Page 27 of The Hitman's Prince

I sat bolt upright, rosary falling into my lap and phone falling off the side of the bed. “What?”

“No timeline as of yet. Accuracy is key this time, Caspian. Or you’ll find out first-hand what it’s like to be on the receiving end of a successful job.”

She disconnected the call before I could say anything else, which felt like a blessing and a curse at the same time. This would force me out of bed, back into the real world. If I wanted to live, I would have to get close to Vince again…close enough to kill him.

I didn’t want to kill Vince.

I didn’t want anyone else to kill him either.

But I didn’t want to die. And maybe if I was the one to end his life, it could be easy and gentle. I could try to make it painless, make sure he knew that it was done from a place of love and want. Because, fuck, I wanted him. No one else would ever understand what it was like to feel things the way I felt them.

It was him or me, though. And I was too scared for it to be me.

Flinging myself off the side of the bed, I grabbed my phone and called my brother. He was the only person I trusted, the only person who knew the truth about me.

“Hey,” he answered on the second ring. “What do you need?”

“I wanted to let you know I have another chance.”

“How so?”

“With Vince.”

My brother let out a worried sound on the other end of the call.

“I won’t mess it up this time,” I told him.

“You don’t have it in you, Caspian,” he said gently, like he was trying to not hurt my feelings.

“I can make it painless for him,” I explained. “I can do it better than anyone else would because I love him more than anyone else can.”

“This again?”

“I’ve known him for years.”

“You’ve obsessed over him for years,” my brother corrected.

“Iknowhim,” I stressed, and in a way, I did now. I knew what he sounded like when he came and I knew what his orgasms tasted like. I knew what kind of gun he carried, and I knew how fast he was to reach for it. I knew he didn’t trust people, but he’d trusted me enough to close his eyes for two minutes and chase his own pleasure.

That had to be enough of a starting point.

“This is dangerous,” my brother said. “You’re going to get yourself killed.”

“It’s me or him,” I said, my earlier thought demandingto be heard. “That’s always been the bargain, and you know it.”

“I know, Caspian.” He sighed, and I could picture the unhappiness on his face. It was clear from the weight of his breath. “I wish you’d never made that deal, but for what it’s worth, I do hope you make it out alive.”

Chapter 21

Orion

Iwent back to Vince, because of course I did. Because I always did. The Angelini home was the only home I’d ever known, and until he officially told me not to come back, I’d keep trying.

He hadn’t changed the locks, which felt like an invitation. Upon my arrival, the lights were on, but the house was quiet. There were two mugs of coffee on the kitchen counter, and I bristled at the sight.

Who had been here with him?

Swallowing down my bitter jealousy, I headed up the stairs to Vince’s office, where I found him sitting behind the desk that used to be his father’s. He looked good there, but it was too big for him, too showy. Vince hadn’t ever been any of those things, no matter how much he wanted or how hard he tried.