Page 3 of The Hitman's Secret Love Child

Chapter 2

Constantine

The shock in her expression was priceless; it made my smirk turn into a full-fledged smile. No doubt she hoped she’d never see me again. No one who ran off on the man she claimed to love after giving him her virginity without so much as an explanation or goodbye expected to see him again. It was bound to happen, though. Even in a city as huge as New York City, people had a way of running into each other – eventually. It just so happened that this wasn’t accidental.

“Constantine…” Her green eyes looked huge as she stared up at me, her complexion pale. I almost felt bad for her – almost. But here’s the problem, she’d walked out on me. I’d fallen in love with her and she’d taken my fragile, nineteen-year-old heart six years ago and crushed it under her stiletto. I’d never forgiven her for that, but I’d never been able to forget her either, no matter how much I tried to fuck her out of my system with just about any girl who crossed my path.

“Small world.” My gaze locked with hers as the subway car jolted forward, causing her to stumble on her heels. Reaching out, I grasped her arm just above the elbow to help steady her. Once she got her balance she pulled her arm from my grasp, a look of annoyance in her expression.

“I… Umm.” She raked a hand through her flaming red hair, which faded into black tips. I think women called it an ombre? I watched as her fingers ran through her silky locks. Was it crazy that I could still remember how soft her hair was? I subconsciously leaned into her and a whiff of her shampoo which teased my nose – strawberry-scented. It was the same scent I remembered from so many years ago.

Meeting her one on one had been a bad idea. I should have just completed the job and been done with it. But I hadn’t anticipated the rush of memories to bombard my mind just by standing before her. It was as though the years had peeled back and we were teenagers again.

“How have you been?” I asked, genuinely interested.

“Good.” She broke eye contact with me and looked around nervously. It looked like she was attempting to find a way to bolt, but couldn’t, not on a moving train. Like it or not she was stuck with me for at least the next minute.

“What have you been doing with yourself all these years?” She’d had so many dreams and aspirations. She’d wanted to go to college. She’d been a whiz when it came to physics and mathematics. Had she achieved her dreams? I somehow didn’t think so. If she had she wouldn’t have gotten herself into this mess to begin with.

Robyn shifted nervously from one foot to the other, but lifted her eyes to meet mine. A smile spread across her lips, but it was a strained and nervous smile. “Ummm. Just…”

The trained slowed and stopped, the doors sliding open. “Sorry, this is my stop.” She scurried past me and out the door without waiting for my response.

I wasn’t about to let her go so easily. Chasing her at the bottom of the stairs to the subway exit, I easily caught up with her. “It just so happens this is my stop as well.”

She looked up at me, while not slowing her pace as she climbed the stairs to exit the station. “Oh.” She gave me a forced smile and nodded.

“You seem to be in quite a hurry, what’s the rush?” I was quite amazed at how quickly she could climb the stairs in the ungodly high heels she was wearing. I couldn’t be sure if her speed was fueled by the need to get to wherever she was headed or her desire to get away from me. Most likely a little bit of both.

“I have an appointment,” she said in a matter-of-fact tone as we reached the top of the stairs and surfaced onto the street. “And I’m going to be late.”

“I was thinking perhaps we could grab a cup of coffee and catch up. I’ll happily wait until you’re finished.”

She let out a sigh, stopping and turning to face me directly, annoyance in her expression. “I appreciate you wanting to catch up. I really do. But my life is hectic right now.” Her expression softened. “I think we should just leave the past in the past. I don’t think anything good would come out of us having a coffee after all these years.” Her expression softened a little more and I saw what I thought was a hint of regret in her eyes. “It was good seeing you though.”

Again, she didn’t wait for me to respond. She spun on her heel and took off down the street, her vibrant red and black hair blowing up and around her head as a gust of wind hit her.

I wasn’t about to let her get away that easily. Sure, I’d let her go, but I planned on tailing along behind. Wherever she was planning on going she was moving as if the devil himself was on her heels. But then again, considering Gabriel Salvatore wanted her dead it was as close as a person could get to having the devil on her heels.

Trailing behind her, I kept a good distance, keeping out of sight. Considering I was 6’3 it wasn’t the easiest task to keep hidden, but I’d mastered the art of being stealthy and blending in over the years. She looked back over her shoulder a number of times as if she sensed she was being followed. She looked so paranoid, I also found myself looking over my shoulder and around us – just in case. No one seemed to be following her – aside from me, that was.

Robyn walked two blocks and ducked in and out between people before turning the corner and rounding the block. By the time I reached the corner, she’d disappeared.

“Fuck!” I cursed out loud. By keeping too far back I’d potentially lost her.

Walking halfway down the block, I was about to give up and retreat back to her apartment and wait for her there when I spotted her inside a coffee shop shaking the hand of a tall, slender man with short-cut, greying hair in his fifties somewhere.

Hmmm. I didn’t recognize the man, though I really didn’t expect to. However, something about the man didn’t sit right with me and kept my attention glued to the two of them. They sat down at a small two-person table. After a moment the man got up and walked over to the counter, presumably to place a coffee order.

I quickly ducked behind a food truck and ordered a hot dog. Using the truck and the pretense of eating my dog as cover, I watched the two of them as the man sat back down with two cups in hand, sliding one across the table to her. I wished I were able to hear what they were talking about, but the conversation didn’t look fun and flirty, it looked intense. Whatever was being said appeared to be serious.

Maybe if Gabriel’s goon had given me more information about why they were after her it would give me a clue; alas, he hadn’t. Popping the final bite of the hot dog into my mouth, I ordered a Coke and continued to watch for another twenty minutes. Periodically, Robyn looked outside, anxiety in her expression, as if she sensed she was being watched.

After roughly twenty minutes, they both got up and went their separate ways. This time, however, I didn’t follow Robyn; I knew where she’d be going eventually. What had had her in such a hurry was already over from what I could tell. Instead, I followed the man she’d had coffee with, keeping a safe distance from him. The longer I followed him, the more I was convinced this man was more than just a friend or business acquaintance. He walked tall and proud, shoulders back and head up, like he’d had military training. After travelling a few blocks by foot, we ducked into the subway station and took the train until we came to a stop in the financial district.

Hmmm. My brow creased as I continued to follow him on foot. Maybe I was wrong about him after all. I certainly didn’t expect to end up in this area of the city. Without pausing, the man eventually disappeared into one of the buildings. As he entered two other men came out, both wearing black suits with ear pieces. Taking one more glance at the two men who had exited the building the mystery man had entered, I noticed what appeared to be standard issue 9mm pistols in holsters under their suit jackets as a gust of wind caught the edge of one man’s unbuttoned suit jacket. I couldn’t be completely sure it was a 9mm pistol, but pretty damned confident.

And if I was right, then they were feds.

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