Irreversible: The Hitman & The Heiress

by Alexx Andria

  “That was a test wasn’t it?” I teased with a relieved smile when Travis cocked his finger at me like a mock gun and clicked in an affirmative. “Thank God I passed,” I said, wondering how the conversation would’ve played out if I’d taken the bait.

  “Gotta look out for my boy, especially when he’s putting his life on the line for you.”

  I sobered. “I would never betray Dex.”

  Travis’s expression dimmed inexplicably as he said, “I sense that. Too bad, Dex is too thick-headed to see what’s right in front of him.”

  Maybe I was delusional but my heart said that Dex felt the same about me, even if he hadn’t come out and said the exact words, hey baby, I love you.

  “Dex has feelings for me,” I said, not quite brave enough to use the ‘L’ word. “I know he does.”

  “Yeah, he does,” Travis agreed but the grim set of his mouth made me uneasy. Before I could question, he jerked his head toward the bedroom, saying, “Speaking of the devil. Sleeping Beauty has finally decided to grace us with her presence.”

  Dex looked adorably ruffled, his hair standing up on end before he scrubbed his head with his hand. “Coffee?”

  God, Dex was the epitome of the most excellent male specimen.

  Travis answered with a fresh mug thrust into Dex’s grasp.

  “You must’ve been super tired,” I said, leaning over to kiss his shoulder. He nodded, acknowledging my show of affection with a noise that barely qualified as a grunt. Oh, ouch. I tried not to feel rejected. Dex probably didn’t like PDA. I wasn’t going to jump to conclusions.

  But the nagging sense that I was missing a very big piece of a puzzle kept bugging me.

  Dex was already in business mode with Travis.

  I remained quiet as they talked strategy. I was out of my depth so there was no sense in me throwing in my two cents. Even so, it was hard to reconcile the feeling of being left out.

  They inhaled their breakfast and then prepared to leave.

  I followed Dex into the bedroom but he stopped me before I even managed to open my mouth.

  “You aren’t coming.”

  The firm tone brooked no argument. He had that look of cold steel in his eyes.

  I bit my lip and tried not to glare. I understood why he wanted me to stay behind but why was he being so frosty with me?

  “Are you mad at me?” I asked.

  “Should I be?”

  “That’s not an answer.”

  He sighed as if annoyed but tried to placate me. “Not annoyed...yet. But you have a bad habit of stepping on my last nerve at the most inopportune time.”

  “What do you mean?”

  The irritation returned and he shook his head. “Not the time, Bree.”

  Yeah, probably not. Didn’t change the fact that I wanted an answer anyway.

  Instead, I said, “Be safe” because honestly, what else could I say that wouldn’t leave me dissatisfied and likely, broken-hearted?

  I was safe here in Travis’s loft. Travis had obviously taken a page from Dex’s safe house playbook. Fort Knox wasn’t locked up as tight.

  Maybe I could catch up on some shows I’d missed since my life disintegrated.

  But when Dex didn’t even look back at me as he walked out the door, I fought tears.

  Stupid man.

  Sometimes Dex could be so cold.

  Where was the man who made love to me like a demon possessed? As if he couldn’t touch me enough, feel me deep enough? The one who trembled as he held me close, as if afraid I would disappear if he let go?

  Apparently, we’d left that man behind in another state.

  The man with me now...was a lot like the man I’d first met when I opened my eyes after being kidnapped and drugged.

  Well, there you go, Bree. He freaking kidnapped and drugged you. This was not a FindYourSoulmate.com match made in heaven. How else was this supposed to end?

  Certainly not with a ring and wedding bells.

  God, had I really thought Dex might actually want a future with me?

  My hand strayed to my stomach.

  I could be pregnant right now.

  A thrill chased the thought even as I lamented my stupidity.

  I can’t wait to be a single mother, said no woman ever.

  But to have a small piece of Dex...I couldn’t lie, the thought warmed my hurting heart.

