Page 3 of The Hitman

“Correct. Due to unforeseen circumstances, I’ve decided to remove Leo from public school for the rest of the year and have him complete his education from home.”

Initially, I wanted to keep his world as normal as possible. I thought being with me and keeping him in school might give him a sense of stability after his mom’s accident, but that’s no longer an option. Not with what we’re up against.

“What circumstances?” she blurts before gently adding, “Never mind. It’s none of my business.”

With a heavy exhale, I sit back, carefully measuring how much to tell her.

“My sister was involved in a car accident, and she’s currently on life support.”

“Oh.” I tense when she reaches forward to touch my hand. Her palm is like silk against my roughened skin. “You must both be hurting a great deal.”

Hurting? The word doesn’t scratch the surface of the torment I feel. What I felt the night I got the call that her chances of surviving surgery were bleak at best.

I was almost certain we were going to lose her, but Isa’s a fighter. Precisely where Leo gets his tenacity, for better or worse.

I clear my throat before removing my hand from Callie’s. “Your application stood out amongst dozens of others because you’re a teacher. Perfect, really, given our situation, but I’m curious why you would retire at your age?”

Her attention rests on the black ballpoint pen lying on top of the contract. “I was forced to retire.”

I frown, unsure how I could’ve missed that detail. “I don’t understand.”

“I was let go for inappropriate behavior with a student,” she says frankly.

My pulse ticks up several notches.

Callie doesn’t fit the typical predator profile, but when it comes to my nephew, if there’s any chance she could be a threat to him, I’ll end her where she sits.

“Were they correct?”

“He crashed on my couch one night after his alcoholic father beat the shit out of him, and I bought him some clothes, made him dinner, and put a roof over his head for a couple of weeks. Outside of that, we had little to no communication.” She holds my gaze.

The sweet, teasing side of her is now consumed with barely restrained anger.

“To answer your question, no. I would never cross that line. Not ever .”

I consider her for a moment. “You knew there was a chance you’d lose your job. Why would you risk helping him?”

“There’s nothing risky about caring for those in need, Mr. Knight.” Spine straightening with confidence, she adds, “If you’re wondering if I regret it, I don’t.”

Losing her job over a single student might look irresponsible to some, but to me, it’s valiant. The exact qualifications I’m looking for in a person I want caring for Leo.

“All right, then.” I tip my chin at the contract, noting how she visibly relaxes. “Take a look over the marked sections. Once you’ve signed and dated them, I can show you to your room.”

“Room,” she says, blinking at me, confused. “As in, you expect me to live here?”

“Yes.”

“But I hardly know you. That’s… I’m sorry, but that’s—no.”

My cheek twitches. “That’s no?”

She rubs her temples, shaking her head. “Living with a strange man and the child I’m looking after is a little, well, strange, don’t you think?”

“I believe the application mentioned ‘non-traditional’ routines,” I remind her.

“But I can assure you, there’s nothing to fear.

You’ll have your own wing on the opposite side of the house.

We have maids who keep up with house chores and laundry, so you don’t have to worry about that.

Anything else you might need, just ask and I’ll see that it’s done. ”

I zero in on the lip she’s nibbling with a set of pretty, straight teeth.

“It’s crucial that you’re with Leo at all times, Miss Finley. If this is where we part ways, then I’ll be sad to see you go, but respect your decision all the same.”

After a tense beat of silence, she exhales a rushed breath. “Okay?”

“You sound like you’re not sure you believe yourself.”

Her huffed laughter tightens my chest. She’s unnervingly adorable.

“Well, I should say no,” she says, and my heart trips a beat. “I mean, you could be a creep, a control freak, a… I don’t know, panty sniffer?”

I tsk, amused by her. “And I should be offended.”

Except I’m not. Not a single bit. In fact, I want her to keep rambling so I can hold on to this buzzing inside my chest a little longer.

There’s a glimmer in her eyes as she half-heartedly shrugs. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be. I might think differently of you if you accepted without hesitation. You’re using discernment, and not only do I appreciate that, but I welcome it.”

Her head tips as if she’s not quite sure what to make of me, but it’s true. I don’t want naivety when I need the person caring for Leo to think things through before they act.

