Nix. (Den of Mercenaries Book 3)(25)

“This is fine,” she answered his unspoken question.

“In the future,” Kit went on as he uncovered his own food, “should you want to avoid telling information you don't want to share, you pose a question of your own that will prevent that from happening. This way, the question becomes specific to what you're willing to share.”

“I think I understand.”

“But there are also benefits to obscurity.”

She hadn’t the slightest idea what he meant. “Uh.”

“Let’s say you were to ask me who I am. I could tell you about my childhood in Wales, or vacations to Greece, or even the way my mother enjoyed watching my father beat me, but that’s not really what you want to know, is it? You would much rather know why Uilleam would bring you to me, isn’t that right?” A corner of his mouth kicked up at the look on her face. “All it takes is a bit of misdirection because now, you’re thinking about my childhood rather than why you’re here.”

Well shit.

She was thinking about what little he had just told her, and had he not made note of it, she would have asked him about that first before the reason why she was here with him.

“Devil is in the details, remember that,” Kit said cutting into his sausage.

“So why did he bring me to you?”

“Will you answer questions of mine?” he asked, and at her nod, he answered. “He wants me to train you.”

Eating a bite of eggs, Luna chewed a moment. “Train me for …”

“In the trade of dead men—or at least that’s what we like to call it. Most of the unfortunate souls that sign a contract with my brother are as good as dead anyway, so it makes sense. Even if they aren’t, by the time my brother finishes with them, there’s no trace of them left.”

There were so many questions she wanted to ask, but she hadn’t a clue where to start. “What’s the trade of dead men … exactly?”

“Mercenaries.”

Luna frowned. “Isn’t that like an assassin?”

Now, he looked amused. “They’re not mutually exclusive, no. Mercenaries are usually in it for the money, suspending their own moral code in exchange for ones and zeros. Assassins, on the other hand, are a bit more balanced.”

“Why do you say, ‘usually?’”

“My brother has brought together a team of mercenaries—he calls it the Den—to perform jobs for him. Essentially, he took the sophistication of an assassin and paired it with the ruthlessness of a mercenary.”

The idea of what he was saying fascinated her. While she didn’t know very much about mercenaries, she had read about assassins before, and had even seen a few movies—though she couldn’t say how accurate those were.

But it still wasn’t something she could fathom. “Are you one of them?”

“Am I in the trade? Not anymore. Now, I mostly facilitate.”

“Were you one of the mercenaries?”

“Assassin.”

Luna thought of his guards. “And is that what those guys are? The Wild Bunch, I mean They’re assassins.”

“They’re something in the middle.”

“And you said facilitate? What does that mean exactly?”

Sitting his knife and fork down, Kit wiped his mouth with a cloth napkin before resting his elbows on the table. “Let’s say you desire something you can’t get your hands on. Most cases, I can get you what you want, and if I can’t, I know someone that can. So tell me, Luna, what do you want more than anything in the world?”

Her life back.

There was nothing in the world she wanted more than that, but despite that being the answer her head was screaming, it wasn’t the answer she gave, because more than wanting her life back, she wanted to be the one to get it.

“I want him to pay,” she answered instead.

“Him?”

“Lawrence.”

“For what he did to you?”

Luna shook her head. “For what he did to all of us.”

“Then I’ll get you what you want,” he said in return—a promise.

She was lost in his eyes a moment, but she quickly blinked. “I probably couldn’t afford you.”

He drew away, making her realize just how close they were. “That too will change.”

“How do you mean?”

“When you work for the Den, you’re compensated—your pay depends on the job.”

Now, Luna was more confused than ever. “He bought me, only to give me a job?”

Kit laughed, the sound rich and warming. “Don’t question his madness, Luna. I don’t.”

“And you’re to train me?” Luna asked again. “You’re going to teach me how to shoot a gun?”

“And use a knife, among other assorted weaponry that you’ll learn to love.”

When she thought about it, Luna couldn’t even fight. She knew the basic idea of how to defend herself should there ever be a need, but she had never fought anyone, not really. She didn’t think trying to claw Lawrence’s eyes out that one time counted.

“Do you think you’re incapable?” he asked softly.

“I just don’t know if I’m going to be worth what he spent. I never got the chance to finish school—I don’t even know how to fight, or—”