Page 1 of Agent vs. Assassin
Chapter One
Fuck is for: Fuck Kane’s father for about ten things, starting with him cornering me in the lobby of my own building for some one-on-one time. I have a murder to solve, not commit, and lives to save, not take, at least for the time being, and sadly, with him showing up here to play bastard and bitch, there’s no time to enjoy.
“You’re a man of surprising vigor and height considering the news loves to call you short and dead,” I say dryly. “I loved it, too, in case you’re wondering. The part where you were dead. Not the part where you were short, because that would have made Kane short. I always knew that part was bullshit.”
His lips curve as he digests my observation with obvious amusement. He’s tall, dark, and, as would be expected considering he’s Kane’s father, handsome, if not for the fact that he’s the leader of a brutal cartel with more than one massacre under his belt.
He wants me dead.
I want him dead.
It would be disrespectful to pretend otherwise, and the Hispanic culture is all about respecting their elders.
“Sadly,” I reply to his offer of a little private chat, “I’ll need to take a raincheck, as I’ll surely kill you if given the chance, and that would be too messy for my present time restrictions.” I step around him and manage two steps toward the door.
“Are you so sure it would be you who killed me, bella?”
Bella.
Beautiful.
The name Kane calls me, and there is no question that’s by intent. He’s letting me know he’s more intimately aware of our relationship than he should be.
“You’re an FBI agent,” he adds.
Now it’s my turn to feel the bittersweetness of amusement. I rotate to face him. “Funny thing about my track record wearing a badge. No one ever seems to make it into cuffs. They do, however, make it into a grave. You think the badge will keep me from killing you? You must not know as much about me as you think you do. Sometimes I just enjoy killing a little too much.” I smile, sticky-sweet and poisonous.
“Oh fuck,” comes a muttered curse from behind, and I whip around to find Enrique standing there, looking as pale as me, and considering I’m a white chick and he’s not, that’s saying a lot.
“Choose,” is all I say to him, and I walk right past him, but by the time I’m at the door, he’s by my side.
“I chose a long time ago, Lilah,” he says, opening the door for me, “and it pisses me off you don’t know that.”
He’s such a girl, I swear, and if he thinks holding a door for me proves anything, he’s not just a girl, he’s a dumb girl. Once I’m outside, I find Jay leaning on the door of an SUV. He pops off, straightening, on alert when he brings me into view, and I move his direction.
I do not reach for my phone, certain we’re being watched, and that I’m expected to reach for my phone to call Kane in a panic. I’m not in a panic, not one fucking little bit. My dance card is filled with monsters, and I’d call Kane’s father just another one of the same, but he’s not so simple. His life and death have consequences for both me and, most importantly, Kane.
In fact, he’s one big mindfuck for Kane.
I slide into the SUV with Enrique following. The door shuts behind him, but I still don’t reach for my phone. This is going to send Kane off the deep end, and he’s already there, locked and loaded and ready for a slaughter.
“I’m loyal, Lilah,” Enrique states, staring at me with steel in his eyes.
Loyalty is a tricky business. It’s rarely about someone else and always about oneself. He knows it. I know it. Jay joins us, and I call out to him. “Airport. Chopper. Hamptons.”
“What’s going on?” he asks over his shoulder.
“Drive now. Talk later,” I say, “and hopefully less than normal.”
Jay grunts and does as I say while I settle into my seat, sinking into the leather, but I don’t reach for my phone. I don’t immediately call Kane. No matter how capable I am of taking care of myself, I’m the line in the sand, and it’s been crossed.
Enrique narrows his eyes on me. “Why aren’t you calling Kane? He needs to know what just happened.”
I lean forward and point at him. “You say you’re loyal; you need to leave this to me.”
“To Kane first. My job—”
“You need to be clear, and I mean crystal fucking clear, Enrique. Kane is never emotional, but he is now, and emotional actions lead to stupid, risky actions.”