Page 38 of Mad Love

“My muscle memory kicked in before the thought even left my head. I disarmed him and stabbed him in the shoulder with his own knife.”

“How old were you?”

“Seventeen.”

I shift in her direction. “That’s young.”

She shrugs. “Dante was furious with Mercer, but he broke the rules. He was supposed to be dead to the world, but he stayed in contact with me and Elijah. Mercer found out and came to kill us, but when he saw what I did – what I could be trained to become – he gave us a second option. I made my first kill a week later.”

I shake my head. “That’s no way for a girl to grow up.”

“Oh, I grew up long before that…” A quiet breath escapes her lips as she stares straight into the black dirt. “I watched my parents die when I was five-years-old.”

A rush of emotion takes my nerves. I’m tempted to say something, but I wouldn’t know what to say even if I could.

“I still remember every detail,” she says, her voice just above a whisper. “From the moment the truck swerved into our lane to when the… to when the paramedics laid those sheets over their faces. I remember the smoke and the fire. I couldn’t breathe. There was blood on my hands and all I could do was scream.” Her eyes flick, daring to look at me but they don’t quite make it. “Dante pulled me from the car, then went back in for Elijah. When he laid him down beside me, he wasn’t moving. I could see Eli’s chest rising and falling. I knew that was a good thing, but I still couldn’t stop screaming. Dante threw his arms around me and said, ‘I’ve got you, little sister. I’ve got you.’” She pauses. “Since that moment, it’s been us. We knew we had to stick together. Snake Eyes was no different. A family of killers was better than no family at all. Nine years later and that’s still true.”

I open my mouth to speak but nothing comes out. I can hardly breathe, trapped in a box beneath six feet of dead earth.

“So, what do you think, Archer?” she asks, finally turning her head to look at me. Her eyes glisten behind a blanket of soft, unfallen tears. “Am I a monster?”

My lungs ache as I take a deep breath and the air burns inside. “No,” I answer.

Lilah nods as a bright beam of light covers her face. She squints and rolls her shoulders back, standing a little taller as her sad expression fades.

Three black cars pull into the empty lot, stopping all in a line about ten yards away from my trailer.

The driver steps out of the middle car and calmly walks to open the back door.

Enzo Zappia emerges from inside with a blissful grin crawling across his face, along with two armed men in black suits. He says nothing but his deep cackle grows louder with every step he takes toward us.

“Allen,” he says, clapping once, “I had my doubts. I honestly didn’t expect you to catch her so quickly.”

“Little bit of luck,” I say. “Little bit of skill.”

“And a lot of fun, I bet.” He sneers at Lilah, his eyes throbbing like a predator in heat.

I look at her to find her leering up at me. “A little,” I say.

Lilah keeps that blank expression but the edges of her mouth twitch slightly.

Enzo grabs her by the arm and pulls her toward him, breaking our eye contact as he twists her around. He stares her down, bearing his crooked teeth, and my guts churn inside. “It’s nice to see you again, Ms. Hart,” he says.

“Meh.” She shrugs.

He chuckles and pulls her closer to run his nose along her neck. “Don’t look so disappointed. You had this coming.”

She doesn’t blink. “So do you.”

Enzo digs his nails into her arm. “Take a good look around. This will be the last time you see the outside world.”

I take a step forward as he tugs her away from me. “We should discuss payment.”

He barely glances at me. “You’ll be paid once the job is done.”

“Hey…” I reach out and take hold of Lilah’s other arm. “I brought the girl. As we agreed.”

“I told you to take out the others, too,” he says, giving her a solid yank in his direction. “They’re still breathing, right?”

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