It’s meant to be the kind of place no one would look twice at.
Another advantage, these monsters survive by acting harmless.
Men like this blend in. They rely on routine. On neighbors who mind their own business and the assumption that no one is paying attention.
But I am.
We’re in the suburbs, and this neighborhood is one of the wealthier ones, with bigger lots, detached guest houses, and the added space between homes offers plenty of privacy.
I inspect the other houses and see a child’s bike casually lying in the grass at one house and toys in the driveway of another.
Families are inside with their lights off and doors locked.
They think it shields them. It doesn’t. You don’t know your neighbors. You don’t know what they do or what they are capable of when the doors close. In some cases, like my own, even blood isn’t what it seems.
I recognize the rescue crew van parked a few houses down on the other side of the street, turned off. Good.
I rake over us, black tactical gear molded to our bodies like a second skin, no excess.
I’m armed with two Glocks, suppressors already fitted, one in my waistband and one in my chest holster in my vest. I also carry a blade, but it’s not my preferred weapon.
Cassidy’s blades are strapped near her vest, positioned just right for an easy pull.
I offer her the infrared binoculars without a word.
She lifts them to her eyes in one smooth motion, her elbows tucked in.
She sweeps the property in methodical passes so that nothing is missed.
“One body,” she reports. “Stationary. Office, maybe. No visual on the guest house.”
I pinpoint the target, staring at the wall that conceals him, and huff a laugh under my breath. Let him have it, these last few minutes of ignorance.
Time stretches as the monotony of surveillance settles in.
“I’m ready when you are,Little Reaper,” I propose, winking at her.
She brings the binoculars to her lap, tilting her head in my direction since I called her by her code name, “I’m taking the lead,Ghost.”
A smirk tugs at my mouth before I can stop it at her using mine. “When don’t you?”
She scoffs, though the usual bite is missing.
A chuckle works its way out of my throat as I prop my elbow on the console and edge close enough for my lips to skim herjawline, while the words come out in a husky rasp, “And I’d follow that sweet ass of yours anywhere.”
My cock jumps as I savor the effect I have on her as her chest rises and falls rapidly.
“Burning building, no questions asked.” Then I press my nose against the side of her head and inhale deeply, “Careful, I might enjoy this too much.”
I slink back in my seat watching lust ignite in her eyes,
“That’s the point,” she breathes.
Then she refocuses, the coyness in her eyes gone, replaced with cold indifference.
It’s time.
“Let’s go,” she proclaims. “Time to cleanse the Earth of this piece of shit.”
