Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 93984 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93984 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
Gabriel nearly shivered as he forced the image aside. Such a stupid thought. There was no way Justin was gay and even if he was, nothing in this world could tempt Gabriel into pursuing a sexual encounter with the man, no matter how fucking good-looking he was.
He wasn’t the only one to notice. Women turned and stopped as he walked by, making no attempt to hide their ogling as he passed. And Justin certainly wasn’t blind to it. He smirked and winked at the gawkers as he sauntered closer to Gabriel.
“I thought you were going to change,” Justin said the second he was standing in front of Gabriel.
He glanced at his black button-down shirt and black slacks. The hard-soled dress shoes had been traded out for a pair of rubber-soled shoes. While not exactly fashionable, they were good for sneaking, climbing, and running. He hoped they would need to do only one of those things. Gabriel preferred not to have to start running until he at least got the lay of the land.
“Who said this outing was going to be my only entertainment for the evening?” Gabriel shot back. He pulled at his left shirt cuff and then his right, settling his shirt about him while trying to ignore the sheen of sweat he could already feel forming. When the hell did this city cool off? He would have preferred a T-shirt like Justin, but he didn’t wear such things in public if he could help it.
“Really, Mr. Prescott? Bar-hopping on the schedule tonight after a little B and E?”
“I don’t expect this escapade to take long, and I’m sure you’ll be eager to get to bed, seeing as it will be past your bedtime.”
Justin flashed him a lopsided grin. “Only if I’ve got someone joining me. Interested?” He spun on his heel and started to walk back the way he came.
Gabriel’s heart stuttered for a second before speeding up. Had Justin just flirted with him? He couldn’t possibly have been serious. Clenching his teeth, Gabriel squashed the unexpected rush as he followed the infuriating man.
Mallory wasn’t flirting with him. He was taunting. He was feeling him out to see if Gabriel was gay, and he would betray him. Or maybe use the information for some kind of leverage later. God knew attempts had been made on his life simply for his sexual orientation. Why should this assassin be any different?
No, Justin wasn’t serious in the least. He was only trying to keep Gabriel off-balance so he could keep the upper hand in this partnership. Mind games weren’t going to work. Gabriel had survived far worse and more devious than the bastard strolling along the sidewalk beside him.
And if the man continued to push, Gabriel would be more than happy to kill him when the job was over.
Two blocks over from Fountain Square, Justin stopped by an unmarked black sedan parked toward the rear of a parking lot. He tapped the key fob in his hand and the lights flashed once.
“Don’t touch anything but the door handle,” Justin said, his voice unexpectedly serious. It was one of the few times Gabriel had heard him use the tone, and it was very arresting. His voice dipped, becoming little more than a growl.
Gabriel stood by the passenger door and looked at the roof. “Just washed?”
“Not quite.” When Gabriel lifted his gaze to his companion, he found the smirk had returned. “I’m testing out a new color coating tonight. It’s not supposed to rain, and I want to see how well it’ll hold up.”
Gabriel leaned closer, trying to inspect the quality of the temporary paint, but there wasn’t much he could see in the low light. “Water-based?”
“Nope. More of a powder. Goes on pretty damn even.”
Gabriel nodded and pulled the handle, opening his door. “But you doubt the durability. Understandable.” He caught the somewhat surprised expression that crossed Justin’s face before he slid into the passenger seat and closed the door. While he hated to admit it, Gabriel knew the feeling. When was the last time he’d been able to talk a little shop with someone else in the same line of work?
Five years.
Something cold and hard sank into his stomach with the answer.
Five years, three months. He hadn’t been there when Ivan was executed, but he’d watched the video that had been secretly recorded from a camera hidden in a vent. The two agents had hammered him with questions about his associates and sexuality between rounds with their fists and metal batons that too easily broke bones.
And when Ivan could suck in a breath to answer, his choked and pained voice always told the truth.
He didn’t lie and didn’t fight.
At the time, Ivan had been twenty years older than him. An accomplished expert in their field. He’d also been tired of hiding the truth. Tired of layer after layer of lies until sometimes Gabriel had wondered if Ivan even trusted him. Gabriel now understood how exhausting that life, those lies, would become.