I was forced to reevaluate this odd creature. She was cunning, and if her nerves showed at times, who could blame her? She was still more collected than I thought she had any right to be.
The news headline flowed in my skull, reminding me about what this woman had been through. I didn't know the gritty details, but it had clearly left a mark on her.
Tragedy, of any kind, would do that.
“Come on,” Kite said, stopping me from probing further. “Jacob, can I borrow your car? I took the subway here.”
Handing him my keys, I pointed down the hall towards the alley exit. “Go out that way. I'm parked right there.”
Marina ducked under my arm, clutching her purse. Kite waited for her, but his attention was on me. Wordlessly, we said a farewell and good luck with just our eyes.
Standing in the hall, bar noise to my left and the silent alley exit to my right, I was poised in the middle of two worlds.
A peaceful life we'd done everything to achieve...
And the grim past that demanded we dive back in if we ever hoped to really escape.
- Chapter 6 -
Marina
If my heart was any lighter, it would float out of my smiling mouth.
I did it. I actually did it.
I was sitting next to a killer, and I wasn't afraid. There was too much hope biting in my blood. Since my family had been murdered, I'd been drifting. Lost.
But not any longer.
I was going to get my revenge.
In the dark car, Kite's face was lit up on the edges from the electric blue of the CD player. It was a nice sound system. Actually, the whole car was the most expensive thing I'd ever ridden in.
I watched him, counted how long he kept from blinking. I'd never been so close to someone like him. I wanted to understand what made him tick and try to steal it for myself.
Seeking him out in the bar had shown me a side of him I didn't understand. Kite had eaten me up with those ink-blot eyes of his. I'd felt the way he wanted me, even through my haze of determination.
I'd definitely felt his hand curling around my waist.
Sitting in the car, I touched my hip and shivered. It was too easy to recall the ghost of his touch, and how it had filled me with surprising heat.
Kite was a man scared of nothing. He wanted to kiss me, thrill me... it would have been easy, in another time or place, to just go along with his intentions.
So easy to see what else he could do to me.
He was ready to murder me back there, I reminded myself. Don't think of him as some kind of man-candy.
Even if he was delicious looking.
Kite thought I was dangerous, to him and his friend. And maybe I was—but I didn't feel like it. They were the ones with weapons and a trait that let them end lives.
By the end of this, will I have that trait? It was what I needed. If I was going to kill the gap-toothed man from my memory, I knew it would take a certain mindset.
I'd hesitated on killing Frank and had missed my chance.
I wouldn't let that happen again.
“Which street?” Kite asked, shattering the silence.
Sitting up on the plush seat, I pointed. “Take a left here.”
As if that was all he ever needed to say again, he went silent. Watching him covertly, I tried to sense his... what, killer's presence? There had to be a word for it. And if not, I'd make one up.
Demon Aura, I mused. Too cheesy. Maybe something to do with predators or...
“Why are you staring at me?” On the steering wheel, his tattooed knuckles shined.
Swallowing loudly, I looked out the passenger window. Shit, I thought I was being sneaky. “Sorry,” I said quickly. “Guess I was just trying to figure out what to say.”
“About what?”
Glancing over, I caught his hard frown. “About... all of this. Talking might get rid of this awkward air.”
“No thanks.” The car slowed at a red light. “I think silence suits me just fine.”
Carefully, I made myself face him. “If you like silence, why spend so much time in a busy bar?”
The glow of the radio illuminated his glare. Then, he was back to watching the road. “You really were stalking me, huh?”
“I had to,” I said defensively. “Besides, it was good practice. An assassin needs to observe their target, right? To figure out their schedule so the kill goes smoothly?”
Kite's face contorted with his disbelief. “You're not an assassin. You don't know a fucking thing about being one.”
Warmth spread up my neck. Ignoring it, I snatched up the opportunity to learn more. “Then tell me about it.”
“How about I don't, and we just go get your things?” He took the corner too fast, rocking me against the window.
We weren't far from my apartment, but I had no plans to sit quietly. “You said you'd help train me. That was part of the agreement, right?” Crushing my purse, I reminded myself of the money that Jacob now had. “I'll need to know about everything. You said yourself, I'm staying with you guys so I can learn quickly. Refusing to talk to me is counterproductive.”