Hitman's Revenge (a Forbidden Bad Boy Romance) (4 page)

J
ack punched the bag hard
, sweat rolling down his naked chest with every jab. He had been at it for hours, preparing for his first night, where Nixon was going to take him out on his first job—passing on the torch and Nixon’s legacy.

He was nervous, and the only way to release the nervous energy was to come and take it out on the bag. Jab, punch, jab, duck; that was his life right then. One misstep, one unanticipated move could end his life.

“Jack?”

Grabbing a hold of the bag, he swung around to see Hazel in the doorway, staring at his chest. Her face was flushed, and he felt a twinge of excitement, she always had that effect on him. Lately, he’d noticed how her body was changing, and every so often caught her watching him, too. It would’ve taken a blind man to look elsewhere. “Yeah?”

“What are you doing?”

“What’s it look like? I’m training,” he replied almost a little too sharply. But his nerves were on edge, and seeing her only made it worse. He picked up the towel and mopped off his chest.

She let out a small gasp and swallowed, glad to know that he wasn’t the only one with raging hormones these days, he thought. The girls his age only wanted to play games, pretend to be coy and lead him on. But Hazel was different, honest and pure. It made him wish on several occasions that she was older… that they didn’t live under the same roof. Instead he’d resorted to visiting the seedy bar on the outskirts of town, where twenty bucks would get him a blowjob and a semblance of peace from the impulses he had for Hazel. “What are you doing down here?”

“I heard Daddy talking,” she said, a hitch in her voice. His blood ran cold, and he slid on his shirt. “Are you really going out tonight? To do…”

“I told you I’m not talking about that with you,” he growled, picking up the weights that he had used earlier. If there was anything the old man had taught him, it was not to involve Hazel in any of their jobs. She was to be kept in the dark as much as possible. “I can’t have them coming after my baby girl,” Nixon had said late one night after some target practice. “And if you put her in any danger whatsoever, I will gut you where you stand, you hear me? She comes first.”

From then on Jack had started ignoring her as much as possible, terrified that she might be his one saving grace from the life he had chosen.

“I’m not stupid, Jack. I know what Daddy does… or at least what he did.”

Her hand landed on his arm, and he fought the urge to fling it off. As much as he tried to act like a hard-ass around her, he couldn’t stand to see her cry because of him. “P-please don’t do this. You don’t need to. There are other things you can do.”

“Hazel,” he said, looking at her. Her eyes were shining with tears, her hand trembling on his arm, and he felt like the biggest ass for causing her pain. “You don’t understand.”

“I do understand. You are going to get yourself killed!” she choked out, shaking her head. “I can’t bear it if anything happens to you, Jack, or Daddy. This life, it’s not safe.”

Against his better judgment, Jack dropped his weights and gathered her into his arms, his hand passing over her soft hair. “I’m not going to get myself killed,” he said softly, feeling her body tremble against his. “I’ve got this, Hazel. I’m better and faster than your daddy ever was. I know how to protect myself. And I need to do this. For my parents.”

She looked up then, the expression in her eyes sad. “But what about me? Who’s going to protect me or my heart when I have to bury you?”

Jack held on tighter as he felt her hands grasp the material of his shirt. Her words were making his throat thicken and his stomach clench. “I promise, you will never have to do that. I’m never going to let anything happen to you or your heart,” he said fiercely, looking into her eyes. Nothing would ever happen to Hazel as long as there was breath in his body.

I
maneuvered
Lucky into a parking spot and killed the engine, staring up at the apartment building before me. After the run-in with Romano I was itching to dig out some more information, and while this wasn’t the first place I would have chosen, it was the one that made the most sense. If I was going to be prepared to face Colt, I had to first find out where he was, what he was planning and why. If I went in guns blazing, he’d kill Hazel on the spot. I was sure of it.

After locking up the car, praying she would still be there when I came back—this wasn’t the nicest area—I scanned the buzzers before I found the name I was looking for. Pressing it, I waited for a few moments before a breathless voice answered. “Yes?”

