Claimed by the Hitman

Fara felt a chill run down her spine.

Branch released the man, who collapsed in a puddle while gasping for air. Branch grabbed the man’s knife and inspected it. Nothing fancy, a dull butcher’s knife, like the kind shopkeeps used at the rundown storefronts of his childhood neighborhood. It would’ve been a messy job, and the guy was no pro.

Maybe that’s why they sent him. The story would’ve been breaking news around the world, but it wouldn’t warrant much of an investigation. Just a poor, hungry lunatic, fed up with his own life, butchering a princess. Sure the media would turn it into something political, anti-royalists, armed militants in the street, touching the supposedly untouchable. But the frenzy would be over after a few weeks.

The attempted killer’s arms shook as he pushed himself up off the ground and slowly got back to his feet. He looked towards Branch, but couldn’t meet his eyes.

“You’re not worth the trouble. Run. Now.”

And with that the man spun around and sprinted down the street. Branch watched until he was out of sight, and then turned to Fara.

Now this was going to be trouble. The attack sobered her up, and her blue eyes cut through Branch the way the knife would’ve cut through her.

“If you hadn’t been there to stop it...” he thought.

But now the plan was in disorder, and he had to make a new one. First he knew that he’d have to call CCTV to have the security tapes wiped, but that would be after taking care of the more pressing issue at hand. He locked his gaze with hers. She’s fearless. Fearless and reckless and thinks she’s invincible.

“Well,” Branch thought, “I think I just thought of a way to get the plan back on track and teach her a little lesson about stranger danger.”

He lunged at her and locked her body in his arms. He felt her squirming, trying to wriggle out. She bit his hand as he dragged her to the car, but they were thick and callous. She didn’t have the canines for it. He let go of her with one hand to open the car door and suddenly a slash cut through his cheek. He let her go in shock and felt the warm blood pulsing out of the cut. Every raindrop stung like a wasp against the exposed flesh.

But she didn’t run.

She wields the knife well, clearly knows how to handle it. And she’s quick. It’s a shame she wasn’t at Gstaad the same years as he, they would’ve had fun sneaking out together, one upping each other with new secret passages.

She twirled the blade in her hand.

“You’re a show off,” Branch told her. She smirked and held her ground. She wasn’t scared of his size, or his deep voice. But she was arrogant. And while she was too busy being impressed with herself he managed to grab the knife and lock her tighter in his arms. He felt her body pressed closed to his. It set something off in him. Something forbidden. Her chest heaved as she tried to free herself from his grasp. “This isn’t going to be as simple as I thought,” he mused as he threw her in the back of the car.

Chapter One

Fara

“Let me out now!” I sneered. “Don’t you know who I am? You do not want to mess with my family!”

“Don’t you know who I am?” he mimicked in a high pitch voice. Taunting me from the driver’s seat, I guess it’s easy to do behind bullet proof glass.

“Why am I in the back? And who the Hell has a partition separating the front and back of their car? This shit is bulletproof? Who sent you?”

“Larz. Your brother sent me.” Suddenly he was acting serious. He didn’t take his eyes off the road. The sun wasn’t up yet, not that it would matter in this heavy fog.

“Fucking hilarious. God you are so dead. You know you’re not the first man I’ve had to fight. Granny taught me well, and the knife has come in handy. You caught me off guard at the palace. I’m guessing you sent your buddy to ‘attack’ me, so that you could grab me while I was distracted. Well let’s see how you do in a fair fight. Let me out, and we can dance.”

The seat was cushy black leather. Under any other circumstances I would’ve laid down and slept - it had been a long night. And I had a feeling it wasn’t over. But I was wired.

“Wow and a conspiracy theorist. Didn’t think a princess who refused security in public would be so paranoid. Look here.” He lowered the partition and tossed his phone back at me without taking his eyes off the road. At least he’s a safe driver.

It would’ve been the perfect time to strike. I could pull my shoelace out and wrap it around his throat from behind. Then he would have no choice to give me a ride back to mom’s. But turns out he was telling the truth. On his phone was an encrypted email from Larz, my older brother.