player. They should hate the game.
???
“No—take me to the other house tonight,” I buzzed through to the driver. He changed course.
The night was quiet for the city. There weren’t many people out on the streets. I checked the time. It was only a little after ten.
I stared at my watch, remembering the first Rolex I’d bought. Not on credit or a payment plan—outright, on my debit card, because I could.
A marker of my success.
We turned onto the street, and I saw her face on every lamppost.
Missing.
Have you seen…
Lielit’s smiling face.
And beneath it, a paltry reward and a contact number.
“Stop here and wait. I’ll walk,” I said, hitting the intercom again.
The brisk walk through the cool night air was refreshing. I slowed as I reached the house, slipping around the back. I punched in the combination and opened the wooden door. The garden was neat, filled with a variety of vegetation and herbs—the pear tree in full bloom.
Light shone from the house.
The scene was identical to the last time I’d been here.
A family quietly grieving, but surviving.
The kind of family I never had.
???
Two months passed, and I finally had it in my hands.
The dossier to destroy the current prime minister. His crimes were so well hidden that I’d had to utilise multiple factions to dig out the links before I could secure physical proof.
He was a powerful man—but everyone had their weakness.
Her scent’s almost gone, Fenrir growled.
Nothing new there. I’d learned to ignore him—just as he did me.
What do you think the purpose of the heat was?he purred.
I closed my eyes.
The heat.
The best five days of my—
My eyes snapped open.
What do you mean by purpose?I demanded.
Silence.
