Page 13 of The Hitman's Prince

Fuck, he was perfect. Perfectly fucking wrong.

I witnessed first-hand how willing Gideon and Fletcher had been to throw away generations of work in the name of love, and there was no way I was going to follow in their footsteps. Their abdication of their positions and their families’ empires had put more on my shoulders than I’d bargained for, and I’d admittedly been shirking my duties when it came to leading the Angelini family. I favored having my cock lodged deep in Orion’s throat, which made it hard to focus. And now that I’d had his ass…

I needed a new secretary. Someone who wasn’t a goddamn siren.

I’d made half a mile from the house, rounding corner after corner, not sure of where I was going besides out of my mind.

Tomorrow, I would start fresh. I would go into the office and I would lock myself away, no Orion to be seen, until I’d gotten my father’s affairs in order and was ready to assume ownership of my legacy. Just as North and Sinclair had battled each other for years, there were threats to the Angelini name as well. They were smaller and weaker than what Gideon and Fletcher had faced, but they were threats nonetheless and threats needed to be neutralized.

About a hundred feet ahead of me was a church, the streetlamps reflecting off the stained glasswindows and casting rainbow shadows across the sidewalk. I’d go to that corner, then turn around and head back. I didn’t anticipate Orion waking up without me, though even if he did, it wouldn’t matter. He’d lived in my home for years, and if I had my way, he’d stay there twice as long.

One foot into the shadows, and my phone buzzed against my thigh. I had no idea who would be calling this late and was beyond surprised to see Orion’s name on the screen when I fished it out of my pocket.

“I’m surprised you’re conscious,” I said instead of hello.

“Where are you?” His voice was tired, scratchy…scared.

“I just went for a walk. I’ll be back soon.”

“How soon? Where are you?”

I looked around, at the massive church steps to my right, the mile or so I’d walked behind me. “Twenty minutes or so. I’m fine. Are you hurt?”

“No. I’m…” He trailed off.

“You’re safe in my home. You know that, right?”

“Butyou’renot safe,” he said.

I scoffed, rolling my eyes. I touched the small of my back where I normally holstered my weapon to find I’d been so wrapped up in him that I’d left home without it. That didn’t matter, though.

“I’m fine, pet,” I promised. “Go back to sleep.”

“Vince,” he pleaded, sounding desperate. “Sir.”

There was movement in my peripheral, and I lookedup in time to see a figure step out from the shadows of the massive church doors.

“Orion,” I said softly, dread tangling itself into a knot at the base of my spine.

“I’m sorry,” he said. He gasped. He sobbed. He fucking cried. “I’m so sorry.”

The man in the shadows took one step toward me, and I turned to face him head on. I wasn’t a coward and I knew what was coming next. The bullet barely made a sound as it whizzed through the air, piercing me so quickly, I didn’t even feel it. Warm blood trickled down the front of my chest, and I glanced down to see my white shirt already dark crimson. My knees hit the sidewalk and my phone clattered onto the ground.

I heard Orion screaming my name, and then…

Nothing.

Part Two

The Recovery

Chapter 10

Caspian

Vince Angelini crumpled onto the sidewalk, blood leaking out of a hole in his chest. He dropped his cell phone, features looking as betrayed as I imagined any man of power would after being assassinated. I went to him anyway, because I knew who he was. Because I’d known of him for years, but he’d been practically locked away in that house of his, under his father’s thumb.

It was only recently I’d seen him in person again, spending time on the Rose Hill University campus with Gideon North and Fletcher Sinclair. I heard a rumor he’d shared an apartment with a first-year named Bellamy Marchant, and I didn’t know what made Bellamy any better than me…besides everything.