“It’s me,” I said. The intercom clicked off and the door beeped immediately. I grabbed the first elevator up; it stank of piss and human desperation. I didn’t want to be here, not now, but it was necessary. I could only pray that Hazel was hanging in there. She could be tough when she wanted to be, but it still left me with an uneasy feeling that I was wasting time.

A short ride later I was standing in front of the door I was seeking, knocking on it once. It flew open and a flurry of silk and feathers crashed into me, the heavy scent of perfume assaulting my nostrils.

“Baby! I knew you’d come visit me!”

“Kitty,” I said, prying her away from my body. She hadn’t changed since the last time I’d seen her; her blonde hair was still platinum and her body still plastic. “It’s good to see you,” I lied.

“Come in,” she purred, pulling me inside of her apartment. “Let’s catch up.” I wasn’t stupid enough to not know what she was talking about, but that wasn’t what I was here for. Once upon a time I’d enjoyed Kitty’s company and her silly but caring attitude, but our affair had been fleeting when she found out I wasn’t the type to shell out money on her frivolous needs. She moved on to bigger and more rewarding pastures, which was why I was there.

Still I allowed her to lead me to the bright red leather sofa that ran down the length of the living room and sat down, ignoring her short robe as she sat in front of me, parting her legs and flashing the fact that she wasn’t wearing any underwear. “How are you, baby?”

“I’m good,” I replied, stretching my arms out along the sofa. “You look good as ever, Kitty.” She preened under my false words, flipping her hair over her shoulder coyly.

“Always the talker, Jack. What brings you here tonight, besides the obvious of course?” I didn’t want to piss her off so I didn’t mention the fact that I wouldn’t be sleeping with her; there was only one woman on my mind then. I looked around the apartment, feigning interest. Kitty, as silly as she acted, liked to be in charge, and if I pushed her too soon, she would back off and clam up, which wouldn’t help me out at all. I needed her pliant and willing before I really dropped the bombshell, though I suspected she already knew why I was really there. She wasn’t as dumb as she looked.

“I’m in town, looking for a job,” I said finally, deciding upon my way in, looking at her directly. “I heard you still have connections.”

She shrugged her delicate shoulders then, the robe slipping to reveal the upper slopes of her breasts in the process. “Maybe. Depends on what you are looking for.”

I grinned and licked my lips, allowing my eyes to wander over the bare area, knowing she was expecting me to do. “Well, you know me. The harder the better.”

Kitty laughed then, pushing herself out of the chair she was sitting in and moving to straddle me on the couch, pressing intimately against my crotch.

“But you never needed me before for that type of thing… why now?”

“That was before. This is now.”

She sighed, seemingly pleased with my response and shifted upon my lap seductively. “You know you have always been one of my best lovers,” she said silkily, her finger running down the side of my cheek. “I’ve missed you in my bed. How about we leave business till later?” I pulled my arms off of the sofa’s back and wrapped them around her thin body, causing her to squeal as I pulled her under me, pressing my clothed hard body against hers.

“I’m glad to hear no one else could satisfy you,” I said, my voice low and near her ear. Her eyes widened with anticipation, and I congratulated myself, knowing I had her complete attention. With one hand I trailed down her body, barely grazing her erect nipple before settling on her hip. I gave her a wolfish smile, she arched against my body, and her robe fell fully open. “I need something from you, Kitty.”

“Anything for you, Jack,” she said dreamily, licking her lips. “I’ll give you anything. Let me taste you, baby. You know I can make you feel real good.”

I let my lips graze down near her neck then traced the outer shell of her ear with the tip of my tongue, knowing that would get her sopping wet in no time. True to form, she moaned low in her throat, and I leaned close, making sure she could hear me. “Where the hell is Colt?”

“Wh-what?” she asked as I gripped her hands high above her head to let her know I meant business. “What did you say?”

