“That’s great. I’m glad things are working out. You deserve it.”
There was a brief silence on the line. “Hey, I know you didn’t call to shoot the shit, Shadow. What’s up?”
He gritted his teeth, not knowing where to start. “How’s Boss handling your new family? He okay with June, or do you think he’ll make trouble?”
“I’m still working for Killer of Kings, watching his back, so he can’t complain.”
“You’re not worried about your woman?”
“Boss might be a hard ass, but I know he’s happy for me in his own way. For Viper and Bain, too. Finding a good woman in our line of work is like winning the fucking lotto. You hope for it, but never expect it to happen.”
Talking about his personal life felt foreign, and if he hadn’t felt comfortable with Killian, he never would have asked for his advice. “I’ve been dating this girl,” Shadow started. “Of course, Boss found out about it. He said I could find happiness with a woman like her, same as you.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“I don’t trust him, not a fucking word. I feel like he’s setting me up, going to use her against me. I know he gets a hard-on having leverage over everyone.”
Killian exhaled. “You love her?”
Shadow licked his lips. What the fuck was love? “I don’t know.”
“Then can I have a go with her?”
Shadow silenced, his body tensing up … just as Killian started laughing on the other end.
“You’re whipped, bud. You love her or Boss wouldn’t have mentioned anything. When was the last time he tried to fix you up with a whore?”
“I don’t know if I can do it, the whole relationship thing. My life’s too dangerous. I’d never forgive myself if something happened to her because of me.”
“Fuck that shit, Shadow. If you love her, claim her, keep her safe. It’s what we’ve been fucking trained to do, eh?”
“Thanks,” he said. “Hey, take care of that kid. If he’s anything like you, he’s a pain in the ass.”
Killian chuckled before hanging up.
The pier was just ahead. Shadow pushed away his thoughts of Riley and focused on his mission. A distraction could get him killed.
He parked in a nearby alleyway and made his way
on foot after strapping his body with heat. Shadow moved without a sound, blending into the surroundings invisibly. The large wooden crates and metal containers near the docks gave him plenty of vantage points. When he saw Chains hiding behind one of the large crates, his hackles went up. What the fuck was Chains doing there? How could he know the mark would be at the dock? Even Shadow wouldn’t have known without that cell phone, but then again, Chains had been at the restaurant. Shadow didn’t know if he was with Killer of Kings or the damned enemy.
He moved in, twisting a silencer onto the muzzle of his Glock. When he was right behind the asshole, he pressed the gun to Chains’s head. “Funny to find you here,” he said.
Chains put both his hands up at his sides. “It’s not what you think.”
“If I were you, I’d start explaining real fast.”
He didn’t stop Chains as he slowly turned around. “You know Boss has eyes and ears everywhere. I’m only supposed to keep tab, but this hit is all you, Shadow. Actually, the real reason I’m here is because of him.”
Shadow narrowed his eyes and looked to where Chains pointed. In the distance, he saw a figure lying prone position with a sniper rifle. “Who the hell is that?”
“It’s a big contract. You have to know Killer of Kings isn’t the only one looking to cash in on it,” said Chains. “This guy’s the only one Boss is worried about.”
Shadow lowered his weapon. “You have anything on him?”
“He’s bad news. Colombian. Rumor has it his parents sold him to one of the big barrio gangs when he was just a kid. By the time he was a teen, he took out the leader and brought the gang to the next level.”
“So he’s got killing in his blood.”