El Diablo (Killer of Kings 6)

“My name’s Alesha, not Ashley.”

He started laughing, and she wondered if she’d said the wrong thing. Should you correct a crazy person who was drinking? She remembered her days working in bars and needing to watch her words around drunks. They always made her nervous.

He finished off his drink and poured another one. “Need to numb the pain.”

“You’re hurt?”

“Nah, I’m not hurt. Just … pissed off. I fucking hate men.”

She frowned.

“They’re all a bunch of fucking pigs. They think they can take what they want. Hurt women. Pisses me off.” He finished the drink and then poured another. “You know, there was a time I didn’t care. Women were to be used. A nice pair of tits, a cute ass, three holes to use. That’s how easy it was. Didn’t want to hear them talk. Wanted to hear them scream and moan. Simple. Easy.”

She was somewhat aroused and offended. This wasn’t good.

“Then I had to go and remember her. My sister. To think about those monsters. Those fucking pigs that hurt women. That take. That rape. That hurt. I can’t do that, and I will do everything to help. I didn’t help today.”

“Did someone hurt you?”

“This blood ain’t mine. You don’t hit very hard for a girl.” He squinted at her and then laughed manically. He was totally wasted. “You know you work for a monster, right? A nasty piece of shit. I’ve killed so many people.”

She swallowed past the lump in her throat.

“Yep, that’s me. I’m a taker of lives. So easy to do.” He held his hand out and squeezed his fingers together. “Snuffing out

life is so easy. So easy.”

He kept repeating the word easy, and the way he looked, she didn’t think for a second it was easy for him.

“I kill, Ashley.”

She wasn’t going to correct him this time.

If he was thinking about killing, the last thing she wanted was for him to kill her.

She didn’t want to die.

He drank another glass of whiskey. How many was that now?

She didn’t take a step back.

He was a killer. He had blood on his clothes, and rather than run, she wanted to give him a hug. When morning came, if she was still alive, she was going to have her head examined.

Biting her lip, she watched him, realizing she wasn’t afraid. She should be.

“I mean, they were hurting her today and laughing. Who laughs when you crush a woman’s face into glass? It’s not good. It’s not clean. She was just a slip of a thing. Hadn’t been fed and they just killed her. Boss was so angry.” He pressed a finger to his lips. “Don’t tell anyone but I’m part of a secret group.” His lips pursed together. “Yep, top secret group of assassins. Boss is our boss.” He started to laugh. “Tells us who to kill and when. I’ve been a bad boy. I shouldn’t be drinking. I shouldn’t be telling you this.” He let out a burp. “I don’t feel so great.”

There at her feet, she watched as Xavier passed out on the floor, the glass rolling out of his hand. Ice soaked the floor.

What the hell had she just witnessed?

Running away and telling the cops seemed like the right thing to do. Going to her knees, she lifted up his head, and checked his pulse. She didn’t want the cops to come.

Whoever this man was, he didn’t need the cops; he needed some serious help.

Chapter Three

Everything was dark.