“Don’t you think if we could take down that West Coast circus, we would’ve done it by now?”
I shrug.
“We can help you.But you have to help us.”His sharp gaze digs into mine.“We want something in return.”
I don’t move.
“You’re secretive, intelligent, tenacious.Gutsy as fuck.”He cracks a grin, the toothpick jogging.“We need a man like that.”
“You have plenty of men.”
“A man who can erase a name off the map before breakfast.”
I sigh, annoyed.“You owe me a favor.”
“And you have a rare talent we want.”He aims a finger at me.“We want to hire you.”
“You want to own me.”
“There are many shades of ownership.”
“Says the man who owned sex slaves and sold them to the highest bidder.”
The sick fucking monster smiles.
“No one owns me.”I straighten, hardening my tone.“I don’t work for anyone.The answer is no.”
“You’ll change your mind.”
“You’ll have to kill me first.I won’t give the remaining years of my miserable life to a cartel.I know how that story ends.There’s only one way out.”
He examines me for a long, unbearable moment.Then his mouth crooks.“You’re not wrong.”
Death.
That’s the only way out.
But if I don’t accept their offer, I’m dead anyway.They’ll make sure of it.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuuuuuck!
I shouldn’t have come here.I’ve fucked up fantastically, and every instinct screams for an exit.
The shadows stir behind him.A door creaks open, and two shapes emerge from the darkness.
As the figures float closer, they blur into living glitches, forming the wrong copies of something familiar.
At first, I think the smoke’s playing tricks on me.Then I see the details.The same build.Same coloring.Similar facial features.One looks like Dove, the other like Wolf.A pair of distorted reflections.Almost indistinguishable.
Almost.
My gut squirms, telling me something’s off.Little things like the missing beauty mole on the woman’s collarbone and the slightly duller eye color on the man.Not noticeable to anyone.
I notice.
