Page 15 of Defiant Devotion

“Me?” I feigned innocence, smoothing down the hospital uniform I’d borrowed for this cover. “I’m just?—”

“Just the fucker who’s been everywhere and nowhere at all.” His gaze sharpened as he snarled. Vik remained alert and tense at his side, as if waiting to jump in and hold him back. Or attack me with him.

I raised my brows in a silent question, goading him on to explain.

“Ben fucking Warner, huh?” Lev guessed, pointing at my face. “I remember when I killed you at Yusef Ilyin’s cabin.”

I smiled slowly, shaking my head. “That was supposed to bemyhit, by the way.”

“It was?” Lev asked, not lightening up yet.

“Someone else had a hit on him?” Vik asked. “Who?”

I glanced at him. “You’ve been catching up since coming out of the whorehouse, huh?” I teased of him.

Vik scoffed but refrained from glaring at me like Lev was. I expected this conversation to be confrontational, but at least one of them wasn’t a hothead.

“Whatdon’tyou know about us?” Vik muttered.

“I do my research.” I made it my business to know the Mafia’s business, including how Vik had gone from supervising a whorehouse to being something more of an upper leader within the organization. “Yet I still don’t know enough details about why you’ve contacted me to kill O’Malley.” There was no point reclaiming my cover. I came here to talk to Lev, and now that I had his attention, my disguise was no longer necessary. It was time to cut the crap.

“What the fuck?” Lev sneered at me. “I reached out to you weeks ago, and you’ve been impossible to get ahold of since.”

I shrugged. “I tend to stay mobile.”

“And now you sneak in here to spy onus?” He pointed at himself.

I had to tread carefully now. Given how secretive they were being about Oleg’s condition, I couldn’t be cocky about getting in and up close without their knowing. Sneaking around and being stealthy was all part of the thrill. Killing my hits was the ultimate high, but I loved doing this clandestine shit. It fed the sick and twisted part of my soul, knowing I could always trick and fool others so easily.

“I came here for a chance to talk to you about this hit you wanted to hire me for.”

“You snuck in here like this to accomplish that?” he accused.

“Well, I’ve got your attention now. We can talk.” When he didn’t lose the scowl, I added, “You’ve been a hard man to get ahold of lately.”

“Ever hear of a fucking phone?” he shot back.

“I prefer obtaining my information in person.”

“And undercover?” Vik arched a brow.

“What the hell do you need more information for?” Lev glanced at Oleg and frowned. “I reached out with a job for you to kill O’Malley. I gave you a price. If it’s not enough, we can negotiate.”

Wow.That was impressive. Hiring a contract killer wasn’t cheap. The price wasn’t my issue, but the fact that the Baranovs could spend accordingly made them stand out even more. Theseguys were so… normal, not cheapskates like Petrovs or the Ilyins.

“What more do you need to know?” Lev demanded.

“For starters, why you wanted him dead,” I said.

Lev laughed. It was a single, rough bark of a sound as he tossed his head back. “Give me a goddamn break, you asshole. You want to knowwhy? What the hell does it matter? It’s a hit. It’s a job. Are you growing a conscience or something now?”

“I prefer to be informed of all the consequences that could follow my potential kills.”

“Potential.” Lev smirked, seeming amused instead of just pissed off that I’d been eavesdropping here. Or maybe he was more irritated with the fact that I delayed accepting a job from him, that I liked to do things my way, not his. “A potential kill. You make it sound like you’re unsure you can handle a hit job. Then again, if someone hired you to kill Yusef but I beat you to it, maybe you’re not the elite assassin everyone’s making you out to be, after all.”

Oh, fuck you.My patience would wane really fast if he was going to be a cocky asshole.

“Who hired you to kill Yusef?” Lev asked.

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