  It was crazy to hope for an unplanned pregnancy.

  But when had my life ever made any sense?

  Why start now?

  27

  DEX

  It was easier to compartmentalize my feelings than let them run amuck, messing up what I considered a pretty solid plan.

  Because when I let my thoughts run free, I wanted to punch the nearest wall for thinking that I could push Bree toward Travis without suffering even the mildest regret.

  Bree was mine — that’s the only thing that made any sense when I tried to untangle the knots in my head.

  But she wasn’t mine, I had to get that straight.

  Travis was a better man, the best of men, actually.

  I was doing her a favor.

  Huge.

  Epic.

  If I knew in my soul I was making the right decision for us both, why was I struggling with the knowledge that Bree would hate me when it was all said and done?

  I kept seeing her wounded expression from this morning. Her confusion wasn’t unexpected — hell, I’d put the freeze on thick — but the donkey kick to my chest knowing I’d hurt her was more than I anticipated.

  “You’re making a huge mistake,” Travis said as he navigated the city. “That girl loves your stupid ass and you’re planning to walk away for the lamest of reasons.”

  I was already feeling prickly, I didn’t need Travis stacking on the guilt.

  “I’m doing what’s best for Bree.”

  “I get it — if anyone gets it, it’s me — I’ve trashed great relationships because I was fucked-up in the head but Bree is the kind of girl you hold onto, no matter if you’re fucking bleeding out your ass and your hands are broken, you know?”

  Yeah, I knew. Bree was exactly that kind of woman.

  But reality never played nice with fantasy.

  “Listen—“ Travis started but I cut him off, not interested in a life lesson from anyone, not even a well-intentioned one.

  “I like what I do,” I said flatly. “I’m not giving it up for anyone, not even Bree, and eventually, that’s going to drive a wedge between us. I’m just skipping to the end and bypassing all the drama in between.”

  “Yeah, and all the joy, too,” he pointed out like a motherfucker. My dark glower didn’t shut his trap either. “You won’t get another chance like this, I can promise you. You walk from Bree and you’ll spend your life chasing after a dream that never materialized because you didn’t have the balls to take a chance.”

  “Since when did you get all philosophical?” I asked with a snort. “I liked it better when you were a man-whore. Not sure I can stomach this kinder, gentler Travis Rasher. Besides, you don’t even know her. She could be a raging lunatic for all you know.”

  “C’mon, stop dicking around, I’m being serious,” Travis shot back, equally irritated. “I know you like to wear the badge of a total asshole but deep down you’re a fucking good guy. Bree already sees the quality in you that usually takes people years to realize. Don’t blow it. And you know what? If you weren’t so intent on proving just how bad you are, you’d see that Bree is your fucking redemption.”

  Stiffening, I said, “I never asked for redemption,” cutting my gaze out the passenger window. “I wouldn’t waste my time on something so useless.”

  “You can lie to yourself but it doesn’t change the facts. You love her, man. She loves you. It’s as simple as it gets.”

  “It’s the opposite of simple,” I growled. “Fuck, why are you going Dr. Phil on me?”

  “Because when your buddy is about to go Kamikaze for a stupid reason, you do your best
to throw the asshole to the ground and hogtie him until he stops being an idiot.”

  Anxiety squeezed my chest. The tiny box I’d routinely shoved all my feelings into was beginning to show the strain.

  It was so much easier to just lock the box and throw away the key.

  But my box was bursting at the seams.

  “Don’t you want the chance to finally live a normal life?” Travis asked.

  “What’s normal?” I scoffed. “I killed my old man when I was thirteen. It’s nothing but downhill from there, buddy. I was made for this life. I’ve accepted that but Bree never will.”

  “Have you told her your story?”

  I shot Travis a dirty, are-you-fucking-kidding-me look before replying, “Fuck no. The last thing I need is Bree thinking she can save me from myself. You can’t save someone who isn’t interested in being saved, so you can fuck your redemption spiel.”

