Gage had been one of the first men to be recruited into the elite and highly illegal organization.
But then again his organization had a lot of police, congressmen, hell, even men in the white house, on their client list.
After training with the Special Forces, he’d been working as a civilian. But then he’d been anonymously contacted, and it had all started after that.
Now he was a hired hitman, and although he’d served others while on active duty, saved lives, and had others’ backs, he’d always felt this darkness in him.
It was this rage, this violence that made him brutal to his enemies. That wasn’t exactly a good thing where his ranking and station was concerned, but being a contracted killer meant he didn’t have to hold back.
Gage didn’t have to ignore and suppress the beast inside of him. When he found the “bad guy” he fucked them up, and it gave him a rush of life.
“No other fee is necessary, Mr. McCarthy. I’ll make sure to find your daughter and bring down the person that took her.” Gage stood and took a step toward the frail man. He noticed the way the man sitting in the corner tensed when Gage approached. “You want her captor’s head? I’ll bring it.”
The old man nodded, seeming satisfied.
“Thank you, Mr. Mack.”
Gage looked over at the man in the corner once more. He stood as well, his height comparable to Gage’s own six foot five, but he lacked any kind of solid muscle mass, unlike Gage. The man didn’t show any emotions, his expression hard, almost unreadable.
Almost.
Gage could read people just by the way they moved and by their body language.
“Something on your mind?” Gage asked since the man kept watching him.
“This is my personal advisor, Theo Millian,” Edward said. I apologize for not introducing him sooner.”
“We can’t tell you enough how grateful we are that you are going to find Neeka.” Theo took a step forward, extending his hand out in greeting. “I’m sorry if I came across as offensive. I am just in knots about the fact Neeka is gone.” Emotion now crossed Theo’s face. “To know you’ll find the person that has done this gives me great pleasure and hope.”
Gage tensed, noticing how Theo’s eyes became hard and determined. Gage could also hear longing in Theo’s voice when he spoke of Neeka. He wondered if this was Neeka’s boyfriend.
Not that it mattered, or that Gage gave a fuck. This was just a job, and Gage would succeed in it. He took the other man’s hand and shook it.
“She’ll be brought home safely.”
“I’ll see you out, Mr. Mack,” Theo responded.
Gage nodded at Theo and then at Edward, and left the room. Theo showed him out, and before Gage exited the front door, Theo started speaking.
“I am just as devastated about Neeka as Mr. McCarthy is. I’ve watched her grow into the lovely woman she is today. We know you’ll bring her home safely. I just hope it’s before Edward’s health deteriorates even more.”
Gage felt his skin tighten and his heart rate increase. There was something about Theo Millian that set Gage’s instincts on high.
“She’ll be found,” was all Gage said. He let himself out and walked over to his car. Starting now, he was on a mission. He needed to find Neeka McCarthy and destroy anyone who stood in his way.
Adrenaline started to rush through his veins as he felt the thrill of the hunt wash through him, felt that darkness start to rise.
He curled his hands around the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. He was going to let his beast out, and fuck did it feel good.
Chapter
Three
The sound of metal scraping on something had Neeka waking. She instantly sat up and pushed herself toward the wall, feeling her flight or fight instinct take root.
She didn’t know how long she’d been here as there was no clock, no window for her to tell if it was night or day.
She was in this endless pattern of food being pushed under the door three times a day. That was her only way of knowing the time, and even that was sketchy at best.
But since being here she’d been taken out of this room repeatedly, all but pulled down a barren, cold hallway with no doors or windows, and tested like some kind of animal.
“You know the drill,” one of the men said, his big body blocking the door, his arms crossed. The other man held a syringe, and she knew if she fought they’d knock her out and take her anyway.
She didn’t want to get drugged again, but knew it was fruitless to try to reason with them.
Still, she wouldn’t lie down and take this. Neeka wouldn’t make this easy for them.
Getting off the bed, she felt her entire body shake at the knowledge of where they were going to take her. Each man grabbed an arm, and although she wanted to struggle, she knew from past experiences that all it would get her was more pain and fear.