Page 63 of Targeted By Vengeance

I don’t think she’s going anywhere. I mean, she’s come this far, hasn’t she? Why leave now?

“I don’t know, maybe because I threatened to kill her best friend.”

You’ve done worse, she signed with a grin. I’m sure she’ll be fine. Maria grabbed my arm and started tugging me towards the complex door.

I stayed a few steps behind her as we jogged up the steps and headed down the hall towards our apartment. My stomach was twisting in knots as I mentally rehearsed the words I wanted to say. I had to add some fluff onto them to make sure she’d be willing to hear them - and more for her to know they were sincere.

Being vulnerable was new to me, and I wanted to be good at it. To be good for her.

I lingered outside our closed room door for a moment, trying to reign in my racing heartbeat. This was so ridiculous. I could kill a man without blinking an eye yet here I am about to have a panic attack over telling a woman I loved her.

Swallowing my pride, I gently rapped my knuckles on the door. “Simone,” I said. “Can I come in? We need to talk.”

Silence was my response.

“Look, I know you’re mad, but I…I want to work this out.”

She didn’t reply again.

Sighing, I grabbed the doorknob and turned it. “Simone, can we please move past the silent treatment. It’s getting old at this-” I stopped at the sight of our empty room.

Simone’s black suit from the mission sat in a pile on the floor. The drawers were hanging open, the once-neat piles now knocked over and shuffled. The duffel bag with all her personal belongings had disappeared from its spot near the bed. Her burner phone sat on her nightstand.

My heart raced for a different reason as I turned away from the empty room and went to the bathroom. I listened for the pitter patter of shower water and opened the door when I didn’t hear any.

“What’s wrong?” Maria asked, her voice low but laced with concern.

“Simone,” I murmured. My chest caved in as if someone slammed a hammer onto it, barely leaving me with a breath to take. “She’s gone.”

THE AGENT

I’m becoming too comfortable in the shadows.

As I sat on the couch, drenched in the darkness of the living room, I didn’t feel an ounce of fear or worry. If anything I felt safe, protected in this black cocoon. I worried more about what was going to happen once it cracked open.

This house, though familiar and filled with warm memories, was the last place I was supposed to be. But, I couldn’t convince myself to stay away. Not after the night of our botched mission.

Mateo was already upset enough with me, so I slipped out without telling him or Maria. When she’d left to check on him, it seemed like the perfect window of opportunity to sneak away. I’d quickly stuffed some clothes and money into a duffel bag before taking my exit through one of the side doors. Was I digging an even deeper hole for myself by leaving? Probably. Did I care? No.

Mateo didn’t have to understand every move I made. Hell, he didn’t even have to respect them. But, he needed to trust me. Since he clearly didn’t, I needed to stop asking for permission and take matters into my own hands. I could handle myself just fine before him - and I’d do just as well without him.

Lights flashed against the curtains, accompanied with the soft purr of an engine.

I sucked in a breath as my stomach tightened and doubts rushed through my head. It’s fine, I told myself. You’ll be fine.

The locks on the front door clicked before it slowly creaked open. Soft steps pattered against the wooden floor, and keys clattered against the small table in the entry hall. A tiny hiss echoed through the silence as the steps continued forward, a silhouette appearing in the doorway. The frame of its shoulders moved as they rolled them, likely still sore from bruises leftover from the other night.

An arm reached across the wall and flicked on the lights.

“Holy shit!” Gabriel yelled, damn near jumping out of his skin at the sight of me. “What the fuck?” He reached for his gun, still tucked in the holster on his hip.

“Wait!” I exclaimed, holding up my hands. “Gabe, it’s me! It’s Simone!”

He freed his gun and pointed it at me. “You’re a liar! Simone is dead!”

I shook my head. “No, I’m not! I can prove it! Just…just put the gun down.”

“I’m not putting shit down until I know who the fuck you are and why you’re in my fucking house.”