Page 58 of Targeted By Vengeance

“Like…”

I shot him a look out of the corner of my eye. “I’m not on a couch, and you don’t have the credentials. Chill out.”

“I don’t need that shit for us to have a chat about what’s really on your mind. You keep holding it in and it’s gonna mess you up. Trust me.”

I looked back down. “My handler’s dying” I said aloud to someone else for the first time. I thought by stalling telling people, it’d delay the inevitable. Instead, it was just gnawing on my brain, anxious to escape the cage I’d shoved it in.

“Oh shit,” Dante murmured.

“I’ll be taking over our operation once he’s gone. Life will be quieter. I’ll be able to give her some aspects of the life she wants, but not all of it. Not the important parts.”

“I think you’re forgetting it hasn’t been that long since she joined the dark side. You’ve gotta give her time to grieve. To heal. She’ll be alright.”

I lifted the drink to my mouth. “I hope so,” I murmured.

Dante slapped my arm with the back of his hand. “Stop stalling on telling her how you feel. L-o-v-e isn’t that hard of a word to pronounce. With all she’s been through, it’s probably the exact words she needs to hear to wipe any doubt from her mind.”

“Mhm. I’m not taking relationship advice from the one whose bride was whooping his ass on their wedding night.”

“My ring is still on her finger, isn’t it? That means I’m doing something right.”

“Yeah, you keep telling yourself that. When she takes Simone and dips, I don’t wanna hear shit.”

“Man, fuck you,” he said, shoving me again. He straightened up, fiddling with his cufflinks. “I’m gonna let you mope tonight. But, take it from me: it’s better to fess up sooner rather than later.”

THE AGENT

I’d almost forgotten how quiet safe-houses are.

Isolated from the rest of society, the small two-story cabin lay unbothered in the middle of the woods. Only one car sat out front, but no bodies were inside. A shadow - maybe two - moved behind the light beaming through curtains on the lower level. Only the song of the crickets filled the cool, nighttime air.

My brows pinched together as I glanced around the darkness looming behind the trees on the other side of the property.

When Maria finally tracked down Logan’s location, I expected for the campground to be swarming with federal agents. We devised a whole plan around quietly taking out any of the guards we came across. The idea of killing federal agents used to make me sick. Now, I didn’t even blink an eye while I did it. If this vendetta has taught me anything, it’s that no one in this system was innocent. Especially anyone Logan surrounded himself with.

“Feels like deja vu,” Mateo mused from beside me.

I tore my eyes away from the house to look at him. The moonlight traced over the outline of the mask he was wearing. Still, I easily imagined how the silver looked dripping over his scars. “What do you mean?” I asked.

“You don’t remember?” He turned towards me, his brow probably rising underneath the fabric. “We met for the first time on a mission like this.”

I almost smiled. “Yeah, you’re right. It’s crazy how much things have changed. Back then, I never would’ve imagined being on the other side of the law.”

“Yet, here you are. By my side.”

I shook my head. “Stop flirting, and help me focus.”

“Alright, buzz kill,” he teased. “How many bodies can you spot?”

“Two, I think. Near the front right side window, likely the living room.”

“Good. Now, what’s your best plan of attack?”

“Sneak around back, disarm the window lock, climb inside and move through the rear towards the front. Shoot first and fast for anyone with a gun. Silencer is armed on all my guns to maintain the element of surprise.”

“That’s my girl,” he said, a smirk in his voice. “You already know how you’re taking the bastard out?”

“The same way he did my father: execution style.”