Page 45 of Charity's Torment

“Oops.” I fluttered my lashes. “I’m going to do that thing…” I looked at my watch, confirming my time, “in an hour or so.”

“Do you think you are ready?”

“Everyone keeps asking me that. I wouldn’t be going if I didn’t feel confident I could handle a woman in her fifties.”

“Things could come up, though. What if she fights back?”

“I’ve got it handled. Besides, she should be sleeping when I get there. Don’t fret.”

“It’s hard not to since we almost lost you.” He looked away from me, trying to hide his emotion, but I saw it. It scared him for me to be back out there working. I’ve never known Maximilian to show fear.

“What is with you, guys? You’ve had the utmost confidence in my abilities. Now that one asshole gets the upper hand, you suddenly think I’m incompetent?”

“Charity, you know we aren’t questioning your capabilities.” He exhaled and pushed away his plate. “Can’t we worry about your safety? Is that not okay?”

I tensed my brows. “It’s fine. It’s just out of character, is all. You guys have me questioning everything right now.”

“What does that mean?”

“You, for one, have never shown a lick of interest in me. You parade girls around like it’s going out of style. Luca has Kandy running around here, and he feeds into her shit. I’m about ready to bury her outback. Nico… well, he is the only one that doesn’t really confuse me. He’s always been kind to me.”

“I only did that—”

“—Max, my office,” Luca interrupted.

I shot daggers at him, but he didn’t seem to mind. Only smirked, adjusted his gold watch, and walked away.

Max stood and trailed his fingers across the table. “Because I couldn’t have you,” he finished. Aw, so… you sleep with a bunch of chasers? How charming.

I don’t know why he thought he couldn’t have me. All he had to do was ask or show an interest like he did a few weeks ago, and I would have jumped at the chance to be in his arms.

“Did you hear me?”

“Yeah. You know, sleeping with a bunch of girls isn’t the way to another girl’s heart. Future advice there, big guy.”

His hulking frame hunched. “I never thought I’d get your heart.”

Hindsight is a bitch, that was for sure.

Max walked away, and I left for Karen’s. It was time to get this over with, and I couldn’t be more ready.

Chapter 16

It was dark aside from the sporadic street lights.

Crickets chirped their chaotic chorus. Cars honked, and engines rumbled—a typical city night. I parked my motorcycle two blocks over, hung my helmet on the bar, and pocketed my keys. Car exhaust fumes filled my nostrils and burned my skin as I trekked to her home. The anticipation of what was to come caused my heart to race.

I flipped my hood up, shrouding my face in blackness, and stepped up to her back door. Karen’s lights were off, and her car was in the driveway; she was home—asleep, just as I had predicted. I kept my head on a swivel as my father taught me. “Always be mindful of your surroundings,” he says still to this day. Never did I think I would need to use his advice for work.

Sliding my tension wrench into the lock, I held it in place while inserting my snap gun into position. I pulled the trigger quickly, causing the top pins to jump, freeing the cylinder, and the deadbolt twists free. I pocketed my gear and tip-toed inside the dark home.

Max and Luca gave me the details of her home, and I had logged them into memory. Her back door opened into the dining with the family room beside it. It was a pleasant home for a woman who convinced her husband to murder Arturo. Giovanni must have had some incredible manipulation skills, those of which I’ve never witnessed. Or I did, and I never caught on.

I pulled out my double-edged punch dagger and wrapped my fist around the unique handle while creeping up the steps.

Karen’s master suite was a straight shot down the hall from the top of the steps, and her door was slightly ajar. I placed my gloved hand flat against the door and pushed it open farther to see inside.

Lying in the middle of her bed was the shadowed body of a petite woman. Her frame barely caused a lump in the sheets. Her dark hair spanned across her pillow, and her breaths came in deep and steady with a slight throaty snore.

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