Page 5 of To Keep

Viko wanted him to bring the girl in, and he’d complied. Once he dropped her off, he could wash his hands of this fucked-up contract and pick up a new one. Anything to keep his mind busy. First, he’d grab some lunch, but the night was young.

“What’s going to happen?”

She sounded like a scared little girl.

“Not my problem, sweetheart. I brought you here, and now you’re his problem.”

He got out of the car, walked around to the passenger side, and opened her door.

Once she stood up, she stayed rooted in place. “You’re going to leave me?”

“That’s the plan.”

“But you saved me. Your boss might kill me.”

He chuckled, forcing her aside so he could close the car door. “He’s the one who stilled my hand. Trust me, I wanted to finish my job.”

“But you feel differently now, right? You know I’m innocent.”

He shrugged as he walked toward the modern piece of architecture ahead of them. It was abstract with a lot of glass and sharp edges—not his style. “Innocent or not is never an issue.”

“What is?”

“Money.”

Her eyes were narrowed as if offended by the notion.

“No one is that evil.”

“Maybe not in your circles, but your eyes are about to be opened,” he said.

Galen pushed the buzzer beside the front doors, and they opened within seconds. There were cameras everywhere, monitoring every angle, near and far. Viko trusted no one.

She grabbed his arm, surprising him. “Please,” she whispered harshly. The lobby of the office was deafeningly quiet, no sign of anyone inside. “Don’t leave me here.”

“Not my call.”

“I know you’re not an animal,” she said. “Even someone like you must have a heart.”

“Someone like me?”

“Well, you’re a murderer, aren’t you?”

“I prefer ‘contract worker’. Has a better ring to it, no?”

“Whatever. I don’t belong here. Tell my old boss I have no plans to run to the cops. I don’t want any trouble. I just want to be left alone,” she said.

“You’re a loose end for Petrov now. You’ve seen things you shouldn’t have. That kind of shit can’t be brushed under the rug.”

Her eyes welled up with unshed tears, two turbulent blue oceans. Other people’s emotions never fazed him. Some called him a sociopath. Galen just didn’t give a fuck. He’d pulled the trigger when people were begging and crying, and it never bothered him before.

“So, what can I do to fix this? Should I go to the cops? There must be something.”

He scoffed, holding back full-on laughter. “Bad idea. The officials Viko doesn’t control, his enemies do.” Galen scrubbed a hand over his face. “What did you see exactly?”

“At my boss’s house?”

He nodded.

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