  “I love you, man, but you’re a first-rate, stubborn son-of-a-bitch and I was right about that stick being lodged up your butthole. I hate to break it to you but that’s called straight fear. You’re deflecting to avoid admitting that you’re scared of being vulnerable.”

  My incredulity deepened. “What the fuck is this shit? I don’t need you to play armchair therapist. I’m fine.”

  Travis didn’t take offense, countering with, “Dr. Phil knows his shit. You ought to check out a show or two. You might learn a thing or two. Get in touch with your softer side, Dex.”

  “Okay, now I know you’re fucking with me,” I said under my breath, adding tersely, “Whether or not you’re right, none of that matters if Bree isn’t safe.” I needed to get back on solid footing for my own sanity. All this talk about being vulnerable was giving me the newbie-jeebies. “Now shut the fuck up and focus.”

  Travis knew I was done talking. Even though he muttered something that sounded like, dumb-ass, stubborn motherfucker, he let it go for now.

  We went to the Hall of Records and I waited in the truck while Travis pulled the birth and death certificates for Lily and Caroline Burke.

  Travis returned minutes later. “Public record is a beautiful thing,” he said, handing me the paperwork.

  Caroline Burke was born September 17th to Lily and Richard Burke in a Manhattan Hospital.

  Lily and Caroline “died” three months later.

  With a few carefully placed calls, Travis was able to find the name of the law firm handling the estate.

  And a few more calls revealed the executor’s home address.

  Travis grinned. “Tonight Edward Huntington III, Esquire, is extending his office hours.”

  “Damn straight,” I agreed, stone faced. “One way or another, I’m getting answers.”

  28

  BREE

  Apparently, you can actually overdose on binge-watching television — a fact I discovered after I watched an entire season in one sitting of Animal Planet’s Wild Nature.

  I was missing my camera so much I’d take whatever I could get and I loved documentaries about animals.

  But even as crazy as I was about both subjects, my eyeballs felt like dry marbles by the time I emerged.

  Dex and Travis still hadn’t returned.

  I tried not to worry — hell, if two trained assassins couldn’t take care of themselves, who could? — but what else was there for me to do but worry?

  Extreme boredom sprinkled with caged-up anxiety was beginning to eat at my ability to entertain myself.

  I wasn’t going to be so stupid as to walk down to the bodega to stretch my legs and score some chocolate but the urge was strong enough to make me glance longingly at the door.

  Dex would flip his shit if he found out I’d left this building.

  Things were topsy-turvy enough between us, I didn’t need to add to the drama.

  I had this sense that Dex was pulling away again.

  And there was some unspoken dialogue between him and Travis that made me uneasy.

  I knew Dex loved me.

  He hadn’t said the words but I felt it in his touch.

  If I said that he couldn’t fake that kind of emotion I’d sound incredibly naive but my gut told me I was right.

  Dex fucking loved me.

  Maybe he didn’t want to but he did.

  If he thought that I didn’t feel the possessive rumble in his chest when he thought Travis was flirting with me, he was nuts.

  But I loved his possessive nature.

  And before you start lambasting me for acting like a simpering female and demand I turn in my I-am-woman-hear-me-roar card, you have to understand that I’d spent my entire life feeling unwanted.

  So, if I wanted to bask in the dysfunctional haze of my jealous lover, don’t judge me.

  Who was I arguing with? Myself?

  Fuck that. I refused to feel guilt for loving Dex just the way he was.

  Sure, he was a dick at times.

  I mean, a real, certified asshole but he was also tender, attentive, and ultra protective.

  His gaze warmed my entire body when he looked at me with that intense hunger only I could satisfy.

  And the sex? Well, what could I say? I was addicted to that D.

  I could say without shame I’d try whatever Dex wanted.

  Even if the butt plug thing had a tail!

  It was amazing how quickly your life could change in an instant.