“Come on, Kitty,” I chuckled, looking down at her wide-eyed stare. “Don’t play coy. I know you are fucking Colt, you always were. Where the hell is he?”

Kitty’s face lost the dreaminess as she realized that I had just buttered her up for no reason, her perfect features scrunching into a mask of fury as she bucked against my hold. “You, you fucking asshole! Let me up.”

“Now, now,” I said clucking my tongue, staring down into her furious eyes. “No need for that. Give me what I want, Kitty, and I will let you up. I may even reward you too if you play nice. You said it yourself, you love my cock in you.”

“And if I don’t play nice? What you going to do, Jack?” she challenged, a hard glint appearing in her eyes. I shook my head and leaned down low, so close that she could kiss me if she wanted to.

“You know perfectly well what I do for a living my dear. Please don’t make me carve up your pretty little face.”

“You wouldn’t,” she replied, a small waver in her voice.

She knew exactly what I did and what I was capable of—courtesy of my young, stupid and loose tongue, pillow talk that I regretted bitterly now—though I don’t think I could ever hurt her. She was harmless, other than her ability to get powerful men to spill their secrets while she had them under her spell. I released her so suddenly that she nearly fell off the sofa, scrambling to cover herself as I stood over her.

“You’re right,” I said with a sigh, drawing it out. “I wouldn’t hurt you. But, there are people who aren’t happy that Nixon is dead, Kitty. One well-placed word that you are helping his killer, and you will be deader than a doornail by morning.” Her eyes widened again, and I knew I had hit the mark. Kitty wasn’t going down for anyone.

“He’ll kill me if he finds out,” she stammered, pushing herself off the floor. I felt a little sorry for her, knowing that she had survived by doing what she knew best. Kitty was a good girl, really, a caring girl, and I hadn’t had any problems with her during our short time together.

Reaching into my jeans pocket, I pulled out a wad of cash banded together by a rubber band, throwing it onto the sofa. “There’s five grand there, more than enough for you to get out of town if you want. I need that information.”

She sighed then and picked up the money, clutching it to her chest. “Colt has his daughter,” she said softly, her eyes downcast. “In Florida. He left three days ago for his villa in Miami. I-I don’t know what he plans to do with her other than draw a trap for you, Jack. He hates you…”

That was an understatement, but how did she know? And then it hit me all at once.

“You told him it was me, didn’t you?”

“I’m so sorry, Jack. It slipped out, and once it did he made me talk…”

I bit my tongue. “He hurt you?

She sniffed and wrapped her arms around her waist. I walked over and gathered her into my arms, pressing a kiss to her forehead softly. “It’s not your fault, Kitty. It’s mine. Please get out of here while you still can.” She nodded and I released her, but I knew she wasn’t going to follow my advice and leave. Most of that money was about to be spent in the form of cocaine, Kitty’s drug of choice. Tomorrow she would wake up and forget all about the warnings I had levied on her or the out I’d given her. There was no need to pretend otherwise.

Walking toward the door, I looked back, surprised to see the tears streaming down her face. “Take care of yourself, Kitty,” I said. She nodded once more and I shut the door. Maybe, just maybe she would listen this time.

I breathed a sigh of relief, all the pieces of the puzzle was coming together. And I had only one last stop before I would head to Florida.

J
ack shoved
the car door open and climbed out, slamming it hard enough to rattle the windows. He was pissed off that he had to come all the way out here to find her. His boots crunched on the frozen ground as he approached the bonfire, his eyes scanning the crowd for a familiar face. Nixon should never have let her date.
What was he thinking?
The abandoned fishing cabin deep in the bayou was a prime location for teenage partying, and Jack had attended his fair share back in the day. Now, he just felt old and jaded, even at nineteen.

He heard her laugh way before he saw her, and Jack frowned, not liking the fact that she sounded drunk and was slurring her words. He wasn’t stupid enough to think she wasn’t drinking at sixteen, but the thought of her, out here, impaired and vulnerable, made the little hairs on his neck stand up.

