An Assassin's Oath

"Consider it done." I hang up the phone and place it back into my back pocket. "Come here." She hesitates momentarily until I send her a withering glare, and she drops her gaze and moves over to me. "Do the clothes fit you all right?"

"Yes," She lifts her eyes to me again, her brows drawn together. "Perfectly. Even down to my bra size. How did you manage that?"

"I have my ways," I say and reach back, tugging my viper handgun from the hem of my jeans. Ezra gasps, alarmed, her eyes go wide, and she stares at the hand, gripping the gun in horror. "Relax, Ezra, I'm not going to shoot you," I assure her and slide the safety on and place the gun on the coffee table. Her gaze follows my viper pistol, and she stares at it for a long moment before they dart up to mine. "Sit." I jerk my head to the sofa, and she obeys. Ezra sits two feet away from me, and while I stare at her blankly, she looks back at me cagily.

"What?"

I sigh and shake my head. Reaching over, I pick up the dossier and hold it out to her. "Here." Ezra looks at the file in my hand and then back at me.

"What is this?"

"Your life," I tell her simply.

I watch as she frowns and opens the file and looks through it, flicking one page at a time. "Everything I have on you and your family." I get up and walk over to the bar to pour myself a drink while she browsed through the file.

I turn and watch her as I sip my scotch.

"Oh my god." Picking up the stack of photos, she looks through them. "How long have you been watching me, Damien?" Ezra questions holding up the pile of pictures.

"Only a couple of weeks." I sip my drink and lick my lips. God, this scotch was heaven. "I didn't take those photos. The people that hired me did."

"Why?" She sets the photos down and looks through the papers, her eyes scanning them one by one. "Who are these people?"

I shrug. "I don't know who they are." I walk over to her and take my seat again. "That's not what is important here. They hired me to abduct you, and in exchange for your life, they have asked for twenty million dollars."

Ezra lifts her eyes slowly and looks at me. "Twenty million?" I nod and lean forward, placing my forearms on my knees. "That's absurd. My father doesn't have that sort of money. I've seen his books. All his money is tied up in his business. He doesn't have that kind of cash just lying around."

I watch her closely— the fear and confusion written all over her face verify my previous suspicions that she doesn't know a damned thing of what her father was really doing. "Ezra, your father isn't just a successful businessman in construction. He is involved in some dark shit. That's just a front, a way to launder the money he makes by trafficking drugs and weapons. He's even involved in the organ trade. They abduct children, steal their organs, and sell them on the black market. That's where he makes his millions, and he's definitely worth more than what's showing on those papers."

Ezra shakes her head, and she shoots up from her seat, glowering at me. "You're insane. My father would never do something like that. Drugs? Stealing and selling organs?" Ezra laughs bitterly and paces back and forth. "My father is an esteemed businessman. He has worked his ass off for years to be successful. He has firms all around the world. No, someone is clearly trying to tarnish his reputation by throwing around these accusations. There's no way."

I set my glass down and stand. I pick up the file and flick through it till I find the photo and paper I was looking for. "Here. Take a look at these." I hold out the image and documents to her, and she takes it and looks at the picture. "That man, your father, is talking to in that photo is Jian Lorenzi. He's part of the biggest drug trafficking organization in the world. Drugs, weapon trafficking, murder, bribery, the list goes on and on. What connection would your father have with someone like that?"

She looks at me and blinks, "And, of course, let's not forget..." I pull out the second photo and hand it to her.

"Calum."

Ezra stares at the photo in her hand and shakes her head, tears streaming down her cheeks as the realization and the truth stares her right back in the face. "Your father's right-hand man. Your future husband, and the one he will hand over the reins to when he retires. You are the only rightful heir he has. Why do you think he is forcing you to marry Calum, Ezra? Think about it logically. He doesn't want you to find out what he's been up to, and Calum will take over once he retires. That way, you're protected so long as you remain in the dark." I explain, and she sinks onto the sofa and stares at the file.

"This is absurd. I can’t believe this is happening. My father, who I grew up idolizing, has a whole other secret life that we don’t even know about. How could he do something like this." Ezra mutters, stunned, while she glowers at the ground. I sigh, rubbing my forehead. I need another drink. I stand and walk over to the bar, pick up a fresh glass and the bottle of scotch, and go back to the sofa.

"Money, power, and control. That’s what drives fuckers like your father, Ezra. The more power they get, the greater the hunger. Hugo has evidently screwed someone over somewhere, and they’re now out to settle, and what better way to hit him where it hurts than to threaten the life of his precious little princess." I pour the scotch into the glass and hand her one, which she takes and knocks it back almost immediately, shuddering and wincing at the after taste. I smirk as she holds out the glass for another hit.

"I’m not a fucking princess." Ezra coughs, and I stop mid-pour and look at her, surprised.

Did she just curse? I didn't just imagine that, right? "What?" She utters when she saw I was gaping at her, somewhat amused.

"I don't think I've heard you curse once. I didn't think you were capable of expressing such language." I smirk, and she averts her eyes and snatches the glass from me, and tosses it back again.

"I just found out my father is a goddamn drug lord, and my entire life is in shambles. I think I'm entitled to drop a couple of f-bombs." I couldn't contain the smile, and she notices too and flushes. Once she recovers, she gazes into her empty glass and chews her lip nervously. "What will you do with me if he doesn't pay the client?"

I lace my fingers together and fix her with a steely look. "I'll have to terminate the contract."

"Which means..."

"I will have to kill you."

Ezra stares at me with those cerulean eyes swimming in tears. "How did you know about my father forcing me to marry Calum?"