Chapter 1
ONYX
“The body of prominent tech billionaire and philanthropist George Abbot was found dead this morning in his uptown loft.
Police say there are no signs of foul play or an attempted break in, but the investigation is still open and ongoing.
George Abbot was known for the good he's done in the city of New York, but with his death there's been a slew of very serious accusations along with a file that was emailed to the police of potential victims who might have been brutalized by the man.
Nothing is confirmed, but we'll bring you more updates as they come to light.”
I turned away from the television and towel dried my hair as my tea cooled.
Now that I was mission free, I had some errands to run.
There were people that needed to be taken care of, money that needed to be distributed, and I had to return Sasha's, of course.
She'd proven she was serious about the job. I didn't need to take her money.
After all, I really did have plenty of my own.
I tuned back into the TV in time to see something that piqued my interest. When the volume came back up, I grinned a little.
“ There's more news that the Black Widow of New York has struck again.
George Abbot is thought to be one of many victims. Even though there was no sign of foul play, police are searching for the Black Widow's signature, a card with a single black widow on it.
The words Um sementem faceris, ita metes—you reap what you sow—usually come along with it. "
Now, that brought me a sense of satisfaction. There was no point in going around killing these bastards if the friends that ran in their circles didn't know the truth; that someone saw everything they did, and they wouldn't get away with it.
Ringing dragged me out of my thoughts. I checked the ID before pressing the phone to my ear. "Cara."
"Hey, beautiful," she said. "Saw the mission went well."
"It did," I confirmed. "Took me a minute to get him to warm up, but it all worked out in the end."
"You're so good with them." She chuckled. "They always go where you lead."
"Don't they?"
I checked out my nails in the sun. There was a chip in one of them.
My little fight with George had ruined that manicure quickly, hadn't it?
Ugh. I had to go to the shop this afternoon.
It was hard enough trying to reel in these men who trusted no one and nothing, being anything less than perfection just made my job that much harder. No need for that.
"Are you ready for another one?"
I paused. "So quickly?
"What? You bored of the game already?"
I chuckled. "No, never that," I answered as I made my way to the kitchen. I sipped on my green tea. "Usually we have some space, that's all."
"True, but this one is a doozy, and I know how much you hate this particular kind of bug. The lowest of the low. Scum. True vermin."
My body went cold. "Fuck."
"Yeah."
"Send it to me," I said without hesitation. "Now. Has payment been secured or is this one a favor?"
"A favor."
"More than happy to take it."
"You've got it, handsome. I'm sending it your way now."
"Thanks, doll."
I hung up and sighed. Cara was great at her job, but sometimes I wished I could just go out and have a drink with her the way we used to.
However, that wasn't a possibility. Us being seen together would only compound the danger and suspicion we were already under every single day.
Maybe the cops hadn't figured it out yet, but one day, they would.
I knew it was inevitable, and I had come to terms with it a long time ago.
But that didn't mean I wasn't a little lonely.
Get it together. God, you're so pathetic. Look around you. Most people would kill to have what you have and all you can do is whine. Useless. Pathetic. Worthless. Ungrateful.
The words biting in my brain made me grimace. I slapped a hand against my head, trying to knock them out of me, as if that would work. Maybe I needed another mission. If I was allowed to sit with my own thoughts for too long, I would only spiral into the abyss.
Shaking my head, I forced myself to move before I became catatonic, plagued by my own thoughts.
First, I sent the video to Sasha. I didn't wait to hear back from her.
I simply broke the phone and continued on my way.
I settled behind my laptop, booted it up, and sipped my tea as my foot bounced nervously beneath my desk.
My skin tingled and my heart picked up speed like it always did when there was a new mission to explore.
I logged onto my secure server and opened Cara's email.
The attached packet read URGENT, DANGEROUS.
Immediately, my interest was piqued. I clicked on the file, holding my breath the entire time.
Cara's words meant that this one was a pedophile.
If there was anything I detested more than anything else, it was that shit.
My teeth sat on edge as I began to go over the profile and the client's request.
Name: Lucero Marino
Age: 28
Height: 7’2”
"Jesus. That's not a man, that's a mountain," I muttered.
Hair: Dark brown
Eyes: Hazel
Info: Second oldest of the Marino family, a new up and coming mafia group that is quickly starting to gain attention.
