Page 32 of The Cleaner

I give him a pointed stare. “If you like her so much, why don’t you do it?”

“She lives here in Ireland. I don't, nor do I want to. I have my own business in London. So I need someone I can trust to help her hone her skills. I have a few people in mind. I’ll give them a call this evening.”

I can't lie, I'm intrigued. I'm curious as to what method of killing she uses. I haven't heard Travis praise someone in a fucking long time. I guess if she's as good as he claims, I'll be hearing about her a lot more.

Chapter

Fourteen

LISA

I keepmy head down as I walk along O'Connell Street. It's busy, people walking by without a care in the world. It's the way to be; to not see the horrors that lurk in other people's worlds. I thought my dad was an asshole, but Devin's father took the cake, and yet people have no idea what the hell the person beside them is like. They're oblivious to the depraved assholes that walk this earth. It's been almost twenty-four hours since I killed Devin's dad, and I'm scared. Not because I'm worried about what'll happen to me. No, it's the opposite. I'm scared of myself. I feel no remorse for what I've done. I thought for sure that when it sunk in what I had done, I'd feel something. But there's nothing, not even guilt or repulsion.

I'm a murderer, and right now I'm on my way to meet a man who's going to give me more jobs. I have no idea what to expect, but I know deep in my bones that this is the right thing for me to do. I don't know why; it's just a feeling I have, and I've learned to trust my gut. It hasn't led me wrong thus far. I also know not to speak a word of what's gone down or will go down. If anyone found out what I'd done, they'd be repulsed, disgusted, afraid. No matter what that cunt did to Devin, I'd be made out to be thebad guy. I can't lose my support system. They've helped me so much and I'm not ready for them to go away.

Pushing open the door to the pub, I'm surprised to find Travis seated in the corner booth, his gaze squarely on me. I watch as the haggard lines on his face transform as he smiles widely at me. I didn't have a chance to really look at him last night. I was more focused on trying to get out of the situation I was in. But looking at him now, I see that he's in his mid-to-late forties. He's got jet black hair and a goatee; his blue eyes are bright and piercing.

Taking a deep breath, I walk toward him, noticing that he's not alone. He's got a blonde guy sitting with him. Both of them stand as I reach the table. "Travis," I greet with a small smile.

"Lisa," he replies. "I'm glad you came. Let me introduce you to Ciarán. He's someone who's agreed to help you hone that technique."

I turn to the blonde guy. He's got a cheeky smile on his face, and his green eyes are filled with a hidden darkness. I can't help but wonder what scars he's hiding that caused that darkness.

"Lisa," he greets, sticking out his hand for me to shake. "It's nice to meet you. Travis has told me a bit about last night's situation. I've got to admit, I was surprised when he told me what you did. It was fucking crazy, but then again, aren't we all?"

I flinch at the word crazy. It's been over three years since Ma died and I still hear Tanya calling Ma and me crazy. It's something I think will always stick with me. I know Ma wasn't crazy and neither am I.

"It's nice to meet you too," I say quickly, recovering from the flinch. I take a hold of his hand and we shake. "Do you work for Travis?"

He laughs. "Yeah, I do. Come sit with us," he says, his voice soft and gentle. "Have you eaten?"

I hear Travis chuckle and I turn to him with a raised brow. "I told him he'd start to feel protective of you when he met you."

I roll my eyes. That's utter bullshit. No one other than my ma and Orna has ever felt protective of me. I'm not the type of girl anyone cares about.

"He's right," Ciarán tells me as I slide into the booth between him and Travis. "You're young, and I'm going to ensure that your safety is paramount when you're on the job. Which means until Travis and I believe that you're more than capable of doing it alone, I'll be with you whenever you have a job."

"Great," I mumble. "A glorified babysitter. Surely you have something better to do than that?"

Ciarán laughs. "Trust me, from what Travis has told me, this'll be fun."

"Christ," Travis hisses. "You're like a child, Ciarán." He turns to me. "What he means is that we want to ensure that you're well equipped and are comfortable to go out on your own and do this. We're not babysitting you. We're just giving you the chance to do what you want but with the right tools."

I release a deep breath as I press my hands flat against the table. "So, how does this all work?"

Ciarán rubs his hands together with glee, a wide smile on his face. "Told you she'd be game."

Travis glares at him. "Shut it," he snaps. "So, you'll be added to the system. When someone who matches your requirements is put onto the system to be taken care of, you'll be notified with the time, date, and price. It's not something you have to do. You'll be given the opportunity to accept or decline. If you accept, you'll be given the target's name and the location they'll be in. You'll then have to take out the target."

I drum my fingers against the table. "It sounds very covert," I tell him. "How long have you had this Agency?"

"Over a decade," he answers honestly. "We've got some of the very best killers working for us and we want you to join the ranks of The Agency."

"Do you have women work for you?" I ask, needing to know I won't be the only one.

Travis' grin widens. "Oh yes. My daughter works for us. She doesn't take on as many as she used to, but the money from the job set her up nicely."

I rear back, surprised by his answer. He let his daughter kill people? I shouldn't be shocked, but I am. "Okay, so how do I get paid?"

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