Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Zen’s POV

“Fuck.”

I flipped through the pages of my job. Elizabeth Beyer, twenty years old. Some young heiress with a dad that had too many enemies. It wasn’t my first time killing a woman, but damn. She looked like she couldn’t say no to a puppy. She had no criminal history, no shady relationships, and no sin to her name. Hell, she even did volunteer work, for crying out loud. She really was a fucking angel.

The more I read about her, the more I understood why I was assigned to her. Dan was hoping I could get her to follow me quietly because of my pretty face. She was guarded 24/7 by a man named Tom Eldridge, but snuck out twice a week to give a fucking homeless woman food at the park across the street. I needed her to invite me back to her place so I could kill her and sneak out before Tom became any more the wiser. I was usually confident in using charm to lure my hits, but this girl wasn’t some slutty piece of arm candy like the girls I was used to. Top of her class at a local prep school, applying to study veterinary medicine, so good at staying out of the public eye that most people didn’t even know she existed. She was smart. What were the chances that she would invite a stranger into her bedroom? I needed more than the few hours I had been given, but I knew better than to request that shit. I glanced at the photo again.

I thought about calling Dan, telling him to find someone else, but I didn’t want to look like I was scared of the job. I had never refused a hit before. It would damage my reputation to do so now. I had gone up against feds, drug and arms dealers, and entire security details, so surely I could take out one pretty blonde girl who liked puppies. By tomorrow, this girl would be dead. What’s one more death to my conscience?

I slammed my phone down on the wooden table in frustration. I really needed another smoke, but it would have to wait. I needed to shower to get the sweat and perfume off of me. I walked into the ensuite in my bedroom, stripping off my jacket first. I didn’t have my gun on me, since I did last night’s job with poison. After pulling my shirt over my head, I got a good look at the bastard in the mirror.

I had to fight the urge to put my fucking fist through my reflection.

It’s not the mirror’s fault you’re an asshole.

I turned the water on just below scolding. The rain style shower head poured down on me, relaxing each of my muscles in the process. It was almost painful the way each drop burned my flesh, but I liked it. I felt like it was purifying me, imagining it was holy water washing away my transgressions. Maybe when I stepped out of the glass doors, I would be a new man. One that didn’t hate himself with every fiber of his being. One that was worthy of standing in the presence of Elizabeth Beyer. Wait. What the fuck was I thinking?

How was I going to do this job?

I was going in blind, and I knew it. It was driving me fucking crazy. Everyone knew how much I valued my control, but there were too many unknown variables here. I had an hour to earn her trust, an hour to make her desire me so badly that she would invite me to her bedroom. The bad boy image that attracted most women to me would surely repulse a saint like her. My acting would be tested. Could I play the princely type? I had to convince her that I wasn’t dangerous.

Not that I looked particularly dangerous. I didn’t have any tattoos or piercings. In my line of work, having things that distinguish you make your job a helluva lot harder. Not that it stopped most killers in our group. Even Danny had his fair share of tattoos, which I thought was fucking stupid. One look at that giant ass tiger, and the feds could find you in a second. Call me paranoid, but I wouldn’t risk all that shit just so I could feel more badass.

I walked into my expansive closet, filled to the brim with clothes, some designer, some not. I had to dress for the occasion after all, and I liked to look good. I decided on a simple designer name t-shirt, along with a pair of dark jeans and some converse. A dab of expensive cologne for sex appeal and I was ready, looking like an everyday off-duty businessman. Hand me a pair of golf clubs and aviators and I could complete the rich asshole look. The least threatening I looked, the better, so I left the glasses behind.

I clicked into the built in wooden panel in the corner, revealing an array of daggers in varying lengths and cuts. A quick slit to the throat ought to do it. A gun would draw too much attention. Poison would be boring and quite frankly painful. I didn’t want to hurt the girl, nor did I want to sit back and watch her vomiting up her intestines until she died. Damn it. Why did my thoughts keep drifting to protecting her from shit? I was literally about to kill her.

I strapped the knife to my ankle, before rolling my pants leg back down. A quick brush through my hair with my hands, and I was ready. By now, it was already lunch time. Only one hour until she was supposed to make her appearance at Brinnley Park.

I made myself a Caesar salad for lunch, nothing too heavy since I didn’t get to use my gym today. I really hated being booked so close together. I didn’t have time for jack shit. After scarfing it down I grabbed my keys, phone, and smokes, and headed out the door.

Elizabeth Beyer, here I come.