Page 2 of The Hitman's Secret Love Child

The woman I used to know was an innocent girl from a middle-class family from Long Island, where we grew up. Not so much we, more like she – I was bounced around all parts of New York from the time I was five years old.

But she wasn’t that girl anymore.

Now everything about her screamed money, with the exception of the dive she was living in. Why was she living in a rundownarea when she was wearing brands such as Chanel and Gucci? The Robyn I remembered wouldn’t have even known those brands. It was a damned miracle she hadn’t gotten herself robbed or killed just roaming the neighborhood. Her only saving grace, I imagine, would be that potential robbers may assume they were decent knockoffs. Why in the hell was she living here when she could have just gone back to her parents’ place? Surely she had someone or somewhere to go to.

The weasel had said she'd seen and knew something she shouldn’t...

Giving my head a shake, I put down the binoculars and opened the case that housed my sniper rifle. Trips down memory lane wouldn't do me a damned bit of good.All they would accomplish was fuck with my head. I was better off just getting it done and moving on with my life. She was on my list, which meant she wasn’t the person I used to know; chances were she hadn’t been that person for a long time.

People change. I was a grade A example of how life could take a serious twist for the worse. When I was a toddler, I’m sure my late mother’s hopes for me were that I be a doctor or lawyer – something she could be proud of. Hitman wouldn’t even make the top 10.

It took me less than a minute to assemble the gun and hoist it up onto the ledge. Putting my eye to the scope I aimed the gun at her, lining her up in my sights.

I had a perfect shot. My finger slid over the trigger and I waited a moment. She wasn't the woman I once knew, if she was then she wouldn't be in this mess. But was she guilty of anything? Or was this a case or wrong place, wrong time?

Gulping down a lump forming in my throat, I gathered my resolve. Just had to get it over with. She was a target, just like every other target. The fact we had a past together meant nothing. My finger twitched on the trigger.

PULL the trigger DAMMIT!

I couldn't. Relaxing my grip on the rifle, I straightened up from my crouched position.

Something wasn't sitting well with me about the whole situation and I just couldn’t ignore my gut.I had just a little over a week to complete the contract. This was day one so I still had six days. Sure I had a perfect shot now, but she didn't seem to be going anywhere. She'd been easy enough to find – can't get much easier than having the address of the target given to you. It made me wonder why they hired me and not used one of their own goons.

I sighed, narrowing my eyes as I stared at her. I'd never felt so conflicted about a mark before. It was pissing me off because this was nothing more than a display of simple weakness.

It's your emotions getting into your head, a voice at the back of my mind chimed in. I considered the possibility. The voice may be right, but there was a stronger urge within me to find out if that was indeed the case. Call it professional responsibility.

Bullshit, the voice chimed in.

Picking up my gun, I began disassembling it and placed the rifle back into the black hard-covered foam-lined case. I had lots of time. Perhaps I'd stalk her a little tomorrow and get a better feel for what she was up to. Maybe even accidentally run into her, if she'd even talk to me after all these years; we didn't exactly leave things on good terms.

This is dangerous, Constantine, just get it over with, the voice screamed at me. I ignored it. The only thing that would come out of accidentally running into her would be a little clarity on the situation at hand.

It’s nothing personal, just business, the voice screamed out again.

I should have done a little Google search of her before even coming here. It wasn’t exactly my normal protocol to do an in-depth search of the mark. Researching personal lives of marks made the ordeal more personal and brought upon the risk that your mind would be clouded, making it more difficult to do the job tasked to you. But this was already personal so what the hell. Grabbing my case I left and headed home. It was time to do some background research on my former lover.

~*~TT~*~

Robyn

Racing down the steps of the subway station, I nearly turned my ankle as I hit the last step and my heel got caught in a small hole on the metal step. “Dammit!” I groaned, pulling myself up and continuing along the platform and to the subway car.

I had an important meeting that I couldn’t miss with an FBI agent named Gavin Truss. I’d been talking with the FBI for quite some time now. Just to be clear, I hadn’t approached them. They’d found me not long after I moved out of Gabriel Salvatore’s house, though house was an understatement; it had been a massive estate in New Jersey. I’d spent the past few years in the lap of luxury, but that luxury came with a price – a price I was no longer willing to pay and had been too naive to realize until it was too late.

Pushing myself as quickly as I could go in the heels along the platform, I released a sigh of relief as I entered the car. Sure, there would be another train coming in five minutes or so, but time was of the essence and Agent Truss was my lease on a new life. Since graduating from high school my life had been a rollercoaster of ups and downs. I wanted and needed freedom from it all, a fresh start, and Agent Truss was my golden ticket.

The doors began to slide closed just as a tall, dark-haired man slipped through, nearly getting sandwiched between them, his back to me as he stepped in sideways to make it. I took a step back, making room for him. “Whoa, close call, huh?” he said as he turned to me with a hint of a smile on his lips.

My breath hitched as I looked up at the man before me, and I swear my heart stopped beating for a moment. I blinked and gave my head a little shake. Surely, it wasn’t who I thought it was. My mouth opened, but I snapped it shut when words failed to emerge from between them.

No, it couldn’t be…

But it was.

I looked deep into his dazzling blue eyes, eyes that while normally a sapphire blue would tend to turn grey in the right light. I’d spent hours, hell days, of my life staring into those eyes. But despite how much I’d cherished the time I’d spent gazing into his eyes, I’d hoped I’d never see those eyes or the man who bore them again.

“Hello, Robyn. It’s been a while.”

Words still refused me.

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