Prologue
Merrick
I stared through the scope on my rifle, lining it up with my target. The rooftop I was perched on had the perfect cover, so I was well hidden. It had taken a couple of months to find the bastard who’d betrayed my SEAL team. But I finally had him in my sights.
Taking this guy out was the only option. Otherwise, he’d find some way to tamper with the evidence of his traitorous activities, and we’d probably end up in front of a firing squad—a method most people didn’t realize was still in use. The son of a bitch deserved no better, but as this wasn’t a sanctioned mission, he would only be on the receiving end of a single bullet to the head.
I knew this would effectively end my military career, but if I didn’t do it, one of my brothers would. I was the only one without family, and my soul had already been blackened enough. Besides, I’d been recruited for a new job with Ruthless Corp. As soon as I completed this mission, I would leave the Navy with honors and start my life in Los Angeles as a professional hitman. Had to put my sniper skills to use somehow...and as long as the owner, Rogue, gave me targets that deserved their fate, I had no crisis of conscience over my employment.
My heartbeat was calm and slow, my steady breaths in sync with the rhythm. Finally, Vic turned in my direction, and I took the shot.
His body froze for a second before crumpling to the ground. A few drops of blood leaked from the small, precise hole directly between his eyes. Calmly but quickly, I began to pack up my equipment. I didn’t give Vic another thought. He wasn’t my first kill, and he certainly wouldn’t be my last.
Once I’d rid the rooftop of every spec of evidence—my skills as a cleaner were another reason I’d been recruited by Ruthless Corp—I slipped into the building and made my way down the stairs. I exited the back and hoofed it the ten blocks to my truck.
As I pulled onto the highway, I dialed the number for my lieutenant, Huntley. When the call connected, I skipped the greetings and growled, “It’s done.”
I was met with a few minutes of silence, then Huntley sighed, his relief palpable through the phone. “We owe you, Shadow,” he grunted.
“It was all our asses on the line, Huntley. But especially those of you with family. None of you owe me a fucking thing. This was my decision, and I don’t regret it.”
“Hooyah, sailor,” he said in a low tone.
“Hooyah, Lieutenant,” I echoed. We hung up without another word, and I focused on the road, traveling to LA and my new life.
1
Audrey
After blindly slapping my palm against my cell phone’s screen to hit snooze on my alarm for the third time, I slowly blinked my eyes open. Between my duties as a bridesmaid for my best friend Grace’s second wedding—to the guy she was already married to, which was quite the story—and a test in my western civ class this morning, I hadn’t gotten much sleep over the past week. Not that Grace was a bridezilla or anything. But she had her hands full being a mom to their adorable twins, Kate and Joshua, so I’d been trying to pitch in wherever I could to help lighten her load. But burning the candle at both ends was catching up with me, and I really could’ve used another hour of sleep.
“No such luck,” I grumbled as I switched off the alarm. After rolling off my mattress, I stretched my arms high and groaned in relief at the pop in my lower back. I wanted to grab a shower and wash my hair before heading to the library for some last-minute studying. Since I only had a couple of hours until my class started, I couldn’t ignore my alarm any longer. Luckily, I had my own shower in my dorm room this year and didn’t need to worry about the bathroom being crowded with other girls.
When I finished blow-drying my hair and brushing some powder over my face to cover my freckles about forty minutes later, I felt a little more human. After tossing on a pair of yoga pants, a T-shirt, and a sweatshirt, I slipped a pair of TOMS on my feet and applied my favorite gloss to my lips. Then I wandered over to my single-serve coffee maker and popped a chocolate marshmallow swirl pod into the slot, placed my insulated travel tumbler under the spout, and pressed the button to brew the largest cup possible.
Once my drink was prepared exactly how I liked it, with lots of cream and sugar, I grabbed my backpack and headed for the door, finally ready to tackle my day. No one was in the hallway as I left my room, but I spotted movement to my left after I locked the door. There was only one room past mine in that direction, and my neighbor had been missing for more than two weeks. I was filled with hope that she’d finally returned safe and sound, but my excitement was short-lived when I looked over my shoulder and saw a stranger coming out of Stacey’s room.