Chapter 21

Erik

Fuck me. Seeing her in my kitchen making breakfast was over the top. I rode in silence next to Kane, trying to pull myself together. I was a mess over walking or not walking, as if I had a choice in the matter.

I'd use her body every chance I got and ignore how badly I wanted her heart.

You already have it. I snorted.

"Something funny, man?" Kane glanced over at me, his dark eyes filled with mischief.

"No. I just wish things could be different with me and Grace."

"The hot librarian you're bonking?"

"That's the one." I glanced out the window and unbuckled. "Why the fuck are we at NYU? Certainly, my father doesn't expect us to kill some kid on campus, right?"

"He does." Kane unbuckled and got out of the car, looking at me over the top of it. "What's the deal with this broad? She's more than sex, obviously."

"She's nothing more than sex." I reached back and positioned my gun in the back of my slacks under my coat. "She wants more, but all women do."

"Not the girls I hang with. They want a dick in the ass and a few bills on the table." He laughed and pointed to the Sigma frat house in the distance. "We're headed there."

"Alright. Point out who we're taking out, and I'll do it."

"I know you will." He tapped his side. "I forgot my fucking silencer again."

"You do that shit on purpose." I shook my head and walked toward the building as a group of guys walked out. Thomas, Grace's brother, was one of them. "Interesting."

I glanced back and watched the prick walk toward the library. She was close to her brother, and yet all I'd heard was what an asshat he was.

"What's interesting?" Kane glanced back, turning in a full circle as if he were missing something.

"That's Grace's older brother. Nate had some trouble with the kid when he started dating Jenna. Seems the preppy fucker wanted to get in Jenna's panties." I reached for the door, opening it and moving back. "You know we look like hitmen."

"I know. It's awesome." He walked into the house and moved toward the stairs. "He's the last door on the left upstairs. His name is Doug."

"Good. If we were killing Grace's brother, I'd like to tell her first." I chuckled and ran past Kane, taking two stairs at a time.

"That would be so fucked up, right?" He laughed and walked down the hall. "What if I told you he was the last one on the list?"

"I'd tell you to suck a dick." I walked down the hall, pausing outside the guy’s door. Sounded like he was busy with someone who thought he was a god from the sound of things.

"You telling me you would choose this girl over a hit your father sent us on?" He smiled and pressed his hand to the bedroom door.

"No. I'm telling you to drop it." I pulled my gun from behind my back and knocked on the door as a wicked smile lifted my lip. I loved my job. A part of me would always be a killer. Grace wouldn't understand that, and I honestly couldn't care. It was who I was raised to be.

"Go away," a deep voice called out, strained.

"Sorry. I'm on a tight schedule." I opened the door and walked in to find a big football motherfucker pumping his cock in a little guy's ass.

"Hey! What the fuck. Get out." The big guy turned and barreled toward us, his body thick and hairy.

I lifted my gun. "Sorry to bother your morning fuck, but we have business to take care of."

"Oh my God." The smaller guy turned and crumbled to the floor, searching for his pants from what I could tell. "Please don't hurt me. I didn't do anything."

"You know this guy?" The bigger guy, whom I assumed was Doug turned to his partner. "How?"

"Well, I'm not shoving my cock in his ass if that's what you're asking." I glanced back at Kane. "Close the door and stand watch."

"Got it, boss." He slipped out and closed the door as Doug growled loudly.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?"

His friend stood up, shaking. "He's Erik Bertinelli, man. Don't you know anything?"

"Who?" He turned his attention back to me, the fucker still fully naked, which was starting to gross me the fuck out.

I turned my gun on his friend and shot him, the thin kid crumbling to the ground. "You borrowed some money from one of your professors."

The kid started to piss. "Oh my God." He backed up and pressed his back against the wall. "Are you the asshole that killed Billy?"

I nodded and let my hands hang beside me as if I were done for a moment. "Yeah, well, you twats stole the money from the wrong business."

He lifted his hand in the air. "I didn't know. We didn't know. Fuck man. I'll get the money back. The guy we originally borrowed it from is my boyfriend."

"Oh yeah?" I glanced down at the smaller guy dead on the floor. "What about this poor bastard?"

"Just a quick release." He cupped his dick, suddenly seeming to realize that he was naked. "Let me fix this."

"You have the money? Now?"

"What? No. Of course not. We stole it because we had no other choice."

"There's always a choice." I lifted my gun. "How about this. Just tell me who the other guy involved was and we'll kill him instead. It was you, Billy and some other guy that wore his mask a little better than you two fuckers."

"Thomas. It was Thomas Adams. He just left here. He's the president of this place. Kill him instead, or fuck, he might have the money. His Dad used to be fucking loaded." He ran his fingers through his hair and let out a sigh that sounded like relief.

Sickness filled my insides. Fuck. It was Grace's brother. My father wasn't going to stop hunting these idiots until we recouped the money, or they were all dead.

I lifted my gun. "Asshole. What kind of friend are you?" I shot him before he could answer and turned. What the fuck was I going to do?

Call Grace and tell her to get her brother and run as fast and as far as they could? Then I would be hunting them both. I had to warn her though.

Love beckoned me to do something. Fuck. I was in love with her. There was no denying it, but to defy my father meant death for all of us involved.

That answer didn't work either.

I opened the door and walked out into the hallway as my heart beat hard in my chest. "Alright. It's done."

"Hey. You okay?" Kane gripped my shoulder, squeezing as we walked back down the hall and jogged out the front door toward the car.

"Yeah. No. Fuck, I don't know. I'm not talking about it." I got in the car and leaned back, closing my eyes. "I just need a break from everything."

"From killing?" He chuckled. "Good luck with that one."

"Yeah, fuck you too."