Page 4 of The Hitman

Chapter Three

Callie

I smooth my damp palms down the front of my skirt as I make my way through my boss’s high-rise fortress.

My modest heels snick against the dark marble, the sound echoing like a metronome in the eerie silence. Everything around me gleams from the high ceilings trimmed in matte gold, archways sculpted with sharp, almost ancient elegance, and furnishings so decadent, they look stolen from a royal estate.

Each room is more breathtaking than the last, but there’s something about this place I can’t quite get a read on. It’s too quiet, too perfect. Like a rich man’s panic room dressed up like a palace or a museum curated by someone with more money than emotional warmth.

Glass windows surround the main living area, a stunning indoor koi pond, and the kitchen. The windows facing the city below stretch from floor to ceiling like an open invitation to the world, and the glass is thicker than usual, with fancy panels that shift depending on the time of day.

We’re suspended miles above Chicago, with a single guard and a handful of maids for human interaction, yet there’s a camera in almost every corner of the house.

Jaxon says he’s a day trader, but with a security system worthy of a presidential bunker and fingerprint scanners on every lock, there’s got to be more to my boss than he’s letting on.

“Just eat the damn oatmeal, Leo.”

Jaxon’s gruff voice guides me to the main kitchen, where he and Leo are locked in a standoff.

“I’m not hungry.” Leo shoves his bowl away.

“You’re acting like a baby.”

“I’m not a baby. Which is exactly why I don’t need a nanny.”

Jaxon slides the bowl back in front of him. “Don’t think of her as a babysitter. She’s here to help you finish school so you don’t fall behind.”

“But it’s not fair. I want to go to my school. I miss my friends.”

“This isn’t about being fair,” Jaxon tries to reason with him. “It’s about keeping you safe.”

“Safe from what? You won’t even tell me what really happened to Mom. The least you could do is tell me why you’re ruining my life.” Red-faced, Leo looks like he’s on the verge of tears.

Jaxon sighs heavily, and my heart aches watching them so at odds with each other.

“I can’t always tell you why I make the decisions I do, buddy. I just… I need you to trust that I’m doing what’s best for you.”

After a beat, Leo turns away and mutters hollowly, “Just go.”

Hoping to break the tension, I step into the kitchen and announce myself with a tap on the countertop. “Good morning, boys.”

Jaxon’s head snaps to me, and my breath hitches at those steel eyes, traveling from my head to my toes. He’s dressed in a neat button-down and dark slacks, but the rolled sleeves and exposed forearms are the real issue here.

Turns out, he’s even hotter than he was yesterday. So that’s great for my emotional instability.

“Miss Finley,” he says, not taking his eyes off me as I walk over to him.

“Good morning.”

The corner of his mouth twitches. “You said that already.”

“Oh, you’re right. Sorry.”

Butterflies swarm in my belly as I reinforce a confident smile. The man’s impossibly unsettling, with sharp features and irresistible lips, but he doesn’t have to know that.

I turn to Leo, but his brows are pinched as he stares off distantly with his arms crossed. “Hey, bud. How’s it going?”

When he refuses to acknowledge me, Jaxon’s frown reappears with a vengeance. He takes a step toward Leo, but I shake my head at him subtly.

“Want me to make you something else for breakfast?” I ask before taking Leo’s bowl and moving it to the sink to my right. “Total brag here, but I make the best scrambled eggs.”

Leo’s chair screeches away from the bar. “I’m good. Thanks.”

He hops down, and I watch helplessly as he exits the kitchen for the hall that leads to his bedroom.

“Hey,” Jaxon calls after him. “Get back here before I ground you from… I don’t know, from everything!”

A door slams in the distance, and Jaxon swipes a hand down his face with a groan.

I dump the sludgy, uneaten oatmeal down the drain. “Well, that could’ve gone better.”

He props his hip against the counter, pensive as ever, while I scrub and rinse the bowl. “It’s been like this ever since the accident. He shuts me out, no matter how hard I try to connect with him.”

“I’m gonna go out on a limb here, but threatening to ground him from everything that brings him joy mayyy not be the move.”

Jaxon scoffs after I dry off my hands and move toward the fridge. I gather butter, cheese, and sliced sourdough while he stews in silence, then I find a pan and turn on the stove.

“Okay, then. What do you propose I do to get him to listen?”

His frustration is palpable, and I know underneath that gruff exterior, he’s not just upset with Leo’s outburst—he’s upset with himself, too.

A quality I find oddly endearing for such a rough-edged man.

“You could start by trying to connect with him. What hobbies does he have?”

