Beautifully Broken

His eyes search my face, and then he shakes his head. “It’s the only way you’ll be safe. We need to finish this war, Cara.”

DAMIAN

I stole the ugliest piece of shit I could find. Driving on the opposite side of the road, I have to focus as Cara gives the directions.

When we reach the club, I feel her tensing beside me as I park the car near a row of dumpsters. We quickly wipe the car down, making sure we don’t leave any fingerprints.

“Don’t lock it and leave the keys,” she whispers. “With a little luck, someone else will come along and steal it.”

“Good idea.” That would totally work in our favor.

She shrugs. “It’s normal around here.”

As we walk to the entrance, an African man waves at us and yells something I don’t understand. Cara waves at him and pushes me forward. “He’s offering to watch the car.”

“That sucks,” I mutter.

“Don’t worry, he’s going to sit on his ass and get drunk. He won’t stop a thief. The car’s fine where we left it.”

Cara pays the cover charge, and we head inside the club. I’m instantly on guard as I start to search the place for any sign of Tom.

Now that we’re here, nerves tighten in my gut. I’ve avoided thinking about it, but tonight’s going to turn out shit for me, one way or another. I lied to Cara, and she might just find out the truth that Tom never hired me.

Hopefully, she’ll give me a chance to explain.

I glance at her and notice she’s just as tense as me, and then I spot Tom at a table in the back. He’s not alone, sitting between two scantily dressed strippers with guards flanking the table.

Taking a deep breath, I link my fingers with Cara’s. “Just play along.”

“What?” she whispers, and then her eyes grow huge as I start to walk toward Tom. “You’re just going to walk up to him and kill him in front of all these people?”

“No,” I hiss. “Just look scared as fuck and do what I tell you.”

“No problem there,” she snips at me. “I’m about to wet myself.”

Tom glances over the floor and to the half-naked women dancing on a nearby stage before his eyes finally settle on us. Shock registers on his face, and then he waves at the people around them. They get up in a hurry and scatter in all directions, leaving Tom alone at the table.

When we’re close to the table, he slams a fist down on it, making the glasses rattle. “What the fuck is this?”

“Is there somewhere private we can do this?” I growl, jerking Cara closer. “You’ve put a price on her head, and I’m here to claim it.” She stumbles over her feet and almost loses her balance, which makes for a good show.

“Fuck… we could’ve done this somewhere else.” Tom gets up and, looking pissed, he snaps, “This way.” He leads us down a dimly lit passage, and I check behind us to make sure no one’s following. The guards stay at the end of the hallway, glancing at the patrons.

Idiots.

Once we’re in the office, I shut the door behind us.

I can’t even look at Cara as the words leave my mouth. “Seeing as the bounty said you want her dead, I thought I’d deliver an up, close and personal service and kill her right here for you.”

“Damian?” Cara whimpers, her voice tight.

Tom’s eyes flick from me to her, and then he starts to ramble, “Sorry, Cara, I can’t have you running around. I thought I could, but they’ll keep using you to draw me out, and I can’t have that. It’s a fucking headache.” He looks around the dingy office. “I can’t risk losing all of this, and it will prove my loyalty to Tredoux.” Tom gestures at me. “He’ll make it quick. You won’t feel a thing.”

Disgust wells up in me as I stare the man down. The fucking bastard.

His eyes snap to me. “Just do it quick. I don’t want her to suffer.”

Letting go of Cara’s hand, I walk to the desk. I grab a pair of scissors, and just as Tom’s eyes widen, I lunge at him, burying the scissors in his gut. Slowly he drops to the floor, his eyes filled with shock.

I yank the scissors out, and as I crouch in front of the fucker, I catch his horror-stricken eyes and say, “I’m a cleaner, Tom, not an assassin. I rid the world of filth like you. It was pure luck that I stumbled upon Cara before they could kill her. She’s mine now, and for her, I’ll kill every fucking bastard who tries to hurt her, just like I’m going to kill you.”

“Wait,” he gasps. “Wait.”

I plunge the scissors right under his ribs, praying I hit a lung. “Fucking hurts being stabbed over and over, doesn’t it?”