Chapter 3: Unexpected

Chapter 3: Unexpected

Gideon

I look down at the girl in my arms in astonishment. When I set out to exterminate my mark this evening, I didn't expect to be kissed by a beautiful woman. In all of the depraved years of my life, I have never been left speechless. Eventually, the girl breaks out of her trance and removes her hands from around my neck. Her face is flushed, and she's breathing unevenly. "Wow." She whispers in astonishment.

"What was that about?" I ask in a controlled voice. But she doesn't answer. Instead, she lifts her hand to her lips in a caressing manner and continues to gape at me. One of the women behind her clears her throat, snapping her out of her reverie.

Wanting to know her response, I quirk a questioning brow. "Is there a reason you kissed me? Or is it a policy for Catholic school girls to accost men." The girl's face flushes as she stutters out in embarrassment. "Um…I…uh…I thought you were someone else. I'm sorry." She whispers in horror. Somehow her explanation unsettles me. Whoever she confused me with is a very lucky man.

Taking a step back, I lose all expression and reply. "Goodnight, ladies." Both women gape at me as I make my way back to my destination. However, I can't help but give her one last look before I leave.

I'm a few steps away when I hear her call. "Wait!" Her small hand wraps around my forearm firmly as I look down at her hand, then up to her face. Embarrassed, she removes her hand quickly and begins to fidget. Her fingers sift through her hair until it wraps around a loose strand of her hair. I quirk a questioning eyebrow feeling my body heat at her closeness. Unaware of the predatory glint in my eyes, she bites her lip and whispers. "I'm…, I'm Jade."

I nod my head and give her the blank stare that usually encourages people not to interact with me further. However, the girl is not as easily intimidated as she shuffles her feet uncomfortably. I have to give her credit because anyone else would have run away screaming in fear.

However, this little girl is ignoring the danger in front of her. I narrow my eyes when she clears her throat and straightens her spine. "What's your name?" She asks me with a shy smile. Not wanting to be rude, I look over her shoulder and notice that her two friends are gaping at her in astonishment. I guess this is out of the ordinary for her.

She looks very innocent, too innocent for someone as jaded as me. Taking a deep breath, I lift my hand and wrap my finger around a strand of her hair around my fingers. "Trust me, little girl. You don't want to know who I am." Her face falls at my words. If I weren't such an asshole, I would apologize, but it's better if things end this way. After coming back from killing several men, I'm in too much of a hurry to analyze what just occurred. Letting her hair slide from my fingers one last time, I give her a gentle smile and walk away. This time I don't look back, even though every part of me cries for me too.

When I'm a good distance away, I take a deep breath. There was just something about that girl that makes alarms go off in my head. It's odd because I've kissed many women, but I know that her kiss is one I will never forget. And it's a shame that I will never see her again because there's just no room in my life for a relationship. And even if there was, I don't think a young, innocent schoolgirl would be a good candidate for someone as cynical as me.

I imagine that she's the kind of girl who wants to be wooed by a man. I'm more the, "let's go to the back to the room and fuck" kind of guy. I definitely wouldn't be the kind of guy someone like her would be with. My mind stalls at the thought. I need to stop thinking about this. Especially considering that I was in her presence for the span of minutes. I shake my head as I reach the parking garage. The kiss must have addled my brain because there's no other explanation for my reaction. I've been with plenty of women, yet a mere schoolgirl has shaken me. It's nearly laughable when I think about it.

My black McLaren SLR Mercedes is right where I left it. Once I'm in the car, I push the night's events to the back of my mind and make my way home. Reaching for my cell phone, I dial Cameron's number curious to know why he called me in the middle of a job. He answers on the first ring. "Cameron," I respond as I keep my eyes on the road. Cameron responds right away. "Gideon, I need you to get over here as soon as possible."

I frown in consternation. "Why? What's going on?" Cameron releases a deep breath. "I can't say over the phone, but we have a big fucking problem. I'll be waiting for you." He utters urgently before the line goes dead. Cameron has never been one to mince words.

