He blinks, caught off guard. “What?”
“You heard me. Drop the job. The girl is off limits.”
He exhales slowly, tension leaving his shoulders. “You’re serious.”
I say nothing.
Then, reluctantly, he says, “Fine. I’ll drop it.”
“Good. I’ll let Emerald know to compensate you,” I assure him, releasing his collar.
“But you better know what you’re doing,” he adds, a hint of warning in his voice. “Whoever put that bounty out isn’t going to be happy about this.”
“I’m counting on it.”
He raises his hands slightly,then edges sideways along the wall, keeping his eyes on me until he’s clear of the gun. “Alright. She’s yours.”
I lower the gun and step aside, letting him pass. He doesn’t look back as he leaves the alley, disappearing into the flow of the pedestrian traffic on the street like he was never there.
I stand there for a second longer as the weight of what just happened settles into place. A contract on Nora. Six figures.
I reach into my pocket and pull out my phone, dialing before I can second-guess the decision.
It rings once.
“Didn’t expect to hear from you so soon,” Emerald answers, his tone lighter than expected.
“It’s not a social call,” I say flatly.
That wipes the ease out of his voice immediately. “What’s wrong?”
“You tell me.”
A pause. Then, more cautiously, “I’m going to need you to be more specific.”
“There’s a contract out,” I continue. “Six figures. Female target. Works at a café.”
Silence. “You want to elaborate?” he asks after a second.
“You assigned it,” I say. “Her name is Nora.”
“Where did you get that information?”
“The guy you sent.”
A loud sigh. “Okay. Now that you know, what do you want with the information?”
“I want the contract.”
His tone hardens instantly. “That’s not how this works.”
“Iknowthat. This is different.”
I can hear the frustration building on his end. “You don’t take female targets. That’s your rule.”
“I know my rules.”
And I’m breaking one right now, standing in an alley with another man’s gun still warm in my waistband, asking for a job I have every reason to refuse. I’ve built my entire life around those rules. They’re the only thing that ever separated me from the men I hunt. Yet here I am, ready to set one on fire for a girl who doesn’t even know my last name.
