Nix. (Den of Mercenaries Book 3)(75)

“I understand that you need me to find someone,” Luna said as she took a seat, crossing her legs as the woman mirrored her actions.

“That will come in time, but for now, I would like to get to know you first. Tell me, Calavera, how did you manage to catch the attention of both Runehart brothers?”

Belladonna had a pleasant sort of accent, one that spoke of a life having grown up in the upper echelon of British society. It had crisp, refined edges, while still flowing pleasantly.

It almost felt like talking to royalty.

“I don’t have their attention, as you put it. I work for one, and the other—”

“You’re sleeping with him, are you not?”

Her tone hadn’t changed from simple curiosity, but Luna sat up a little straighter. “Tell me about the assignment.”

Belladonna still looked unbothered. “The man I’m looking for is an expert at making people disappear,” she explained. “Six months ago, he was tasked with relocating a man by the name of Roger Tillman. I’ve asked for your services in bringing him to me. I’ve taken the liberty in preparing a file for your perusal.”

Luna accepted it, though her eyes remained on her new employer. “Is there a timeline you would like me to stick to?”

“I’m sure you’ll find him in no time at all. Three days should be plenty of time.”

Luna wasn’t so sure, but she couldn’t demand more time before she had even started. “Understood.”

“And just to make sure I understand correctly, your role as mercenary and lover aren’t mutually exclusive, yes? I value my privacy, Calavera, and I can’t have it compromised because you like to share with your bedfellow.”

Luna ground her teeth. Though she hadn’t been on a great many assignments since they had begun giving them to her, there had only been one other occasion when someone brought up her connection to both Uilleam and Kit.

She wanted to tell them that she was capable of separating the two, but she didn’t bother—she doubted they would care.

And it would be far easier to show them.

“I’ll see it done.”



“Your girl’s a f*cking ghost,” Semyon said some time later, pushing away from the screens he’d been scanning for the last three hours.

Despite the long hours, Kit had spent the time catching up on emails and going through proposals while he waited. And with Luna gone to the Den, he only had time on his hands.

Closing his screen back out, Kit pocketed his phone, getting to his feet to get closer to the screens and what information Semyon had found—or lack thereof as it were.

“A ghost is about what I expected, Semyon,” Kit returned as tried to make sense of what he was seeing. “It means my brother did his part.”

“Nah,” Semyon said with a shake of his head. “I’ve seen his level of scrubbing and I can still find traces, but with her, there’s nothing—literally. Whoever he hired didn’t just scrub, he made it so that she doesn’t exist.”

The suspicion that had nagged on him since that night in bed with Luna only grew worse. No, it didn’t make sense for Uilleam to go through that much trouble.

But because he had, once again, Kit was asking himself: who was Luna Santiago?

Kit no longer believed she was just a girl Uilleam had stumbled upon, but not knowing what answers awaited him, he didn’t think it best to go to Luna directly—but rather in a way that didn’t inspire suspicion.

After all, she held the key to the whole mystery whether she knew it or not.

Tugging an envelope full of cash out of his breast pocket, Kit set it down next to Semyon’s keyboard. “I’m keeping you on retainer until I finish this—I may need your expertise.”

Semyon kicked his legs up, emptying the contents on the envelope with little care as he fanned through the hundred-dollar bills there. “Whatever you need, Nix.”

Exiting, Kit was almost back to his car when his phone rang. “Nix.”

“Hello, Nix.”

The man spoke with a marked accent, one that made Kit frown. He also spoke with a familiarity that Kit didn’t understand. “Do I know you?”

“You don’t,” the other man said. “But I’m sure you want to.”

Hitting the button on the key fob to unlock his car, Kit asked, “Why is that?”

His answer was immediate. “I tried to have your brother killed.”





Chapter Nineteen





Droplets of sweat rolled down the back of Kit’s neck as dirt plumed in front of the jeep speeding down the hill toward the row of houses at the bottom. Plush beaches had long given way to poverty-stricken areas where children played in the streets as mothers hung clothes on lines, their eyes quickly drifting to him as he made his way further into the little city.

It was a close knit community, he knew, and any outsider was frowned upon.

Once he reached the green-painted building at the foot of the hill where the windows were covered with cardboard, and two men playing with dice abandoned their game the moment he stopped, Kit took one quick look around, assessing his surroundings.

Fortunately for him, his destination happened to be a neutral place between two rivaling cartels, which meant he would be left relatively unbothered during his visit. His intentions would have been a bit harder had one of them intercept him, but not impossible.