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A playful smile crossed Dess’s lips as she ran her fingers through her dark hair. “I’m glad you’re here with me,” she said. “I can do this on my own… but it’s better knowing that I don’t have to be. Maybe you’ll get to find out just how much the Ghost can pull off when she’s in her element.”
I gave a soft chuckle. “Oh, I think I have a pretty good idea already.”
The tension clenching my chest had eased. The world hadn’t ended because I’d gone for sap over snark just this once. Dess hadn’t shunned me. Everything was still on its proper course. I actually felt a little lighter than I had before. Freer.
Would it be so bad to let my walls down more often? Well, with her, at least. Not with the guys or anyone else…
No, I still needed those inner protections. They were my armor. I couldn’t let myself get complacent, or I could screw everything up for both me and the people who stood with me.
* * *
It was night by the time we reached the city. We eased through the shadows of the trees in Central Park, veering off the main paths. People were usually warned not to wander around in this place after dark, but I didn’t think anyone would bother us. If they did, we could quickly clear up any misconceptions about who the real predators were here.
We stopped amid the brush behind the Civil War Memorial statue, just a few minutes before our arranged meeting time. Dess peered at the branches that loomed overhead. “What are the odds that we have a sniper on us right now?”
I raised an eyebrow. “I don’t see anyone close enough to pull off a shot through all this vegetation without the most incredible aim in the universe.”
“And why would I want to have someone ready to shoot you anyway, when you’re here to give me something I want?” a dry voice said.
A woman emerged from the forested terrain to meet us. At the first sight of her, skepticism shot through me.
She was slim and petite, a full head shorter than I was, with her bright red hair coiled elegantly behind her ears and tumbling down to her shoulders. The traditional style matched her subtle flower-print dress, which looked like something a ‘50s housewife would have worn. But even though she appeared to be no older than thirty, she seemed totally at ease with the old-fashioned vibe.
Could this really be the infamous Anthea Noble?
“From what I understand, it’s supposed to be a trade,” I said. “We’re not here to pile gifts at your feet.”
A sharp, sly smile crossed the woman’s lips, and just like that, I could see the renowned schemer within the domestic homemaker package. “What a shame. I like presents. But I’m not one to expect that kind of generosity from strangers. I’m fully prepared to repay your help with help of my own. Hard to turn down an offer from an associate of the havoc-wreaking Chaos Crew.”
“I understand you lean toward a subtle approach,” Dess said, folding her arms over her chest. “I promise my methods are less bloody than theirs… unless bloody is what you want.”
Anthea’s smile grew. “Exactly what I like to hear.” She paused for a moment, studying us both, and my skin prickled with the sense that she saw much more than she was commenting on. This definitely wasn’t a woman to tangle with—but that meant she could be a very valuable associate if we played our cards right. I was always glad to make a new connection myself.
“We appreciate you taking the time to meet with us and consider our proposal,” I said smoothly. “Your reputation precedes you too. And the task we’d like to employ you with shouldn’t require any significant risk on your part.”
“You have a boring job for me, do you?” She clucked her tongue teasingly and focused on Dess. “I’m afraid I can’t say the same, although maybe you’ll be happier that way. I’ve gathered that you specialize in taking down targets that most assassins wouldn’t be able to reach—and without leaving any evidence behind.”
Dess raised her chin. “That’s right. You might have heard of me before. Apparently a lot of my killings have been attributed to ‘the Ghost.’ That would be me.”
I caught the brief flash of surprise that widened Anthea’s eyes before she schooled her expression back to its previous unreadable state. “Fascinating. I’d imagine this shouldn’t be too much trouble for you, then, if you’re willing to take the job on.”
“What exactly would you like her to do?” I asked evenly. I wasn’t going to be pushy about it, but I did want her to get to the point.
Anthea ran her fingers along a branch that dipped low alongside us. “There’s a mark I’d like killed. He’s tricky to get to—lots of security and very cautious. He’s evaded my own resources more than once, and I’d like to simply get the job done once and for all.”
“You want me to get to him and kill him,” Dess clarified.
Anthea rubbed her fingers together, and her face hardened just for an instant. “I want you to kill him, yes, but not just that. I want him to die in a particularly horrible way. And no one can know that you were involved or that I hired you.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem,” Dess said, but then she hesitated. “Why do you want him dead?”
I understood immediately, with a pang that resonated through my heart. She’d spent too many years blindly killing for someone else’s sake. The household had never given her a choice in who she killed, leading her to believe she was eliminating criminals and harmful figures when really she’d been fulfilling their own selfish agenda, whatever that’d been.
But Dess didn’t revel in killing for the sake of killing. She wanted to know her targets deserved it, just like we did. She was determined to make her new path a just one as long as she had the choice. Of course that didn’t change even when she could gain something from bending her personal ethics.
Anthea’s eyes flashed, and her voice came out taut. “This man raped a few teenagers who’ve since come under my protection. I want to make sure he’s never in a position to do the same to any others.”
Dess’s posture straightened, her mouth pressing flat. Resolve radiated off her as she held out her hand for Anthea to shake. “I look forward to wiping him off the face of the earth. Point me at him, and he’s good as dead already.”