He's known to be loud, obnoxious, and a bit dim-witted.
Thinks with his fists. Not much else is known.
The Marino family keeps things close to their chest, but the client stated they have inside knowledge that the Marino family deals in children and this one is the worst of all.
Take him down free-for-all style. Have fun. Pic attached below.
I clicked on the picture and immediately froze.
Yeah, the man was ginormous. His thighs looked like they could crush my head like a watermelon.
I swallowed hard as I stared at him. He had short dark hair, buzzed on the sides, and dark facial hair as well.
In the picture, he came off as serious, but there was a glint of mischief in his eyes.
Even his body was different from what I expected.
Yes, he was big, but he had a serious dad bod going on.
In any other man, I would have found him attractive.
But not this one. I didn't fuck with trash like him.
I read and reread the file until I internalized every bit of information that I could retain. Likes, dislikes, most frequented places. I searched into his family. His past. All of it. Every bit of available detail was stored in my brain. By the time I was done, my tea was cold and I was exhausted.
***
Lucero Marino.
He stalked back and forth, muttering to himself as I watched, perched on a nearby bench.
For some reason, he was hanging out in the park, and while I didn't mind the sun, the smell of flowers, and the bit of peace, I couldn't help but to be perplexed as to why he was here.
At first, I'd thought the worst. However, we were nowhere near the playground.
What the fuck is he doing?
"Yeah, yeah, I know. I said I know!" he hollered into his phone. "I'm not yelling. No, I'm not! I've got something to do. Yes, it's important," he hissed.
I raised a brow. We'd been at this park for at least an hour, but no one had even approached him.
Was it a drug exchange? Or was he here to meet someone?
A victim? My stomach twisted and turned.
I bounced my knee up and down, trying to pretend to look at my phone while I kept an eye on him the entire time.
Can't believe this is my next mark. They're not even that big. Someone must have a personal issue with them. I wonder how bad it is.
Usually, I spoke to the client myself in a private meeting, out of the public eye, to get all the details.
This time, however, things were different.
The client was anonymous. No interview, no information, nothing.
They expressed and practically begged that they wanted to stay out of it as much as possible.
The trauma was too much. I understood that, and I sympathized. So, of course, I took the mission.
"Listen, I'll come in when I'm done. Okay? Ugh!"
Lucero hung up. I pretended to be even more enamored with my phone as he started to wander. He walked straight for a while before he disappeared into the trees, following a brick lined path.
Shit, where is he going now?
I scrambled to my feet and bumped into a man. He wheeled back, a scowl on his face.
"Fuck you, watch where you're going!"
I narrowed my eyes at him. "Why don't you watch where the fuck you're going, you goddamn asshole? Go fuck yourself!"
The man looked taken aback. Yeah, I knew I was small for a guy at only five-foot-six, but I didn't back down to pieces of shit. Neither was I the same elegant, well-spoken persona that I donned at parties. I had no time for idiots.
"Jesus, calm down," the man muttered.
I shoved a finger at him. "Fuck off and die. You don't get to be in someone's face and then tell them to calm down. Move!"
My hand pressed against him as I moved the jerk out of my way. He'd made me lose precious time that I didn't have to waste. I darted down the path that Lucero had taken. My head snapped left and right, but there was no one around.
"Shit," I swore, my foot tapping incessantly against the ground. "Where are you?"
"Looking for me?"
I turned to see the mountain of a man smiling down at me. He laid a hand on my head, his fingers pushing through my hair before he pulled it back and smiled even wider.
"Wow, that's just as soft as I thought it would be," he cooed.
I stared at him. "What? Who the hell are you? Don't touch me, freak!"
Lucero stepped forward. "You know who I am."
My hand slipped into my pocket, fist circling the vial of potassium that I had drawn just for him. Before I could pull it out to administer the dose, he grabbed me, dragging me against his body.
"You don't need that shot," he said. "Trust me, I already know who you are. And I know you know me."
Icy cold dread laced down my spine. When I tried to pull out the syringe, he yanked it from my hand, tucked it away, and hauled me over his shoulder.
"Let me go. Hey, let me go, asshole!"
Lucero patted me on the back. "Shhh. I finally got you." He chuckled. "This is the best day of my life."
I'm pretty sure I'm going to die.