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Simon nods, sits, and puts his elbows on his knees, head bowed. “I’m in trouble, and you’re the only one who can help.”
Leaning forward in my chair, I stare at him. It’s clear he’s nervous. His left leg is bouncing up and down, and if it were only the cold, it would be both of them. Simon is staring at his hands, pushing one thumbnail under the other.
“Tell me.”
Simon sighs, long and loud, then sits straight, arms outstretched on his knees. His gaze meets mine, and then he nods as though he’s decided.
“Jonathan Stonewall wants you dead, and he’s instructed me to kill you.”
Simon
Mr. O’Day looks nothing like he did before. There’s no bleached blond hair, which is shaved at the sides, or facial hair. Even the way he’s dressed is different. He’s wearing jeans, a black T-shirt, and a tweed jacket. His hair is a sandy brown color, cut short and parted on the side. He looks more like a professor from campus. Maybe that’s the point.
He stands and takes two quick steps toward me. As if by reflex, my hands come up in surrender, then he laughs. Mr. O’Day bends at the waist and looks me in the eyes, but the laughter keeps coming. He straightens, turns, and looks out the window, running a hand through his hair.
“Mr. O’Day?”
He chuckles some more and turns around to face me. Like an idiot, I still have my hands raised.
“Put your hands down, Simon.” He crosses his arms across his chest. “How were you going to do it?”
To stop fidgeting, I clasp my hands together on my lap. I’m also hoping this makes me appear less of a threat, although I’m sure Mr. O’Day doesn’t think of me as one.
“I’d never do it.”
He tilts his head to the side, looks me up and down, and then purses his lips together. “Oh, you probably would’ve tried.” Flippantly, he waves a hand in the air then goes back to crossing his arms. “But hear this, Simon, you wouldn’t have succeeded, and Ann would never have forgiven you.”
It’s scary sometimes how well he knows human nature. Yeah, I was going to try, but when I knew he was here and watching me?Nope, no way, no how.
I say nothing and stare at the imposing figure in front of me. Mr. O’Day has put on more bulk since I saw him last. He’s tanned as though he’s spent time in the sun, but there’s always a deadliness about him, as though he could snap my neck instantly and not care.
Slowly, he lowers himself into the chair opposite me and smiles, creeping me out. I wrap my arms around myself and sit further back on the crappy wooden chair. He watches my movements, and the creepy smile grows wider.
“Relax, Simon. I think it’s about time you knew a little about me. Some people would consider me a bad guy.” He shrugs and leans back. “I’m good at killing. The very best American dollars can pay for.”
My eyes widen, and I blurt out, “As in CIA?”
Mr. O’Day laughs. “A branch of the CIA, but I’ve been out for a while now. You could say I freelance.” He pauses, his gaze boring into mine. “My code name was Wraith. I’m mostly out of the business these days, but I’ve made Stonewall a pet project. I hurt some of his business dealings in retaliation for him going after Ann.”
The breath I didn’t realize I was holding rushes out of me at the mention of Ann’s name. “Is your real name Hank O’Day?”
He shakes his head. “No. My real name doesn’t matter. I left it behind a long time ago.”
“What do I call you?”
“Hank is fine.”
“And you look so different. Even your eye color. Contacts?”
He waves a hand dismissively at me. “None of that matters. You need to kill me, Simon. Otherwise, I’m sure Jonathan Stonewall will end you.”
I suck in a breath and choke on my spit. Hank gets up and pounds on my back with the flat of his hand. “W-What?”
He stops hitting me. “Come on, time for the world to see us together. We’ll go have a coffee at a café on campus. Then after, you can kill me, we’ll film it, and you can give it to Stonewall.”
“Youwantme to kill you?”
Hank grins, the kind of smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. “No, I want it tolooklike you did. Then you get into the Scorpio Society and can tell me every dirty little secret. Maybe then I’ll have enough on Stonewall for him to leave my daughter alone.”
