Page 4 of Blood & Lace
"Send it to me," I said without hesitation. "Now. Has payment been secured or is this one a favor?"
"A favor."
"More than happy to take it."
"You've got it, handsome. I'm sending it your way now."
"Thanks, doll."
I hung up and sighed. Cara was great at her job, but sometimes I wished I could just go out and have a drink with her the way we used to. However, that wasn't a possibility. Us being seen together would only compound the danger and suspicion we were already under every single day. Maybe the cops hadn't figured it out yet, but one day, they would. I knew it was inevitable, and I had come to terms with it a long time ago.
But that didn't mean I wasn't a little lonely.
Get it together. God, you're so pathetic. Look around you. Most people would kill to have what you have and all you can do is whine. Useless. Pathetic. Worthless. Ungrateful.
The words biting in my brain made me grimace. I slapped a hand against my head, trying to knock them out of me, as if that would work. Maybe I needed another mission. If I was allowed to sit with my own thoughts for too long, I would only spiral into the abyss.
Shaking my head, I forced myself to move before I became catatonic, plagued by my own thoughts. First, I sent the video to Sasha. I didn't wait to hear back from her. I simply broke the phone and continued on my way. I settled behind my laptop, booted it up, and sipped my tea as my foot bounced nervously beneath my desk. My skin tingled and my heart picked up speed like it always did when there was a new mission to explore.
I logged onto my secure server and opened Cara's email. The attached packet read URGENT, DANGEROUS. Immediately,my interest was piqued. I clicked on the file, holding my breath the entire time. Cara's words meant that this one was a pedophile. If there was anything I detested more than anything else, it was that shit. My teeth sat on edge as I began to go over the profile and the client's request.
Name:Lucero Marino
Age:28
Height:7’2”
"Jesus. That's not a man, that's a mountain," I muttered.
Hair:Dark brown
Eyes:Hazel
Info:Second oldest of the Marino family, a new up and coming mafia group that is quickly starting to gain attention. He's known to be loud, obnoxious, and a bit dim-witted. Thinks with his fists. Not much else is known. The Marino family keeps things close to their chest, but the client stated they have inside knowledge that the Marino family deals in children and this one is the worst of all. Take him down free-for-all style. Have fun. Pic attached below.
I clicked on the picture and immediately froze. Yeah, the man was ginormous. His thighs looked like they could crush my head like a watermelon. I swallowed hard as I stared at him. He had short dark hair, buzzed on the sides, and dark facial hair as well. In the picture, he came off as serious, but there was a glint of mischief in his eyes. Even his body was different from what I expected. Yes, he was big, but he had a serious dad bod going on. In any other man, I would have found him attractive.
But not this one. I didn't fuck with trash like him.
I read and reread the file until I internalized every bit of information that I could retain. Likes, dislikes, most frequented places. I searched into his family. His past. All of it. Every bit of available detail was stored in my brain. By the time I was done, my tea was cold and I was exhausted.
***
Lucero Marino.
He stalked back and forth, muttering to himself as I watched, perched on a nearby bench. For some reason, he was hanging out in the park, and while I didn't mind the sun, the smell of flowers, and the bit of peace, I couldn't help but to be perplexed as to why he was here. At first, I'd thought the worst. However, we were nowhere near the playground.
What the fuck is he doing?
"Yeah, yeah, I know. I said I know!" he hollered into his phone. "I'm not yelling. No, I'm not! I've got something to do. Yes, it's important," he hissed.
I raised a brow. We'd been at this park for at least an hour, but no one had even approached him. Was it a drug exchange? Or was he here to meet someone? A victim? My stomach twisted and turned. I bounced my knee up and down, trying to pretend to look at my phone while I kept an eye on him the entire time.
Can't believe this is my next mark. They're not even that big. Someone must have a personal issue with them. I wonder how bad it is.
Usually, I spoke to the client myself in a private meeting, out of the public eye, to get all the details. This time, however, things were different. The client was anonymous. No interview, no information, nothing. They expressed and practically begged that they wanted to stay out of it as much as possible. The trauma was too much. I understood that, and I sympathized. So, of course, I took the mission.
"Listen, I'll come in when I'm done. Okay? Ugh!"
