Hitting on the hitman

Sleep when you're dead. (26)

Jess' p.o.v:

"They let me off with a warning since I was the famous detective's son," Lucas's tone was harsh and dry, scraping and stopping like sandpaper. "Suppose it was pity." His face twisted with glazed eyes.

Lucas had always been so tough he almost seemed numb, but now, sitting in front of me was a little boy, Eyes full of a dulled light, like a flame that had been stamped out. Innocence stolen, Despite it only being a couple of years ago, Lucas was a completely different person now. Scarred and battered.

Someone who never missed a shot, my stomach dropped as I realised why.

Someone who hated the cops.

Someone who would do whatever it took to stop the Mafia.

A lump rose in my throat, I knew it was still wrong, but how can you judge an action made in place of the people you love?

"What about the shooter?" I swallowed.

"Dead."

"What happened?-"

"I found him, and I killed him."

My stomach sunk like a drop on a rollercoaster, a feeling in my throat rising, like acid burning through my blood.

I knew it was stupid, that realistically I had seen Lucas kill people when he shot all those people in the casino, He never missed a shot.

But I knew that this was personal, I didn't even want to imagine what he would have done, could have done, would he have dragged it out? tortured them? Would he have relished in the pain in their face? Smiled as he put a gun to them instead? Laughed as the bullet finally hit them?

I was glad Lucas hadn't gone into details. Maybe because he knew my reaction. Or maybe at this point, he didn't care.

"When?"

"Call it a sweet 16th present." He chimed as his eyes met mine, cold and dark, empty, like a hollow trunk of a dying tree and maybe it was the fact that when I looked at him I couldn't see the guy who took me in from an abusive mother or maybe it was the words that spat out his mouth with not a tint of guilt but a shiver shot down my spine making my breath shallow and short, I'd never been scared of Lucas, until this moment.

A poor boy dragged into a life he didn't ask for, forced to watch his mother and father die and take the blame.

Could I blame him for how he chose to heal?

Was that fair?

"I'm-" I tried to search my head for the right thing to say, how I could make it all better, but I knew I couldn't.

"You're sorry?" He smirked again, his hallow eyes snapping back down to his desk.

I bit my cheek trying to push down the sickness in my stomach, "Yeah..."

He just gave me a weak smile, fiddling with the tip of the black pen in his palms.

"What about you're sister?"

"Ah, she was staying with a friend for the weekend so she wasn't there, but she travels now around the world now." He swallowed. "Maybe running, "

"You must miss her."

He shook his head looking at me.  "We were never close."

"But I mean she's the older one, shouldn't she be looking after you?"

"Geez Jess I'm 17, not 2 and anyway she stayed until I turned 16."

"How kind of her." I rolled my eyes and with my tone the room went silent and his eyes fixed back down at his paper though he didn't continue writing.

He took a breath, pulling himself together. "I guess we can just start your training now." He smiled through his sunken eyes.

"Lucas you don't look well," I mumbled.

"I'm fine jess." He grumbled as he pushed his chair out sluggishly and it made a shrieking sound against the floor.

"Just rest for an hour-"

"In this whole building, you are the only one who doesn't listen to me." He smirked as he lugged himself out of his chair leaning on the table.

"Mm, no I listen, I just won't let you boss me around."

He shook his head and walked past me opening the door. "Ah so you can boss me around but I can't boss you around is that it?"

"Sounds about right." I slid past him as he held the door with his right arm.

When Liam saw us coming out his eyes flashed like light bulbs, mouth open like a goldfish.

"What?" I laughed as me and Lucas walked past.

"I can't believe you got him out," Liam mumbled. "He must really have a soft spot for you-"

"Shut it, Liam, don't make me pummel your ass," Lucas growled and Liam whimpered twirling back to his monitor.

I gave Lucas a nudge "Since you have such a soft spot for me, your gonna take my advice and get some rest right?" I smirked as we went through the base doors.

His eyes flickered down at me with a little grin,

"Not a chance." He laughed.

Well, it was worth a go.

"So what do you wanna start with? Sharpshooting? Knife combat? Close combat?"

"Sleeping?" I grinned.

"Sleep when you're dead." He grumbled.

"At this rate that will be in a couple of hours." I rolled my eyes.

"You will be if you don't watch your tone."

I giggled to myself, my stomach warm with the sight of that beautiful smile of his.