I was looking forward to seeing her as I parked my car.

I wanted to see the look on her face when I gave her the album. Maybe finally she’d start listening to me, finally begin to trust me a little bit.

I had a strange feeling in my gut as I opened the apartment door and started walking upstairs. It was part excitement and part something else, something like worry. I was excited to see her, excited in a way I hadn’t felt in a long, long time, but I was also worried, unable to shake that feeling that I had been being watched back there.

I put my key in the lock and turned it. As I opened the door, I heard a strange sound, like chair legs scraping against the floor. Something toppled to the ground with a thud.

I kicked the door open and was in the apartment in a flash, my gun up and ready.

Abram stood in the kitchen, grinning his creepy smile at me. “Hey there, Brooks. Lower the gun or I splatter this bitch’s skull on your apartment floor.”

He was standing above Emma, who was tied to a chair. She clearly had tipped it over as I’d unlocked the door, which was what I had heard. Abram was pointing his gun at her head casually, his finger on the trigger.

I slowly lowered my gun. “I’m surprised to see you, Abram,” I said.

“Toss the gun down.”

I did as he said.

“Shut the door.”

I turned and closed it.

“Kick the gun to me.”

I kicked it and the gun slid halfway toward him.

“Very good.” Abram smiled again. “Welcome home, Brooks.”

“You were following me earlier, weren’t you?”

“Impressive,” he said. “You saw me?”

“No,” I admitted. “Gut feeling.”

“Well your gut is right.”

“Why?”

“Dante sent me,” he said. His gun hand was steady as he pointed it at Emma’s head. “He had his own gut feeling about you. Looks like his gut was right, too.”

Fucking bastard. I never would have guessed that Dante would put someone like Abram on my tail. Even for a hit man, Abram was unstable, a little insane. I didn’t enjoy working with him, but he was a professional and did his job well.

But in this case, I had no clue what to expect from him. He didn’t have a partner with him, which meant he wasn’t bound by any of our usual safeguards and rules. No, this was just one psychotic killer in my apartment, holding a gun against Emma’s head.

“What’s the play here, Abram?” I asked him.

“My turn to ask questions, actually. First, why is this girl still alive?” He pressed the gun harder against her. “Lie and I will end her. Then I’ll force you to clean it up.”

“I don’t hurt women,” I said. “I was going to let her live, but then you came into the room. Taking her as a prize was all I could think of in the moment.”

He nodded. “Thought so. I knew you couldn’t fucking do it.”

“No, I can’t.”

“Why? Tell me why you can’t.”

“A man has to have a code,” I said. “I’ve seen too many women suffer in this fucked-up world. I don’t want to add to it.”

He laughed loudly at that. “You fucking kidding me, Brooks? You sound like some dumbass feminist bitch or something.”

“Don’t care what I sound like,” I said. “After my mom died, I promised myself I’d never hurt a woman.”

“All because of your mommy?” He laughed again, clearly enjoying himself. “You fucking pussy.”

“Put the gun down, Abram. I can pay you.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Interesting. How much?”

“Fifty thousand in cash.”

“That’s a tempting bribe, Brooks.”

“I can get it for you now. It’s not far.”

He laughed, shaking his head. “And give you a chance to fight me? I don’t think so.”

“What do you want then, Abram?”

“You told me that every man has to have a code, and I agree. See, my code is the code of our organization. I follow the rules, I act like a good little soldier, and that gives my life meaning.”

“I get that. You’re good at what you do.”

“Don’t fucking patronize me,” he said, anger creeping into his voice. “I’ve always fucking hated you. For some reason, you get away with everything. You show up late, you don’t hurt women, you live by your own little fucking rules. Meanwhile, I follow all the rules and get nothing, no fucking promotions or invitations to special jobs.”

“That’s not fair,” I said.

“It’s not fair, not at all. But now I fucking have you. Now I can get some revenge on you. I’m going to make you follow the rules, Brooks, or else I’m going to execute you both here and now.”

“Did Dante say you can do that?”

“He didn’t, but I can break the rules for you. I think you’re special. Now come over here.”

He gestured with the gun. I took a few steps toward him.

“No. Stop. Go around the couch, away from the gun.”

I changed direction and moved behind the couch. He watched me with his dead eyes, hawk-like and piercing, as I came closer and closer. Finally I made it into the kitchen, keeping my hands up in the air.

“Good. Now, kill the girl.”

Emma began to struggle, her eyes wide.

