Page 2 of Falling for the Hitman (Men of Ruthless Corp)

He leans back in his leather chair causing the leather to crunch beneath him. “Is that a fucking problem?”

I know my place. You don’t say no to Rogue. You can bitch about it to someone else, you can share your feelings about it to someone else, but you never, ever say no to Rogue. If you say no, you’re out of the corp. It’s that simple.

I stand up and shake my head, grabbing the file off his desk. “No problem.”

“Give me a call when it’s done,” he says, dismissing me.

I don’t bother stopping to talk to anyone on my way out. The weight of what I’m about to do is pressing down on me. I’ve done countless hits over the years. None ever bothered me. I did what I was hired to do. This is the job I’ve been trained for. I never allow my head to get involved. I just do what needs to be done.

However, I’ve never laid my hands on a woman before. I respect, adore, and desire women. It’s why I’m not in a relationship. I realize that being with me for more than a good fuck, could be dangerous. There’s no way I would put any woman at risk. So, I avoid relationships knowing that no one will be hurt because of me.

I’ll no longer be able to say no woman has ever been hurt at my hands.

When I enter my downtown LA loft, I grab a beer out of the fridge. I head straight for my office, tossing the file down on my desk. After the beer is cracked open, I take a long pull, willing the cold liquid to relax me.

Once I’m in my black leather chair, I open the file to read through it. She’s twenty-eight-years- old; ten years younger than me. Everything that Rogue already told me is staring back at me as well as a photo of her. I pick up the picture and study it. She’s absolutely beautiful. Long blonde hair, green eyes that pop against her fair skin, and tiny as hell. It says she’s only five-foot and two inches tall. I tower over her at six-feet tall.

I lean back in my chair and really examine the photo. She looks so innocent. There is no hard look in her eyes; they are soft and shining. Her lips are slightly raised in a soft smile, almost like she’s shy. A deep breath escapes me as I toss the picture on my desk. She doesn’t look like she’s capable of overpowering a large man long enough to kill him. Although, I’ve learned looks can be deceiving.

My cell phone rings, and I grab it out of my pocket. I grin when I see it’s my brother, sliding my finger across the screen to answer it.

“Hey, man,” I answer, sipping my beer.

“Hey, I’ll be in town in a few days. You gonna be around?”

We don’t see each other nearly enough. He got married, stayed in Florida, had a few kids, and runs a successful business. I’m happy for him, but I miss him.

“Damn, no I’m going out of town tonight,” I say.

“It’s

cool, we’ll catch up next time. Where you headed this time?”

Obviously, I never give details, but I will tell him where I’m going.

“Arizona,” I say, sighing.

“What? You hate Arizona?” he asks, laughing.

I drag my hand down my mouth as I lean back in my chair. “No, it’s the first time I’m questioning things.”

“Why?”

I glance back down at the picture, shaking my head. “Just a feeling I have, I guess.”

“You’ve never questioned anything before, maybe there’s a reason you are.”

“It’s not that.” I take a deep breath as I squeeze the back of my neck. “It’s a woman,” I whisper.

“Fuck,” he mumbles.

“Yeah, and I can’t fucking say no, so I’m screwed.”

“Maybe it’s time to say no, especially if you’re questioning shit,” he says.

I shake my head, even though he can’t see me. “No fucking way. This is my life. I’m not giving it up because one job is hard. That’s part of it.”

He’s quiet for a minute and I check to see if I lost him. “You make great money, you live an exciting life, you are happy with the various women that you see. I get all that. I’m just wondering if you will be able to live the same life once you have a woman’s blood on your hands. Just think about it.”

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