He had come home tonight looking forward to seeing her face, missing her for the last year he had worked a few jobs to get some notoriety built up. It had been a lonely year, and he had been looking forward to taking her and Nixon out to dinner at least.

Finally, following the sound of her laughter, he spotted her near the edge of the woods, leaned up against a tree while some blond-haired douche-bag pressed himself up against her suggestively. Jack saw red and quickly reached her side, clamping his hand on the guy’s shoulder and spinning him around before he slammed a fist into his face.
That felt good.
The teen immediately fell to the ground, blood spurting from his nose, his wails filling the air. “Dude, you broke my nose! What the fuck did you do that for?”

“J-Jack?”

Jack looked over at Hazel to see her staring back at him, wide-eyed as if she’d seen a ghost. “Do you let all the boys grope you or just this idiot?”

She ignored him and brought a hand up to her mouth. “Oh my god. It’s really you!”

He nodded, trying to calm down, breathing in and out hard through his nose, as he took in her short dress, those long legs of hers giving him a shot straight to his groin.

Hell, she had really grown up since he’d been gone, her body turning into the sexiest thing he’d seen in quite some time. She had kept her hair long, covering her bare shoulders and trickling down to curl around her pert breasts that were outlined by the flowing material of the thin dress as she moved. Her face was exactly as he remembered it, those freckles still prominent despite the makeup she was wearing. It was his Hazel, and he had just saved her again. Though he doubted she would be too pleased about it in the morning… stomping around here like a jealous boyfriend—what was
he
thinking?

She drunkenly stumbled towards him, tripping over the forgotten guy on the ground and falling forward, giving him an excuse to sweep her into his arms and hold her so very close, dangerously close. Her slim arms slid around his neck. “I’m so glad to see you,” she slurred, resting her head on his shoulder. “I’ve missed you so much.”

“I’m getting you out of here,” he stated, the ball in his chest lessening now that he had her in his arms, safe and sound. She didn’t protest when he picked up her, her legs giving way. He carried her to his car and sat her in the passenger side seat, gently fastening the seatbelt around her before striding to the driver’s side and climbing in.

Then and only then could he exhale as he threw the car into drive, the rush of needing to find her earlier, to make sure she was safe, now starting to dissipate. He drove fast, way too fast, to the main road, looking over at her every few seconds to make sure she hadn’t choked on her own vomit or anything. He needed to find a place to pull over, needed to stop before he crashed them both into a ditch. His adrenaline was really ramped up, so much so that he knew he would have to go a few rounds on the punch-bag later, or beat himself off in another cold shower, to release the pent up frustration. Just one glimpse of her and he was a wreck.

“Jack?”

Jack looked over at Hazel to find those big blue eyes staring at him so trustingly. “Yeah?” He had to reel in his emotions and keep them in check.

“I still can’t believe it’s you,” she replied, her fingers reaching over to caress his arm lightly. “I’m so glad to see you.”

He choked out a laugh then, capturing her fingers and kissing them lightly. “It’s me, saving your ass again.”

“That’s what you are supposed to do,” she said, her lips curving into a dreamy smile. “My knight in shining armor.” He snorted then, thinking that he was far from that. He was a killer, a trained assassin who didn’t save anyone but the woman next to him. Everyone else could go to hell for all he cared.

Hazel reached over and touched the hair at the nape of his neck, still wet from the shower he had grabbed before Nixon had told him that he couldn’t get hold of his daughter. He went still as her fingers slid into his hair, the single touch hardening his cock instantly. “I wish you had taken me out tonight. You’re so much better than those other high-school boys,” she whispered, stumbling over her words with her liquor-laced tongue. “I dreamed of you, Jack.”

“You’re drunk,” he replied, looking at her. She smiled then, shrugging her bare shoulders. “Maybe. Isn’t it the perfect time to be honest, when you are drunk?”

“Depends on what you are talking about,” he said softly. How honest was she going to get? His heart thudded wildly.
This was a bad idea.

