Page 29 of Assassin's Mark
Levi had breakfast on the table in minutes. When I didn’t move to the place he’d set for me, a growl escaped him. “Sit.”
As I cut into the fluffy pancakes with a plastic knife and fork, Leviset a steaming cup of coffee on the table next to my plate.
“Cream and sugar?” As if I really needed to ask—the man knew my most intimate secrets. But something in my aching chest wouldn’t allow me to simply accept the kind gesture of providing food. Maybe the same ridiculously high-school part of me that had wanted him happy over us, not getting something else over on my father.
There is nous.
“Cream and sugar and a splash of coffee,” he agreed, confirming the stupidity of my question.
I stuffed a bite of pancake in my mouth and ignored my mocking conscience.
We ate in silence, Levi seeming totally relaxed, me pressing down my resentment and frustration until I thought I’d choke. Unwilling to let the pancakes go to waste, I grasped around for a distraction. “How is Remi thismorning?”
Levi forked up several pieces of pancake. “The same.”
“What happened to him?” Maybe if I knew that, I could make sense of the rest.
“Your father sent someone after me. They missed.”
No wonder he wanted my father dead. I didn’t think that was the whole picture, though. Levi had been the one to accept the job. He’d also been the target when Remi was almost killed. Guilt at bringingdanger too close to his brother would be just as powerful a motivator as my father’s actions, whether Levi would admit it or not.
I twirled a piece of bacon between my fingers. “Why was my father trying to have you killed? You worked for him, right? That would make you an asset, not a target.”
“If I’d taken the job, yes.”
The bacon clattered onto my plate. “You refused him?”
Levi chewed hisbite for long enough that I thought he wasn’t going to answer. Finally he swallowed, took a sip of coffee. Then, “Not at first.”
Not a good guy, remember?
“How did he hire you?”
“If you ever need an assassin, I’ll tell you.”
I snorted. “Oh, I need one now, thanks. There’s this guy that needs taking out. He has a thing for kidnapping women, so…you know…he’s not an innocent. I’ve heard you haverules about that.” Not that I fully bought the principled hit-man bit, but…
Levi grinned at my sass, but the humor turned serious as he glanced toward the computer. “Wait till Remi’s better; then one of my brothers might do the job for free.”
It might be too late by then.
“So he hired you. And?”
Levi threw me an impatient look. “Why do you want to know, Abby?”
“Maybe because whatever happenedbetween the two of you has totally fucked up my life.”
“Was it really that good to begin with?”
No. But maybe that was the sex talking.
I thought back over the hours of my life since Levi had walked into it.Definitely the sex talking.
Not that I’d be sharing that. But the gnawing need to understand what had led us to this moment, here, at his table, eating pancakes and waiting for the nextbomb to drop, refused to let me go. “What happened, Levi? Just tell me.”
He picked up his empty plate and crossed to the sink, and I thought that was the end of the discussion. Then, his back still to me, he spoke.
“A couple of months ago I was offered a contract. I never take a contract without knowing everything there is to know about both the client and the mark.”
