Read Online The Hitman's Baby - A Bad Boy Secret Baby Romance (With extra added bonus novel for a short time only!) by Ashley Rhodes - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Ashley Rhodes
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Venice. But there was always the chance that Lester would find him, or that he’d have to burn another agency.
This time, it would be different. This time he’d take her somewhere far away. Maybe the Balkans, or the Andes. Somewhere remote. And this time, he’d stay with her, if she’d let him. He didn’t even have to be with her—he wasn’t sure he could feel anything real for anyone for any length of time; he never had before. Just nearby.
And if Ramon was his son…
As he packed his bag and cleaned his hardware, he let himself imagine the possibility.
Nick had never seen himself as a family man. A mentor, maybe, at one time. When things were still as good and professional between him and Lester as they ever got, he’d considered passing on the baton, as it were. Taking some young miscreant from his crappy life and handing him the keys to a bloodspattered kingdom.
Not now, though. He could barely stomach this life anymore. It was a taste he’d just gotten acclimated to by long exposure. It digested, but was never enjoyable. Had it been, at one time? It was hard to remember anymore. It wasn’t the life he wanted, exactly. Just the only life he’d ever really known.
Once everything was prepared, he booked a flight, booked a rental car, and laid a careful trail of money to lead whoever came after them in the wrong direction. He hoped it wasn’t Alex. He liked the man, even if they’d never met. He had principals.
But if Nick needed to, he’d hunt him down and put an end to the chase. He wasn’t going to hide for another eight years like he had from Lester. Not if he was going to hold on to Cassandra.
It was possible she wouldn’t want him to hold onto her. If that was the case… well, she didn’t have to see him for him to watch over her. That was a bridge he could cross when he came to it.
There was nothing left to do but ruminate, so he did it in bed. It was a long flight tomorrow. To see Cassandra again. To meet Ramon.
And just maybe, to start a new life of some kind, once and for all.
It was long overdue.
Chapter 8
Cassandra was late.
She knew that was going to be the case the moment the woman in her chair looked in the mirror. The corners of her mouth turned down just a bit as he turned her head from side to side. She examined the slightly orange hue in her highlights and sighed. “It’s not quite what I wanted.” She said.
Cassandra held her tongue before explaining to the woman that this particular outcome was precisely the reason a cheap bleach job wouldn’t work.
“You didn’t leave it in long enough,” the woman pronounced.
“I can see how it might seem like I didn’t,” Cassandra said carefully—she’d taken a workshop specifically on handling these sorts of issues with customers after one of them had walked out of the salon on her—before she spread her hands non-threateningly, “with hair as dark and textured as yours is, that’s why we really need a second toning process. If we left the lightening solution in too long, believe me, your hair would be too brittle to do anything with. If you want, we can do the toning round next.”
“You could have told me that before we started,” the woman said, short and clipped, and clearly on the verge of having a fit. “I got it done for fifty dollars last time and they bleached and toned it at the same time.”
Yes, she’d informed Cassandra of that when she first asked for the service as justification for not paying for a full treatment. She almost asked the woman why she didn’t go back, but that would have only made it worse. “It’s not too late to make it work,” she said instead.
The woman sighed, and Cassandra hoped that she would just pay and leave. No such luck, however. She waved a hand topped with long, elaborately painted nails. “Go head. Might as well fix it now. I’m not coming back here, though. You all are too expensive.”
That didn’t warrant an answer. Instead, Cassandra left her to
This time, it would be different. This time he’d take her somewhere far away. Maybe the Balkans, or the Andes. Somewhere remote. And this time, he’d stay with her, if she’d let him. He didn’t even have to be with her—he wasn’t sure he could feel anything real for anyone for any length of time; he never had before. Just nearby.
And if Ramon was his son…
As he packed his bag and cleaned his hardware, he let himself imagine the possibility.
Nick had never seen himself as a family man. A mentor, maybe, at one time. When things were still as good and professional between him and Lester as they ever got, he’d considered passing on the baton, as it were. Taking some young miscreant from his crappy life and handing him the keys to a bloodspattered kingdom.
Not now, though. He could barely stomach this life anymore. It was a taste he’d just gotten acclimated to by long exposure. It digested, but was never enjoyable. Had it been, at one time? It was hard to remember anymore. It wasn’t the life he wanted, exactly. Just the only life he’d ever really known.
Once everything was prepared, he booked a flight, booked a rental car, and laid a careful trail of money to lead whoever came after them in the wrong direction. He hoped it wasn’t Alex. He liked the man, even if they’d never met. He had principals.
But if Nick needed to, he’d hunt him down and put an end to the chase. He wasn’t going to hide for another eight years like he had from Lester. Not if he was going to hold on to Cassandra.
It was possible she wouldn’t want him to hold onto her. If that was the case… well, she didn’t have to see him for him to watch over her. That was a bridge he could cross when he came to it.
There was nothing left to do but ruminate, so he did it in bed. It was a long flight tomorrow. To see Cassandra again. To meet Ramon.
And just maybe, to start a new life of some kind, once and for all.
It was long overdue.
Chapter 8
Cassandra was late.
She knew that was going to be the case the moment the woman in her chair looked in the mirror. The corners of her mouth turned down just a bit as he turned her head from side to side. She examined the slightly orange hue in her highlights and sighed. “It’s not quite what I wanted.” She said.
Cassandra held her tongue before explaining to the woman that this particular outcome was precisely the reason a cheap bleach job wouldn’t work.
“You didn’t leave it in long enough,” the woman pronounced.
“I can see how it might seem like I didn’t,” Cassandra said carefully—she’d taken a workshop specifically on handling these sorts of issues with customers after one of them had walked out of the salon on her—before she spread her hands non-threateningly, “with hair as dark and textured as yours is, that’s why we really need a second toning process. If we left the lightening solution in too long, believe me, your hair would be too brittle to do anything with. If you want, we can do the toning round next.”
“You could have told me that before we started,” the woman said, short and clipped, and clearly on the verge of having a fit. “I got it done for fifty dollars last time and they bleached and toned it at the same time.”
Yes, she’d informed Cassandra of that when she first asked for the service as justification for not paying for a full treatment. She almost asked the woman why she didn’t go back, but that would have only made it worse. “It’s not too late to make it work,” she said instead.
The woman sighed, and Cassandra hoped that she would just pay and leave. No such luck, however. She waved a hand topped with long, elaborately painted nails. “Go head. Might as well fix it now. I’m not coming back here, though. You all are too expensive.”
That didn’t warrant an answer. Instead, Cassandra left her to
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