Page 39 of The Assassin
Gabriel chuckled. “Would you believe it if I told you one person knew I was alive? He was a programmer who worked undercover for the Society, tracking every move from the US government. His facial recognition software detected me, so he came to me with a proposition of joining anelite community of hitmen and assassins. I hated the idea at first, but then the more I thought about it, the more intriguing it became. He gave me a whole new identity and Riccardo no longer existed. Gabriel Mancini was born.”
“The pain in my ass.” Ardan’s mouth tilted in a half smile.
“The best kind of pain, though.” Gabriel turned toward him. “So, you tracked me down here to small town Texas. Why? I have a feeling it doesn’t have to do with my life story.”
“Well, I don’t want to kill you anymore, that’s a step in the right direction.”
“Is it though? I liked it when you were all angry and vengeful. It was a hot look.”
Ardan pinched Gabriel’s black hoodie top between his fingers. “This? Not such a great look.”
“Hey, I think it’s my most fashionable statement yet,” Gabriel teased. “Why are you here, Ardan?”
Ardan sighed and released the shirt. He stood, taking his sunglasses off his shirt and sitting them on the bedside cabinet near the bed as though it’d make him look professional, then turned to Gabriel. “I have a job proposition for you.”
“No,” Gabriel said sharply. “I know for a fact Killough told you he already offered me a job, and I refused his offer. That doesn’t change.”
“I don’t think you’re a complete prick and rat anymore.” Ardan held out his palms, as though that changed everything.
“That doesn’t mean jackshit. I’m not working for Killough.” Gabriel shoved himself to his feet and crossed his arms, jaw tight.
“Is it the whole Italian and Irish thing?” Ardan frowned at him.
“Hardly. I fucked you and you’re Irish.”
“Then what’s the problem? Sloan can offer you a vast amount of money to be a contractor. You worked for Leo, what’s the difference?”
“The difference is that I’m not interested in having a full-time boss anymore, especially not Killough.” Gabriel glared at him. “Is my dick so good that you’ll forget all the years you hated me?”
“Fuck no,” Ardan snapped, returning the same glare Gabriel gave him. “This isn’t about your cock or us having sex. I can admit when I’m wrong, and I made a mistake in believing you were nothing but a rat. I wanted to apologize by offering you something better.”
“Well I don’t want it,” Gabriel said, glaring at the artwork sitting on the wall behind Ardan’s head. A bunch of colors were thrown together like it was supposed to be calming and, in that moment, it was anything but. “You can tell your boss to stick his job offer up his ass.”
“You ungrateful piece of shit.” Ardan stepped forward closer to Gabriel. “I’m offering you a once in a lifetime opportunity. Every hitman and assassin in the Society wishes they could work for Sloan.”
“Then they’re naïve.” Gabriel straightened his shoulders and glanced toward his suitcase sitting on the luggage holder near the bed, where his gun was hidden. He didn’t think he’d needed it when he was watching his family. One never knew with Ardan and he moved at lightning speed. If he wanted Gabriel dead right now, it would take seconds to pull out his own Glock and put a bullet in his head.
“What is your problem, you prick?” Ardan shoved him hard but there wasn’t any real force behind it. Gabriel was bigger, too, so he didn’t go far. “You ruined your name after you betrayed Leo. I’m giving you a second chance.”
“I don’t need your second chance. Our game was fun, Ardan, but that’s all it was. A game. Now get the fuck out of my hotel room.”
“So, this is how it’s going to be?” Ardan shook his head, his hair flopping across his forehead. Now that Gabriel thought about it, he didn’t look put together like usual. There was something looser about his appearance, as though he didn’t feel he needed to appear in control. “Fine. If you want to forever be known as the hitman who fucked up, then that’s your problem. Your family would be embarrassed if they knew the truth. What a cowardly piece of—”
Gabriel’s patience had overflowed and he reacted on an impulse he wasn’t used to. He swung, his knuckles meeting Ardan’s cheekbone and making him stumble. Ardan fell against the desk, his hand touching face as he turned to stare at Gabriel in surprise.
Blood pounded in Gabriel’s veins, the urge to hit and fuck, those animalistic feelings that left him anything but in control surfacing. This wasn’t Riccardo Sanna and it wasn’t Gabriel Mancini either. This was an unknown.
Ardan’s jaw tightened and he straightened. He didn’t say a word as he stalked over to the bedside cabinet to grab his sunglasses and slide them back into his shirt. Gabriel watched, waited for the retaliation, but it never came.
Ardan held his hands in front of him, the perfect image of calm.Thiswas the assassin Gabriel was used to seeing. “Watch your back, Mancini,” he said simply before he strode past Gabriel and out the door, letting it slam behind him.
The door wasn’t just closing physically, but metaphorically too. They were done. Whatever this was, could have been, had finished. Gabriel made sure of that. It was for the best. Connections were weaknesses. He’d been on his own for too long and the one time he’d trusted someone—Leo—he saw that everyone came with a cruel side. Human nature.
He thought about Mia and Isabella and his mama, about them all, and his heart ached. Sighing, he grabbed his room key and left the room too. He headed down the stairs and toward the front of the hotel. Maybe he could see them all one last time before he left again.
By the time he got to the park, they were packing their belongings away. Mia and Isabella were still by the swing, Isabella crying with her curled fists jammed into her eyes. Mia was saying something, crouched in front of her daughter, but whatever she said didn’t work because Isabella shook her head and cried harder.
Gabriel lowered his hoodie more and smiled.
