The Assassin
The chime of the bell echoed through the near-empty diner, pulling my attention from my phone to the door.
A man in a trench coat and a flat cap crossed the threshold.
The brim of his hat lay low over his eyes, shielding them from view.
Only the sharp lines of his jaw and the curve of his lips were visible.
The few waitresses behind the counter stared with wary eyes as he casually strolled down the aisle with his hands in his pockets.
I locked the burner phone and slid it into my pocket before he could see the open text thread on the screen.
“Hiding things again?” He asked, his voice hoarse as he slid into the cushioned seat across from me. “I thought we’d left that habit behind.”
“It’s called privacy,” I replied. “I’m a grown man. You don’t need to be all up in my business anymore.”
The corner of his lips turned upward in the tiniest of smiles. “Grown or not, your business is still mine.” He held out his hand, curling his fingers towards him. “Let me see it.”
“No. You’re not gonna sit here and treat me like a misbehaved teenager.”
“Well, you sure are acting like one.” A cough crawled up his throat.
He grabbed a napkin to cover it. As he pulled his hand back, tiny specks of red were splattered against the white surface.
He quickly balled up the napkin and hid it between his folded hands.
“What’s with the commotion you’re causing?
” He continued after clearing his throat.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“That’s strike two,” he said, his voice taking a sharper turn. “Don’t get to three.”
I almost rolled my eyes. “If you’re asking, I’m assuming you already know.”
“I do, but I wanted to hear your side. See if that changes my perspective.” He jutted his chin at the empty space beside me. “Where’s your little shadow?”
“Running errands,” I lied. I’d sent Maria to stay with Miles for a few days.
She tried to argue against it at first, but I didn’t leave her any space to.
She wasn’t going to suffer for my mistakes.
I could take whatever punishment Ares probably had in store.
At this point, they didn’t even bother me anymore.
Ares’s jaw ticked. “Alright,” he said, removing his hat so he could look me in the eyes.
The intensity of his pale green eyes, bright contrasted against his olive skin, whenever he was angry used to send shudders down my spine.
His livid gaze said more than his mouth ever did.
Older and stronger now, it didn’t scare me like it used to, but I still hated whenever he pulled it out.
“Last chance to tell the truth: what the fuck have you been up to?”
“Finishing a job.”
Ares scoffed, throwing himself back against the seat. He wanted to be mad at my response, but we both knew he couldn’t. Not when it was the truth. “Well, what’s taking so long? I assigned that job almost three months ago!”
“Unexpected obstacles.”
“Like…?”
I averted my eyes. “The target was taken care of, but the witness…they got away.”
“And how the fuck did that happen?”
“It was my fault. I underestimated her abilities, and I overestimated the amount of time I had before backup showed up. I didn’t have time to kill her.”
“Her?” He let out an empty chuckle. “I should’ve known it was a woman. No wonder your head has been in the clouds.”
“She’s not an ordinary woman; she’s intelligent and skilled and determined. She gives me a run for my money whenever I try to make a move on her.”
Ares tilted his head, amusement chasing away the anger in his eyes. “You like her, don’t you?”
“What? No. I can’t have feelings for a target.”
“Don’t worry; it happens to the best of us. I’ve fallen in love with one of mine before.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “Back when I was a mercenary, I was tasked to infiltrate and eliminate the family of a corrupt dictator. When I went in under the guise of a bodyguard, they assigned me to watch over the eldest daughter, Lila.” A genuine smile tugged at his lips as the memories came back to him.
“She was sweet, kind, and so fucking beautiful. It was hard to ice her out, play my role, when she was so nice - so open. On car rides, we’d have these long talks about whatever was on her mind.
Her fears, her struggles, her fears. It was impossible not to fall in love with her. ”
“What happened after you did?”
“I’m not going to lie, we engaged in a secret relationship for some time.
She didn’t want to tell her father, and I didn’t want to tell my handler.
It was the best six months of my life.” He paused, his smile falling.
“Eventually, the perfect opportunity presented itself, and I knew the job needed to come to an end. I knew I couldn’t keep her alive. ”
My brows came together. “So you killed her?”
He nodded. “Hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.”
“But weren’t there other options? Couldn’t you have taken her away with you? Made it seem like she died alongside her family?”
“I could’ve,” he said with a shrug. “But she was a weakness I couldn’t afford to have at the time.
And neither is the woman you’ve been dancing around.
” He leaned forward. “If you really need to, get the “what ifs” out of your system. Entertain whatever you think is going on between the two of you for one night. Maybe two if you really need to get her out of your system. Then, do what you’ve been trained to. That’s an order. Understand?”
“Yeah,” I muttered, struggling to keep my composure under the weight his demand placed on my chest. “I understand.”