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“Then we build a situation he can’t resist. We’ll put yo where he expects you to be. I’ll stay low so he thinks you’re alone. Then, I’ll pop out and take him down.”

“Okay…”

“Or, we engineer a misstep. Let him think he cornered you, but rig the location with controlled surveillance. Blocked exits. It’s classic HVT strategy.”

Sable blinks. “HVT?”

“High value target.”

She studies my face. “You’re enjoying this. You really like killing.”

I didn’t mean to show her this side of me.

“Does that bother you?”

She shrugs. “I don’t know. I want him gone, but I think, maybe, I’m not cut out for it. For being part of it.”

I hide my smile. I never wanted her to be part of it at all, but I knew she wouldn’t hang back if I asked her to.

“I feel bad for…sending you out there to do my dirty work.”

I peck her softly on the lips. “Folks have been sending me out since I was eighteen. It’s all I know. But you…” I trail off to kiss her again. “Your heart is still soft. You’ve been through some shit, felt a lot of loss, but you never let it make you cruel. I like that about you.”

I brush a strand of hair from her face. “I’ve seen the absolute worst people do to each other. Up close. Repeatedly. But when I saw you, that very first time, I saw something different. You have no idea how bright your spirit is, Sable.”

Her eyes glisten in the moonlight. “Even knowing what you know about me?”

“Especiallyknowing what I know. You’re human, baby girl. And you love hard.”

“I really do. Maybetoohard.”

“Is that a thing?”

She blows out a sigh. “When do you think you’ll get it done?”

“A couple of days.”

She gazes into my eyes, searching for something. “You promise?”

“Yeah,” I say quietly. “I promise to keep you safe. From him, and from anything or anybody that hurts you.”

She nestles against me, head on my chest. I wrap my arms around her, listening to the rise and fall of her breathing.

I think about all the terrible things I’ve seen. And done. It amazes me that having this woman in my arms neutralizes all the horror for me. Holding her makes me feel like maybe, just maybe, I haven’t been damaged beyond repair.

But even if I had, it feels like she’d stay with me anyway. Because that’s the kind of person she is. Or maybe because that’s what love is.

I don’t know, but I do know one thing for sure: I’ll do anything to make her happy. I’ll do anything to make her feel safe again.

37

Julian

I wake up alone.

The sheets are still warm. My hand drifts lazily across the empty space where she slept, fingers sifting the cotton like I’ll somehow find her between the folds. I pull her pillow close, pressing my face into it. It’s faint, but the scent of her hair lingers.

I know she’s just down the hall, but fuck, I miss that woman so much.