The Hitman

The Texts

Nick Sievers' POV

I stared absently out the window, eyes open but not seeing. The images and words swirled through my mind.

The two girls. Tied up. Strapped to bombs. Scared for their lives.

And Vincent. Laughing. He enjoyed the situation.

What had Aldridge thought? How had she responded? It was almost as if we were connected, almost as if I could feel her racing heart.

"Nicole?" Jay asked.

I didn't respond. I didn't react. Because a war was raging in my head right now, a war I had been fighting for a long time.

please

Aldridge was texting me now, pleading. These were her daughters. She was no longer hiding behind a facade, no longer keeping her cards close to her chest. She had laid them all out on the table, and now it was my turn.

these are my daughters. i love them

I pursed my lips and looked away, once again staring at the beach on my right.

we've both been hiding from the truth for too long. it's time to face it

I rubbed my jaw and turned to Jay. "Head back toward the airport."

"Nick," he said gently, "they'll arrest us. You just killed one of their agents. It's a ruse."

I sighed and shook my head. "To the airport."

Jay drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and glanced left and right. Finally, he pulled the keys out of the ignition and pocketed them. "No."

In a flash, I had hit the pressure point in Jay's neck. He collapsed back into the seat, and I quickly exited the car. I opened the back door and gripped his arm, then yanked into the backseat. My hands closed around the cool metal of the keys in his pocket. I covered Jay in a spare blanket and winced. "Sorry," I apologized.

Exhaling heavily, I slammed the car door shut.

I just attacked my best friend.

I walked around to the front of the car.

I just attacked my best friend.

I slid into the driver's seat and started the car.

He'll never trust me again.

I pressed the gas and raced back toward the airport. I practically flew down the road, paying no heed to the speed limit.

I was angry. I was scared.

I was dangerous.

Because no one comes between a father and his daughters.