Page 24 of Breaking Rosalind
Do I have permission to proceed with T3?
He replies with:
Permission denied.
I grind my teeth. Killing even one Montesano brother wouldn’t just pay off the amount I owe the firm. I’d have enough money to quit the Moirai and get a normal job that allows me to see Miranda every day. We could form a connection, be a real family, and maybe start building better memories.
We could cook together in our own kitchen without the threat of the firm breathing down my neck. Hell, I’d even welcome something as simple as spending weekends lazing around. I want eye contact, conversations, the chance to make her smile.
All of that could be possible with enough money, but Gunther wants to keep me indebted. That way, he can send me out on menial missions and torture me in perpetuity for refusing his sexual advances.
If I leave the firm with an outstanding balance, I won’t just die. Gunther might also take Miranda.
At this rate, I’ll work for the Moirai Group until the day I expire.
“Asshole.”
I crawl through the shrubbery, making my way back to the pool house. The bathroom window I left open is still ajar, and I climb in without a sound.
After stripping off the catsuit, I spread it on the bath and dissolve it with solvent. Then I turn on the shower to wash away the evidence. Once the black liquid disappears down the drain, I climb into the tub and let the hot water soak my hair and skin.
I take one last look around the bathroom before unlocking the door and stepping into the playroom where I left Cesare. He’s sprawled on his front, in a different position, but that’s not unusual. Targets who are resistant to drugs sometimes move around as they take effect, but oxypentanol always prevails.
“Cesare?”
I slide onto the bed and check his pulse. It’s steady. I pull back his eyelid and inspect his pupil. It’s small, but that’s normal for someone under the effect of a powerful depressant.
A sigh slips from my lips, and I brush the hair off his face. If I’m lucky, Cesare will order me an Uber, and that will be the last I see of him or his cousin.
Last night was the best sex of my life. There’s a darkness to Cesare that calls to mine that I can’t resist. Leroi was an empty chasm—composed and captivating, but cold. Cesare’s eyes are like fire, drawing me in with their intensity until I’m consumed by his flames.
In another life, I might want to pursue a relationship with Cesare. He’s exciting and not as jaded as most men, but his days are numbered. Gunther will pass all the intel I gathered on the mansion’s security to the team of assassins he favors.
It’s only a matter of time before a small squad breaches their defenses and eliminates the Montesano brothers. The next time I see Cesare, it will be as a minuscule percentage of my share of the bounty on an electronic paycheck.
My job is done, and it’s time to go.
Leaning over him, I place a kiss on his forehead before reaching into my bag to extract the antidote. His jugular vein pulses beneath my fingertips, and I ready the pre-filled syringe.
Before the needle touches his skin, a hand grabs my wrist.
Cesare glares up at me, his eyes flashing. “Now, what the fuck is a girl like you doing with a syringe full of poison?”
TEN
CESARE
She stares down at me, her eyes widening, her features freezing with shock. My fingers tighten around her wrist with a grip that would make any other woman wince, but she doesn’t even flinch.
“Answer my question,” I say through clenched teeth.
Her response is a lightning-fast punch to the side of my head that turns my vision black. Pain explodes through my skull like dynamite, sending up an attack of nausea.
My grip on her wrist loosens, and she yanks her arm free. By the time I open my eyes, the playroom is out of focus and a blurred figure is sprinting toward the door.
“Bitch!”
I scramble off the bed and give chase, but my steps are uneven while she’s already in the next room. My heart thuds, but my adrenal glands are too fatigued to pump out the necessary fuel to power my movements.