“Damien?” I slide the barrel back and point the gun at her. She gasps and takes a couple of steps back, her hands up, palms facing me. “No. Damien, don’t, please, please don’t do this.” Tears gather in her eyes, and she starts to sob while I stare at her, motionless, as she pleads with me not to kill her. “Please, I’m begging you. I don’t want to die. Please don’t kill me. I haven’t done anything wrong.” She gazes up at me, helpless, her blue eyes glimmering with tears, searching my eyes for an ounce of humanity. “I haven’t even lived my life yet. There’s so much I want to do still. Please, don’t do this. Please.” Ezra whimpers.
“Don’t waste your breath, Ezra,” I tell her frostily. “This was inevitable. You know too much, and you’re a liability. We don’t like to leave loose ends.”
“I won’t say anything to anyone. I swear, Damien. I won’t say a word about anything. Please, you don’t have to kill me.” She begs, crying. “You said you wouldn’t hurt me. You asked me to trust you, and I did!”
I shake my head, “If I don’t kill you, someone else will. They will send someone after you. You’re going to die; now or later, you will be killed, Ezra. It is what it is.” I tell her, and she whimpers, shaking her head.
“My father will find you. Eventually, he will find out it was you, and he will come after you. I know my father. He won’t let you live; he will not let you get away with this. He will even the score. I hope you know that.” I cock my head to the side, regard her closely, and take a couple of steps toward her. Killing bad people was easy— killing someone like Ezra— who was just a pawn in all of this, was never part of the deal, loose end or not.
“Oh, I’m counting on it.”
“Damien, please, I’m begging you don’t. You have some good in you… I know you do. You can’t be this heartless. You can’t be.” I lower my gun as I near her, and she closes her eyes and exhales. I grasp her jaw and lift her face to mine.
“Stop talking.” Ezra closes her mouth and looks up at me, her eyes swimming in tears. “I had the good in me stripped away from me at a very young age. However, I do have rules. One being never to hurt an innocent— which you are…for now.” I inform her, and she blinks up at me. “The second is never to leave an open contract…” I stare into her eyes. “I don’t break those rules for no one. So you see, I’ve hit a bit of a snag here.”
Ezra frowns.
“I’m going to have to break one of those rules today, Ezra.”
Ezra watches me warily while I stare down into her upturned face.
“You want to live?” I ask, and she nods slowly. “There is a way.” Her eyes search my face waiting for my next words. “You have to marry me.” She blinks, and her brows form a deep vee showing her confusion. I sigh and continue, “The only way I can protect you is if you’re my wife and if you take my last name. The agency can’t hurt one of their own. If you’re married to me, you’re taking an oath of loyalty, so you’ll be safe.” Ezra just stares at me; tears roll down her cheeks while she contemplates her fate. “The choice is yours. Your fate, whether you live, or die, is in your hands.”
“I don’t understand…”
“It’s your choice Ezra, you marry me, and you live. You don’t, and I kill you. Simple as that. What don’t you understand?” I tell her, and she just stares at me vacantly.
“That’s it? That’s the only solution?”
I nod curtly. “That’s my offer. Now decide, I don’t have all day.” I watch her closely and wait for an answer while she gapes at me skeptically. “Well?”
She nods and sighs, “Yes, okay, fine.”
“Good. Now listen to me carefully. I’m giving you a second chance at life and putting my ass on the line, do not mistake my kindness for weakness. As I said, you’ll need to take an oath. Loyalty is everything to me. If you betray me, I will not forgive, nor will I show you any mercy. I will kill you and everyone you love. Do you understand me?” Ezra blinks and stares and me for a long moment until I grab her upper arm and yank her close to me. “Do you understand me?” She cries out and nods.
“Yes,” She sobs, “Please, Damien, I’m begging you stop squeezing my arms. You’re hurting me, please.”
“Pain is good. It keeps you sharp. You’ll learn in time. Move.” I let go of her arm, turn, and walk off toward the house. James won’t like this, not one bit, but I couldn’t just kill an innocent. I can control Ezra, and if she betrays me—then I’ll kill her.
She can’t say I didn’t give her a fair shot. I’m not thrilled about being married either, but it is what it is. I look back and see her walking behind me at a slower pace. We’ll need to be married right away. Maybe a Vegas trip would be the best bet; city hall requires permits and can take weeks.
* * *
Once we got backto the house, I walk over to the bar and pour myself a drink. My head was thumping. I pinch the bridge of my nose and sigh. I see Ezra in the corner of my eye and look at her. She’s watching me; her eyes, once filled with desire, are now showing animosity.
We stare at each other for a long moment until she breaks eye contact, turns on her heel, and walks upstairs. “We get married in two days. Get your shit together; we leave for Vegas tomorrow morning.” I tell her; she stops halfway up the stairs and looks back at me. Even with the distance, I can see the tears gathering in her eyes. She nods wordlessly and continues walking upstairs.
I take out my cell phone and make a call. “Jasper, I need you to do something for me.”
“Sure thing, what’d ya need?”
“I need Ezra Quintero’s passport and birth certificate.” I hear Jasper typing away on the other end. Jasper is one of our technical engineers; the kid is a wiz with surveillance and can hack into any database. He used to work for MI5 in England before he fled and settled in New York, now he works for the agency.
“When do you need it by?” He asks swiftly.
“Tomorrow morning.”
“No problem. Leave it with me, bro.” I utter a thank you and hang up. I rub the back of my neck, suddenly feeling drained. I glance at the time on the watch on my wrist. It's only seven-thirty. I need a shower, maybe after I’ll sit and read a book for a while, enjoy some time alone as that’s soon to be extinct.