“The night he sent you your defiled belongings, I went out and found him at a club.”
“And?”
“And I beat him to within an inch of his life.”
A memory hit Ji-Su. “That’s why your hand was hurt the next day when you took me to the electronics store.
“Yes,” Raul answered with a tight nod.
“You didn’t tell me. And you weren’t going to tell me you’d killed Cedric.”
“I’m sorry I kept that from you. I didn’t want you to be concerned with that ugliness. I wanted you safe and happy.”
“How can I be happy when you kill in my name? How do I know you won’t hurt me one day?”
“I would never hurt you. I don’t hurt the ones I love.”
“You love me?”
“I do.”
Ji-Su’s heart skipped a beat. An hour ago, he would have run into Raul’s arms and whole heartedly returned his love. Now, he slapped his hands over his ears and wildly shook his head in denial. This was the absolute worst time to hear a declaration of love from Raul. After taking a moment to calm himself, he lowered his hands and glared at Raul. “Don’t drop that on me right now!” he yelled. “I don’t want to hear about love. I want to know how many people you’ve killed. And don’t lie.”
“I don’t know.”
“More than five?”
“Yes.”
“More than ten?”
“I’ve been alive a long time, Ji-Su.”
“Why do you kill people?”
“I’m a criminal.”
Ji-Su chocked on a horrified laugh at that simple answer. “Can you stop being a criminal?”
“I’d have to leave my family—leave the Syndicate—if I did. Are you asking me to do that?”
Ji-Su seriously considered before answering. “No. Even if you stopped today, it doesn’t erase the fact that you’ve already killed.”
“I was going to ask you to stay here after our contract ended. I still want you to stay. So, if you want me but you don’t want me to continue working with the Syndicate, I’ll quit. I’ve got enough money where I don’t need to work ever again. We can even move somewhere else. Move out of the state if you prefer.”
Ji-Su stood unmoving with sadness weighing heavy on his heart for several long seconds before he answered. “I would have loved to stay here with you. I liked you and wanted to be with you because you were kind and gentle. But now I see that you’re someone who usesmurderto solve his problems. You’re not who I thought you were at all.”
“I’ve never stopped being kind and gentle to you.”
“But you kill people!” Ji-Su shouted. He was angry and confused and unable to get past the fact that Raul had murdered someone. How could he? Raul was standing there soaked in the evidence of it.
“I kill when someone deserves it,” Raul calmly stated. “Cedric deserved it.”
“How can you say that?” He didn’t understand how Raul could be this blasé about ending someone’s life.
“Do you not understand that Cedric’s harassment was going to continue to escalate? Do you not realize that he wanted to kill you the night you ran from him?”
Now Raul looked upset, raking his hands through his already messy hair. His eyes started to glow and he took a step forward.
