Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 127461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 637(@200wpm)___ 510(@250wpm)___ 425(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 637(@200wpm)___ 510(@250wpm)___ 425(@300wpm)
“You are very, very good at what you do, Meiling. You won’t hesitate to kill if necessary, but unlike Gedeon, it weighs on you. I didn’t want to put you in that position.”
He spun the bullet over and over between his fingers when he turned his gaze back to Gedeon. “I saw you in San Antonio at Evangeline’s bakery the night Elijah Lospostos came with his men to speak with you. One of his trainees put a gun to Meiling’s head as she was going out the door. I happened to be watching you. Everyone else was talking together, but I had my eyes on you. I saw you signal her to leave.”
He glanced again at Meiling, the faintest of smiles on his face. The charm showed through, but Gedeon noted there was no smile in his eyes.
“She disappears easily into the shadows. No one saw her until she had to go through the doorway. I kept watching you and I saw you move. The speed and your ability to leap over the men in that room were incredible. Later, my cousins discussed it, but because it didn’t seem possible, they eventually dismissed the idea that you really were able to leap that far and fast. They convinced themselves that you were closer than you had been.”
Gedeon remained silent. Waiting. Giving nothing away. Gorya hadn’t dismissed what he saw, that much was clear. The bullet between his fingers continued to spin. Gedeon was certain the man hadn’t blinked once.
“I need someone fast. I need someone who won’t hesitate to kill. And I need his leopard to be experienced and ferocious in a fight. He must be able to shift fast and kill faster.”
Gedeon kept his gaze steady on Gorya’s. “Drake told me many of the problems with this particular territory.”
Gorya shook his head slowly. “I haven’t explained myself. I do need you for help there as well, but your main purpose will be to kill me when the time comes—and it will come.”
That was the last thing Gedeon expected him to say. Those eyes didn’t move from his, assessing how he took the request.
“Perhaps you could sit down and we can discuss this,” Gorya invited.
He is very sincere, Meiling said. He means exactly what he says. Whisper also cannot detect deceit. He is being very honest. He wants a commitment from you.
Slayer agrees with you and Whisper.
“Gorya, why would you ask this of me?”
“Because I believe you are the only man who has a chance of killing me.”
Again, Gedeon heard only the truth.
“When the time comes, I hope I won’t be so far gone that I couldn’t spare you.” Gorya held up the bullet. “I’ve found the idea of killing my leopard nearly impossible. Every time I’ve tried, I’ve been unable to go through with it. I thought that by taking on this territory it would help relieve some of the pressure on us, but it made it so much worse.”
He shook his head and once again raised his eyes to meet Gedeon’s. “To clean up a territory like the one I have taken over requires brutality. Ruthlessness. Becoming the kind of psychopath I was raised with. You know what that kind of violence breeds.”
He’s one of us, Meiling, Gedeon told her, certain it was true. I don’t know how he can be when his cousins aren’t, but he is. He knows what we are because he is, and he recognized us.
If that’s true, he’s stayed hidden in plain sight, even from his cousins. I don’t think they have a clue what he is. Why would he hide his true self?
Stay where you are.
Gedeon wasn’t risking Meiling. He took the lead as he normally did when they were on a dangerous job. Crossing the room, he pulled out a chair and sat opposite Gorya, leaving Meiling a clear shot to the man if there was need. Gorya did nothing to protect himself from Meiling, although he had to know she was in a perfect position to kill him.
“You do realize if I killed you, your cousins would hunt me to the ends of the earth,” Gedeon said.
Gorya shook his head. “I would make certain they were aware I hired you specifically for that purpose.”
“Gorya, seriously, think about what kind of men your cousins are. Do you think that would deter them? You’re family. You don’t talk about emotions in your family, but they have them for you. Their women have them for you.”
“It is necessary, and you know why. They will know why as well. They made a choice years ago, long before I did, to live by a code. I wasn’t certain I wanted to live without the violence of the bratva. I fit. Once I was old enough to hold my own against the pakhan’s men, I could slide into the shadows and do what I wanted. I was in my teens when I became faster and stronger than all of them. I could outthink them. Outsmart them. My leopard hated them as much as or more than I did.”