Page 56 of Assassin's Game
“It wouldn’t help if they realized it,” Remi told her. “They’re never innocent, any one of them. They only become enemies if they’re guilty.”
“We protect, Mikaela.” That’s why the news from Leah this morning had been such a blow. We spent our lives protecting each other and the innocent that we could, but now…
“And now, for that, X is targeting your family as much as he is mine,” she said.
We waited, Remi no doubt wondering what the outcome would be just like I was. Finally Mikaela spoke. “Your reputation precedes you, even overseas. And I admit I was ready to cut you loose, leave you to the sharks.”
“If we didn’t take you out first,” Rhys warned. Remi snorted his opinion of that.
“But Maris convinced me otherwise.” Mikaela rubbed long, slender fingers over her bicep. “She’s met your women; she’s looked into your past. And she’s convinced me we couldn’t have anyone tougher or with more integrity by our side. Don’t”—fire ignited in her eyes—“make her a liar.” Dropping her arms, she held out a hand. “Welcome to the team.”
Remi and I looked at each other, and when he nodded, we rounded the couch. Remi took Mikaela’s hand. “Happy to be here. Now can we get the fuck to work?”
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Twenty-Four
Nix —
I couldn’t get the way Eli had looked when I walked into the kitchen out of my mind any more than I could erase the memory of his touch. And though we’d already decided as a team that the Agozi brothers were trustworthy, I had to admit, if only to myself, that the tears on Eli’s face had settled any lingering doubts I’d had.
Cold-blooded killers, the kind who murdered indiscriminately, wouldn’t give a rat’s ass about a miscarriage. Children were just as much a target as a criminal, easier even. A pregnant woman? Take ’em out. We’d never taken a job targeting innocents, and though there was no way to track down every job the Assassin had been responsible for, that look on Eli’s face had told me what I needed to know.
It had also made me want to take him in my arms, pull him close—and not for sex. Big mistake. We might get off on each other, but sex was not emotion. My ties were to my family, no one else. When this was over, we’d be gone, and Eli… Well, I’d likely never see him again. Having known him for mere days, the fact that a protest rose at the thought of leaving him behind was a huge warning sign.
No attachments, Mikaela. None.
My family was the only thing that mattered. That and defeating X.
“We received an e-mail from X this morning,” Eli said.
Remi looked surprised, but my guess, there had been more important things to discuss first thing this morning.
“We did as well,” I confirmed. We’d expected this—no way would our blackmailer not notice anything and everything surrounding our target. X was moving ahead, obviously. I gestured to the couch again. “Let’s compare notes.”
This time the brothers sat. I took one of the folding chairs Titus had found somewhere in the dusty warehouse, Monty and Titus stood, and Rhys took the chair on the opposite side of the couch. I had gotten the rundown on his condition this morning, or lack thereof—he was back to normal aside from some fatigue and a headache from hitting his head on the floor during the attack.
In other words, raring to go. Typical soldier.
I pulled the e-mail up on my phone. Another anonymous account, erased immediately after delivery of his message. Another contact with no way to track him. “The bastard’s careful, I’ll give him that.”
“Did we expect anything else?” Remi asked. We hadn’t and he knew it, so I ignored the question and instead passed my phone to Monty to read.
“‘Ms. Nixon—congratulations on a successful operation. Once your kill is verified, I will be in touch. X.’”
Monty passed the phone back. “How long do you think that will take?”
“Not long,” Eli pointed out. “Even with the body in the car. They know who the car belongs to because we left the driver alive, but there’ve been no announcements that a major Atlanta businessman is dead—they’re waiting on DNA. For someone like Sullivan? They’ll rush it.”
I agreed and told Eli so with a nod. “What about you?”
We hadn’t seen the previous e-mail to the Agozis, and I understood why when Eli began to read.
“‘Assassin’”—Eli’s lips twisted on the title—“‘I see my previous understanding of your ability was inflated.’”
Remi snorted. He and Eli shared an amused look.
“‘Your target is no longer viable, and not by your hands. An outside team has scooped your prize. I admit, my disappointment is profound. If, on the off chance there’s an opportunity for you to redeem yourselves, I may be in touch later today, though that is unlikely. Enjoy your final day as a family.’”
