Page 2 of Assassin: Part 1

Shit. I hope she didn’t hear what I did out there. The kid’s already traumatized enough.

Now she’s seen my face, so I have two options: kill her or get her out of here and hope she doesn’t fuck everything up.

I have one rule about killing kids. I never do it. I might be their worst nightmare, but kids don’t die by my hand except under extreme circumstances, and this isn’t one of them.

Damn it.

I jump into action, pulling the gag from her mouth as I say, “You’re all right. You’re safe. I’ll get you out of here.”

Fucking hell, what am I going to do now? I can’t leave her here, but she’s seen my face. The grim reality of what that means angers and amuses me. It’s not like I’m going to kill the kid, but my plans are about to change drastically.

Damn it.

“Please, please, I want to go home,” the girl sobs. “I want my dad. Please.”

I slice through the tape and restraints. “We’re going to get you out of here and back home, okay? But I need you to do me a favor. The guy who took you, he’s⁠—”

“He’s dead,” she gasps, looking up at me with a knowledge I’m not sure I want to be responsible for. “I heard you kill him.”

I wince. “Yeah, I’m sorry about that. I didn’t know you were in here, or I would have gotten you out first.”

“I tried hitting the wall, but with his screaming, I figured you didn’t hear me.” Her gasps and sobs start to subside. Well, that’s something. I’m a girl, but that doesn’t mean I’m good with tears. The opposite, in fact. “But I’m glad you heard me.”

It’s a bitchy thing to think, but right now, I really wish I hadn’t. This situation is about to become a fucking mess. So I lie. “Me too. Now, can you walk, or do you need me to carry you?”

“I can walk.”

“Good. But I want you to close your eyes when we get out of here. Got it? It’s not exactly the cleanest of places.” That’s an understatement.

“I’ve been around dead bodies before,” she rasps as she gets to her feet. She wobbles then firms her knees.

I arch a brow, but I don’t need to know. And I don’t want to. The one rule is: you never allow yourself to get close to a victim. Especially not one that has been through as much as this girl has. “Before we leave, do you need to⁠—”

“He didn’t get the chance to rape me,” she butts in, wiping her face and straightening her shoulders. Gone is the scared little girl, her strength showing through. “I kicked him in the face and then the nuts when he tried to stick his fingers inside me after he got me naked. He got pissed and hit me. But he couldn’t get it up, so he told me he was going to tear me apart when he got everything set up.” Her blue eyes go hard. “So if you cut off his dick or his fingers, I’m not going to be too upset.”

Damn it. I like her, and I can’t afford that. “Let’s just say that I made him suffer. Now, close your eyes, and let’s get out of here. Quickly. I have some clothes in my car you can wear.”

Getting her out of the hidden room is easy, but getting her out of the medical room is harder. The shock on her face when she looks around—because like every other preteen, she can’t fucking listen and obey—is clear, and she falters. I huff out an aggravated sigh, clamping my hand over her eyes when they land on the man on the bed in the center of the room.

“Oh my god, was that his cock and balls?” she screeches.

“I told you not to look,” I scold her. “Jesus, can’t you kids ever fucking listen? Now I’m going to have that on my conscience, and I don’t need any more. Now, let’s go. We’re wasting time.” After pulling her out, I kick the door shut to the hidden room. She doesn’t fight me, but her breathing picks up and her face turns green. “If you hurl, I’m going to be pissed,” I warn. “I don’t have time to clean up the mess, and I don’t want the cops finding out you were here. Got it?” My tone is a little sharper this time, and she nods.

It takes us another few minutes to get outside, and I end up having to fireman carry her to where I’ve hidden my car. Thank God she’s small. I can handle my share of weight, but after that workout, I’m fucking tired.

I put her in the back seat and order her to grab the clothes in the bag under the driver’s seat. She does as she’s told and remains quiet as I make it down the old logging road that’s mostly grown over and many have forgotten exists. It’s also not on any cameras, which makes it the perfect way to get out of here undetected.

When we are finally on the road and I’m sure no one is after us, I blow out a relieved breath. “Alright, sweet cheeks, where am I taking you?” I ask. I need to pretend to be normal. If she knew who and what I really was …

Yeah, I don’t need more hysterics. My patience is already wearing thin.

“I need to call my dad first. If I don’t and you take me home, we’ll have a problem.”

Just great!

“Is your father a cop?” I ask. That would be my luck. I don’t fear cops, but I really don’t need to kill one if I can help it. It’s just a bunch of unnecessary drama that will get in the way of me getting the hell out of here.

“No,” she snorts. “I’m not supposed to say what he is.”