Nix. (Den of Mercenaries Book 3)(71)

“Then how do you find the Jackal?”

“You don’t,” Kit said, a truth that he wished he didn’t have to share. “He finds you. Whoever he is, he’s very good—and whoever he works for, they’re more paranoid about their anonymity than even you.”

Uilleam shook his head. “Ghosts can’t stay hidden forever.”

“My resources are at your disposal should you need them.”

“Duly noted.”

“Don’t give the nurses too much trouble,” Kit said as he got to his feet. “Take it easy over the next few days.”

Uilleam scoffed. “My work is never done.”

“Then take a break. You were shot five times for God’s sake—you’re lucky to be alive.”



“I don’t think luck had anything to do with it,” he said. “He missed every major organ, and if we ignore the sheer number of bullets, it wouldn’t have been life threatening.”

Even Kit couldn’t hide his surprise then.

He’d heard the assassin was good, but that was far beyond anything he had expected.

“I wasn’t meant to die today,” Uilleam said, gazing off at something across the room. “Of that much I’m sure.”

“I’ll ask around,” Kit offered after a beat of silence, “see what I can find.”

“Give my thanks to Luna, would you?”

Kit nodded, excusing himself once the nurse came to check on Uilleam. As he was leaving, and spotted Skorpion on his way out, he was reminded of the other reason why he had come here.

But it wasn’t to Skorpion that Kit directed his question.

Instead, he called the one man that might have had the answer, and was willing to share it with him.

“Uncle,” Kit greeted once he was secure in his car and the bluetooth was turned on. “Is this a good time?”

“It’s never a good time,” came his disgruntled reply. “What can I do for you?”

“Uilleam contracted Luna for a job in California and—”

“He did what?”

Since Zachariah had agreed to take on the job as wrangler for the mercenaries, it was rare that the man didn’t know what assignment belonged to whom—he was their handler after all.

What was Uilleam hiding?

“Perhaps he was intending to meet you.”

Then why hadn’t he mentioned it?

And why involve Luna?

Curious that he would ask Luna on an assignment that he didn’t tell anyone else about, especially knowing that Kit would be in California at the time—more curious considering who he’d met with at the time.

Whatever Uilleam’s intentions, it had something to do with Luna—he just had to find out what.





Chapter Eighteen





Kit could remember almost to the exact moment when he knew everything wasn’t all what it seemed with his younger brother.

It was during one of those cold, winter nights years ago when Kit had been barely old enough to call himself a teenager. Despite spending most of his days away at the boarding school his father forced him to attend, during the two very short weeks during the winter holiday, he was permitted to come home.

Kit hadn’t minded staying away, enjoying the peace that came with not having to worry about a tyrant living only one floor above you. Besides, this year he had finally made a few friends—an impossible feat in the remote estate where one would have to travel at least twenty minutes by car just to find a neighbor.

As a child, he’d been rather content being alone, finding enjoyment in solitary acts—anything to stay out of his father’s way—but as he got older and grew tired of puzzles and word games (both in which he excelled at) he longed for other human interaction besides the family he’d rather not be a part of.

Well, with the exception of Uilleam.

Everything had changed when he was born, from the relationship between their parents, down to the way the household was run. Their mother had spoiled Uilleam rotten, but in the process she also shielded him from the wrath of her husband—something she had never done for Kit.

Perhaps that was where his need to protect Uilleam at all costs had come from. His mother, though never having outright said as much—had conditioned Kit to look after him more than he possibly needed.

And it was for that reason that when Kit heard his father’s booming yell, he’d hopped down from his perch on the windowsill and went running.

So as long as he was in the house, usually Alexander Runehart let Uilleam be if only because he was terrorizing Kit—this would be the first time in a long time he’d heard his brother in trouble.

But, when he hastened down the two flights of stairs, it wasn’t his brother that he found to be in trouble with his father, but Clifton, one of his security.

Kit had never liked the man, nor the man him. Though Clifton was nearly two decades his senior, the man was often jealous of Kit—though there was very little reason to be—simply because he would become his father’s successor one day.

It didn’t matter that Kit wanted no part of the Runehart legacy.

Nor did it matter that what time Kit did spend with his father, he was being terrorized—no, the man only saw what he wanted to see.

That, he could handle. Clifton wouldn’t be the first to dislike him, nor would he be the last. He had learned rather quickly how to ignore what bothered him. The problem came in when his father hadn’t gotten enough enjoyment out of inflicting his punishments, but sought out others to do the same.