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"You've got to be fucking kidding me."

Last night I could have easily told you that I didn't want a war with the first man to successfully track me down and break into my apartment. Now, I knew for certain that this man would be the death of me. I'd honestly be surprised if he wasn't the one holding the gun when I ended up with a bullet in my brain. Because let's be honest, that was always how this would end for me. That had been decided since I was sixteen.

"I wish I was," the Cambodian murmured while looking at his computer screen. This was Tyler Pham, the genius who made my life a lot easier. After last nights scare, I could have sworn Tyler was going to be the next one on my assassin's hit list because lord knows he's never had to deal with being tortured. Last night was 'being nice' compared to what could have happened. "May 4th, 2020 in West Prague three security officers for one of the biggest diamond banks in Europe were killed and seventy million dollars in diamonds stolen. No one was ever arrested for it but everyone who is anyone suspects Ashton Naifeh did it on his own."

Ashraf 'Ashton' Naifeh. That name might as well have meant death. He was my biggest competitor. His name alone could send men into comas. Both the twenty-seven-year-old Palestinian and myself were notorious for never missing a mark. It explains why I'd never seen his face; no one ever connected his face to his real name and lived. Even his fucked up background could rival mine. Rumor has it he joined Sayeret Matkal at just sixteen after his father died. Why a Palestinian would join the most elite form of the Israeli army was beyond me, but that was beside the point. Ashton Naifeh was in that unit for seven years before he fled and became a freelance assassin. He was just as deadly, if not more lethal, than me. I was literally playing with fire.

"You're fucking lucky I called your ass before he could make it to London." Making a phone call from a landline with your hands bound behind your back was easier said than done. I'd gotten the gag off by getting it hooked on the knob of a cabinet and practically ripping my skin off, but it was an emergency. If Tyler was dead my master plan would fall apart.

If there was one thing Naifeh knew how to do, it was keeping a girl preoccupied. The bondage knot up my arms was clever. I managed to pick the cuffs but untying the ropes was definitely infinitely harder.

"He never left Monaco," Tyler murmured, typing something on his computer screen as I stood behind him, looking over his shoulder. As mentioned before, Rick owned an oil company that happened to have offices across Europe. One of those locations was in Monaco, though that was more for his own personal convenience than anyone else's. This was my second time in this skyscraper and probably the last. I never stuck around long enough to see anything more than twice. "Bought a plane ticket and never used it. He was trying to scare us and he did. I'd watch your back, Athena. That was a smart move. We're like rats in a cage now. I wouldn't be surprised if he had a sniper rifle pointed at our heads right now," Tyler mused with only a slight bit of sarcasm in his voice.

I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "Impractical. Wind speeds is too high today and your office had a horrible vantage compared to the buildings around here." We were too high up compared to make an accurate shot in this wind. Though if anyone could do it, Ashton and myself could. But Tyler had a point, none the less. Naifeh was corralling us. "And he needs us for the codes. To steal them from L'clerc would just be a waste of time and effort. Especially if my disappearance made him suspicious, a new man getting close to him would raise major red flags."

Tyler pursed his lips to respond when the wooden door to his corner office bust open, revealing the ever so powerful Rick Abioye. Adopted from South Africa, the Englishman was more than accustomed to travelling but something told me he did not want to be here right now. His deep brown eyes were much darker than mine, but no one could hold the same emotionless irks that mine did. "Would someone like to explain to me why I had to leave the Maldives for this?" He questioned pompously, closing the wood door behind him.

Rick always looked crisp in an expensive suit, a great contrast to Tyler's preferred button-down and dress pants on a nice day. Today he wore a luxurious deep emerald that exuded power, working in conjunction with his rich skin tone. Everything about Rick was extravagant and classy.

I straightened up from where I was leaning over Tyler's shoulder and looked Rick dead in the eyes as I spoke. "Ashton Naifeh is working for Kavyat. Turns out they're after L'clerc's security codes too." Would I tell him how Ashton broke into my home? Not a fucking chance. That's like voluntarily telling your parents you broke their prized fine china plate.

You never admit to that shit.

Rick turned that fact over in his head for a moment before easily responding, "Hire him."

"Do you realize how much that's going to cost?" Or that he would take my fucking job. That's how this worked. You kill the man on top of you. Hell, I framed my former boss then shot him in front of Rick to show my 'loyalty'. If Naifeh joined our team he would sabotage it and run to Kavyat with the codes or he would kill me. Neither of those options was favorable.

"Yes," Rick answered confidently. "Did you not say this job would be a challenge without another person physically in Russia with you? Here is your other person. Besides, Kavyat is a pain in my ass and it's time we teach him not to mess with me. We're set to make over ten billion dollars over this steal. You know Kavyat would keep that to himself and try to kill Naifeh." He wasn't wrong. Kavyat was too power-hungry and it showed. He got cocky and selfish. He would end up dead by the end of this if he really was working with Naifeh. "2.5 billion each is a good split. Find him, and get in on our team."

And then he turned on his heel and walked out, leaving the slam of the door to echo behind his five foot eight figure. That's the thing about bosses like Rick; they left when they wanted and whatever their last sentence was, it might as well have been law. I couldn't help but close my eyes and let out a breath of frustration. "He's going to get me fucking killed."

"Abioye or Naifeh?"

"Rick. But I'm sure Ashton will be the vessel of my impending doom," I groaned in all seriousness. Tyler was the closest thing I had to a friend, but even him I had to be wary of. The reality of the situation was that I lived in a lonely world. I had gone from the brotherhood of the special appertains unit to the isolation of the CIA to the utter solitary confinement of my current occupation, whatever this is called.

I opened my eyes and clenched my fist, staring blankly ahead at the computer screen with Ashton's file pulled up, his perfectly symmetrical face from an old forged passport starting back at me with a stoic look made of stone.

"Find his address. Do whatever it takes. It looks like I'm paying our new friend a surprise visit tonight."

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