Stolen from the Hitman: A Bad Boy Mafia Romance(190)

I stand there blinking dumbly for a moment while I try to sort through everything he just said. First of all, I am touched that he would feel such concern and tenderness for me. But second of all, I am slightly annoyed that he thinks I’m going to throw in the towel and run away at the first sign of real danger! I’d like to think I’m stronger than that, and I want him to know that I’m in this with him, for better or for worse.

After all, they’re talking about the people who very well might have had a hand in my father’s death.

“No,” I tell him, shaking my head. “I’m gonna see this through. Even if it’s scary. Even if I am definitely in over my head. I’m not leaving you and I’m not letting this go. I’m too invested. I have to find out what’s going on here. It’s—it’s what my dad would have wanted me to do.”

“Smelaya devushka,” Mikhail comments. I turn to see him smiling down at me, a hint of pride in his face. He gives Leon a nod of approval before clapping me firmly on the shoulder.

“Brave girl, indeed,” Leon murmurs, that devilish, delicious half-smile on his face again. Just knowing that I’m the one who’s put that smile there is enough to make me feel all warm and tingly. Then he straightens up and continues, “If you’re totally sure about this, then I need you to know that things may get a little… um, illegal, from here on out. To beat these bastards at their own game, we have to be just as cutthroat and willing to resort to drastic measures to get things done.”

I nod, hardening my face and trying to look tough. “I understand. They fight dirty, so we have to get down in the mud with them.”

“Exactly,” Leon says, that smile trying desperately to appear again.

“But… still, isn’t it a little too early to resort to murder?” I ask meekly, not wanting them to be angry with me. It feels like a legitimate concern, though, under the circumstances. Generally I think one should at least think twice before embarking upon a capital offense. In my personal opinion, flat-out murder should probably be Plan Z, not Plan B.

“I respect and understand your hesitation,” Mikhail says cautiously. “Your concern for human life is refreshing. But we do not extinguish lives for the thrill, and we only do so when it is to the greater benefit of the majority.”

Nodding, Leon adds, “And this particular target is nothing but a pustule on the face of the planet. He’s not worth the oxygen he’s been slurping up for decades. His existence has directly resulted in the deaths of many, many innocent people. He is not deserving of your concern, nor your pity, Cherry.”

It’s a little chilling to hear him speak this way, so intensely and darkly. He talks about taking a life with a tone of resignation. He is thoroughly certain that what he feels is right. And I don’t know enough about the subject to truly disagree with him. Of course, I have always been a pacifist, almost to a fault. I flee from confrontation and avoid conflict of any kind like the plague. But then, that’s part of why I’ve been stuck writing innocuous puff pieces for so long.

When the world sees that you’re not willing to fight, it tends to write you off.

Well, I’m ready to fight now, even if I’m not sure what will come of it.

“Who is it? The target, I mean?” I question, looking back and forth between them.

“That was going to be my next question, too,” Mikhail says.

“Brother, I need you to take out Martin Chandler,” Leon replies, with an air of finality.

I feel sick to my stomach immediately. There is no possible way this will turn out well. From what I’ve gleaned about him, Marty Chandler is far too well-known and well-connected to be quietly taken care of. I’m sure he has the strongest security team Bayonne’s ever seen, and his death will certainly not go unnoticed, if it even gets that far.

“M-Martin Chandler?” I repeat, a little breathlessly. “Isn’t he that guy from the docks? The rich guy talking to Agent Doyle? How the hell are you going to get rid of him? Won’t people notice?”

Mikhail laughs, a deep and throaty sound which actually startles me and makes me jump slightly.

“I’m no amateur,” he assures me. “I have killed many men much more powerful and influential than that sewer slime Chandler. And so has my brother.”

I look back to Leon nervously. I should have known that. It should not come as a surprise. But somehow, I still find myself a little frightened… and strangely, inexplicably aroused.

What is wrong with me?

It’s just reassuring, I suppose, to hang around someone who would probably, definitely kill for me if need be. Especially because I have caught glimpses of his heart even in the short time I have spent with him, and I know his intentions to be good and true. He’s not a bad man; he’s a very, very good man who sometimes resorts to very, very bad things.