Page 108 of Adam
“Anderson’s such a fool,” I say, savoring the flash of surprise in his eyes. “Putting a rat on guard duty was a really bad move.”
“What are you doing here?”
“You know him?” Wes asks, puzzled.
“Why are you here? Who let you in?”
I stalk right up to him and grab his face in my palm, not even flinching at the gun jammed into my ribs.
“Looks like Anderson is a dick with a real talent for trusting the wrong people,” I snarl, enjoying the panic cracking through his bravado. My smile pulls wide and sinister. “He trustedyouto guard him. He trustedmeto wander his house alone. That’s two bad calls already.” I lean in closer. “Fairy tales don’t end happy when everyone’s this stupid.”
“Listen, brother?—”
“We arenotbrothers.” I shake him like a broken toy, hauling him clear off the floor. “You’re a loose-end fuckup I allowed to keep breathing because I was stupid enough to feel generous. I had endless chances back in training. All those possible neat little accidents I chose to let pass.”
His nostrils flare, eyes glassy, panic finally punching through.
God, I love that part.
“Let me explain.”
“I could drown you in a sink, light you up like a match, take you apart and scatter the pieces so wide no one would even bother asking where you went.”
I walk up to him, kneel, and press my forehead to his, savoring every twitch. “You hear that?” I murmur. “That little noise in your head? That’s your survival instinct screaming while I decide how creative I feel.”
“I’m sorry,” he mutters, finally folding.
“Why didn’t you finish the fucking task already?” I growl.
The gun slips from his fingers and clatters to the floor.
“The money was too good,” he wails. “I’m sorry, Adam. I have a family.”
Something in my head clicks sideways.
Family.
That word rattles around like a loose screw. I grin again, my thoughts racing in little circles. Everyone’s got a family. Everyone’s got a price. Funny how those two always end up in the same sentence.
Oh, I could end this so clean, so quiet. It would barely register as a memory. I would get my revenge and find my peace of mind.
I pull back and stand.
My smile wobbles, manic, almost playful.
God, it would be easy.
Too easy.
“Figures,” I murmur. “Get up.”
He sprawls on the floor, stunned, then forces himself back to his feet.
“Adam, I?—”
“Get out,” I say lightly, waving him off. “Go be a dad. Spend the money. Lose sleep over it.”
He nods sharply, panic jerking his head, then scrambles for the door.
