Page 10 of Targeted By Vengeance

Crossing her arms, Simone shot daggers at me. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“You’re staying here,” I told her.

“What?” She exclaimed, all the happiness draining from her face.

“This is your new apartment. You’ll work for Lexie’s company in their legal department, and-”

“No! I am not staying here! You promised you were going to help me!”

“I am helping you! What the fuck do you think is going to happen if you confront your godfather? You don’t have the guts to kill him!”

“You don’t know that!”

“I do! You spent your last lifetime as a fucking fed! You want to protect people, not murder them! Your heart isn’t black enough to do it!”

“And yours is?” She countered, raising a brow.

I glared at her, my blood boiling at the insinuation. “You don’t know me or my heart!”

“Clearly,” she spoke between clenched teeth. Turning on her heel, she made a beeline down the hall towards the bedroom door. “Don’t worry! I’ll lock myself up, so you won’t have to!”

Lexie placed a hand up before I could try to go after her. “I’ve got her,” she told me. She rushed after Simone and slipped inside just before she slammed the door.

“Well, that went better than I expected,” Dante said. “I thought she was going to whoop your ass.”

I rolled my eyes at him.

But honestly, I’d take bruises over her silence any day. Fighting meant she cared. I couldn’t say the same for the thick silence she left behind.

My pager buzzed on my hip, reminding me how little time I had to fix this.

THE AGENT

Three knocks rang at the door. Soft, gentle, carrying an apology.

“I don’t want to talk to him,” I told Lexie when her head turned at the sound.

She frowned. “I know. I don’t blame you. But, it may be worth it to just listen.”

Shaking my head, I wiped at the tears I wasn’t able to keep at bay. They started pouring down my face the second I crossed into the doorway. The knife in my back was impossible to ignore. All I wanted was to reach behind me and yank it out. I didn’t care about the blood or the damage left behind. The pain reminded me I wasn’t actually dead. And I wanted to feel alive for a little while - no matter how much it hurt.

“Don’t let him in here,” I pleaded.

Squeezing my arm, she pulled me close, lending me her shoulder to cry on.

“Simone,” Mateo’s voice cut through the wood. “Open the door. I need to talk to you.”

“Say what you need to say,” Lexie spoke for me. “She can hear you.”

It was silent for a moment. I could picture him standing behind the door, gritting his teeth at the idea of putting his vulnerability on display.

“I have to leave,” he finally said. His words stabbed yet another dagger in me - this time the blade sank into my chest.

“Then, go,” I replied, not caring about the crack in my voice.

“Not like this,” he insisted. The doorknob jiggled. “Let me in. Let me see you.”

Lexie raised an eyebrow, silently asking for permission.