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He was absolutely right.

A violent shiver tore down my spine like a lightning bolt. What kind of monstrous killer could eliminate another so flawlessly, leaving not a single hint or shadow of evidence behind?

Chapter 31 – Jaxon

Standing before the Moretti house, nerves fluttered deep in my gut. The little beauty wanted to talk. All day, I’d been dreading this. It made sense. Normal people communicated. My upbringing wasn’t conducive to honest and open interactions. I was trained. I worked. That was it.

But if she wanted this, I would try and give it to her.

Slipping out of the shadows in the maze of hedges, I approached the rear of the house, phone in hand, message typed and ready. My thumb hovered over the button as the desire to flee swelled inside me. I clamped down on the fear, hit send, and began to climb. There was no turning back. Isabella would receive the message that I was here.

Shapes moved inside, none seeing the monster scaling the patio’s roof. Some bloody good soldiers, this lot.

Hopping onto the roof, I flicked a glance into her darkened room. It would be so easy to slip inside. But…I couldn’t. Not this time. For this conversation, I needed to be outside, in the open, where I was more comfortable. I gripped the overhang and pulled myself onto the roof above. As I reached the perch, Idrew the backpack off my shoulders. The light below flicked on. I smiled, thinking of Isabella scrambling about her bedroom.

Her response came a moment later, demanding to know where I was hiding.

I told her.

Setting the backpack carefully between the eaves, I waited. How much of the truth did I dare tell her? What if she decided I was too dark for her world? I rubbed my fist against my belly.

Below, the window slid up.

“Jaxon?” she called, leaning out. “Where the hell—”

“Hi,” I breathed, looking down at her.

Isabella gulped. She looked down at the ground, then back at me.

“What are you doing up there?” she whispered. “Come inside.”

That wasn’t happening. I was too nervous. I would sooner jump, hoping to land in the pool, and run away.

“Join me?” I extended my hand in a gesture.

“Porca miseria, you’re joking,” she hissed under her breath. But then, a moment later, my fearless mafiosa hopped onto the roof of her covered patio. That was the easy part. She looked at where I sat, nestled in the eaves above her. “I can’t reach the overhang, even if I was strong enough to pull myself up.”

Shifting my weight, I lay on my stomach and reached down.

Her fingers brushed against mine.

“Just so you know, I really hate heights,” she breathed.

An instant rush of regret surged through me. Just like that, I was about to scramble down, putting my discomfort away, and join her inside her bedroom. For her, anything.

But her hands gripped mine firmly.

She jumped. Her feet caught the siding, and she scrambled up. With my help, she pulled herself onto the roof.

Tucking herself safely back from the edge, she placed a hand over her heart. I swore I could hear the rapid beat.

“Hi there,” she breathed, laughing a little. “This is quite the view.”

I knew what she was looking at. The city twinkled around us, a bright display of lights and civilization. In a sea of millions of individuals, each with their own stories, we were two people caught in a web of our own making. The moon hung fat and gold in the sky, watching over us. It was the perfect backdrop, lending an enchanted air to the situation.

And yet, with the beautiful cityscape all around us, I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

“Ask,” I urged.