  Before I met Dex...my life had been so sad.

  I hadn’t realized just how dull the colors of my palette had become until he’d crashed into my life.

  Seems odd for a photographer to admit that but I was suddenly seeing things with a clarity that’d been absent prior.

  Even in my photography I’d refused to take risks. I preferred landscapes because I could always get the shot if I was patient enough.

  But I really wanted to do more wildlife photography.

  I wanted to risk the discomfort of tromping through the jungle or sleeping on a cot in some remote section of the world to capture nature at its wildest.

  I’d stayed cooped in my own bubble, afraid to venture outside of my comfort zone.

  Content to remain discontent without complaint.

  I frowned at my self-assessment. Not pretty.

  But Dex had changed all that.

  He lived by his own rules and made no apologies.

  God, I loved that about him.

  No, I was in awe.

  I knew his story was probably twisted and wrong — people don’t become contract killers because they had rosy childhoods — but I didn’t care. Nothing would scare me away from sticking by him.

  I needed Dex as much as he needed me.

  I would show him that he could trust me with his secrets, that I wouldn’t judge him for his past.

  We could start fresh together.

  And I didn’t need a ring or anything conventional or traditional — I just needed him to love me as fiercely as he did right now and I’d die a happy woman (hopefully, when I was really old, not now, of course.)

  I smiled as a sense of calm washed over me.

  I loved Dex.

  I would always love Dex.

  Nothing would ever change my heart — and I would tell him exactly like that and I would make him listen.

  Even if I had to enlist Travis’s help to hold him down while I made him hear me.

  A polite knock at the door interrupted my thoughts.

  I froze.

  Who could that be?

  Why was someone at the door?

  Why wasn’t Dex back yet?

  Indecision paralyzed me until a second knock propelled me from the sofa to peer through the peephole.

  A finely dressed chauffeur stood waiting outside the door and I relaxed, realizing the guy must have the wrong address.

  I didn’t want the poor man to get fired over a simple mistake. Sometimes New York addresses were hard to navigate. Lord knew I’d gotten lost a few times and I was a native.

  “Just a minute,” I called out, going throug
h the process of unlocking the door, saying, “But I think you have the wrong address” as I finally got the door open, intent on helping him get back on track.

  “Caroline Burke?” he confirmed with a smile that felt anything but benign and I realized I’d just fucked up.

  “Nope, sorry, not her!” I denied, trying to slam the door quickly but he was faster than me.

  The last thing I remembered was a gloved fist smashing into my face, the sickening crunch of bone and my glasses shattering.

  And then total blackness.

  29

  DEX

  We were en route back to Travis’s place when his cell phone buzzed.

  When he muttered, fuck, and handed the phone to me, my heart froze in my chest.

  Travis’s security system pinged his phone when the alarm was tripped and then sent a video of the interior and exterior of the building.

  My gut lurched with wild panic as I watched Bree open the door to a stranger posing as a chauffeur and then nearly cracked Travis’s phone in half when the man punched my girl in the face hard enough to knock her out.

  “How’d they know where to find her?” I asked with a steely growl, my rage growing by the second. “How the fuck did they know?”

  Travis shook his head, promising, “We’ll get her back.”

  But I didn’t want promises, I wanted action.

  And the blood of the man who’d dared to hurt my girl.

  Travis wrenched the wheel, cutting across traffic. “Guess we’re making an office visit after all,” he said and I nodded.

  That attorney better have the answers I was looking for or he’d pay for his ignorance with the business end of my gun.

  The law firm was in the business district, looking much like the rest of the skyscrapers poking the skyline. It was shiny, modern, with marble flooring and an air of snobbery that complemented the snooty decor.

  We snagged the first empty elevator and sent it straight to the 54th floor where the offices of Edward Huntington III were listed.

  Bypassing the sputtering secretary, I shoved open the door, striding toward the old man while Travis manned the door, ensuring we weren’t disturbed.