Page 135 of Stabby Little

"I can't tell you."

Grant slams his fist on the floor. "Damnit, boy. I need to know so I can make them pay. You could be in danger."

"Telling you puts me at risk. I can't."

"I'll keep you safe."

I shake my head. "I don't even know what you do for a living. How can I trust you?" I sniffle. "I tried asking you earlier, but you evaded my question. You're keeping something from me and I don't like that."

Grant pushes out a breath. "This is difficult for me, too. You won't like what I have to say."

I place my palm on his bandage. "Let's make a pact. We agree to be truthful with each other. No more lies or evasions."

Grant nods. "I can do that."

I squeeze his bandaged hand. "What do you do for a living?"

Grant stares dead into my eyes. "I'm a hitman."

I nod. Like this doesn't shatter my entire world. "Who do you work for?"

"A powerful crime family in New York."

"How did you hurt your pinky?"

"My boss instructed me to hurt an innocent young man. I refused to do it and he cut my finger off with a knife."

"I'm so sorry.” Tears well in my eyes. “That's not right."

"I deserved it. My boss needed someone strong for the job. An underling who gets shit done. We've butted heads over the past few months over my reluctance to do his dirty work."

I run my thumb across his chiseled cheek. "Keep talking. I'm listening."

"At first, he only made me hurt his enemies. I didn't have a problem with that because they were worse than him. Then he wanted me to go after innocent men. There's a Saudi royal vacationing in Abu Dhabi he asked me to kidnap for ransom. He had an issue with the royal's father and desired to use his son as leverage against him. I refused to do it and my boss hurt me. He threatened my family. That's not something I could allow."

I rub my lips on Grant's bandaged hand. "Tell me why you took the job."

"My boss promised me I wouldn't need to hurt innocent people. That was my chief hangup—I refused to work for him if he made me kill innocents. I used to be a bodyguard. Moving up to a hitman was a logical step. The money allowed me to move into this home and put Miles through private school. My boss even helped me search for you when you vanished. Everything was going great. Up until a few months ago."

I plant soft kisses on Grant's wrist, then massage his forearm. "Your boss sounds terrible."

"He's a monster. I didn't realize it at first, because we hit it off so well. But I can't deny it anymore. He's an evil man who does what he wants."

"What kinds of things does he do?"

"There's a warehouse he and his brothers own that was supposed to be for drug trafficking. That's what he told me. A few weeks ago, I heard rumors he was using it for darker activities."

I furrow my brow. "Darker activities?"

"I can't tell you what. I don't usually ask questions about my job. I do what I need to keep my head down."

My heart slams in my chest. "Where is this warehouse?"

"Yonkers." Grant turns his eyes away from mine. "It burnt down in a fire last month."

My blood turns to ice. I stare into Grant's eyes, his dark, mysterious eyes, and move back.

No.

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