Page 52 of The Hitman and the Psychic

I rubbed my face. “Sure. As long as you keep me updated on your end.”

“Well… now that I know they’re after you, it will help me narrow down my search.”

I snorted. “I thought the same thing… but I have no idea who it could be. I’m just hoping to stay alive long enough to figure it out and end it.”

“I’m gonna pretend I didn’t hear that last part.”

“You do that.”

“Shit, Stone. I can only do so much, you know?”

“I’m discreet. You have nothing to worry about.”

“Be sure and keep it that way.”

I huffed. “Don’t tell me how to do my job.”

“Fine. At least you’ve got Serenity to help you. Hey… be sure and say ‘Hi’ to her for me. Too bad she’s married… she’s a real babe.”

“Yeah… too bad.” I ended the call, not about to tell him she was getting a divorce.

“What was that all about?” Serenity met my gaze, her arms crossed and her brows furrowed.

“I guess their guy Grizzo made us last night. Told his squad all about it, so Dino called to warn me.”

“Why would Detective Scardino do that? How does he know you, anyway?”

“Well… you know Vanetti’s a…” I hesitated. “Abusinessman. He’s got connections.”

Her mouth tightened. “You mean… he’s a mob boss?”

We both froze for a few seconds. “Yeah,” I finally admitted.

She let out a breath. “I, uh… figured that out on my first job, but I didn’t want to believe he was a bad guy. He’s so nice and normal. He doesn’t seem like a criminal, you know?”

“Oh… he’s not a criminal.” I smirked. “He’s never been convicted of a crime in his life.”

“Well… that’s a relief.” Sarcasm dripped off her words.

“Sure is.” I sent her my trademark smile. Before she could comment, I brushed my fingers across her forehead, moving a strand of hair out of her eyes. “Now… I believe we were starting our lives of hiding out together.”

Her eyes widened, but instead of leaning into me, she took a step back. “Um.” She licked her lips. “I think… that maybe we made a mistake.”

My heart twisted. “A mistake?” The space she’d opened up between us left me cold and aching.

“Um.” She still looked at me like she wanted me. “I mean, you can’t hide away forever. We’ve got to find the guy who’s after you. We can’t do that in… hiding.”

A corner of my mouth quirked, though my chest tightened. “Right. We need to find him and… end this?”

She nodded. “Right. I… I really don’t want you to die.”

“Well, that’s something at least.” I stepped forward, and she swayed toward me but didn’t take the bait.

She held up a hand. “And this, uh, that… kissing… can’t happen again. I need to be professional. You’re like… my boss; and that’s gross, so no more… uh… shenanigans.”

“Gross?” I was a little offended. No woman had ever called me gross.

“Notyou.” She widened her eyes at me. “But I’m not sleeping with a client. I’m a PI, for heaven’s sake, not a—” She cleared her throat. “So,professional. Got it?”

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