Page 129 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 2

Anna shrugged.

“I’m so sorry.” He squeezed her hand. “Wilhelm was so worried about you. He called and asked if I could get in touch with you since he couldn’t.”

“I was... busy.” She still didn’t remember everything that had happened. The memories were so fuzzy.

Travis made a face at her. “You missing Peter, too?”

Anna grimaced. “You know the whole thing was fake, right? I mean, we were together because Devin wanted it to be that way.”

“Yeah, I know. But I also know you guys ended up falling in love. You can’t fake that.”

“Story of my life.” She shrugged. “I wish I could stop these stupid feelings and be like a real Elder-Mistress,” she said softly.

“Oh, Anna. I’m so glad you’re not like them. I would hate to see you like that. So cold and distant.”

“I’ve tried that, haven’t I?” She laughed bitterly. “Never could pull it off. Too emotional.”

“Emotions make you human.”

“But I’m not supposed to be human.”

Travis looked at her sadly. “Anna, it’ll turn out alright, okay? Just... It’ll be okay.”

Anna stared at him, not understanding how he could say that anything in her life could possibly end up “okay.” There was no hope. There was only Devin.

Chapter 73

It happened in slow motion. Something told him to move, and Devin pushed his chair back and dropped to the floor, just as his window exploded and something hit his desk, showering the room with shattered glass and splintered wood fragments.

He peered over his desk and saw a deep, narrow hole at the edge of his desk, the trajectory suggesting that the bullet would have gone straight through his head if he hadn’t moved. He crab-crawled back against the wall, his chest heaving, and stared at the broken window. “Holy fuck...”

His office door swung open and Madison, his secretary, stood in the doorway, her eyes wide and searching the room until they landed on him.

Her voice trembled. “Mr. Andersen, are you alright?”

Devin stared at her for a long moment, his mind struggling to grasp what had just happened. Then he realized how ridiculous he looked, cowering on the floor. He stood and shook the glass out of his hair as he studied his desk. But he stayed next to the wall. He wasn’t stupid.

Laughter escaped his mouth as his mind finally realized what had just happened. Someone had called out a hit on him. And he knew exactly who had done it.

Madison looked at him as if he were a madman. “I’ll call the police,” she said in a shaky voice, backing out of the office.

The police would never find the shooter. The Elders never gave up their Assassins and the Assassins only did what they were told to do. They did it very well. Whoever the shooter was might have even done a job for him before.

He knew better than to go to the window and look out. The Assassin was probably still there, so he crept along the wall and then hurried out of his office to wait in the seating area across from Madison’s desk.

He watched as she hung up the phone and bit her lip. “May I get you something, sir?”

His eyes trailed down her curves and back up to her blonde hair. Nothing like an attempt on one’s life to get the blood flowing. She was a fair fuck, though she was getting a little old for his taste. He’d been more interested in her before Anna had come along, though when Anna was doped up, he’d used Madison when the need hit.

“Sir?” Her perfectly shaped eyebrows twitched as she watched him.

He stood and jerked his head toward the private bathroom just outside his office.

A few minutes later, he emerged to find dozens of people in the waiting area and he smiled.

Trenton rushed up to him. “My God, Devin, what happened?”

Devin glanced back at the bathroom door. Madison would be out in a few minutes after she composed herself. He’d taken her hard and fast in the ass, but she wouldn’t complain; she never did.

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