Page 17 of The Hitman's Secret Love Child

Chapter 7

Constantine – present

Hesitating at Robyn’s apartment door before knocking, I wondered if I should give myself a little more time to digest the information I’d obtained the previous day. I still hadn’t sorted things out in my mind on how I was going to approach the situation with her. Maybe my kid was better off without me in his life. I had a very short shelf life living my life the way I currently was. There wasn’t an abundance of retired hitmen living out their final years in a Florida retirement home.

If Robyn hadn’t gotten herself into the mess she was currently in and had found herself a man who would give her a stable home and marriage, this decision would be a whole lot easier. I’d just stay gone.

But she hadn’t. Instead she got herself involved with a man who wanted her dead. I’d spent the entire night pondering the part I played in getting her to where she was now. Was I the one who pushed her down this path? Everything had been so good. Then I made one stupid mistake. Granted it was one huge stupid mistake. Why hadn’t she talked to me about what she thought she knew back then?

Juggling the two Frappuccino’s and little bag with three bagels in it, I knocked, a loud and impatient knock, and waited. The need for answers overruled every hesitation I had about getting involved in her life again. The extent of my involvement was still up for discussion.

Footsteps sounded on the other side of the door as I was about to knock a second time. It seemed like an eternity, seconds feeling like hours, before she finally opened the door. She was wearing a light blue satin pajama set, the front of the camisole dipping low into her cleavage. There was a gentle stirring in my groin as my dick came to life.

Goddamnit! A hard-on wasn’t something I needed right now.

“Constantine? What do you want? It’s like 5 a.m.” Balling her hands into fists, she rubbed at her eyes and then blinked as she looked back up at me, lowering her hands back to her sides. Despite appearing to have just gotten out of bed, she looked hot. But that was just the initial glance. When I looked deeper into her eyes I saw the worry and strain in her expression. I wanted to hold her and tell her it was all going to be fine and that I was going to take care of things from here.

But I didn’t. I still had another part of me that was angry over what she’d done, regardless of her reasoning behind it. And I was scared that she’d reject my attempt to console her. If she could leave me back when we were teenagers without so much as an explanation, then who says she wanted anything to do with me now?

“We need to talk.”

She groaned out loud. “I’m tired. I didn’t get to sleep until past three.”

“Sleep can wait.” I pushed past her and into her apartment. “We have things to discuss that are much more pressing. Besides, I brought breakfast.”

“Austin is sleeping. Be quiet if you’re insisting on staying.” She sighed as she closed the door behind me. “I’m not hungry.”

“If it’s any consolation I never slept much last night either.” Rubbing my chin I felt the emergence of stubble. Almost time for a shave. Making my way over to the sofa, I flopped onto it, the force of my weight making the coils creak. Damn, this was one shoddy sofa. Once settled I placed the drinks and bagels onto the little wooden coffee table in front of me. “What do you have to worry about?” She shot me a nasty glare as she sat down beside me. “Gabriel not paying you enough to harass me?”

“Ummm. Wrong. Guess again, Robyn.” Anger began to rage within me again. Of course she knew why I was having difficulty sleeping.

“What do you want me to say? We both knew the kind of person you were back then…”

“Didn’t seem to bother you before,” I snapped.

“Because I was young and stupid.”

“Doesn’t appear that you’ve gotten any smarter over the years.”

Her lips formed into a sarcastic little sneer and I waited for her to demand I leave right then and there. Or slap me. She did neither. Taking a deep breath in, I counted backwards from ten as I slowly exhaled, calming my temper. If anyone had a right to be angry in this situation it was me! “I brought you a drink, double chocolate chip and an everything bagel with herb and garlic cream cheese. If I recall correctly, they used to be your favourite,” I said, removing the bagels, two for me and one for her from the brown paper bag and placing them on the table. Crumbling up the bag in my fist I placed the ball I created next to them. It used to be her favourite breakfast combo.

A look of guilt flashed in her eyes and she nodded, her expression softening. “It is. Thank you, I’m not hungry, but I could really use something to eat.” She snatched up the bagel and wolfed it down, washing it down with a big gulp of her beverage.

Watching her, I couldn’t help but laugh. She was so tiny, not a pound heavier than when we were together. Considering her appetite, it was shocking.

She stopped eating, cocking her head and staring at me. “What’s so funny?”

“You.” The laughing stopped, but the smile remained on my lips. “You always could pack away food at record speeds.”

“I ummm.” She lowered the bagel from her lips and shrugged, her cheeks taking on a slight rosy hue. “I prefer to call it a healthy appetite.”

“It’s definitely that.”

“You’ve always been jealous that I could drink you under the table as well.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t go that far.”

“I would.” She took another bite out of the bagel. “Remember Lucas McVicker’s party, during the shots contest?”

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