Puffing out a frustrated breath, I look at my side mirror and make a U-turn. Whatever problem Cameron wants to talk about, it must be dangerous for him to sound so pissed and concerned at the same time. Several minutes pass until I'm standing in front of a gated brownstone. When Cameron retired, he vamped up the security in his home. The house is located in a rural area outside the city. His home is reinforced by the highest security. As a former Confradia assassin, Cameron has many enemies. You never know who is coming after him for something he did in his past.

The gates open, admitting me in.

Once I'm through, I drive up to a long driveway and park my car in its designated area. Closing the car door behind me, I walk up the large brownstone stairs to the front door. Placing my hand on the digital security pad near the door, I wait for the pad to scan my fingerprints. At first, it glows, then dings, until finally the doors open to a large foyer.

As soon as I step through the entryway, I remove my weapons and place them in a metal container. Unfortunately, security measures aren't completed yet. Moving forward, I step into a large circle on the floor that's encrypted with sensors. The floor begins to vibrate surrounding my body with several glowing circles. After a moment, the rings stop and glow green, indicating that I can enter the house. Anyone who does not pass the circle runs the risk of dying once they step out of it. I did say that Cameron was serious about his security. Most would call him paranoid, but I know better.

Cameron is already waiting for me in the living room. The room is stark and cold, and there are several recliners and a large television dominating the central wall. Cameron has lived alone here for many years.

Once upon a time, Cameron was married to a beautiful bohemian woman named Clary. They were together for five years until she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She died shortly after her diagnosis. Stryker, one of Cameron's good friends, and the head of the Confradia, told me about Clary and how the tragedy affected Cameron. According to Stryker, Cameron was never quite the same after that. It was a very dark time for him. That's why I stay away from relationships. In my business, a relationship can mean the difference between life and death. Our hearts should belong to the job. We took an oath, and being with someone would create a distraction we can't afford. No, men like us are meant to be alone. The image of the beautiful woman from earlier, Jade, appears before me, but I push it to the back of my mind as I make my way towards Cameron.

He looks disturbed as he rolls his wheelchair to a spot near one of the recliners and gestures for me to take a seat. Cameron has never been the happy go lucky type, but I had yet to see him as grim as he is now. Taking a seat, I unbutton my suit jacket and ask. "So, what is so important that you had to break protocol and call me during a job?"

Cameron clenches his jaw and slams his hand over the armrest with a frustrated snarl. "Priest called me earlier. Willem has been spotted." My head snaps up at the sound of the name. Willem is the reason Cameron is in a wheelchair. Willem used to be a Confradia assassin. He was actually a close friend of Cameron's and somewhat of a mentoring uncle to me. That is until the Confradia found out that he was working with a rival company. In our business, it's a big no-no to work with other companies. There are just too many things that could go wrong. One is that the rival company might steal vital intel that might cause the lives of many innocent people. And if Priest, one of the top Confradia Assassin's warning us, then it means that there might soon be a body count somewhere. Fuck!

Willem was selling contracts for marks and skewing paperwork to target innocent people. Cameron was the one who found out about it. When Willem discovered that the Confradia was on to him, he…well, let's just say he left a trail of bodies in the Confradia's wake. Cameron and I tried to stop them, but I was still wallowing in disbelief, and Cameron too distraught by his best friend's betrayal to stop it.

"Fuck!" I croak out in alarm. Rising up from my perch, I sift my fingers through my hair and pace in place. "Did Priest say where he saw him?" Cameron nods wearily as he shifts his chair closer and pinches the bridge of his nose. "He says that several of his cronies spotted Willem cruising the clubs in the city. I also spoke to his Confradia tech, Hunter, and asked him to send out feelers and scan the city for any sign of Willem. If Willem has decided to come out of hiding, you know it will not be for a good reason. Priest is also keeping a wary ear out for him. There's no way that Cameron chose New York accidentally. He knows we're here, and he will definitely be gunning for us, so be on the lookout.

I lean forward in the chair, placing my elbows on my knees. "Goddamn it! I was seriously hoping that the bastard was dead. I guess it's time to go hunting." Cameron nods his head in commiseration. "We need to find out what he is up to and eliminate him if we can." Nodding my head, I walk towards the exit. "I'll see what I can find."