RESTLESS HEARTS

CHAPTER 9

•JULIANA•

I grabbed one of the photos scattered across the table to get a closer look at the target's face.

It's a shame to unalive someone who looks this good.

I took a bite of the green apple in my other hand and tossed the picture back onto the table with the rest.

This was it, my final mission. Once I sorted out Conner O'Kelly, I'd be saying goodbye to San Francisco, and my family's side jobs would never trouble me again. This one was the last straw.

I'd already wired Conner's phone to monitor his calls, and I must say, this guy was making my job so much easier.

He's planning to take his buddies on a cruise in his yacht tomorrow. All I had to do was plant a bomb and let the ocean cover up their remains for me. No hassle, just four bodies to deal with.

I'd snapped shots of his yacht earlier today, which was why I booked this room with the perfect view of the marina. This morning, I found out that Conner's private yacht was docked there.

He was on the phone with his captain, finalizing their cruise plans for tomorrow. That's when I got the details.

The plan was in motion. My gear and weapons were prepped, and my safehouse was good to go.

Escaping after I'm done with Conner and his friends wouldn't be a cakewalk. That's why I'd prepared everything in advance.

I'd secured a cabin on a remote island away from Oahu, the ideal spot to lay low until I figured out how to get back to the mainland without attracting any unwanted attention.

Every move had to be precise and meticulously planned. That was the golden rule for this job.

My burner phone rang, the one reserved for work only. An unfamiliar number popped up, and I took a minute to ponder who might be on the other end before picking up.

No one ever called me on my burner phone; I was the one making the calls.

"Who is this?"

Silence on the other end, but I could hear the person breathing.

"A friend of a friend," a woman's voice finally replied.

I tensed up, ready for a potential threat. "What do you want?"

"I need you to take care of someone for me." She answered with a bored tone.

I rolled my eyes and slumped back in my chair. She wasn't a threat, just someone looking to outsource their dirty work.

"Sorry, not interested."

"But you're a hitwoman."

"I only work for the family business. So, not interested."

I ended the call abruptly and snapped the burner phone in two with my hands. Annoyance coursed through me. Who had given this woman my personal details for a direct call?

It had to be someone within the gang; otherwise, she wouldn't have called me out of the blue for a job.

I was already juggling one task, and I was clear about only working for the family. I'd been doing this job since I was eighteen, and this would be my last assignment. I was determined to break free from the Mafia world.

I picked up Conner's photo again and studied it. Maybe he'd crossed my father's people because of some stolen money, which had landed us all in this mess, but part of me felt sorry for the guy.

Do I really have to end his life? I mean, he seemed like the kind of guy I could scare easily with just a razor blade.

But my father had his ways. Once you make a mistake that gets on his bad side, your life will be in my hands. The one thing he admired about me was that I don't ask questions; I just get the job done.

Unlike my brother, who was still working to prove he could lead the Mafia. But so far, he just liked to take his sweet time.

I could have filled his shoes, but the rules in my world didn't allow it. No woman had ever been accepted as a leader in the crime world. We were either seen as a liability or an eye candy for any eye.

That's why I needed to leave. I was sick of this life with no freedom to speak or walk away.

I'd made a promise: this was my last job. Once it was over, I could go wherever I pleased.

And as for Conner, well, he better sink deep into the ocean after that yacht explodes. I didn't like dealing with loose ends that could drag me back into this hellhole.