Hook (A Hitman's Bait 2)

He swallowed hard. “Okay.”

“I don’t have to remind you, Mr. Harriott, of the consequences of talking about this matter with anyone. Or letting anyone know we’ve had this conversation. As far as you and I are concerned, we don’t know each other. Am I clear?”

“Yes, yes, we are.”

“Even if you get caught because you were reckless, this crime cannot be pinned on us. Any plea the DA may offer you to give up my name, will do you no good if you’re dead. Am I making myself clear?”

“Y-yes.”

“Good.” I sent Liam a message to give him the go-ahead to retrieve the package while I took my time finishing my drink. Harriott and I had nothing else to talk about, but from the eager expression on his face, I gathered he was going to do something dumb and get caught.

“Listen, you don’t want to make any big purchases or let anyone know you’ve come into money for a while,” I said. “Give it a year at least. Then you can retire and move somewhere tropical with your wife.”

“Maxine would love to live in the Caribbean.” He sighed.

“Good. Like I said, be smart about how you spend all that money.”

Fifteen minutes later, Liam sent me a thumbs-up emoji. I rose to my feet. For now, I had Pinelli off my back. “Let’s go.”

I’d parked in a parking lot close to the cat café today for this very reason. We walked toward my car, and I popped the trunk open, nodding at the black duffel inside. “That’s it. You want to check the amount?”

Harriott leaned forward and partially unzipped the bag. He took one glimpse of the hundred-dollar bills bundled together and quickly closed the bag again.

“Not necessary. I trust you’re a man of your word.”

“Now, don’t get robbed on the way to your car.”

“Thank you.”

I waited until he was out of sight, then headed back to Kitty Krave.

Kit was in the main lounge talking to Hugh, the assistant manager. As if sensing my presence, he turned, and my chest tightened. His face was wet, and he looked devastated.

“Kit.” I rushed over to him and slid an arm around his waist. He buried his face into my chest. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

He shook his head. I glared at Hugh. “What happened? Did someone hurt him?”

The man looked equally sad. “I-He just found out that Kitty Krave was closing.”

“What? Why?”

“We can’t afford to keep the cats anymore. We’re trying to find shelters for them, so if you know anyone who’s willing to adopt one of our cats, please encourage them to drop by.”

“When are you closing?” I asked, rubbing Kit’s back.

“We’re hoping to stay open for the next couple of weeks to source as many adoptive owners for our cats as possible. You wouldn’t be interested in another one, would you?”

Kit tilted his head back and looked up at me, his lower lip trembling. “We can take another one. Can’t we, Sully?”

I didn’t want another cat. We already had one. Liam had warned me this exact thing would happen, but the cat café was closing. And Kit was looking up at me like I was the solution to the problem.

How could I say no?