Page 81 of Mine

He was trying to divert my mind, keep me from shattering into a million pieces. “Yeah.”

“And who’s gonna watch your back?”

“I was gonna ask you, but maybe there’s not enough money in it, huh? Gabe doesn’t think there is.”

“I have enough money.”

“I can pay you something, just not whatever you get for taking out drug lords in third world countries.”

His laugh was throaty and low. “Whatever is fine. If I need more, I’ll take a contract and kill a dictator.”

“Yeah?” I croaked out, my voice succumbing to the emotion twisting through me.

“Of course,” he assured me. “Tell them all that I’m your shadow.”

“Please, they think you are now. It’s why Kady didn’t fuck with me—too scared.”

His sinister smile, the one that reminded you that he was lethal, was there, curling his lip. “Good.”

“Ask you a question?”

“’Course.”

“That day I met you, what were you doing there?”

“I was supposed to take Hawkins that day.”

“No shit?”

He made a noise in the back of his throat.

“And you didn’t?”

“Nope.”

“Why?”

“You were more interesting.”

I sighed. “You didn’t get in trouble?”

“I don’t get in trouble.”

“But people pay you. Don’t they want a refund?”

The long exasperated sigh let me know that I was annoying.

“Tell me how it works.”

“No.”

“Is Hawkins still alive?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Really?”