Page 82 of Hannah and the Hitman

“What I’m getting at is I value life, perhaps more than others because of what happened to me. You… don’t.”

I shook my head. “I value life. I do,” I added, when she looked skeptical. “The people who I killhurtpeople. Animals, too. They’re cruel.Theydon’t value life. By putting them six feet under, I’m saving so many and getting justice for those who couldn’t be saved.”

It’d never been more important to be understood. I’d never given a shit what people thought of me. Until Hannah. I wanted to be good for her.

“I quit,” I added. “I told Reggiano I quit. That’s why Joey Brains showed up at the library. He wanted to hurt me in the worst possible way.”

“Is that why the guy was waiting for you in the parking garage?”

I nodded. “The men from the plane were Sal’s men. They follow his orders. But I’m not taking any more jobs.”

“Why?”

“I want the simple life. Quiet. No bad guys. Only me and my girl and a little romance bookstore.”

She blinked at me as if I’d blown pixie dust in her face. “What? You’d walk away from it all for me?”

“I already have except for some loose ends.” Like killing Sal. And Joey Brains.

Setting her hands on my chest, she pushed herself up. I admired her breasts and the rest of her gorgeous body, but she was retreating. Pulling away. I could tell from the look on her face, and the fact that she wasn’t kissing me.

FUCK.

“I… I need to take a shower. To think.”

54

HANNAH

I loved Jack’s shower. The multiple shower heads, especially the one that replicated rain. The last time I used it, Jack had joined me. And I hadn’t gotten very clean.

Now I was alone, letting the hot water pelt me from all sides. Steam billowed, making the glass foggy.

He was giving me room to think as I asked. I’d never had a man apologize to me. Dad always went with whatever Mom said. Perry was never wrong. Kevin’s shitty behavior he blamed on me being a bad girlfriend.

Jack was subtly groveling. Being cautious that I’d leave him, which was probably why he was okay with me being in here. There were only towels in his huge bathroom. No clothes. He’d been right. I wasn’t teleporting naked, or in a towel, anywhere. Although, I could think of my apartment, and I would end up there.

Maybe. I was risk averse in general, but even moreso when it came to ending up in the grocery store or somewhere else without any clothes on.

I’d only done teleported twice and I wasn’t sure if my hypothesis ofthinking it and going to itwas accurate. Regardless of what Jack said, I wasn’tthatbrave.

There was no instruction manual.

It was surprising and new to me, and I could only imagine Joey Brains’ face after I disappeared on him. I could only imagine Jack’s.

Perhaps both of them deserved a little slack when it came to believing and understanding. Not Joey Brains because he wanted me dead, but Jack, yes.

There was no precedent. People had probably been stunned when the telephone first worked. Or saw an airplane in the sky for the first time.

Jack thought he was interested in a mild-mannered librarian and ended up with something else entirely.

Ithought I was a mild-mannered librarian and it was turning out I was something else entirely. Something more. I liked this new and improved version. A guy looked at me like I was the center of his world. I felt pretty. I had an unknown sexual prowess. I could defend myself, and Jack.

The superpowers would have come about whether I met Jack or not, but because of him, I felt good, old-fashioned regular feminine power. That I was worthy of more.

More attention. More understanding. More love.

How could a man who killed people bring out the best in me?