Page 71 of Lady of Darkness
She opens and closes her mouth, narrowing her eyes. “Okay. I see. I don’t need to know anything else.”
“But–”
She holds her hand up. “Nope. It’s a secret and mysterious job. That’s all I need to know.”
She looks around, her expression unsure.
Please don’t ask about Luka.
Please don’t ask about Luka.
Please don’t ask about Luka.
“Is it safe?” she asks after a minute, her voice fraught with emotion.
I shrug. “The guys ensure I’m always safe.”
She nods, swiping a stray tear away. “Okay. I’d like to meet them.”
My mouth drops open. “Really?”
“Yes. I need to meet the men who convinced my best friend to try running for fun.”
We both laugh before we talk some more. She tells me about Luka, crying a couple of times while I offer her advice about getting over him. After an hour, I bring her into the kitchen and make her eat, and then around midnight, we crawl into bed together. Gemma passes out instantly.
It reminds me so much of when my mother died, of having her curl around me and make me feel safe. Tonight, I curl around her.
Perhaps there is a way to have both. To be a Lady of Darkness while also keeping my friends and family.
And that thought makes me smile as I drift off to sleep.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-ONE
Sterling
We spendthe next few days going hard on Harlow in the gym. We’ve eased up on the educational part of our training so that she can spend time with Gemma, Cecelia, and Archie. We hardly see her except at the gym, but she seems happier. She smiles more. A big part of this job, especially at first, is getting used to it. And for us, this is how most days unfold. Gym, work, sleep. Our targets are still out there, but it’s been a slow week, so there’s no harm in giving Harlow some space.
A week after Gemma arrived, we got a last-minute call that one of our targets was on the move, so we picked her up from her house and brought her to London. It was an easy job–a small crime ring based in Argentina. Their leader was visiting family in London. He wasn’t a good guy; he hid drugs in children’s toys and was a part of the larger drug ring.
Most of their profit was made from forcing children to be dealers.
One day, we’d find everyone in that fucking ring and take them out.
Harlow hardly flinched when she pulled the trigger on the sniper. I’d been behind her on top of the building, showing her how to use it and how to aim correctly. I nearly got distracted by her scent and the way she ground her ass into me. But she did it with our help. She killed him while he was texting on his balcony. Afterward, as we dismantled our station, she was solemn.
“Is this it?” she asks, watching as Theo puts the sniper back in its case. We rarely get to use it, but when we do… it gives me a certain thrill.
“Is what it, baby?” I ask, pulling her into my side.
“Running ten miles in the morning, killing men at night?” Her eyes are misty as she curls her arms around herself.
I smirk. “And what exactly are you missing?”
She turns to face me, her cheeks tinged with pink. “I don’t know. Something… else. Something to make me forget this part of my day.”
She walks away, and I don’t answer her.
But I think I have an idea.
