“But I…” I blurted, and she shook her head.
“You and I will talk inside the car,” she answered and still I stood frozen. “If you don’t get in, I will signal to my sniper that you’re a lost cause and an unfortunate victim in the crossfire of an unexpected case of terrorism in Lucerne. Maybe a mugging gone wrong. Who knows? I’m very good at coming up with stories.”
I knew I had run out of time. I was going to die.
I slid into the backseat and maneuvered all the way to the other side. I didn’t even need to test the door to know that it was likely locked. When she sat down beside me, I had to control my terror as the door closed firmly behind her.
I had hoped that the Father would grant me mercy, but he’d clearly decided that I’d reached the end of my usefulness. She was here to kill me. She made problems
like me go away.
As the car pulled away, she moved to sit across from me and crossed her long legs as she leaned back and appraised me with a certain coldness that made me shake with fear.
“When Father referenced my quick exit, I had hoped he wouldn’t decide that he would have me killed,” I whispered, unable to hide just how terrified I was to have her here with me.
It didn’t matter now that she knew I was afraid. She’d probably seen grown men beg for their lives time and time again. She likely expected me to be no different, but I wouldn’t go like that. Even if it hurt, and I knew it would, I would die with at least a little bit of dignity.
“He hasn’t decided to kill you, Willow,” she answered.
“You don’t have to sugarcoat this for me. I know what you do,” I replied, a certain sadness and subdued acceptance that this would be the way things were going to be.
“I’m sure you’ve heard the stories of how the problems I can’t make go away disappear, but I doubt you’ve heard of all the ones I’ve fixed along the way. That’s what you are, Willow. You’re a problem and it’s my job to fix you and if I can’t… Well, we will talk about that if it comes to that,” she said.
“The ones you’ve fixed without killing someone?” I finally asked, narrowing my eyes at her suspiciously.
She nodded once and didn’t elaborate.
“So how do you think you’ll fix the problem that is me?”
“Perhaps you need a reminder of what’s at stake if you fail to do your job. Or maybe this rather persistent mark of yours needs to be eliminated. It’s possible you just need to have your sights set on a new mark while a protective detail looks out for you. There’s a lot to consider, which is why you and I are going to travel to Portugal together and figure that out,” she explained.
“I don’t know how he found me,” I whispered.
I wanted Daddy to hold me.
I stiffened, caught off guard by the sudden need to have his arms around me. I swallowed heavily, trying not to think about how safe his lap had felt compared to the literal clusterfuck I was in right now.
I pressed my hands against my thighs, cursing the way my palms grew sweaty like they always did for like the billionth time.
“We have people looking into that,” she answered.
“Have they found anything?”
“Not yet. If he used facial recognition software, we don’t know what kind. We’ve always been careful to place you in different locations across state lines, but if he has access to servers and footage around the world, that poses a bigger problem,” she answered.
What she really meant was that my usefulness would come to a close and then the Fixer would have to do what she was known for.
I turned my head, unable to face the woman who had been sent here to kill me.
“Did you do anything that would make this Dean find you? Did you help him along the way?” she pressed, and I flicked my gaze back toward her in anger.
“No. I did my job, and I took his money. I left and moved onto another city with a new mark,” I replied forcefully, and her inquisitive expression remained unchanged. I wasn’t sure if she believed me or not and that was more terrifying than anything else.
“I see,” she responded. Her words were flat, saying nothing and everything in the same breath.
“Can I ask what happens next?” I questioned, chewing my lip nervously. Her lips lifted up in the slightest smirk and I couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or if I should be terrified.
“You and I are going to head to Portugal together. Together, we’re going to focus on a mark, and I am going to supervise you in the process,” she offered. I lifted my chin. Maybe if I embraced the whole thing, she’d decide I wasn’t worth killing in the end.