Hard to Get (Killer of Kings Book 4)(6)

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Shadow watched from a dark corner as Riley closed up her shop. She didn’t even realize that he’d been keeping tabs on her all day. He’d underestimated her, that was for sure. When she had said Boss’s name, he’d nearly given himself away. Of course, he almost died of laughter when she asked if he was gay. He had nothing against being gay, he just most definitely wasn’t. Women were his thing, but he loved it when they didn’t have hearts and flowers in their eyes. He wasn’t a good man.

His life at Killer of Kings had made it so. Being a killer came naturally to him. What he wanted was to fit in. He’d been to Viper’s, Killian’s, and Bain’s special lockup homes. They were like fortresses, and were constantly guarded.

He liked the idea of being an ordinary guy, something that had eluded him his entire life. What he hadn’t expected was having a very nosy neighbor, which was exactly what Riley was.

She was intrusive, but he believed her ability to read lips was a unique gift that he could use to his advantage. He’d have to be careful around her. Boss hadn’t wanted to text him any vital information in case it got hacked, and seeing as Shadow had a photographic memory, all he needed was to be told or to look at something, and he’d remember. That was one of his skills.

One look at a map, and he’d remember it for the rest of his life. The skill had served him well in the military and during his life as a hitman.

With his latest mission from Boss, the man had no name as he was constantly changing faces. The asshole was wanted in several countries for just about every crime imaginable. Boss had contracts from numerous sources, so it would be a big pay day once this guy was in the ground.

It wasn’t always about money for Boss. In his spare time, he liked to help certain causes. Shadow knew firsthand that Boss’s heart wasn’t all black, and one of his pet peeves was the human trafficking of women and children. About five years ago, Shadow had been hunting a man who’d stolen a wealthy man’s kid. He paid top dollar for his safe return. They’d discovered a black market specializing in the smuggling of women and kids. It had sickened Shadow, but Boss, he made sure every man involved lived to regret it. He hunted them down, and declared war on anyone who had anything to do with it. Shadow had witnessed Boss torture a woman who had beaten kids into submission so they could be sold. There was a lot of sick shit in the world.

With Riley’s back to him, Shadow moved in until he was standing directly behind her. He kept to the shadows because he could blend in. No one would ever hear him.

“You’re closing up late,” he said.

She gasped and spun around. Riley reached in her purse, pulling out a blade and holding it in front of her.

When recognition softened her features, she lowered her arm. “I don’t like to be sneaked up on,” she said. “What do you want?”

“You didn’t use that knife last night.” He noticed she didn’t shake. What had happened to her that made her so confident in holding a knife?

“I didn’t think I’d need it. You told me you were the real threat, anyway. I live next door to you. If you don’t give me your name, I’m going to start calling you Ghost.”

Shadow smirked. He had never met a woman like her. She was a fighter through and through. “I need a ride home,” he lied.

She put the blade away, and took a step back. “Okay. Jump in.”

Riley was a mystery that was for damn sure. Climbing into the passenger seat of the car, he watched her drive. She didn’t try to make small talk, and for several minutes silence filled the car—besides her noisy muffler.

“My name’s Shadow,” he said, giving her the truth.

Riley snorted. “Really? That didn’t take long for me to earn that pesky trust. What did I do?”

“You caught me by surprise with the knife.”

“You can’t be too safe.”

“It’s not exactly a bad neighborhood,” he said.

“That’s why I like it—even if I don’t fit in. And I’ve lived beside you for a little while now, and if you’ve been trying to blend in, you’ve failed. You stick out as much as I do. I don’t mind either. It’s good to be a little different. At least I keep trying to convince myself it’s good.” She tucked some hair behind her ear, and it made him want to reach out, to wrap a curl around his finger. He didn’t.

“How do we stick out?”

“We don’t feel the need to join in. We’re not fakes. We don’t need to pretend to be something we’re not. I’m used to being on my own. I cleaned tables in a strip club when I was fourteen.” She laughed as she told him.

“How?” he asked.

“I convinced the guy that I was better and cheaper, proved it, too. Got paid a hundred bucks a week to clean up beer. It was easy money, and I didn’t have to turn tricks to get it.” She parked in her driveway, and turned toward him. “Half of the people in this neighborhood don’t get that. They’re ignorant of what happens in the real world.” She climbed out of the car, and he did the same.

“You’re not going to be following me tonight?” he asked. Not that he had any intention of going anywhere. His only date was with his computer to memorize everything he could about his latest mission. It wasn’t going to be easy, and he had a feeling this one was going to take more time than a simple find and eliminate.