The omega glanced back, and for a split second, our eyes met. He looked young, but there was nothing soft about him. He was no helpless omega. He was a predator. Like me.
And then he was gone.
He vaulted over a chain-link fence like it was nothing and disappeared into the night.
I stopped at the fence and gripped the cold metal as my heart hammered in my chest. I couldn't tell if it was from the chase or from the way that omega had looked at me. Maybe a bit of both.
Who the fuck was that?
2
CARMINE
When the call came in at three in the afternoon, I was cleaning my knives. I already knew who it was before I looked at the screen.
Lorenzo was my handler, but he was also the man who'd raised me after my parents were killed. My uncle trained me from childhood and turned me into exactly what the Bandino family needed.
A weapon.
Glad to have something to do, I answered it on speaker. "What's the job?"
"Good afternoon to you too, Carmine." Lorenzo’s voice was amused, with the affection of the father he was to me. It would've been comforting if I didn't know better. He didn’t call to shoot the shit. This was a business call, so he needed something done that no one else could do. "I have something that requires your particular skill set since you’re still on the east coast."
I put down the knife I'd been sharpening and leaned back in my chair. "I'm listening."
"There's a problem out east. The feds are talking about a serial killer who’s been targeting omegas. It normally wouldn’t matter to us, but one of our contacts has mentioned a connection to some of our east coast properties. There will be blowback if we don’t handle things quickly." He paused and rustled some paper in the background. "Since you’re already out there, I need you to deal with it before anyone on this coast starts asking questions. Quick in-and-out job. You know how it works."
I knew it all too well. "Who's the target?"
"Derek Webb. I'm sending you the file now." My phone buzzed with an incoming email notification, so I opened it up and skimmed the details. Photos, addresses, and routines. Everything I needed to get the job done. "Timeline?"
"Soon. Preferably tonight. He's getting sloppy, and the longer he's out there, the more attention he’s drawing."
"I'll take care of it." And I’d enjoy every minute of it. I always did. Getting rid of the scum of the earth was something I did well.
"I know you will.”
I checked my watch and had some time before I could possibly meet up with the guy. "Anything else I need to know?"
"Just don't make a mess."
I almost laughed. I never made a mess. That was the whole point of using me. "Copy."
After I hung up, I continued to stare at the file on my phone. The guy looked ordinary. Boring, even. But the story of his victimstold a different story. They were all young omegas, and after the haunting photos of the first two, I closed the file. I didn’t need to see more.
If he wanted a fight with an omega, he’d officially found one.
Men like Derek Webb didn't deserve to breathe the same air as the rest of us, and I had no qualms about stealing the last breath right from his chest.
I parked in an open space that was halfway between his job and his apartment building. According to the file, he would be leaving the bar in about twenty minutes, so I had time to scout the area and find the best spot to make my move.
After a quick pep talk, I slipped out of my car and pulled my hood up. The streets were mostly empty, so the alley between two buildings that he normally cut between was perfect. It was dark, narrow, and out of sight of any random passersby.
All I had to do was position myself behind a dumpster and wait.
After a few minutes, I heard the footsteps and prepared to strike. Derek Webb turned into the alley, and I moved before he had a chance to react. One hand clasped over his mouth and my other brought my knife to his throat.
He struggled for a second with wide eyes, but he knew it was already over before he could even process what was happening.
