AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Maybe this is his sister or girlfriend,” I whisper more to myself, but in the quiet room, my brother hears me just fine.
“There.” He points at something in the corner of the room. “Check her purse.”
Looking at where Evan is pointing, I find a purse propped up on a chair. I silently cross the room and fish her wallet out of her worn purse. Flipping it open, I search for her ID.
“Motherfucker,” I curse when I see the name next to the girl’s picture. “Frances Barrymore. It’s her; she is Frankie.”
“Well, fuck.”
Frankie. That’s a guy’s name. Nobody would think they were going to a girl’s apartment when they read that name. But the person in bed is most definitely a girl, and she looks awfully at home. This is her bedroom, her bed. Her apartment.
I nod to the door, and Evan takes the hint. Once we’re out in the hall, we turn to each other. “What the fuck?” he whispers while staring at the bed.
“How should I know?” He’s talking to me like I did this on purpose. “I’m lost here, too.”
One thing I don’t think either of us is lost on: we took the job. There’s no getting out of it. No returns policy. The girl has to die. “It’ll be better to get it over with fast,” Evan points out. “Before she wakes up.”
He’s right. I know he’s right. That doesn’t mean I have to like it.
I don’t even know why I don’t like it. We’ve killed women before. It’s not my favorite, but a job’s a job. Money’s money. We’re providing a service. There’s nothing different about this.
So why can’t I go the fuck in there and pull the trigger? He’s right. It’ll be better to get it done fast. A mercy. There are sick fucks out there—sicker than us—who would get off on finding a girl in bed instead of a guy. They’d put it in her ass first, then kill her. Sort of a bonus.
Why isn’t this making me feel any better?
“Come on.” Evan nudges me. “We gotta do it.”
“I know.” I nudge him back. Pretty soon, nudges are going to turn into something worse, and the girl will wake up because we’re beating the hell out of each other outside her bedroom door.
“So?”
“So if you’re in such a hurry, go in there and do it yourself.” I shrug. “Go ahead.”
His eyes narrow in a dangerous way. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was considering putting a bullet in my head instead of the girl in the other room. Sleeping in that girlie bed. “Don’t pull that reverse psychology shit with me.”
“Who says I am?” I should go in there. I know I should, but I can’t make my feet move. Not when she’s sleeping so peacefully. When she’s tempting me with all those curves under that pink blanket. Not where my head should be right now, not even close, but nothing about any of this makes sense.
“We have to do this. She won’t even know. Look around this place. It’s not like she has a great life, and she must have done something to end up on that list. We’re probably doing her a favor taking her out in her sleep.” Right, and wasn’t I just thinking that back in the car? She’ll get lucky and end up staying in the dream she’s in now. Judging by the way she’s sleeping—like a rock—it’s not a nightmare. Good for her.
He’s right. I know he’s right. That’s why I take a deep breath and go back in there, back to the bed. I stand beside it, staring down at her.Sorry, Frankie. You pissed off the wrong person. Though I can’t imagine how an angel like this could piss anybody off. Not to the point where they’d pay twenty grand to have her killed.
Evan stands on the other side of the bed, across from me. We exchange one last look. A nod. We’re ready to do what has to be done. Maybe.
And that’s when she wakes up. Her eyes fly open and connect with mine like two magnets drawn to each other. There is a small moment before her fear takes over, where she just looks at me. Not quite awake but not asleep. Her big baby-blue eyes just stare at me, and I’m not sure what’s happening. It’s like the world around us stands still. My chest feels funny, warm, and fuzzy. I’ve never experienced anything like it, but I already know I won’t kill her, and neither will Evan.
Because not only won’t I hurt her but no one else will. They’ll have to go through me first.
2
FRANKIE
What the—?
For a second, it’s like I’m still sleeping. There’s no way these two guys are actually standing at my bedside. The only place in the world where I feel safe and whole. Yes, I’m still sleeping in the same bed and bedding I had when I was a little girl. It’s the only thing I have left. I’ve never even let anyone in my bedroom before.
But they are. I’m awake, and the two of them are clear as day with multicolored lights blinking, shining on their faces. It’s like a surreal nightmare.
I suck in a breath, ready to scream—what else am I supposed to do?—but one of them clamps a hand over my mouth before I can do anything. I claw at his wrist, kicking when the other one tries to grab my legs. It doesn’t make a difference how hard I fight. They’re both too strong.
