“We are currently hunting them. This is our mission. It’s why we told you to stay away from the city. You are crossing into another’s assignment.”
“Donald,” Idris growls in warning. “They are dying, either you help or hinder me.”
“If you do this—if you kill them, hunt them—are you ready for the consequences, Boogeyman?” Donald challenges as he stands, straightening his shirt as he steps closer. “Everyone will know you’re back. You will be plunging right back into this world, and this time, there will be no escape, no retirement. You will leave only at the end of a gun. Think wisely. Is it worth sacrificing your hard-earned peace you so desperately craved?”
“I have no choice,” Idris hedges, but he sounds resigned.
“Idris,” I murmur, stepping around him. “You told me what it took to get free, don’t do this. Let them kill them—”
I see Donald gaping at me in shock as Boogeyman turns, his expression thunderous as he steps closer, glaring down at me. Donald moves closer, almost panicked, as if to protect me. “Boogeyman, don’t—”
I hold up my hand. “I can handle him,” I mutter.
“You would give up your revenge?” he demands as he glares down at me. “You would give up the thought of what kept you alive?”
“Never.” I sigh. “I’ll kill them.”
He snorts. “You’ll take down an entire trafficking ring alone?”
“If I have to.” I shrug. “Or I’ll die trying.”
“You chose your path, and so have I, little one. Do not question it again. I know my mind, I know the consequences,” he murmurs, and then looks to Donald. “I have no choice, they die.”
“So be it,” he replies, but he seems almost sad. “You may kill them, hunt them if you wish… but not the American. Not the one at the top. He’s mine.”
“But—” Idris starts, and that’s when I see the transformation in Donald. I thought he was scary before, but he is downright fucking terrifying now. His face goes cold, empty. Deadly. In those eyes, I see the truth. Idris can’t hide what he is… but this man can. He conceals it well, but he’s just as much of a killer as Boogeyman. I see the calculation in his gaze… the threat.
“Do not disobey my orders, Boogeyman. This is personal for you, but it is for me as well. Do not forget who put that gun in your hand, who watched your back, who gave you everything you wanted. Who offered you protection. This city is mine, and I say who dies and who lives. You may kill any other, but the American is off limits. If I find out you laid one finger on his head, you will be disavowed.”
I don’t know what that means, but it seems important, because Idris actually looks shocked. “You would remove me from the Clergy? You would make the hunter become the hunted? Order my death?”
“Yes,” Donald replies without even blinking. “Do we have a deal?”
Reluctantly, Idris nods. “I still need supplies.”
“And you will have them. Our services are open to you.” He turns away before stilling. “Welcome back to the shadows, Boogeyman.” He looks over his shoulder and meets my eyes. “Be careful who you walk in the darkness with, Alena.” He purposely enunciates my name. “You may just find yourself in front of a gun instead of behind it.”
With that, he pulls out a phone. “Send the doctor to my floor.” He hangs up and dials another number while we watch. “Spider, come to chapel.”
Donald returns his attention to Idris. “I assume you want that hard drive sticking out of your pocket checked over? He won’t be long. Until then, you know where the priest is. You may leave Alena here for the doctor—”
“We stay together,” I snap and turn to Idris. “Guns first, then doctor.”
He looks down at me, his expression cold before a slow grin tugs at his lips as he shakes his head. “No, doctor first. You’re useless to me if you get infected.” He grabs the back of my neck again. “Behave, no biting or stabbing.”
I roll my eyes but agree. Where is the fun in that?