Page 12 of The Hitman

My teeth ache from clenching with each methodic tug.

“Who was he?” Callie asks while I work. “Why did he want to kill you?”

My grip tightens on the hemostat and suture. I focus on the needle in my arm instead of the pressure in my chest because it’s easier to bleed than to speak.

“His name was Dimitri Volkov,” I say eventually. “His brother, Alexei, was a target of mine when I worked for the Blackwell Syndicate.”

“Blackwell Syndicate.” She tastes the words without knowing they’re lethal.

“I’m a—I was a contract killer. They called me The Reaper because I never missed a target.” Not like the one I nearly missed tonight. “Isa’s accident was orchestrated by Volkov in retaliation for me killing Alexei, and I came out of retirement to finish what he started.”

I knot the thread, snip it, and toss the tools onto a tray. The clatter echoes louder than I expected, but still, I can’t make myself face her.

“I think I like warden better,” she mutters softly, and fuck if I’m not grateful for that little olive branch.

“Me, too,” I say, finally meeting her eyes.

“So… Alexei was a bad man?”

“He was a trafficker, and it doesn’t matter that I was just doing my job, ridding this world of men like him. Revenge doesn’t care about right or wrong, and Dimitri’s been waiting for his moment ever since.”

Saying it out loud makes me feel exposed in a way no mission ever has.

“I thought I could walk away from all of this,” I add. “But when you carry that many bodies behind you, there’s always someone chasing your shadow.”

She’s silent while I wrap my arm in gauze. My fingers tremble, not from the wound, but from the questions yet to be asked.

“Was Leo ever safe?”

“No,” I admit quietly. “Not with me.”

Her body stills, and the guilt threatens to drown me.

“I could’ve sent him away with my parents, but at the time, I didn’t know who was targeting Isa, and it didn’t feel right to draw attention to them when I could keep him safe.

Besides, you’ve seen how sensitive he is, and he’d already lost so much.

I wanted to keep some sort of routine for him.

I thought by keeping him close, I could give him what he needed, even if he hated me for the changes I was forced to make. ”

I drag a hand down my face. “I just needed to believe I could protect the people I care for, but I failed.”

Callie stands, slow and quiet, before stepping in front of me. “You didn’t fail.”

I huff bitterly, but it doesn’t deter her.

“You took Leo in, Jaxon. Instead of handing him off, you took on the responsibility of guiding him through this so he wasn’t alone. And that matters more than you think.” Her palm flattens over my heart, and it thumps for her forcefully. “Trying shows him what it means to love.”

“I do. Love him, that is.”

“I know you do.” She gifts me her usual smile, and like a secret code, it unlocks all my defenses. “And he loves you, too.”

“He sees me as a hero, but I couldn’t be further from it.”

“You are his hero,” she tries to reason. “Let that be enough.”

“I’ve killed a lot of people, Callie.”

There’s a spark of fear in her gaze that makes me want to keep pushing. To push hard enough for her to see me for exactly what I am.

“There’s a ledger with the Syndicate that has five hundred names on it, and they all belong to me.”

“Stop.”

Her tone is clear. She’s not putting up with my shit.

“Those names may have been yours once, but they’re not anymore. You said so yourself that the job is done. You can move forward with your life, Jaxon.” She pauses before adding, “We all can.”

“Does that mean you’ll stay?”

Anticipation settles in my chest like a second heartbeat, but her slow nod cracks me wide open.

“I’m not afraid of who you were because I see who you are now.” She lifts a shoulder. “And yeah, I’m still pissed that you lied to me, but I also nearly shot the guy who wanted you dead, and honestly? That’s kind of badass.”

Her lips twitch, and I laugh with true, deep from the belly joy, and I adore her all the more for it.

“I should’ve told you the truth sooner,” I say. “I endangered both you and Leo, and I’m sorry.”

Her head tips back as she gazes up at me. And any second now, I’m going to kiss that smile from her lips.

“I suppose honesty now is better than never,” she muses.

Her fingers glide through my hair. They’re remarkably steady for someone who nearly died just hours ago, and yet, she’s thanking me. Trusting me. Choosing me .

“You want honesty, Callie?”

My hand lifts, just shy of her cheek, and I hesitate—not because I don’t want her, but because wanting her feels like lighting a match in an already burning house.

“It’s reckless, all things considered, how much I think about you. Every damn day, actually.”

The tips of my fingers trace her neck and face as I breathe her in, teasing her with touches as light as whispers. Her eyes widen, but she doesn’t pull back. So I hold steady, careful not to break this fragile thing between us.

“I see you, carefree, silly, so good with Leo. I see the way he lights up because of you. How you’ve gotten through to him in ways I’ve wanted to but couldn’t manage.

” I keep my eyes locked on hers. “More than that, I think about letting myself want something good for once. To feel peace for the first time in too long.”

Her chest lifts on a sharp inhale, and I know she hears it. That plea beneath my words.

“You mock my bravery with your own.” She’s leaning in now, close enough that our thighs are brushing. “And it’s fucking beautiful because you don’t even realize it.”

“Jaxon…”

I groan when she says my name. And when I finally cup her jaw, her skin is just as soft as I remember. Warm and real in a way that terrifies me.

“I thought I knew what happiness felt like, but I couldn’t have known that avenging my sister and eliminating Volkov would give me the key to everything I’ve ever wanted.”

“What do you want?” she breathes as I grip the bottom of her shirt.

I tsk as if she should already know. “You. And know what? It scares the hell out of me.”

With steady hands, I guide her shirt up and over her chest. Eyes like a field of dreams collide with mine once it flutters to the floor.

“If we do this,” I murmur, teasing the crease between her soft breasts with the back of my knuckles, “I’m afraid I’ll never let you go.”

Her chin lifts so we’re nose to nose, her breath mingling with mine. Sweet. Sexy. Her .

“Never?” she asks, parting those pink lips that are always tempting me.

I slowly shake my head. “Never.”

“Then don’t.”