Jaxon gives me a pointed look, and my toes curl inside my shoes. He’s handsome when annoyed that I have a point.

“Per your previous suggestion, I did some investigating.”

I try not to let that gesture move me, but it does. Spectacularly.

“And?”

“He’s a total nerd. Loves video games and anime… not exactly things I’m into.”

I grin as I assemble a grilled cheese in the pan, and the salty aroma seemingly tugs him a step closer.

“Here’s the deal with kids—they don’t really care if you’re into the same things they are as long as they feel loved and supported.

Think about it. You’ve both been dealing with the trauma of your sister’s accident, his entire life has been placed on hold indefinitely, and he’s stuck in a box in the sky where he can barely play soccer without breaking a million-dollar vase. ”

“Half a million.” He arches a brow, and if I didn’t know better, I’d say he was teasing me.

After plating the three sandwiches I made, I switch the burner off, then turn to face him. “My point is, you can’t expect him to be all cheerful and happy if you’re keeping him prisoner.”

“This again?” he says, leaning close enough for the mint-heavy words to fan my lashes.

I soften like the butter that’s coating my fingers.

“He doesn’t need you to be perfect, Jaxon.

He just needs you to try.” I let that hang for a second before adding, quieter this time, “People tend to shut others out because, at some point, they started believing no one would stay if they saw the real mess underneath.”

A chord strikes through me the moment I finish the thought. This isn’t just true for Leo, but also for me.

I left the comfort and safety of a wealthy family to explore who I was as a person, and who I became was a heart-leading, messy woman with a healthy dose of stubborn hope and a tendency to care too deeply for people who keep their walls too high.

And maybe that’s why I see Leo so clearly. Because I know what it’s like to both fear and crave connection.

Jaxon’s stormy eyes hold mine, making it harder to breathe. But I see the moment his armor cracks when he shakes his head. “Even if I wanted to send him back, I can’t.”

“Why?” I whisper.

A muscle flutters along his jaw. I wait for him to respond, but instead of giving me an answer, he tips his head toward the sandwiches I’ve made. “Grilled cheese?”

I barely manage to mask my disappointment.

He doesn’t trust me yet, and I have a feeling that when it comes to a man like Jaxon, trust has to be earned.

“I know it’s not the fancy stuff you’re used to eating around here, but who knows, maybe it’ll speak to your inner child.”

The mood lightens when he huffs. “God, I hope not.”

“Your childhood was that bad, huh? I should’ve known.” I lick the salty oil from my thumb before wagging a finger at him. “The broody billionaire types always have a tragic backstory.”

Jaxon chuckles half-heartedly. “Actually, Isa and I had great parents. They’ve always loved and supported us, but even still, I could never stay out of trouble.”

“Ah, a rebel.”

Humor crinkles the corners of his eyes. Like he forgot to be broody for half a second. “Through and through.”

“Where are your parents, anyway?” I ask, curious as to why they’re not involved in Leo’s care.

“Around,” he says without further explanation.

“That’s not suspicious or anything.”

“You’re awfully inquisitive for a nanny,” he goads me.

“And you’re awfully secretive ,” I retort, deepening his smirk.

The space between us grows smaller. I’m helpless to resist the invisible tug I feel toward him, even though I know I should. His dark brows furrow when he leans a little closer, searching my face with eyes full of whatever thoughts he’s warring with.

I jump when his phone trills in his pocket, shattering the moment.

“Sorry.” He blinks as he pulls away to answer it.

“No problem.”

My cheeks puff with an exhale as I angle my burning face away from him. First day on the job, and I’m already pining for my boss. Smooth.

“I need to take care of this,” he says after responding to the message with a few eager taps.

He mumbles something about a trade window and deadlines that makes no sense to me, but I stop him before he turns to leave.

“Don’t forget your sandwich, warden.”

I wrap it in a paper towel before handing it over, and when our fingers brush, he goes still. Like he’s short-circuiting, and our touch is the static noise causing it.

“Right. Of course.” He snaps out of it, taking the sandwich with a muttered thanks.

I want to ask him what that was all about, but deciding better of it, I settle on, “Good luck.”

“You, too.” He takes a bite, and I swallow thickly after he licks the crumbs from his lips. “Oh, and I’ll think about what you said… with Leo.”

“Okay.” I smile, even though I don’t quite feel it.

He hesitates, dropping his eyes to my mouth before murmuring, “Okay.”

The room grows cold once Jaxon exits the kitchen. I brace my hands on the counter, replaying our conversation several times before deciding my sanity isn’t worth decoding every look or touch.