All assignments went through the Syndicate, and then whichever guild bid the most won the job. If multiple bids were accepted, every Guildmaster would have been informed. But independents weren’t tracked.
“What was your plan? To protect him?”
“No.” Rae ignored the clench in her gut, at Vivian’s response. She was more volatile than normal, almost unprepared. “Until I can figure out what’s going on, it’s best to keep him close, rather than let another guild complete the assignment.”
“The Syndicate isn’t going to believe this.” Vivian reached for a tissue, gently patting the dark circles beneath her eyes. She wore silk pyjamas, her hair up in rollers. Rae had never seen her so bare of her usual armour, tense. “You were supposed to kill him. Not bloody befriend him.”
“Trust me, we’re not friends,” Rae muttered. “And I did kill him, sort of.”
Cold calculation in the brown of her eyes when they finally turned back, her resolve fully back in place. “How you deal with your target isn’t my problem. You’ve already cost me a lot of money Rae, giving you a contract and paying off your brother’s debt. Sometimes I wonder if that was the right decision.”
“I’ve completed everything you’ve asked, and according to this hit, I still have time.”
“Less than forty-four hours to kill him. Or the forfeit initiates, and your life is out of my hands.”
Rae’s nails pressed into her palms. “I need to figure out who created the hit, I’m not going to risk losing out on the completion if there’s others working against me.”
“You know that’s not how it works. We don’t receive anything but the information to carry out the assignment.”
“Surely you have –”
“That’s enough!” Her voice was a verbal slap, leaving no room for argument, or excuses. “You know what needs to be done. Do not disappoint me.” Vivian dismissed her with a wave of her hand, ending the conversation.
She owed Vivian her life, but right then Rae fought anger and frustration. Without Vivian intervening Rae would have been dead, or worse. She’d offered Rae a lifeline by signing her to the guild, becoming a contractor in exchange for paying the loan sharks. Ten million Ravyns her brother had owed to some bad people, and they’d gone after Rae as collateral. Each hit slowly reimbursed what Vivian had paid, and until then she didn’t have a choice.
She was thankful that Vivian had helped, but she knew that woman didn’t do anything from the kindness of her heart. She may have paid ten million, but she did it knowing it was an investment. She’d received a contractor that couldn’t refuse assignments, and after accounting all the conditions in the contract, Vivian would make easily ten times what she’d originally paid.
“What the fuck did I hear about a man in your room, Cupcake?” a voice sneered as Rae walked down the hall, lost in her own thoughts.
She scowled at Nathan. “I’m not in the mood right –” A long, slim arm reached out to grab her, hauling her hard against the wall. The impact knocked the air from her lungs, the enchantments pulsating in the background.
“You were supposed to break your streak for me!” Nathan hissed, adding pressure on her arm against her chest before he stepped back. “I’m the one who deserves it.”
“Why’s everyone so interested in my sex life?” Rae kept herself pressed to the wall, Nathan giving her little room to manoeuvre.
His tongue flicked out to lick across her cheek. Rae couldn’t control her recoil. “Fuck off Nathan, I’m not in the mood for your games.”
“Why him? Why not me?”
“You?”
“Yes me,” he growled. “I think I’ve been fucking patient considering –”
“Considering? Considering what?” she interrupted. “You know it’s the twenty-first century right? I’m not interested in you, or anyone else for that matter. Now back off.”
His pupils shifted into slits. “You owe me for helping you.”
Rae’s mouth snapped open. “Fuck you, Nathan. I’m not sleeping with you because you helped me.” She swore it felt like fumes were coming out of her ears.
“Well, I wasn’t planning on much sleeping.” He brushed his fingers against her jaw, featherlight before moving down her throat, and then lower. “You’re mine, I was promised –”
Rae didn’t let him finish, lifting her knee and hitting him straight between the legs. He collapsed against her with a puff of air, but recovered far faster than she’d expected.
“Do not touch –”
A sharp pain across her face.
“Don’t worry,” he whispered against her stinging cheek, blood on her tongue. “I’ll make you pay for that.”
