Page 14 of Her Exile

She lowers her gun and looks around at the bodies like I am. Men in full tactical body armor lie dead. Two have been shot in the head. One has his neck cut, and the last has been shot and stabbed.

I watch as her knees wobble and she starts to go down. I race to her side and hold her to me, not caring about the blood and gore she’s covered in.

“I’m sorry. I was sent to kill you. But I can’t.” With her eyes puffy from crying and her bleeding in my arms, I know she’s telling the truth.

I can’t tell my father this.

He’d kill her himself.

I know she’d never hurt me.

I dial the number for a doctor I keep on personal retainer and tell him to meet me at the manor, then I take off. I leave everything in the room except for the comforter off the bed I use to wrap around her. I have to get her away from here. I know what happened. She didn’t do what she was sent to do, so they sent people to kill her.

I will find out the truth from her soon, but first I need to make her safe and make sure we aren’t followed. I cover her head with the comforter and carry her out over my shoulder like a rug. I set her down by the loading dock and pray she’ll be safe while I go get my car. I rouse her and give her my gun. Her head lolls to the side, but her eyes are open and focused on the exit doors to protect herself.

When I have her in the passenger seat and we are finally on our way, I text the number to initiate the plan I’ve been working on all day. He’ll help me.

Me:

I will be bringing my intended to you. I need your help to protect her.

He will know what to do. He’ll be able to help me get her to safety.

* * *

An hour later, after the doctor stitched up her wounds and I washed her body, she’s finally stirring again. She comes up off the bed fast and doesn’t even groan from the pain, but I see the tightness in her lips from holding it back. She looks around for a weapon before she sees me sitting in the chair in the corner of the master suite.

“What am I doing here?” She stands there in my T-shirt I put her in. I watch as she slides a foot back. She’s trained. Very trained from what I saw in her room.

“It was the most secure place I could think of. I have men all around the area. How did you get by them before?” I have my own personal guards when I need them. They have no associations with my father or the family. It’s my way of making sure that I and my home are always safe. There is never any doubt in their loyalty. I called them in as soon as she and I got to the property. I only had a small unit of them here earlier because I don’t need them on a regular basis.

“I’m trained to not be seen.”

“Who are you?” It’s the question I’ve been mulling over for a while now. Is her name really Luna? Is she from America? Is she CIA? Or some other alphabet company.

“I’m Luna.”

I notice she doesn’t say a last name.

“Luna what?” I ask, and she sits back on the bed and shakes her head. “Tell me so I know that the woman I screwed is really who she says she is. The woman I’m falling for and dumped so much cum into she’s probably carrying my child already. Who are you?” I yell as I stand up to my full height.

She stands too but doesn’t move. Doesn’t go on the defensive.

“I’m Luna. That’s all I know. I don’t have a last name. I work for a private contractor, and I’m an assassin.” She doesn’t flinch as she says it. “I don’t know who I am or where I came from. After I met you two weeks ago, my mind was wiped so I wouldn’t remember the kill or you. I was sent here to infiltrate the Revello organization and bring it down, even if it meant killing its heads.” Now I see the emotion. She is shaking. “I didn’t want to lie to you, but like I said, I didn’t know who I was.” She pauses and sits back down. “After I met you at the gallery, I was stopped by a friend. Well, at least I guess that’s what I would call him. I saved him five years ago when he was twelve. I was sixteen, or at least that’s what I was told. He gave me a packet of information about me. I had put it together a couple of years ago so I could get out. The doctor who took me when I was a kid wants me to kill someone you are associated with. I was sent here by my contractor for your family, but the doctor wants me to also kill this other person. I don’t know who they are. The doctor gives me drugs so I don’t get pregnant, but I don’t know if they are permanent. He also uses a special mixture of drugs and other things to alter my memory and program me. But they haven’t been working as much lately. I don’t know why, but I’m able to recall memories. I know I’ve killed a lot of people. I also know I’ve saved several young children and women from being taken by the doctor. I take them to contacts I’ve made in different cities. It’s how I got this.” She motions to the bruise and small scar on her temple. “I didn’t take the woman I rescued from that guy in Bucharest to the doctor.” She speaks in a monotone voice, as if she’s talking about someone else.

“Kovacs.” I offer the name.

She nods. “I don’t know their names all the time. Or I forget them. But I can’t forget their faces. I see them in my nightmares.” She taps her head.

I finally can’t take the space between us and move to her. I sit on the bed with her and take her hand in mine.

“Do I need to worry you’ll kill me in my sleep?” I chuckle, hoping she takes the joke, but she doesn’t. She jumps up and stands in front of me with her hands on her hips. Her hair is hanging down and she’s naked except for my shirt.

“I won’t hurt you. I don’t want to. You and Vittoria are my friends. The only friends I’ve had except for Matty. I promise you right now I couldn’t kill you. I can’t tell you how I feel, but I can tell you this. I’m contracted through Interpol’s organized crime division. These truths could get me killed, but I don’t care. I don’t want you or Vittoria hurt. I don’t want Matty found. I need to get out of here.”

I pull her between my legs and hold her to me. She trembles, and so do I. What she just said to me is a lot. She’s right, it could get her killed. Just her talking to me could get her killed. Not only by her people but by my own family.

“I have a friend we are going to go see.”

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