“Why did you leave the party and go off on your own?” Then he glanced to the side and added, “Do you like the view by the river? How about we celebrate your birthday here next time? Would you like that?”
I just stared at him, not saying a word.
“Baby…” he said, his voice trailing off.
His face paled. Gale Holden, a hitman with countless lives on his conscience, was scared. It was obvious, but he wouldn’t admit it and he wasn’t willing to risk explaining and making a slip-up.
Finally, I gave him a soft smile. “Alright.”
That one word was enough to make him exhale in relief. Gale pulled me into a tight embrace.
“Don’t disappear like that again, baby. I swear, I’ll lose my mind.”
I patted his back lightly, signaling him to let me go.
“You’ve got a mission tomorrow. Let’s go home.”
This mission was set in a dense rainforest, notorious for its danger. No one else dared take it, but Gale was willing to risk it for the hefty payout. Back home, while adjusting the surveillance feeds, an unexpected figure appeared on the screen.
Flossie. Gale had taken her to the rainforest with him. The two of them stuck together like conjoined twins, inseparable the whole time.
“Gale, I’ll wait for you,” she said, her voice dripping with anticipation.
“After it’s over, we can have some fun in the water.”
I stared at the screen, stunned by the absurdity of it all.
Gale narrowed his eyes at her. “Stay hidden,” he warned, his tone sharp.
Then, just like that, he switched into combat mode.
“Daisy.”
His voice over the comm snapped me out of my thoughts.
I activated the voice changer. “I’m here. All units on standby.”
Time ticked by and soon the screen in front of me lit up with a familiar prompt.
[Countdown: 2 days]
“Commence operation,” I instructed, my voice steady.
“Repeat mission directive: Eliminate the fugitive known as ‘Snakeback.’”
I couldn’t relax; I had to be on guard every second because one small slip could cost lives. Fortunately, everything went smoothly and it didn’t take long for Gale and his team to infiltrate the enemy base. Before I could breathe a sigh of relief, a terrible feeling struck me. All the lights suddenly went out and I could hear a few men speaking over the communication radio.
“She is here.”
“Even Gale doesn’t know…”
“Daisy is his wife.”
I froze. The air in my lungs seemed to be sucked dry. The man laughed wickedly.