Page 10 of Black Site

It would be nice to use the languages I have learned over the years. It might be fun to travel some.

"I wouldn't have to sleep with anyone?"

"Fuck no! I'm not asking you to be a whore, Liberty, just a translator."

"And you'll pay for Lexi's college? All of it?" It sounds too good to be true. He doesn't sound like he's telling lies but you wouldn't be able to tell with someone like Jim.

"For however many years she wants to stay in, yes."

"How? How does a retired military...leader have enough money to send a kid to college and not blink an eye about the amount?" I have no idea what his title is. Or what branch these men work for.

His brow cocks. The high-handed way he narrows his eyes shows me he isn't used to people questioning him. Whatever he wants from me I don't think it is going to work because I question everything, repeatedly.

"You want to know if I'm just telling you what I have to so you'll do what I want. Okay, that's fair enough I suppose." He takes a deep breath and takes off his glasses so I can see his eyes better. "I am retired. I did work with the military, and other... agencies." He smirks and I can guess which 'other agencies' he's talking about. The one with the three capital letters for a name and it's not the FBI. "I also did some work for some people who could have been looked at as...", he pauses and looks around like he's searching the bedroom for the word he needs.”Assassins."

"You're an assassin." What? The? Fuck?

He rolls his eyes like I'm being crass calling him what he is, "I prefer a free agent."

He takes a card out of his pocket and hands it to me. On it is nothing but an hourglass with a scythe and a handgun over the top of it. I flip it over but the back is blank.

"Assassins have business cards?" I can't keep the sound of incredulity from my voice. Or stop the smile from tipping the corners of my mouth up. This guy is too much. He takes the card out of my hand and puts it away. He's not smiling now.

"My codename is Kronos, the god of time. When people see the card they know they've been marked for death and they've run out of it."

"So you're like Death, a faceless monster who hides behind a mask waiting to strike people down when they least expect it."

"Wow, when you say it like that it takes the entire badass vibe out of it."

I actually laugh out loud at him now. He's so full of himself. If I take this job I am going to love knocking these men down a little. Telling them no every chance I get, being a pain in their asses.

"Why did you not shoot me?" I drag serious eyes up to stare into his. I need to know if I can trust him not to look at me as expendable.

He cups my cheek with his hand before answering me, "Don't ask questions you aren't ready to hear the answers to."

What the hell is he talking about? I want to know why he didn't shoot me like he said he would. It’s not like he likes me or something. I was no better than a tissue to him, something to use and toss away.

"In China, they have a myth about someone saving another and how the person is always responsible for that person ever after. People confuse it all the time and so some will tell you it's the person being saved who is in the other one's debt while others say it's the person doing the saving since they take that person's care and concerns on themselves. Either way, you and me, we're responsible for one another. I take my responsibilities very seriously."

Fuck, I guess he did save me. And I kind of saved him? I guess. It doesn't seem like I did a very good job but what I did might have made a difference. I would save him if he needed me to again. I can't really see this man needing to be saved from anything. His eyes track over my face like he's trying to memorize it down to the smallest detail. I've never been looked at the way he is looking at me or with as much intensity in all my life. It's disconcerting and kind of scary.

It's also kind of exciting and new. Maybe having this adventure will help me not miss Lexi so much. Maybe this will be a good thing for me and Lexi. Maybe I'll finally be useful for something other than cleaning messes up and serving people. I look up from under my lashes at the man offering me everything. I have no idea if he's an angel sent to save us or the devil meant to lure me in. Either way, I don't have a lot of other options.

"Yes."

The smile that spreads over his face when I say the word makes me lean towards the latter. I surprised myself by saying yes to him. But I have a feeling that I'm going to be shocking myself a lot while I work for Jim Archer.

6

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Jim

"So you're not coming home? Because of work?" I shouldn't be listening to her private conversation but fuck it. It's what I do and who I am. In the three months that Libby's been working for me she's done amazing work. Half of the people who we talk to or communicate with would rather do so with her instead of me or the other guys.

As soon as she said yes I went and asked one of my friends about a plot of land near a lake close to his town. He’s been on covert missions with us before and he fit in well. I would have recruited him for part of the team but he wanted to go back home and settle down. I couldn't blame the guy for wanting a more peaceful life. He helped out a lot with the purchase of the black site, sending me pictures, telling me who to use to buy the land, and walked through it with me in person. He's a great guy and I'm more than a little happy that he'll be close by in case we ever need anything. Doesn't hurt that he's the deputy for the nearest sheriff's department either.

He also tried to charm the skirt off Libby which did not make me happy at all. Libby though doesn't let anything like a two hundred and thirty-pound guy flirting with her intimidate her. Believe me I've tried and she shuts me down every time. Most women really gush over the whole man of mystery thing that seems to cling to me but Libby couldn’t give a shit less who I am or where I've been. All she cares about is doing her job so she can take care of her sister.

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