Yeah, Glitch understood exactly what Jack was saying. They’d been living this life so long that they’d created their own boundaries, their own rules. And they never planned on going back to prison. Jack would blow Hawk Global sky high, and fuck the consequences before he let that happen. Glitch was just happy the man was on their team.
“Yeah, I got you,” he answered Jack. “Until the end,” he promised. Jack stared at him for a moment, some expression that Glitch couldn’t quite gauge passing over his features.
“Ever wonder what our lives would have been like if we were normal?” he asked before looking away. Glitch didn’t know how to respond at first. Hell, he didn’t even think he’d like normal. Nor would any of them. It wasn’t who they were, and none of them had intentions of changing. They just wanted to be left alone.
Even now he was anxious to get back to Araceli. To spend what could be his last night with the woman he loved. Scratch would be out partying until the sun came up, steeling himself against what could come. But Jack, the darkest of the all, was standing here, asking what their lives would be like if they were normal. Because, of all of them, he was the only one that even remotely knew what normal looked like. And it had been ripped from him as surely as their freedom had. Tonight, though, they were free, and they were going to make sure it stayed that way. So he patted his friend’s shoulder before walking to his own car, tossing over his shoulder to Jack,
“We’re corporate hit men. Nothing in our fucking lives is normal, is it?”
Sneak peek – Scratch
(Corporate Hitman Vol.2)
scratchˈskrach
1. to gather money or make a living, especially through irregular
means and sacrifice
2. Slang Money
Today was not going to be a good day. That was Scratch’s first thoughts as he opened his eyes, squinting against the harsh rays of sun that managed to slip through his venetian blinds. A hard night of drinking and indulging a very flexible brunette, left him with a killer headache. His pain worsened when he recalled the meeting planned for him. That and the fact that he was late.
Shit!
He had exactly thirty minutes to get showered, dressed and in his Benz in order to make it downtown to Hawk Global on time. The shave he was in desperate need of would have to be skipped. Eagle wouldn’t be pleased with his tardiness on a good day, but the fact that the FBI were their guests for this meeting fueled his urgency. His life was already on the line as it stood. No need to sign up for a trip to an early grave.
He hoped Manhattan traffic wasn’t too hellish.
Twenty minutes later, he was rushing out of his bedroom. He felt like shit, and probably looked worse, but his motto was that a designer suit could fix most situations. So he went with a classic single-breasted Calvin Klein design. Charcoal with black pinstripes, complemented by a turquoise tie. Women always gushed about how that color brought out his eyes. For him, it was just his favorite color.
With his blazer still on the hanger, he grabbed a bottle of water to suck down the two pills he took to ease the pounding in his head, and headed to the garage. Glitch’s car was parked in his it’s usual spot, and probably would be all day since he had no reason to go into the office. Jack’s sleek black A8 was, however, missing. Scratch wasn’t aware of any particular mission his partner was on, and wondered whether he’d gone into work early. And why.
Catching every yellow light on his drive down the West Side highway, he arrived at the office in record time. He was still pushing it. According to his watch, a vintage Rolex that he’d won in a card game, he had exactly five minutes. The doors to the elevator that would take him to the conference level were just about to close before he wedged his briefcase between the sliding steel. The lone occupant, he took the opportunity to put on his jacket, and give himself a once over in the reflective wall of the enclosure.
Most people thought Scratch was too over the top, always dressed in designer duds, and never a hair out of place. He was like a male peacock the way he primped, preened, and paraded around the women of the office. They saw him as an attractive yet arrogant narcissist, but despite it all the women still flocked. Unable to resist the delicious scent of his cologne, or his intense magnetism. Scratch didn’t care either way. He wanted them to put him in a box, underestimate him. Where Glitch tried to fly under the radar, and Jack just scared people away, Scratch took advantage of the lure he had on women. It was best if they viewed him as a temporary conquest and not a viable option for creating a future together. He didn’t have it in him to give, so why pretend?
Scratch took a deep breath to center himself. Focus. He needed to be on point. It was stupid of him to get smashed the night before, but some things couldn’t be helped. When you live with the kind of pain that he tried to bury, day in and day out, you found a way to numb it. For Scratch, it was drinking and sex. The drinking helped him forget, and the sex—well it felt good. And he was good at it. The best, if the moans of praise from his latest conquest were to be believed. Whatever. So yeah, it felt good, and kept him from drinking himself into a living hell.
As he pulled himself together, he became aware of a faint, sweet scent lingering in the air. Vanilla and some sort of flower. Maybe lavender? It was slightly calming and arousing at the same time. He entertained a fleeting thought of being confined in the small space with the woman who owned that alluring aroma. She would have been sexy enough for him to take advantage of their close proximity. He laughed. Elevator sex was the best.
A loud ding brought him abruptly back to reality. As the doors slowly crept open, he put on the best game face he could muster. His head still hurt, and the bright sun light that beamed through the large wall of windows that faced the elevator bank made him pause. Closing his eyes briefly as he fought off the pain. The conference room was just a short walk down the hall to his left. The murmurs drifting from the room confirmed that Eagle was already in attendance as well as two others. One female for sure. Her low, sultry voice stood out from the rest.
“So good of you to join us, George.” Eagle’s sarcastic greeting felt like a fist to his skull. Scratch just nodded tightly, ignoring the verbal jab, and glanced around the room to size up their visitors. The enticing scent from the elevator engulfed him, and he searched for the source. Seated across from Eagle were two agents, proudly sporting badges that read FBI in big bold letters. The woman in question was a vision.
A vision he’d seen before. She’d captured his attention in passing, down one of the halls of Hawk Global, and made him lose all train of thought. And she was doing it again. Not wanting to seem obvious but determined to have a closer look at her, Scratch took his time making his way to his seat next to Eagle. Agent Tidwell, as her name read on the badge, briefly met his intense gaze before casually looking away as if he posed no interest to her. It was just enough time for him to note the expressiveness of her big, round, brown eyes. Today her hair flowed down to her shoulders in a sleek look. The first time he’d seen her, she let the natural coils flow free. He couldn’t decide which look suited her better, but he’d be happy to run his fingers through either. Her smooth nutmeg brown skin glowed in its flawlessness. She projected that kind of radiance that cosmetic commercials tried to sell. Scratch had seen and had many women over the years, but there was something about this one. He found himself wanting to know everything about her. Too bad she was here to put his ass in jail.
Thank you for reading Glitch (Corporate Hitman vol.1). We hope you enjoyed the first part of the hitman story, and if you did it would be awesome to hear from you! Stop by Goodreads or Amazon and show your love with a review.
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS
OLIVIA LINDEN
Olivia Linden, a native New Yorker, was raised between Queens and San Antonio, TX. Currently living in Florida with her tween aged son, she decided it was time to follow her dreams of becoming a
full time author. Her creative itch began when her elementary school principal posted one of her stories in the halls of her school. She was only seven at the time, but old enough to understand how integral writing would be to her future. From that moment on, reading and writing became her two greatest passions. It is her philosophy that laughter is essential to making it through even the toughest situations. Find your passion with Olivia Linden.
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LETEISH NEWTON
LeTeisha Newton is the author of a plethora of novels ranging from hot Interracial Erotica, Paranormal biters, Fantasy, and Urban Fantasy genres. She’s known for her extensive knowledge of shifter cultures, even outside of the generic werewolves and vampires, crazy world-building, and making shape shifters feel like they are living right next door. That has led to her being dubbed the Shifter Queen. Some of her series include the best-selling Claimed and Taken Series.
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Glitch Page 14
