“Bye,” I said. “I’ll see you again soon.”
“Maybe,” he said. “Maybe not. Who knows what your new rules are going to be.” He turned away. “Good luck.”
That hurt. I couldn’t believe he had just turned his back on me like that.
I opened my mouth to say something else but then thought better of it. If I spoke again, I’d just keep on speaking. I had to go. I had to walk away.
I turned. It felt like tearing out my hair. I left the room, step by agonizing step, and left Brooks alone in there.
Louisa was waiting up ahead at the end of the hall. She smiled at me.
“Ready for your new life?”
I nodded. “Ready.”
I followed her, not sure where she was taking me. I followed her away from Brooks, away from the last person I wanted to leave, and it felt like I was breaking something inside myself. But I couldn’t turn back.
This was my new life. I had to keep moving forward, no matter what. Brooks would understand. He had to understand. I’d see him again someday.
I followed Louisa toward my new world, my new purpose.
29
Brooks
The night was deep and ink dark. I felt sweat curling down my arms as I strained to hold my position pressed up against the brick wall. Ahead, I saw Clint sliding along his route, his gun out and ready.
The target was in a warehouse just ahead of us. There was a drug deal going down, and we were assigned to take out some asshole who had been ripping off the mob for years. He’d been skimming some money off the top, overcharging his customers and pocketing the difference. That sort of scam didn’t last long, though, and when you got caught ripping off the Barone family, you got killed.
It’d been only a day since Emma walked out on me, and I still felt that burn like a torch in my chest. As soon as she was gone, I went and told Gian that I wasn’t going to take the promotion, and then I practically begged for another assignment. I thought working might take my mind off things, but so far it had only heightened my anger.
I never expected her to leave like that, not after everything. There was so much more I’d wanted to tell her, but Louisa Barone had appeared at the last second and swooped Emma up, taking her away.
I had no idea where they went, and I didn’t even try to find them. Emma had made her choice. She wanted to be a Spider, and that was fucking final. If I wanted to stay in the mafia, I couldn’t go near Emma, not anymore. She was my enemy, as much as I fucking hated that idea.
Clint caught my eye and nodded. He was in position on the roof, looking down a skylight after having climbed silently up the fire escape. I moved then, flitting from wall to wall like a shadow before stopping at a storm drain. I began to shimmy my way up, silently working up along the drain until I got to the third-floor window.
I locked myself in position with my legs and slowly slid it open. I climbed inside silently, coming up with my gun ready.
It was just an empty office. I crossed the floor and opened the door, heading toward the catwalk that overlooked the factory floor.
The target was down there finishing up his deal. The plan was for me to kill him while Clint kept the other men busy from up above. Once he was dead, I’d pull out, and then Clint would get out as soon as I was clear. I was in more danger, but I was the one who had proposed the plan. Clint was just going along with what I wanted.
I found the door and pulled it open, sliding on my stomach out onto the catwalk. I spotted the small group up ahead, maybe fifty yards away. I unslung the rifle from my shoulder and adjusted the scope, taking aim.
This was an easy shot. My target was a tall guy, maybe in his thirties. He wore a long, white basketball jersey and jeans, and he had this horrible gold chain around his neck. I wanted to shoot him based entirely on that fucking chain.
My heartrate increased as the thought of the kill jumped into my mind. This was it, the moment I always used to live for. I’d take this man’s life for the mob, prove to Gian that while I’d refused his promotion, I was still a worthwhile member of the mafia. I’d continue to do my job and do it well, and one day he’d understand.
I sighted the guy’s head and took a deep breath. Then I slowly let it out.
As I began to squeeze, Emma’s face came to my mind. The horror in her expression physically hurt me when she felt the blood on my shirt that night. She looked horrified, like she had forgotten what I did.
I was a killer, a fucking killer. That was all.
My finger stopped squeezing the trigger. The deal continued down below. I couldn’t get Emma out of my brain. The way she spoke, the way she walked, the way she fucked. Her tight pussy wrapped around my cock. Her lips against mine, her taste, her smell.