Her fingers dropped from his hair and touched his face then, scraping across the stubble on his jaw as she explored his features, a gentle wistful smile on her face all the while. “You’re so gorgeous,” she said, touching his nose with her finger. “You must have a ton of girlfriends by now.”

“None of them compares to you,” he heard himself say, surprised at his own words. He had to shut this down, but everything inside him told him not to. Hazel had always been there for him and he for her. He didn’t know any other female like the woman next to him. Her eyes widened and he waited for her to say something, anything, but instead she leaned over and pressed her lips to his.

That was it, the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Jack reached out instantly and grabbed the back of her neck, crushing his lips on hers and felt her open up so he could sweep his tongue into her mouth.

She tasted of strawberries and home, her eager tongue seeking his in the slow, torturous dance that had him hard and heavy in the confines of his jeans. He kissed her roughly, wanting to take all of her in one kiss. Years of frustration that had been bottled up inside were now escaping.

Her hands gripped his biceps hard to the point where her nails were digging into his skin, but all he could feel was the feather-soft lips against his, the moan that escaped into his mouth as he teased her with his tongue. What he wouldn’t do to make her moan more… his hands trailed down her dress, wanting to touch that sweet hot spot between her legs, but he caught himself at the last minute when she tried to crawl across the seats onto his lap.

He broke the kiss, pushing her away and throwing open the door to step out into the cool night. He was raging with lust and need, but the woman in that car wasn’t just any other woman. She was Hazel, not yet seventeen and he had kissed her, damn near fucked her with his tongue.

“Shit!” he said aloud to the dark night, grabbing his head with both of his hands. He was so fucking stupid.

You shouldn’t curse, Jack.”

Turning around, he saw her standing at the front of the car, her arms wrapped around her waist as she looked at him, her lips pleasantly red and bruised from his kiss.

His damn kiss.

God he wanted nothing more to grab her in his arms and take her right there on the hood of his car, to hear her moan his name over and over again as he pounded into her. To feel the excited slickness that would be between her legs. To push a finger into her tight pussy, and then if she would let him his hard cock. Shit. What the hell was wrong with him? She was off limits, too good and innocent for his soiled hands to be touching her, for his lips to be pleasuring her mouth.

“Get back into the car, Hazel.”

She flinched at the harshness of his words, and he swore under his breath this time, not wanting to hurt her any more than he had already.

“I’m sorry,” he offered. Hazel moved towards him and Jack forced himself to remain still. He wasn’t going to touch her, no matter what she did.

“Jack, please don’t say sorry,” she said softly, laying her hands on his chest. They felt like firebrands through his shirt, but he didn’t remove them, not knowing when the next time was going to be.

He was going to leave as soon as he got her home tonight. It was too dangerous to be around her, in more ways than one. “I wanted you to kiss me. I’ve been waiting for you to do it.”

“Christ, Hazel, don’t say that,” he said tightly as her hands slid down to his waist then encircled it before she rested her head on his chest, right below his thudding heart.

“It’s true,” she said, her voice muffled now. “I won’t tell anyone, I promise, but I won’t be sorry about it, and you shouldn’t be, either. You don’t know how long I’ve waited for you to kiss me.”

Jack let out a shuddering breath and caved into her words for a moment, wrapping his arms around her, pressing a kiss into her vanilla smelling hair. She snuggled against his chest and he just held her there, allowing himself this one moment in his miserable life. Hazel was the one person who could bring him to his knees and make him feel like a good man all at the same time. He couldn’t bear it if anything happened to her.

“I love you, Jack,” she said, her voice very faint now as she pressed tightly against his chest. “I’ve always loved you, and I always will.”

Her words humbled him as he pulled back, taking one hand to tip her chin up so that he could see those eyes that haunted him at night. “No more bayou parties,” he said firmly, his heart pounding in his ears. “No more rescuing.”

Her lips curved into a smile, and he fought the urge to kiss her senseless again.

“You will always be rescuing me, Jack. And I’ll always be waiting.”