Page 60 of The Don

We arrive at the meeting point at exactly three in the morning. Dante is out of the car first, and he walks around to open my door.

When I exit, she’s already waiting. “Ruben,” she says as she stiffens her stance.

“15.” I head toward her but stop about five feet away. Enough that our low voices don’t carry in case anyone is listening. Her brown hair is pulled back in a severe ponytail. Her eyes are on mine, but I can hear her drone hovering overhead. She’s cautious, and I like that about 15.

“What can I do for you?”

“I have a job.”

“Where’s the file?” She looks at my empty hands.

“I don’t want you to kill him.”

She crinkles her forehead then cocks a brow. “No? What do you need?”

“I need you to find someone for me.”

“I’m an assassin, Ruben, not a private investigator. If you want him dead, then you know my fee, and I need the file with the target’s details.”

“I’ll double your fee.”

She takes a step backward. “Not interested. I’m not a fucking babysitter.” She moves further away without turning her back.

“I’ll triple your fee.”

She stops and tilts her head to the side. 15’s mouth contorts as she narrows her eyes at me. “Who do you want found?”

“My nephew.”

She scoffs and says, “He’s on his honeymoon.”

“Not that one.”

“Ah, I see.” Her smirk tells me she’s interested. “I’ve heard that Adrian’s been raising hell.”

“Do you know where he is?”

“Nope.” She moves toward me. “Four times my fee and I’ll find him.”

“You don’t want to know why?”

She snorts and shakes her head. “I don’t give a shit why you want him found. The only thing that disappoints me is I don’t get to put a bullet between his eyes. You want a location?” I nod. “Fifty percent now.”

“Same account?”

“Yes.”

I pull my phone out and send through fifty percent of the fee, then look up to her after I replace my phone in my pocket. “Done.”

“Urgency?”

“The sooner the better. I need to know where he is, and I need you to give me confirmation.”

She brings her hand to her ear and listens to whatever her inside man says. “Money’s received.” She listens to something else and nods. “Consider it done. I’ll have something for you as soon as I find him.”

I acknowledge her with a curt nod. Dante and I walk to the car, and when I look back, she’s already slipped into the darkness and disappeared. “If you want it done, she’s the person to do it,” Dante says. “She’s ruthless.”

“She’s not going to kill him.”

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