“How do you want me to do that, Abram? I don’t have a gun.”

He laughed again. “Strangle her. You’re a big man.”

“I’m not going to do that.”

“You fucking will, or you’re both dead.”

“Seems we’re dead either way, Abram. If you make me strangle her, I’ll try to kill you next. You might be fast with that gun and get me, or I might be faster and get you first. Either way, we’ll probably all end up dead after this.”

“That’s not how I see it,” he sneered. “You’ll strangle her, and then I’ll leave. You might want revenge, but Dante will stop you, seeing as I’m only making you follow the fucking rules.”

I stared at him and noticed the twitch in his eye. He was glaring at me intensely, his right eye slightly shut like he couldn’t see straight. His whole face was contorted in a mask of anger.

At my feet, Emma wasn’t moving. Her whole face was ashen, but she was taking deep breaths, trying to stay calm. I was impressed by her, considering this looked pretty fucking bad.

I took a step closer to them. He didn’t move an inch.

“You think Dante and Gian are going to be okay with this?” I asked him. “You said it yourself. I get special treatment.”

“Shut the fuck up!” he screamed.

I smiled at him. “You’re on edge. Is there a reason?”

I took a step closer.

“Kill the girl,” he screamed. “Kill her now. Fucking kill her.”

I moved even closer. He raised the gun from her head and pointed it at my chest.

“You know you’re fucked. That’s why you’re losing control,” I said to him. I stepped closer.

“Stop!” he screamed, but I made my move.

The gun went off, and pain bit sharply through my shoulder. The bullet tore clean through, and I could feel part of my arm go numb, but I didn’t stop. I grabbed his wrist and wrenched, kicking my foot and stomping it down onto his instep. I rammed my forehead against his nose and felt his fingers release the gun.

He stumbled back as I flipped it in my hands, turning it on him. I snarled and dropped the gun, reaching into my pocket and pulling out my knife.

I flipped it open and went at him. He was trained in hand-to-hand, but he was angry and off balance and unarmed. I came at him fast and violently, cutting his body, slicing his arms and face. He pushed back, striking me in the chest, causing me to nearly double over in pain.

He tried to knee me in the face, but I blocked it and shoved him back. He stumbled over Emma, and I leaped over her and onto him, forcing him to the ground.

“You fucking bastard,” he yelled as I sank my knife into his throat. He tried to say more, but there was only a wet gurgle as the knife finished him off.

There was blood everywhere as I rolled off him, breathing heavily. I checked my wound, but the bullet had gone right through, which was good.

I went over to Emma and took the duct tape off her mouth. I pulled out the rag in her mouth and she gasped for air.

“Brooks!” she said. “He shot you.”

“I’m okay.”

“Why didn’t you shoot him? Why did you do that?”

“Fucking bastard didn’t deserve a clean death.” I began to untie her, and soon enough she was free.

She threw herself at me, pressing her body against mine. I was fucking hard for her, despite the pain I was in, despite the hit man’s body. She pressed her head against my chest and I held her.

Slowly she pulled back. “Come on,” she said. “We need to patch you up.”

“Yeah,” I grunted.

She took me by the hand and dragged me back into the bathroom. The wound was bleeding, but not too badly as she gingerly cleaned it and strapped a big, thick cotton bandage against it.

“Do you always have a little pharmacy in here like this?” she remarked as she looked at my emergency supplies.

“In my line of work, you should always be prepared.”

She nodded and sat down on the rim of the bathtub. I leaned back against the toilet.

“What now?” she asked.

“Not sure actually.”

“I mean, you just killed a guy in your own mafia.”

“Yeah, I did.”

“He was going to kill me. That was all he wanted.”

“Yeah.” I stared at her, at the bruises on her face, the anger in her eyes.

“We need to get away,” she said. “We need to run. Do you really have that much money?”

“I do. And I think you’re right.”

She sighed, putting her face in her hands. “Fuck, Brooks. Fuck. I’m sorry I doubted you.”

I stood up and looked down at her. “Don’t be sorry.” I took her by the hair and tipped her chin back to look at me. “Don’t be fucking sorry. I made this choice. You never wanted any of this.”

She parted her lips. “Brooks.”

“Fuck. I’ve wanted you since the second I saw you.”

My cock was hard as fuck, raging against my boxer briefs as I moved my lips near hers. She didn’t flinch or move a muscle.

“Go ahead,” she whispered.

And so I crushed her mouth with my own, kissing her hard, every ounce of pent-up desire flooding through me.