Page 33 of The Cleaner

"Ah," Travis begins with a slight pause. "As you're a ward of the state, I took it upon myself to set a bank account up for you. This one only you will be able to access." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a phone. "I also purchased you a new phone."

I blink. "Why?" I ask, wondering why he's done that.

"Last night, you took care of something that I was meant to. I owe you, so take the phone as my thanks."

I reach forward and see that it's the latest model. He must have spent a lot of money on it. "Thank you," I say softly. The phone I have is old and belonged to Orna before she upgraded her own. I was grateful when she gave it to me, knowing how tough it is to have me and Devin to take care of.

"You'll see an app for banking," Travis says, pushing a piece of paper across the table. "Here's the details to enter it. Once you've got it sorted, change the pin code. It's all yours, Lisa. Everything in there is too."

I pause at his words and stare at him. "What have you done?" I ask, unable to keep the horror out of my voice. "Travis?" I ask, needing to know what the hell is going on.

"Christ, Lisa, just look at the bloody app," Travis replies, running his hand through his hair. "You're going to be a pain in my ass, aren't you?"

I ignore him and input the details he's given me, my heart stammering against my chest as I log in. I'm beyond shocked to see the amount on the screen.

"Why?" I ask, swiping my tongue along my bottom lip. "Why on earth does it say there's two-hundred-thousand euros in my account?"

"Welcome to The Agency, Lisa," Ciarán tells me with a smile. "It's not some shitty agency; it's high-end contract killing. You have to pay handsomely for it, and let me tell you, that's one of the lower sums I've seen."

I blink, unable to believe what I'm hearing. "Are you for real?"

He nods. "I've been paid into the millions for a job," he says with a laugh. "But of course, the higher the profile you take out, the more you get paid. Remember that."

"So," Travis says. "Are you ready to accept the job?"

"Yes," I reply without hesitation. My mind is whirling with all the things I can do with the money. "So what's the next step?" I ask, wondering where we go from here.

"Are you sure you don't want some food?" Ciarán asks. "Have you eaten?"

"What are you, my da?" I ask with a raised brow. Hell, even Orna doesn't ask if I've eaten anymore.

Travis chuckles. "Let the man worry," he tells me. "This is new for him too. He's going to be your mentor, Lisa, which is a role he's taking seriously. If you need anything, you call him."

"Him?" I wonder how old he is. He looks barely old enough to drink let alone be a mentor. "Sorry," I say, realising just how bitchy that sounded.

Ciarán waves me away. "Trust me, I get it. I'm eighteen, Lisa, so I know what it's like to be where you are now. In fact, I was also sixteen when I started working for The Agency."

Now I'm intrigued. "You recruit young, don't you?" I say to Travis, who laughs. "Is it a front for a cult?"

Travis and Ciarán burst out laughing. "God, you're hilarious, Lisa," Travis says through his laughter. "No, we're not a cult, and the reason Ciarán started working for us is because of his brother. My son recruited him."

"So it's a family business then?" I ask, knowing that he owns it and both his son and daughter work for him.

"Yes, so to speak. We all co-own it. Melissa—my daughter—coded the website and has ensured that it's secure. She's a fucking genius."

"Okay, so Ciarán's my mentor. What does that entail?"

"He'll be contacted first to ensure the date works for him, and if he says yes, you'll receive a message. I urge you, Lisa, to call Ciarán when you get that message. It opens a line of trust between the two of you. When you both give the go ahead, together you'll travel to the mark. Ciarán will only be there to assist if needed as well as give pointers on what you can do. He's solely there to help you, not take over. This is all on you. Your mark, your kill, your life. Ciarán will probably be present more than not because that's just who he is. He's going to worry about you and no doubt wants you to check in with him every so often, just as my son did with him when he mentored Ciarán."

I take a deep breath. It's a lot to take in, but I have realised that it means I have support, and as annoying as Ciarán seems, I can tell that he has a good heart. "Okay, I agree to those terms. But if Ciarán interferes in my personal life, I'm not going to be happy."

Ciarán smirks. "Worried I'll run off all the boys?"

I roll my eyes. "Ass," I bite back.

"Okay, children," Travis says with exasperation. "I forgot how annoying kids are. Thank fuck mine are adults."

"I am an adult," Ciarán grunts.

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