Page 9 of Hitman

Wasn’t sure if that meant she was softening toward me or if she was just waiting for her mom to be out of ear shot before she ripped me one about as good as Copper had the night before. I had no doubt that she could and would given the opportunity.

“Pizza was good,” I said, wanting to make conversation as we made our way toward my bike.

She cut me the side eye. “I didn’t even make it. I literally only ordered it and picked it up.”

I snorted. “Just take the compliment, doll.”

She rolled her eyes. I turned to face her once we’d reached my bike and shoved my hands into my hoodie pockets. “There’s no hard feelings about last night, is there?”

She sighed. “Iwantto have hard feelings, but honestly, if I were in your shoes, I’d have probably done the same thing. You were trying to protect yourself and complete your job, and you were eliminating a man who had a hand in trafficking people. Besides, I can’t really harbor any feelings about it when we’re literally in the same field.” She shrugged one slender shoulder. “If I’d have stopped you, my mom wouldn’t have had this day.” She looked up at me, warmth residing in those usually hard, cold, gray eyes. “I’ve never seen her this happy, Julian. Because of you, my mom might actually heal. She might actually get better and won’t need around the clock care anymore. So… thank you.”

I grinned at her. “That sounded painful to say.”

She lightly shoved me, but a smile played at the corners of her mouth. “It was.”

I let my eyes trail over her curvy figure before I turned and grabbed my helmet off the seat. She gripped my sleeve when I moved to straddle my bike. Slowly, I turned my head to face her, arching one eyebrow at her in question.

“Yes?” I asked when she only slowly released me and took a step back, shaking her head as if she were ridding herself of some ridiculous thought. “What is it, doll?”

“It’s nothing,” she muttered, turning and heading back for the house. I sighed and straddled my bike. The beast rumbled beneath me when I turned it on, and after I slid my helmet on and flipped my visor down, I glanced toward the house, finding her standing on the porch and just... watching me.

I cocked my head to the side the slightest bit before smirking, even though she couldn’t see it behind my helmet. I’d let herstew until I got home. And then, I’d shoot her a text, inviting her over, which would leave the ball in her court.

It was clear what she wanted from me. We’d both been ready to kill last night, and only one of us had gotten the opportunity to do so. Now, I bet she had a lot of pent-up energy in her bloodstream that she needed to release, and I was all too fucking willing to let her use me.

Solace

I stared up at my bedroom ceiling, wondering if I’d made a mistake or made the right choice in letting Julian ride off back home. He was attractive as fuck, and he’d been so good to my mom tonight. And honestly, any man who had patience for her, especially when she asked so many questions and did everything in her power to paint him as a hero, was instantly a good man in my book.

Julian was a murderer—more than likely a serial murderer at this point in his life. He couldn’t take a fucking thing serious, and he wore that cocky ass smirk of his like it was painted onto his lips. But when he thought no one was paying attention, his mask slipped, and he looked as void and dead as I was sure his victims looked when he was done with them.

Whywas I attracted to that? I should want someone that was emotionally available after how my father had treated my mother while I was growing up. But despite Julian’s lack of emotional development, I knew without a shred of doubt that he’d never hurt me like that. Even when I’d damn near almost killed him, he hadn’t harmed me. He’d simply put me in a chokehold, then tied me up. Fuck, when I came to while he wasstill upstairs, I was on the couch, and he’d even put a pillow beneath my head.

That meant he was considerate… right? I was probably reaching far and wide for reasons I should like him besides the fucked-up reasons I did, but Iwantedhim.

My phone buzzed beside me on the bed. Sighing and hoping it wasn’t Grim asking me to take on a job already, I grabbed my phone.

Julian’s name stared back at me.

Quickly, I unlocked my phone and opened his message.

Julian:

If you want me, come to me.

He’d included his address, his building code, and his apartment code. I had no doubt he’d change it by morning if I didn’t show. Hell, even if I did decide to show up, he’d change the codes anyway so his apartment wasn’t compromised.

Fuck, even I changed my codes weekly. No one in this business got too comfortable.

I reread his message again two more times before huffing and rolling out of bed. He’d put the ball in my court, and fuck it, I was taking it while I had the opportunity. If he intended for this to just be a one-night stand… well, we’d see about that.

If that was the case, he was going to find out it wasn’t so easy to get rid of me.

CHAPTER 9

Julian

Itilted my head back, letting the hot water from the shower run over my face. I’d sent my message to Solace an hour ago, and when she left me on read and didn’t respond, I took her silence for what it was.

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