“Well, fortunately for you, I have a healthy dose of suspicion for most things. And less than a hundred dollars sitting in my bank account, so you’ve got yourself a deal.”

Her nose crinkles again, and fuck me. This is going to be a problem, isn’t it?

“I assume your husband won’t have an issue with this.” I know she’s not married, but part of me—the part not grasping that this can’t go beyond a boss-employee relationship—asks, anyway.

“No, no issue.” She glances down to adjust her skirt. “I don’t have one of those. A husband, that is.”

Those big eyes flick up when I stand, and I barely suppress a groan. Callie’s got that sinful, girl-next-door thing about her, and if I were a weaker man, I’d offer her much more than a glorified babysitting position.

“I don’t have any friends, either,” she adds, shifting uncomfortably. “They ditched me after ruining my career with petty rumors.”

The hurt on her face moves me. I know what it’s like to be isolated from everyone you love. To not have someone to lean on when the world feels like it’s falling around you.

I place my hand on her shoulder and offer her a comforting squeeze. I’m not sure if it’s the right thing to do, but it seems to relax her, and at least she’s smiling again.

Once she’s done scribbling her signature, I guide her away from my office to the wing closest to Leo’s room, and farthest from mine.

I fill her in on his daily schedule while we tour the study that I’ve filled with an array of books for them, the smaller kitchen meant for her convenience and comfort, and finally, the gym.

“I put together a curriculum based on what he was already learning at school. You’ll help him with the basics, of course.

Math, reading, science, and a touch of history.

If possible, I’d like him to get thirty minutes of physical activity in the gym each day.

After that, you’ll work with him on art, music, and Spanish. ”

I pause when she curls her lips under her teeth.

“What?”

“Sounds like he’s a busy kid,” she muses. “Did Leo choose all these activities, or was he volun-told?”

“I’m trying to give him what the professionals call enrichment .”

We reach her room, and she walks right in, unknowingly pulling me along. “Well, I don’t know which professionals you’re referring to, but it kind of sounds like he’s a prisoner.”

Already making herself at home, she kicks off her heels and plops down on the end of her bed. The mattress bounces softly, and I place my hands in my pockets, secretly inhaling her perfume.

“It’s not my intention to make him a prisoner here, but Leo’s been quiet ever since my sister was admitted to the hospital. He hardly speaks to me, breaks as many rules as he can, and to be quite honest, I get the sense he’s seeking attention. Hence, the structure.”

“Of course he is.” Callie crosses her feet, wiggling them absently while she sits back on her hands. “He’s only eight. He doesn’t want structure and rules.”

“What do you think he wants, then?”

“To eat junk food, play football, and annoy his uncle, I imagine.”

“Interesting…” I mutter, mulling this over.

I’m not even sure Leo likes football.

I was around more when he was a toddler. He thought I hung the moon then, but working for the Syndicate didn’t just make it hard to be around, it made it dangerous.

I’m struck by the realization that I don’t even know what my nephew likes. What makes him laugh? What he’s into…

God, how sad is that?

“Let him have some fun, warden.” Callie’s voice startles me from my thoughts.

Her teasing is harmless, but it only highlights that I’m not the fatherly type.

It never even crossed my mind that the well-planned and organized schedule I’d made for him didn’t include fun.

She resumes tapping her feet together, tugging my stare to her bubblegum-pink-painted toenails barely visible through her stockings. “Is there… something else, sir?”

I blink, my neck burning like a boy with a crush, and not the cold-blooded killer I am.

“Right. I’ll leave you to it.” I spin for the door, but not before catching her brilliant smile. “I’ll send someone with you to help you gather your things.”

“Thank you,” she says sincerely.

“You’re welcome.” I stop just before I exit. “Oh, and I’d like you to email Kyle’s contact information to me as soon as possible.”

Her tapping feet halt. “Why?”

Truthfully, I don’t have an explanation. But maybe it’s because Callie did the right thing. And that shouldn’t come at such a high price.

“No sense in letting the kid struggle when I’ve got more than enough resources to help,” I say instead.

The awe on her face makes my black heart thump.

“I appreciate that, Mr. Knight.”

I nod, making sure I’m well out of earshot when I mutter, “Jaxon. Call me Jaxon.”